It is the kindness to take in a stranger when the levees break; the selflessness of workers who would rather cut their hours than see a friend lose their job which sees us through our darkest hours. It is the firefighter's courage to storm a stairway filled with smoke, but also a parent's willingness to nurture a child, that finally decides our fate.

I marched with you in the streets of Chicago to meet our immigration challenge. I fought with you in the Senate for comprehensive immigration reform. And I will make it a top priority in my first year as President.

It's important to make sure that governments have some checks on what they do, that people can oversee what's being done so the government doesn't abuse it.

You didn't elect me to tell you what you wanted to hear. You elected me to tell you the truth.

Our Founding Fathers, faced with perils we can scarcely imagine, drafted a charter to assure the rule of law and the rights of man, a charter expanded by the blood of generations. Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience's sake.

For the sake of our security, our economy and our planet, we must have the courage and commitment to change.

As progressives we believe in affordable health care for all Americans.