Democratic White House hopeful Barack Obama said on Monday the United States will overcome the financial crisis that has sent shockwaves through Wall Street, but acknowledged that Americans are ”anxious”.
”I am absolutely confident that we are going to get through this difficult time, because that’s what Americans do,” Obama said during a meeting with about 700 campaign donors in Illinois, the state he represents as a senator.
”But we’re not going to chart a new course with the same pilot,” he said.
”We have had a government that has basically sent a message to the American people that you’re on your own,” he said.
”This country works best when it’s working for all of us.”
Obama, who is seeking to defeat Republican John McCain and become America’s first black president when the country votes on November 4, said the United States was enduring a crisis that has not been seen in generations, since the 1930s Great Depression.
”People are anxious about their futures,” he said.
”We are going through one of the most difficult times that we’ve seen, certainly in our lifetimes. We’re in the midst of two wars. Terrorist attacks are still occurring. We now have the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, and it’s not over yet.”
However, he pointed to the resilience of his ancestors and vowed that Americans would find the same strength to emerge from its present financial woes.
”My grandparents grew up in the Great Depression and lived through World War II,” Obama said.
”In the past we fought through slavery and discrimination, women won the right to vote … Each time we found a way and found the leadership to move us toward that more perfect union. The same thing will happen this time.”
Obama added that McCain had begun calling for change, borrowing from Obama’s campaign slogan after the Arizona senator had stressed that the country’s economic fundamentals were strong.
”Now that John McCain is trying to steal our signs, we’re still talking about change,” Obama said.
”We started this campaign with change and you’ll notice my slogan has not changed.” — AFP
