Ya know that whole Obama "Yes We Can" thing? What does that even mean? Does anybody know?
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The expression is intended to convey an indomitable spirit: when a task is considered too much to take on, the phrase has been used to mean "We can do this together."
In Obama's case, it's use probably goes back to either his community organizing or the early days of his candidacy, when his campaign was told they couldn't get the support needed to win. He delivered his "Yes We Can" speech after winning the presidential primary in South Carolina. He concluded that speech with this quote:
"Don't tell me we can't change.
Yes, we can. Yes, we can change. Yes, we can.
Yes, we can heal this nation. Yes, we can seize our future. And as we leave this great state with a new wind at our backs and we take this journey across this great country, a country we love, with the message we carry from the plains of Iowa to the hills of New Hampshire, from the Nevada desert to the South Carolina coast, the same message we had when we were up and when we were down, that out of many, we are one; that while we breathe, we will hope.
And where we are met with cynicism and doubt and fear and those who tell us that we can't, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of the American people in three simple words -- yes, we can."
Transcript of S. Carolina primary speech from http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/01/26/obama.transcript/index.html
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The phrase, in English and in Spanish, has a rich history and significance for many people. Over time, it has become imbued with the fight of the underdog, the idea of the little man overcoming injustice. That together as a group we can overcome all obstacles in our way. Within a certain class of people, the worker and the oppressed, it resonates and is a call to arms.
http://lcweb2.loc.gov/ammem/today/aug22.html
http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2008/09/si_se_puede.html
http://www.inmotionmagazine.com/hrcr/jj_ssp.html
http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/12/29/gordon.reed.race/index.html
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