WEBVTT 00:00:00.029 --> 00:00:04.718 [Off voice] Please welcome Kal Penn, actor and political activist. 00:00:04.718 --> 00:00:11.257 [Applause and cheers, also interspersing the whole of Kal Penn's speech] 00:00:11.257 --> 00:00:15.121 [Kal Penn] Hello! Thank you - thank you guys 00:00:18.266 --> 00:00:22.216 Nice! See you're like that: thank you very much 00:00:22.731 --> 00:00:28.252 I am honored to accept your nomination for president of the United States! 00:00:29.779 --> 00:00:33.374 Wait, this is not my speech. 00:00:35.266 --> 00:00:38.312 Prompter guy, can we pull up my speech, please? 00:00:38.312 --> 00:00:40.659 This is awkward 00:00:41.798 --> 00:00:43.682 So while we’re waiting: 00:00:43.682 --> 00:00:45.852 I guess I should have a message, 00:00:45.852 --> 00:00:49.321 a special message for those of you at home who have recently turned 18. 00:00:50.308 --> 00:00:56.446 Good news. I can now legally register you to vote. 00:01:01.545 --> 00:01:05.005 Now, I’ve worked on a lot of fun movies, 00:01:05.005 --> 00:01:10.161 but my favorite job was having a boss who gave the order to take out bin Laden 00:01:10.161 --> 00:01:13.728 and who’s cool with all of us getting gay-married. 00:01:14.513 --> 00:01:17.912 So, thank you, invisible man in the chair, for that, 00:01:24.512 --> 00:01:30.346 and for giving my friends access to affordable health insurance 00:01:30.346 --> 00:01:32.767 and doubling funding for the Pell grants. 00:01:34.325 --> 00:01:39.247 Now, I started volunteering for Barack Obama back in 2007. 00:01:39.247 --> 00:01:42.819 But nothing compares to what I saw behind the scenes at the White House, 00:01:42.819 --> 00:01:45.610 when I had the honor to serve for two years 00:01:45.610 --> 00:01:48.538 as President Obama’s liaison to young Americans. 00:01:48.557 --> 00:01:51.149 I saw how hard he fights for us. 00:01:51.503 --> 00:01:56.257 And one of the most special days was a Saturday in 2012. 00:01:56.257 --> 00:01:59.186 The Senate had repealed “don’t ask, don’t tell,” 00:01:59.186 --> 00:02:03.518 so that anyone can serve the country they love, regardless of whom they love. 00:02:04.301 --> 00:02:08.088 But that same day, the Dream Act was blocked. 00:02:09.051 --> 00:02:11.158 That bill would give immigrant children 00:02:11.158 --> 00:02:13.937 -who’ve never pledged allegiance to any flag but ours - 00:02:13.937 --> 00:02:18.623 the chance to earn their citizenship. Simple. Important. 00:02:20.103 --> 00:02:25.358 And I was in a small office on the second floor of the West Wing with eight other staffers 00:02:25.358 --> 00:02:27.503 and we had worked our hearts out 00:02:27.503 --> 00:02:30.368 and cared very deeply about what this would mean for other young people. 00:02:30.368 --> 00:02:34.569 There wasn’t a dry eye in the room, tears of joy for the history that was made, 00:02:34.569 --> 00:02:38.698 but also tears of sadness because some American dreams would still be deferred. 00:02:39.205 --> 00:02:43.469 And about five minutes later, President Obama walked in, sleeves rolled up. 00:02:43.469 --> 00:02:49.329 And he said to us, “This is not over. We’re gonna keep fighting. I’m gonna keep fighting. 00:02:49.329 --> 00:02:51.451 I need young people to keep fighting.” 00:02:51.451 --> 00:02:52.990 That’s why we’re here! 00:02:55.964 --> 00:03:00.974 A few months later, President Obama fought to keep taxes 00:03:00.974 --> 00:03:03.698 from going up on middle-class families. 00:03:03.698 --> 00:03:06.031 Our Republican friends said, “Sure you can do that.” 00:03:06.031 --> 00:03:08.652 But one of the things they were willing to trade 00:03:08.652 --> 00:03:11.973 is a little item called the college tax credit, 00:03:11.973 --> 00:03:17.038 which today is saving students up to $10,000 over four years of school. 00:03:17.517 --> 00:03:22.854 Now, President Obama paid off his own student loans not too long ago. 00:03:22.854 --> 00:03:24.624 So he remembers what that's like. 00:03:24.639 --> 00:03:28.558 And he said that making it easier to go to college and get technical training 00:03:28.558 --> 00:03:34.238 is exactly how we grow our economy and create jobs and out-compete the world. 00:03:35.331 --> 00:03:40.585 So he stood firm. And that tuition tax credit is still there. 00:03:43.903 --> 00:03:50.353 But here is the thing: if we don’t register, if we don’t vote, it won’t be. 00:03:50.775 --> 00:03:54.616 I volunteered in Iowa in 2007 because, like you, 00:03:54.616 --> 00:03:59.810 I had friends serving in Iraq, I had friends who were looking for jobs, 00:03:59.810 --> 00:04:02.619 others who couldn’t go to the doctor because they couldn’t afford it. 00:04:02.619 --> 00:04:04.111 I felt that had to change. 00:04:04.111 --> 00:04:05.934 So I knocked on some doors. 00:04:05.934 --> 00:04:07.250 I registered voters. 00:04:07.250 --> 00:04:09.315 And I’m volunteering again 00:04:10.115 --> 00:04:14.512 because my friend Matt got a job at a Detroit car company that still exists, 00:04:14.512 --> 00:04:17.726 and Lauren can get the prescription that she needs. 00:04:17.739 --> 00:04:20.961 I’m volunteering because Josiah is back from Iraq, 00:04:20.961 --> 00:04:23.193 Chris is finishing college on the GI Bill, 00:04:23.193 --> 00:04:25.753 and three weeks ago, my buddy Kevin’s boyfriend was able to 00:04:25.753 --> 00:04:28.546 watch him graduate from Marine Corps training. 00:04:28.550 --> 00:04:30.103 That’s change! 00:04:32.991 --> 00:04:35.908 And we can’t turn back now. 00:04:35.908 --> 00:04:39.716 So before I close 00:04:39.716 --> 00:04:44.451 - and as I wonder which Twitter hash tags you’ll start using when I’m done talking, 00:04:44.451 --> 00:04:45.951 hash tag #sexyface? - 00:04:47.212 --> 00:04:50.307 I ask all of you young people to join me. 00:04:50.307 --> 00:04:52.377 You don’t even have to put pants on. 00:04:53.515 --> 00:04:58.069 Go to commit.barackobama.com and register right there. 00:04:58.069 --> 00:05:01.836 And you know what? the oldies out there, you guys can do it too, OK? 00:05:01.836 --> 00:05:06.305 Let’s keep fighting for a president who has never stopped fighting for us! 00:05:06.305 --> 00:05:07.344 Go online. 00:05:07.344 --> 00:05:09.336 Find your local campaign office. 00:05:09.336 --> 00:05:12.489 Call your friends. Call some strangers. Volunteer. 00:05:12.489 --> 00:05:14.436 That’s how we’re going to win this thing. 00:05:14.451 --> 00:05:19.221 Now, I really, really enjoyed listening to Rahm’s speech. 00:05:19.221 --> 00:05:22.385 But he’s a mayor now, so he can’t use four-letter words. 00:05:23.139 --> 00:05:27.922 But I’m no mayor. So I’ve got one for you: 00:05:27.922 --> 00:05:29.330 Vote. 00:05:29.330 --> 00:05:30.576 Thank you very much. 00:05:32.346 --> 00:05:36.751 (English captions based on the script in http://www.demconvention.com/pressrelease/2012-democratic-national-convention-remarks-as-prepared-for-delivery-by-kal-penn-actorproducer-former-associate-director-of-the-white-house-office-of-public-engagement/)