At the end of the day, America is about a great many things. We are not a people sharing a common language, we are not a people sharing a common religion, we are not a people sharing a common ethnicity or race. We are a people sharing a common dream, a dream that each of us decides individually, but a dream of potential, a dream of change. A dream of achievement, of achieving whatever it is we want. That perfect little sonnet, that big paycheck, that being the greatest mom in the world, that being a committed father or a committed husband. That dream each of us gets to decide for ourselves. And that the law should be a way to help us achieve that dream and not be an impediment. That these things transcend us, and that we’re not asking people to buy into someone else’s definition of what is right or wrong, but to recognize that each of us has the ability to decide for ourselves what is right for ourselves. That it is our collective efforts to unleash that potential in everyone. And that is the America we know and love. That’s the America that is still very much alive and well. Even though our politics doesn’t reflect the good-hearted nature — the optimistic nature, the tenacious underdog nature of the American spirit — that spirit is there. That spirit is there in people, in our clients, in our cases, and the communities, and that’s what we have to unleash. Because our leaders don’t lead, our leaders follow, and we need them to follow our sense of optimism and hope and change. And not for it to be a very cynical or selfish way of thinking about the world, but to really say that the rising tide will raise my boat, and I want my neighbor’s boat to be fully upright in the water. That makes me proud about the country I live in, because that’s who we are. To touch into that again, I think, is the great promise of America.