Folks, sixteen years ago, the first time I spoke at a Democratic convention, I asked a simple question: Do we participate in a politics of cynicism, or do we participate in a politics of hope?

It's a question that's more relevant than ever today, as I prepare my speech for this year's convention. I know the answer, and I think you do, too. So before I share my thoughts, I'd like to ask you to chip in $25 or whatever you can afford to help elect my friend Joe Biden as the next President of the United States.

The Republican Party made its choice long ago, and we're seeing the consequences of it every day. They have no answers for the COVID-19 pandemic that has stolen the lives of more than 170,000 Americans and shuttered countless businesses -- just excuses and blame.

They offer no help for the millions of Americans who have lost their jobs, and who now must make unthinkable choices like whether to spend the last dollars in their checking account on rent or food.

They have no serious plans for the great challenges facing us for years to come, and they barely even pretend to. Instead, they try to fan the flames of resentment to divide and distract us from their failures.

Joe Biden is different. And if you're ready to reject the politics of cynicism and resume the hard work of building a more just, more generous, more democratic America, then I need you to chip in $25 or whatever you can to help elect Joe Biden in November.

Joe practices the politics of hope -- not a blind hope, but a hard-won faith that America is better than this, and that our best days still lie ahead of us.

I saw it every single day when we worked together at the White House. He was instrumental to helping us rebuild from the last Republican recession. He can do it again - not in a way that benefits the rich and well-connected, but in a way that grows the economy for everybody.

That's because Joe Biden is a man who lives the values his parents passed on to him. Hard work. Dignity. Respect. Responsibility. He is a man whose own life has taught him how to persevere through the hardest of times and the greatest of loss.

Joe feels the grief of every family that's lost loved ones to this pandemic. He understands the pain of the mothers and fathers who have to tell their children that they've lost their jobs. But most importantly, he knows where to take us from here - how to use the power of the presidency to address our nation's great challenges head-on, and to build back better.

Perhaps most importantly, Joe understands that when times get tough, we don't give up -- we get up. And so it's time for us all to get up, right now, and stand with Joe in this fight for the soul of America.

I'm urging you: Please pitch in $25 or whatever you can afford right now to help elect Joe Biden as the next President of the United States.

What you do at this important moment in history matters. Thanks for doing what you can to help.

Sincerely,

Barack Obama