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These "Yes We Can" Tweets Will Make You Miss 2008

by Noor Al-Sibai
PAUL J. RICHARDS/AFP/Getty Images

There was no doubt that emotions would run high during President Barack Obama's farewell address on Jan. 10, but his shout-out to his campaign's famous "Yes We Can" slogan was particularly poignant for those that supported him 2008 and 2012. The outgoing president took it a step further when he finished his speech with "yes we can, yes we did, yes we can" tugging at the heartstrings of every bright-eyed former Obama for America volunteer. These "Yes We Can" tweets proved the power of the president's wildly successful campaigns, and how essential that slogan in both the future and present tenses will be moving forward.

There likely wasn't a dry eye in the house as the president ended his speech by harking back to the good old days of his campaigns, but in fact, Obama initially thought "yes we can" might be too corny to be his tagline. Good thing Michelle, along with Obama's formidable campaign manager David Axelrod, convinced the president to use the slogan, cementing in history a phrase that came to define Obama's history-making candidacy, and later, his presidency.

Below are some of Twitter's best reactions to Obama's powerful invocation of his world-changing campaign slogan, a slogan that became synonymous with the hope and change so many of us who worked on his campaigns yearned for.

Here Come The Waterworks

The inspirational phrase that brought people from wildly diverse walks of life together to elect the first Black president once again brought them together in celebration of all we and our president have achieved.

Seriously, Everyone Was Crying

Between the "yes we did" and Malia crying during her dad's speech, going the entire speech without tearing up was enormously difficult.

Even The Interim Head Of The DNC Was Close To Tears

When a speech causes the unflappable Donna Brazile to get teary-eyed, you know you're onto something big.

And Now It's Time To Get To Work

"Yes we can" was never about passively waiting on the world to change, and there's no way we can turn back the tides of bigotry and fear represented by the incoming administration by waiting around now.

Seriously, We've GOT To Work To Make It Happen

There'll be no way to ensure the legacy of Obama's historic campaigns if we allow all the work he and we did to be undone in the next four years.

The Evolution Of The Slogan Was Incredible To Witness

And that gif is pretty nifty, too.

There's So Much Work Ahead Of Us

Do it for the Obamas, do it for your country.

An Ethos To Live By

As Obama said during his farewell speech, "there will be times when the process disappoints you." But if we keep at it, for as long as it takes, we can make change happen again.

The Most Poignant Farewell Gif Of Them All

Imagining his successor attempting to be this suave during a mic drop is pretty humorous, but also pretty depressing.

Among all the tweets responding to Obama's final cry of "yes we can," so many expressed the extreme pride and gratitude of all those who supported him over the years. Times may seem grim, but we will always have "yes we can," and we'll always remember that "yes we did" became a reality.