The Audacity of Hope
9/7/18

I knew I missed Barack Obama, but I didn't know how much and in how many ways until I listened to him speak today at the University of Illinois where he was honored with the Paul H. Douglas Award for Ethics in Government. It wasn't only his clear and grounded message, but his meticulous use of the language, his maturity, his sense of humor, his respect for the audience, his control of himself and the situation, his ease. It was, indeed, a bright spot in a political landscape now littered with the detritus of scorn, recklessness, and destruction. It was a speech worthy of a grown-up.

To view the speech, click here. To read a transcript, click here.  The most important take-away for his young audience? Simply this: Get involved. Vote. Make things better. Below ... a few excerpts.
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​"I'm here today because this is one of those pivotal moments when every one of us, as citizens of the United States, need to determine just who it is that we are, just what it is that we stand for. And as a fellow citizen, not as an ex-president, but as a fellow citizen, I am here to deliver a simple message, and that is that you need to vote because our democracy depends on it."

​"Each time we painstakingly pull ourselves closer to our founding ideals, that all of us are created equal, endowed by our Creator with certain inalienable rights; the ideals that say every child should have opportunity and every man and woman in this country who's willing to work hard should be able to find a job and support a family and pursue their small piece of the American Dream; our ideals that say we have a collective responsibility to care for the sick and the infirm, and we have a responsibility to conserve the amazing bounty, the natural resources of this country and of this planet for future generations, each time we've gotten closer to those ideals, somebody somewhere has pushed back. ... It did not start with Donald Trump. He is a symptom, not the cause."

​"... to this day, too many people who once felt solidly middle-class still feel very real and very personal economic insecurity ... And it makes a lot of people feel like the fix is in and the game is rigged ... A politics of fear and resentment and retrenchment takes hold. And demagogues promise simple fixes to complex problems. They promise to fight for the little guy even as they cater to the wealthiest and most powerful."

"This Congress has championed the unwinding of campaign finance laws to give billionaires outsized influence over our politics; systemically attacked voting rights to make it harder for the young people, the minorities, and the poor to vote. Handed out tax cuts without regard to deficits. Slashed the safety net wherever it could. Cast dozens of votes to take away health insurance from ordinary Americans. ...It's not conservative. It sure isn't normal. It's radical. It's a vision that says the protection of our power and those who back us is all that matters, even when it hurts the country. It's a vision that says the few who can afford a high-priced lobbyist and unlimited campaign contributions set the agenda."

"...to actually solve problems and make people's lives better, we need a well-functioning government, we need our civic institutions to work. We need cooperation among people of different political persuasions. And to make that work, we have to restore our faith in democracy. We have to bring people together, not tear them apart. We need majorities in Congress and state legislatures who are serious about governing and want to bring about real change and improvements in people's lives."

"Making democracy work means holding on to our principles, having clarity about our principles, and then having the confidence to get in the arena and have a serious debate. And it also means appreciating that progress does not happen all at once, but when you put your shoulder to the wheel, if you're willing to fight for it, things do get better.
... Common ground's out there. I see it every day. Just how people interact, how people treat each other."

"History shows the power of fear ... The antidote to a government controlled by a powerful fear, a government that divides, is a government by the organized, energized, inclusive many. ​People ask me, what are you going to do for the election? No, the question is: What are you going to do? You're the antidote. The biggest threat to our democracy is indifference. The biggest threat to our democracy is cynicism - a cynicism that's led too many people to turn away from politics and stay home on Election Day. You've got to vote. ... Change happens. Hope happens. Not perfection.Not every bit of cruelty and sadness and poverty and disease suddenly stricken from the earth. There will still be problems. But with each new candidate that surprises you with a victory that you supported, a spark of hope happens. And that can be the legacy of your generation. You can be the generation that at a critical moment stood up and reminded us just how precious this experiment in democracy really is, just how powerful it can be when we fight for it, when we believe in it. I believe in you. I believe you will help lead us in the right direction."