President warns against ‘threats’ to democracy
President Obama, delivering the last speech of his presidency in the city where he started his meteoric political career, promised a smooth, peaceful transition of power — while also sounding an alarm over the bitter partisanship and distorted media that have bubbled to the surface under his watch.
“Politics is a battle of ideas; in the course of a healthy debate, we’ll prioritize different goals, and the different means of reaching them,” Obama told a raucous crowd of his former campaigners and other supporters last night in Chicago. “But without some common baseline of facts; without a willingness to admit new information, and concede that your opponent is making a fair point, and that science and reason matter, we’ll keep talking past each other, making common ground and compromise impossible.”
Obama pushed through boos when he told the crowd that America was once again witnessing the “hallmark of our democracy” as his administration transfers power to President-elect Donald Trump.
“I committed to President-elect Trump that my administration would ensure the smoothest possible transition, just as President Bush did for me,” he said. “Because it’s up to all of us to make sure our government can help us meet the many challenges we still face.”
The president also keyed in on what he called “threats” to democracy — including prevalence of racially charged rhetoric. Obama said “we must uphold laws against discrimination” and in the realm of political discourse, Americans must aim toward some semblance of unity and to strengthen our “sacred ties.”
“We weaken those ties when we define some of us as more American than others; when we write off the whole system as inevitably corrupt, and blame the leaders we elect without examining our own role in electing them,” he said.
And he warned about the pernicious threat to U.S. democracy posed by purposely deceptive fake “news” and a growing tendency of Americans to listen only to information that confirms what they already believe. Get out of your “bubbles,” he said, challenging divisions of red states and blue states.
Obama referred to the angry exchanges that often flare up on social media, saying that “if you’re tired of arguing with strangers on the internet, try to talk with one in real life.”
He cited climate change as an issue that politicians and citizens need to accept as scientific fact and find a “best approach” to the problem.
“But to simply deny the problem not only betrays future generations; it betrays the essential spirit of innovation and practical problem-solving that guided our founders,” he said.
Obama referenced the ongoing battle against the Islamic State, saying a global coalition has “taken out their leaders” and that the terrorist group “will be destroyed.” He also referred to Russia and China as global “rivals,” fighting for their stake as world powers.
“Rivals like Russia or China cannot match our influence around the world — unless we give up what we stand for, and turn ourselves into just another big country that bullies smaller neighbors,” Obama said.
In one swoop, Obama lauded his administration’s victories — including a “reboot” to the auto industry, job creation, the Affordable Care Act and taking out Osama bin Laden. He told the crowd that if he had told people eight years ago that his administration would accomplished as much as he said it did, “You might have said our sights were set a little too high.”