Obama faults corrosive political rhetoric in farewell address
.@POTUS: If you're tired of arguing with strangers on the internet, try talking with one of them in real life pic.twitter.com/NAnArbEcGx
— POLITICO (@politico) January 11, 2017
President Obama touted his record in a farewell address from Chicago on Tuesday that asked a deeply divided nation to come together around democratic values.
The president used the prime-time speech to express optimism in the public’s desire for progressive change, even as he acknowledged the country has grown more cynical about its political institutions and frayed along racial and economic lines.
“The long sweep of America has been defined by forward motion,” Obama said, rattling off a list of his achievements such as the economic recovery, the healthcare reform law and the Iran nuclear deal.
{mosads}“Our boundless capacity for risk and reinvention mean that the future should be ours,” he added.
But Obama left little doubt he believes President-elect Donald Trump’s victory is a setback for his vision for the country, despite his pledge to ensure a smooth transition for his successor.
He mentioned Trump just once during the nearly hourlong address, drawing boos from the crowd of roughly 18,000 supporters inside Chicago’s sprawling McCormick Place, which he attempted to quiet by shouting “no, no, no.”
But he filled his speech with ways he appears to believe Trump’s rise could harm the country.
Obama said the “corrosive” nature of the nation’s political dialogue has shaken the very foundations of democracy in the U.S.
“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,” Obama said.
“It falls to each of us to be those anxious, jealous guardians of our democracy.”
Obama’s vision was tested just hours before his speech, when reports surfaced Trump was briefed on a salacious, unsubstantiated dossier accusing the Russian government of possessing compromising information about the president-elect.
The revelation is sure to fuel an fiery partisan dispute in Washington in Russian meddling in the 2016 elections.
And Obama’s words will be further tested when Trump takes office 10 days from now.
The president-elect has pledged to begin undoing many of Obama’s accomplishments on his first day in the White House, from his immigration policies to his healthcare law.
Trump has also pledged to take a much more aggressive approach than Obama toward Islamic extremist groups in the Middle East.
The president earned his biggest applause of the night when he said he rejects “discrimination against Muslim Americans.”
“No matter how imperfect our efforts, no matter how expedient ignoring such values may seem,” he added in an implicit rebuke of Trump’s proposed tactics. “That’s part of defending America.”
Obama used a firm tone for most of the night, but his words grew more wistful as the speech went on. He teared up near the end of his remarks in an emotional acknowledgment of first lady Michelle Obama and his two daughters.
The event was heavy with nostalgia. U2’s “City of Blinding Lights,” a song from Obama’s 2008 campaign, blared as the president took the stage at the same venue where he celebrated his 2012 reelection.
“Hello, Chicago,” Obama said as the crowd showered him with a standing ovation. “It’s good to be home.”
He even adapted his original campaign slogan from “yes we can” to “yes we did.”
The setting was atypical for presidential farewell speeches, which are most often delivered from the White House.
Obama’s decision to take his speech on the road in front of a roaring crowd was a fitting end to administration that sought to break with staid White House traditions.
Also fitting was the fact there were misses too. Several audience members appeared to heckle the president and a microphone echo distracted from his speech on television.
The speech served as a reunion of sorts for Obama World. The first lady, her mother Marian Robinson and daughter Malia all attended, as well as Vice President Biden and his wife, Jill Biden.
Obama’s youngest daughter, Sasha, stayed behind in Washington because she has an exam at school Wednesday morning, according to the White House.
More than a dozen close advisers and Cabinet-level officials traveled to Chicago to attend the speech, as well as many more former aides to the president.
When the audience chanted “four more years,” Obama replied, “I can’t do that.”
As Obama shook hands with supporters after his speech was done, Treasury Secretary Jack Lew was shown on television wiping away tears.
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