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Former President Barack Obama said he planned to stay out of national politics after leaving the White House. But he made it clear on Friday that this is no longer the plan. In his first political speech since his release from the White House, Obama accused President Trump of using racist rhetoric and criticizing Republicans of Congress for failing to defend Trump. Here is his entire speech with the annotations of The Fix, which you can click on the yellow highlighted text to read.
OBAMA !: Hello, Illinois! BAD!
CROWD: I-N-I!
OBAMA: I-L-L!
CROWD: I-N-I!
OBAMA: I-L-L!
CROWD: I-N-I!
OBAMA: Okay, just check to see if you're awake.
Please, sit down, everyone.
It's good to be at home. It's good to see corn, beans. I was trying to explain to someone we were flying, that is corn. It's beans. They were very impressed by my agricultural knowledge.
Please, drop for Amari, again, for this exceptional introduction.
I have a good group of friends here, including someone I have served with and who is one of the best senators in the country, and we are lucky. to have it. Your senator, Dick Durbin, is here.
I've also noticed, by the way, the former governor Edgar here, whom I have not seen for a long time, and somehow he has not aged and me.
It's a pleasure to see you, governor.
I want to thank President Killeen and everyone within the University of Ottawa system for allowing me to be here today. And I am deeply honored at the Paul Douglas Award that has been awarded to me. There is someone who paves the way for so many outstanding utilities here in Illinois.
Now, I want to start by addressing the elephant in the room. I know that people are still wondering why I did not speak in early 2017. The student body president sent a very thoughtful invitation. The students made a breathtaking video. And when I refused, I heard that I was boycotting the campus until Antonio & # 39; s Pizza reopened. So, I want to be clear, I have not taken sides in this late-night food debate. The truth is that after eight years in the White House, I had to spend time alone with Michelle if I wanted to stay married. And she says hello, by the way.
I also wanted to spend quality time with my daughters, who were suddenly young women leaving their homes. And I should add, by the way, now that I have a girl in college, I can tell all the students here that your parents are suffering. They cry in private. It's brutal. So please call. Send a message. We need to hear you. Just a little something.
The truth was that I also had the intention of following a wise American tradition of ex-presidents gracefully stepping out of the political scene and making way for new voices and new ideas. And we have our first president, George Washington, to thank for giving the example.
After leading the colonies to victory, as General Washington, there was really no constraint. He was practically a god for those who followed him in battle. There was no constitution. There were no democratic standards that guided what he had to do or could do. And he could have become all-powerful. He could have been a potential president for life. And, instead, he resigned as commander-in-chief and returned to his state country.
And six years later, he was elected president. But after two terms, he resigned again and left at sunset.
And the fact that Washington has argued, the key point for American democracy, is that in a government by and for and for the people, there should not be a permanent ruling class. There are only citizens who, through their elected and temporary representatives, determine our course and determine our character.
I am here today because it is one of those crucial moments when all of us, as citizens of the United States, must determine who we are. Just what we are defending. And as a fellow citizen, not as an ex-president, but as a fellow citizen, I am here to convey a simple message that you must vote because our democracy depends on it.
Some of you may think that I exaggerate when I say that the November elections are more important than any I remember in my life. And I know politicians say it all the time. I am guilty of saying this a few times, especially when I was on the ballot.
But a quick glance at the latest news should tell you that this moment is really different. The stakes are really higher. The consequences of one of us sitting on the sidelines are more serious.
And it's not like we have not had big elections before or big choices to make in our history. The fact is that democracy has never been easy, and our founding fathers have discussed everything. We waged a civil war. We overcame depression. We have gone from periods of great incremental change to periods of downsizing.
Yet most Americans living today, certainly the students here, have operated under some common assumptions about who we are and what we represent. In the turmoil of the Industrial Revolution and the Great Depression, America has adapted a new economy, a twentieth-century economy, guiding our free market with regulations to protect health and safety and fair competition, and institutions such as the U of I, strengthening our primary and secondary education system and bringing together a social safety net. And all of this led to unparalleled prosperity and the rise of a broad and deep middle class and the feeling that if you worked hard you could climb the ladder of success.
Now, not everyone was included in this prosperity. There was a lot more work to do. Thus, in response to the taint of slavery and segregation and the reality of racial discrimination, the civil rights movement has not only opened new doors for African Americans, but has also opened the doors of opportunities for women to make their own demands for full and equal citizenship.
And while discrimination has remained a pernicious force in our society and continues to this day, and even though there is controversy over how best to ensure true equality of opportunity, the majority of Americans are not. We mean to say that our country is the strongest treated equitably, when people are judged on the merits and content of their character and not on the color of their skin or the way they worship God or their last names. And this consensus then spread beyond our borders. And from the wreck of the Second World War, we built a network, architecture, system of alliances and post-war institutions to guarantee freedom and oppose the Soviet totalitarianism and help the poorest countries to develop.
And US leadership around the world was not perfect. We made mistakes. Sometimes we have lost sight of our ideals. We had ferocious arguments about Vietnam and we had ferocious arguments about Iraq. But thanks to our leadership, bipartisan leadership and the efforts of the peace corps diplomats and volunteers, and especially the constant sacrifices of our men and women in uniform, we have not only reduced the prospects for war between great world powers. We have not only won the Cold War, but we have also promoted certain principles and values, such as the rule of law, human rights and democracy, as well as the inherent dignity and worth of each individual. And even countries that did not respect these principles were still shameful and had to at least be content to give some idea of this idea, which was a lever for continually improving future prospects around the world.
It is the history of America. A story of progress, progress, incomplete progress, but progress. And this progress was not made by a handful of famous leaders who delivered speeches. It was won because of countless acts of heroism and dedication by ordinary citizens, many of whom were not much older than you. It was won because, rather than being witnesses of history, ordinary people fought and marched and mobilized and built and, yes, voted to do the same. history.
Of course, there has always been another darker aspect of the history of America. Progress does not just move in a straight line. There is a reason why progress has not been easy and why, throughout our history, it sometimes seems that steps back and forth sometimes occur. Whenever we strive meticulously to bring ourselves closer to our founding ideals, that we are all created equal, endowed with our creator with certain inalienable rights, the ideals that say every child should have the opportunity and every hard man should be able to find a job and support a family and pursue their little piece of the American dream. Our ideals that say we have a collective responsibility to care for the sick and infirm. And we have the responsibility to preserve the exceptional wealth, the natural resources of this country and this planet for future generations.
Whenever we have come closer to these ideals, someone has somewhere retreated. The status quo is pushing back. Sometimes, the backlash comes from people who, truly wrongly, fear change. More often, it is made by the powerful and privileged who want to keep us divided and keep us angry and keep us cynical because it helps them maintain the status quo and retain their power and retain their privileges. And you mature at one of these times.
It did not start with Donald Trump. It's a symptom, not the cause. It just capitalizes on the resentment that politicians have stoked for years, fear and anger that are rooted in our past, but also tremendous upheavals that occurred during your brief life.
And, by the way, it's brief. When I learned that Amari was 11 years old when I was elected, and now it is like starting a business, it was yesterday.
But think about it. You grew up in a smaller and more connected world, where demographic changes and the wind of change have blurred not only traditional economic arrangements, but also our social arrangements and our religious commitments and civic institutions.
Most of you do not remember any time before September 11th when you did not have to take off your shoes at an airport. Most of you do not remember a time when America was not at war or when money, images and information could instantly travel in the whole world. Or when the climate was not changing faster than our efforts to fix it.
And this change happened quickly. Faster than ever in the history of humanity. And that created a new economy that sparked incredible prosperity, but also changed the lives of people. For those with unique skills or access to technology and capital, a global market has been synonymous with unprecedented wealth. For the less fortunate, for the factory worker, for office workers or even for middle managers, these same forces may have destroyed your work or, at least, prevented you from asking for an increase. And as wages slowed down and inequality accelerated, those at the top of the economic pyramid could influence the government by cutting taxes on wealthier Americans, removing regulations and weakening government regulation. protection of workers.
You have grown up in an era of growing inequality, a break in economic opportunity. And this growing economic divide has aggravated other divisions in our country. Regional, racial, religious, cultural, and it was more difficult to reach consensus on issues. This made politicians less willing to compromise, which increased traffic jams, which made people even more cynical about politics.
And then the reckless behavior of financial elites triggered a massive financial crisis. Ten years ago this week, a crisis that caused the worst recession of our lives and caused years of hardship to the American people. For many of your parents For many of your families.
Most of you were not old enough to focus fully on what was happening at the time, but when I came to power in 2009, we were losing 800,000 jobs a month. Eight hundred thousand. Millions of people were losing their homes. Many feared that we were entering a second Great Depression.
So we worked hard to end this crisis, but also to break some of these long-term trends. And the measures we took during this crisis propelled the economy towards healthy growth and triggered the longest series of job creations recorded. And we have covered 20 million more Americans with health insurance and reduced our deficits by more than half, making sure that people like me, who have had incredible opportunities in this country, pay our fair share to help people. behind me.
And by the time I left office, household income reached its all-time high and the uninsured rate had reached a historic low and wages were rising and poverty rates were falling. I mention all of this so that when you hear how good the economy is now, just remember when this recovery started.
I mean I'm glad it went on, but when you hear about this economic miracle that's happening, when the number of jobs is coming out, the monthly number of jobs and suddenly, the Republicans say it's a miracle. In fact, these numbers are the same as in 2015 and 2016 and, anyway, I am moving away from the subject.
So we have made progress, but – and this is the truth – my administration has not been able to reverse 40-year trends in just eight years, especially once the Republicans have taken over the leadership of the House representatives in 2010 and decided to block everything we did. Even the things that they supported.
So we managed to get the economy out of the crisis, but to date, too many people, who have already felt a strong middle class, still feel very real and very personal economic insecurity. Although we have taken out Bin Laden and ended the wars in Iraq and our combat role in Afghanistan, and Iran has stopped its nuclear program, the world is still filled with threats and disorder.
And these challenges worry people. And that breaks our civic trust. And many people have the impression that the problem is solved and that the game is rigged and that no one is looking for them, especially communities outside our major urban centers.
And even if your generation is the most diverse in history, with greater acceptance and acceptance of our differences, these are the kinds of conditions that are ripe to be exploited by politicians who have no qualms about history of racial and ethnic and religious division. To appeal to the tribe, to call on fear, to oppose one group to another, to tell people that order and security will be restored without those who do not resemble or resemble us or pray like we do, it's an old game book. It's as old as time.
And in a healthy democracy, it does not work. Our antibodies come into play, and people of good will from all walks of life call bigots and pirates and work to compromise and move things forward and promote the best angels of our nature.
But when there is a void in our democracy, when we do not vote, when we take our fundamental rights and freedoms for granted, when we turn away and we stop paying attention to bread and circus versions, then d & # 39; other voices fill the void. A policy of fear and resentment and entrenchment imposes and the demagogues promise simple solutions to complex problems. No promise to fight for the little guy, even if they address the richest and the most powerful. No promise to clean up the corruption and then plunder. They begin to undermine the standards that guarantee accountability and try to change the rules to strengthen their power. And they appeal to racial nationalism barely veiled, even veiled.
Sound familiar?
I understand that this is not just a question of Democrats against Republicans or Liberals versus Conservatives. At various times in our history, this kind of politics has infected both parties. Southern Democrats were the greatest advocates of slavery. It took a Republican President, Abraham Lincoln, to put an end to it. The anti-lynching legislation of the Dixicrats opposes the extension of civil rights. And although it is a Democratic president and a majority Democratic Congress, pushed by young demonstrators and protesters who have obtained the civil rights law and the voting rights law, these historic laws have also been adopted by Republican leaders. Illinois owns Everett Dirksen.
So, none of the parties had the monopoly of wisdom. Neither party was solely responsible for driving us back rather than moving forward. But I have to say it because sometimes we hear a plague on your two houses. In recent decades, this was not the case when Jim Edgar was governor of Illinois, or Jim Thompson was governor, he had a lot of good republican friends here in Illinois, but in recent decades the resentment and paranoia have unfortunately found a home in the Republican Party.
This congress defended the unfolding of campaign finance laws to give billionaires an outside influence on our politics. Systematically attack the right to vote to make it more difficult for young people, minorities and the poor to vote. Distribute tax cuts without taking into account deficits. Cut the safety net wherever he could, cast dozens of votes to shield ordinary Americans from health insurance, embrace wild conspiracy theories like those of Benghazi or my birth certificate, reject science, reject facts like climate change will want to make a default on US debt by not paying our bills, to a refusal to meet, let alone consider, a qualified candidate to the Supreme Court because ". he happened to be appointed by a democratic president. None of this is conservative.
I do not want to pretend I was channeling Abraham Lincoln now, but that's not what he thought when he helped form the Republican Party. This is not conservative. This is certainly not normal. It's radical. It's a vision that says protecting our power and those who support us is the only thing that matters, even if it hurts the country. It's a vision that says that the few people who can afford high-priced lobbyists and unlimited contributions to the campaign set the agenda. And in the last two years, this vision is now approaching its logical conclusion.
So, with the Republicans controlling the Congress and the White House, without any control, they have given $ 1.5 billion in tax cuts to people like me who, I promise, do not want to do it. do not need it and do not even pretend. to pay them. It's supposed to be the so-called party of fiscal conservatism. Suddenly, deficits do not matter anymore. Even though, just two years ago, the deficit was lower, they said I could not afford to help working families or seniors on Medicare because the deficit was an existential crisis.
What's changed? What's changed?
They subsidize polluters with taxpayers' money, which allows dishonest lenders to take advantage of veterans, students and consumers again. They have made sure that the only nation in the world to pull out of the global climate deal, it is not North Korea, it is not Syria, this n & # 39; 39 is not Russia or Saudi Arabia. The only country There are many countries in the world. We are the only ones.
They hurt our alliances and turn to Russia. What happened to the Republican Party?
The fight against communism was his main organizing principle in foreign policy and they are now turning to the former head of the KGB. Active blockage of legislation that would defend our elections against Russian attacks. What happened?
Their sabotage of the Affordable Care Act has already cost more than 3 million Americans their health insurance. And if they're still in power next fall, you'd better believe they'll come back. They said it.
In a healthy democracy, there are checks and balances on this type of behavior, this kind of inconsistency, but for the moment, there is nothing.
Republicans who know better in Congress, and they are there, they said, yes, we know that it's a little crazy, always lean to protect this behavior from examination or responsibility or from consequences, seem totally reluctant to find the backbone to protect the institutions that make our democracy work. And, by the way, the assertion that everything will be fine because there are people at the White House who do not secretly follow the orders of the president, it's not a check. I am serious here. This is not how our democracy is supposed to work.
These people are not elected. They're not responsible They're not doing us a favor by actively promoting 90% of the crazy things coming out of this White House. And then, do not worry, we prevent the remaining 10%. This is not how things are supposed to work.
This is not normal. These are extraordinary moments. And these are dangerous moments.
But here is the good news. In two months we have the chance, not the certainty, but the opportunity to give a sense of common sense to our policy, because there is in fact only one real control of bad policies and abuses of power. That's you. You and your vote.
Look, Americans will always have disagreements on politics. It's a big country. It's a noisy country. People have different points of view.
I am a democrat I support the Democratic candidates. I think our policies are better and we have a broader and more daring vision of opportunity, equality, justice and inclusive democracy. We know that there are many jobs that young people do not have the chance to occupy or who are not paid enough or do not receive benefits like insurance. . It is more difficult for young people to save for a rainy day, not to mention retirement. So, Democrats are not content with good old ideas, like a higher minimum wage, they use new ideas, like Medicare-for-All, give workers seats on the board, reverse the reductions in # 39; most egregious tax make sure that college students graduate without debt.
We know that people are tired of toxic corruption and that democracy depends on transparency and accountability. So the Democrats are not content with good old ideas, such as asking presidential candidates to publish their tax returns and banning lobbyists from contributing to the campaign, but on new ideas, such as preventing lobbyists from getting paid. by foreign governments.
We know that climate change is not just coming. It's here. So the Democrats do not just follow good old ideas, like increasing the consumption of gasoline in our cars, which I did and that the Republicans are trying to overthrow, but on good new ideas , like putting the carbon pollution.
We know that in a smaller, more connected world, we can not simply put technology back in a box. We can not just put walls everywhere in America. Walls do not protect against threats like terrorism or disease. And that is why we propose to lead our alliances and help other countries to grow and repel the tyrants.
And the Democrats are talking about the reform of our immigration system, so yes, it is orderly and fair and legal, but it continues to welcome promoters and dreamers from around the world.
That's why I'm a democrat. It is a set of ideas in which I believe.
But I am here to tell you that even if you do not agree with me or with the Democrats on politics, even if you believe in more libertarian economic theories, even if you are evangelical and our Position on some social issues is too much, even if you think that my assessment of immigration is wrong and that Democrats are not serious enough regarding the application of immigration legislation. I am here to tell you that you should always be honest and decent and legal in our government.
It should not be democratic or republican. It should not be a partisan question to say that we are not putting pressure on the Attorney General or the FBI to use the criminal justice system as a stick to punish our political opponents or to explicitly call the Attorney General to protect the members of our own party. prosecution because elections happen.
I do not do it. This is not hypothetical.
It should not be democratic or republican to say that we will not threaten the freedom of the press because they say things or publish articles we do not like. I complained a lot about Fox News, but you never heard me threaten to shut them down or call them enemies of the people.
It should not be democratic or republican to say that we are not targeting certain groups of people according to their appearance or the way they pray. We are American. We are supposed to resist the brutes, not follow them. We are supposed to resist discrimination. And we are sure that we are supposed to defend clearly and unequivocally the Nazi sympathizers. How can it be difficult to say that the Nazis are bad?
And I'll be honest, sometimes I argue with progressive friends about what the current political movement demands. There are well-intentioned people, passionate about social justice, who think things have gone so badly, that the lines have been so drawn that we have to fight fire with fire. Nous devons faire les mêmes choses avec les républicains qu’ils nous font. Adoptez leur tactique. Dites ce qui fonctionne. Faire des choses sur l'autre côté.
Je ne suis pas d'accord avec ça. Ce n'est pas parce que je suis douce. Ce n'est pas parce que je suis intéressé par la promotion d'un bipartisme vide. Je ne suis pas d'accord parce que l'érosion de nos institutions civiques et de notre confiance civique et de la colère des gens et des cris mutuels et de la cynisme à l'égard du gouvernement fonctionne toujours mieux pour ceux qui ne croient pas au pouvoir de l'action collective. Vous n'avez pas besoin d'un gouvernement efficace ou d'une presse solide ou d'un débat raisonné lorsque tout ce qui vous préoccupe est le maintien du pouvoir. En fait, plus les gens sont cyniques au sujet du gouvernement, plus ils sont inquiets et découragés par les perspectives de changement, plus les puissants sont susceptibles de conserver leur pouvoir.
Mais nous pensons que pour faire avancer ce pays, résoudre réellement les problèmes et améliorer la vie des gens, nous avons besoin d'un gouvernement qui fonctionne bien. Nous avons besoin de nos institutions civiques pour travailler. Nous avons besoin de coopération entre des personnes de différentes convictions politiques.
Et pour que cela fonctionne, nous devons restaurer notre confiance dans la démocratie. Nous devons amener les gens dont nous avons besoin de coopération entre des personnes de différentes convictions politiques. Et pour que cela fonctionne, nous devons restaurer notre confiance dans la démocratie. Nous devons rassembler les gens, ne pas les déchirer.
Nous avons besoin de majorités au sein du Congrès et de législatures d’États soucieux de gouverner et souhaitant apporter de réels changements et améliorations dans la vie des gens. Et nous ne gagnerons pas les gens en les qualifiant de noms ou en rejetant des pans entiers du pays comme étant racistes, sexistes ou homophobes.
Quand je dis rassembler des personnes, je veux dire toutes nos personnes. Vous savez, toute cette idée qui a surgi récemment à propos du choix des démocrates entre essayer de faire appel aux électeurs de la classe ouvrière blanche, ou aux électeurs de couleur et aux femmes et aux Américains LGBT, c'est un non-sens. Je n'achète pas ça. J'ai eu des votes de tous les groupes démographiques. Nous avons gagné en atteignant tout le monde et en participant à des compétitions partout et en luttant pour chaque vote. Et c'est ce que nous devons faire dans cette élection et à chaque élection après cela.
Et nous ne pouvons pas faire cela si nous négligeons immédiatement ce que les autres ont à dire depuis le début parce qu'ils ne sont pas comme nous, parce qu'ils ne sont pas – parce qu'ils sont blancs ou noirs ou qu'ils sont un homme ou une femme ou ils sont gay ou ils sont hétéro. Si nous pensons qu’il n’ya aucun moyen de comprendre ce que je ressens et que, par conséquent, nous ne sommes pas en mesure de parler de certaines questions, nous ne sommes définis que par certaines caractéristiques, cela ne fonctionne pas si vous voulez une démocratie saine. . Nous ne pouvons pas le faire si nous traitons en termes absolus en matière de politique.
Vous savez, pour que la démocratie fonctionne, il faut pouvoir comprendre la réalité des gens différents, qui ont des expériences différentes, d’origines différentes. Nous devons les engager même si c'est frustrant. Nous devons les écouter, même si nous n'aimons pas ce qu'ils ont à dire. Nous devons espérer que nous pourrons changer d'avis, et nous devons rester ouverts à leur changement.
Et cela ne veut pas dire, en passant, abandonner nos principes ou céder à la mauvaise politique dans le but de conserver une version bidon de civilité. Cela semble être, en passant, la définition de la civilité offerte par trop de républicains du Congrès en ce moment. Nous serons polis tant que nous aurons 100% de ce que nous voulons et que vous ne nous appelez pas de différentes façons. Et nous cliquons sur nos langues et émettons de vagues déclarations de déception lorsque le président fait quelque chose de scandaleux, mais nous ne ferons rien vraiment à ce sujet. Ce n'est pas de la civilité. C'est abdiquer vos responsabilités.
Mais encore une fois, je m'égare.
Faire de la démocratie un travail signifie rester fidèle à nos principes, avoir une idée claire de nos principes et avoir ensuite la confiance nécessaire pour entrer dans l'arène et avoir un débat sérieux. Et cela signifie également que les progrès ne se font pas tous en même temps, mais que si vous êtes prêt à vous battre pour y parvenir, les choses s’améliorent.
Et laissez-moi vous dire quelque chose, particulièrement les jeunes ici. Mieux vaut bien. Je devais tout le temps dire à mes jeunes employés à la Maison Blanche, mieux c'est bon. C'est l'histoire des progrès dans ce pays. Pas parfait, mieux.
La loi sur les droits civils n’a pas mis fin au racisme, mais elle a amélioré les choses. La sécurité sociale n'a pas éliminé toute la pauvreté pour les personnes âgées, mais elle a amélioré les choses pour des millions de personnes. Ne laissez pas les gens vous dire que le combat ne vaut pas la peine parce que vous n'obtiendrez pas tout ce que vous voulez. L'idée que, eh bien, vous savez, il y a du racisme en Amérique, alors je ne vais pas prendre la peine de voter, cela ne fait aucun sens. Vous pouvez le rendre meilleur.
Mieux vaut toujours se battre pour. C'est ainsi que nos fondateurs s'attendaient à ce que ce système d'autonomie gouvernementale fonctionne. Grâce à la mise à l’épreuve des idées et à l’application de la raison, des preuves et des preuves, nous pourrions régler nos différends et personne n’obtiendrait exactement ce qu’ils voulaient, mais il serait possible de trouver un terrain d’entente.
Et ce terrain d'entente existe. Peut-être que ce n'est pas à la mode de le dire maintenant. It's hard to see it with all the nonsense in Washington. It's hard to hear it with all the noise. But common ground exists. I have seen it. I have lived it.
I know there are white people who care deeply about black people being treated unfairly. I have talked to them and loved them. And I know there are black people who care deeply about the struggles of white rural America. I'm one of them. And I have a track record to prove it.
I know there are evangelicals who are deeply committed to doing something about climate change. I've seen them do the work. I know there are conservatives who think there's nothing compassionate about separating immigrant children from their mothers. I know there are Republicans who believe government should only perform a few minimal functions but that one of those functions should be making sure nearly 3,000 Americans don't die in a hurricane and its aftermath.
Common ground's out there. I see it every day. It's just how people interact, how people treat each other. You see it on the ballfield. You see it at work. You see it in places of worship.
But to say that common ground exists doesn't mean it will inevitably win out. History shows the power of fear. And the closer that we get to Election Day, the more those invested in the politics of fear and division will work — will do anything to hang on to their recent gains.
Fortunately, I am hopeful, because out of this political darkness, I am seeing a great awakening of citizenship all across the country. I cannot tell you how encouraged I've been by watching so many people get involved for the first time or the first time in a long time. They're marching and they're organizing and they're registering people to vote and they're running for office themselves.
Look at this crop of Democratic candidates running for Congress and running for governor and running for the state legislature, running for district attorney, running for school board. It is a movement of citizens who happen to be younger and more diverse and more female than ever before. And that's really useful.
We need more women in charge. But we've got first-time candidates. We've got veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan. Record numbers of women. Americans who have previously maybe didn't have an interest in politics as a career, but laced up their shoes and rolled up their sleeves and grabbed a clipboard because they, too, believe this time's different. This moment's too important to sit out.
And if you listen to what these candidates are talking about in individual races across the country, you'll find they're not just running against something, they are running for something. And they're running to restore the honor and compassion that should be the essence of public service.
And speaking as a Democrat, that's when the Democratic Party's always made the biggest difference in the lives of the American people. When we led with conviction and principle and bold, new ideas.
The antidote to a government controlled by a powerful few, a government that divides is a government by the organized, energized, inclusive many. That’s what this moments about, it has to be the answer.
You cannot sit back and wait for a savior, you cannot doubt because you don’t feel sufficiently inspired by this or that particular candidate. This is not a rock concert, this is not Coachella, we don’t need a messiah, all we need are decent, honest, hard working people who are accountable and who have America’s best interest at heart. And they’ll stop up, and they’ll join our government and they will make things better if they have support. One election will not fix everything that needs to be fixed but it will be a start and you have to start it.
What’s going to fix our democracy is you, people ask me what are you going to do for the election, now the question is what are you going to do? You’re the anecdote, you are participation and your spirit and your determination, not just in this election but in every subsequent election and in the days between elections. Because in the end the threat to our democracy doesn’t just come from Donald Trump or the current batch of republicans in Congress or the Koch brothers and their lobbyists or too much compromise from democrats or Russian hacking, the biggest threat to our democracy is indifference.
The biggest threat to our democracy is cynicism, now cynicism led to many people to turn away from politics and stay home on Election Day. To all the young people who are here today, there are now more eligible in your generation than in any other, which means your generation now has more power than anybody to change things. If you want it, you can make sure America gets out of its current funk.
If you actually care about it you have the power to make sure we seize a brighter future. But to exercise that cloud, to exercise that power you have to show up. In the last midterm election, in 2014, fewer than one in five young people voted. One in five, not two in five or three, one in five. Is it any wonder this Congress doesn’t reflect your values and your priorities? Are you surprised by that?
This whole project of self government only works if everybody’s doing their part, don’t tell me your vote doesn’t matter. I’ve won states in the presidential election because of five, 10, 20 votes per precinct. And if you thought elections don’t matter, I hope these last two years have corrected that impression. So, if you don’t like what’s going on right now and you shouldn’t, do not complain, don’t hashtag, don’t get anxious, don’t retreat, don’t binge on whatever it is that you’re binging on.
Don’t lose yourself in ironic detachment, don’t put your head in the sand, don’t boo, vote. Vote. If you are really concerned about how the criminal justice system treats African Americans, the best way to protest is to vote. Not just for senators and representatives but for mayors and sheriffs and state legislators. Do what they just did in Philadelphia and Boston, elect state attorneys and district attorneys who are looking at issues in a new light. Who realize that the vast majority of law enforcement do the right thing, in a really hard job.
And we just need to make sure all of them do. If you’re tired of politicians who offer nothing but thoughts and prayers, after a mass shooting, you’ve got to do what the Parkland kids are doing, some of them aren’t even eligible to vote yet. They’re out there working to change minds and registering people and they’re not giving up until we have a Congress that sees your lives as more important than a campaign check from the NRA, you’ve got to vote.
If you support the Me Too Movement, you’re outraged by stories of sexual harassment and assault aspired by the women who shared them. You’ve got to do more than retweet a hashtag, you’ve got to vote. Part of the reason women are more vulnerable in the workplace is because not enough women are bosses in the workplace, which is why we need to strengthen and enforce laws that protect a woman in the workplace, not just from harassment but from discrimination and hiring and promotion.
And not getting paid the same amount for doing the same work. That requires laws, laws get passed by legislators, you’ve got to vote. When you vote, you’ve got the power to make it easier to afford college and harder to shoot up a school. When you vote you’ve got the power to make sure a family keeps its health insurance, you could save somebody’s life. When you vote you’ve got the power to make sure white nationalist don’t feel embolden to march with their hoods off or their hoods on in Charlottesville in the middle of the day.
Thirty minutes, 30 minutes of your time, is democracy worth that? We have been through much darker times than these and some how each generation of American’s carried us through to the other side. Not by sitting around and waiting for something to happen, not by leaving it to others to do something but by leading that movement for change themselves.
And if you do that, if you get involved and you get engaged and you knock on some doors and you talk with your friends and you argue with your family members and you change some minds and you vote, something powerful happens. 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 as a spark of hope happens.
With each new law that helps a kid read, or helps a homeless family find shelter or helps a veteran get the support her or she has earned. Each time that happens, hope happens. With each new step that we take in the direction of fairness and justice and equality and opportunity, hope springs. 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 and I will be right there with you every step of the way. Thank you Illinois, God bless you. God bless this country we love, thank you.
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