Obama remembered for his inaugural speech....... “America is not the project of any one person. Because the single most powerful word in our democracy is the word ‘We.’ ‘We The People.’ ‘We Shall Overcome.’ ‘Yes, We Can.’” caped it ....with yes we did it on Iran, Cuba and healthcare achievements etc.
President Barack Obama called on Americans to defend their democracy in his farewell speech .
"By
almost every measure, America is a better, stronger place" than it was
eight years ago when he took office, he told thousands of supporters.But he warned "democracy is threatened whenever we take it for granted".
He implored Americans of all backgrounds to consider things from each other's point of view, saying "we have to pay attention and listen".
The country's first black president, now 55, was first elected in 2008 on a message of hope and change
Watch the farewell address .
https://www.whitehouse.gov/farewell
Watch the farewell address .
https://www.whitehouse.gov/farewell
The full transcript of his speech is below.
[*] OBAMA: Hello
Skybrook!
(APPLAUSE)
It’s good to be
home!
(APPLAUSE)
Thank you,
everybody!
(APPLAUSE)
Thank you.
(APPLAUSE)
Thank you.
(APPLAUSE)
Thank you so much,
thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
(APPLAUSE)
It’s good to be
home.
Thank you.
(APPLAUSE)
We’re on live TV
here, I’ve got to move.
(APPLAUSE)
You can tell that
I’m a lame duck, because nobody is following instructions.
(LAUGHTER)
Everybody have a seat.
My fellow
Americans, Michelle and I have been so touched by all the well-wishes that
we’ve received over the past few weeks. But tonight it’s my turn to say thanks.
Whether we have
seen eye-to-eye or rarely agreed at all, my conversations with you, the
American people — in living rooms and in schools; at farms and on factory
floors; at diners and on distant military outposts — those conversations are
what have kept me honest, and kept me inspired, and kept me going. And every
day, I have learned from you. You made me a better president, and you made me a
better man.
So I first came to
Chicago when I was in my early twenties, and I was still trying to figure out
who I was; still searching for a purpose to my life. And it was a neighborhood
not far from here where I began working with church groups in the shadows of
closed steel mills.
It was on these
streets where I witnessed the power of faith, and the quiet dignity of working
people in the face of struggle and loss.
(CROWD CHANTING
“FOUR MORE YEARS”)
I can’t do that.
Now this is where
I learned that change only happens when ordinary people get involved, and they
get engaged, and they come together to demand it.
After eight years
as your president, I still believe that. And it’s not just my belief. It’s the
beating heart of our American idea — our bold experiment in self-government.
It’s the
conviction that we are all created equal, endowed by our creator with certain
unalienable rights, among them life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
It’s the
insistence that these rights, while self-evident, have never been
self-executing; that We, the People, through the instrument of our democracy,
can form a more perfect union.
What a radical
idea, the great gift that our Founders gave to us. The freedom to chase our
individual dreams through our sweat, and toil, and imagination — and the
imperative to strive together as well, to achieve a common good, a greater
good.
For 240 years, our
nation’s call to citizenship has given work and purpose to each new generation.
It’s what led patriots to choose republic over tyranny, pioneers to trek west,
slaves to brave that makeshift railroad to freedom.
It’s what pulled
immigrants and refugees across oceans and the Rio Grande. It’s what pushed
women to reach for the ballot. It’s what powered workers to organize. It’s why
GIs gave their lives at Omaha Beach and Iwo Jima; Iraq and Afghanistan — and
why men and women from Selma to Stonewall were prepared to give theirs as well.
(APPLAUSE)
So that’s what we
mean when we say America is exceptional. Not that our nation has been flawless
from the start, but that we have shown the capacity to change, and make life
better for those who follow.
Yes, our progress
has been uneven. The work of democracy has always been hard. It has been
contentious. Sometimes it has been bloody. For every two steps forward, it
often feels we take one step back. But the long sweep of America has been
defined by forward motion, a constant widening of our founding creed to embrace
all, and not just some.
(APPLAUSE)
If I had told you
eight years ago that America would reverse a great recession, reboot our auto
industry, and unleash the longest stretch of job creation in our history — if I
had told you that we would open up a new chapter with the Cuban people, shut
down Iran’s nuclear weapons program without firing a shot, take out the
mastermind of 9-11 — if I had told you that we would win marriage equality and
secure the right to health insurance for another 20 million of our fellow
citizens — if I had told you all that, you might have said our sights were set
a little too high.
But that’s what we
did. That’s what you did. You were the change. The answer to people’s hopes
and, because of you, by almost every measure, America is a better, stronger
place than it was when we started.
In 10 days the
world will witness a hallmark of our democracy. No, no, no, no, no. The
peaceful transfer of power from one freely-elected President to the next. I
committed to President-Elect Trump that my administration would ensure the
smoothest possible transition, just as President Bush did for me.
Because it’s up to
all of us to make sure our government can help us meet the many challenges we
still face. We have what we need to do so. We have everything we need to meet
those challenges. After all, we remain the wealthiest, most powerful, and most
respected nation on earth.
Our youth, our
drive, our diversity and openness, our boundless capacity for risk and
reinvention means that the future should be ours. But that potential will only
be realized if our democracy works. Only if our politics better reflects the
decency of our people. Only if all of us, regardless of party affiliation or
particular interests help restore the sense of common purpose that we so badly
need right now.
And that’s what I
want to focus on tonight, the state of our democracy. Understand democracy does
not require uniformity. Our founders argued, they quarreled, and eventually
they compromised. They expected us to do the same. But they knew that democracy
does require a basic sense of solidarity. The idea that, for all our outward
differences, we’re all in this together, that we rise or fall as one.
There have been
moments throughout our history that threatened that solidarity. And the
beginning of this century has been one of those times. A shrinking world,
growing inequality, demographic change, and the specter of terrorism. These
forces haven’t just tested our security and our prosperity, but are testing our
democracy as well. And how we meet these challenges to our democracy will
determine our ability to educate our kids and create good jobs and protect our
homeland.
In other words, it
will determine our future. To begin with, our democracy won’t work without a
sense that everyone has economic opportunity.
(APPLAUSE)
And the good news
is that today the economy is growing again. Wages, incomes, home values and
retirement accounts are all rising again. Poverty is falling again.
(APPLAUSE)
The wealthy are
paying a fair share of taxes. Even as the stock market shatters records, the
unemployment rate is near a 10-year low. The uninsured rate has never, ever
been lower.
(APPLAUSE)
Health care costs
are rising at the slowest rate in 50 years. And I’ve said, and I mean it,
anyone can put together a plan that is demonstrably better than the
improvements we’ve made to our health care system, that covers as many people
at less cost, I will publicly support it.
(APPLAUSE)
Because that,
after all, is why we serve. Not to score points or take credit. But to make
people’s lives better.
(APPLAUSE)
But, for all the
real progress that we’ve made, we know it’s not enough. Our economy doesn’t
work as well or grow as fast when a few prosper at the expense of a growing
middle class, and ladders for folks who want to get into the middle class.
(APPLAUSE)
That’s the
economic argument. But stark inequality is also corrosive to our democratic
idea. While the top 1 percent has amassed a bigger share of wealth and income,
too many of our families in inner cities and in rural counties have been left
behind.
The laid off
factory worker, the waitress or health care worker who’s just barely getting by
and struggling to pay the bills. Convinced that the game is fixed against them.
That their government only serves the interest of the powerful. That’s a recipe
for more cynicism and polarization in our politics.
Now there’re no
quick fixes to this long-term trend. I agree, our trade should be fair and not
just free. But the next wave of economic dislocations won’t come from overseas.
It will come from the relentless pace of automation that makes a lot of good
middle class jobs obsolete.
And so we’re going
to have to forge a new social compact to guarantee all our kids the education
they need.
(APPLAUSE)
To give workers
the power…
(APPLAUSE)
… to unionize for
better wages.
(CHEERS)
To update the
social safety net to reflect the way we live now.
(APPLAUSE)
And make more
reforms to the tax code so corporations and the individuals who reap the most
from this new economy don’t avoid their obligations to the country that’s made
their very success possible.
(CHEERS)
(APPLAUSE)
We can argue about
how to best achieve these goals. But we can’t be complacent about the goals
themselves. For if we don’t create opportunity for all people, the disaffection
and division that has stalled our progress will only sharpen in years to come.
There’s a second
threat to our democracy. And this one is as old as our nation itself.
After my election
there was talk of a post-racial America. And such a vision, however well
intended, was never realistic. Race remains a potent…
(APPLAUSE)
… and often
divisive force in our society.
Now I’ve lived
long enough to know that race relations are better than they were 10 or 20 or
30 years ago, no matter what some folks say.
(APPLAUSE)
You can see it not
just in statistics. You see it in the attitudes of young Americans across the
political spectrum. But we’re not where we need to be. And all of us have more
work to do.
(APPLAUSE)
If every economic
issue is framed as a struggle between a hardworking white middle class and an
undeserving minority, then workers of all shades are going to be left fighting
for scraps while the wealthy withdraw further into their private enclaves.
(APPLAUSE)
If we’re unwilling
to invest in the children of immigrants, just because they don’t look like us,
we will diminish the prospects of our own children — because those brown kids
will represent a larger and larger share of America’s workforce.
(APPLAUSE)
And we have shown
that our economy doesn’t have to be a zero-sum game. Last year, incomes rose
for all races, all age groups, for men and for women.
So if we’re going
to be serious about race going forward, we need to uphold laws against
discrimination — in hiring, and in housing, and in education, and in the
criminal justice system.
(APPLAUSE)
That is what our
Constitution and highest ideals require.
But laws alone
won’t be enough. Hearts must change. It won’t change overnight. Social
attitudes oftentimes take generations to change. But if our democracy is to
work the way it should in this increasingly diverse nation, then each one of us
need to try to heed the advice of a great character in American fiction,
Atticus Finch, who said “You never really understand a person until you
consider things from his point of view, until you climb into his skin and walk
around in it.”
For blacks and
other minority groups, that means tying our own very real struggles for justice
to the challenges that a lot of people in this country face. Not only the
refugee or the immigrant or the rural poor or the transgender American, but
also the middle-aged white guy who from the outside may seem like he’s got all
the advantages, but has seen his world upended by economic, and cultural, and
technological change.
We have to pay
attention and listen.
(APPLAUSE)
For white
Americans, it means acknowledging that the effects of slavery and Jim Crow
didn’t suddenly vanish in the ’60s; that when minority groups voice discontent,
they’re not just engaging in reverse racism or practicing political
correctness; when they wage peaceful protest, they’re not demanding special
treatment, but the equal treatment that our founders promised.
(APPLAUSE)
For native-born
Americans, it means reminding ourselves that the stereotypes about immigrants
today were said, almost word for word, about the Irish, and Italians, and
Poles, who it was said were going to destroy the fundamental character of
America. And as it turned out, America wasn’t weakened by the presence of these
newcomers; these newcomers embraced this nation’s creed, and this nation was
strengthened.
(APPLAUSE)
So regardless of
the station we occupy; we all have to try harder; we all have to start with the
premise that each of our fellow citizens loves this country just as much as we
do; that they value hard work and family just like we do; that their children
are just as curious and hopeful and worthy of love as our own.
(APPLAUSE)
(CHEERING)
And that’s not
easy to do. For too many of us it’s become safer to retreat into our own
bubbles, whether in our neighborhoods, or on college campuses, or places of
worship, or especially our social media feeds, surrounded by people who look
like us and share the same political outlook and never challenge our
assumptions. In the rise of naked partisanship and increasing economic and
regional stratification, the splintering of our media into a channel for every
taste, all this makes this great sorting seem natural, even inevitable.
And increasingly
we become so secure in our bubbles that we start accepting only information,
whether it’s true or not, that fits our opinions, instead of basing our
opinions on the evidence that is out there.
(APPLAUSE)
And this trend
represents a third threat to our democracy. Look, politics is a battle of
ideas. That’s how our democracy was designed. In the course of a healthy
debate, we prioritize different goals, and the different means of reaching
them. But without some common baseline of facts, without a willingness to admit
new information and concede that your opponent might be making a fair point,
and that science and reason matter, then we’re going to keep talking past each
other.
(CROWD CHEERS)
And we’ll make
common ground and compromise impossible. And isn’t that part of what so often
makes politics dispiriting? How can elected officials rage about deficits when
we propose to spend money on pre-school for kids, but not when we’re cutting
taxes for corporations?
How do we excuse
ethical lapses in our own party, but pounce when the other party does the same
thing? It’s not just dishonest, it’s selective sorting of the facts. It’s
self-defeating because, as my mom used to tell me, reality has a way of
catching up with you.
Take the challenge
of climate change. In just eight years we’ve halved our dependence on foreign
oil, we’ve doubled our renewable energy, we’ve led the world to an agreement
that (at) the promise to save this planet.
(APPLAUSE)
But without bolder
action, our children won’t have time to debate the existence of climate change.
They’ll be busy dealing with its effects. More environmental disasters, more
economic disruptions, waves of climate refugees seeking sanctuary. Now we can
and should argue about the best approach to solve the problem. But to simply
deny the problem not only betrays future generations, it betrays the essential
spirit of this country, the essential spirit of innovation and practical
problem-solving that guided our founders.
(CROWD CHEERS)
It is that spirit
— it is that spirit born of the enlightenment that made us an economic
powerhouse. The spirit that took flight at Kitty Hawk and Cape Canaveral, the spirit
that cures disease and put a computer in every pocket, it’s that spirit. A
faith in reason and enterprise, and the primacy of right over might, that
allowed us to resist the lure of fascism and tyranny during the Great
Depression, that allowed us to build a post-World War II order with other
democracies.
An order based not
just on military power or national affiliations, but built on principles, the
rule of law, human rights, freedom of religion and speech and assembly and an
independent press.
(APPLAUSE)
That order is now
being challenged. First by violent fanatics who claim to speak for Islam. More
recently by autocrats in foreign capitals who seek free markets in open
democracies and civil society itself as a threat to their power.
The peril each poses to our democracy is
more far reaching than a car bomb or a missile. They represent the fear of
change. The fear of people who look or speak or pray differently. A contempt
for the rule of law that holds leaders accountable. An intolerance of dissent
and free thought. A belief that the sword or the gun or the bomb or the
propaganda machine is the ultimate arbiter of what’s true and what’s right.
Because of the
extraordinary courage of our men and women in uniform. Because of our intelligence
officers and law enforcement and diplomats who support our troops…
(APPLAUSE)
… no foreign
terrorist organization has successfully planned and executed an attack on our
homeland these past eight years.
(CHEERS)
(APPLAUSE)
And although…
(APPLAUSE)
… Boston and
Orlando and San Bernardino and Fort Hood remind us of how dangerous
radicalization can be, our law enforcement agencies are more effective and
vigilant than ever. We have taken out tens of thousands of terrorists,
including Bin Laden.
(CHEERS)
(APPLAUSE)
The global
coalition we’re leading against ISIL has taken out their leaders and taken away
about half their territory. ISIL will be destroyed. And no one who threatens
America will ever be safe.
(CHEERS)
(APPLAUSE)
And all who serve
or have served — it has been the honor of my lifetime to be your
commander-in-chief.
(CHEERS)
And we all owe you
a deep debt of gratitude.
(CHEERS)
(APPLAUSE)
But, protecting
our way of life, that’s not just the job of our military. Democracy can buckle
when it gives into fear. So just as we as citizens must remain vigilant against
external aggression, we must guard against a weakening of the values that make
us who we are.
(APPLAUSE)
And that’s why for
the past eight years I’ve worked to put the fight against terrorism on a firmer
legal footing. That’s why we’ve ended torture, worked to close Gitmo, reformed
our laws governing surveillance to protect privacy and civil liberties.
(APPLAUSE)
That’s why I
reject discrimination against Muslim Americans…
(CHEERS)
… who are just as
patriotic as we are.
(CHEERS)
(APPLAUSE)
That’s why…
(APPLAUSE)
That’s why we
cannot withdraw…
(APPLAUSE)
That’s why we
cannot withdraw from big global fights to expand democracy and human rights and
women’s rights and LGBT rights.
(APPLAUSE)
No matter how
imperfect our efforts, no matter how expedient ignoring such values may seem,
that’s part of defending America. For the fight against extremism and
intolerance and sectarianism and chauvinism are of a piece with the fight
against authoritarianism and nationalist aggression. If the scope of freedom
and respect for the rule of law shrinks around the world, the likelihood of war
within and between nations increases, and our own freedoms will eventually be
threatened.
So let’s be
vigilant, but not afraid. ISIL will try to kill innocent people. But they
cannot defeat America unless we betray our Constitution and our principles in
the fight.
(APPLAUSE)
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.
Which brings me to
my final point — our democracy is threatened whenever we take it for granted.
(APPLAUSE)
All of us,
regardless of party, should be throwing ourselves into the task of rebuilding
our democratic institutions.
(APPLAUSE)
When voting rates
in America are some of the lowest among advanced democracies, we should be
making it easier, not harder, to vote.
(APPLAUSE)
When trust in our
institutions is low, we should reduce the corrosive influence of money in our
politics, and insist on the principles of transparency and ethics in public
service. When Congress is dysfunctional, we should draw our districts to
encourage politicians to cater to common sense and not rigid extremes.
(APPLAUSE)
But remember, none
of this happens on its own. All of this depends on our participation; on each
of us accepting the responsibility of citizenship, regardless of which way the
pendulum of power happens to be swinging.
Our Constitution
is a remarkable, beautiful gift. But it’s really just a piece of parchment. It
has no power on its own. We, the people, give it power. We, the people, give it
meaning — with our participation, and with the choices that we make and the
alliances that we forge.
Whether or not we
stand up for our freedoms. Whether or not we respect and enforce the rule of
law, that’s up to us. America is no fragile thing. But the gains of our long
journey to freedom are not assured.
In his own
farewell address, George Washington wrote that self-government is the
underpinning of our safety, prosperity, and liberty, but “from different causes
and from different quarters much pains will be taken… to weaken in your minds
the conviction of this truth.”
And so we have to
preserve this truth with “jealous anxiety;” that we should reject “the first
dawning of every attempt to alienate any portion of our country from the rest
or to enfeeble the sacred ties” that make us one.
(APPLAUSE)
America, we weaken
those ties when we allow our political dialogue to become so corrosive that
people of good character aren’t even willing to enter into public service. So
course with rancor that Americans with whom we disagree are seen, not just as
misguided, but as malevolent. We weaken those ties when we define some of us as
more American than others.
(APPLAUSE)
When we write off
the whole system as inevitably corrupt. And when we sit back and blame the
leaders we elect without examining our own role in electing them.
(CROWD CHEERS)
It falls to each
of us to be those anxious, jealous guardians of our democracy. Embrace the
joyous task we have been given to continually try to improve this great nation
of ours because, for all our outward differences, we in fact all share the same
proud type, the most important office in a democracy, citizen.
(APPLAUSE)
Citizen. So, you
see, that’s what our democracy demands. It needs you. Not just when there’s an
election, not just when you own narrow interest is at stake, but over the full
span of a lifetime. If you’re tired of arguing with strangers on the Internet,
try talking with one of them in real life.
(APPLAUSE)
If something needs
fixing, then lace up your shoes and do some organizing.
(CROWD CHEERS)
If you’re disappointed
by your elected officials, grab a clip board, get some signatures, and run for
office yourself.
(CROWD CHEERS)
Show up, dive in,
stay at it. Sometimes you’ll win, sometimes you’ll lose. Presuming a reservoir
in goodness, that can be a risk. And there will be times when the process will
disappoint you. But for those of us fortunate enough to have been part of this
one and to see it up close, let me tell you, it can energize and inspire. And
more often than not, your faith in America and in Americans will be confirmed.
Mine sure has been.
(APPLAUSE)
Over the course of
these eight years, I’ve seen the hopeful faces of young graduates and our
newest military officers. I have mourned with grieving families searching for
answers, and found grace in a Charleston church. I’ve seen our scientists help
a paralyzed man regain his sense of touch. I’ve seen Wounded Warriors who at
points were given up for dead walk again.
I’ve seen our
doctors and volunteers rebuild after earthquakes and stop pandemics in their
tracks. I’ve seen the youngest of children remind us through their actions and
through their generosity of our obligations to care for refugees or work for
peace and, above all, to look out for each other. So that faith that I placed
all those years ago, not far from here, in the power of ordinary Americans to
bring about change, that faith has been rewarded in ways I could not have
possibly imagined.
And I hope your
faith has too. Some of you here tonight or watching at home, you were there
with us in 2004 and 2008, 2012.
(CHEERS)
(APPLAUSE)
Maybe you still
can’t believe we pulled this whole thing off.
(CHEERS)
Let me tell you,
you’re not the only ones.
(LAUGHTER)
Michelle…
(CHEERS)
(APPLAUSE)
Michelle LaVaughn
Robinson of the South Side…
(CHEERS)
(APPLAUSE)
… for the past 25
years you have not only been my wife and mother of my children, you have been
my best friend.
(CHEERS)
(APPLAUSE)
You took on a role
you didn’t ask for. And you made it your own with grace and with grit and with
style, and good humor.
(CHEERS)
(APPLAUSE)
You made the White
House a place that belongs to everybody.
(CHEERS)
And a new
generation sets its sights higher because it has you as a role model.
(CHEERS)
(APPLAUSE)
You have made me
proud, and you have made the country proud.
(CHEERS)
(APPLAUSE)
Malia and Sasha…
(CHEERS)
… under the
strangest of circumstances you have become two amazing young women.
(CHEERS)
You are smart and
you are beautiful. But more importantly, you are kind and you are thoughtful
and you are full of passion.
(CHEERS)
(APPLAUSE)
And…
(APPLAUSE)
… you wore the
burden of years in the spotlight so easily. Of all that I have done in my life,
I am most proud to be your dad.
(APPLAUSE)
To Joe Biden…
(CHEERS)
(APPLAUSE)
… the scrappy kid
from Scranton…
(CHEERS)
… who became
Delaware’s favorite son. You were the first decision I made as a nominee, and
it was the best.
(CHEERS)
(APPLAUSE)
Not just because
you have been a great vice president, but because in the bargain I gained a
brother. And we love you and Jill like family. And your friendship has been one
of the great joys of our lives.
(APPLAUSE)
To my remarkable
staff, for eight years, and for some of you a whole lot more, I have drawn from
your energy. And every day I try to reflect back what you displayed. Heart and
character. And idealism. I’ve watched you grow up, get married, have kids,
start incredible new journeys of your own.
Even when times
got tough and frustrating, you never let Washington get the better of you. You
guarded against cynicism. And the only thing that makes me prouder than all the
good that we’ve done is the thought of all the amazing things that you are
going to achieve from here.
(APPLAUSE)
And to all of you
out there — every organizer who moved to an unfamiliar town, every kind family
who welcomed them in, every volunteer who knocked on doors, every young person
who cast a ballot for the first time, every American who lived and breathed the
hard work of change — you are the best supporters and organizers anybody could
ever hope for, and I will forever be grateful. Because you did change the
world.
(APPLAUSE)
You did.
And that’s why I
leave this stage tonight even more optimistic about this country than when we
started. Because I know our work has not only helped so many Americans; it has
inspired so many Americans — especially so many young people out there — to
believe that you can make a difference; to hitch your wagon to something bigger
than yourselves.
Let me tell you,
this generation coming up — unselfish, altruistic, creative, patriotic — I’ve
seen you in every corner of the country. You believe in a fair, and just, and
inclusive America; you know that constant change has been America’s hallmark,
that it’s not something to fear but something to embrace, you are willing to
carry this hard work of democracy forward. You’ll soon outnumber any of us, and
I believe as a result the future is in good hands.
(APPLAUSE)
My fellow
Americans, it has been the honor of my life to serve you. I won’t stop; in
fact, I will be right there with you, as a citizen, for all my remaining days.
But for now, whether you are young or whether you’re young at heart, I do have
one final ask of you as your president — the same thing I asked when you took a
chance on me eight years ago.
I am asking you to
believe. Not in my ability to bring about change — but in yours.
I am asking you to
hold fast to that faith written into our founding documents; that idea
whispered by slaves and abolitionists; that spirit sung by immigrants and
homesteaders and those who marched for justice; that creed reaffirmed by those
who planted flags from foreign battlefields to the surface of the moon; a creed
at the core of every American whose story is not yet written: Yes, we can.
(APPLAUSE)
Yes, we did.
(APPLAUSE)
Yes, we can.
(APPLAUSE)
Thank you. God
bless you. And may God continue to bless the United States of America. Thank
you.
(APPLAUSE)
