Obama to the DNC: "True freedom gives each of us the freedom to make decisions about our own lives...'we the people' means everyone."

Wise words from a great human being Tuesday night.

From 2009-2017, Barack Obama took the helm of a divided nation in economic depression…and turned it into a nation of economic prosperity for all of us, brought crime to the lowest it had been since the 1950s, and fought to protect the rights of every American. I remember how…happy everyone was during those years. Obama truly made America great again, for so many Americans and in the eyes of the world.

This was until 2016 and the arrival of Trumpism - and its empowerment of open racism and gay hatred, and an agenda intent on stealing women’s rights over their own bodies - poisoned our country and ended that era of hope and prosperity, inspired by a reaction against the rising human equality our country was finally achieving, hidden behind baseless claims to economic expertise by a corrupt, self-serving and repeatedly failed businessman who worked only to help the rich become wealthier.

We all remember that Trump won by these and false scare tactics, based for example on claims of a nonexistent ‘invasion from Mexico’ that was in reality nothing more than refugees fleeing poverty - and these were believed by people who in truth fear, above all else, a less white America. This is why his supporters cheered even when he insulted veterans and war heroes, and took charge of a party that used to respect our servicemembers far more than one shouting, racist leader.

These messages of hate for a time sought to destroy all the good that Obama had accomplished for our country for so long, and made many Americans afraid of each other, even driven to hate each other instead of caring about each other. And first respect for Americans of every race, religion and orientation, then our safety, then our economy sunk again, followed by a loss of women’s rights even over their own bodies in the years of seemingly endless chaos and anger we’ve known since.

Here is an excerpt of Obama’s words last night, which I think are very genuine and accurate, on how Kamala Harris can finally restore the great American dream we all lived in and all had hope in then. He not only rationalizes how she would fix the hate and frustration in our country now, and take us away from the evil of Trumpism once and for all before it’s too late to heal our regard for one another in our nation - but also also has good advice for a new generation to listen to in general:

“Yes she can. A Harris-Walz administration can help us move past some of the tired old debates that keep stifling progress, because at their core Kamala and Tim understand that when everybody gets a fair shot - we are all better off. They understand that when every child gets a good education, the whole economy gets stronger. When women are paid the same as men for doing the same job, all families benefit.

“They understand that we can secure our borders without tearing kids away from their parents. Just like we can keep our streets safe while also building trust between law enforcement and the communities they serve and eliminating bias - that will make it better for everybody.

“Donald Trump and his well-heeled donors - they don’t see the world that way. For them, one group’s gains is necessarily another group’s loss. For them, freedom means that the powerful can do pretty much what they please - whether it’s fire workers trying to organize a union, or put poison in our rivers, or avoid paying taxes like everybody else has to do.

“Well, we have a broader idea of freedom. We believe in the freedom to provide for your family if you’re willing to work hard. The freedom to breathe clean air and drink clean water and send your kids to school without worrying if they’ll come home.

“We believe that true freedom gives each of us the right to make decisions about our own life: how we worship, what our family looks like, how many kids we have, who we marry. And we believe that freedom requires us to recognize that other people have the freedom to make choices that are different than ours - that’s okay!

“That’s the America Kamala Harris and Tim Walz believe in - an America where ‘we the people’ includes everyone. Because that’s the only way this American experiment works.

“And despite what our politics might suggest, I think most Americans understand that. Democracy isn’t just a bunch of abstract principles and dusty laws in some books somewhere. It’s the values we live by. It’s the way we treat each other - including those who don’t look like us, or pray like us, or see the world exactly like we do.

“That sense of mutual respect has to be part of our message. Our politics have become so polarized these days that all of us, across the political spectrum, seem so quick to assume the worst in others unless they agree with us on every single issue. We start thinking that the only way to win is to scold and shame and outyell the other side - and after a while, regular folks just tune out or they don’t bother to vote.

“Now that approach may work for the politicians who just want attention and thrive on division. But it won’t work for us. To make progress on the things we care about, the things that really affect people’s lives - we need to remember that we’ve all got our blind spots and contradictions and prejudices, and that if we want to win over those who aren’t yet ready to support our candidates - we need to listen to their concerns, and maybe learn something in the process.

“After all…if a parent or grandparent occasionally says something that makes us cringe, we don’t automatically assume they’re bad people! We recognize that the world is moving fast, that they need time and maybe a little encouragement to catch up. Our fellow citizens deserve the same grace we hope they’ll extend to us.

“That’s how we can build a true Democratic majority. One that can get things done. And by the way, that doesn’t just matter to the people in this country the rest of the world is watching to see if we can actually pull this off. No nation, no society has ever tried to build a democracy as big and as diverse as ours before. One that includes people that over decades have come from every corner of the globe. One where our allegiances and our community are defined not by race or blood or by a common creed. And that’s why when we uphold our values, the world is a little brighter. When we don’t, the world is a little dimmer and dictators and autocrats feel emboldened…and over time, we become less safe.

“We shouldn’t be the world’s policemen, and we can’t eradicate every cruelty and injustice in the world. But America can be and must be a force for good - discouraging conflict, fighting disease, promoting human rights, protecting the planet from climate change, defending freedom, brokering peace - that’s what Kamala Harris believes, and so do most Americans.

“Now, I know these ideas can feel pretty naive right now. We live in a time of such confusion and rancor, with a culture that puts a premium on things that don’t last: money, fame, status, ‘likes.’ We chase the approval of strangers on our phones, we build all manner of walls and fences around ourselves and then we wonder why we feel so alone. We don’t trust each other as much because we don’t take the time to know each other. And in that space between us - politicians and algorithms teach us to caricature each other, control each other, and fear each other.

“But here’s the good news: all across America, in big cities and small towns away from all the noise - the ties that bind us together are still there. We still coach little league and look out for our elderly neighbors. We still feed the hungry in churches and mosques and synagogues and temples. We share the same pride when our Olympic athletes compete for the gold.

“Because the vast majority of us do not want to live in a country that’s bitter and divided. We want something better. We want to be better. And the joy and excitement that we’re seeing around this campaign, tells us we’re not alone.

“…Whether you are a Democrat or a Republican or somewhere in between, we have all had people like that in our lives - people like Kamala’s parents who crossed oceans because they believed in the promise of America, people like Tim’s parents who taught him about the importance of service. Good, hard-working people who weren’t famous or powerful, but who managed in countless ways to leave this country just a little bit better than they found it.

“As much as any policy or program, I believe that’s what we yearn for: a return to an America where we work together, and look out for each other. A restoration of what Lincoln called on the eve of civil war our ‘bonds of affection’, an America that taps what he called ‘the better angels of our nature’. That’s what this election is about.”

See insights

All reactions:

10Meagan Baldwin, Troj Bruegel and 8 others