Better Angels
I watched some of President Obama's 'town hall' meeting with a youthful audience in London yesterday, in which the leader of the free world gave a masterclass in the art of community politics.
As well as taking questions from the floor, President Obama had an uplifting and powerful message for 500 youth leaders (UK-US exchange students) including the following words:
“I’m here to ask you to reject the notion there are forces we can’t control. As JFK said, our problems are manmade and can be solved by man.
“You’ve never had better tools to make a difference. Reject pessimism, cynicism and know that progress is possible. Progress is not inevitable, it requires struggle, discipline and faith.
“Seek out people who don’t agree with you, and it will also help you to compromise.”
To a great ripple of laughter around the hall President Obama added that the ability to compromise would also come in handy to those in the audience who were thinking of getting married.
Not only that, but he had the grace to say that people he disagreed with politically were not 'bad people' whose views should be met with angry scorn and rancour or dismissed out of hand.
Good for him and I would say he's done a power of good for the vote to remain in the European Union.
To a great ripple of laughter around the hall President Obama added that the ability to compromise would also come in handy to those in the audience who were thinking of getting married.
Not only that, but he had the grace to say that people he disagreed with politically were not 'bad people' whose views should be met with angry scorn and rancour or dismissed out of hand.
Good for him and I would say he's done a power of good for the vote to remain in the European Union.
