President Obama is finishing out his two terms in office with the same message of hope for the grassroots community that his presidential campaign was born from in 2007.
“Our success depends on our participation, regardless of which way the pendulum of power swings. It falls on each of us to be guardians of our democracy; to embrace the joyous task we’ve been given to continually try to improve this great nation of ours,” Obama said in his final weekly address on Saturday. “Because for all our outward differences, we all share the same proud title: Citizen.”
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The community organizer-turned-U.S. senator-turned-president implored the public to unite for the “hard, slow, sometimes frustrating, but always vital work” that self-government is. To stand by on the sidelines would be taking America’s democracy for granted, according to Obama.
The president, who will be staying in Washington, D.C., following his last full day of work on Jan. 19, encouraged the public to “throw” themselves into the work of government and service at any level, not just during election years, but making it a lifelong commitment.
“If you’re tired of arguing with strangers on the Internet, try to talk with one in real life. If something needs fixing, lace up your shoes and do some organizing,” Obama said. “If you’re disappointed by your elected officials, then grab a clipboard, get some signatures, and run for office yourself.”
Obama said he is “even more optimistic” about the country’s future despite his leaving the Oval Office in the hands of a Republican outsider, reiterating what he told Chicagoans in his farewell address last Tuesday. Obama credited “the goodness, the resilience and the hope of the American people,” that he has witnessed over the past eight years as reason for his optimism.
The last time Obama touted the same line about being “even more optimistic” was at the Democratic National Convention in July, when he told attendees nominee Hillary Clinton was the reason for his hope.
