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From: “White House Press Office” <whitehouse-lists-noreply@list.whitehouse.gov>
Date: Sat, 1 May 2010 08:57:47 -0400
To: <drdwash@gmail.com>
Subject: EMBARGOED: Remarks of President Barack Obama at University of
Michigan Commencement-As Prepared for Delivery

THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary

_______________________________________________________________________________________

EMBARGOED UNTIL DELIVERY

May 1, 2010





Remarks of President Barack Obama—As Prepared for Delivery

University of Michigan Commencement

Saturday, May 1st, 2010

Ann Arbor, Michigan



As Prepared for Delivery—





It is great to be here in the Big House, and may I say “Go Blue!”  I
thought I’d go for the cheap applause line to start things off.



Good afternoon President Coleman, the Board of Trustees, faculty,
parents, family, friends, and the class of 2010.  Congratulations on
your graduation, and thank you for allowing me the honor to be a part
of it.  And let me acknowledge your wonderful governor, Jennifer
Granholm, your mayor, John Hieftje, and all the Members of Congress
who are here with us today.



I am happy to join you all today, and even happier to spend a little
time away from Washington.  Don’t get me wrong – it’s a beautiful
city.  And it sure is nice living above the store; can’t beat the
commute.  It’s just that sometimes, all you hear in Washington is the
clamor of politics – a noise that can drown out the voices of the
people who sent you there.  So when I took office, I decided that each
night, I would read ten letters out of the thousands sent to us every
day by ordinary Americans – a modest effort to remind myself of why I
ran in the first place.



Some of these letters tell stories of heartache and struggle.  Some
express gratitude, and some express anger.  Some call me an idiot,
which is how you know I’m getting a good sample.  And some of the
letters make you think, like the one I received last month from a
kindergarten class in Virginia.



The teacher of this class instructed the students to ask me any
question they wanted.  One asked, “How do you do your job?”  Another
asked, “Do you work a lot?”  Somebody wanted to know if I wear a black
jacket or if I have a beard – clearly getting me mixed up with that
other guy from Illinois.  And then there was my favorite:  “Do you
live next to a volcano?”



But it was the last question in the letter that gave me pause.  The
student asked, “Are people being nice?”



Well, if you turn on the news today – particularly one of the cable
channels – you can see why even a kindergartener would ask this
question.  We’ve got politicians calling each other all sorts of
unflattering names.  Pundits and talking heads shout at each other.
The media tends to play up every hint of conflict, because it makes
for a sexier story – which means anyone interested in getting coverage
feels compelled to make the most outrageous comments.



Now, some of this can be attributed to the incredibly difficult moment
in which we find ourselves as a nation.  When you leave here today,
you will search for work in an economy that is still emerging from the
worst crisis since the Great Depression.  You live in a century where
the speed with which jobs and industries move across the globe is
forcing America to compete like never before.  You will raise your
children at a time when threats like terrorism and climate change
aren’t confined within the borders of any one country.  And as our
world grows smaller and more connected, you will live and work with
more people who don’t look like you or think like you or come from
where you do.



These kinds of changes and challenges cause tension.  They make people
worry about the future and sometimes they get folks riled up.



In fact, this isn’t a new phenomenon.  Since the days of our founding,
American politics has never been a particularly nice business – and
it’s always been a little less gentle during times of great change. A
newspaper of the opposing party once editorialized that if Thomas
Jefferson were elected, “Murder, robbery, rape, adultery, and incest
will be openly taught and practiced.”  Not subtle.  Opponents of
Andrew Jackson often referred to his mother as a “common prostitute,”
which seems a bit over the top.  Presidents from Teddy Roosevelt to
Lyndon Johnson have been accused of promoting socialism, or worse.
And we’ve had arguments between politicians that have been settled
with actual duels.  There was even a caning once on the floor of the
United States Senate – which I’m happy to say didn’t happen while I
was there.



The point is, politics has never been for the thin-skinned or the
faint-of-heart, and if you enter the arena, you should expect to get
roughed up.



Moreover, democracy in a nation of more than three hundred million
people is inherently difficult.  It has always been noisy and messy;
contentious and complicated.  We have been fighting about the proper
size and role of government since the day the Framers gathered in
Philadelphia.  We have battled over the meaning of individual freedom
and equality since the Bill of Rights was drafted.  As our economy has
shifted emphasis from agriculture to industry to information and
technology, we have argued and struggled at each and every juncture
over the best way to ensure that all of our citizens have a shot at
opportunity.



So before we get too down on the current state of our politics, we
need to remember our history.  The great debates of the past all
stirred great passion.  They all made some angry.  What is amazing is
that despite all the conflict; despite all its flaws and frustrations,
our experiment in democracy has worked better than any other form of
government on Earth.



On the last day of the Constitutional Convention, Benjamin Franklin
was famously asked, “Well, Doctor, what have we got – a Republic or a
Monarchy?” And Franklin gave an answer that’s been quoted for ages: “A
Republic, if you can keep it.”



Well, for more than two hundred years, we have kept it.  Through
revolution and civil war, our democracy has survived.  Through
depression and world war, it has prevailed.  Through periods of great
social and economic unrest, from civil rights to women’s rights, it
has allowed us slowly, and sometimes painfully, to move towards a more
perfect union.



And now the question for your generation is this:  how will you keep
our democracy going?  At a moment when our challenges seem so big and
our politics seem so small, how will you keep our democracy alive and
well in this century?



I’m not here to offer some grand theory or detailed policy
prescription.  But let me offer a few brief reflections based on my
own experiences and the experiences of our country over the last two
centuries.



First, American democracy has thrived because we have recognized the
need for a government that, while limited, can still help us adapt to
a changing world.  On the fourth panel of the Jefferson Memorial is a
quote I remember reading to Sasha during our first visit there.  It
says, “I am not an advocate for frequent changes in laws and
constitutions, but…with the change of circumstances, institutions
must advance also to keep pace with the times.”



The democracy designed by Jefferson and the other founders was never
intended to solve every problem with a new law or a new program.
Having thrown off the tyranny of the British Empire, the first
Americans were understandably skeptical of government.  Ever since, we
have held fast to the belief that government doesn’t have all the
answers, and we have cherished and fiercely defended our individual
freedom.  That is a strand of our nation’s DNA.



But the other strand is the belief that there are some things we can
only do together, as one nation – and that our government must keep
pace with the times.  When America expanded from a few colonies to an
entire continent, and we needed a way to reach the Pacific, our
government helped build the railroads.  When we transitioned from an
economy based on farms to one based in factories, and workers needed
new skills and training, our nation set up a system of public high
schools.  When the markets crashed during the Depression and people
lost their life savings, our government put in place a set of rules
and safeguards to make sure that such a crisis never happened again.
And because our markets and financial system have evolved since then,
we’re now putting in place new rules and safeguards to protect the
American people.



This notion hasn’t always been partisan.  It was the first Republican
President, Abraham Lincoln, who said that the role of government is to
do for the people what they cannot do better for themselves.  He would
go on to begin that first intercontinental railroad and set up the
first land-grant colleges.  It was another Republican, Teddy
Roosevelt, who said that “the object of government is the welfare of
the people.”  He is remembered for using the power of government to
break up monopolies, and establishing our National Park system.
Democrat Lyndon Johnson announced the Great Society during a
commencement here at Michigan, but it was the Republican president
before him, Dwight Eisenhower, who launched the massive government
undertaking known as the Interstate Highway System.



Of course, there have always been those who’ve opposed such efforts.
They argue that government intervention is usually inefficient; that
it restricts individual freedom and dampens individual initiative.
And in certain instances, that’s been true.  For many years, we had a
welfare system that too often discouraged people from taking
responsibility for their own upward mobility.  At times, we’ve
neglected the role that parents, rather than government, can play in
cultivating a child’s education.  Sometimes regulation fails, and
sometimes its benefits do not justify its costs.



But what troubles me is when I hear people say that all of government
is inherently bad.  One of my favorite signs from the health care
debate was one that read “Keep Government Out Of My Medicare,” which
is essentially like saying “Keep Government Out Of My Government-Run
Health Care.”  For when our government is spoken of as some menacing,
threatening foreign entity, it conveniently ignores the fact in our
democracy, government is us.  We, the people, hold in our hands the
power to choose our leaders, change our laws, and shape our own
destiny.



Government is the police officers who are here protecting us and the
service men and women who are defending us abroad.  Government is the
roads you drove in on and the speed limits that kept you safe.
Government is what ensures that mines adhere to safety standards and
that oil spills are cleaned up by the companies that caused them.
Government is this extraordinary public university – a place that is
doing life-saving research, catalyzing economic growth, and graduating
students who will change the world around them in ways big and small.



The truth is, the debate we’ve had for decades between more government
and less government doesn’t really fit the times in which we live.  We
know that too much government can stifle competition, deprive us of
choice, and burden us with debt.  But we’ve also seen clearly the
dangers of too little government – like when a lack of accountability
on Wall Street nearly led to the collapse of our entire economy.



So what we should be asking is not whether we need a “big government”
or a “small government,” but how we can create a smarter, better
government.  In an era of iPods and Tivo, where we have more choices
than ever before, government shouldn’t try to dictate your lives.  But
it should give you the tools you need to succeed.  Our government
shouldn’t try to guarantee results, but it should guarantee a shot at
opportunity for every American who’s willing to work hard.



The point is, we can and should debate the role of government in our
lives, but remember, as you are asked to meet the challenges of our
time, that the ability for us to adapt our government to the needs of
the age has helped make our democracy work since its inception.



The second way to keep our democracy healthy is to maintain a basic
level of civility in our public debate.  These arguments we’re having
over government and health care and war and taxes are serious
arguments.  They should arouse people’s passions, and it’s important
for everyone to join in the debate, with all the rigor that a free
people require.



But we cannot expect to solve our problems if all we do is tear each
other down.  You can disagree with a certain policy without demonizing
the person who espouses it.  You can question someone’s views and
their judgment without questioning their motives or their patriotism.
Throwing around phrases like “socialist” and “Soviet-style takeover;”
“fascist” and “right-wing nut” may grab headlines, but it also has the
effect of comparing our government, or our political opponents, to
authoritarian, and even murderous regimes.



Again, we have seen this kind of politics in the past.  It’s been
practiced by both fringes of the ideological spectrum, by the left and
the right, since our nation’s birth.



The problem with it is not the hurt feelings or the bruised egos of
the public officials who are criticized.



The problem is that this kind of vilification and over-the-top
rhetoric closes the door to the possibility of compromise.  It
undermines democratic deliberation.  It prevents learning – since
after all, why should we listen to a “fascist” or “socialist” or
“right wing nut?”  It makes it nearly impossible for people who have
legitimate but bridgeable differences to sit down at the same table
and hash things out.  It robs us of a rational and serious debate that
we need to have about the very real and very big challenges facing
this nation.  It coarsens our culture, and at its worst, it can send
signals to the most extreme elements of our society that perhaps
violence is a justifiable response.



So what can we do about this?



As I’ve found out after a year in the White House, changing this type
of slash and burn politics isn’t easy.  And part of what civility
requires is that we recall the simple lesson most of us learned from
our parents: treat others as you would like to be treated, with
courtesy and respect.



But civility in this age also requires something more.



Today’s twenty-four seven echo chamber amplifies the most inflammatory
soundbites louder and faster than ever before.  It has also, however,
given us unprecedented choice.  Whereas most of America used to get
their news from the same three networks over dinner or a few
influential papers on Sunday morning, we now have the option to get
our information from any number of blogs or websites or cable news
shows.



This development can be both good and bad for democracy.  For if we
choose only to expose ourselves to opinions and viewpoints that are in
line with our own, studies suggest that we will become more polarized
and set in our ways.  And that will only reinforce and even deepen the
political divides in this country.  But if we choose to actively seek
out information that challenges our assumptions and our beliefs,
perhaps we can begin to understand where the people who disagree with
us are coming from.



This of course requires that we all agree on a certain set of facts to
debate from, and that is why we need a vibrant and thriving news
business that is separate from opinion makers and talking heads.  As
Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan famously said, “Everyone is entitled
to his own opinion, but not his own facts.”



Still, if you’re someone who only reads the editorial page of The New
York Times, try glancing at the page of The Wall Street Journal once
in awhile.  If you’re a fan of Glenn Beck or Rush Limbaugh, try
reading a few columns on the Huffington Post website.  It may make
your blood boil; your mind may not often be changed.  But the practice
of listening to opposing views is essential for effective citizenship.



So too is the practice of engaging in different experiences with
different kinds of people.  For four years at Michigan, you have been
exposed to diverse thinkers and scholars; professors and students.  Do
not narrow that broad intellectual exposure just because you’re
leaving here.  Instead, seek to expand it.  If you grew up in a big
city, spend some time with some who grew up in a rural town.  If you
find yourself only hanging around with people of your race or your
ethnicity or your religion, broaden your circle to include people
who’ve had different backgrounds and life experiences.  You’ll learn
what it’s like to walk in someone else’s shoes, and in the process,
you’ll help make this democracy work.



The last ingredient in a functioning democracy is perhaps the most
basic:  participation.



I understand that one effect of today’s poisonous political climate is
to push people away from participation in public life.  If all you see
when you turn on the television is name-calling; if all you hear about
is how special interest lobbying and partisanship prevented Washington
from getting something done, you might think to yourself, “What’s the
point of getting involved?”



The point is, when we don’t pay close attention to the decisions made
by our leaders; when we fail to educate ourselves about the major
issues of the day; when we choose not to make our voices and opinions
heard, that’s when democracy breaks down.  That’s when power is
abused.  That’s when the most extreme voices in our society fill the
void that we leave.  That’s when powerful interests and their
lobbyists are most able to buy access and influence in the corridors
of Washington – because none of us are there to speak up and stop
them.



Participation in public life doesn’t mean that you all have to run for
public office – though we could certainly use some fresh faces in
Washington.  But it does mean that you should pay attention and
contribute in any way that you can.  Stay informed.  Write letters, or
make phone calls on behalf of an issue you care about.  If electoral
politics isn’t your thing, continue the tradition so many of you
started here at Michigan and find a way to serve your community and
your country – an act that will help you stay connected to your fellow
citizens and improve the lives of those around you.



It was fifty years ago that a young candidate for president came here
to Michigan and delivered a speech that inspired one of the most
successful service projects in American history.  And as John F.
Kennedy described the ideals behind what would become the Peace Corps,
he issued a challenge to the students who had assembled in Ann Arbor
on that October night:



“…[O]n your willingness to contribute part of your life to this
country…will depend the answer whether a free society can compete.  I
think it can.”



This democracy we have is a precious thing.  For all the arguments and
all the doubts and all the cynicism that’s out there today, we should
never forget that as Americans, we enjoy more freedoms and
opportunities than citizens in any other nation on Earth.  We are free
to speak our mind and worship as we please; to choose our leaders and
criticize them if they let us down.  We have the chance to get an
education, work hard, and give our children a better life.



None of this came easy.  None of it was preordained.  The men and
women who sat in your chairs ten years ago and fifty years ago and one
hundred years ago – they made America possible.  And there is no
guarantee that the graduates who will sit here in ten or fifty or one
hundred years from now will enjoy the same freedoms and opportunities
that we do.  America’s success has never been a given.  Our nation’s
destiny has never been certain.



What is certain – what has always been certain – is our ability to
shape that destiny.  That is what makes us different.  That is what
makes us American – our ability at the end of the day to look past all
of our differences and all of our disagreements and still forge a
common future.  That task is now in your hands, as is the answer to
the question posed at this university half a century ago about whether
a free society can still compete.



If you are as willing, as past generations were willing, to contribute
part of your life to the life of this country, then I, like President
Kennedy, still believe we can.  Congratulations on your graduation.
May God Bless You, and may God Bless the United States of America.