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VISITING
AUTHOR/EDITOR ARTICLE
MAY
2010
President
Obama
at
University
of Michigan Graduation
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) -- In a blunt caution to political
friend and foe, President Barack Obama said Saturday that
partisan rants and name-calling under the guise of
legitimate discourse pose a serious danger to America's
democracy, and may incite "extreme elements" to
violence.
The comments, in a graduation speech at the University of
Michigan's huge football stadium, were Obama's most direct
take about the angry politics that have engulfed his young
presidency after long clashes over health care, taxes and
the role of government.
Not
50 miles from where Obama spoke, the GOP's 2008 vice
presidential nominee, Sarah Palin, denounced his policies
as "big government" strategies being imposed on
average Americans. "The fundamental transformation of
America is not what we all bargained for," she told
2,000 activists at a forum in Clarkston, sponsored by the
anti-tax Americans for Prosperity Foundation.
Obama drew repeated cheers in Michigan Stadium from a
friendly crowd that aides called the biggest audience of
his presidency since the inauguration. The venue has a
capacity of 106,201, and university officials distributed
80,000 tickets – before they ran out.
In
his 31-minute speech, Obama didn't mention either Palin or
the tea party movement that's captured headlines with its
fierce attacks on his policies. But he took direct aim at
the anti-government language so prevalent today.
"What
troubles me is when I hear people say that all of
government is inherently bad," Obama said after
receiving an honorary doctor of laws degree. "When
our government is spoken of as some menacing, threatening
foreign entity, it ignores the fact that in our democracy,
government is us."
Government, he said, is the roads we drive on and the
speed limits that keep us safe. It's the men and women in
the military, the inspectors in our mines, the pioneering
researchers in public universities.
The financial meltdown dramatically showed the dangers of
too little government, he said, "when a lack of
accountability on Wall Street nearly led to the collapse
of our entire economy."
But Obama was direct in urging both sides in the political
debate to tone it down. "Throwing around phrases like
'socialists' and 'Soviet-style takeover,' 'fascists' and
'right-wing nut' – that may grab headlines," he
said. But it also "closes the door to the possibility
of compromise. It undermines democratic
deliberation," he said.
"At its worst, it can send signals to the most
extreme elements of our society that perhaps violence is a
justifiable response."
Passionate rhetoric isn't new, he acknowledged. Politics
in America, he said, "has never been for the
thin-skinned or the faint of heart. ... If you enter the
arena, you should expect to get roughed up."
Obama hoped the graduates hearing his words can avoid
cynicism and brush off the overheated noise of politics.
In fact, he said, they should seek out opposing views.
His advice: If you're a regular Glenn Beck listener, then
check out the Huffington Post sometimes. If you read The
New York Times editorial page the morning, then glance
every now and then at The Wall Street Journal.
"It
may make your blood boil. Your mind may not be changed.
But the practice of listening to opposing views is
essential for effective citizenship," he said.
The speech was part of a busy weekend for the president:
the White House Correspondents' Association dinner
Saturday evening near the White House and visit the Gulf
Coast on Sunday morning for a firsthand update on the
massive oil spill.
Obama's helicopter landed on a grass practice football
field next to the stadium on a damp, overcast day.
Students and their families had been streaming in since
early morning, many toting rain gear.
The president's appearance in Michigan -- a battleground
in the 2008 White House race that's likely to play a big
role in the fall congressional campaign -- comes as the
state struggles with the nation's highest unemployment
rate, 14.1 percent. It also has an unhappy electorate to
match.
In the Republican's weekly radio and Internet address,
Rep. Pete Hoekstra, R-Mich, said Obama's visit was a
chance "to show the president, firsthand, the painful
plight of the people of Michigan."
Many of the graduates Obama addresses will soon learn how
tough it is to find a job in this economy, Hoekstra said,
adding that the share of young Americans out of work is
the highest it's been in more than 50 years.
Speaking before Obama was Gov. Jennifer Granholm, who's
known to be on his short list of possible Supreme Court
nominees. She said Michigan residents owe him thanks for
"delivering on health care reform" and "for
supporting our auto industry. General Motors, Ford,
Chrysler, they all have bright futures now, where a year
ago, much darker clouds than these loomed overhead."
Obama's speech was the first of four he is giving this
commencement season.
On May 9, he'll speak at Hampton University, a
historically black college in Hampton, Va., founded in
1868 on the grounds of a former plantation.
He's also addressing Army cadets at the U.S. Military
Academy at West Point, N.Y., on May 22, continuing a
tradition of presidents addressing graduates at the
service academies. He announced his Afghanistan troop
surge at West Point last December.
Also this year, for the first time, Obama plans a high
school commencement. It's part of his "Race to the
Top" education initiative, with its goal of boosting
the United States' lagging graduation rate to the world's
best by 2020.
High schools across the country have competed for the
honor, submitting essays and videos. A vote on the White
House website yielded three finalists, and Obama will
choose among them next week.
___
Smith reported from Washington. Associated Press writers
Kathy Barks Hoffman in Ann Arbor and Corey Williams in
Clarkston contributed to this report.
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