Obama to Barnard: "Fight for your seat at the head of the table"

President Barack Obama acknowledges applause after delivering the commencement address to graduates at all-female Barnard College, on the campus of Columbia University, in New York, Monday, May 14, 2012.

/ AP Photo/Richard Drew

(CBS News) Speaking to Barnard University's graduating class on Monday, President Obama challenged the young women to persevere in the fight for equality through leadership, touting a pro-woman message and emphasizing his hopes that today's young women "will help lead the way" for change in America.

Mr. Obama delivered impassioned advice to the graduating class of 594 women, urging them to fight for change and serve as examples to each other, and emphasizing the importance of perseverance in the process.

"Don't just get involved," said Mr. Obama, dressed in a powder blue robe. "Fight for your seat at the table. Better yet, fight for a seat at the head of the table."

The president's also remarks served as an opportunity for the president to reiterate - and hone - his message to young women voters during an election year in which women's issues have featured prominently.

Invoking examples from both his upbringing and American history, Mr. Obama pointed to challenges women have historically faced in achieving equality, and called on the next generation of young women not only to "point out injustice" but also "hold the system accountable" and "upend it entirely" if necessary.

"Don't accept somebody else's construction of the way things ought to be. It's up to you to right wrongs," Mr. Obama said. "Whether it's starting a business or running for office or raising an amazing family, remember that making your mark on the world is hard. It takes patience. It takes commitment. It comes with plenty of setbacks, and it comes with plenty of failures."

He continued: "The trajectory of this country should give you hope. Previous generations should give you hope. What young generations have done before should give you hope, young folks who marched and mobilized and stood up and sat in, from Seneca Falls to Selma to Stonewall, didn't just do it for themselves. They did it for other people. That's how we achieve women's rights."

Mr. Obama argued that America's problems are "eminently solvable" but that people must "muster the will in our own lives, in our common institutions, in our politics, to bring about the changes we need."

"I'm convinced your generation possesses that will. And I believe that the women of this generation, that all of you will help lead the way," Mr. Obama said.

The president told the students that he would join them "every step of the way" if they were ready to fight for what he described as "that brilliant, radically simple idea of America, that no matter who you are or what you look like, no matter who you love or what god you worship, you can still pursue your own happiness."

Directly prior to Mr. Obama's speech, Evan Wolfson, the President of Freedom to Marry, was awarded a Barnard Medal of Distinction. Mr. Obama publicly voiced support in favor of same-sex marriage last week.

The president's re-election campaign, as well as Democrats in the House and Senate, have made a strong pitch to women voters ahead of November's elections, particularly amid ongoing debates related to contraception, abortion rights and women's health care in general.

As commencement season kicks off, various members of the Obama administration are poised to take the president's message directly to young voters, including First Lady Michelle Obama, Vice President Joe Biden and his wife, Dr. Jill Biden, all of whom are scheduled to address graduating students. Mr. Obama's decision to speak at Barnard - he requested the gig, displacing New York Times executive editor Jill Abramson, who was originally slated to speak -- marks an apparent effort to reach out to young women specifically.

Most polls show Mr. Obama with a strong advantage with women voters over presumptive Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney in the polls. According to a USA TODAY/Gallup Poll of swing states from earlier this month, women favor Mr. Obama 50 to 42 percent. http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/story/2012-05-06/obama-romney-gender-gap/54796050/1

Mr. Obama graduated from Columbia University, which is affiliated with Barnard, in 1983. His half-sister, Maya Soetoro-Ng, graduated from Barnard. Columbia did not start accepting women applicants until 1983.

[savagenation]

Obama needs all the clueless brainwashed kids he can get to vote for him
.
The same group who elected Clinton for being "Cool", only with a REPUBLICAN Congress Clinton had a BOOM economy, STRONG Dollar, LOW Gas & Fuel prices, and only a couple of wars in Bosnia/Serbia and some Bombing of Iraq.

Obama just continued the BUSH policies rad libs love to purport to hate like: Wall St. & Banker bailouts, continuing 2 so-called "illegal" Bush Wars, or at least until Re-election Time, Crony Capitalism with Grants/Loans for Bundlers, just Greener.

[Zann-Zel]

The president told the students that he would join them "every step of the way" if they were ready to fight for what he described as "that brilliant, radically simple idea of America, that no matter who you are or what you look like, no matter who you love or what god you worship, you can still pursue your own happiness."
------------------

Why are so many people afraid of - SIMPLE ?

OBAMA 2012 : )

[Molly-Pchr]

The liberal agenda for women has been a wonderful thing...for men. It has freed them (men) from any kind of commitment or financial responsibility (unless ordered by a Court for child support) for families, or parental responsibility. Libs think women are hormonally challenged and can't possibly operate or function in a business world or domestic environment without their help or altering their bodies or doing away with unwanted pregnancies. They're wrong, and women are discovering that they can do it all just the way they are, including sitting at the head of the table, not only in the workplace, but at home. Obama forgets...we do it all.

[MichaelSurf]

Nice warped way of viewing abortion as some sort of anti woman liberal thing LOL. You think Libs are the ones promoting women altering their bodies LOL that is priceless. where are you making all this up

[gep1955]

Mr. Obama pointed to challenges women have historically faced in achieving equality, and called on the next generation of young women not only to "point out injustice" but also "hold the system accountable" and "upend it entirely" if necessary.

upend the system entirely...this is his guide for destoying the country right out of rules for radicals. this is what he taught in college and it is what he believes. god help us.

[Zann-Zel]

God has been helping us! He has helped us conquer slavery, he has helped women in their struggle to be treated equally, I believe he's helping gays right now in that same struggle!

Americans owe a debt of gratitude to God! : )

[marychgo]

Congratulations to the Barnard grads, and to Pres. Obama for an on-target graduation address! As for the whiners on this thread who think his address was "pandering," what do you want him to talk about when he speaks to the graduates of a women's college -- Iraq? the Keystone XL pipeline? Wall Street reform? Whatever he talked about, you'd still whine....

[MichaelSurf]

Oh yeah Google..because Romney speaking at the bogus religious college Liberty University wasnt pandering LOL get a clue loser

[texmary]

Some of the comments expressed here are typical of GOP dark ages thinking. It was not until 1920 that women got the right to vote through the United States. Even now we have people who think women should not have the right to vote! I hope more women will be inspired to start a business, but more important, I hope many will run for political office. The sooner the better!!!!!Maybe if we have more women in Washington.....more work will get done. This "gridlock" of the "male congress" is holding back our economy, but, worse than that.. is the fact that they are wasting our tax money. If this "do nothing Congress members" worked anywhere else they would be fired for "not doing any work" yet, they don't have a problem collecting a paycheck, having a good health plan and all the other perks they get. They get all this perks...for doing NO WORK.

[shocker147]

Women will lead this country -- unless a half-black man making references to "lipstick on a pig" challenges her and the media throw their blind support behind him.

[sharkboy234]

Obama is in it to win it with all voters women, gay marriages etc.

[alfredgrech]

Obama,America's first woman president!

[CaptainSmollett]

Obama is the master of "divide and conquer". His strategy is to cause so much discontent among so many splinter-groups that he'll get the majority of votes. Seems unpatriotic to me.

[alfredgrech]

Obama,America's first woman president!