Obama lays out vision to improve "poisonous" political environment
President Obama on Wednesday told his former colleagues in the Illinois General Assembly that his goal even after he leaves the White House next year is to try to improve the political environment.
"What can we do -- all of us together -- to try to make our politics better?" Mr. Obama said in an hour-long speech in Springfield, Illinois. "I speak to both sides on this because all of you know it could be better."
Nine years ago today, Mr. Obama announced his first campaign for president at the Old State Capitol in Springfield. His remarks come just a day after the first-in-the-nation primary in New Hampshire in which Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont, won the Democratic primary and Donald Trump won the Republican primary.
The president spoke about the "poisonous political climate" and he reiterated that he regrets not trying harder to reduce the "polarization and meanness in our politics." He admitted that he learned in the Illinois State Senate about a "better kind of politics" but has been unable to translate that to Washington. He said the current political environment turns people off, discourages them and makes them cynical.
"I understand that our progress is not inevitable. It must be fought for and won by all of us," he said.
Despite the sharp gridlock, however, he touted his administration's record over the last seven years.
"We saved the economy from a depression. We brought back an auto-industry from the brink of collapse. We helped our businesses create 14 million new jobs over the last six years. We cut the unemployment rate from 10 percent to 4.9 percent," he said. "We covered nearly 18 million more americans with health insurance. We ignited the clean energy revolution. We got [Osama] bin Laden. We brought the vast majority of our troops home to their families."
He also appeared to take aim, though not directly, at candidates in the 2016 race. He described himself as a "progressive Democrat," a label that Sanders has suggested can't apply to Hillary Clinton because she has also described herself as a moderate.
The president said that when "either side makes blanket promises to their base that they can't possibly meet," then "supporters will be perennially disappointed." While he didn't name names, Sanders, for example, has made promises like making public colleges and universities tuition free and Trump has made promises about building a wall along the U.S. southern border and making Mexico pay for it.
Mr. Obama closed by laying out steps that he believes could improve the atmosphere. He said the influence of money on politics could be reduced, the country should rethink the way it redraws its congressional districts and said everyone has the responsibility to change how elected officials and citizens work together.
