Obama Delivers Much-Needed Message of Hope and Unity

Two Competing Stories Shape America's Future

The Power of American Stories

In a compelling conversation at The Connecticut Forum, former President Barack Obama shared his vision of two competing narratives that define America's past and shape its future.

His message resonated with hope while acknowledging the serious challenges facing American democracy.

The Better Story

Obama articulated a vision of America that embraces unity and equality.

"There is this great American story, and it's like the Great American Songbook.

“There is a running thread through America from Thomas Paine and George Washington to Thoreau, Emerson, Lincoln, and Douglas and all the way through King and Kennedy's inaugural, Whitman.

“There is a story about America that includes everybody. It's a good story."

This narrative, Obama explained, is fundamentally about human dignity and equality:

"It's a story about people who aren't pretentious and don't believe that anybody is worse than them or better than them.

“That we're all endowed with a core dignity and are deserving of rights and respect and have to assume responsibility for ourselves individually and our collective lives."

The Challenge We Face

The former president didn't shy away from addressing the competing narrative that threatens American unity.

"On the other side, you've got folks on horseback with billy clubs and guns and dogs and they're carrying a different story, which is no, ignore what we say in the Declaration of Independence, we have castes.

“Some people are better and more deserving than others and have more power and more wealth."

Democracy's Essential Role

In his discussion, Obama emphasized the crucial role of democratic institutions.

"Democracy is not self-executing. It requires people, judges, people in the Justice Department, and people throughout the government who take an oath to uphold the Constitution. It requires them to take that oath seriously."

Hope for the Future

Despite the challenges, Obama remains optimistic about America's future. "I'm still optimistic. I'm still the hope guy. I am," he declared. He emphasized that change requires inclusion rather than division:

"If you want to deliver on change, then it's a game of addition, not subtraction, which means you have to find ways to make common ground with people who don't agree with you on everything but agree with you on some things."

The Path Forward

Obama concluded with a powerful message about collective action:

"If we are willing to attach ourselves to that better story in our own individual lives, in our communities, in our businesses, in our law firms, universities, in our places of worship, then I think the good will win out."

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Remember to get into “good trouble,”
samuel