January 12, 2017--The Obama Bubble

I continue to hear from some friends that I am spending too much time criticizing progressives and not enough taking on Donald Trump.

Guilty as charged.

As I have said repeatedly, I plan to wait to see how Trump actually governs before getting too agitated about what he might do. And between now and then, I plan to continue to seek understanding about what happened in November, actually what happened politically in America the past few decades, turning my attention to what Democrats did to inadvertently assist Trump's victory and recommend ways in which we might act to recapture that part of the electorate who have been traditional Democrats but who this time voted for Trump.

On Tuesday night, in his farewell address, President Obama focused on some of these same concerns.

As reported by Yahoo News, he warned that only renewed citizen engagement can save American democracy from the threats of economic dislocation, racial resentment, and the hyper-partisanship that festers inside insulated "bubbles" where everyone looks and thinks the same.

Obama said--

That's what our democracy demands: it needs you. Not just when there's an election, not just when your own narrow interest is at stake, but over the full span of a lifetime. 

If you're tired of arguing with strangers on the Internet, try talking with one of them in real life. If something needs fixing, then lace up your shoes and do some organizing. If you're disappointed by your elected officials, grab a clipboard, get some signatures and run for office yourself. Show up. Dive in. Stay at it. 

Sometimes you'll win. Sometimes you'll lose. More often than not, your faith in America--and in Americans--will be confirmed.

Great speech. He told it like it is and offered some needed tough love.