Student Asks Obama About Cynicism And Gets A 10 Minute Rant That Nails It
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Published 2016-04-28
Student: Earlier today, one thing we talked about was civic engagement, and a line was used in the State of the Union address of “don’t give into the cynicism of the day.” A poll released by Reuters yesterday shows that nearly half of Americans feel that the elections are rigged in some way. Is there any goal or plan of the administration to help revitalize the faith in democracy that seems to be lacking?
All Comments (21)
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In 2016 this was a "rant". In 2020 this is an articulate civilized definition.
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I miss the days when Presidents lifted people up and spoke in complete sentences.
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2016: "You as journalists are going to have a role to play in reducing cynicism." Narrator: "...They did not."
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I'm a lifelong Republican. I did not agree with Obama, I did not support his policies. But if he were running in this election, I'd vote for him without a second thought. I miss the days when Presidents were able to form complete sentences. Neither of our last two Presidents have held that elusive power. Rational thought, intentional action, and respect have fallen by the wayside in favor of mania and impulsiveness. The federal government is a circus, the President its star clown. It's pathetic. I want to go back.
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Holy shit after 4 years of Trump I forgot what a presidential speech sounds like.
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This is not a rant ... this is a calm, reasoned and erudite answer to the student, who asked the question!
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I'm watching this in 2024... Holding back the tears. You don't quite know what you have until it's gone.
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WOW! This is how a President should act. Civil, respectful, genuine, calm, non-condescending, articulate, considerate, informed, humble, bridge-building, rational, and comprehensible. Am I fanboying over Obama? No, I'm appreciating the qualities that I feel all Presidential candidates should embody. There's no alarmism, no blaming particular people, no bitterness, no selfish boasting. I hope the algorithm promotes this video back to the top, because people today need the perspective more than ever.
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The way he said “democrats aren’t blameless...” trump could never
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This is not a rant. It is a balanced reasoned answer. Calm and collected.
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Rant... ??? In 2024 this is the most coherent, helpful, and inspiring political statement every American citizen should see.
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We have NOT had a president since Obama. Listening to him for 2min reminds me of actual articulate thoughts...the good ole days
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Remember when Presidential rants looked like this
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I like that this is what qualified as a rant for Obama.
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No clue why this video just came across my recommendations now, but I legit teared up around the 10 minute mark when he said "don't let people tell you that what you do doesn't matter." A breath of fresh air.
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How did America go from electing this guy to electing someone like Trump? 🤯
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Oh look...a president. Wish we still had one of those.
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When he said Democrats aren't blameless either.....I miss having a President who can acknowledge his own faults when speaking on the faults of others and instead of just blaming everything bad on the next person, he actively engages both sides and tries to eliminate the problem through cooperation. Do what's best for the country and not just what's best for themselves. And they say he is the one who divided the country. Rubbish.
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This guy is very well spoken. He should consider becoming president.
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After just watching the debacle that was the Trump-Biden 2024 debate, I realized how much I missed this man as our leader.
