Danielle Gibbie
asked
Barack Obama:
As a well-respected leader of our times, if you had one ask of your followers from around the world what would that be?
Barack Obama
Stay involved in democracy. Fight for democracy. It can be messy and frustrating, believe me, I know. I understand why many Americans are frustrated by government and feel like it doesn’t make a difference. It’s not perfect, and not supposed to be. It’s only as good as we are, as what we choose to care about, as the people we elect. We’re never going to get 100 percent of what we want right away. But what if we got some of it right away, and protected it, and kept moving forward until we got the rest? That’s what voting is about. It’s not about making things perfect; it’s about making things better. It’s about putting us on track so that a generation from now, we can look back and say, “things got better starting now.” Voting is about using the power we have and pooling it together to get a government that’s more concerned, more responsive, more focused on the things that matter. This precious system of self-government is how we’ve come this far. It’s worth our time and effort. It’s worth protecting. I was heartened to see voter turnout leap this year over where it usually is. That’s great. Now imagine if we did that every time? Imagine if sixty or seventy percent of us, or even more, voted every time. We’d have a government that looks more representative, that’s full of life experience that’s more representative, that understands what people are going through and how we can work together to make people’s lives better. We’d have a government full of people who could corral a pandemic, who believe in science and have a plan to protect this planet for our kids; who care about working Americans and have a plan to help folks start getting ahead; who believe in racial equality and are willing to do the work to bring us closer an America where no matter what we look like, where we come from, who we love, or how much money we’ve got, we can make it if we try. That’s not science fiction. It’s possible! We just have to keep at it.
More Answered Questions
Lupita Reads
asked
Barack Obama:
It is such an honor to be able to ask you a question! As someone, who follows your annual "drops" of favorite books and songs I'd love to ask you if by any chance you will be creating a playlist to accompany A PROMISED LAND? If not, what are two songs that you would consider as the "soundtrack" of it?
Jeffrey Keeten
asked
Barack Obama:
In the prologue of his book The World as It Is, which is also a chapter in your book, (Did Rhodes poach that title from you? :-) ), Ben Rhodes shares this scene where you both muse about the implications of the successful election of Donald Trump. ”’I don’t know,’ [you] said. ‘Sometimes I wonder whether I was ten or twenty years too early.’” Do you still believe that to be true?
Barack Obama
21,391 followers
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