In Valedictory Speech, Obama Takes Note of Values he Sought in Office

As President Barack Obama delivered his speech on the virtues of democracy, he shared that this year’s election is a great reminder of the governing values and their importance.

But the idea of democracy never died, he continued.

“There is a tension between the real life, which is very tough for working-class voters, and the presidents overall narrative, ” Democratic pollster Stan Greenberg said. “That’s when economies truly flourish”.

At home, Obama’s party is split as it tries to come to terms with Trump’s win.

“So that is why, contrary to some of my colleagues in Europe, I did not rush to repeat some of the criticisms that many of us have made during the election period about Donald Trump”. “I know that begs the question of how somebody who appears to have a very different world view just got elected”. While Greece continues to feel the effects of global neoliberalism, Obama throughout his presidency pushed the now-dead Trans-Pacific Partnership, a deal criticized for giving overbearing power to corporations over the interests of regulations and labor standards.

Today, Obama recognized that people who are fearful of losing control instinctively push back. During his 60 Minutes interview Sunday night, he was over the top in graciousness toward the Clintons and said we need to move on.

“Our argument has always been that when the economy contracts this fast, when unemployment is this high, that there also has to be a growth agenda to go with it and it is very hard to imagine the kind of growth strategy that’s needed without some debt relief mechanism”. So, what is the answer? He made us see that progress does not happen overnight, but it does happen.

“Given Trump’s attacks on America’s long-standing security ties in Europe and Asia, U.S. allies have ample reason to worry about the credibility of America’s commitments to their security going forward”, Peter Trubowitz, head of the U.S. Centre at the London School of Economics, wrote after the U.S. election.

The US-led North Atlantic Treaty Organisation grouping is “absolutely vital” to US interests and a strong, unified Europe was good for America and the world, the president said in comments aimed at calming old partners’ fears.

Obama also pointed to democracy as a way to negotiate “peaceful resolution of disagreements”. He said inequality, on more vivid display due to widespread technology, now posed one of the biggest threats to democratic nations, their stability and prosperity. That’s why with diplomacy we were able to shutdown Iran’s nuclear weapons program without firing a shot.

Trump, meanwhile, has been sharply critical of Obama’s plans for refugees, insisting he’ll stop Syrian migration into the United States until stricter background checks can be put in place to prevent terrorists from entering the country.

Hailing the Greek people for their resilience during the economic crisis, and their unwavering support of refugees these past years, Obama promised as well continued USA support for Greece’s reform efforts and insisted the U.S. saw debt relief as a part of that program.

The White House singles German Chancellor Angela Merkel as the president’s closest foreign partner, having worked with Merkel on virtually every foreign issue over his eight years in the White House. During a news conference on his final overseas trip he said that the President-elect had tapped into a “troubling” strain of rhetoric.