Obama: My race isn’t to blame for partisan divide

President Barack Obama waves as he walks out of the residence toward Marine One while departing the White House, on February 10, 2016 on his way to make a speech in Springfield, Illinois. “The reason this is important to me?”

President Obama says he feels that he should have done more during his time in office to reach out to Republicans in an effort to smooth the political polarization in Washington.

So there’s more than a hint of irony in Obama’s appeal for Americans to start working together, Illinois Republicans said.

“I can not and should not be condemned for moving the needle forward and helping some of our most vulnerable citizens”, Dunkin said.

“You’ve got a whole generation of kids growing up where the first president they’ve known is an African-American”, Mr. Obama said.

“I believe there are a lot of Republicans who share numerous same values as me even through they disagree on the means we achieve them”, the president said.

The president noted his support for unions and collective bargaining to improve the middle class, earning the cheers of Democrats who are battling Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner’s efforts to push a pro-business, union-weakening agenda in exchange for a state budget agreement.

The President said, “We’ve always gone through periods where our democracy seems stuck”.

“Instead of the most extreme voices or most divisive language or who is best at launching schoolyard taunts, we should insist on a higher form of political discourse… based on respect”.

“What can we do, all of us together to try to make our politics better”. She said House Speaker Michael Madigan (D-22 District) and her opponent Jennifer Betino-Tarrant are a part of the super majority in Springfield that have fought against change that would benefit residents of her district. “The promise of hope and change that President Obama brought to Springfield back in 2007 can only become a reality if we are willing to compromise and find common ground”. “So far it looks like he’s probably not gonna be able to sit with me for any extended period, which is unfortunate”.

Restricting money’s influence on politics, changing the congressional redistricting process and removing barriers to register and vote were several solutions Obama suggested to cultivate bipartisanship. He called on IL lawmakers to approve pending legislation that would make voter registration automatic when people get their drivers’ licenses. A man who actually worked in Springfield as a state senator and then was elected president – twice – on a message of unity.

Whether the President’s words made an impact is hard to know.

Obama was in the minority party when he began serving in the state Senate in 1997.