Barack Obama: The Ultimate Exit Interview OVAL TEAM The 44th president and historian Doris Kearns Goodwin share a West Wing tête-à-tête. Photograph by Annie Leibovitz As his two-term presidency draws to a close, Barack Obama is looking back - at the legacies of his predecessors, as well as his own - and forward, to the freedom of life after the White House. In a wide-ranging conversation with one of the nation's foremost presidential historians, he talks about his ambitions, frustrations, and the decisions that still haunt him. By Doris Kearns Goodwin September 21, 2016 http://www.vanityfair.com/news/2016/09/barack-obama-doris-kearns-goodwin-interview [with embedded video]
--
Omarosa Manigault: ‘Every Critic, Every Detractor, Will Have To Bow Down To President Trump’
“It is the ultimate revenge to become the most powerful man in the universe.”
By Ed Mazza 09/22/2016 10:22 pm ET | Updated September 23, 2016
Donald Trump [ http://www.huffingtonpost.com/news/donald-trump/ ]’s director of African-American outreach has an ominous warning for all who dared to criticize the Republican presidential nominee: Soon, they will have to bow down to “the most powerful man in the universe.”
Every critic, every detractor, will have to bow down to President Trump. It’s everyone who’s ever doubted Donald, who ever disagreed, who ever challenged him. It is the ultimate revenge to become the most powerful man in the universe.
Manigault made her name as the villain on the first season of Trump’s “Apprentice” reality TV series, but in the clip released online, she sounds a little more like General Zod, the villain in “Superman II.”
Gun Rights Advocates Go Silent When Trump Wants To Frisk Black People Donald Trump has called for more aggressive stop-and-frisk efforts in black neighborhoods. Doesn’t the Second Amendment apply equally to African-Americans? 09/22/20 WASHINGTON ? The nation’s top gun rights advocates were notably quiet this week after Donald Trump [ http://www.huffingtonpost.com/news/donald-trump/ ] proposed more aggressive stop-and-frisk policing with a focus on taking away people’s guns. “If they see a person possibly with a gun or they think may have a gun, they will see the person and they’ll look and they’ll take the gun away,” Trump said Thursday on Fox News, laying out his vision of how the practice works. “They’ll stop, they’ll frisk, and they’ll take the gun away and they won’t have anything to shoot with.” “I mean, how it’s not being used in Chicago is ? to be honest with you, it’s quite unbelievable, and you know the police, the local police, they know who has a gun who shouldn’t be having the gun. They understand that,” Trump added. The Republican presidential nominee was following up on comments he’d made the previous day at a Fox News town hall event on “African American concerns [ http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/trump-stop-and-frisk_us_57e2dccde4b0e28b2b51e33b ],” when he said he “would do stop and frisk” to address violence in black communities. (After Wednesday’s interview, Trump’s campaign suggested he was only calling for more stop-and-frisk policing in Chicago.) All that sounds like the kind of initiative that should disturb gun rights advocates. As Leon H. Wolf, a writer for the conservative website RedState.com, put it on Thursday, “Seems like the sort of thing an organization committed to the preservation of the Second Amendment rights of all citizens should be vigilant [ http://www.redstate.com/leon_h_wolf/2016/09/22/nra-strongly-condemn-trumps-stop-frisk-comments/ ] against and using its considerable political power to oppose, right?” But spokespersons for the National Rifle Association, (which has endorsed Trump for president), the National Association for Gun Rights and the Second Amendment Foundation did not answer multiple requests for comment in response to Trump’s remarks. Their silence was not new: Many of the same people arguing for more access to firearms don’t stand by that support when it comes to fellow citizens of color. [...] http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/donald-trump-gun-rights_us_57e42e32e4b0e28b2b52e4f2 [with comments]
Paul Ryan Has No Opinions On Stop-And-Frisk Policies House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) holds up a pamphlet promoting the GOP’s new policy ideas, which he would much rather talk about than Donald Trump, thanks. They’ve been ruled unconstitutional and racially discriminatory — and Donald Trump is all for them. 09/22/2016 http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/paul-ryan-stop-and-frisk_us_57e400c2e4b0e80b1ba0b1c5
USA Today Columnist Urges Motorists To ‘Run Down’ Protesters On North Carolina Highway Protesters blocked traffic on a highway in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Tuesday night. In response, a conservative columnist tweeted that motorists should “run down” the demonstrators. The newspaper suspended Glenn Reynolds for a month after he made the inflammatory comment. 09/22/2016 Updated September 23, 2016 http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/glenn-reynolds-instapundit-protesters_us_57e37445e4b0e80b1ba06a85 [with comments]
*
Stephen Colbert Reacts to the State of Emergency in Charlotte
Published on Sep 23, 2016 by The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
The shooting of African Americans by police officers and the resulting community outrage seems to keep happening over and over again no matter how many times we do nothing.
Donald Trump has yet to release his tax returns. He says people don't care about his taxes. So we stopped people on the street who identified themselves as Trump supporters, told them he released his taxes and asked them specific questions about these totally fictional tax returns in another edition of #LieWitnessNews.
On this Thursday, September 22 broadcast of the Alex Jones Show, more riots in Charlotte, North Carolina end with one man shot by another civilian and multiple videos of people being attacked. On today's show, investigative journalist Wayne Madsen breaks down the latest in election news and what the Clinton campaign's next move might be. NSA whistleblower William Binney joins to analyze Obama's plan to hand over control of US internet to the UN.
Image purported to be Michelle Obama's passport posted online U.S. First Lady Michelle Obama hosts Broadway Shines A Light on Girls' Education at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theater in Manhattan, New York, U.S., September 19, 2016. Sep 22, 2016 http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-cyber-idUSKCN11S2G3
Palmer Luckey: The Facebook Near Billionaire Secretly Funding Trump’s Meme Machine
Photo Illustration by Sarah Rogers/The Daily Beast
Palmer Luckey—founder of Oculus—is funding a Trump group that circulates dirty memes about Hillary Clinton.
Gideon Resnick Ben Collins 09.22.16 8:00 PM ET
A Silicon Valley titan is putting money behind an unofficial Donald Trump group dedicated to “shitposting” and circulating internet memes maligning Hillary Clinton.
Oculus founder Palmer Luckey financially backed a pro-Trump political organization called Nimble America, a self-described “social welfare 501(c)4 non-profit” in support of the Republican nominee.
Luckey sold his virtual reality company Oculus to Facebook for $2 billion in 2014, and Forbes estimates his current net worth to be $700 million [ http://www.forbes.com/profile/palmer-luckey/ ]. The 24-year-old told The Daily Beast that he had used the pseudonym “NimbleRichMan” on Reddit with a password given to him by the organization’s founders.
Potential donors from Donald Trump’s biggest online community—Reddit’s r/The_Donald, where one of the rules is “no dissenters”—turned on the organization this weekend, refusing to believe “NimbleRichMan” was the anonymous “near-billionaire” he claimed to be and causing a rift on one of the alt-right’s most powerful organizational tools.
Luckey insists he’s just the group’s money man—a wealthy booster who thought the meddlesome idea was funny. But he is also listed as the vice president of the group on its website.
“It’s something that no campaign is going to run,” Luckey said of the proposed billboards for the project.
“I’ve got plenty of money,” Luckey added. “Money is not my issue. I thought it sounded like a real jolly good time.”
But in another post written under Luckey’s Reddit pseudonym, there are echoes of a similar tech billionaire, Peter Thiel, who used his deep pockets to secretly fund a campaign against Gawker.
“The American Revolution was funded by wealthy individuals,” NimbleRichMan wrote on Saturday. Luckey confirmed to The Daily Beast he penned the posts under his Reddit pseudonym. “The same has been true of many movements for freedom in history. You can’t fight the American elite without serious firepower. They will outspend you and destroy you by any and all means.”
Before becoming directly involved in the process, Luckey met the man who would serve as the liaison for the nascent political action group, and provide legitimacy to a Reddit audience for later donations without having to reveal Luckey’s identity: Breitbart tech editor and Trump booster Milo Yiannopoulos. The bleached-blonde political agitator is most notable for being permanently suspended from Twitter for harassment after a series of abusive messages to actress Leslie Jones.
“I came into touch with them over Facebook,” Luckey said of the band of trolls behind the operation. “It went along the lines of ‘hey, I have a bunch of money. I would love to see more of this stuff.’ They wanted to build buzz and do fundraising.”
On Saturday, the organization held a fundraising drive on r/The_Donald, stating that all donations to Nimble America’s website or its boost.com [ http://boost.com/ ] fundraising site would be matched by Luckey within 48 hours. This sparked a heated exchange on the site as various users expressed concern about making financial contributions to something that wasn’t the official Trump campaign site. (Some even speculated [ https://www.reddit.com/r/The_Donald/comments/536b4p/something_strange_i_found_on_the_nimbleamerica/ ] that this was an undercover operation orchestrated by the Clinton campaign.)
“Stop trying to monetize this community. Stop trying to make anything official. Stop trying to make this more than what it is. You’re becoming too self-important,” wrote IncomingTrump720 in the highest ranked reply to a post called “About what happened tonight [ https://www.reddit.com/r/The_Donald/comments/535jkk/about_what_happened_tonight/ ].”
Nimble America boosters swore that there was an anonymous “near-billionaire” backing the effort. Redditors immediately doubted the money man was real.
Despite vouching for the validity of the organization, not even Yiannopoulos’s word was taken at face value. Now Luckey, the money man behind this effort, is waiting to see what comes of his investment.
“I’m not going to keep throwing money after something if I don’t see any results,” Luckey said after suggesting that the fundraising push was not a good idea. “I think these guys are pretty legit. The sums of money are so small, I don’t think they’re out to scam anybody. If they disappear with the money, I wouldn’t throw any more money at them.”
No one within the group answered how much money the group currently has on hand. And without an official accounting with the Federal Election Commission, there’s no way for the public to know.
“Prior to our launch, we raised over $11,000 in order to launch Nimble America,” Dustin Ward, a moderator at r/The_Donald and one of Nimble America’s founders, told The Daily Beast. He said that most of the money had gone toward securing the “services of our Nimble attorneys,” and that they have “in-kind pledges from our donors to be used on the ads and events we’re planning.”
The group filled out paperwork for an Article of Incorporation for “Nimble America Inc” in Wisconsin and, according to the documents on their own website (PDF [ https://www.nimbleamerica.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/Nimble-America-Inc.-Articles-of-Incorporation-501c4.pdf ]), only paid $60 for this service. The lawyer whose name is on the document, Mike B. Wittenwyler, confirmed that he had signed it, but did not answer further questions about payments.
A financial statement document [ https://www.nimbleamerica.com/causes ] available on Nimble America’s accounts for $9,333 in spending for Facebook ads, billboards and “website ops.” The last transaction occurred on Aug. 21.
Luckey said that the group had already put up a billboard, which according to their website was placed on a digital display near Pittsburgh. Other details about it are not entirely clear.
Ward said “We’re purchasing billboard space near the site of the first debate, to run simultaneously and promote a candidate we feel represents our interests.”
According to Paul Ryan, deputy executive director of the The Campaign Legal Center, Nimble America can still exist as a 501(c)(4) so long as it does other things besides supporting Trump.
“Federal tax law prohibits 501(c)(3) organizations from spending any money to intervene in (i.e., influence) a candidate election,” Ryan said in an email to The Daily Beast. “By contrast, federal tax law permits 501(c)(4) organizations to spend money advocating the election or defeat of candidates, so long as such activity isn’t the 501(c)(4) organization’s ‘primary’ activity. And for any group that DOES have candidate advocacy as its primary activity, the appropriate tax exempt status is under Section 527 of the tax code.”
So Nimble America is allowed to do what it’s doing up to a certain point.
“The group knows that it can do some candidate election work, but that such work can’t be its primary activity—i.e., it has to spend more than half of its budget on non-candidate-election work,” Ryan told The Daily Beast when provided documentation about the organization.
However, it’s not clear whether or not the budget would be used for such purposes.
Luckey’s LinkedIn profile currently lists him as the founder of Oculus VR. Facebook did not respond to requests for comment by press time.
During the reporting of this article, posts pertaining to Nimble America were rapidly being deleted across Reddit.
ABOUT HILLARY CLINTON Hillary Clinton has served as Secretary of State, Senator from New York, First Lady of the United States, First Lady of Arkansas, a practicing lawyer and law professor, activist, and volunteer, but the first things her friends and family will tell you is that she’s never forgotten where she came from or who she’s been fighting for throughout her life. Hillary was raised in a suburb of Illinois where she attended public school and was raised a Methodist by her parents. She attended Wellesley College, and went on to study law at Yale. After attending Yale Law School, she went to work for the Children’s Defense Fund, going door to door in New Bedford, Massachusetts. After serving as a lawyer for the Congressional Committee investigating President Nixon, she moved to Arkansas where she taught law and ran legal clinics representing poor people. She co-founded Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families, one of the state’s first child advocacy groups. As First Lady under President Bill Clinton, Hillary tenaciously led the fight to reform our health care system so that all our families have access to the care they need at affordable prices. Hillary led the U.S. delegation to Beijing to attend the UN Fourth World Conference on Women and gave a groundbreaking speech, declaring that “human rights are women's rights and women's rights are human rights once and for all”—inspiring women worldwide and helping to galvanize a global movement for women’s rights and opportunities. Hillary was then elected to the U.S. Senate, becoming the first woman senator from New York. She repeatedly worked across the aisle to get things done, including working alongside Republicans after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. When Congress wouldn't do enough for rural areas and small towns, Hillary didn’t back down. She launched innovative partnerships with the tech industry and provided support to local colleges and small businesses. When President Obama asked Hillary to serve as his secretary of state, she answered the call to public service once again. She was a forceful champion for human rights, internet freedom, and rights and opportunities for women and girls, LGBT people and young people all around the globe. Now she’s running for President because everyday Americans need a champion and she wants to be that champion.
ABOUT THE HILLARY CLINTON YOUTUBE CHANNEL Welcome to Hillary Clinton’s YouTube Channel. This channel is the official hub for videos related to Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential run, and where you’ll find small glimpses into the Hillary Clinton presidential campaign. Learn all about Hillary’s platform, and where she stands on the issues facing America today. Connect with Hillary on the problems that matter to you: climate change, immigration, healthcare, inequality, education, and the economy. See the pivotal moment that began it all, with the Getting Started video announcing her candidacy. Watch important speeches and event highlights, such as Hillary’s official campaign launch speech on Roosevelt Island, New York. Stay up to date with the campaign ads and video everyone will be talking about on social media. Follow Hillary Clinton on the campaign trail leading up to the democratic primaries and caucuses in Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, Nevada, and many more states. Explore Hillary’s background and bio, and learn how she has always been a forceful champion for human rights, internet freedom, and rights and opportunities for women and girls, the LGBT community, and young people all around the globe. Get inspired and fired up about becoming a volunteer, and donating to the campaign. Hillary is running for President because everyday Americans need a champion and she want to be that champion.
Crossing the Line: How Donald Trump Behaved With Women in Private Interviews reveal unwelcome advances, a shrewd reliance on ambition, and unsettling workplace conduct over decades. MAY 14, 2016 http://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/15/us/politics/donald-trump-women.html [with comments]
Donald Trump’s Properties Were Sued At Least Eight Times For Disabilities Violations The Trump International Hotel and Tower in New York City on May 31, 2016. In 2004, a disabled Purple Heart veteran sued the property, alleging it lacked proper handicapped-accessible emergency exits, guest rooms and restrooms. Trump dragged some cases out for years. 09/23/2016 http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/donald-trump-disabilities-violations_us_57e44c0be4b08d73b8307075 [with embedded video, and comments]
--
Full Show - Charlotte Protests Incite More Ameriphobia - 09/23/2016
Published on Sep 23, 2016 by The Alex Jones Channel
On this Friday, September 23 edition of the Alex Jones Show, we look into the latest news surrounding the Charlotte riots as well as Trump’s path to the White House. Also, financial expert Harry Dent reveals just how fragile the economy really is amid recent news about the Fed. Also, filmmakerJoel Gilbert explains how Hillary Clinton is promoting Ameriphobia.
Enquirer editorial board 2:10 p.m. EDT September 23, 2016
Presidential elections should be about who’s the best candidate, not who’s the least flawed. Unfortunately, that’s not the case this year.
Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Hillary Clinton, the most unpopular pair of presidential candidates in American history, both have troubled relationships with truth and transparency. Trump, despite all of his bluster about wanting to “make America great again,” has exploited and expanded our internal divisions. Clinton’s arrogance and unwillingness to admit wrongdoing have made her a divisive and distrusted figure as well.
The Enquirer has supported Republicans for president for almost a century – a tradition this editorial board doesn’t take lightly. But this is not a traditional race, and these are not traditional times. Our country needs calm, thoughtful leadership to deal with the challenges we face at home and abroad. We need a leader who will bring out the best in all Americans, not the worst.
That’s why there is only one choice when we elect a president in November: Hillary Clinton.
Clinton is a known commodity with a proven track record of governing. As senator of New York, she earned respect in Congress by working across the aisle and crafting bills with conservative lawmakers. She helped 9/11 first responders get the care they needed after suffering health effects from their time at Ground Zero, and helped expand health care and family leave for military families. Clinton has spent more than 40 years fighting for women's and children's rights. As first lady, she unsuccessfully fought for universal health care but helped to create the Children's Health Insurance Program that provides health care to more than 8 million kids today. She has been a proponent of closing the gender wage gap and has stood up for LGBT rights domestically and internationally, including advocating for marriage equality.
Trump is a clear and present danger to our country. He has no history of governance that should engender any confidence from voters. Trump has no foreign policy experience, and the fact that he doesn't recognize it – instead insisting that, "I know more about ISIS than the generals do" – is even more troubling. His wild threats to blow Iranian ships out of the water if they make rude gestures at U.S. ships is just the type of reckless, cowboy diplomacy Americans should fear from a Trump presidency. Clinton has been criticized as being hawkish but has shown a measured approach to the world's problems. Do we really want someone in charge of our military and nuclear codes who has an impulse control problem? The fact that so many top military and national security officials are not supporting Trump speaks volumes.
Clinton, meanwhile, was a competent secretary of state, with far stronger diplomatic skills than she gets credit for. Yes, mistakes were made in Benghazi, and it was tragic that four Americans lost their lives in the 2012 terror attacks on the U.S. consulate there. But the incident was never the diabolical conspiracy that Republicans wanted us to believe, and Clinton was absolved of blame after lengthy investigations. As the nation's top diplomat, Clinton was well-traveled, visiting numerous countries and restoring U.S. influence internationally. She was part of President Barack Obama's inner circle when the decision was made to go after and kill Osama bin Laden and negotiated U.N. sanctions that led to the Iran nuclear deal.
Her presidential campaign has been an inclusive one, reflected by the diversity of her supporters. She has even moved to the left on health care, expressing a willingness to consider Sen. Bernie Sanders' single-payer "Medicare for all" health care plan. Clinton has talked about building bridges, not walls, and has a plan to keep immigrant families together with a path to citizenship.
We have our issues with Clinton. Her reluctance to acknowledge her poor judgment in using a private email server and mishandling classified information is troubling. So is her lack of transparency. We were critical of her 275-day streak without a press conference, which just ended this month. And she should have removed herself from or restructured the Clinton Foundation after allegations arose that foreign entities were trading monetary donations for political influence and special access.
But our reservations about Clinton pale in comparison to our fears about Trump.
This editorial board has been consistent in its criticism of his policies and temperament beginning with the Republican primary. We've condemned his childish insults; offensive remarks to women, Hispanics and African-Americans; and the way he has played on many Americans' fears and prejudices to further himself politically. Trump brands himself as an outsider untainted by special interests, but we see a man utterly corrupted by self-interest. His narcissistic bid for the presidency is more about making himself great than America. Trump tears our country and many of its people down with his words so that he can build himself up. What else are we left to believe about a man who tells the American public that he alone can fix what ails us?
While Clinton has been relentlessly challenged about her honesty, Trump was the primary propagator of arguably the biggest lie of the past eight years: that Obama wasn't born in the United States. Trump has played fast and loose with the support of white supremacist groups. He has praised some of our country's most dangerous enemies – see Vladimir Putin, Kim Jong Un and Saddam Hussein – while insulting a sitting president, our military generals, a Gold Star family and prisoners of war like Sen. John McCain. Of late, Trump has toned down his divisive rhetoric, sticking to carefully constructed scripts and teleprompters. But going two weeks without saying something misogynistic, racist or xenophobic is hardly a qualification for the most important job in the world. Why should anyone believe that a Trump presidency would look markedly different from his offensive, erratic, stance-shifting presidential campaign?
Some believe Trump's business acumen would make him the better choice to move America's slow recovery into a full stride. It’s true that he has created jobs, but he also has sent many overseas and left a trail of unpaid contractors in his wake. His refusal to release his tax returns draws into question both Trump’s true income and whether he is paying his fair share of taxes. Even if you consider Trump a successful businessman, running a government is not the same as being the CEO of a company. The United States cannot file bankruptcy to avoid paying its debts.
Trump’s rise through a crowded Republican primary field as well as Sanders' impressive challenge on the Democratic side make clear that the American people yearn for a change in our current state of politics. However, our country needs to seek thoughtful change, not just change for the sake of change. Four years is plenty of time to do enough damage that it could take America years to recover from, if at all.
In these uncertain times, America needs a brave leader, not bravado. Real solutions, not paper-thin promises. A clear eye toward the future, not a cynical appeal to the good old days.
Hillary Clinton has her faults, certainly, but she has spent a lifetime working to improve the lives of Americans both inside and outside of Washington. It's time to elect the first female U.S. president – not because she's a woman, but because she's hands-down the most qualified choice.
President Obama and the First Lady will attend a reception for the opening of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture at the White House.
*
Remarks by the President at Reception in Honor of the National Museum of African American History and Culture
Grand Foyer The White House September 23, 2016
4:51 P.M. EDT
THE PRESIDENT: Well, welcome, everybody. (Applause.) This is an exceptionally good-looking group. (Laughter.) And there are just so many friends here that it feels like one of our house parties. (Laughter.) But there’s no dancing this afternoon. We’re here just to acknowledge what an extraordinary achievement has been accomplished by Mr. Lonnie Bunch -- (applause) -- and everybody who helped make this day possible.
Now, I want to just talk about Lonnie for a second. When Lonnie first came here from Chicago to start work on this museum a decade ago, he could not even find somebody to give him a key to his office. (Laughter.) Nobody had heard of this museum. And now you cannot miss it -- a breathtaking new building right in the heart of the National Mall. And that is what we call progress. It could not have been done without the persistence, the wisdom, the dedication, the savvy, the ability to make people feel guilty -- (laughter) -- the begging, the deal-making, and just the general street smarts of Lonnie and his entire team. So please give him a big round of applause for all the work that he has done. (Applause.)
But, of course, this is also about more than Lonnie. This is about people who, for more than a century, advocated and organized, and raised funds, and donated artifacts so that the story of the African American experience could take its rightful place in our national memory. It’s a story that is full of tragedy and setbacks, but also great joy and great victories. And it is a story that is not just part of the past, but it is alive and well today in every corner of America. And that’s certainly true today in this house -- a house that was built by slaves.
Now, I can’t name everybody that is here, but I’m going to have to give you a little bit of a taste. This room is like a living museum of its own. Right now, Madame Tussauds would be very jealous. (Laughter.)
We’ve got icons of the entertainment industry like Quincy Jones -- (applause) -- and Dick Gregory and Phylicia Rashad. (Applause.) We’ve got the first black woman in space, Mae Jemison. (Applause.) And we have the woman who owns the universe, Oprah Winfrey. (Laughter and applause.) We’ve got those drum majors for justice, like John Lewis and Andrew Young and C.T. Vivian, and Jesse Jackson. (Applause.) And we’ve got the next generation of warriors for justice like Brittany Packnett and DeRay Mckesson. We’ve got personal heroes of mine like Harry Belafonte -- (applause) -- who still is the best-looking man in the room at 90-something years old. (Laughter.) I’m just telling the truth. (Laughter.)
So this is an extraordinary group. But the thing about this museum is that it’s more about -- it’s more than just telling stories about the famous. It’s not just about the icons. There’s plenty of space for Harriet Tubman and Dr. King and Muhammed Ali. But what makes the museum so powerful and so visceral is that it’s the story of all of us -- the folks whose names you never heard of, but whose contributions, day after day, decade after decade, combined to push us forward and the entire nation forward.
It’s the maids who decided, you know what, I’m tired of segregation and I’m going to walk for my freedom. It’s the porters who not only worked tirelessly to support their families, but ultimately helped bring about the organization that led to better working conditions for all Americans here in the United States. It’s about our moms and grandparents and uncles and aunts who just did the right thing and raised great families, despite assaults on their dignity on every single day.
You see it in the dignity of the artifacts that are in the museum -- the dignity of an enslaved family, what it must have been like to try to live in that tiny cabin. Those slaves who dared to marry, even though it was illegal for them to do so. Folks who were forced to sit in the back of a train, but went about their business anyway, and tried to instill in their children as sense that this isn’t who we are, and there’s going to be more someday.
You see it in the men and the women who rushed to the warfronts to secure all of our freedom, understanding that when they came home they might not yet be free. The students who walked passed angry crowds the integrate our schools. The families huddling around the Bible to steel their faith for the challenges ahead. That quite, determined dignity and hope.
Everybody here has somebody in mind when we think of those kinds of folks -- who couldn't make it to this room, but whose stories are our stories, and whose stories are represented at this museum. It might be an ancestor who ran to freedom, or an aunt or uncle who pushed back against Jim Crow, or a friend who marched or sat in. Or it might be young people who were organizing against cynicism today.
But the point is that all of us cannot forget that the only reason that we're standing here is because somebody, somewhere stood up for us. Stood up when it was risky. Stood up when it was not popular. And somehow, standing up together, managed to change the world.
You know, the timing of this is fascinating. (Applause.) Because in so many ways, it is the best of times, but in many ways these are also troubled times. History doesn’t always move in a straight line. And without vigilance, we can go backwards as well as forwards.
And so part of the reason that I am so happy the museum is opening this weekend is because it allows all of us as Americans to put our current circumstances in a historical context. My hope is that, as people are seeing what’s happened in Tulsa or Charlotte on television, and perhaps are less familiar with not only the history of the African American experience but also how recent some of these challenges have been, upon visiting the museum, may step back and say, I understand. I sympathize. I empathize. I can see why folks might feel angry and I want to be part of the solution as opposed to resisting change.
My hope is that black folks watching the same images on television, and then seeing the history represented at this museum, can say to themselves, the struggles we’re going through today are connected to the past, and yet, all that progress we’ve made tells me that I cannot and will not sink into despair, because if we join hands, and we do things right, if we maintain our dignity, and we continue to appeal to the better angels of this nation, progress will be made. (Applause.)
I was telling Michelle -- many of you know I get 10 letters a day from constituents, and it’s a great way for me to keep a pulse on how folks other than the pundits on cable TV are thinking. (Laughter.) And I know it’s a representative group because sometimes people say, Mr. President, we just love you and we especially love Michelle. (Laughter.) And you’re doing such a great job and thank you. And then there are others who write and say, Mr. President, you’re an idiot. (Laughter.) And you’ve ruined this country. And so I know I’m getting a real sampling of American public opinion.
Last night, as I was reading through my letters, I’d say about half of them said, Mr. President, why are you always against police, and why aren’t you doing enough to deal with these rioters and the violence? And then the other half were some black folks saying, Mr. President, why aren’t you doing something about the police? And when are we actually going to get justice?
And I understand the nature of that argument because this is a dialogue we’ve been having for 400 years. And the fact of the matter is, is that one of the challenges we have in generating a constructive discussion about how to solve these problems is because what people see on television and what they hear on the radio is bereft of context and ignores history, and so people are just responding as if none of what's represented in this museum ever happened. And that's true for all of us, not just some of us.
And so when I imagine children -- white, black, Latino, Asian, Native American -- wandering through that museum, and sitting at that lunch counter, and imagining what it would be like to stand on that auction block, and then also looking at Shaq's shoes -- (laughter) -- and Chuck Berry's red Cadillac, my hope is, is that this complicated, difficult, sometimes harrowing, but I believe ultimately triumphant story will help us talk to each other, and, more important, listen to each other, and even more important, see each other, and recognize the common humanity that makes America what it is. (Applause.)
So that's a lot of weight to put on one institution.
MRS. OBAMA: We can do it. (Laughter
THE PRESIDENT: But Michelle and I, having taken Michelle's mom and our daughters to see it, we feel confident that it will not just meet expectations, but far exceed them. And it would not have happened without all of you. So you should be very, very proud.
Congratulations. God bless you. God bless America. (Applause.) Thank you. (Applause.)
Obama speaks ahead of African-American history museum's opening
The Rachel Maddow Show 9/23/16
Rachel Maddow reports on the long history behind the construction of the new African-American Museum of History and Culture in Washington, D.C. and shares video of President Obama's remarks ahead of opening day tomorrow. Duration: 7:35
Rachel Maddow reports on an unplanned detour by the Donald Trump campaign from a planned photo-op stop at The International Civil Rights Center & Museum [ https://www.sitinmovement.org/ ] in Greensboro, North Carolina after the museum observed that Donald Trump's values are contrary to those of the museum. Duration: 6:03
Market Data 
Markets 
AI
