During the speech, President Obama urged IL lawmakers to work together for the benefit of the state and its citizens.
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But he warned that any progress is threatened by a cynical citizenry prodded by combative politics, and he asked, “What can we try to do together to make our politics better?” “President Obama was right”.
“All that does is prevent what most Americans would consider actual accomplishments like fixing roads, educating kids, passing budgets and making our streets safe”, Obama said.
In this February 5, 2016, photo, President Barack Obama speaks during a news conference in the Brady Press Briefing Room in Washington.
Dunkin, who is a lightning rod in IL politics because he goes against his party line, said he took pride in the moment that he was called out by Obama, a friend, when he talked about the value of compromise.
Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner greeted Obama at Springfield’s Abraham Lincoln Capitol Airport.
“There is no doubt, that every step of the way, every day that I’m in that office, maybe I could have done that a little better”, he told the LA Times in an exclusive interview in Springfield, Illinois on Thursday.
Jarrett continued, adding that Obama has provided almost 18 million Americans with health insurance and made sure that “Americans no longer have to worry about going broke if they get sick or are in an accident”, protected natural resources to deal with climate change, and launching initiatives to tackle poverty problems.
Even in the IL state capital, though, things seem to have only gotten worse since Obama left.
“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”.
According to a statement released by the governor’s office, Rauner remains optimistic about the president’s visit.
President Barack Obama’s message about overcoming the bitter and seemingly intractable nature of modern politics was particularly applicable in IL, local legislators agreed on Wednesday. “I can not and should not be condemned for moving the needle forward and helping some of our most vulnerable citizens”, Dunkin said. NBC 5’s political reporter Carol Marin is live from the state Capitol.
Leading off with stories of his almost eight years as a state senator, Obama said it was in Springfield that he learned how to “fight like hell on one issue and then shake hands on the next”.
OBAMA: In a big, complicated democracy like ours, if we can’t compromise, by definition we can’t govern ourselves. “We have the worst post-recession job recovery in the nation”, she said.
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IL is in its eighth month without a budget, and lawmakers hope the speech will help them find middle ground.
