I'm impressed ...

I am still feeling shivers up and down my spine every time I think about what I experienced today. This morning, I had the privilege of seeing President Barack Obama speak in person at the University of Michigan commencement exercises. This was truly a shining moment in my life, and I have to thank my future daughter-in-law and her family for making this possible.


Like the man or not; agree with his politics or not; you have to admit he is an extremely compelling speaker and really knows how to work a crowd. 


When he appeared on stage and the crowd literally went wild, he said "Thank you" about four times. People kept applauding and yelling. He finally calmed people by saying "Love You Back." That is when he got me. 


Actually, he "got me" a long time ago. But that's me. You might or might not agree. But I hope you'll listen anyway.


Not too long after telling me he loved me back (oh, yes, I think everyone there believed he was talking directly to them), the President further endeared himself to the audience by telling us this anecdote about his evening routine:


"[In Washington, all you hear is] the clamor of politics ... that noise can drown out the voices of the people who sent you there. So ... each night, I read 10 letters out of the tens of thousands that are sent to us by ordinary Americans every day. This is a modest effort to remind myself of why I ran in the first place. 

Some of these letters tell stories of heartache and struggle. Some express gratitude, some anger. I'd say a good solid third call me an idiot, which is how I know I’m getting a good representative sample. Some of the letters make you think, like one I received last month. 
Now the teacher of [a kindergarten class in Virginia] instructed the students to ask me any question they wanted. One asked, 'How do you do your job?' Another asked, 'Do you work a lot?' Somebody wanted to know if I wear a black jacket or if I have a beard - clearly they were getting me mixed up with the other tall guy from Illinois. And one of my favorites was a kid who wanted to know whether I live next to a volcano. 
But it was the last question in the letter that gave me pause. The student asked, 'Are people being nice?'"

Nice? What's nice?  Or, should I say, Who's nice? This relates directly back to the topic of last week's blog. And from here, Barack launched right into the topic of civility that I addressed last week. I wanted to flatter myself that he'd read my blog, but since he hasn't made any comment yet, I suppose I can't assume any such thing. However, I have to say that I loved the way that he paraphrased my philosophy about people's opinions, by quoting Daniel Patrick Moynihan: "Everyone's entitled to his own opinion, but not his own facts."

The president went on to say, "[We need to] maintain a basic level of civility in our public debate ... arguments over government and health care and war and taxes are serious arguments. They should arouse people’s passions... But we cannot expect to solve our problems if all we do is tear each other down. You can disagree with a certain policy without demonizing the person who espouses it. You can question somebody’s views and their judgment without questioning their motives or their patriotism. 
"[This is] starting to creep into the center of our discourse. And the problem with it is that vilification and over-the-top rhetoric closes the door to the possibility of compromise ... It prevents learning - since after all, why should we listen to a 'fascist' or a 'socialist' or a 'right wing nut' or a 'left wing nut'? It makes it nearly impossible for people who have legitimate but bridgeable differences to sit down at the same table and hash things out. It coarsens our culture. 
"[C]hanging this type of politics is not easy. And ... civility requires that we recall the simple lesson most of us learned from our parents: treat others as you would like to be treated, with courtesy and respect."

Duh. Civility and respect? The Golden Rule? Are these the words of a socialist or a left-wing nut? Or could they possibly be a common-sense solution to an issue that has plagued our nation for far too long? 

I have to say that being at today's event truly made me proud to be an American once again. It made me proud to call Barack Obama "Our President." Witnessing as the Commander-in-Chief commissioned the the ROTC candidates put a lump in my throat. It was a once-in-a-lifetime moment.

Finally, I have to say that I really related to one suggestion that the President gave to the Class of 2010: "[I]f you’re somebody who only reads the editorial page of The New York Times, try glancing at the page of The Wall Street Journal once in awhile. If you’re a fan of Glenn Beck or Rush Limbaugh, try reading a few columns on the Huffington Post website. It may make your blood boil; your mind may not be changed. But the practice of listening to opposing views is essential for effective citizenship. It's essential for our democracy." (Emphasis mine).

I was thinking about Archie Bunker today. Do you remember Archie? Back in the early 1970s, the television show "All In the Family" was considered pretty darned radical. Archie and his wife Edith were the stereotypical couple right out of the 1950s. Archie was a blue-collar worker in the Bronx. Edith was a homemaker who still wore house dresses every day of her life, and had no opinions unless Archie approved. Case Closed, as Archie was known to say. Doesn't sound much different than the Rush Limbaughs and Glenn Becks of today's world. 

But Archie and Edith's daughter, Gloria, was the typical rebel of the late 1960s, and she married a radical "meathead," Mike, whose political opinions  constantly clashed with Archie's redneck viewpoints. Of course, this was all in the name of comedy, but there were some pretty serious topics addressed for 40 years ago: racism, sexism, war, financial crises and more. 

The difference between Archie of 1970 and the Archies of today, however, is that that the original Archie Bunker actually might have listened to Mike and Gloria, even when he pretended not to. Every time there was a conflict between the two generations, it seemed like Archie's narrow mind might have opened a little wider. He might admit it; he might not. But over the years, as we continued to watch, we found that Archie's viewpoints weren't so cut-and-dried, "Case Closed" as he (or we) originally thought.

Somehow, in the last 40 years, we seem to have come to the conclusion that we don't have to listen. I don't know where that came from. But today, Barack challenged that assumption. 

It means that I have to listen to you, and you have to listen to me. Do you think we can do that? 

I would like to say, "Yes, we can."