Full Price Obama Speech at Hamilton College: 'Values are Worth Fighting For'

Former President Barack Obama gave his audience the words that many longed to hear at the end of his talk on Thursday evening at Hamilton College in Clinton: “It’s going to be OK.”

Obama sat on stage in the Margaret Bundy Scott Field House and answered questions from college President Steven Tepper for an hour and 12 minutes, 12 minutes longer than he had promised given the plane he needed to catch.

Obama did not mention President Donald Trump by name, only once referring to “my most immediate successor” in the White House.

Obama was at times funny, profound, personal, insightful and even lost for words for a moment or two as he tried to gather his thoughts. There were no short answers to questions, but explanations that began on track, seemed to wander and then came back to tie everything together.

He reflected on his years in office, talked about global issues, warned of the changes artificial intelligence is bringing and shared his perspective on the polarization of American citizens.

And he talked about values and the importance of standing up for them. He talked about the need to keep striving even when things don’t work out right away.

He also reassured his audience that hard work and standing up for their values will have an impact.

“So yeah, don’t get discouraged,” he said before his closing line. “I know it’s a little crazy right now. But it’s going to be OK.”

Join this channel to get access to perks:
   / @electronsinc