Archive for the ‘Obama’ Category

Obama Warns Against an ‘Aggressive Kind of Nationalism’

Former President Barack Obama has spoken on the dangers of nationalism and President Donald Trump's decision to pull out of the Paris Agreement, without actually mentioning him by name.

Obama spoke to the Fourth Congress of the Indonesian Diaspora while visiting Jakarta Saturday, according to the Hill.

"We start seeing a rise in sectarian politics," Obama said. "We start seeing a rise in an aggressive kind of nationalism. We start seeing both in developed and developing countries an increased resentment about minority groups and the bad treatment of people who dont look like us or practice the same faith as us."

He also spoke about the importance of the Paris Climate Agreement.

"In Paris, we came together around the most ambitious agreement in history to fight climate change," Obama said.

The former president also spoke on preserving religious freedom and freedom of the press in America saying, "If we dont stand up for tolerance and moderation and respect for others, if we begin to doubt ourselves and all that we have accomplished, then much of the progress that we have made will not continue."

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Obama Warns Against an 'Aggressive Kind of Nationalism'

Obama pushes tolerance and respect in childhood home of …

JAKARTA, Indonesia -- Following another week of dust-ups between the media and President Trump, his predecessor shared a bit of wisdom Saturday from the other side of the world about tolerance and taking the daily news cycle in stride.

"I wasn't worried about what was in the newspapers today," former President Obama said during a nostalgic visit to Indonesia's capital, his childhood home. "What I was worried about was, 'What are they going to write about me 20 years from now when I look back?'"

Mr. Obama was greeted by a crowd of thousands, including leaders, students and businesspeople, in Jakarta, where he opened the Fourth Congress of Indonesian Diaspora. He is wildly popular in Indonesia, where many view him as an adopted son. A statue of the boy still remembered as "Barry" stands outside his old elementary school.

Former U.S. President Barack Obama delivers his speech during the 4th Congress of Indonesian Diaspora Network in Jakarta, Indonesia, Saturday, July 1, 2017.

Achmad Ibrahim / AP

He reminisced about moving to Jakarta in 1967 when he was just 6 years old, shouting, "Indonesia bagian dari diri saya!" or "Indonesia is part of me!"

Mr. Obama said he had been gorging on the local food since arriving.

"If the rainy season came, the floods were coming and we had to clean out the floors in our house and then chase the chickens because they had gone someplace else," he said to roaring laughter. "Today, Jakarta is a thriving center of commerce marked by highways and high-rises. So much has changed, so much progress has been made."

Mr. Obama lived in the country with his mother, an anthropologist, and his Indonesian stepfather. The couple split up after having his half-sister, and Mr. Obama moved back to Hawaii when he was 10 to live with his grandparents. But he said he has never forgotten the years he spent in Indonesia.

"My time here made me cherish respect for people's differences," he said, noting how he and his family had just visited two of the most treasured ancient temples -- Borobudur, a Buddhist complex, and the Hindu compound of Prambanan -- in the world's most populous Muslim country.

Mr. Obama's speech came on the final leg of his 10-day vacation in Indonesia. In addition to visiting the temples in the city of Yogyakarta on the island of Java, he and his wife, Michelle, and daughters, Sasha and Malia, also went rafting and toured the resort island of Bali. On Friday, he met Indonesian President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo at the grand Bogor Palace in West Java, just outside Jakarta.

Former U.S. President Barack Obama (L) and Indonesian President Joko Widodo are seen during their meeting at the Botanical Garden near the presidential palace in Bogor, Indonesia June 30, 2017.

Pool/Reuters

Mr. Obama largely stayed away from U.S. politics and the Trump administration, but he did tout one of his accomplishments while in office.

"In Paris, we came together around the most ambitious agreement in history about climate change, an agreement that even with the temporary absence of American leadership, can still give our children a fighting chance," he said.

Mr. Trump shocked many countries last month by announcing he was pulling out of the accord. He has also had a difficult relationship with members of the press and was recently condemned by Democrats and Republicans for a tweet that attacked a female MSNBC host.

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Mr. Obama stressed the importance of stepping away from news sites where only like-minded views are shared, and warned about social media giving rise to resentment of minorities and bad treatment of people.

The Indonesian visit marked Mr. Obama's first trip to Asia since leaving office. He urged the country to be a light of democracy and to never stop embracing differences. Indonesia has faced a rise in Islamic radicalism and anti-gay attacks, and was recently condemned by rights groups for jailing Jakarta's former governor, an ethnic Chinese Christian, for blasphemy.

"The spirit of this country has to be one of tolerance. It's enshrined in Indonesia's constitution, it's symbolized by mosques and temples and churches beside each other," Mr. Obama said. "That spirit is one of the defining things about Indonesia. It is one of the most important characteristics to set as an example for other Muslim countries around the world."

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Obama Laments ‘Absence of American Leadership’ Under …

In Paris, we came together around the most ambitious agreement in history about climate change, an agreement that even with the temporary absence of American leadership, can still give our children a fighting chance, Obama said during a speech in Indonesia on Saturday.

Obama stressed that even though Trump made the decision to pull the United States out of the Paris agreement, technically its not out yet.

The president spoke in lofty terms about the state of the world warning that it was a crossroads as many countries were slipping into nationalism.

We start seeing a rise in sectarian politics, we start seeing a rise in an aggressive kind of nationalism, he said. We start seeing both in developed and developing countries an increased resentment about minority groups and the bad treatment of people who dont look like us or practice the same faith as us.

Obama spoke generally about world leaders who refused to embrace tolerance and diversity.

I dont believe the future favors strongmen. I believe the future favors those who promote tolerance who are open to differences and learn from everyone, he said.

Obama spent 10 days vacationing in his childhood home of Indonesia, visiting cultural and historical sites.

Indonesia is made of thousands of islands, hundreds of languages, scores of regions and ethnic groups. So my time here made me cherish and respect for peoples differences, he said.

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Obama Working Behind the Scenes to Rebuild Democratic Party …

By Todd Shepherd, The Washington Examiner

Former President Barack Obama is conducting select meetings to begin a process of rebuilding the Democratic Party as leaders and elected officials in both Washington and across the country are still debating how to go forward.

After the 2016 elections, besides losing the White House and not having control of either chamber of Congress, Democrats were faced with new lows of seats they held in state legislatures.

A report by The Hill says Obama has been making regular calls with Democratic National Committee Chairman Tom Perez. According to an anonymous source in the DNC, Obama jokingly told Perez, "Hey man, it's only the future of the world in your hands."

Working out of his D.C. office, Obama is said to be conducting one-on-one meetings with other legislators, like Maryland's freshman Democratic Sen. Chris Van Hollen. Still, sources that spoke to The Hill stopped short of divulging a more complete list of the meetings Obama has had.

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