Page 4 - Florida Sentinel 9-4-18

Obama News
Obama: McCain Called On America To Rise Above 'Mean And Petty' Politics
WASHINGTON-Former President Barack Obama lauded John McCain's ef- forts to push the nation to rise above "mean and petty" politics in his tribute Satur- day to the Arizona Republi- can, who served for more than three decades in the Senate.
"So much of our politics, our public life, our public discourse can seem small and mean and petty, traffick- ing in bombast and insult, and phony controversies, and manufactured outrage. It's a politics that pretends to be brave and tough, but in fact is born of fear," Obama said in a eulogy for McCain at a memorial service at Washington National Cathe- dral. "John called on us to be bigger than that. He called on us to be better than that."
Obama, who was Mc- Cain's rival in the 2008 presidential race, added, "That's perhaps how we honor him best, by recogniz- ing that there are some things bigger than party, or ambition, or money, or fame, or power, that there are some things that are worth risking everything for."
John McCain honored at Washington National Cathedral memorial service.
McCain "never hesitated to tell me when he thought I was screwing up, which by his calculation was about once a day," the Democratic former president said, draw- ing some laughter from the crowd. "But for all our differ- ences, for all of the times we
JOHN MCCAIN
sparred, I never tried to hide, and I think John came to understand, the long-stand- ing admiration that I had for him."
Obama said it was "no secret" that McCain had a temper that was a "force of nature, a wonder to behold."
"Not that I ever experi- enced it firsthand, mind you," he quipped.
The former president also said that while McCain's tempers would flare, the sen- ator "was just as quick to for- give and ask for forgiveness."
Obama recalled how during the course of his pres- idency, McCain would visit the White House and talk with Obama in the Oval Of- fice about policy, family and the state of politics.
Meghan McCain con- trasts father's legacy with President Donald Trump's 'cheap rhetoric'
"Our disagreements did- n't go away during these pri- vate conversations. Those were real, and they were often deep," Obama said.
BARACK OBAMA
"But we enjoyed the time we shared away from the bright lights, and we laughed with each other, and we learned from each other. And we never doubted the other man's sincerity or the other man's patriotism."
Obama spoke of the mo- ment during one of Mc- Cain's 2008 campaign events when a supporter told the Republican nominee she couldn't trust Obama be- cause he's "an Arab." Mc- Cain corrected the woman, telling her, "No, ma'am. He's a decent family man."
Obama said Saturday he was "grateful, but I wasn't surprised" by McCain's re- sponse.
"I never saw John treat anyone differently because of their race or religion or gen- der," Obama said. "And I'm certain that in those mo- ments that have been re- ferred to during the campaign he saw himself as defending America's charac- ter. Not just mine."
Former President Barack Obama To Speak At University Of Illinois
Former President Barack Obama will receive an award and deliver a speech at the University of Illinois’ Champaign campus this week.
The former president was named the winner of the Uni- versity of Illinois System’s Douglas Award for Ethics in Government, and will deliver a speech on Sept. 7 at the school.
“This week, President Obama will offer new thoughts on this moment and what it requires from the American people,” Obama Communications Director Katie Hill said in a state- ment. “He will expand upon several of the themes from his summer address, including that America is at its best when our democracy is inclu- sive and our citizens are en- gaged.”
The speech will also in- clude a rejection of authoritar- ian politics, according to a press release.
The former president has kept busy since he left office in 2017, delivering speeches all over the world and pushing
his Obama Foundation for- ward with new initiatives and his new presidential library, which is set to open in Chicago within the next few years.
The speech will be livestreamed by the univer- sity, and a limited number of tickets will be available to University of Illinois students.
Other recipients of the Douglas Award include the late Senator John McCain, Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, and Representative John Lewis.
BARACK OBAMA
Los Angeles Is Renaming A Street To Honor Former President Barack Obama
BARACK OBAMA
Last Tuesday, the City Council voted 15-0 to change the name of a section of "Rodeo Road" to "Obama Boulevard," and the city's mayor took to so- cial media to break the news.
"We're thrilled that Ange- lenos and visitors will forever be reminded of the legacy of President Barack Obama when traveling across L.A,"
Wesson chose this specific location because Obama held his first campaign rally in Los Angeles on February 20, 2007, at Rancho Cienega Park, said the motion. The park is located on Rodeo Road and right across from W. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.
Final approval came exactly 10 years after Obama made history by officially becoming the Democratic Party's first African-American presidential nominee on August 28, 2008.
"Proud to take this next step on a day that meant so much to so many," Wesson tweetedregarding the approval of his motion.
Wesson also highlighted the fact that the approval came on the 55th anniversary of Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech.
Rodeo Road, which is in the western side of Los Angeles, will not be the first strip to be named in honor of former presidents. According to the council, the 10th Council Dis- trict is home to Washington Boulevard, Adams Boulevard and Jefferson Boulevard.
Mayor Eric
Garcetti
tweeted.
City Council
President Herb Wesson introduced the motion to rename the nearly 4- mile stretch of road back in
2017.
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