Obama gave a remarkable commencement address Sunday afternoon at the Roman Catholic University of Notre Dame.
Before the address, the media focussed on the protesters. There had been an outdoor Mass and an anti-abortion rally. Hours earlier a plane flew overhead trailing a banner showing an aborted fetus. I see conflicting reports, but I think 39 people were arrested on misdemeanor charges -- including Norma McCorvey, the plaintiff identified as "Roe" in the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion. She now opposes abortion. Alan Keyes and Randall Terry made headlines last week after they were arrested for pushing strollers across the Notre Dame campus carrying dolls covered in fake blood.
The majority of the protesters were not students. The majority of the protesters were what CNN called imported "professional protesters".
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Obama addressed 2,900 graduates (there were a total of 12,000 in attendance at the Joyce Center basketball arena). He acknowledged that the two sides of the abortion debate were "irreconcilable", but that both sides had to find "common ground".
His trademark calm and easy-going sense of humor were on display throughout the speech. The crowd was supportive of Obama even when isolated protesters shouted things like "Abortion is murder!... Baby killer!" and "You have blood on your hands." Or "Stop killing our children!"
"Each side [of the abortion debate] will continue to make its case to the public with passion and conviction," Obama said. "But surely we can do so without reducing those with differing views to caricature." Obama asked the crowd if it's possible "for us to join hands in common effort... As citizens of a vibrant and varied democracy, how do we engage in vigorous debate?" he asked. "How does each of us remain firm in our principles, and fight for what we consider right, without demonizing those with just as strongly held convictions on the other side?"
Obama: "The soldier and the lawyer may both love this country with equal passion, and yet reach very different conclusions on the specific steps needed to protect us from harm. The gay activist and the evangelical pastor may both deplore the ravages of HIV/AIDS, but find themselves unable to bridge the cultural divide that might unite their efforts. Those who speak out against stem cell research may be rooted in an admirable conviction about the sacredness of life, but so are the parents of a child with juvenile diabetes who are convinced that their son's or daughter's hardships can be relieved."
I don't think I've ever seen any president suggest that both sides of the abortion/gay rights/stem cell research debates are noble and good and fighting for what they believe in (George W. Bush never suggested both sides of these issues are irreconcilable; that both sides are honorable and we need to respect each other, turn down the volume and find "common ground").
YouTube - President Obama Notre Dame Commencement Speech pt.1
YouTube - President Obama Notre Dame Commencement Speech pt.2
YouTube - President Obama Notre Dame Commencement Speech pt.3
Before the address, the media focussed on the protesters. There had been an outdoor Mass and an anti-abortion rally. Hours earlier a plane flew overhead trailing a banner showing an aborted fetus. I see conflicting reports, but I think 39 people were arrested on misdemeanor charges -- including Norma McCorvey, the plaintiff identified as "Roe" in the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion. She now opposes abortion. Alan Keyes and Randall Terry made headlines last week after they were arrested for pushing strollers across the Notre Dame campus carrying dolls covered in fake blood.
The majority of the protesters were not students. The majority of the protesters were what CNN called imported "professional protesters".
--------------------
Obama addressed 2,900 graduates (there were a total of 12,000 in attendance at the Joyce Center basketball arena). He acknowledged that the two sides of the abortion debate were "irreconcilable", but that both sides had to find "common ground".
His trademark calm and easy-going sense of humor were on display throughout the speech. The crowd was supportive of Obama even when isolated protesters shouted things like "Abortion is murder!... Baby killer!" and "You have blood on your hands." Or "Stop killing our children!"
"Each side [of the abortion debate] will continue to make its case to the public with passion and conviction," Obama said. "But surely we can do so without reducing those with differing views to caricature." Obama asked the crowd if it's possible "for us to join hands in common effort... As citizens of a vibrant and varied democracy, how do we engage in vigorous debate?" he asked. "How does each of us remain firm in our principles, and fight for what we consider right, without demonizing those with just as strongly held convictions on the other side?"
Obama: "The soldier and the lawyer may both love this country with equal passion, and yet reach very different conclusions on the specific steps needed to protect us from harm. The gay activist and the evangelical pastor may both deplore the ravages of HIV/AIDS, but find themselves unable to bridge the cultural divide that might unite their efforts. Those who speak out against stem cell research may be rooted in an admirable conviction about the sacredness of life, but so are the parents of a child with juvenile diabetes who are convinced that their son's or daughter's hardships can be relieved."
I don't think I've ever seen any president suggest that both sides of the abortion/gay rights/stem cell research debates are noble and good and fighting for what they believe in (George W. Bush never suggested both sides of these issues are irreconcilable; that both sides are honorable and we need to respect each other, turn down the volume and find "common ground").
YouTube - President Obama Notre Dame Commencement Speech pt.1
YouTube - President Obama Notre Dame Commencement Speech pt.2
YouTube - President Obama Notre Dame Commencement Speech pt.3
