United States President Barack Obama on Friday urged his countrymen not to fall for what Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump tries to do as it would make everyone depressed.
"You've got a chance to elect a woman who's spent her entire life trying to make this country better. Don't fall for the easy cynicism that says your vote doesn't matter. Don't fall for what Trump tries to do and just make everybody depressed. Don't believe it," Obama told a well-attended election rally in Cleveland, Ohio.
He said Trump's closing argument was "What do you have to lose?' The answer is: Everything".
"All the progress we've made right now is on the ballot. Civility is on the ballot. Tolerance is on the ballot. Courtesy is on the ballot. Honesty is on the ballot. Equality is on the ballot. Kindness is on the ballot. All the progress we made that last eight years is on the ballot. Democracy itself is on the ballot right now," Obama said.
"So if you want to send a message, make it loud. Turn back the voices of cynicism. Turn back the voices of ignorance. Send a message of progress. Send a message of hope. Send a message by voting for Hillary Clinton, and show our kids and the rest of the world we remain the greatest country in the world," he said.
Calling for a vote against the Republican presidential nominee, Obama said even though sometimes politics can seem frustrating and the democracy can seem mean-spirited, Americans have a chance right now to reject that kind of politics.
"You have a chance to reject the politics of fear. You can lift again back up the politics of hope. Let's not go backwards, let's go forward," he asserted.
Obama said if America wants a leader who actually values hard work and respects working Americans, want higher wages, and better benefits, and a fair tax code, and equal pay for women, and stronger regulations on Wall Street, then people should vote for Hillary Clinton.
"If you want to know who is going to keep you safe in a dangerous world, then the choice is even clearer. Hillary is going to make sure we finish the job of defeating Islamic State. She won't have to resort to torture, or ban entire religions from our country. She has got the knowledge and the experience and the temperament to be the next Commander-in-Chief," he argued.
He said the country cannot have a guy who insulted POWs and attacks a Gold Star mom, and has called troops and veterans weak, and cozies up to dictators, and tells allies that the US might not stand by their side unless they pay up first.
"He may be up at 3:00 am in the morning, but it's because he's tweeting insults to somebody who got under his skin. That's not the kind of President you want. Not fit to be Commander-in-Chief and not fit to lead the world’s greatest democracy," he said.
"This is somebody who threatens to jail his political opponents, or silence the media; who welcomes Russian meddling in our electoral process, and is now suggesting that if the election doesn’t go his way, it's not because all the stuff he said, but because it's rigged and it's a fraud," Obama said.
Some nations do operate that way. And they're tyrannies. And they're oppressive. They're now the world's greatest democracy," he said.
"We have fought against those kinds of things. Around the world, we talk to other countries, we say, no, in a democracy you can't just threaten to jail your opponents. There are things called due process," he said.
"In a democracy, you can’t just ban reporters or press that you don't like. Because there's this thing called the First Amendment. In a democracy, you have a contest, but if you lose then you say congratulations and you move on. Because the country and our system of government is bigger than any single individual," Obama said, adding that the US has always stood for something better.
IMAGE: US President Barack Obama speaks at a campaign event in Cleveland, Ohio. Photograph: Carlos Barria/Reuters
