Washington: US President Barack Obama has appealed to Americans to deliver a big win to Hillary Clinton and a crushing defeat to Donald Trump in the November 8 general elections, saying the country cannot have a reality TV show in the Oval Office.
Democratic presidential nominee Clinton, 68, is eminently qualified, really well-prepared, has the temperament, the work ethic, the policy chops to be an outstanding president as compared to Trump, 70, Obama said at a reception in California.
“And then there is the other guy (Trump). And I’m not going to belabor why this other guy is not fit to hold this office, because every time he talks you get more proof that that is not the guy that you want as President of the US,” Obama said.
He said the First Lady, Michelle is also campaigning this time because she believes that this is an important election for the country.
“She understands, as I understand, that some more fundamental values are at stake in this election. It has to do with our basic standards of decency — how do we treat people,” Obama said.
“Do we treat people who are of a different faith as part of the fabric of America, or do we label them as something foreign, not a ‘real American,’ and thereby subject to different standards when it comes to how our laws apply? Do we think of women as equal and full citizens, capable of doing anything, or do we think of them as objects of either scorn or lust or our own satisfactions?” he asked.
“Do we think of the Constitution as something fundamental that all of us have an obligation to try to uphold, or do we think that it is just something that we can pick and choose from at our convenience depending on what’s expedient?” he said.
“Do we think that government is something serious, that we have an obligation to make sure that to the best of our abilities we leave the country a little bit better off than how we found it.
“Or do we think that it’s an infomercial or a reality TV show and we can say anything or do anything without any fidelity to the truth whatsoever, just make stuff up so that at a certain point everything is contested, there’s no solid ground because you can just say anything and do anything?” asked the US President.
“My conclusion, Michelle’s conclusion is, is that we can’t have that in the Oval Office. Because what is true is, is that our kids watch us. I said when I ran for President in 2008, I was not a perfect man and I would not be a perfect President, but I took seriously the fact that in this job, our kids are paying attention; the entire world is paying attention,” he said.
PTI
