President Obama would like Republicans to stop calling him names. Speaking in Minnesota on what the president said was Republican obstructionism in Congress, Obama offered a trolling critique of his counterparts in the House.
"They don't do anything," Obama said. "Except block me...and call me names. It can't be that much fun. It would be so much more fun if they said, 'Let's do something together.'"
Here's the video of those remarks:
Later Obama delivered the message to "not get cynical" in the face of opposition.
The critics and the cynics in Washington, they have written me off more times than I can count. I'm here to tell you don't get cynical. Despite all of the frustration, America's making progress. Despite the unyielding opposition, there are families who have health insurance now that did not have it before and there are students in college who couldn't afford it before. There are workers on the job who didn't have jobs before. There are troops home with their family after serving tour after tour. Don't think that we are not making progress. It is easy to be cynical, in fact these days it's kind of trendy. Cynicism passes off for wisdom...but cynicism doesn't liberate a continent. Cynicism doesn't build a transcontinental railroad. It doesn't send a man to the moon. Cynicism doesn't invent the Internet. Cynicism doesn't give women the right to vote. Cynicism doesn't make sure that people are treated equally regardless was of race. Cynicism is a choice and hope is a better choice.