CHAMPAIGN, Ill. _ In a spirited rebuke of President Donald Trump and the Republican control of both houses of Congress, former President Barack Obama on Friday exhorted a packed auditorium of students and faculty at the University of Illinois to vote in the midterm elections this fall.
The speech marked a kickoff in the fall campaign for the former president as he seeks to help his fellow Democrats regain control of Congress.
His remarks were a criticism of Trump and the current Republican leadership in Congress, and also a defense of his own administration. He offered sometimes ominous warnings of Republicans remaining in power.
"You need to vote because our democracy depends on it," he said to the applause of the friendly audience.
"A glance a recent headlines should tell you that this moment really is different," he added. "The consequences of any of us sitting on the sidelines are more dire."
He reflected on the divided political climate in Washington but noted that it is nothing new.
"Democracy has never been easy, and our founding fathers argued about everything," he said.
But he urged those in the audience to see through what he said was Trump's dark rhetoric on issues like immigration. "It did not start with Donald Trump. He is a symptom, not the cause. He's just capitalizing on resentments that politicians have been fanning for years."
He added, "More often, it's manufactured by the people of power and by the people of privilege."
At times, he was reflective on what he said was a changed Republican Party.
"What happened to the Republican Party? Its central organizing principle was the fight against communism, and now they're cozying up to the former head of the KGB," he said, referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Obama appeared at University of Illinois to accept the Paul H. Douglas Award for Ethics in Government, an annual honor given by the university's Institute of Government and Public Affairs to recognize "public officials who have made significant contributions to the understanding and practice of ethical behavior in public service."
Democratic gubernatorial candidate J.B. Pritzker was in attendance Friday, along with Illinois Senator Dick Durbin, Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza and State Treasure Mike Frerichs, and several local legislators.
The institute announced last week that the former president would be the 28th honoree of the award, which has previously been given to the late Sen. John McCain, former Supreme Court justices Sandra Day O'Connor and John Paul Stevens, Congressman John Lewis,and former Federal Reserve Board chairs Ben Bernanke and Janet Yellen.
Obama was introduced by Amaury Saulsberry, a junior at U. of I. from Chicago studying industrial design.
Obama was scheduled to formally accept the Douglas Award later Friday in a private reception at University of Illinois President Tim Killeen's campus residence, before hitting the campaign trail to rally for House candidates in Orange County, Calif., at a Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee event.
At the end of his remarks, he appealed to civility and exhorted his listeners to continue being in engaged in the political process.
"Making democracy work means holding onto our principles and having clarity about our principles and then getting in the arena to have a principled debate," he said. He added, "Do not let people tell you the fight's not worth it because you won't get everything you want."
He wrapped up with an appeal to unity and an appeal to become involved in the November elections.
"I am hopeful, because out of this political darkness I see a great awakening," he said.
He added, "Don't tell me your vote doesn't matter."
