Obama Says ‘Over-The-Top’ Rhetoric Hinders Compromise (Update1)

(Updates with Obama’s remarks beginning in 2nd paragraph, Granholm speech in 13th, 14th.)

By Roger Runningen

May 1 (Bloomberg) -- President Barack Obama told University of Michigan graduates “over-the-top rhetoric” in the country’s political debate undermines chances for compromise and hinders the search for solutions.

“We can’t expect to solve our problems if all we do is tear each other down,” the president said in a commencement address for about 8,000 members of the class of 2010 at the university in Ann Arbor. “You can question somebody’s views and their judgment without questioning their motives or their patriotism.”

With the partisan debate over bailouts for banks and automakers, financial regulations and the president’s economic stimulus and health-care overhaul reverberating in the campaign for November’s congressional election, Obama called for more civility in political discourse.

“Throwing around phrases like ‘socialist’ and ‘Soviet- style takeover’ and ‘fascist’ and ‘right-wing nut,’ that may grab headlines, but it also has the effect of comparing our government, our political opponents, to authoritarian, even murderous regimes,” Obama said.

While U.S. politics long has been “noisy and messy, contentious, complicated,” Obama said, the “echo chamber” of 24-hour news and commentary amplifies “inflammatory soundbites louder and faster than ever before.”

Role of Government

The debate over the proper size and role for government goes back to the founding of the nation, he said. Much of that discussion no longer fits the current times, the president said.

“We know that too much government can stifle competition and deprive us of choice and burden us with debt,” he said. “But we’ve also clearly seen the dangers of too little government -- like when a lack of accountability on Wall Street nearly leads to the collapse of our entire economy.”

The president urged the graduates to expose themselves to the other point of view, and get involved, whether on the community, state or national level.

A crucial ingredient in a functioning democracy is participation, he said.

“When we don’t pay close attention to the decisions made by our leaders, when we fail to educate ourselves about the major issues of the day, when we choose not to make our voices and opinions heard, that’s when democracy breaks down,” Obama said.

Ceremony

About 92,000 students, families and friends of graduates packed commencement ceremonies at Michigan Stadium, the biggest crowd Obama has addressed since the inauguration, spokesman Bill Burton said.

Among the speakers was Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm, a Democrat who is a potential Obama pick to replace retiring Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens.

She said the state owes the president gratitude for delivering on his promise to overhaul the health-care system and for supporting government aid to U.S. auto companies, General Motors Co. and Chrysler Group LLC.

The car companies, which are based in Michigan, “have bright futures now,” she said.

The president, a 1991 graduate of Harvard Law School and the Nobel Peace Prize winner in 2009, received an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from the university.

Second Michigan Visit

The appearance marked Obama’s second visit to Michigan since he took office. The state has been grappling with an unemployment rate of 14.1 percent in March, compared with the U.S. average of 9.7 percent, as the auto and auto-supply industries reshape themselves after Obama approved bailouts last year.

The 193-year-old university, the oldest in Michigan, is best known for its public research, athletics and having one of the largest football stadiums in the world, known as the “Big House.”

Twelve presidents have spoken at one of its three campuses over the past 100 years, starting with Grover Cleveland in 1892, according to the university.

One of its most famous graduates was President Gerald R. Ford, who earned a degree in 1935.

Presidents have used the university to make news. John F. Kennedy used an appearance in October 1960 to announce his idea for the Peace Corps. President Lyndon Johnson first spoke of the “Great Society” in the spring commencement speech in 1964.

Last year Obama spoke at college commencements at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, Arizona State University in Tempe and at the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana, where he was greeted by opponents protesting his views on abortion.

--Editors: Joe Sobczyk

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