In his speech to over 85,000 today at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor (one of the largest crowds he has addressed since the Inauguration in January of 2009), President Barack Obama encouraged those graduating and those in attendance to commit their time in service of their nation and their communities, consider opposing viewpoints by listening to others rather than taking information from one source, and not be turned off by the grating tone of political discussion in America right now, saying: “Before we get too depressed about the current state of our politics, let’s remember our history. The great debates of the past all stirred great passions. They all made somebody angry, and at least once led to a terrible war. What is amazing is that despite all the conflict, despite all its flaws and its frustrations, our experiment in democracy has worked better than any form of government on Earth.”

It is this steadfast commitment to our democracy, and furthermore, to making our world a better place that emboldens us as young progressives to go out there and use our abilities to help our cities, our state and our nation be all that it can – and we urge every member of our Caucus and the citizens of America at large to take time to read this speech and take it passionately to heart.

Below is the text of President Barack Obama’s speech at the University of Michigan Commencement, released this afternoon by the White House:

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