In racially divided times, Obama's farewell address swings for the middle

Obama framed racism primarily as a matter of 'hearts' changing through empathy and interaction

On Jan. 10, President Barack Obama delivered a farewell address to the nation in his adopted hometown of Chicago. As he often did during his presidency, Obama struck a middle path, one that had moments of real power but ultimately fell short of a full-throated defense of Democratic Party policies. In a decidedly immoderate time, with his signature domestic achievement, the Affordable Care Act, on the chopping block, Obama’s speech was a model of moderation. In a season defined by Pussygate and Russian hacking, and with an incoming billionaire’s cabinet poised to loot every entitlement and regulation