Barack Obama Speaks at the JES 2025 Global Summit in Erie

Nick & Jessica Taylor, Menajerie Studio

The Jefferson Educational Society kicks off the 2025 Global Summit with a conversation with Barack Obama, moderated by Steve Scully.

Former President Barack Obama shared his thoughts on the state of politics, democracy, and hope at the Erie Insurance Arena on Sept. 16. The people of Erie turned out in droves, some arriving as early as 4 p.m. to wait in line to get in. Once in the arena, the energy built with each passing hour until the event began just after 7 p.m. The conversation with Obama was part of the Jefferson Educational Society's (JES) 2025 Global Summit, the annual speaker series that brings renowned speakers to Erie to engage in discussions on important and timely issues. Vice President of JES Ben Speggen kicked off the event, saying: "The best conversations call us back to a shared purpose, weigh our ambitions against our ideals, and remember that a thriving democracy requires courage and honest conversation." Following a standing ovation as the former president arrived on stage, moderator Steve Scully began the conversation. 

Early on, Obama denounced the recent murder of conservative political activist Charlie Kirk on Sept. 10 and other acts of political violence and pondered on the idea that the United States has reached a turning point in its history. "Are we at an inflection point? We are, in the sense that we always have to fight for our democracy," Obama said. Additionally, he referenced President Donald Trump's history of targeting political opponents, and now more recently, deploying the National Guard in cities such as Washington D.C and Los Angeles, California. "I will say that those extremist views were not in my White House. I wasn't embracing them, I wasn't empowering them or putting the weight of the U.S. government behind extremist views." Many of these statements were met with applause by the audience. 

Between the more serious topics, the former president and the audience shared a few laughs, such as when Scully brought up the "Tan Suit Scandal" with a picture of Obama smiling in the infamous suit on the big screen. "I'm rocking that suit!" Obama laughed. 

Though Obama could laugh at some of the more ridiculous controversies of his two-term presidency, the standards of the presidency have changed since he left office. He said bipartisanship worked largely due to certain ideals of democracy, including not politicising the military or justice department, and abiding by the results of elections and judicial rulings. "There were guardrails that I thought I had to abide by, that George W. Bush had to abide by, and those no longer apply," Obama said. "That's what makes this a dangerous moment, that's why citizens have to pay attention." 

The former president also discussed how the meaning of "We the People" in the Declaration of Independence has changed throughout our history as a country to finally include everyone, but that now "Blood and Soil" nationalism is threatening that idea. "That consensus that we thought we went through, that 'we the people' applies to everybody, is being contested right now," Obama said. 

The flow of the conversation was interrupted when an audience member shouted, "Do Palestinians matter?" Obama then shifted the conversation to address the genocide in Palestine and the attacks on Israel by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023. He described the humanitarian crises in Israel and Palestine as acts of tribalism. "When we dehumanize people, bad things happen. When we lose that idea [in the United States] the whole world gets dimmer. We see it right now," Obama said. 

Not only did he address the issues of today, but also the issues of tomorrow. The former president addressed the rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the integration of the technology into social media and how it can simultaneously have positive outcomes and serious risks. Though Obama conjectured that AI could bring cures for disease and more efficient systems, he stated that "AI will be more disruptive than social media and the internet, and it's going to happen a lot faster." He also expressed concern on the lack of debate and public input on how AI is being developed. "We have not seen tech this powerful being developed by five companies that will control all of our fates. We're not having a public conversation at all about how it's being developed," Obama said. 

During his visit to Erie, Obama met with some Erie's Public Schools students. During the event, he gave some advice to the younger generation. "Change comes from young people, their passion and ability to see things as they weren't before," Obama said. He encouraged people to establish convictions and morals, and ultimately, to be kind and useful. "Each of us has some agency and power, because the most important office is the office of the citizen."