At his final state dinner, Obama compares 2016 presidential campaign to Dante’s ‘Inferno’
President Obama gave the welcome toast at the 13th and final state dinner of his presidency on Tuesday night, telling a star-studded crowd at the White House that American democracy has always been “embraced by a touch of Italy.”
“Our declaration that all men are created equal was penned by Thomas Jefferson, and it was a concept shared by his friend from Florence — Firenze — Filippo Mazzei,” Obama said. “We stand before the Lincoln Memorial and see the work of the Piccirilli brothers. We look at the dome of the U.S. Capitol and marvel at the touch of Brumidi. Then again, some days our presidential campaign can seem like Dante’s ‘Inferno.'”
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Before nearly 400 guests — including Mario Andretti, Giorgio Armani, John Turturro and Gwen Stefani — Obama praised the “spirit” of Italian-Americans. The event was held to welcome Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi to the United States.
“I suspect that many of you here tonight are thinking of your own families, parents, grandparents, great-grandparents, who left the old country, who toiled and sacrificed, and gave everything they had so that the next generation could succeed,” he said. “Your presence here tonight shows that America’s a place where if you work hard, no matter what you look like, what your last name is, how many vowels you have in your name, you can make it if you try.”
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“Even if we are not Italian-American,” Obama continued, “or Mets fans, we can celebrate that Mike Piazza is finally in the Baseball Hall of Fame.”
Obama took the opportunity to reminisce about a recent trip to Rome — and the president got a bit philosophical.
“I had the opportunity to visit the Colosseum,” he said. “And one of the perks of being president is you can go to the Colosseum and nobody else is there. It was late in the day. It was quiet. The sun was going down. As I walked across those ancient stones worn by the history of 2,000 years, it was a humbling reminder of our place here on earth. In the grand sweep of time, each of us is here only for a brief moment. So many of the things that we focus on each day — political ups and downs, successes and the setbacks — those things are fleeting. What matters in the end is what we built. What matters is what we leave behind. Things that will endure long after we are gone.”
Obama also reminded the crowd that although he has less than 100 days left in office, there’s still time remaining in his presidency.
“In the immortal words of a great Italian-American, Yogi Berra,” the president joked, “‘It ain’t over ’til it’s over.'”
