Obama: On Issues Young People Upset About, Republicans Entirely To Blame

SMITH: “Issue is dysfunction.

OBAMA: “Yeah."

SMITH: “You know, it seems that from the outside that -–“

OBAMA: “From the inside too.” (Laughter)

SMITH: “Washington, if you look at global warming for example, and you're right, younger generation there is no debate. Yet, they see this fighting, this gridlock in Washington. Or for other things. Just for example now sort of chicken that's being played with the problem of Homeland Security for example.”

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BOXER: “Republicans are playing politics with the critical funding with the Department of Homeland Security and threatening a shutdown.”

CRUZ: “The president's executive amnesty is lawless and unconstitutional.”

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SMITH: “These are things that our tax is paid for.”

OBAMA: “Right.”

SMITH: “Yet it seems to be a game that's being played and young people are dissatisfied and angry but they don't know what to do. What would you tell them?”

OBAMA: “Let me say a couple things. A lot of times from the outside, and sometimes mainstream media reports this as a food fight and it's a problem of both parties just being partisan. Well, that's just not accurate. On climate change 90 percent of Democrats agree with me and 90 percent of Republicans oppose any action on it and a sizable portion of their party denied it even exists. There've been times in history where Democrats have been unreasonable. There've been times where Republicans have led the way. But right now, on a lot of the issues that young people care about it's not both sides arguing and creating gridlock. You got one side that is denying the facts who are often motivated principally by opposing whatever it is that I propose. Now, that's not inevitable to our democracy, that's something -- that's a phase that that the Republican Party is going through right now. And it'll outgrow that phase. The thing that we do have to worry about is the fact that the pace of change globally is so quick, that we may not have the luxury of twenty years or ten years of not getting a lot done. If we want to deal with not just climate change but the potential for pandemic with terrorism, with the challenges around cyber security, some of these things are just moving. One thing young people could do immediately is vote. And the fact of the matter is that in the last midterm election about a third of eligible voters voted. So if you've got gridlock and you've got people who aren't producing, the fact that a lot of them got rewarded with re-election and the people who were in power of creating the gridlock stayed in power, that's a consequence of everybody staying at home and acting cynical.  And the minute you withdraw in that way from the process of politics, well, then you're destined to have the existing power structures.”