President Barack Obama rallied his political base Tuesday night, speaking to those attending a summit hosted by Organizing for Action, a group that pushes his policy agenda.
"The work you’re doing is God’s work," he told hundreds of supporters at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel. ""It is hard work. You don't have the prerogative..to just go around and say no to everything. You don't have the prerogative to just be cynical. You don't think that the country moves forward just on its own. You understand that it happens because ordinary people come together to do some extraordinary things."
Obama pushed them to lobby to raise the minimum wage and help sign up Americans for health care coverage.
"Let’s get that minimum wage done and give America a raise," he said. "Let’s get people signed up and make sure that everybody has coverage."
Obama credited Organizing for Action for helping enroll nearly 4 million Americans in health coverage on the state and federal insurance marketplaces since October 1, 2013. “Four million people have already signed up because of you,” he said.
Days before his second term began, Obama announced that his campaign would morph into a nonprofit, tax-exempt group to rally support across the country for his agenda.
"I never promised you it was going to be easy," he said Tuesday. "I never did. And I always have to remind people that. Progress is hard. But progress is possible, and it’s possible because of you."