And I know how they have suffered more than the pain of exile -- they also know what it’s like to be an outsider, and to struggle, and to work harder to make sure their children can reach higher in America.
Here again Obama uses the common ground technique to relate himself as a fellow American and to get the sympathetic side of his audience, showing that he too has struggles and suffer just like the every day individual.
if you cannot be exposed to different points of view, you will not reach your full potential. And over time, the youth will lose hope.
I see this as a tad of an exaggeration but it serves an important purpose, kind of like a wake up call. Obama is telling us that we require to take the intiative to expose ourselves to outside information and opinions otherwise we are failing not only ourselves to reach our full potential but those of future generations in teaching/leading them.