Mandatory voting seems like it could be a really good thing in the current political climate.

1) the majority of Americans are dissatisfied with government: http://www.gallup.com/poll/166985/dissatisfied-gov-system-works.aspx

2) the majority of Americans are dissatisfied with the two party system: http://www.gallup.com/poll/177284/americans-continue-say-third-political-party-needed.aspx

Could mandatory voting enable a more diverse political environment by making dissatisfied voters more confident in their ability to organize?

Obama is smart, he surely recognizes of these points too, could there be an ulterior motive for mandatory voting? They might use this to create a new party, neither DEM or REP, which could at first appear to be a refreshing alternative but then morph into something entirely more frightening.

If history is any indicator, Obama will talk about it, and the next Republican president will do it. To the sound of raucous applause.

Perfectly normal behavior in a free society.