Obama Cautions Democratic Candidates Against Extremist Policies

While I’d never call myself a fan of Obama, I was never so bothered by the man that it should stick in my throat to say he’s actually been making some pretty good points lately.

You probably heard about his comments a few weeks back condemning “cancel culture” in which he warned against expectations of moral purity and constant call outs, saying, “That’s not activism.” It was a poignant and relevant message which I agree with wholeheartedly.

And on Friday, he kept the “things leftists need to hear” ball rolling while speaking to the Democracy Alliance.

“The average American doesn’t think we have to completely tear down the system and remake it. And I think it’s important for us not to lose sight of that,” Obama said.

“There are a lot of persuadable voters and there are a lot of Democrats out there who just want to see things make sense. They just don’t want to see crazy stuff,” he said. “They want to see things a little more fair, they want to see things a little more just. And how we approach that I think will be important.”

The emphasis was added, but barely. True, Obama mentioned no names, but it’s not hard to guess who his warning is primarily meant for– especially as he went on to cite immigration and healthcare reform as examples. I doubt any of you need to be reminded about the race to Venezuela Warren and Sanders are having with their Medicare for All plans, or their questionable policies on what American labor and money (illegal) immigrants are entitled to (spoiler alert: all of it).

“Even as we push the envelope and we are bold in our vision, we also have to be rooted in reality and the fact that voters, including the Democratic voters and certainly persuadable independents or even moderate Republicans, are not driven by the same views that are reflected on certain, you know, left-leaning Twitter feeds,” Obama said.

It’s a well known fact that Obama’s popularity is decreasing among the very Twitter feeds he alludes to. The man who was once the darling of America is now no longer radical enough for the small faction that the entire political conversation is somehow centered around. But he’s right to draw our attention away from the extremes and focus on the more moderate factions. The fact that the likes of Warren and Sanders can’t/won’t is why their presidential bids won’t be successful. Bummer.