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Barack Obama berated Democratic political candidates for using “catchy” slogans like “defund the police” which he said could turn voters away, in an interview published this week.
“You lost a big following as soon as you said it, making it much less likely that you would get the changes you wanted,” former president told host Peter Hamby in an interview with Good Luck America, a Snapchat political show.
“The key is to decide, do you really want to do something or do you want to feel good among the people you already agree with?” Obama added.
However, Obama also championed the place of young progressives as important “new blood” in the Democratic Party, singling out Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez – who spoke forcefully on the expression and essence of the defounding of police departments to increase social spending.
Former Obama campaign agent Ben LaBolt shared part of the president’s interview with Hamby online Tuesday before the full interview went live on Snapchat on Wednesday.
Ben LaBolt
(@BenLaBolt)President Obama, on the subject of the best messaging architect, suggests a thoughtful alternative to “Defund.” Via @PeterHamby. https://t.co/ai64FDPgTI pic.twitter.com/UABXL5yLmr
The remarks immediately sparked backlash from notable black Progressive Democrats – including Minnesota Congressman Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, who stressed that “defund the police” was not just words but a “demand.” investments and equitable budgets for communities across the country ”.
Ilhan Omar
(@IlhanMN)We are losing people to the police. It is not a slogan but a political request. And focusing the demand for investments and fair budgets for communities across the country allows us to move forward and ensure safety. https://t.co/Vu6inw4ms7
“We didn’t lose Breonna because of a ‘slogan,’ said Kentucky State Representative Charles Booker, referring to Breonna Taylor, the black woman from Louisville who was shot in her own. apartment by police in March in a botched raid.
Booker broke barriers in 2018 when he became the youngest black lawmaker to be elected to the Kentucky state legislature in nearly a century. And he ran a tight contest for the Democratic nomination to contest – ultimately unsuccessfully – the seat of Republican Majority Leader in the Senate, Mitch McConnell, in the November election.
Charles booker
(@ Booker4KY)We didn’t lose Breonna because of a slogan.
Instead of conceding this narrative, let’s shape our own. It’s time to listen to people, organize and build coalitions around our own message, and articulate a vision that inspires us all to lead change at the polls and beyond. https://t.co/mBg7wanaR6
Cori Bush, who made history last month as the first black woman elected to represent Missouri in Congress, told Obama that “Defund the Police” was “not a slogan.” It’s a warrant to keep [Black] living people. “
“With all due respect, Mr. President, let’s talk about losing people,” she said. “We lost Michael Brown Jr. We lost Breonna Taylor. We are losing our loved ones to police violence. “
The rise in politics of a member of the Black Lives Matter movement stems from her work as a community activist during the protests against the shooting death of Mike Brown in Ferguson in 2014.
Bush is also the only candidate to officially run on a police defounding platform – a point many analysts say criticism of the movement is unwarranted.
Defund the Police is a widely used phrase and political initiative that gained traction over the summer as racial justice and anti-police protests erupted in response to the Minneapolis Police murder of George Floyd in May. .
As a policy initiative, cutting funding to police services involves reallocating local and state law enforcement resources to public services, designed to address issues of poverty, inequality and mental health. – factors that contribute to crime.
The former president’s comments echoed other moderate Democrats who challenged and viewed the expression polarizing, prompting criticism of a progressive movement led by what some have called the radical message.
Jamaal bowman
(@JamaalBowmanNY)Shit, Mr. Chairman.
Didn’t you say “Trayvon could have been my son?”
In 2014, #BlackLivesMatter it was too much.
In 2016, Kaepernick was too much.
Today, discussing police budgets is too much.
The problem is America’s comfort with the black death – not the discomfort with the slogans. https://t.co/DJUSZebgW5
In South Carolina, where the Democratic base is largely made up of black Americans who start out older and moderate, incumbent Democrat Joe Cunningham lost his House seat to Republican Nancy Mace in the November election.
In the days that followed, South Carolina Congressman and House Minority Whip James Clyburn, who was believed to have helped topple Joe Biden’s campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination while the moderate was behind left-wing champion Bernie Sanders, told NBC News the tagline hurt some. Democratic candidates.
“If you say instead, ‘Let’s reform the police service so that everyone is treated fairly,'” Clyburn suggested. “Not just in policing, but also in sentencing, how can we prevent young people from getting involved in crime?”
While Obama challenged progressive slogans, he also criticized moderate leadership for failing to recognize the increasingly powerful influence of young progressives like Ocasio-Cortez.
The former president berated the Democratic National Committee for only briefly introducing these Democratic Socialists in their opening montage at their national convention in Milwaukee in August.
“She speaks to a wide range of young people who are interested in what she has to say, even if they don’t agree with everything she says. You give it a platform, ”he said, adding that in all political ideologies,“ new blood is always good ”for the party.
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