Barack Obama: "In a democracy, power comes from forging alliances and building coalitions and making room in those coalitions not only for the woke, but for the waking."
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Obama gave up on #MedicareForAll because he was more worried about private insurance company employees being out of a job than he was about giving Americans life-saving health care at a price they can afford.
For the naysayers, I will remind you that the GOP circles the wagons and does so very well.
Dems, we need to learn the same lesson. Bernie Bros, you need to realize you are as dependent on us as we are on you. Coalitions work.
Stop letting the pretty good be the enemy of the perfect.
I agree but, the issue is some people on the left, a vocal minority, legitimately hate America. I can never in good conscience build a bridge with people who would throw me off the bridge.
Agreed. And as hard as it'll be not to take the "We effing told you so! 😤" approach, I think we should be warm and lead with kindness to those that are waking up.
Oh yes. My parents' main concern right now is how my mom would get by on one SS check if my dad died. They voted Trump because, "she [Harris] loves murdering babies". Now those SS checks are on the chopping block. Well played. There's a lot of smiling and nodding in my future when I can stomach it.
President Lincoln knew & warned us about the dangers of a Two-Party System government. America is stuck in a conflict between the GOP & the Democrats since the Civil War, until we change that, we'll for ever be the willing victims of Corporations controlling our Institutions through bribes & Threats
With much respect, Obama is out of touch with the majority of voters being a financial elite. Philosophical speeches, pshaw. We need protests and anger.
Says The Great Compromiser. I'm sorry he helped get us to this point compromising every step of the way when he had a full-on supermajority government. So screw him.
most of the problems with aca are due to congress and represent decades of dithering by both parties
in the end no matter what obama pushed for we got what congress gave us
I find this very ironic, Trump, Elon, Joe Rogan, RFK Jr. etc, were all Democrats at one time. Democrat's "America Last" policies pushed them to the right and or better said moved the center to the left, as the left moved way left, like in the image below↓↓↓↓.
Which is to say empowering fascists creates a whole lot of harm and some of their victims may turn against them.
But as we have seen, time and time again, appeasing the same capital interests for a "gentler, kinder" version isn't ever going to bring anyone on board.
Hrm...that seems like a project for evil...write a bot that reads social media, feeds it into ChatGPT, and has it automatically post dissent. If X had the same tools that Bluesky does, I'd do that over there. 😂
I actually disagree a bit. What it practically means is forgoing human rights for some ppl. I cannot belong to a coalition that puts aside someone else's human rights because some in the coalition aren't comfortable.
I think I feel so strongly abt this because we've done this for too long.
Nice sentiment
As ever, Obama gives a nice speech
Practical implementation will have to be more along the lines "when they go low we go thermonuclear"
We'll have to form our own spaces for communicating the truth b/c big legacy media is for shits
And we'll have to teach people the truth slowly, one at the time
Big sweeping assemblies like Harris and Walz had looked great but can't do all the work
We'll have to work in small communities, small gatherings, ...
But, can we find some new term that is not as toxic as "woke"?
That shit doesn't fly any more
And it will never for the majority of the Americans
It's time to start talking to people in words they can understand
Democracy sounds nice. In an oligarchy power comes from creating speculative bubbles that periodically wreck the economy and then having President Obama make the poors clean up the mess so as not to interrupt your mayhem spree.
So good and so true!
We Dems have definitely fallen short in this regard. Too many of us, not uniting, not welcoming, not seeing the big picture. And definitely not understanding the gravity of the moment. If we are united we will stand, if we are divided we will fall.
How has that message been working out? Passively building coalitions has lost us the house the senate and the White House. It’s time to punch these MAGA clowns squarely in the face. Unfortunately times have changed and the Dems still haven’t figured it out. Hate won this last election egg prices
“But not the left. They must be marginalized at all costs. We can not allow ourselves to seek to vote of any anti capitalist people, nor from the poor among us. Ignore them cycle after cycle and blame them when they don’t vote your way.”
That's a misinterpretation of democratic values. Power should come from the people, not elite coalitions. We need more direct democracy and less backroom deals.
A majority of people voted for Trump/MAGA so We the People includes people that disagree with us. We can't silo ourselves and insist on just labeling our opponents. I think we need to start local and work up. The national level is lost
You’re foolishly still believing that the republicans want to get anything done for the people? Working with them is a fools errand. Once again the democrats are living in a fantasy world. They have to message that they’re going to fight against everything the repubs want because it’s bad for us
what's the alternative if republicans control half the congress? dems promise to fight but never get anything done politically? that's just bad politics
Worked for republicans! Start by at least showing some balls. Don’t say we’re going to work with maga say we’re working for the American people and maga won’t and we’re going to fight them every day. Doing what we’ve always done hasn’t worked. If we don’t learn from our mistakes we will be done
It would be helpful to have regretful Trump voters fighting alongside us. With most of the press biased to Trump, that would be an uphill battle to get them the info on what Trump’s team is doing & what we can do about it.
People change their minds every day. I didn’t realize what a problem Donald Trump was until January 6th 2021. I then started to see how he was a threat to me and to others.
President Obama is right. We have to include the “waking” in our conversations.
Thought most Dem leaders realized Woke was a dead end. The coalition needs to have space for those of us who want a good, functional govt but have no interest in identity politics or plans to start "waking" into identity politics any time soon.
🙄 We don’t want a coalition with people who are asleep to injustices or those who do not believe we all deserve rights. Fuck off and create a different party. One that ‘just wants functional government’ but doesn’t give a shit about social justice. Women and marginalized communities deserve rights.
These deadend Dems lead us down their Third Way to this pickle. They can take a long walk off a short pier.
And next time, ask Obama about Abdulrahman al-Awlaki.
Time for more hippie bashing and disparaging of the Professional Left.
Continuing to chase the right over the cliff is the wrong direction. Sanders was right all along: the issue that "forges alliances and builds coalitions" is justice.
I like the guy, and in another world I would say 'right on,' but this is the exact same mistake Obama made when he was president. He can't get past the idea he has to win the assholes over -- even when they were vowing to cripple his presidency and trying to declare he wasn't even an American.
Also, he made a remark about changes that need to be made that won’t happen in his lifetime. He’s being realistic, but we don’t need the biggest voice on the left resigned to the fate of a terrible future.
More empty platitudes from Obama...just what we were all asking for. Democrats need to stop blaming the left for losing. Until that stops happening and we rid ourselves of the two party system, there can be no "coalition"
There is no room to work with White Christian Nationalists. There is no room to work with racists, sexists, anti-LGBQT+, ableists, ageists or any other bigot. There is actually no room to work with a person who does not see another person as fully human, so
there is no room to work with a single living Republican.
75 million people voted for the Democrats to specifically not work with Republicans, just like 75 million people voted for Republicans to specifically not work with Democrats.
Both parties offer so little that another 95 million sat
6. Immediately provide green cards and a path to citizenship to all 11 million unauthorized immigrants (or however many are left after the Trump deportations start in 2025)
7. Increase legal immigration to 2 million per year with a path to citizenship
8. Replace Social Security, Disability, SNAP and other similar programs with direct payments from a Universal Basic Income (UBI) that every American receives without means testing.
9. Replace the minimum wage with a living wage that every job in America pays, above and beyond the UBI. Any role
yeah yeah, the woke and the waking, sure, but what about the ones doing keg stands with elephant tranquilizers and collapsing on the trigger of a machine gun? do we have to leave room for them too?
Obama forge an alliance with putin, took Ukraine's nuclear arsenal and gave it to russia then pretended to be surprised then they invaded Ukraine in 2014, but refused to uphold the Budapest memorandum and defend Ukraine and instead bullied Ukrainian government to give Crimea to russia - his oartner
The first thing to tackle is the massive, effective disInfo campaign that is so effective in convincing them that Democrats are evil, Biden is a crime king, and trump is as innocent as a lamb. Half the country never hears anything, but divisive rhetoric and hate, and they believe fervently
I always felt an important disclaimer was that Obama (Barack and Michelle) specifically had to stay far away from nastiness that in white politicians would be accepted and even praised.
It means you can't win elections through purity tests. You have to be willing to peel off support for your enemies by working with people who don't share all your values but aren't diametrically opposed to them either.
@atrupar.com
Obama's main misstep as POTUS. You can't negotiate with fascists. Bi-Partisanship always continued racism. The GOP wouldn't work with him in good faith. As a Black President he needed to proceed w/caution. Yet his choices were few. The ACA was his great legacy despite GOP obstinance.
And after correctly identifying your opponent as a fascist and existential threat to democracy, once they win, tell everyone you were kidding and congratulate him.
I know the latter half of that is true. Indeed, it's one of the things Ben-Ghiat emphasizes in Strongmen re: how autocraticies ultimately crumble. Personally, I'm struggling with it. I want to make room for those who learn better, but I want to let them fall on their faces first.
Obama has gotten too full of himself. He acts like he is unable to learn anything about what's going on. Just talking down to people you think should keep following the same recipe from 2008 and 2012. You need to wake up, Mr Obama.
I would do anything to go back to 2016 and have HRC follow two directives.
1) Take Trump seriously as a viable candidate and know that the American people really are that stupid.
2) You see the Obama coalition and path to victory? Do that.
His job, as the leader of the party was to help the party win elections, instead of that Dems lost 1,000 seats under his leadership, because he is a bad leader.
No, it's not. His job was to be a good president. He did that. Your job as a constituent is not to be a racist idiot. You failed, clearly and are trying to foist your bullshit onto others.
You are a racist failure. You can do better but right now, that means accepting responsibility for yourself.
Who is saying he's wrong?
He's absolutely right! That's why the Republicans tried so hard to get votes from Latinos, Arabs, and the black community. They ABSOLUTELY understand this, not that they'll deliver on anything.
Democrats pandered to a VERY SMALL MINORITY comparatively.
With all due respect, President Obama needs to leave the public stage. His philosophy doesn't work in today's political climate. Take a page from George W. Bush. Keep a low profile and take up painting.
Yet, he is ranked in the top 10 of all U.S. presidents. He turned a near depression economy into a thriving, growth economy. Passed the most significant health bill since Medicare. Won two national elections winning both electoral college and popular vote. He inspires and motivates others.
I was a child in the Obama years. The guy can speak well. But nowadays every time he opens his mouth it is to bash some group of people in a condescending way.
2008 Obama was a populist. He also rightly focused on universality vs “demographics”. So I agree to an extent. But the danger in framing it around being “woke” or not risks the wrong lesson being learned. It shouldn’t be a rejection of the “woke” ideas per se. It’s more framing and communication.
Woke is not a pejorative. It means being a wake and vigilant. He is 100% correct.
Trump voters were interested in one thing: Hearing and believing a lie how he will improve their economic conditions. No framing and communication can overcome that.
It doesn't mean that you need to talk about it all the time. Who's woke? Who isn't? Who isn't woke enough? it's very tiring--that's what is not being understood well.
It's about actually making people's lives easier for those who have the hardest obstacles just to live decently. Economics.
I agree. It’s also snobby. In dealing with the mass population who are not already strongly partisan, no one is “too stupid” to at least acknowledge or listen to. I’d do my best to ban the scolding behaviour. Does that mean you validate and concede to racists or bigots? No!!
It was the GOP and the Conservative Clowns who used woke incorrectly as a pejorative. They use it to scare white people into thinking that people of color are getting an advantage.
Black people used woke correctly: Beware stay and stay vigilant. If you are scared of this, then its your problem.
Like I’m the workest of the woke honestly, but if it were up to me to run a 2028 campaign, I’d heavily lean into left leaning populism, being universal (which necessarily helps minorities anyway) and I’d ban people from saying “oh we need to capture XYZ demographic”. I’d ban purity testing.
Id ban a focus on labels, targets for specific groups or peoples. I’d set out the stall say “this is what we are about” being simple and straightforward. (1) Anti oligarchy, (2) Medicare for All, (3) Federal jobs programme, (4) Mass infrastructure house building on a UK council houses type model
No he doesn't. During his presidencies Republicans enjoyed their greatest electoral successes at the state and local levels. Gained control of several governorships and state houses and then used that power to gerrymander the vote. He was terrible at party building. Maybe one of the worst ever.
For the waking is a key phrase here. An [incorrect] assumption was made that more people would turn towards working together. Totally wrong, fear-mongering and hate were a better sell for the Republicans.
Nope. Uh uh. Not any more. MAGA has cancelled that for the time being. Direct action is the way forward. The way you deal with Nazis is you call them out as Nazis. You don't sanewash or normalize. You knock them the fuck out on live TV.
"Obama turned our politics into ‘if you disagree with me, you are a bad person,’" Republican communicator Matt Whitlock posted on X. "Few people did more to pave the way for Trump. So he can take a seat."
Stop living in 2008. The era of status quo politics is over; the voters just told you corporate democrats this. Grow a spine or join the fascists; either way, stop riding the center.
I don't understand how ppl keep saying that she didn't run a woke campaign.. she didn't need to because it was baked in. She didn't moderate or take anything back to curb that perception. And that made all the difference after Trump's ads ran.
Harris ran a textbook campaign that centrists wanted. They got the presidency they wanted with Biden. They just can't take responsibility for their strategy failing.
I'm sure u believe that but record number of Latino, Native & African Americans didn't swing right cuz Kamala was perceived to be centrist. I wish she had moderated on LGBT issues & Dems worked against disinformation campaigns seriously. But to say she lost cuz she ran as centrist is laughable.
If your choices are a Republican and someone pretending to be a Republican, many people are going to vote for the Republican purely because they seem more authentic. She campaigned with a Cheney, took a hard line on immigration & vowed to name a GOP Cabinet member, how much more moderate can you get
She went moderate on issues voters didn't ask for. Outside the base, ppl want moderation on social and abortion issues. They want to see that one has limits to all these issues. A normal, honest person has limits. Not saying she would've won cuz her base would've just likely revolted. Tough choice.
Harris lost because of a global tidal wave against incumbent parties. It is remarkable how well she did in that context. Minorities swung towards Republicans in 2020 and 2022 too. You also are assuming only white people are liberal on social issues.
I'm actually assuming the opposite.. Natives, AAs & naturalized immigrants are historically very favorable to Democrats, but have been slipping because of the extreme social stances politicians keep pushing (against majority of their constituents). It's making difference at the margins that matter.
Respect to Obama that he wants diplomacy, but I'm gonna need him to pull out more of that Chicago Gangster because we are PAST the point of diplomacy when none of the politicians on EITHER side will do anything.
Agreed. I’m sick and tired of being lectured on how we need to open our arms to those who fundamentally don’t think everyone deserves rights. I’m tired of bashing any left leaning policies as to why we lose and not blaming the blatant fascism on the right.
That's a flawed view. Power comes from the people, not from exclusive coalitions. It's not about making room for certain ideologies, but about representing all voices and listening to diverse perspectives.
The “waking” are not Republicans. He’s talking about the splintered components who are not Republican. Always infighting among Dems or those who would vote for them while not having any power as separate groups. The right wing didn’t amass power by being purists on every issue.
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it's the echo chamber stupid
Dems, we need to learn the same lesson. Bernie Bros, you need to realize you are as dependent on us as we are on you. Coalitions work.
Stop letting the pretty good be the enemy of the perfect.
The only thing what will wake people back up is the coming pain they voted for and who knows if there'll be time to course correct by then.
Did the Obamas hurt Harris?
I'm a Christian. Proud of it. This is NOT a Christian thing.
You cannot mandate morality. Especially when it is but a small sects interpretation of what that morality is.
He could have pushed for a public option or single payer, but he gifted the insurance industry more Americans to ghoulishly leech off of.
in the end no matter what obama pushed for we got what congress gave us
Shame on you.
But as we have seen, time and time again, appeasing the same capital interests for a "gentler, kinder" version isn't ever going to bring anyone on board.
https://bsky.app/profile/atrupar.com/post/3lcnhlvsmlk2u
https://youtu.be/rpOkrxxpTcE?si=NSz0DAcsnXxc_j_R
I think I feel so strongly abt this because we've done this for too long.
As ever, Obama gives a nice speech
Practical implementation will have to be more along the lines "when they go low we go thermonuclear"
We'll have to form our own spaces for communicating the truth b/c big legacy media is for shits
Big sweeping assemblies like Harris and Walz had looked great but can't do all the work
We'll have to work in small communities, small gatherings, ...
That shit doesn't fly any more
And it will never for the majority of the Americans
It's time to start talking to people in words they can understand
We Dems have definitely fallen short in this regard. Too many of us, not uniting, not welcoming, not seeing the big picture. And definitely not understanding the gravity of the moment. If we are united we will stand, if we are divided we will fall.
Look at what's happening in N. Carolina, or what happened in Wisconsin.
one party is running purely on hate and grift while the other party's "high road" ignores reality.
You, reader, are you involved with any membership organizations? A PTA? A bowling league? Congratulations, you're eligible for "coalition."
Institutions *do* come from the people.
https://bsky.app/profile/skysentry.bsky.social/lists/3lblhk24wkc2m
Bailing banks out & imposing austerity on Main Street
But, yeah, letting Bush folks off the hook too
President Obama is right. We have to include the “waking” in our conversations.
And next time, ask Obama about Abdulrahman al-Awlaki.
Continuing to chase the right over the cliff is the wrong direction. Sanders was right all along: the issue that "forges alliances and builds coalitions" is justice.
Not him, but the technocracy and poll-reliance of the left. It reads as phony.
We need more principled politicians fighting like hell.
We are not predestined to take this laying down.
This might help.
If yes, when?
#DeliberateDementing
I really don't want to hear from this guy right now. He didn't exactly help Biden and this aint 2008.
There is no room to work with White Christian Nationalists. There is no room to work with racists, sexists, anti-LGBQT+, ableists, ageists or any other bigot. There is actually no room to work with a person who does not see another person as fully human, so
Should I run for CA-32 against Jimmy Gomez, or for Los Angeles Mayor or for Los Angeles City Council District 1?
75 million people voted for the Democrats to specifically not work with Republicans, just like 75 million people voted for Republicans to specifically not work with Democrats.
Both parties offer so little that another 95 million sat
The people see the Democrats stand for nothing other than fundraising and voting for the policies of the oligarchs.
It is time for independent Americans to run for every office in the land and win and deliver the pro-American policies a majority of Americans want.
2. Universal Healthcare
3. Breakup monopolies
4. Bodily autonomy and abortion access
5. Universal Individual Liberty to allow every American to live their life as they see fit without interference from the government or anyone else
7. Increase legal immigration to 2 million per year with a path to citizenship
9. Replace the minimum wage with a living wage that every job in America pays, above and beyond the UBI. Any role
i need him to wear a cozy sweater
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nW5U_ZqGmZU
Obama's main misstep as POTUS. You can't negotiate with fascists. Bi-Partisanship always continued racism. The GOP wouldn't work with him in good faith. As a Black President he needed to proceed w/caution. Yet his choices were few. The ACA was his great legacy despite GOP obstinance.
Oh CNN, you are lost
Abdulrahman al-Awlaki
It’s clear that the old one is dead, doesn’t have the integrity that is needed to deal with modernity.
Sometimes the past should remain in the past.
1) Take Trump seriously as a viable candidate and know that the American people really are that stupid.
2) You see the Obama coalition and path to victory? Do that.
That's on you by yourself. So far, you are failing.
You are a racist failure. You can do better but right now, that means accepting responsibility for yourself.
He's absolutely right! That's why the Republicans tried so hard to get votes from Latinos, Arabs, and the black community. They ABSOLUTELY understand this, not that they'll deliver on anything.
Democrats pandered to a VERY SMALL MINORITY comparatively.
This isn’t helping. These people DO NOT WANT TO WAKE UP!!!
You cannot reason with UNREASONABLE people…
As I said, it’s off putting.
Trump voters were interested in one thing: Hearing and believing a lie how he will improve their economic conditions. No framing and communication can overcome that.
It's about actually making people's lives easier for those who have the hardest obstacles just to live decently. Economics.
Woke has nothing to do with capitalism or economic conditions. It has nothing to do with fairness. It is just a positive word. Period.
Black people used woke correctly: Beware stay and stay vigilant. If you are scared of this, then its your problem.
We need to give people the opportunity to wake up!