Barack Obama gave Democrats a pep talk at a fundraiser, stepping into a leadership void left open by Vice President Kamala Harris' crushing defeat to President Trump.
Months after Trump's historic comeback, Democrats are still adrift - and the party's paralysis has left Obama frustrated. He ordered Democrats to stop "navel-gazing" and "toughen up."
“I think it’s going to require a little bit less navel-gazing and a little less whining and being in fetal positions. And it’s going to require Democrats to just toughen up,” he said.
Obama's post-presidency has centered on lucrative media ventures and speaking gigs, but the former president has remained semi-active in political affairs, often taking it upon himself to dispense lectures about "our democracy" and the supposed threat posed by Trump.
With Trump running roughshod over U.S. institutions that have been traditionally aligned with the left, including top universities and law firms, Obama turned to address his own party.
Without naming names, Obama expressed disappointment in liberal elites who have been capitulating to pressure from Trump.
"Don’t say that you care deeply about free speech and then you’re quiet. No, you stand up for free speech when it’s hard. When somebody says something that you don’t like, but you still say, ‘You know what, that person has the right to speak.’ … What’s needed now is courage," he said.
Obama, who owns several mansions, criticized prestigious law firms that fear they might "lose a few clients and might not be able to finish that kitchen rehab at their Hampton house."
"I’m not impressed," he snapped.
Trump's historic victory was widely seen as a crushing verdict on the "woke" Democratic party and its drift from ordinary people and their concerns. Obama, although a strident progressive himself, rebuked ideologues in the party who fail to address everyday problems like the cost-of-living.
“I don’t care how much you love working people. They can’t afford a house because all the rules in your state make it prohibitive to build. And zoning prevents multifamily structures because of NIMBY,” he said.
“I don’t want to know your ideology, because you can’t build anything. It does not matter.”
Obama warned that Democrats should stop expecting a "quick fix" to their woes. He pointed to governor's races in Virginia and New Jersey as opportunities for the party to find new confidence and momentum.
“Stop looking for the quick fix. Stop looking for the messiah. You have great candidates running races right now. Support those candidates,” Obama said.
