During an interview, former President Barack Obama warned 2020 Democrats about being too radical during the 2020 campaign.
The Hour:
“This is still a country that is less revolutionary than it is interested in improvement,” Obama said. “They like seeing things improved. But the average American doesn’t think that 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 did not name any candidates. But some Democrats associate the characteristics he described with Sens. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., staunch liberal candidates advocating sweeping change who are running near the top of the polls.
Beyond those two candidates, the contest has often been dominated by a discussion of ideas that were long seen as untenable, even in Democratic circles. Candidates have called for mandatory buybacks of certain firearms, decriminalizing border crossings and forgiving most or all student debt. In some cases, the proposals have come at a cost of tens of trillions of dollars, vast sums of money that would dwarf what Obama’s administration spent and require historically steep tax increases on wealthy Americans. While some voters and activists have cheered this trend, President Donald Trump and his allies have been eager to highlight these themes.
However, Obama also warned the candidates against simply standing pat and campaigning on his accomplishments. Instead, he argued, they should try to “push past” them with new ideas. He pointed to his signature health-care law, which has been a focal point in the contest, as a prime example, calling it a “really good starter home.”
Notice the sleight of hand he uses here. On one hand, he urges Democrats to tone down there rhetoric. On the other hand, he hints at them just being radical behind the scenes. Obama is smart enough to realize that the American people don’t support what the Democrats want. The only way to get what they want legislatively is by getting it incrementality piece by piece.
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