Former President Barack Obama continued the Democratic campaign theme this week in arguing that democracy is in danger if Republicans prevail in the midterm elections. I have a new column out this weekend addressing the over-the-top rhetoric coming from Democratic politicians and pundits. However, the former president’s speech was revealing as he cited the very arguments made by Democrats . . . as attacks on democracy. Obama did not go as far as some but he also seemed to channel the dire warnings of the imminent collapse of our democracy if the Republicans should prevail in the elections.
Obama remains one of the most impressive speakers of our time. With the unpopularity of President Joe Biden, candidates are relying heavily on Obama for good reason. His standard stump speech is still heads and shoulders above most other politicians.
Yet, the speech below was notable in the arguments that Obama warns voters not to heed.
“I understand that democracy might not seem like a top priority right now. Especially when it doesn’t seem like the results always work for you. When you don’t see enough progress on issues that matter to you and your family. Sometimes progress is slow. But we have seen throughout history and we’re seeing right now what happens when you give up on democracy.”
It was a curious argument given the effort of many in the party to pack the Supreme Court and push censorship on social media.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass, has declared the Supreme Court illegitimate and has called to pack the Court for rending opinions against “widely held public opinion.”
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., even questioned the institution’s value: “How much does the current structure benefit us? And I don’t think it does.” She has now demanded the impeachment of Justices Kavanaugh and Gorsuch based on the entirely false claim that they lied under oath in their confirmation hearings. After the Dobbs decision, Ocasio-Cortez demanded “there must be consequences” for the Court.
Elie Mystal (past writer for Above the Law and the Nation) called the Constitution “trash.” Some law professors want to “reclaim America from Constitutionalism.”
Obama added that you see the threat to democracy “in countries where the government tells you what books you can and cannot read.” Yet, many on the left are seeking to preserve censorship by surrogate on social media and seeking to prevent the publication of books by those with whom they disagree, including a book by Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett. With corporate censorship threatened, many leaders like Hillary Clinton are turning to good old-fashioned state censorship.
Indeed, President Joe Biden has questioned how citizens will know the truth without censors framing what the truth is on social media and the Internet.
Obama ended this discussion with the same ominous warnings heard from other Democratic politicians and pundits: “when true democracy goes away, people get hurt.”
Various pundits have been pushing the vote-Democratic-or-die mantra. On MSNBC, historian Michael Beschloss on MSNBC declared a Republican win could lead not only to the end of history books and democracy but lead to the killing of our children. That was then followed by another MSNBC interview with actor and Director Rob Reiner who claimed that Republicans “are willing to kill, literally kill, to get the power . . . this might be the last election we have in a democracy.”
It is language that is not just demagoguery but dangerous. It is meant to spread fear in citizens and make them believe that our constitutional system is about to fail. We have the most successful constitutional system in the history of the world. It has weathered every storm and will weather our current political divisions. What kills democracy are self-inflicted wounds caused by those who cast doubts about our safety or demonize their opponents as enemies of the state.
Says the National Socialist Racist Muslim.
All records sealed.
I have no idea where he was born.
The Manchurian President.
So who is going to kill those that don’t vote Democratic???
Translated from Progressive to plain English:
What Obama said: When true democracy goes away, people get hurt.
What Obama meant: If you don’t support the Democrats, we will use very tool at our disposal to hurt you.
I am still reeling from Obama telling his inspired crowd that Fetterman’s opponent, Dr. Oz, was a “snake oil man.” What low, basal, unbecoming nonsense from a former president.
Demagoguery is the perfect label to attach here. Eloquent, smooth-talking, speciously-likeable Obama (although with a bit of swagger in his walk) personifies how some politicians weave their way into crowdthink mentality, then fire the crowd up with such
talk. That is the danger here, In other words, if a well-groomed, good-looking, intelligent-speaking, ostensibly sound and gentlemanly former president believes and speaks this, then it must be worthy and true.
But what bothers me even more is the lack of media push back–or even reporting.
To have a single political ideology insidiously gain control of media, academia, technology, government- is so much more dangerous than breakouts of violence. I would analogize with a comparison between an open, bleeding wound that requires stitching vs. a quiet, silently-spreading internal disease that does not become apparent until it is irreversibly fatal.
Lin, I agree. Oz is an exceptionally accomplished person. No comparison to the non-entity that is Fetterman. If there is a “snake oil salesman” here, it is Obama.
Spot on Lin. Obama has always been a demagogue. He is the most divisive politician in our lifetimes.
Obama built his career on dividing people along politically useful lines and then exploiting those divisions to gain political power.
Dividing people by race. If I had a sone, he would have looked like Trayvon. No, Barack. He would have gone to Harvard like you and Michelle.
Dividing people by class. Those evil 1%’ers aren’t contributing their fair share. Sayeth the man with three mansions, two of them oceanfront.
Dividing people by religion. With Obama’s utter contempt for religious Americans. You know, the ones clinging bitterly to their guns and religion.
We could go on and on.
The good news? The American people are on to Obama’s demagoguery. Not to mention the demagoguery of his fellow travelers, most of whom aren’t as smooth as he is. It just doesn’t work any more.
Obama and his fellow progressives know that they are losing their grip on political power. They are terrified. So terrified that they will say or do anything in their power to keep it. Literally anything.
Fetterman cannot comprehend normal speech nor deliver comprehensive speech without a monitor to look at. Totally mentally unfit to hold any kind of public office, but then, look at senile little girl fondling Joe Biden and Commie-la Harris.
The left-wing media is totally in bed with the DemocRAT Communists.
For most of our history democracy has not been a reality for most inhabitants of our land.
“At our nation’s founding, voting was enshrined only for educated white men who owned property. It took more than a century for the franchise to meaningfully expand to people of color, women, people with disabilities, people who are low-income, and Native Americans. Today, some elected leaders are still working to silence people who were historically denied access to the ballot box.” https://civilrights.org/value/voting-rights/
Civil rights were denied to some people (e.g. white, black, women), selectively. There was no general establishment of diversity [dogma] (i.e. color judgment, class-based bigotry) until social progress in the 20th century. Diversity, Inequity and Exclusion (DIE) is still a religious (i.e. Pro-Choice ethical) doctrine (e.g. human rites, clinical cannibalism, redistributive change, 1-2 compromise, political congruence “=”) celebrated and practiced at the Twilight fringe by a minority.
What’s the matter Professor ….can’t handle the truth. Women will die! I get that doesn’t matter….just chattel right? Pollution….kills slowly. Less health care and for some none. Yea, people will die.
“Yea, people will die.”
Yes, they will. From the cold. This winter. In Europe and the U.S. Thanks to energy-destroying, nihilistic “climate change” policies.
This poster has reached the outer limits.
.can’t handle the truth. Women will die
Because women are too stupid to care for themselves?
The more and more the crazy rhetoric coming out of some people the more obvious how desperate they must be.
From,
“. . . whether our children will be arrested and conceivably killed.”
To,
“Because the other side reality does not mean anything. They are only interested in power. They are only interested, and they will do anything to get the power. And they are willing to kill, literally kill, to get the power. You can’t have a conversation with them. The only thing we can do is try to hold on to the House and a couple of Senate seats. It will be very hard. If we do not do that, this might be the last election we have in a democracy.”
To,
“. . . when true democracy goes away, people get hurt.”
And lets not forget,
” So it’s interesting that Republicans are doing something they don’t normally do, right? — which is not use the ‘common tongue,’ not use common English, which they do in their campaigns like they do with crime. But what they’ve done is they’ve taught people the word ‘inflation,’ right?”
What is wrong with these people?
Obama, like Trump, is fighting tooth and nail to remain relevant. And he, like Trump got us into a situation where we are saddled with a President and Vice President who can barely read a teleprompter and have no desire to do anything which will improve the lot of the average citizen. Hopefully the Republicans take back the House and Senate this year and hopefully (but I doubt it) they step up and govern like sane people instead of spending the next two years trying to vilify their “enemies”. Then, and only then will we have the chance to right the ship of state in 2024 rather than see a spoiled brat run against a doddering old fool for what’s arguably the most important office in the world.
a President and Vice President who can barely read a teleprompter and have no desire to do anything which will improve the lot of the average citizen.
The poor, middle class, and minorities made gains like the nation hasn’t seen since WWII, under Trumps policies. Those gains would have continued, but Democrats are intent on making ever larger swaths of society dependent on the federal govt. Go read about Bono’s switch of vision. He was sure the way to help the poor was to take from the rich. What he has realized, historically, free markets lift more out of poverty than govt ever has.
Minor typo : it’s not democracy that’s in danger; merely democrats.
It is democracy that is in danger from democrats.
Because nothing says Democracy like advocating one party, one ideology rule.
Always be suspicious of people who claim to be defenders of democracy while never mentioning liberty.
Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness… without diversity (i.e. color judgment, class-based bigotry) for all.
They’re really sticking with that “give up on democracy” gaslighting? Only a Democratic demagogue would try to tell Americans that exercising their constitutional right to vote, and voting for someone who respects the right to free speech, is “giving up on democracy.” How stupid do they think we are?!
What a sleazy charlatan Obama is. Yes B., “progress is slow,” but regression is not. It took less than 2 years for the incompetent in the WH to destroy the economy, the education system, our energy independence, and our border security. And if you’re wondering why people are more concerned about real issues instead of the “democracy” boogeyman, it’s because your average American is light years smarter than your average Democratic politician.
Naurally those who claim elections are stolen if the GOP candidate loses, who try to make voting difficult, if not impossible for minorities to vote – are going to deny charges they prefer authoritarian rule.
bill mcwilliams: Haven’t read the news lately? Georgia (you know, the state with Jim Crow2 voter suppression) has had record turnout of minority voters since it passed its new voting laws. And Hillary Clinton — just to jump ahead of the trend — is already denying the 2024 election should a Republican win. Try to keep up.
This minority supports strong voter integrity laws, like presenting a valid picture ID when voting in person as Biden and his granddaughter did in the state of DE. Or system in which mail in ballots are verified by some kind of ID. Stronger penalties for ballot harvesting.
Don’t think elections can be stolen?
Now watch this video and see 19,958 votes flip from Trump to Biden in the 2020 election.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-B-Nci99GI&ab_channel=BlaqBalled
Keep your eyes on Pennsylvania! In this clip PA has Trump at 1,690,589 & Biden is at 1,252,537 at the beginning of the clip.. then at the end when Pennsylvania pops up again, Trump magically is then down to 1,670,631 & Biden has gone up to 1,272,495.. what happened was 19,958 votes FLIPPED right before our eyes! Biden’s number went UP by the EXACT same amount Trump’s number went DOWN! again, watch Trump (1690…) goes down to (1670…) while biden (1252…) goes up (1272…) There’s been machine “glitches” similar to this one reported in several different areas.. some have pointed out its a program that is designed to do exactly what you’ve seen here
The 2020 election was rigged in favor of senile, little girl fondling Joe Biden.
When the Democrats do something its OK, when Republican answers back it is not OK WHY are the Democrats so scared of Twitter being open to other opinions? I thinking they are witless that people will post election cheating with evidence and it will be broadcast not suppressed like Hunters Lap Top was in 2020 !
Listening to the bizarre statements of Dem politicians, a question arises: do they believe these off the wall positions or are they just trying to scare their flock? We know Obama very well at this point in time. He is level headed, not demented like Joe. It is not possible, in my opinion, that he truly believes that the election of republicans will turn America into a nazi state. So I recite the obvious when I say that Obama is a liar. I know this is not news to us. But we need to remember that there are tens of millions who do not know this, and Obama’s warnings are reinforced by the media’s bandwagon effect. The moral of my pontification is that we are and probably always will be disadvantaged in this way, and the only solution is to support unwoke media and fight any and all attempts at censorship.
Tangentially related.
Twitter was a censor for the left.
Musk bought it, and now the lefties are convincing large companies to stop advertising.
I just paid for “blue check” status.
Musk will restore Twitter to neutrality – something that we wanted.
Time for us to step up.
May I ask why you paid for blue status? Was it to support Twitter and free speech?
quiet conservative – DemocRATs will lie and cheat to high heaven to remain in power. Nothing else matters. The leftist elites will destroy the country just as long as they can retain power.
Obama the Great….Not!
His spouting off in this desperate bid to stave off what is coming on Tuesday shows he is just another cheap suit Community Organizer that was raised a Communist.
Without a doubt he perfectly personifies what is wrong with today’s Democrat Party, Big Tech, and Main Stream Media……that all seek to destroy traditional American values and Principles.
Tuesday we make the start on ending their corrupt rule of Congress and in 2024 we remove them from the White House.
“Obama the Great….Not!”
The problem for us on the right is he is charismatic and a good speaker.
No. I think it’s quite acceptable to demonise half the population and try to stop them voting in order to preserve democracy.
The democratic/dictatorial duality is the second best form of government best left to the third-world and past experiments.
Dear Prof Turley,
You are a prolific writer. No sooner had I read, and commented, on one article than another appears.
*afaict, Obame is ‘leading’ the mantra .. . but I’ll hear you out.