Former President Barack Obama is receiving media criticism for the exhortations he shared with his floundering party at a fundraiser in New Jersey last Friday. The fundraiser, aimed at raising money for gubernatorial candidates and the Democratic National Committee, was hosted by New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy at his home.
It is no secret that since the 2024 election, the Left has been struggling to maintain a unified front. While some of the party is digging its heels into radical agendas and ideologies, others are trying to move on from the loss by changing their views or leaving the party altogether.
Obama’s Advice to a Failing Party
Obama’s speech focused on how to elevate the Democrat Party going forward, according to reports of the speech gathered by CNN.
“I think [success] is going to require a little bit less navel-gazing and a little less whining and being in fetal positions,” said Obama, who has not been publicly involved in fundraising since the previous election cycle. “And it’s going to require Democrats to just toughen up.”
It is unclear whether Obama was criticizing the extreme progressives or the aspiring moderates in his party. Either way, the former president implored his base to stop “looking for a quick fix” and “waiting for the messiah”; instead, posited Obama, Democrats must focus on the candidates up for election this year. He praised Democrat nominees for governor in Virginia and New Jersey who will be up for election this November, calling them “great candidates.”
In preparation for the next election cycle, Obama suggests the “DNC [get] what it needs to compete in what will be a more data-driven, more social media-driven cycle, which will cost some money and expertise and time.”
Democrats trying to walk back progressive viewpoints seem to fit the bill for success described by Obama: They try to discern what Americans want via data in hopes to become relevant again. However, Obama notably refused to condemn the most radical candidates in his party, such as Zohran Mamdani.
“There’s been… some argument between the left of the party and people who are promoting the quote-unquote abundance agenda,” said Obama. He argued that these positions are not contradictory to one another; rather, Democrats have just “got to figure out how to do it.” Presumably, “doing it” means uniting as a party.
Democrats Bristle at Obama’s Non-Advice
Though Obama used swaths of motivational language, according to the CNN report, his vague encouragement and simultaneous chastisement did not sit well with Democrats, who have been dissatisfied with the politician for some time now.
During an interview with David Axelrod, Obama’s former senior advisor, CNN anchors questioned and ridiculed Obama’s decision to advise his fellow Democrats as though he himself held all the answers to their problems.
“Obama himself was often treated like [a Messiah] in the Democratic Party … is there a world where, well, it’s kind of easy for him to say that?” questioned one anchor.
Another referred to Obama as “very scoldy these days,” which she claims does not go over well with the voter base anymore.
Yet another anchor on the program was interested in “who [Obama] is holding up, and who he’s not mentioning.”
To defend his former boss, Axelrod referred to Obama’s history of standing up to politicians in D.C., including against Democrats.
“People are looking [for leaders] who are willing to square up with not just the failures of Donald Trump,” said Axelrod, “but also the things that led people to Donald Trump.”
Response Bodes Poorly for Democrats
It appears that not even Obama can come up with more than platitudes to rally his party. During his time in power, not only could the former president command his own base with leadership akin to a “messiah,” but he was also capable of wooing those across the aisle with his charisma. It is safe to say that if Obama can’t save the Democrats from themselves, no one can.