Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Obama is Right To Say Democrats Are Going Too Far Left; He's Also The Wrong Messenger

Late last week, during an appearance at Democracy Alliance, former President Obama told a group of Democratic Party donors the dangers of veering too far to the left:

The average American doesn’t think 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. There are a lot of persuadable voters and there are a lot of Democrats out there who just want to see things make sense. They just don’t want to see crazy stuff. They want to see things a little more fair, they want to see things a little more just. And how we approach that I think will be important.


You know what. I agree with him. Medicare For All, The Green New Deal and reparations will keep voters with the devil they know in Donald Trump. Democrats should focus on being a viable alternative to Trump rather than changing the world and reinventing the wheel.


The problem is Obama is the last person who should be telling this to Democrats. After all, this was the President who fundamentally overhauled the American health care system and much chaos and craziness ensued.


As much as anything else, if Medicare For All were to be passed it would effectively supplant Obamacare and with it his domestic policy legacy for whatever that was worth. In this respect, Obama's remarks are self-serving.


Needless to say, Democratic presidential hopefuls like Bernie Sanders and Cory Booker have dismissed Obama's intervention. It is a shame. Because the advice is good. It's just that person imparting the advice is in no position to impart it.



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