As the primary season heats up, former President Barack Obama is stepping back into the spotlight, hoping to drive Democratic voters to the polls. At a recent rally in Ohio, Obama blasted Republicans for still being “mad” even though they won the White House and control both the Senate and the House.
Obama does hit at a sore point for Republicans. In theory, the Republican Party was gifted an opportunity to dramatically reshape America’s laws. However, outside of the tax overhaul, which has become a political liability, the GOP has little to hang its hat on. The Republican Party has not been able to muster enough internal cohesion to pursue an aggressive legislative agenda.
Obama also urged for a restoration of “sanity” to politics and echoed that the country needs to “give power back to the American people.” He further noted that the Republican Party was refusing to act as a check on the Trump administration. Obama seemed to argue that the Republican Party was losing its way, stating: “None of this is conservative. This is not normal what we’re seeing, it is radical. It’s a vision that says it’s more important for folks that are in power to protect that power even if it hurts the country.”
Obama went as far as to accuse Republicans for “bending over backwards” to shield the President. While President Trump has been accused of (but not charged with) various crimes and violations of duty, the Republican Party has largely kept quiet. Many of Trump’s Republican critics in Congress have retired this year, paving the way for new voices, and likely those who are more supportive of the President.
Echoing his recent speech at the University of Illinois, Obama once again warned of demagogues. Ultimately, however, Obama claimed that the biggest danger facing the United States was apathy. The former President claimed that too many people had lost faith in the political process and were not participating. He urged Democrats, Independents, and Republicans to vote in the upcoming election.
Obama was speaking at a rally for Democratic governor nominee Richard Cordray, who previously served Obama as his Consumer Financial Protection Bureau director. Currently, most polls point to Cordray owning a small lead over his Republican opponent Mike DeWine.
