Former President Barack Obama criticized the political “doom loop” created by politicians who portray their opponents as “enemies to be vanquished” just weeks after he warned voters about now President-elect Donald Trump while campaigning for Vice President Kamala Harris.
During his keynote address Thursday about the importance of pluralism at the Obama Foundation’s third Democracy Forum in Chicago, the former president reiterated his criticism of media companies for “playing to the extremes” and politicians who adopt “a maximalist position on almost every issue.”
Obama went on to say that polarization has made “every election becomes an act of mortal combat in which political opponents are enemies to be vanquished, and compromise is viewed as betrayal, and total victory is the only acceptable outcome.”
“Since total victory is impossible in a country politically split down the middle, the result is a doom loop of government gridlock, even greater polarization, wilder rhetoric, and a deepening conviction among partisans that the other side is breaking the rules and has rigged the game to tip it in their favor,” Obama told the crowd Thursday.
But shortly after, Obama indirectly criticized Trump, contending there is not “just more gridlock” and “cynicism,” “but an increasing willingness on the part of politicians and their followers to violate democratic norms, to do anything they can to get their way, to use the power of the state to target critics, and journalists, and political rivals, and to even resort to violence in order to gain and hold on to power.”
To that end, Obama underscored that pluralism is “not about holding hands and singing Kumbaya” but “about recognizing that any democratic power comes from forging alliances and building coalitions and making room in those coalitions, not only for the woke but also for the waking.”
Obama then referred to the Trump-led campaign against him based on false claims that he was not born in the United States and therefore Constitutionally prohibited from being president.
“Building bridges may require you to deal with people who not only disagree with you, but do not respect you,” he said. “When I was president, there were times where, many times where I was negotiating with people who made it pretty clear they didn’t think I should be president… legally.”
In his opening remarks, Obama acknowledged there had been “a few groans and eye rolls” when he spoke about the significance of democracy before his foundation’s conference, conceding that is “understandable” after last month’s election.
“It’s fair to say that it did not turn out as they had hoped,” he said. “It’s easy to give democracy lip service when it delivers the outcomes we want. It’s when we don’t get what we want that our commitment to democracy is tested and, at this moment in history when core democratic principles seem to be continuously under attack, when too many people around the world have become cynical and disengaged, now is precisely the time to ask ourselves tough questions about how we can build our democracies and make them work in meaningful and practical ways for ordinary people. And that’s why we’re here.”
Obama has been making more public appearances since the election, including an event this week with former German Chancellor Angela Merkel to promote her memoir, Freedom.
While campaigning for Vice President Kamala Harris, Obama repeatedly scrutinized Trump not only for his policy, but his personality, including his character and temperament.
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“I’m here to tell you, Milwaukee, we do not need another four years of Trump’s arrogance and incompetence and division,” Obama said the weekend before the election. “America is better than that. America is ready to turn the page. America is ready for a new story, a better story. We are ready for a president, Kamala Harris.”
Despite the emphasis placed on democracy by Harris, Obama, and President Joe Biden, voters were split on the issue, according to exit polls. Democracy and abortion were prioritized by Democrats, whereas Republicans prioritized the economy and immigration.