Members of the so-call Democratic âsquadâ are firing back after former President Barack Obama (D) ripped âsnappy slogansâ such as âdefund the police.â
During an interview on Snapchatâs âGood Luck Americaâ that aired on Wednesday, Obama suggested that the slogan had cost Democrats votes in the general election.
His comments did not go over well with the member of the âsquad,â Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (N.Y.), Ayanna Pressley (Mass.), Ilhan Omar (Minn.), and Rashida Tlaib (Mich.).
Check out the reactions below:
Newly elected members of Congress who share a similar ideology with âthe squadâ also reacted to Obamaâs comments.
During the interview, Obama said, âYou lost a big audience the minute you say it, which makes it a lot less likely that youâre actually going to get the changes you want done.â
He added, âThe key is deciding, do you want to actually get something done, or do you want to feel good among the people you already agree with?â
The phrase âdefund the policeâ became a popular rallying cry of protesters against racism and police brutality after the death of George Floyd in May.Â
Obama is not alone in his criticism of the phrase. House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.) also blamed the phrase for Democrats coming up short in Congressional races, as IJR reported.
Specifically, he suggested it had a negative impact on South Carolina Democratic Senate candidate Jaimie Harrisonâs chances, âThat stuff hurt Jaimie, and thatâs why I spoke out against it a long time ago. Iâve always said that these headlines can kill a political effort.â
âWe are all about making headway, and I just hope that going forward, we will think about each one of these Congressional districts and let people represent their districts,â he added.
