Obama hoots in Arizona, slams toxic politics: ‘Everyone’s yelling’

Comment

Former President Barack Obama was stopped by a questioner in the crowd at a campaign event in Arizona and quickly turned it into an opportunity for a broader message about the country’s deteriorating political climate.

It happened during a Democratic senator’s campaign speech. Mark Kelly and Katie Hobbs, who will serve as Senator Blake Masters (R) and Governor Kari Lake (R), respectively, in next week’s midterm elections.

Obama begins by saying that Republicans want “an economy that’s very good for the top people but not always so good for the common people” Counting about 1,000 people in a high school gym in Phoenix on Wednesday.

“Like you, Obama!” a young male interrogator interrupted.

“Are you going to start yelling?” Obama replied, and the crowd erupted into loud boos in an attempt to drown out the questioners.

“Raise, lift, everybody,” Obama said. “Hey young man, please wait a moment. You know you have to be polite and civil when someone is talking, and then someone else is talking, and then you have a chance to talk.”

“Build your own rally!” the former president quipped. “A lot of people work on it. Come on, man.”

Capitol Police cameras break into Pelosi’s home, but no one’s watching

As the event began to regain control, Obama urged the crowd to “settle down,” saying the event was akin to the noise that drowns out moderate voices in many political debates.

“It’s part of what’s going on in our politics today. We get distracted,” Obama said.

“You have one person yelling and suddenly everyone is yelling. You get a stupid tweet and suddenly everyone is obsessed with that tweet. We can’t fall for it. We have to keep Focus,” he said.

He believes that if Republican candidates succeed in key swing states, “democracy as we know it may not survive in Arizona.”

Continuing his speech, Obama spoke of his “peaceful transition of power” with Donald Trump during the Democratic defeat in 2016, and contrasted it with Trump’s refusal to cede the 2020 election to Joe Biden Compared. “That’s what America is supposed to do. Have we forgotten?” Obama said.

He noted that he had spoken to Paul Pelosi, the husband of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), who was attacked at the couple’s San Francisco home last week. The perpetrator, identified as someone with extreme political views, yelled “Where’s Nancy?” upon arriving at the house.Obama discusses attack criticize “This growing habit of demonizing political opponents, or just yelling,” he told the crowd.

When campaigning for the Democratic nominee in Arizona on Nov. 11. 2. Former President Barack Obama warned Republican candidates of the dangers of rejecting the election. (Video: The Washington Post)

Obama appeared to echo President Biden’s remarks earlier in the day, who also said of Pelosi, “Whether it’s targeting Democrats or Republicans, there is no place in America for voter intimidation or political violence . . . There’s no place, that’s all.” “

“You can only love your country when you win,” Biden said in a speech at Union Station in Washington, warning that candidates who refuse to accept next Tuesday’s results could set the country on a “path of chaos.” .

Biden warns GOP could set country on ‘path of chaos’ as democracy comes under pressure

Millions of voters across the country have already voted or plan to vote on Election Day. Maricopa County, home to a majority of voters in Phoenix and Arizona, officials said they were ready for 250,000 to 350,000 to vote in person on Tuesday. They estimate a total of 1.4 million to 1.9 million voters.

The state’s early voting system has come under fire from some Republican activists who have over the past few years been suspicious of voting by mail and drop boxes used to return early ballots, sparking a campaign and online casts doubt on whether the county is ready to vote in large numbers. Or vote in person.

Some voters in Arizona have complained about intimidation by self-appointed drop-box supervisors, some of whom are armed, prompting a federal judge to set tough new limits.

At a news conference on Wednesday, election officials warned of possible long lines at polling places on Election Day, but said that should not be a sign of an election defeat, which they expected amid heightened tensions. narrative”.

Separately, on Wednesday, a federal judge ordered a group monitoring Arizona ballot boxes for signs of fraud to maintain a distance of at least 75 feet from ballot boxes and publicly correct false statements made by its members about Arizona election law. The ruling also prevents dropbox watchers from taking photos or videos of voters and using the material to spread baseless allegations of election fraud.

Judge restricts ballot box surveillance in Arizona after intimidation claims

Republican contenders in Arizona have been keen to accept Trump’s false claims about widespread voter fraud in the 2020 election.

Republican gubernatorial candidate Lake called anyone who thinks Biden won by 81 million votes a “conspiracy theorist,” while Republican Senate candidate Masters made it clear in the ad: “I think Trump is Win in 2020.”

According to a recent analysis by The Washington Post, the majority of Republican candidates in the House, Senate and key offices across the state (291 in total) either deny or question the results of the last presidential election.



Source link