Obama Has a Few Words for Democrats

It's not just Republicans who have been intimidated into silence as President Trump carries out policies they oppose, Barack Obama told members of his party over the weekend. If Democrats are going to come back, the former president said, they'll have to take a stand, the New York Times reports. "It's going to require a little bit less navel-gazing and a little less whining and being in fetal positions," Obama said. "And it's going to require Democrats to just toughen up." He made the comments in a speech—which had multiple command sentences—to donors at a fundraiser for the Democratic National Committee at the home of New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy on Friday night. The points Obama made include:

• No savior: "Stop looking for the quick fix. Stop looking for the messiah," Obama said, per CNN. "You have great candidates running races right now. Support those candidates." He mentioned the Democratic nominee for governor of New Jersey, Rep. Mikie Sherrill.
• No party splits: Referring to differences of opinion among Democrats, Obama said that—whatever their ideology—they still need to produce results for voters if they expect to regain power. "You want to deliver for people and make their lives better? You got to figure out how to do it," he said, per the Times. "I don't care how much you love working people. They can't afford a house because all the rules in your state make it prohibitive to build."

• Special mention: Obama called for institutions, including universities, to resist Trump policies. He singled out law firms that he said had agreed to "set aside the law" under presidential pressure—"not because, by the way, that they're going to be thrown in jail, but because they might lose a few clients and might not be able to finish that kitchen rehab at their Hampton house." He added, "I'm not impressed."
• Speak up: "Don't say that you care deeply about free speech and then you're quiet. No, you stand up for free speech when it's hard," Obama said, adding, "What's needed now is courage."
• The moment: "For most of our lives, it was easy to stand for equality and justice, et cetera," the former president said. "You didn't really have to make a lot of sacrifices. That hasn't been true for most of human history or American history. It's still not true in most of the world. So these are moments where your values are tested and you have to stand up for them."