Obama Breaks Silence: 'You Are Right To Be Concerned'

Obama told Democrats: do not grow complacent

After many months out of the spotlight, former President Barack Obama re-emerged in California on Thursday to tell people their fears and worry about the Trump administration were completely normal. “This is a moment of great urgency and you are right to be concerned,” Obama said.

But Obama is no stranger to hard work, so, it should come as no surprise that he reminded the crowd at the Democratic National Committee fundraiser in Beverly Hills that “moping” around and feeling bad about the current state of things wasn’t going to cut it, according to CNN.

“If what you are doing requires no sacrifice at all, then you can do more,” Obama said. “If you are one of these folks who is watching cable news at your cocktail parties with your friends and you are saying ‘civilization is collapsing’ and you are nervous and worried, but that is not where you are putting all your time, energy and money, then either you don’t actually think civilization is collapsing … or you are not pushing yourself hard enough and I would push harder.”

He added: “Enough moping, this is a mope-free zone.”

He reminds us that we need to show up in our communities. “The simple message right now is that if people participate, and they vote, then this democracy works. And if we don’t vote, then this democracy does not work,” he shared. “I am giving you the executive summary: Vote! Participate! Get involved!”

He said the divide in America is “a fundamental contrast of how we view the world and what is going on right now” and that the United States is “seeing the consequences of what happens when one vision is realized, or at least is in charge.”

Obama didn’t comment on how unbearable it is to watch Trump’s vision for America embolden racists, destroy families with the immigration plan, and remove women’s reproductive rights. But he reminded the crowd of about 200 that politics shouldn’t be about swanky parties and meeting famous people, like Christina Aguilera, who performed at the event. “We shouldn’t expect (politics) to be entertaining all the time — and Christina Aguilera was wonderful — but you don’t need to have an amazing singer at every event,” Obama explained. “Sometimes you are just in a church basement making phone calls and eating cold pizza.”

He focused most of his chat on reminding Democrats that now is not the time to be complacent. “I would caution us from extrapolating too much from a bunch of special elections and starting to think, ‘OK, this will take care of itself,'” Obama explained. “Because it won’t.”