Barack Obama tells Democrats to 'stop looking for messiah' and 'toughen up’ against Trump

RED BANK, NEW JERSEY: Former President Barack Obama has had enough of disillusioned Democrats "whining" like babies.

The 63-year-old former president recently stepped up to offer blunt advice to his fellow Democrats, asking them to “toughen up” and begin taking actions to “stand up for the things that you think are right.”

“I think it’s going to require a little bit less navel-gazing and a little less whining and being in fetal positions. And it’s going to require Democrats to just toughen up,” Obama said during a fundraising event hosted by New Jersey Gov Phil Murphy and his wife, Tammy Murphy, at their Red Bank, New Jersey home, on Friday, July 11.

The fundraiser, described as an ‘intimate dinner’, raised $2.5 million for the Democratic National Committee through in-person and online donations, a source told CNN.

Barack Obama asks Democrats to stand up for free speech

During the fundraiser, the Democratic leader asserted that he isn’t “surprised by what Trump’s done” nor by the lack of “guardrails within the Republican Party.”

“What I have been surprised by is the degree to which I’ve seen people who, when I was president ... stood for all kinds of stuff, who seem like they’re kind of cowed and intimidated and shrinking away from just asserting what they believe, or at least what they said they believe,” Obama said.

He also urged the bigwigs to stand up for “free speech when it’s hard.” “When somebody says something that you don’t like, but you still say, 'You know what, that person has the right to speak,'" he asserted.

Addressing the lack of clear leadership in the party, Obama even asked Democrats to “stop looking for the messiah” and embrace the “great candidates running races right now.”

The 44th president further argued that the upcoming off-year elections in New Jersey and Virginia, widely viewed as midterm bellwethers, could provide “a big jumpstart for where we need to go.”

“Make sure that the DNC [Democratic National Committee] has what it needs to compete in what will be a more data-driven, more social media-driven cycle, which will cost some money and expertise and time,” Obama said.

Barack Obama addresses ideological rift in the party

Barack Obama also weighed in on the party’s internal rifts, noting the clash between its far-left wing and moderates backing the “abundance agenda,” which emphasizes deregulating the government from itself to produce more supply.

“There’s been, I gather, some argument between the left of the party and people who are promoting the quote-unquote abundance agenda. Listen, those things are not contradictory. You want to deliver for people and make their lives better? You've got to figure out how to do it,” Obama stressed.

“I don’t want to know your ideology, because you can’t build anything. It does not matter,” he continued.

The Democrats have been butting heads over which tactics to use to counter Republicans in recent months. The DNC, for example, had been plagued by controversy over former vice chair David Hogg’s push to meddle in party primaries to back more feisty candidates.

Barack Obama’s blunt words spark online chatter

Barack Obama’s blunt advice to democrats has sparked online chatter, with many praising the former president.

“It's hard to overstate what a tool Obama is (and always was),” one user praised.

“What former President Obama wanted to say is, forget 'When they go low, we go high.’ That phrase, echoed by the former first lady, is a phrase of the past,” a second user commented.

“Obama knows. Obama also knows that the leader cannot be him (or his wife). It needs to be someone younger, who can articulate the infinite issues of the country, can fire up people, can identify and empathize,” another user said.

A person said, "What an absolute legend."

However, several internet users bashed demotivated democrats. 

“Well, it's about time! Every official who sees what is happening should be tough. President Bush would be a good example. People need tough leaders right now. If we all stick together, we will win. But we need strong, tough leaders to help us,” a user suggested.

Another one said, “It’s going to require Democrats to just stop taking the wrong side of every 80/20 issue.”

“Toughen up? Lol! Not gonna happen,” another person mocked.

“It’s going to require common sense. That ain’t gonna happen,” one user trolled.

“Courage? BS Democrats need common sense,” one more commented.

This article contains remarks made on the internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.