Remember that this is the man who rammed through his destructive signature achievement, Obamacare, at Christmas without a single Republican vote. He does not believe in pluralism.
In a speech at a “Democracy Forum” sponsored by his foundation, the former president said he was convinced that a renewed commitment to pluralist principles was essential to ensure the survival of democracy.
“The alternative is what we’ve seen here in the United States and in many democracies around the globe – not just more gridlock, not just public cynicism, but an increased willingness on the part of politicians and their followers to violate democratic norms, to do anything they can to get their way.”
Obama discussed the “power of pluralism” with thousands of live and online attendees at a deeply divided time in U.S. history and an unsettling one for Democrats as Republican Donald Trump returns to the White House.
Building lasting majorities that supported justice required “framing our issues, our causes, what we believe in, in terms of ‘we’ and not just ‘us and them,'” he said.
But that did not mean rolling over when opponents abused power, he said. “That’s a problem. And when that happens, we fight for what we believe in.”