Former President Barack Obama told House Democrats on a conference call this week to "take the wins you can get," and warned not to "whine about the stuff you can't change," ahead of the upcoming midterm elections, CBS News reports.
"Democrats have a tendency to complain about what we didn't get done rather than talking about what we did get done," Obama said during the call, which took place over Zoom during a retreat for House Democrats.
He reportedly went on to recount some legislative setbacks that he experienced during his time in the White House, particularly the removal of the public option from the 2010 Affordable Care Act, as a way of illustrating how to celebrate an achievement despite failing to reach expectations.
The former president noted that "if we can get some stuff done, some major domestic initiative, some progress on climate ... there will come a point where you decide if you are getting nothing or getting that."
Obama also reportedly said that Democrats would be more compelling if they were pushing what their legislative ideas would do for voters, rather than defending their policies. He also urged the conference to highlight improvements on the COVID-19 pandemic and the economy.
Theodore Bunker ✉
Theodore Bunker, a Newsmax writer, has more than a decade covering news, media, and politics.
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