Obama’s Concerns for American Democracy

Context: Obama goes to Philadelphia

On Saturday, former President Obama was in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania campaigning for the U.S. Senate Candidate John Fetterman. [1] This U.S. Senate race “could potentially determine which political party is going to maintain control of the upper chamber.” [1] Fetterman acknowledged that he is “‘proud’” to campaign with Obama and President Biden. [2]

Key Ideas: What was said in Philadelphia?

Obama asserted that it is not complex to understand the “‘vile’” comments that have been made by people in positions of power. [1] In his speech, Obama referred to the recent antisemitic comments made by Ye and Kyrie Irving. [1] Obama continued to note how “‘dangerous and unacceptable’” this was. [1] Obama even called on Fetterman’s opponent, Mehmet Oz and said “If somebody’s willing to peddle snake oil to make a buck, then ‘he’s probably willing to sell snake oil to get elected.’” [1]

Implications: What do Obama’s ideas mean?

Obama is raising some important concerns about American Democracy. How do we know that our democracy will be stable in the future? There has been a recent uptick in threats of violence which have contributed to polarization. In order for our democracy to thrive, Levitsky and Ziblatt (scholars from Harvard University) argue that we should agree on some basic norms. [3] These norms include viewing opponents as legitimate, rejecting the use of violence in political processes, and accepting the results of the election. [3] It will be challenging to remedy the fractures within our democracy. Perhaps, these norms pose efficacious ideas which could facilitate a harmonious atmosphere between Democrats and Republicans.