Former President Barack Obama criticized the current administration and issued a stark warning about the future of the country under the leadership of Trump.
Speaking at the Connecticut Forum on Tuesday, June 17, Obama stated that the US is “dangerously close” to becoming an autocracy.
He also warned against “normalising” anti-democratic behaviour, referring to the administration’s response to the anti-ICE protests across the country.
“If you follow regularly what is said by those who are in charge of the federal government right now, there is a weak commitment to what we understood – and not just my generation, at least since World War II – our understanding of how a liberal democracy is supposed to work,” Obama said.
“There has to be a response and pushback from civil society, from various institutions and individuals outside of government, but there also have to be people in government in both parties who say, ‘No, you can’t do that,’” he added.
“What we’re seeing right now… is not consistent with American democracy,” he added.
“It is consistent with autocracies. It is consistent with Hungary under Orbán. It’s consistent with places that hold elections but do not otherwise observe what we think of [as] a fair system in which everybody’s voice matters, and people have a seat at the table, and there are checks and balances, and nobody’s above the law.
“We’re not there yet completely, but I think that we are dangerously close to normalizing behavior like that.”
Autocracy refers to a form of government in which a single individual hold the power of decision making. In today’s world, it exists in absolute monarchies and dictatorships. Autocratic leaders answer to no one—not advisors, the judicial system, or the press—and citizens have no voice in making or enforcing laws.
In spite of his fears, Obama is still optimistic, referring to himself as to the “hope” guy.
“I guess the thing when I’m talking to these young people, though, [what] they need to hear the most is: It is important to be impatient with injustice and cruelty, and there’s a healthy outrage that we should be exhibiting in terms of what’s currently happening both here and around the world.
“But if you want to deliver on change, then it’s a game of addition, not subtraction, which means you have to find ways to make common ground with people who don’t agree with you on everything but agree with you on some things.”
The former president‘s speech came days after the nationwide “No Kings” protests. He praised public resistance but urged elected leaders to do more to defend the country’s institutions.
According to the Independent, Obama’s administration deported many more people in a single year than Trump has ever managed.
Please SHARE this article with your family and friends on Facebook.
Bored Daddy
Love and Peace
