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Obama enters final phase of his Democratic campaign amid US tensions

College Park, USA – Former President of United State Barack Obama He began his return to the midterm campaign by facing a football icon in a country Georgia A Republican candidate for the Senate Herschel Walker.

“Herschel Walker was a great football player,” Obama told the crowd at Gateway Center in Atlanta. “But that will not make him more qualified to become a US senator than to fly a plane or perform surgery,” the former president said, to the laughter of more than 7,000 people who waited for hours to see him. Georgia deserves better.

In the final phase of the campaign for the eighth midterm elections, Obama, 61, has become the Democratic Party’s main electoral cable, taking part in rallies across the country and trying to interest the Democratic Party’s constituency. Campaigns in states where the race is tight.

Former President Barack Obama campaigns with Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer (L) in pursuit of re-election
Former President Barack Obama campaigns with Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer (L) in pursuit of re-election take photo: Jeff Kowalski/AFP

A day after his appearance in Georgia with Senator Raphael J. .

The former president is considered the main origin of Democratic Party For the voter base, they are wanted more than the president himself Joe Biden in major campaigns. With low endorsement, the president spent this past weekend, one of his busiest campaigns, at his Delaware home, watching his granddaughter’s hockey game and then voting early.

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Democratic strategists say Obama is the only party leader capable of drawing large crowds and mobilizing the grassroots without angering the other side.

Obama took the stage Saturday in Detroit, where he continued to use his rotten spirit, comparing the Republican candidate for governor of Michigan, Theodore Dixon, to a fictional plumber spreading conspiracy theories about “lizard people.”

Barack Obama (D) and Mandela Barnes, Democratic candidate for the Wisconsin Senate
Barack Obama (D) and Mandela Barnes, Democratic candidate for the Wisconsin Senate take photo: Daniel Steinel/Reuters

And in Wisconsin, Obama cited some GOP television ads depicting Democratic Senate candidate Mandela Barnes, who is black, as “different.”

“Mandela, get ready to dig up that birth certificate,” he joked, referring to the conspiracy theory championed by former President Donald Trump that Obama was not actually born in the United States.

More importantly, he also argued that democracy is at the polls, and for his party, at stake are solutions to issues that matter to voters, including abortion rights, inflation and crime.

Obama, who left office in 2017, is entering the campaign at a difficult time, with polls showing Democrats losing momentum in the midterm elections.

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Political tensions and anxiety have increased significantly in recent days with Violent attack on Paul Pelosi by an assailant who was looking for his wife, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

In Georgia, Obama took the podium just hours after the attack. “I want to take a moment to say a prayer for a friend of mine, Mr. Obama said.

Obama with Georgia Governor Stacy Abrams and Senate candidates Raphael Warnock
Obama with Georgia Governor Stacy Abrams and Senate candidates Raphael Warnock take photo: Gabriela Bhaskar/The New York Times

He spoke again about the Michigan attack on Saturday. “One thing we can feel is if we talk too badly about each other…it creates a dangerous atmosphere,” Obama said.

But even as he spoke of civility in Michigan, Obama was booed, prompting some to resist while chanting “O-BA-MA.” The former chief struggled for about two minutes to calm the crowd. “Wait, wait, wait, wait,” Obama said. Resist. Resist. Resist. Resist.

Later, Obama acknowledged that the political environment has become more difficult. Obama said being on the campaign trail “feels a little tougher than it used to be — not just because I’m older and grayer.” This basic foundation of democracy appears to be in jeopardy. Things won’t be fine on their own.”

“Obama has the ability to speak to the Democratic base that the party needs to mobilize and persuade suburban voters these last days,” said David Axelrod, Obama’s chief strategist at the White House.

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“Just like Clinton, Obama is also great at telling a bigger story about country, time and choice,” Axelrod said, referring to the former president. Bill Clintonwho was conspicuously absent from the campaign trail, as was his wife, the former White House nominee, the Democrat Hillary Clinton.

Republicans said it was a sign of weakness that the Democrats’ biggest campaign asset this year was a former president rather than a potential future leader.

“Never look at politics,” said Dan Eberhart, a major Republican donor. “It’s a sign that you have a weak bank and no vision for the future. Bringing Obama to end the Democrats’ campaign is an admission that the party has skewed under Joe Biden. It’s not a strong move.”

On the Republican side, Trump, who may once again seek the White House, and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis drew large crowds.

Obama’s message to voters focuses on the same issues that the current White House often addresses. In his unique way of getting the message across, the former president is keen to acknowledge the challenges voters face when facing difficult issues.

Obama said in Georgia on Friday that abortion is “controversial,” adding that he “really thinks there are people of good conscience who might disagree with me on this issue.”

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Obama said inflation is a “real problem right now,” stressing that it is global and stems from the pandemic and intertwined supply chains. “Sometimes we don’t want to talk about certain issues,” he added in Michigan.

“Violent crime has increased,” the former president admits, although he stresses that the trend extends to both democratic and republican governments.

Who really voted against more resources for our police departments? Obama asked. “Is this the guy with a fake badge and saying he’s doing the law?” He joked, pointing to the honorary mayor’s badge that Walker wore during a debate to prove his toughness with law enforcement.

Walker, responding to Obama’s comments that the “famous” former professional soccer player had made no effort to become a political leader, told reporters, “I’m not a celebrity, I’m a warrior for God.”

Dixon, in a statement posted to Twitter, played down Obama’s appearance in Michigan, saying it was a “last-minute trip” that would do little to “erase all the lies and false promises” of Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer, who has little interest. Feature in polls.

But the complaint on the part of Democrats was that Obama took too long to get into the campaign.

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“In my humble opinion, they should have done it about a month ago, because it would have created more momentum,” said Carol Lewandowski, a retired nurse, who awaits Obama’s speech in Detroit.

Obama’s clamor in the midst of his campaign trail is a departure from 2010 – his first midterm elections. Biden, his running mate, was wanted and traveled to areas where Obama himself was not wanted.

In Georgia, audiences sat on chairs and waited hours before the speech, wearing 2008 T-shirts depicting Obama and exchanging stories in line about attending his inaugural address in the open.

“He has proven once again that he is the leader of the party spiritually and mentally, I mean the best speech of our lives,” Michael Troup, 43, of Atlanta, said of Obama’s speech. “They bring in the big guns, they bring in President Barack Obama when they need him most.”

“Part of it is the job of the former president and not the current president, and getting all the criticism that you get in the midterm elections,” Axelrod said.

After his Michigan speech, Obama went to Wisconsin and fought for the Democratic ticket there, with Barnes in a tough race and Governor Tony Evers seeking reelection.

On Tuesday, Obama went to Nevada, where Senator Catherine Cortez Masto and Governor Steve Sisolak, both Democrats, face a tough re-election. His team says more trips are planned. Obama, through a spokeswoman, declined to be interviewed for this story.

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An important part of his message is to pressure Democrats to vote. Obama’s Monday Night Football interview with Peyton and Eli resulted in nearly 10,000 views of a website containing voting information, according to data from Obama’s office. Obama garnered more than 10 million views on a separate video aimed at appealing to young voters.

He sat last week with a group of TikTok influencers expected to publish Obama content in the coming days, and wrote emails on behalf of lesser known Democratic committees, including the Democratic Association of Secretary of State.

Former President Barack Obama speaks to his supporters in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Former President Barack Obama speaks to his supporters in Milwaukee, Wisconsin take photo: Daniel Steinel/Reuters

Obama also appears in a number of ad campaigns for Democrats, including those in various state races, including Oregon, Pennsylvania, Illinois and Maryland. The Obama team says there is more to come.

Notably, some Republicans who run in traditionally Democratic states have also cited his name in paid advertising during the general election season in a positive light.

Alec Scarlatos, the Republican running for a competitive seat in the Oregon House, highlights his relationship with Obama in two ads. Obama praised her. Scarlatos will balance Washington,” says one narrator, while another adds that he was “praised by Obama for his service.” An Obama spokeswoman called the ads “misleading.”

Obama has hinted at his plans in recent interviews. Speaking to Pod Save America, a program organized by his former advisers, he said he wants to play a mentoring role for the next generation of Democratic leaders.

“One of the things that I hope to do in the next few years, between elections, is maybe get some of that talent together and see how I can support it,” Obama said in the interview.

And while he warned of the split on social media, he took note of his Twitter followers. “I still have a lot of followers on Twitter,” Obama said. “And that’s more than some people do, although I don’t really talk about it all the time.”

Obama has 133.4 million followers on the social media platform. Trump, before his ban, had 88 million.