Obama laments Dem voters ‘aren’t even thinking’ about midterms
A “whole bunch” of Democratic voters “aren’t even thinking about these elections coming up,” President Obama fretted during an interview with radio host Steve Harvey on Wednesday.
“We really need to have the kind of Congress that is serious about the issues that matter to folks and the responsibility is ultimately on everybody who’s listening,” Obama said. “Folks like to complain, talk about Washington — if only 45, 40 percent of the people are voting, it’s not surprising Congress isn’t responsive.”
Obama’s appearance on the show, which has a heavily black audience, came as the White House began accelerating its campaign efforts ahead of the midterm elections.
Earlier Wednesday, the White House announced the president would undertake a campaign blitz to benefit seven Democratic gubernatorial candidates and Rep. Gary Peters’s (D-Mich.) Senate campaign. That effort kicks off Wednesday evening with the president’s first campaign event this cycle — a rally with incumbent Connecticut Gov. Dannel Malloy.{mosads}
Obama repeatedly implored the radio audience “to really pay attention to this thing.”
“I need everybody listening to understand this is really, really important,” Obama said. “I need everybody’s help. This is the last election I’m involved in that really makes a difference.”
He added, “African-American voters, young voters, progressive voters, Latino voters — they now vote at relatively high rates during presidential elections,” but as a result of their failure to show up in 2010, “the Tea Party took over the Republican Party.”
“This election coming up gives everybody out there the ability to change Congress. … I’ve got to have a Congress that can work with me,” Obama added. “That is why this midterm is so important.”
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