Barack Obama, once the Democratic Party’s untouchable golden child, may have outdone himself with his latest foray into political irony. Speaking at the Obama Foundation Democracy Forum in Chicago, the former president warned of one side “stacking the deck” to entrench power, citing voter suppression, judicial weaponization, and politicizing the armed forces as his examples. The pause in his delivery, as if even he couldn’t believe the words coming out of his mouth, only added to the absurdity.
Let’s unpack this. Obama’s attempt to paint Republicans as democracy’s greatest threat comes just months after years of Democratic lawfare against Donald Trump, culminating in a flurry of indictments aimed at derailing his 2024 campaign. Add to that Joe Biden’s blanket pardon of Hunter Biden—a move so brazen it caused even staunch Democrats to bristle—and the hypocrisy becomes almost too much to bear.
NEW: Obama says Republicans are the ones who rig elections and weaponize the justice system while speaking at a “Democracy Forum.”
The comment was so outrageous that Obama could barely get the words out of his mouth.
“One side tries to stack the deck and lock in [very long… pic.twitter.com/LoKM5d7rjr
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) December 6, 2024
As pointed out by MAGA Resource on X, Obama’s speech was a case study in projection. His claim that Republicans might use the judiciary or criminal justice system to target political opponents is laughable given the Democrats’ unrelenting attempts to prosecute Trump over the last four years. The same can be said of his concerns over vote suppression, considering the Democrats’ push for voting rules that critics argue undermine election security.
But the pièce de résistance was Obama’s lament about “politicizing the armed forces.” This, from the party that made DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) training a centerpiece of military policy and used Pentagon brass as talking heads to push political narratives.
Obama’s Hypocritical Election Sermon at ‘Democracy Forum’
In what can only be described as a masterclass in projection, Barack Obama took the stage at a so-called “Democracy Forum” to pontificate on the sanctity of democratic principles, only to skew the narrative by accusing… pic.twitter.com/QwQ4co4mke
— MAGA Resource (@MAGAResource) December 6, 2024
The 2024 election proved disastrous for Democrats, with Kamala Harris losing not just the Electoral College but also the popular vote. Many on the left have begun pointing fingers, and Obama has not been spared. His push to sideline Biden, coupled with a tone-deaf admonishment of Black men for not rallying behind Harris, has led some to question whether his once-ironclad influence in the Democratic Party is finally crumbling.
Post-election, Obama has been uncharacteristically quiet. Perhaps even he senses the waning of his political clout. His attempt to reframe the narrative at the Democracy Forum, however, may signal a desperate bid to regain relevance—though it’s unlikely to succeed given the growing discontent within his own party.
For eight years, Obama cultivated an image as a unifier while simultaneously exacerbating racial and class divides. Now, his self-righteous warnings about democracy’s fragility seem like little more than an attempt to distract from his party’s failings. His crown may not be entirely tarnished, but it’s certainly losing its luster.
