Obama should be out there more countering Trump in 'moment of crisis,' MSNBC panelist says
An MSNBC panelist urged former President Barack Obama to speak out more often on Saturday after he urged members of his party to toughen up at a modern charity event I know he s done being president and various will say he doesn t owe us anything else but I think if we are in a moment of problem and you ve ever led this country you should still care about this country enough to be out there I ve had this crazy thought that if every time Donald Trump did something crazy or reported something crazy Barack Obama should have a press conference or something Shaniqua McClendon the vice president of political strategy at Crooked Media announced during MSNBC's The Weekend McClendon agreed with Obama's latest suggestion that Democrats should toughen up but urged the former president to get out there more himself as someone who served as president He is someone who can command attention And so part of where I don t think it s fair is bulk Democrats are not Barack Obama They can t command attention the way he can And we re in a media climate that even if you are fighting if no one hears you it s not worth anything People listen to him So I do think it s fair McClendon continued FORMER OBAMA SPEECHWRITER ADMITS SHUNNING CONSERVATIVE IN HIS FAMILY WAS A MISTAKEDuring a July charity event Obama suggested members of the party should stop complaining so much I think it s going to require a little bit less navel-gazing and a little less whining and being in fetal positions And it s going to require Democrats to just toughen up Obama stated at the charity event according to excerpts obtained by CNN Don t tell me you re a Democrat but you re kind of disappointed right now so you re not doing anything No now is exactly the time that you get in there and do something MSNBC host Catherine Rampell wondered if Obama would be accused of sucking up all the oxygen if he was out there more FORMER NPR HOST SAYS OBAMA IS 'VERY SCOLD-Y THESE DAYS ' NO LONGER RESONATES WITH BASE He likely would be accused of that But those people are not pushing through right now McClendon declared She suggested specific Democrats such as Reps Jasmine Crockett D-Texas and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez D-N Y were emerging through but most of were not The point now is that we are in a really dire situation Our rights are being taken away every day And if Barack Obama is someone who can push back on that and at least get people to pay attention to the fact that that s happening it matters a lot And so yeah I think that is not an argument I wish that was the thing we had to worry about she added CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF MEDIA AND CULTURECLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Hosts of The View criticized Obama's advice arguing that Democrats had been out there fighting against Trump
