Obama slams toxic politics in Arizona: ‘Everybody screams’
“They want an economy that’s great for the people at the top, but not always great for the average person,” Obama began. Speaking to about 1,000 people in a high school gymnasium in Phoenix on Wednesday.
“Like you, Obama!” A young male heckler interrupted.
“Are you going to start screaming?” Obama responded, and the crowd booed loudly as he tried to get the heckler out.
“Wait, wait, wait, everybody,” Obama said. “Hey, young man, just listen. You know you have to be polite and polite when people are talking, and then when other people are talking, then you get a chance to speak.
“Make your own parade!” The former president was fired. “Many people have worked hard for this. Come on man.
As the event began to get back in hand, Obama urged the crowd to “calm down” and said the incident was similar to the noise that has numbed moderate voices in many political debates.
“That’s part of what’s happening in our politics right now. We’re distracted,” Obama said.
“One person screams and suddenly everyone screams. You get one tweet that’s stupid and suddenly everyone is over on Twitter. We cannot fall for that. We must remain focused.
If Republican candidates succeed in the critical swing state, he argued, “democracy as we know it cannot exist in Arizona.”
Continuing his speech, Obama talked about the “peaceful transition” he had with Donald Trump when the Democrats lost in 2016, after Trump refused to give the 2020 nomination to Joe Biden. “This is what America should be. Did we forget that? Obama said.
He said he spoke to his “friend” Paul Pelosi, the husband of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), who was attacked at the couple’s home in San Francisco last week. The perpetrator is a man with extreme political views, “Where’s Nancy?” he shouted. When you get home. Obama when discussing the attack They criticized. “This is an increasing trend of political opponents just showing up, shouting,” he told the crowd.
Obama was seen echoing a speech by President Biden earlier that day when he said of Pelosi that “there is no place in America for voter intimidation or political violence, whether it’s directed at Democrats or Republicans…no place, period.”
“You can only love your country when you win,” Biden said in a speech at Washington’s Union Station, warning that candidates who refuse to accept next Tuesday’s results could lead the nation down a “path of violence.”
Millions of voters across the country voted or planned to go to the polls on Election Day. Officials in metro Phoenix and Maricopa County, home to most of Arizona’s voters, said between 250,000 and 350,000 people were expected to vote in person on Tuesday. They make up a total of 1.4 million to 1.9 million voters.
The state’s early voting system has come under attack by some Republican activists over the past few years, raising doubts about the readiness of the county to vote by mail and drop-off boxes at campaign events and online. Voters in person.
Some Arizona voters have complained of intimidation by self-appointed ballot inspectors — some of whom are armed — prompting a federal judge to impose strict new restrictions.
At a press conference on Wednesday, election officials warned that there could be lines at polling stations on election day, but said this should not be a sign of poor polling, speculating on a “possible narrative” amid rising tensions.
Separately, a federal judge on Wednesday ordered a group that monitors signs of Arizona ballot box fraud to stay at least 75 feet away from ballot boxes and publicly correct false statements its members made about Arizona election laws. The ruling also prohibits Fight-Box viewers from taking photos or videos of voters and from distributing articles that make baseless allegations of electoral fraud.
Republican challengers in Arizona have embraced Trump’s false claims of widespread voter fraud in the 2020 election.
Lake, the GOP gubernatorial candidate, called anyone who won by 81 million votes a “conspiracy theorist,” while Masters, the Republican Senate candidate, unequivocally said in an ad, “I think Trump wins in 2020.”
According to a recent Washington Post analysis, the majority of Republican candidates on the ballot for the House, Senate and key state offices — 291 in total — rejected or questioned the results of the last presidential election.