{"id":7322,"date":"2022-11-01T10:27:33","date_gmt":"2022-11-01T15:27:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/whia.us\/7322\/"},"modified":"2022-11-01T14:20:59","modified_gmt":"2022-11-01T19:20:59","slug":"%d9%88%d8%b5%d8%a7%d9%8a%d8%a7-%d8%a3%d9%88%d8%a8%d8%a7%d9%85%d8%a7-%d9%84%d9%84%d8%af%d9%8a%d9%85%d9%82%d8%b1%d8%a7%d8%b7%d9%8a%d9%8a%d9%86","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/whia.us\/en\/7322\/","title":{"rendered":"Obama just gave Democrats their perfect closing message"},"content":{"rendered":"

\nOpinion by Dean Obeidallah – CNN<\/strong><\/p>\n

Former President Barack Obama took to the road this weekend to help Democratic candidates in the key battleground states of Michigan and Wisconsin. Obama served up the perfect closing question for voters: \u201cWho will fight for your freedom?\u201d<\/p>\n

The answer clearly is the Democratic Party, and the former President delivered that message, pointing to threats to reproductive rights and same-sex marriage by some Republicans.<\/p>\n

Voter turnout is traditionally considerably lower in the midterms, so the top priority is getting your political base out to vote. The 2018 midterms had a record turnout of 53%, but compare that to the more than 66% who turned out for the 2020 presidential election.<\/p>\n

With little over a week to Election Day, Democratic leaders and strategists are searching for the most effective way to inspire voters to cast a ballot for their candidates. Some have argued Democrats should focus on the economy, which many polls show is a top concern among voters.<\/p>\n

But in an impassioned plea on my SiriusXM show last week, the always blunt Rick Wilson, co-founder of the Lincoln Project super PAC, urged Democrats to \u201cscare the sh*t out of voters about what Republicans are going to do, because what they are going to do is scary as sh*t.\u201d<\/p>\n

Both messages certainly resonate. But the one that seems to move so many Democrats \u2014 as I\u2019ve repeatedly heard from listeners to my show \u2014 is what Obama told crowds Saturday in the Midwest as well as Friday in Georgia: Democrats are fighting to save our freedoms from extremism within the GOP.<\/p>\n

California Gov. Gavin Newsom highlighted this theme months ago with a headline-grabbing ad slamming Republicans, especially Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.<\/p>\n

In the ad released on July Fourth, Newsom told Florida voters, \u201cFreedom is under attack in your state.\u201d He urged Floridians \u201cto join the fight \u2014 or join us in California, where we still believe in freedom: freedom of speech, freedom to choose, freedom from hate and the freedom to love.\u201d Newsom closed his appeal with the words, \u201cDon\u2019t let them take your freedom.\u201d<\/p>\n

When that ad first aired, it received a tsunami of praise from Democrats online and from my listeners. Just last week, I replayed that ad on my show, and again listeners responded with how powerful they thought it was and urged Democrats to embrace it. Then came Obama\u2019s speeches Saturday doing just that.<\/p>\n

Obama implored the crowd at his first stop in Michigan: \u201cWho will fight for your freedom? Is it a bunch of Republican politicians and judges who think they should get to decide when you start a family or how many children you have, who you marry or who you love?\u201d He then added, \u201cOr is it leaders like (Michigan Democratic Gov.) Gretchen Whitmer who believe that the freedom to make these personal decisions belong to every American, not politicians in Washington?\u201d<\/p>\n

A short time later, at a rally in Milwaukee, Obama again posed that question while flanked by Wisconsin Democratic Gov. Tony Evers and Democratic US Senate candidate Mandela Barnes: \u201cIs it Republican politicians and judges who think they should get to decide when you start a family or how many children you should have, or who you marry or who you love?\u201d Obama continued, \u201cOr is it Democratic leaders who believe that the freedom to make these most intimate personal decisions belong to every American, not politicians, mostly men, sitting somewhere in Washington?\u201d<\/p>\n

The 44th President then put it pointedly: \u201cThat\u2019s the choice in this election; that\u2019s what you have to decide.\u201d<\/p>\n

Obama did address the challenges of inflation and the economy. After acknowledging the pain caused by rising prices, he noted, \u201cWho\u2019s going to do something about it? Republicans are having a field day running ads talking about it, but what is their actual solution to it?\u201d<\/p>\n

Obama pointed out that inflation is a global issue \u2013 not a uniquely American one \u2013 as a result of problems caused by the pandemic and Russia\u2019s war with Ukraine. There\u2019s no easy solution because if there were, leaders of each country would\u2019ve reduced inflation already.<\/p>\n

Recent polls find voter interest in this election is on the higher end for a midterm. But Democrats still must energize their base. Saying inflation causes pain without offering a solution doesn\u2019t get anyone to the polls. But doubling down on extremists in the GOP coming for your freedoms does move people.<\/p>\n

If Democratic candidates are in search of a closing message that will invigorate their voters, they should follow the lead of Obama, twice elected as President.<\/p>\n

Make it clear to voters that Democrats will fight for your freedoms. After all, inflation is temporary, but losing your freedom may be permanent.<\/p>\n

\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Make it clear to voters that Democrats will fight for your freedoms. After all, inflation is temporary, but losing your freedom may be permanent.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":7319,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"episode_type":"","audio_file":"","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[142,199,128],"tags":[322,874,462,149,222,869,870,871,494,872,845,873],"series":[1027],"coauthors":[238],"class_list":{"0":"post-7322","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","6":"hentry","7":"category-most-important-topics-en","8":"category-top-stories","9":"category-updates-en","10":"tag-election","11":"tag-obama","12":"tag-president-biden","13":"tag-white-house-en","14":"tag-washington","15":"tag---en","22":"series-whia-synergy"},"episode_featured_image":"https:\/\/whia.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/obama-portrait-unveiling-1024x788-1-e1667316117117.jpg","episode_player_image":"https:\/\/whia.us\/wp-content\/plugins\/seriously-simple-podcasting\/assets\/images\/no-album-art.png","download_link":"","player_link":"","audio_player":false,"episode_data":{"playerMode":"dark","subscribeUrls":{"apple_podcasts":{"key":"apple_podcasts","url":"","label":"Apple Podcasts","class":"apple_podcasts","icon":"apple-podcasts.png"},"stitcher":{"key":"stitcher","url":"","label":"Stitcher","class":"stitcher","icon":"stitcher.png"},"google_podcasts":{"key":"google_podcasts","url":"","label":"Google Podcasts","class":"google_podcasts","icon":"google-podcasts.png"},"spotify":{"key":"spotify","url":"","label":"Spotify","class":"spotify","icon":"spotify.png"}},"rssFeedUrl":"https:\/\/whia.us\/en\/feed\/podcast\/whia-synergy","embedCode":"

Obama just gave Democrats their perfect closing message<\/a><\/blockquote>