Barack Obama criticizes progressives over 'defund the police,' saying slogan can drive away moderates

Former President Barack Obama told progressives that they might be hurting their own cause by using slogans like "defund the police" as rallying cries for goals such as reforming the criminal justice system.

In an interview with Snapchat’s “Good Luck America,” Obama said such phrases and labels such as "socialism" can drive away moderate voters and cost elections for Democratic candidates. A transcript of portions of the interview was released Wednesday.

"If you believe, as I do, that we should be able to reform the criminal justice system so that it's not biased and treats everybody fairly, I guess you can use a snappy slogan, like 'defund the police.' "

"But, you know, you lost a big audience the minute you say it, which makes it a lot less likely that you're actually going to get the changes you want done," he told Snapchat's Peter Hamby.

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Obama's comments come as the Democratic Party wrestles with its underperformance in the 2020 election.

Although Joe Biden defeated Donald Trump in the presidential race by a comfortable margin in the Electoral College and in the popular vote, his wins in some battleground states were narrower than expected. Democrats failed to capture the Senate and lost seats in the House as some voters split their tickets, voting for Biden in the White House race and Republicans in down-ballot contests.

The former president's comments on "defund the police" swiftly drew backlash from some progressives.

"We lose people in the hands of police. It’s not a slogan but a policy demand," Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., tweeted in response to the president's comments.

"We didn’t lose Breonna (Taylor) because of a slogan. Instead of conceding this narrative, let’s shape our own," responded Charles Booker, a progressive candidate who ran unsuccessfully for the Kentucky Democratic nomination for Senate.

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Obama said in the interview his critique is largely rhetorical, not substantive, telling Snapchat that discussing actions rather than phrases will garner a larger, more sympathetic audience to progressive ideas.

"The key is deciding, do you want to actually get something done or do you want to feel good among the people you already agree with?" he stressed.

Obama was also critical of using phrases like "socialism," saying that "nobody really cares about the label."

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“Socialism is still a loaded term for a lot of folks. Once again, instead of talking labels and ideology, we should focus on talking about getting certain things done," Obama argued.

The former president was supportive of many of the young progressives in the party, saying that "promoting young people is really important" and lamented the party's tendency to "stick so long with the same old folks" and not make enough room for new voices.

Figures like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., also speak "to a broad section of young people who are interested in what she has to say, even if they don't agree with everything she says," Obama said.

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Obama connected his criticisms to his own time as an activist "who used to be the young, shiny cool guy but now is the gray-haired old grizzled vet.”

During the 2020 campaign and in interviews to discuss his memoir, "A Promised Land," Obama has focused heavily on urging young people to get involved in pushing for change.

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"My ideal reader is some 25-year-old kid who is starting to be curious about the world and wants to do something that has some meaning," Obama told the Atlantic in November.

Youth enthusiasm for Obama is widely cited as an integral part of his electoral success. Snapchat, which has a younger audience than social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter, is a platform in line with his expressed interest in again connecting with the country's next generation.

"If you want to get something done in a democracy, in a country as big and diverse as ours, then you've got to be able to meet people where they are," Obama said on Snapchat. "And play a game of addition and not subtraction."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Obama on 'defund the police': He says the slogan can drive away voters