Former President Barack Obama is hitting the campaign trail in an effort to help Democrats pick up seats in the midterm elections. Obama had some harsh words for President Donald Trump and the Republicans as he tried to fire up the Democratic base before the November elections.
During an hour-long speech at the University of Illinois, the former president said that "these are not ordinary times, these are dangerous times."
“It did not start with Donald Trump,” Obama said. “He is a symptom, not the cause. He’s just capitalizing on resentments that politicians have been fanning for years.”
He blasted the Republican party for "bending over backwards" to protect Trump and advance his agenda, even if they disagree with it.
"None of this is conservative. I don't mean to pretend I'm channeling Lincoln now, but that's not what he had in mind, I don't think, when he formed the Republican Party. It sure isn't normal. It's radical. It's a vision that says our protection of our power is all that matters,” Obama said.
He told the crowd of college students that "we have the chance, not the certainty, but the chance, to restore some semblance of sanity to our politics. He urged them to go out and vote, warning that they "cannot sit back and wait for a savior."
"As a fellow citizen, not as an ex-president, but as a fellow citizen I am here to deliver a simple message: You need to vote because our democracy depends on it. This moment really is different. The stakes really are higher."
He went on to say that everybody, whether they are Republicans or Democrats should "want to see a restoration of honesty and decency and lawfulness."
“Even if you don’t agree with me or Democrats on policy, even if you agree with more libertarian economic views, even if you are an evangelical and the position on social issues is a bridge too far. I’m here to tell you that you should still be concerned and should still want to see a restoration of honesty and decency and lawfulness in our government. It should not be Democratic or Republican."
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