Obama Warns Democratic Candidates Not to Go Too Far Left: “Be Rooted in Reality”

Former President Barack Obama has taken pains to avoid commenting on the 2020 Democratic presidential contest, repeatedly saying he will support whoever comes out on top. But he seemed to shift gears a bit Friday night while speaking to a room filled with wealthy donors as he sent an apparent warning to presidential hopefuls to not move too far left. The American voter, as a general rule, isn’t really interested in extremes, the former president warned. “This is still a country that is less revolutionary than it is interested in improvement. They like seeing things improved. But the average American doesn’t think that we have to completely tear down the system and remake it,” Obama said. “And I think it’s important for us not to lose sight of that.”

Obama obviously didn’t mention anyone by name but it seemed pretty clear that the two candidates that most fit the description are Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders. Plus it doesn’t seem to be a coincidence that he was speaking to a room filled with the kinds of wealthy Democratic donors who are most concerned about the rise of Warren and Sanders in the polls.