Obama tells House Dems to focus on the midterms, not ideological divides

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

Former President Barack Obama told House Democrats at an event on Sunday in Los Angeles that as they focus on trying to win control of the House of Representatives, they should not get caught up in ideological differences within the party and can "sort through" them later, according to excerpts of his comments provided to ABC News.

Ideological arguments within the Democratic Party between its progressive and moderate wings came into sharp focus during 2025’s key elections -- particularly in New York City, as Democrats debated over the candidacy of democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani. This past year, Obama campaigned on the ground for the Democratic Party’s Virginia and New Jersey gubernatorial candidates and spoke with Mamdani ahead of Election Day.

The party has also been divided over how to handle government funding and the expiration of Affordable Care Act subsidies. Eight Senators who caucus with Democrats voted in November to end a government shutdown without an extension of the subsidies, sparking criticism from other Democrats who felt they should not have voted to reopen the government without an extension. House Democrats have since shown a largely united front, signing onto a discharge petition led by Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries to force a vote on extending the subsidies for three years.

Obama told the lawmakers to "focus" on winning back the Republican-controlled House in the 2026 midterm elections, indicating that after that the party could work more through those ideological divisions.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/obama-house-democrats-focus-2026-190034117.html

[B.See]

1. He's absolutely correct.

... been saying similar.... for quite some time. Forget the trees for now. See the FOREST.

[WarGamer]

2. Absolutely. Fringe issues elected Trump TWICE

[Bread and Circuses]

3. We can't paper over the differences anymore between establishment Dems and Progressives ....

Yes, I will continue to support and vote for Dems.

However, the current congressional leadership is not effective and we need to play the same tactics as the R’s.
Example….Prop 50 CA passed big! Take the Fight to Them !

Be Brave! Be Bold! Speak for the people and not the corporations and rich donors.

Dem voters want more social democratic policies !

Otherwise, Dems will continue to appear be pushovers and lacking resolve.

I support Dems, but I’m not sure it excites anyone . 2026 is a must win . Show the voters what a wonderful future we can have and confront the hate and lies. No MORE appeasement.

[leftstreet]

8. +1

[AllaN01Bear]

4. ding. this .

[JCMach1]

5. It's not just about the levers of power

We ignore ideology at our peril.

We can't ignore the fact the GOP is now the party of fascism in favor of an institutionalism they dont even believe in.

Respectfully, we can walk and chew gum at the same time.

[H2O Man]

6. Recommended.

I agree with President Obama. There are seats that progressives can win, and others where a moderate is a better bet. There are also some that may appear some place in the middle. That's what primaries are for. And we all, myself included, have to be civil with others may disagree with us on a particular primary contest. And we should all be investing ourselves in campaigning and voting for our candidates in the mid-terms, for we have the potential to crush maga. That is worthy of our very best efforts.

[UT_democrat]

7. Maybe we can get a promise on a vote

Later on in the year, where we can address all of these things because they’re not going away. There’s never time to bring progressives in. It seems

[leftstreet]

9. Does he not remember his own terms?

The Democrats LOST the 1st midterms because the GOPers got very, very Tea Party ideological. They literally prioritized their ideological battles and came out swinging