Lower than two weeks out of California’s particular election, Barack Obama praised Gov. Gavin Newsom’s (D) redistricting marketing campaign to push again towards what the previous president described as a “brazen” effort by Republicans to present their occasion an edge forward of subsequent yr’s midterm elections.
Talking to volunteers on a name hosted by Newsom on Wednesday, Obama stated President Donald Trump and his administration have made clear they’re saying they “want to change the rules of the game midstream in order to insulate ourselves from the people’s judgment.”
“They want to tinker around with it to see if they can give themselves an advantage. And it’s brazen,” Obama stated. “They’re not pretending that there’s some other rationale to it. They’re simply doing it because they think they can.”
AP Picture/Erin Hooley, File
If accepted, Newsom’s proposal — also called Proposition 50 — would goal 5 GOP-held seats within the Golden State, counteracting strikes by Texas, North Carolina and different Republican-led states to redraw their congressional maps mid-decade in an effort to make sure their occasion maintains management of the U.S. Home within the midterms.
Obama added that the passage of Proposition 50 would have “critical implications” past California.
“The essence of Prop 50 is to say that if you are going to play that game, then we are going to try to counteract that abuse of the system, and as a consequence of California’s actions, we have a chance, at least, to create a level playing field in the upcoming midterm elections,” he stated.
“There’s a broader principle at stake that has to do with whether or not our democracy can be manipulated by those who are already in power to entrench themselves further, or whether we’re going to have a system that allows the people to decide who’s going to represent them,” he continued.
Obama appeared in an advert launched final week to advertise Newsom’s proposal, warning that “Democracy is on the ballot Nov. 4.”
Newsom thanked Obama for becoming a member of the hassle.
“We appreciate seeing you up on our screens every hour of every day as our closing messenger on this campaign,” Newsom stated.
“I hope it’s dawning on everybody just how precious this moment is,” the governor continued.
