Obama Weighs In on Democratic Party Strategy in Podcast Interview

Former President Barack Obama urges Democrats to favor pragmatism over purity tests, saying democratic politics requires “an acceptance of partial victory” and that “better is good.” During a wide-ranging conversation on the final episode of Marc Maron’s “WTF” podcast on Oct. 13, Obama said the party’s tone can alienate voters. “You can’t just be a scold all the time,” he stated, adding that some progressive language became “almost asserting [a] holier than thou superiority that’s not that different from what we used to joke about coming from, you know, the right and the moral majority.” He argued for incremental gains over all-or-nothing demands—particularly stressing this to younger members of the party....