Barack Obama on democracy and red states
by Sneakychipmunk: Barack Obama
President Obama reflected on the powers he held while leading the United States. He noted he could have unilaterally sent the military into a red state to harass and intimidate a governor. He also had the option to cut off funding for states that did not vote for him. Obama stated that exercising those prerogatives would be contrary to how he believes our democracy is supposed to work. He added that we should not get discouraged by having a tougher job. Instead, we should expect that our side is smart enough to figure it out
Transcript (en)
When I was president of the United States, I suppose I could have simply unilaterally ordered the military to, you know, go into some red state and harass and intimidate a governor there or cut off funding for states that didn't vote for me. I could have exercised that prerogative, But that is contrary to how I think our democracy is supposed to work. And I think we shouldn't get discouraged by the fact that we have a tougher job. What we should do is expect that our side is smart enough to figure it out.
