MSNBC's Jonathan Capehart claims 'Obama people' are crowding out 'next generation' of Democratic Party leaders
MSNBC anchor Jonathan Capehart argued that former President Barack Obama's influence over the Democratic Party has sometimes been stifling for a younger generation of leaders who seek to shape the future of the party.
"The Obama people come in, they're the new blood, and now people are starting to complain, 'Oh my God, the Obama people, they're running everything.' Some of the criticism, I think, is valid," Capehart said, referencing complaints that Obama-era staffers had of former President Bill Clinton's advisors dominating party politics.
Despite Obama's entrance into national politics coming almost 20 years ago, his influence on the Democratic Party, especially through his former campaign staffers and advisors, only seems to have grown. Obama campaign alums, including Mitch Stewart and Rufus Gifford, also worked on former President Biden's campaign, according to NBC News. Other Obama campaign alums helped lead former Vice President Kamala Harris' failed presidential bid.
Democratic Strategists Question Influence Of Obama-era Campaign Operatives In Party's Future
Capehart argued the persistent influence of Obama alums throughout the campaign world has also created an arrogance among the Obama "class" of political advisors.
"Sometimes you get a sense that they think they know everything, they run the world, and in some cases you can understand it because, well, they did win two presidential elections," the MSNBC anchor said of Obama's staffers.
Read On The Fox News App
Capehart called on the Obama generation to make way for the "next generation" in Democratic Party politics.
Biden's Chief Of Staff Scolded Obama Campaign Architect For Calling Biden's Age An Issue, Book Reveals
"At a certain point, that class of folks has to start listening to the next generation coming up because they have ideas, they have ways of reaching out to the voters, to men, to the Obama coalition that they just don't have. They don't have the feel for it because they're not from that generation," he said.
Capehart said Obama has intentionally made himself "scarce" because some Democrats expect that he will "save the day."
"I think that's one of the primary reasons why I think President Obama has been scarce, is that everyone's looking for him to save the day. And what they keep saying is, 'No, no, no, no, it's not about us. It's about you.' And it seems like the party can't seem to come to grips with that and deal with that," Capehart said.
Fox News' Hanna Panreck contributed to this report. Original article source: MSNBC's Jonathan Capehart claims 'Obama people' are crowding out 'next generation' of Democratic Party leaders

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


New York Times
35 minutes ago
- New York Times
10 Questions With Michael Blake
At the first Democratic debate in this year's New York City mayoral race, Michael Blake emerged as a scene-stealer, in part for his curt attacks on former Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, the race's front-runner. For those familiar with Mr. Blake, his performance might not have been entirely unexpected. He worked at the White House during the Obama administration, served as a New York State assemblyman and is an associate pastor at a Bronx church who knows how to craft a strong one-liner. That experience, however, has not translated into much success in his bid to become mayor. He has been near the back of the pack in the polls, and his campaign has not qualified for the city's generous public matching funds program. Ahead of the June 24 primary, the leading Democrats in the race visited The New York Times for interviews. We are publishing excerpts from those interviews, and this is the fourth in the series; our conversation has been edited for length and clarity. We asked Mr. Blake, 42, questions about 10 themes, with the occasional follow-up, touching on his push to eliminate credit scores on rent and homeownership applications and whether it's OK to put ketchup on a cinnamon raisin bagel. We've written previously about where Mr. Blake and the other candidates stand on key issues and which candidates are raising the most money in your neighborhood. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Yahoo
40 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Newsom says California will sue Trump over National Guard, dares Homan to arrest him
California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) said California will sue the Trump administration on Monday over its deployment of the National Guard to quell Los Angeles protests against federal immigration raids. In an interview Sunday evening on MSNBC, Newsom said the lawsuit would challenge Trump's federalizing of the California National Guard without the state's consent, a move with little precedent in U.S. history. 'Donald Trump has created the conditions you see on your TV tonight. He's exacerbated the conditions. He's, you know, lit the proverbial match. He's putting fuel on this fire, ever since he announced he was taking over the National Guard — an illegal act, an immoral act, an unconstitutional act,' Newsom said on MSNBC. 'And we're going to test that theory with a lawsuit tomorrow,' he added.. Asked to elaborate on the lawsuit, Newsom said that under Trump's executive order, 'it specifically notes — and under what the [Department of Defense] did — is they had to coordinate with the governor of the state. They never coordinated with the governor of the state,' he said. Newsom noted that he has deployed the National Guard before to respond to various emergencies. 'We have no problem, working collaboratively in a mutual aid system with local law enforcement. But there's a protocol, there's a process. He didn't care about that. And the worst part, he completely lied,' he said. The governor pointed to Trump's Truth Social post earlier on Sunday, in which he said the National Guard had done a 'great job.' Newsom said the state forces had not even been deployed at the time. 'It's Orwellian, simply lying to people, unconstitutional, illegal act, his mess. We're trying to clean it up,' he added. Later in the interview, Newsom was asked about border czar Tom Homan's comments indicating he would not rule out arresting Newsom or Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass if they interfered in his efforts. 'Come after me, arrest me. Let's just get it over with, tough guy, you know? I don't give a damn. But I care about my community. I care about this community,' he continued. 'The hell are they doing? These guys need to grow up. They need to stop and we need to push back. And I'm sorry to be so clear, but that kind of bloviating is exhausting.' Newsom added. 'So, Tom, arrest me. Let's go.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.


Newsweek
an hour ago
- Newsweek
LA Riots: Multiple Police Cars Attacked By Protesters
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Two videos posted to social media showed multiple damaged California Highway Patrol vehicles stationary beneath a bridge in Los Angeles as protestors hurled objects down below, including bikes and street signs. No cops were visible in the videos. There was large-scale rioting in LA over the weekend, violence that stemmed from protests against immigration enforcement in the Californian city. President Donald Trump is deploying 2,000 California National Guard troops to quell the violence, against the wishes of the state's Gov. Gavin Newsom and the city's Mayor Karen Bass, both Democrats. ❌ BREAKING: 🚨 Rioters have destroyed multiple California Highway Patrol vehicles and are now MOVING TOWARD the city. Via @ExxAlerts — {Matt} $XRPatriot (@matttttt187) June 9, 2025 Police cruisers continue to be pelted by large rocks as officers take shelter in the underpass. There is no intervention. California is a failed state. — Cam Higby | America First 🇺🇸 (@camhigby) June 9, 2025 This is a developing article. Updates to follow.