Former President Barack Obama (D) is reminding voters to get out and participate in the Georgia runoff elections that will determine the Senate majority.
During a virtual get out the vote rally for Georgia Senate candidates Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock, Obama stressed the Senate still matters even with President-elect Joe Biden in the White House.
“The Senate is a place where even with a big majority, it’s tough to get legislation through, and if you don’t have a majority, if the Senate is controlled by Republicans who are interested in obstruction and gridlock rather than progress and helping people, they can block just about anything,” Obama said.
He mentioned while he was in the White House, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) made it more difficult for him to get things done.
“Once McConnell was controlling that gavel and controlling the agenda in the Senate, we saw a lot of progress halt,” Obama said.
Watch the video below:
Obama: "If the Senate is controlled by Republicans who are interested in obstruction and gridlock rather than progress in helping people, they can block just about anything…once Mitch McConnell was controlling that gavel and agenda in the Senate, we saw a lot of progress halt." pic.twitter.com/vAKrj9wOX1
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) December 4, 2020
Obama noted while he was president some of his supporters did not show up to vote during midterm elections and Democrats ultimately lost majorities in the House and Senate.
“The promise of the Biden presidency and the Harris vice presidency rests in part on their ability to have a cooperative posture with Congress,” Obama added.
President Donald Trump urged his supporters to vote in Georgia’s runoff elections after they considered boycotting them, as IJR previously reported.
“No, the 2020 Election was a total scam, we won by a lot (and will hopefully turn over the fraudulent result), but we must get out and help David and Kelly, two GREAT people. Otherwise we are playing right into the hands of some very sick people. I will be in Georgia on Saturday!” Trump wrote on Twitter.
Trump’s eldest son Donald Trump Jr. criticized those who were telling voters not to support the Georgia Republicans.
“I’m seeing a lot of talk from people that are supposed to be on our side telling GOP voters not to go out and vote for [Kelly Loeffler] and [David Perdue]. That is NONSENSE. IGNORE those people. We need ALL of our people coming out to vote for Kelly and David,” he tweeted.
Trump’s allegations of widespread voter fraud are unsubstantiated.