'You get the politicians you deserve': Obama reminds voters that elections have consequences

[DonViejo]

Source: RawStory

Elections have consequences and you have no one to blame but yourself, according to former President Barack Obama.

Laying down some cold hard truth, Obama told an audience in Milan, Italy Tuesday that unless they participate in democracy “you get the politicians you deserve.”

“People have a tendency to blame politicians when things don’t work, but as I always tell people, you get the politicians you deserve,” Obama explained while the audience applauded. “And if you don’t vote and you don’t pay attention, you’ll get policies that don’t reflect your interest.” Obama also told the audience that often times a mistake activists make “is not engaging people once they get attention.”

Obama was in Italy to deliver a speech on food insecurity, food waste and the impact our food has on pollution and climate change.

Read more: http://www.rawstory.com/2017/05/you-get-the-politicians-you-deserve-obama-reminds-voters-that-elections-have-consequences/

[JI7]

1. like voTing for president but not voting midterms

[CottonBear]

3. Like voting for president but not for down ballot congressional, state or local races.

This happened in Georgia and in other Southern states during the 2008 presidential election.

Many young, first time voters voted only for Obama and then cast their ballots.

We Democrats here in Georgia could have won a senate seat and other close races if these newly minted Democratic voters had only voted the entire ballot.

[still_one]

2. Very true President Obama. To be frank, those who refused to vote for Hillary deserve to lose

their healthcare, breathe foul air, and lose all of the protections that were fought for in the last 50 plus years.

[LeftInTX]

6. What about those who did?

[still_one]

9. That is why I choose my response selectively

[LeftInTX]

13. I guess I need a refresher in remedial reading LOL

[still_one]

14. Not an issue at all. I am glad you clarified it. In reality no one should have to be without

healthcare, even those who voted for the so-called resident in the WH

I made a selective emotional response because I am angry

[Javaman]

4. This is what I have been saying all along...

..."american never gets the president they want, they get the one they deserve".

and we completely deserved to be fucked over by the orange menace and his room full of crooks, why? because we as a nation of citizens rarely if ever pay attention, question our "elected officials" and actually, you know, VOTE.

at the very end of the day, while the russians threw our election, we the people are ultimately responsible for being the guardians of our democracy.

and all we got was a shit sandwish, should we be surprised?

[JudyM]

5. Side note, glad to see Obama addressing the important connection between food and climate change.

This serious issue gets far too little coverage!

[J_William_Ryan]

7. Voting Republican

will invariably result in bad governance - 2016 is proof of that.

[SamKnause]

8. I call bullshit.

I have never, I repeat, never voted for a Republican !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Exactly why do I deserve the current crop of evil idiot politicians destroying this country ???????

If you don't vote you might deserve what is happening in this country.

If you vote Republican you definitely deserve what is happening in this country !!!!

If you voted against greedy, evil, lying, racists, misogynists you do not deserve what is happening in this country !!!!!!

[zipplewrath]

10. Exactly

Talk about blaming the victims. Ask the 16 year olds if they deserve this government. His hubris is showing. 3 million MORE people voted for Hillary, did they get what they "deserve"?

Talk about sanctimonious.

[athena]

11. He didn't include you in his statement. Read more carefully.

He said "unless they participate in democracy". By voting, you participated. What he means is that if one is too lazy to vote, one gets the politician one deserves -- meaning a politician who will not care about one's concerns.

As a general statement, too, it is true. Americans, as a whole, did get the president they deserved. They had a choice between an intelligent and highly capable woman who has dedicated her life to serving her country, and a blowhard male sexual abuser who had zero experience in government. And they chose the latter. It's true that three million more people chose the former, but it should never have been that close. Almost 50% of the voting population -- male or female -- were too misogynistic to vote for a woman to lead them. And too many people were too stupid to recognize what an important election this was and to go out and vote. They got exactly what they deserve. They may be dragging the rest of us down with them, but that doesn't change the fact that they got what they deserve.

[47of74]

17. That's exactly where I am when it comes to Branch Trumpvidians.

Fuck them. They voted for Donald McFucknugget and if they lose their health insurance and their rights well that's what they voted for. I'm not one of those "tolerant, understanding liberals" that the reich likes to call people the moment someone stands up to their bullshit. I have six pre-existing conditions now and if people think I'm going to kiss Branch Trumpvidian hinder I've got three words for them. The last one is yourself.

[SpicyBoi]

12. Is he saying that we deserve Trump?

Not cool, President Obama

[athena]

15. Only if you didn't bother to vote.

He's right.

[Skittles]

16. or if you voted for that piece of shit Trump