Barack Obama Despairs: ‘Same Old Folks’ Leading Democrat Party

Former President Barack Obama on Tuesday criticized the Democrat party for relying too long on the “same old folks” instead of promoting young leaders.

“Now one thing I will say about the Democratic Party, promoting young people is really important,” Obama said. “We stick so long with the same old folks and don’t make room for new voices.”

Obama spoke about the Democrat party in an interview with Peter Hamby, the host of Snapchat’s “Good Luck America.”

Obama did not specifically call out his 78-year-old former Vice President Joe Biden who ran for president or Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), age 70, or House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, age 80.

Instead he suggested young visionaries in the Democrat party like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez deserved more time at events like the Democrat National Convention.

“The fact that an AOC only got, what? Three minutes or five minutes? When she speaks to a broad section of young people who are interested in what she has to say, even if they don’t agree with everything she says,” Obama said referring to the 2020 convention. “New blood is always good.”

Obama said he was once the “young, shiny cool guy” but was now the “gray-haired old grizzled vet” as an former president.

He reminded the audience former Vice President Joe Biden, Sen. Bernie Sanders, and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez agreed on issues like climate change and the minimum wage, and said they should work together to make progress.

“Socialism is still a loaded term for a lot of folks,” he said. “Once again, instead of talking labels and ideology, we should focus on talking about getting certain things done.”