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Obama worries about progressives’ ‘rigidity’ leading to ‘circular firing squad’ among Democratic Party

Former President Barack Obama said on Saturday he worries about the far-left, progressive wing of the Democratic party being unwilling to compromise and creating a “circular firing squad” against allies over policy and issue differences.

“One of the things I do worry about sometimes among progressives in the United States, maybe it’s true here as well, is a certain kind of rigidity where we say, ‘Uh, I’m sorry, this is how it’s going to be,’ and then we start sometimes creating what’s called a ‘circular firing squad,’ where you start shooting at your allies because one of them is straying from purity on the issues,” Obama said a town hall in Berlin, Germany, hosted by the Obama Foundation.

The Democratic former president argued that this party infighting usually leads to “the overall effort and movement weaken(ing).”

“You have to recognize that the way we’ve structured democracy requires you to take into account people who don’t agree with you, and that by definition means you’re not going to get 100 percent of what you want,” Obama said.

He spoke of the importance of compromise and navigating what you believe in, saying he wanted more from the multi-national Paris climate accord and the Affordable Care Act in the US, but accepted what could be passed and agreed upon at the time.

“You can’t set up a system in which you don’t compromise on anything, but you also can’t operate in a system where you compromise on everything,” Obama said.

Democrats have been divided over the Green New Deal, healthcare and worker’s wages, among other issues.

After leaving office, Obama has focused on his nonprofit that encourages civil engagement.

In kicking off the town hall, Obama said he was not there to support any European political party and cracked a joke about himself and the former first lady Michelle Obama.

“I’ve held my last political office,” Obama said. “Michelle would leave me if I ever ran for office again.”

Feds turn over evidence in Renee Good and Alex Pretti killings to Minnesota after months of delay

Federal prosecutors turned over key evidence long sought by Minnesota investigators in their ongoing probe into the fatal shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti during pitched protests against an immigration enforcement crackdown earlier this year, state prosecutors announced Monday. The progress came as a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent shot and killed a motorist in Maine on Monday, and Houston prosecutors complained the administration was still withholding critical information in their investigation into a fatal shooting by an ICE officer last week. Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said the evidence turned over by U.S. Attorney for Minnesota Daniel Rosen's office included previously withheld hard drives containing statements, police body camera video and other materials in the Minnesota killings. Federal prosecutors also turned over Good’s badly damaged SUV, she said. “The wonderful thing now is we have all the evidence,” Moriarty said. “Any time the government is responsible in whatever way of taking the life of a community member we need to have a full and thorough investigation.”
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