Flashback: Obama Snaps 'Pay Attention!' After People Apparently Won't Get Off Phones
Editor’s Note: Our readers responded strongly to this story when it originally ran; we’re re-posting it here in case you missed it.
Former President Barack Obama took a moment during a Friday rally in Philadelphia to deliver a stern rebuke for some of the young people in the audience.
“I’m talking to you, young people!” Obama snapped as he pointed into the crowd, where he said some young people were paying more attention to their phones than they were to him.
“You! Pay attention!” he yelled.
According to a scorecard kept by The American Mirror, part of what the young people might have been missing was Obama talking about himself.
The site reported that Obama “said ‘I’ 56 times, ‘Me’ 5 times, and ‘My’ 4 times, talking about himself a total of 65 times, or once about every 30 seconds.”
Obama also had harsh words for voters who fail to do as he directs and vote for the Democrats he supports, CBS reported.
“But, some people may not have heard the news yet. So I’m heard to deliver it. This November’s election is more important than any I can remember in my lifetime,” he said.
Obama admitted that politicians always say the upcoming election is crucial.
“This time, the stakes really are higher,” added. “The consequences of any of us sitting on the sidelines are far more dangerous.”
Obama went on to play the gender card.
“Pennsylvania’s a great state, but let me just say Pennsylvania right now, you have no women in Congress. You can send seven Democratic women to Washington if you vote! And I will tell you — and Michelle didn’t put me up to this — stuff works better when women are involved,” Obama said.
During his speech, Obama said voters needed to ensure that the White House would face opposition in the years to come.
“The Republicans in Congress right now … they’re no check on the White House. They’re bending over backwards to shield … folks from scrutiny and accountability,” he said, according to Fox News. “So look, I’m not telling you anything you don’t know. You know this. Here’s the good news. On Nov. 6, you have a chance to restore some sanity to our politics.”
Obama did not mention President Donald Trump by name, but said all Americans “should be concerned about the current course of this country.”
In response, Republicans pointed out that during Obama’s presidency, America’s economy — and its citizens — suffered greatly.
“On President Obama’s watch, we had our slowest economic recovery since World War II and Democrats lost more than 1,000 seats,” said Michael Ahrens, a spokesman for the Republican National Committee, according to the Daily News.
Truth and Accuracy
We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.
