Abdul El-Sayed once accused President Barack Obama of failing to deliver on the progressive campaign promises that he outlined in the 2008 presidential campaign, calling his election to a second term a kind of compromise for progressives.
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he → accuse → progressives
"I realize that I have little hope because there has been less change," El-Sayed wrote in a 2012 op-ed for HuffPost.
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Sayed → realize → HuffPost
"But I have to say now what I’ve been holding in throughout his campaign and what I think all of us have to admit: Obama was not the right choice — he just wasn’t the wrong one."
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he → have → us
The resurfaced comments, published just days after the 2012 presidential election, complicate the political picture for El-Sayed as he prepares to campaign with Obama later this month.
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he → resurface → Obama
The comments also raise questions about what El-Sayed’s ideals for the Democratic Party would have looked like in 2012, highlighting his past satisfaction with one of the Democratic Party's most prominent figures.
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ideals → raise → figures
In particular, El-Sayed’s 2013 op-ed criticized Obama’s international record and strikes on Pakistan and Yemen, an underperforming economy and, in his view, little to no change in being accepted as a Muslim American.
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ed → criticize → American
"I feel no more dignified, no more accepted as cops throughout the country have usurped my right to walk the streets freely without fearing unjustified interference.
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cops → feel → interference
Inequality has accelerated and the divide between the haves and have-nots in our country has never been starker," El-Sayed wrote.
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Sayed → accelerate → country
"At home our economy continues to stagnate; its victims are so many of my peers who had also invested in ‘hope and change’ four years ago, who cannot find meaningful work."
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who → continue → work
Notably, he did confirm that he had voted for Obama in 2008 and 2012.
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he → confirm → 2008
He also asserted that Obama’s record, as disappointing as it had seemed to him, was still better than the outlook of the failed Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney.
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it → assert → nominee
Even so, El-Sayed said Obama fell short of the ideal he, as a progressive, would have chosen for the country.
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he → say → country
"We really like the idea of Obama … let’s be clear,
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’s → like → Obama
for progressives who care about peace, prosperity, civil liberties and the future of our country, Obama’ reelection last night was no victory.
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reelection → care → country
It was the rock we chose over the hard place," El-Sayed wrote.
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Sayed → choose → place
In recent months, as El-Sayed waged his Senate campaign in Michigan, Obama did not endorse the progressive, staying out of a primary between him and Rep. Haley Stevens, D-Mich.
Like Obama and other Democrats, El-Sayed has championed the growth of government as a way to address the country’s top issues.
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Sayed → wag → issues
In addition to calling for lowering housing costs, he’s advocated for Medicare for all, opposes corporate tax carve-outs, and supports tuition-free access to higher education.
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he → call → education
Obama has still not issued an official endorsement even though he is slated to take the stage alongside El-Sayed on Oct. 24 for a rally with other Michigan Democrats.
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he → issue → Democrats
The former president highlighted the event in a post to social media on Monday.
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president → highlight → Monday
"Looking forward to being in Detroit on 10/24 to campaign for Jocelyn Benson, Abdul El-Sayed and Democrats up and down the ballot in Michigan," Obama wrote, referring to the Democratic candidate for governor in the Wolverine State.
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Obama → look → State
Abdul El-Sayed’s campaign did not immediately respond to an inquiry on the 2012 op-ed and his current-day views on Obama’s legacy.
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campaign → respond → legacy
The Aporia
