Obama says 'mutual respect' must be part of party's message
Obama said to build a true Democratic majority, they have to give grace to people who may not align with their political views.
"That sense of mutual respect has to be part of our message," he said. "Our politics have become so polarized these days that all of us across the political spectrum seem so quick to assume the worst in others unless they agree with us on every single issue."
"We start thinking that the only way to win is to scold and shame and out-yell the other side. And after a while, regular folks just tune out or they don’t bother to vote," he continued. "Now that approach may work for the politicians who just want attention and thrive on division, but it won’t work for us to make progress on the things we care about, the things that really affect people’s lives."
Obama later acknowledged those ideas "can feel pretty naive right now" but was adamant "the ties that bind us are still there."