A Former President’s Blunt Call to Action
At a private Democratic fundraiser on July 11, a former president delivered an unusually direct message:

“It’s going to require a little bit less navel-gazing and a little less whining and being in fetal positions… Democrats [need] to just toughen up.”

No Excuses for Inaction
Challenging disengaged supporters, he said, “Don’t tell me you’re a Democrat… so you’re not doing anything.

No, now is exactly the time that you get in there and do something.”

Defending Core Principles
On free speech, he urged, “You stand up for free speech when it’s hard… when somebody says something that you don’t like, but… has the right to speak.”

Urgency in a Divided Party
Citing low approval ratings and warning of a drift toward autocracy, he likened the threat to democratic norms to challenges faced “at least since World War II,” calling for immediate, united action.