El-Sayed's past criticism of Obama resurfaces before rally

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 8 Oct, 21:37 · Archive

Democratic Michigan Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed once criticised Barack Obama as insufficiently progressive, ahead of a campaign rally with the former president.

Abdul El-Sayed, the Democratic nominee for Michigan Senate, is preparing to campaign with former President Barack Obama later this month. The timing has revived past commentary in which El-Sayed sharply criticised the former president.

In a 2012 HuffPost op-ed published shortly after Obama's re-election, El-Sayed wrote that Obama 'was not the right choice — he just wasn't the wrong one'. He accused Obama of perpetuating war, violating civil liberties and deporting more people than any other president before him. He also criticised what he called the 'watered-down reform' of the Affordable Care Act and said the United States was not 'better off' under Obama's presidency.

El-Sayed went on to describe his earlier enthusiasm for Obama's 2008 election as 'the silly emotions of a naïve young man who didn't understand that hope and change required more than flowery prose and a winning smile'. A 2013 op-ed criticised Obama's international record and strikes in Pakistan and Yemen, the state of the economy, and inequality. Despite these critiques, El-Sayed confirmed that he voted for Obama in both 2008 and 2012.

How it is being reported

• El-Sayed’s scathing Obama critique resurfaces ahead of joint campaign rallyAbdul El-Sayed once called Barack Obama's reelection "no victory" for progressives, complicating his upcoming campaign rally with the former president.Fox News · 8 Oct, 21:13
• Abdul El-Sayed’s long history of trashing Obama resurfaces ahead of rally with former prezDr. Abdul El-Sayed is set to embrace former President Barack Obama, a man he once excoriated as a failure who perpetuated war and undermined liberty, newly resurfaced past commentary has revealed.New York Post · 8 Oct, 15:06

In this story: Abdul El-Sayed · Barack Obama · Michigan

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