Obama claims Democrats have ‘harder job’ in governing than Republicans

Former President Barack Obama said during a podcast Saturday that Democrats see governing as a “harder” job, while Republicans find it easier because they “tear things down.”

“Look, I think we have to admit that our job is harder, right?” Obama said. “So we believe in government as an instrument for good; as a potential force for more jobs and as a way to make sure the planet doesn’t get scorched. As we move forward and the economy grows, to make sure that everyone benefits, not just some, and that children get a good education. That means we need to think about the consequences of our actions. We need to work to ensure that the working majority can pass laws, enforce those laws, and make things happen?”

Obama spoke with podcast host Brian Tyler Cohen and answered the question about whether Democratic leadership understands how to fight the GOP.

“It doesn’t take all that to tear things down,” he added.

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The former president said Republicans had unraveled a set of rules and norms that were already in place and that was easy to do.

“I say that because we have to accept the responsibility and the challenge that our job is going to be a little bit harder, because we have to rally, cajole and persuade the majority on, say, the Affordable Care Act. And so I think there’s been some reluctance on the part of the Democrats in the past to break down some of the institutional barriers to us getting things done. “It’s been done because that’s the way it’s always been done,” Obama said.

Obama declared that the Senate filibuster disappointed him as president and said Democrats were trying to preserve something that in some ways prevented the government from being effective.

President Donald Trump speaks with Senate and House Republicans during breakfast in the State Dining Room of the White House, Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2025, in Washington, D.C. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

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“The Senate is already structurally skewed and anti-majoritarian, right? Whether it’s trying to pass civil rights legislation in the ’60s, trying to pass gun control legislation or what have you, it’s hard for the majority to get things done, because even though the majority supports it, Delaware and Wyoming have the same number of senators as California, right? So that would require a constitutional amendment. Then you couple that with a filibuster, and the reality is that Democrats have been traditionalists for a while who want to protect government when it prevents us from making government effective, which gives people It makes them feel like he’s corrupt and doesn’t care about them,” Obama said.

He said it provides “an opening” to people like President Donald Trump.

Trump has called for an end to the filibuster in the Senate, which has drawn the attention of other Republicans.

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Former President Barack Obama speaks during a campaign event on behalf of Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger in Norfolk, Virginia. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)

Obama said he thought Democrats shouldn’t “copy” the behavior of Republicans, but he also argued that they shouldn’t stick to tradition.

“I don’t want us to simply copy the other side’s behavior. I don’t want us to have a slash-and-burn strategy where we don’t care about the rule of law. We don’t care about some of the guardrails around our democracy. We start lying and paying no attention to the facts when the other side seems comfortable right now, because if we fight that way, we lose what we’re fighting for. But that doesn’t mean we have to be stunned or defeated. And I stick to tradition for tradition’s sake,” he said.

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Obama was also asked directly whether aliens are real.

“These are real, but I haven’t seen them,” Obama said.