Obama slams state of US politics in 1st post
Former President Barack Obama  made  his  much-anticipated first post-presidential appearance on the campaign trail Thursday  speaking at events for Democratic gubernatorial candidates in New Jersey and Virginia before elections there next month.
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Appearing at a rally in Richmond  Virginia with Democratic gubernatorial candidate Ralph Northam   Obama  commented on the political climate in the country.
âFolks don't feel good right now about what they see  they don't feel as if our public life reflects our best â  Obama  said. âInstead of our politics reflecting our values  we've got politics infecting our communities.â
 Obama  did not mention President Donald Trump by name  but did offer some pointed criticism that appeared to be directed at him.
"You'll notice I haven't been commenting on politics a lot lately  but here's one thing I know: If you have to win a campaign by dividing people you're not going to be able to govern them. You won't be able to unite them later if that's how you start â  Obama  told the crowd of thousands at the Greater Richmond Convention Center.
 Obama  also got animated when offering some deeply personal thoughts on the events over the summer in Charlottesville.
âWe saw what happened in Charlottesville  but we also saw what happened after Charlottesville  when the biggest gatherings of all rejected fear and rejected hate and the decency and goodwill of the American people came out â  Obama  said. âThat's how we rise. We don't rise up by repeating the past  we rise up by learning from the past.â
The race between Northam and former Republican National Committee Chairman Ed Gillespie is considered the only competitive statewide race in the nation this year  raising the stakes for  Obamaâs  visit to the state with the election less than three weeks away.
 Obama  slammed Gillespie for television advertisements attacking Northam over recent MS-13 gang violence in the Commonwealth  dismissing it as nothing more than fear-mongering.
âIt's a tactic by the way that shows Ralph's opponent doesn't really think very highly of Virginians â  Obama  said  adding  âIf he honestly thought these were serious issues he'd offer serious solutions. But he's not because what he's really trying to deliver is fear. What he really believes is if you scare enough voters you might score just enough votes to win an election.â
 The former president  is still popular in Virginia  a state  he  won in 2008 and 2012.
Appearing at an event earlier in the day in Newark with Phil Murphy  who served as U.S. Ambassador to Germany during the  Obama  administration   the former president  praised Murphy as the right choice for New Jersey voters.
"When Phil and his family said Iâm ready to go  Iâm willing to step out there and step into what can be a pretty tough political environment  I wasnât surprised because I knew him "  Obama  said. "I knew their character."
 Obama âs re-emergence comes as President Trump has taken aim at various parts of his legacy  including the Iran nuclear agreement and the Affordable Care Act and as the controversy around Trumpâs interactions with families of fallen U.S. soldiers persists.
 Obama  shied away from calling out Trump directly in  his  remarks in Newark  instead hammering  his  critique of the state of U.S. politics today.
[TGT] made   [TGT]   much-anticipated first post-presidential appearance on the campaign trail Thursday  speaking at events for Democratic gubernatorial candidates in New Jersey and Virginia before elections there next month.
Interested in   [TGT]  ? Add  Barack Obama  as an interest to stay up to date on the latest   [TGT] news  video  and analysis from ABC News. Add Interest
Appearing at a rally in Richmond  Virginia with Democratic gubernatorial candidate Ralph Northam    [TGT] commented on the political climate in the country.
âFolks don't feel good right now about what they see  they don't feel as if our public life reflects our best â   [TGT] said. âInstead of our politics reflecting our values  we've got politics infecting our communities.â
  [TGT] did not mention President Donald Trump by name  but did offer some pointed criticism that appeared to be directed at him.
"You'll notice I haven't been commenting on politics a lot lately  but here's one thing I know: If you have to win a campaign by dividing people you're not going to be able to govern them. You won't be able to unite them later if that's how you start â   [TGT] told the crowd of thousands at the Greater Richmond Convention Center.
  [TGT] also got animated when offering some deeply personal thoughts on the events over the summer in Charlottesville.
âWe saw what happened in Charlottesville  but we also saw what happened after Charlottesville  when the biggest gatherings of all rejected fear and rejected hate and the decency and goodwill of the American people came out â   [TGT] said. âThat's how we rise. We don't rise up by repeating the past  we rise up by learning from the past.â
The race between Northam and former Republican National Committee Chairman Ed Gillespie is considered the only competitive statewide race in the nation this year  raising the stakes for  Obamaâs  visit to the state with the election less than three weeks away.
  [TGT] slammed Gillespie for television advertisements attacking Northam over recent MS-13 gang violence in the Commonwealth  dismissing it as nothing more than fear-mongering.
âIt's a tactic by the way that shows Ralph's opponent doesn't really think very highly of Virginians â   [TGT] said  adding  âIf  [TGT]  honestly thought these were serious issues  [TGT] 'd offer serious solutions. But  [TGT] 's not because what  [TGT] 's really trying to deliver is fear. What  [TGT]  really believes is if you scare enough voters you might score just enough votes to win an election.â
 The former president  is still popular in Virginia  a state  he  won in 2008 and 2012.
Appearing at an event earlier in the day in Newark with Phil Murphy  who served as U.S. Ambassador to Germany during the   [TGT] administration   the former president  praised Murphy as the right choice for New Jersey voters.
"When Phil and his family said Iâm ready to go  Iâm willing to step out there and step into what can be a pretty tough political environment  I wasnât surprised because I knew him "   [TGT] said. "I knew their character."
 Obama âs re-emergence comes as President Trump has taken aim at various parts of his legacy  including the Iran nuclear agreement and the Affordable Care Act and as the controversy around Trumpâs interactions with families of fallen U.S. soldiers persists.
 Obama  shied away from calling out Trump directly in  his  remarks in Newark  instead hammering  his  critique of the state of U.S. politics today.