Ilhan Omar Refutes Obama: Defund the Police Is ‘Not a Slogan but a Policy Demand’

Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) issued a rebuttal after President Barack Obama expressed the belief that “snappy” slogans like “defund the police” lose supporters, contending that it is “not a slogan but a policy demand.”

“We lose people in the hands of police. It’s not a slogan but a policy demand. And centering the demand for equitable investments and budgets for communities across the country gets us progress and safety,” Omar said in response to Obama’s remarks:

We lose people in the hands of police. It’s not a slogan but a policy demand. And centering the demand for equitable investments and budgets for communities across the country gets us progress and safety. https://t.co/Vu6inw4ms7

— Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) December 2, 2020

The former president participated in an interview with Peter Hamby, host of the Snapchat show Good Luck America, and explained that “snappy” slogans — such as defund the police — lose people across the board.

“You lost a big audience the minute you say it, which makes it a lot less likely that you’re actually going to get the changes you want done,” Obama explained.

“The key is deciding, do you want to actually get something done, or do you want to feel good among the people you already agree with?” he asked.

Omar’s rebuttal follows the ongoing struggle within the Democrat caucus, specifically between the radical left and moderate members, who fear the far left’s public embrace of socialism will hurt them and their party as a whole.

“We have to commit to not saying the words ‘defund the police’ ever again,” Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D-VA) said following the election, which saw Democrats losing several seats in the House.

“We need to not ever use the words socialist or socialism ever again. It does matter, and we have lost good members because of that,” she added.

Omar’s fellow “Squad” members have also publicly called to defund the police. Last summer, Reps. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) and Ayanna Pressley (D-MA) partnered with the coalition Movement for Black Lives to push the “Breathe Act,” which aims to defund police, abolish ICE, and establish a commission to design reparations, among other goals.