Obama encourages Democrats to focus on winning back House, not "tactical differences"

Former President Barack Obama urged Democrats to "meet the moment" at a Los Angeles fundraiser with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries on Sunday. 

"The short-term strategy is, win the House of Representatives," stated the former president, garnering applause. "Because that's going to be the circuit breaker that will give us control of one major component of the federal government. With that as a bulwark, we're now able to block some of the worst impulses that are coming out of this White House." 

The former president laid out a two-pronged strategy for Democrats: to reclaim a House majority next year, and to work on honing the party's messaging in the coming years. 

"Long term, let's tell a story, a better story about who we are as Americans and what we share," Obama said, according to excerpts shared with CBS News. "We have to tell the story that makes people who feel outside that process, we've got to bring them back in." 

He also encouraged Democrats to remain unified. 

"The truth is that AOC and Chuck Schumer and Bernie Sanders and Blue Dog, they actually agree in making sure that people have a living wage, they can support a family," Obama said, arguing that most Americans aren't focused on the party's "nerdy," "college seminar"-style internal debates. "Of course there are going to be some tactical differences, but that shouldn't be our primary concern because we're fighting a bigger fight."

The conversation with Leader Jeffries, who he alluded to as the "soon-to-be Speaker," was part of an event held by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC), the fundraising arm for House Democrats. 

"The most important thing that we need to do is to win back control of the House of Representatives, as President Obama indicated, as part of the path to ending this national nightmare in the United States of America and moving toward a more perfect union," Jeffries told CBS News. 

Their discussion on Sunday also touched on redistricting efforts across the country as well as how to address the affordability crisis.  

"If we bring energy and clarity and commitment to talking about things like affordability and making sure people have health care when they need it, and that they have the ability, if they work hard, to be able to support a family and create a better future for their children and their grandchildren, … it resonates with people, and we have to have confidence in that," Obama said. 

Most Democrats are keen to focus on economic frustrations in the midterms. A late November CBS News poll found public sentiment about the economy hit its lowest level this year with only 32% of respondents describing it as "good." Nearly two-thirds said prices are going up, while 77% said President Trump is not spending enough time on the economy and inflation. 

Mr. Trump traveled to Pennsylvania last week to tout his economic agenda and promote a GOP tax cut bill passed earlier this year. In an interview with the Wall Street Journal on Friday, the president wouldn't say if his policies would boost congressional Republicans' prospects at the ballot box next fall. 

"I can't tell you. I don't know when all of this money is going to kick in," he told the paper.  

"We'll see what happens," Mr. Trump added. "We should win. But, you know, statistically, it's very tough to win. Yeah, it doesn't make sense." 

Obama described Mr. Trump's ascendance as a "wake-up call," but said he was "not entirely surprised" by recent off-year Democratic wins. 

The former president campaigned this fall for gubernatorial candidates Mikie Sherill of New Jersey and Abigail Spanberger of Virginia, who both won their races in November by double-digit margins. Obama pointed to Democrats' newfound optimism since those victories, noting that he spent much of his time after Mr. Trump's return to office "talking people off of ledges." 

"I think we can all feel a new energy," Obama said.