September 07, 2018
Former President Barack Obama gave the city of Philadelphia a pat on the back for electing District Attorney Larry Krasner last November, during a speech Obama gave at the University of Illinois on Friday.
Here’s a clip of the 44th president’s shout out:
Oh wow.
— Shaun King (@shaunking) September 7, 2018
President Obama just shouted out our work electing new District Attorneys who will change the justice system from the inside out in Philadelphia and Boston!
The @RealJusticePAC helped run those campaigns alongside amazing grassroots activists.
Let's keep it up! pic.twitter.com/kpCX7bDOLH
“Do what they just did in Philadelphia and Boston,” Obama said, “and elect state’s attorneys and district attorneys who are looking at issues in a new light.”
Krasner's director of communications, Ben Waxman, reacted to the endorsement on Twitter:
Thanks, Obama.
— Ben Waxman (@bwaxman) September 7, 2018
In an email, Waxman told PhillyVoice it's "exciting and gratifying" for the district attorney's office to be recognized by Obama.
"It's great to see that the really hard work that's being done on a daily basis by the talented staff of the DAO is getting national recognition," Waxman said.
When Philadelphia elected Krasner as the city’s district attorney, he was heralded as a game-changer. Before he was even in office, people were “freaking out” about the coming changes to the establishment.
Krasner’s waged war on cash bail for nonviolent offenders and marijuana possession charges. He’s also ruffled a few feathers along the way.
Apparently, Obama has liked what he’s seen so far.
The former president's praise of Krasner came during a speech that was called a preview of his midterm election campaign message. Obama delivered his most pointed criticism of President Donald Trump and his administration, saying the current president's brand of politics are "just capitalizing on resentments that politicians have been fanning for years — a fear and anger that's rooted in our past, but also borne out of the enormous upheavals that have taken place in your brief lifetimes."
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