Now that 18 candidates have thrown their names into the ring for the Democratic bid in the 2020 presidential election, former President Barack Obama has this message for his beloved party: "Chill out."

On Thursday, November 24, former President Barack Obama discussed his point of view on the state of the Democratic primary elections during a fundraiser in Silicon Valley. He earnestly suggested that the oversaturation of candidates signifies the anxious energy currently permeating the party. However, as CNN reports, Obama noted that the differences between each candidate's political platforms ultimately are "relatively minor," especially in comparison to the political value system driving the Trump administration.

“Everyone needs to chill out about the candidates, but gin up about the prospect of rallying behind whoever emerges from this process, and making sure we’re hitting the ground running,” the former president reportedly implored during the fundraiser, according to
Mercury News.

Given the current administration's unorthodox approach to democracy, 44 underscored what the universal focus and aim of the Democratic party should be, urging all Democrats to prepare to provide total support to whoever is ultimately nominated to represent the party in the race for the White House.

“The ultimate goal is to defeat a president and a party that has, I think, taken a sharp turn away from a lot of the core traditions and values and institutional commitments that built this country,” Obama said, according to HuffPost.

He also shared his concerns over America's current reception and propensity for attachment to the Democratic Party's diverse presidential hopefuls, noting that during the primary, everyone's "flaws are magnified."

Over the last few weeks, Obama has been especially vocal about not buying into the modern conception of being “politically woke,” advising voters to resist the inclination to "cancel someone" just because their values or previous actions don't directly align. Ultimately, this is a dangerous game to play when trying to oust the incumbent president.

Furthermore, he advised that candidates to not overcorrect by appearing to lean too far left to pander to voters, and instead encouraged candidates to, according to Slate, "pay attention to what goes on in the real world."

“Even as we push the envelope and we are bold in our vision, we also have to be rooted in reality and the fact that voters, including the Democratic voters and certainly persuadable independents or even moderate Republicans, are not driven by the same views that are reflected on certain, you know, left-leaning Twitter feeds,” he reportedly said during the Obama Foundation Summit on October 29. 

Nevertheless, while the former president appreciates the diversity across the Democratic candidates, he bluntly explained the cost of being an irresolute voter during the Silicon Valley event, according to CNN. 

"The field will narrow and there's going to be one person. And if that is not your perfect candidate, and there are certain aspects of what they say that you don't agree with, and you don't find them completely inspiring the way you'd like — I don't care," he said. "The choice is so stark and the stakes are so high that you cannot afford to be ambivalent in this race."

2020-Presidential-ElectionBarack-ObamaDemocratic-primaries