Sen. Slotkin claims Democrats are too worried about 'p---ing off people on the Internet'

Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., says that Democrats are too worried about making people angry and that they "constrain" themselves too much. 

During an interview last week on PBS’s "Firing Line with Margaret Hoover," Hoover asked Slotkin about President Barack Obama’s recent criticism of Democrats, where he said that his party should "toughen up." 

"President Obama chided Democrats, saying they need to ‘toughen up’ against Donald Trump. You have said we need more ‘alpha energy’ in the Democratic Party," Hoover told Slotkin. 

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Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., says that Democrats are too worried about making people angry and "constrain" themselves too much.  (Chip Somodevilla)

Slotkin agreed, and Hoover asked if she and Obama are "saying the same thing." 

"I don’t know if we’re saying the exact same thing, but it sort of smells the same, right," Slotkin said. "And I think this idea that Democrats are so careful, and they’re so caveated, and they’re so worried about offending each other, offending other people, they’re so worried about pissing off people on the Internet. They live often in a world where they constrain themselves."

Hoover then asked if Democrats are "too sensitive."

"I think some of them, sure, are too sensitive," Slotkin said. "And this is, to me, the central point, especially with Donald Trump in the White House, this is just not a moment to be careful and polite. We need a plan. We need to be on the same page. We need to play as a team. We need to call out when someone isn’t helping the team. And we need to hug someone when they do something great."

The PBS host asked Slotkin if she was saying that Republicans are afraid of Trump, and if Democrats "fear each other’s factions." 

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Michigan Sen. Elissa Slotkin. (Reuters)

Slotkin responded by saying that some "fear" backlash on X, still often referred to as its former name Twitter.

"You know, I’ve been shocked — you know, I’m new to the Senate, six months in — how many of my peers said, ‘Well, Elissa, I’d love to be with you on that issue, but, you know, Twitter will be mad. You know, the Internet people will be mad at me,’" Slotkin said. 

"They literally say that," Hoover asked. 

"Yeah. There’ll be a bad online response," Slotkin admitted. 

Obama’s "toughen up" comments referenced by Hoover were made at a fundraiser in July where he said Democrats should complain less.

"I think it’s going to require a little bit less navel-gazing and a little less whining and being in fetal positions. And it’s going to require Democrats to just toughen up," Obama said at the fundraiser, according to excerpts obtained by CNN.

Former President Barack Obama’s "toughen up" comments referenced by Hoover were made at a fundraiser in July where he said Democrats should complain less. (Photo by Brooks Kraft LLC/Corbis via Getty Images)

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