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Barack Obama acknowledged Democrats can be a buzzkill with their abstract campaign messaging and could better connect with voters by emphasizing what constituents feel in their day to day lives.

During an interview on Pod Save America, released Friday, Obama acknowledged that he used to get into trouble when he appeared too professorial, including by standing behind a lectern and talking about policy in theoretical ways that didnt directly connect with voters.

Thats not how people think about these issues, Obama said, less than a month before his party tries to hang on to control of both congressional chambers during the 8 November midterms. They think about them in terms of, you know, the life Im leading day to day. How does politics how is it even relevant to the things that I care most deeply about?

My family, my kids, work that gives me satisfaction, having fun, not being a buzzkill, right?

He added: And sometimes Democrats are, right? You know, sometimes, people just want to not feel as if they are walking on eggshells. And they want some acknowledgment that life is messy and that all of us at any given moment can say things the wrong way, make mistakes.

Obama went on to talk about his 86-year-old mother-in-law, Marian Robinson, whom he said was trying to learn the right phraseology to talk about issues. The former first lady Michelle Obama had said that was like trying to learn Spanish for her mother.

It doesnt mean she shouldnt try to learn Spanish, but it means that sometimes shes not gonna get the words right, the former president said. And thats OK, right?

And that attitude, I think, of just being a little more real and a little more grounded is something that I think goes a long way in counteracting what is the systematic propaganda that I think is being pumped out by Fox News and all these other outlets all the time.

Facing a slew of culture-war attack lines from Republicans, Democrats have sometimes become embroiled in their own debates over proper terminology, including the use of the term Latinx and defund the police. Democratic research from February found that voters could find the party preachy, judgmental, and focused on the culture wars, Politico reported.

Wokeness is a problem and everyone knows it, Democratic pundit James Carville, the former strategist for Bill Clinton, told Vox last year. Theres nothing inherently wrong with these phrases. But this is not how people talk.

This stuff is harmless in one sense, but in another sense its not.

Obamas comments came as Democrats are bracing to likely lose their majority in the US House while hoping that they can retain the Senate.

A recent New York Times/Siena poll found that 49% of likely voters said they would cast their ballot for a Republican candidate, compared to 45% for Democrats in congressional races. One of the most alarming findings for Democrats in the poll was the swing to Republicans among women who identified as independents. Last month, independent women backed Democrats by 14%, but the October poll found they now backed Republicans by 18%.

Overall, women were split 47% to 47% on whether they would support Democrats or Republican congressional candidates. Democrats had an 11-point advantage last month in the poll.

Im shifting more towards Republican because I feel like theyre more geared towards business, Robin Ackerman, a 37-year-old Democrat in New Castle, Delaware, told the New York Times.

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Obama admits Democrats can be a buzzkill and urges better messaging - The Guardian US

Billed by Axios as the book Donald Trump fears most, Maggie HabermansConfidence Man: The Making of Donald Trump and the Breaking of America debutedlastweek asNo. 1best-seller on Amazon and the New York Times. At 508 pages, its a challenge. But its worth the slog: the best book yet on the mystery man whostill remains, two years after being rejected for a second term, the most dominant force in American politics.

The most striking thing about the book is its title. Consider: For the New York Times, Haberman covered Donald Trump full-time for six years. During his four years in the White House, she averaged more than one Trump story a day. She was the Timess most-read reporter. Shes interviewed Trump dozens of times. Hescalled her a third-rate reporter,but he gave her three interviews for this book alonethefirst onerequestedby himbefore she even asked.

Haberman knows Trump better than any other reporter. Yet, after all that access and all that time, what words did she choose to describe Trump? TheConfidence Man,which is hardly a compliment.Merriam-Webster defines a confidence man as a person who tricks other people in order to get their money. And that, my friends, as Haberman skillfully and exhaustively relates, is Donald Trumpin a nutshell.

Habermansgreat insight, and her bookscentral premise,is that you cant understand Trump unless you track him from the beginning of his professional career, when he, somewhat reluctantly,joined his fathers real estate firm. (He originally wanted to become an actor.)Fromthat point on, she argues, hes frozen in time.Recounting countless episodes from his New York developer days, she concludes: He was interested primarily in money, dominance, power, bullying and himself. He treated rules and regulations as unnecessary obstacles rather than constraints on his behavior He sought anendless stream of praise His thirst for fame seemed to grow each time he tasted more of it.

Donald Trump the developer was Donald Trump the president. HisM.O. never changed.

Filing countless, worthless lawsuits? It didnt start in the White House, it started in Queens, when he sued every reporter, contractor ordeveloper who wouldnt accede to his demands. Notbecause he expected to winjust to intimidate them. Or, as he admitted after suing his biographer, Tim OBrien, just to make his life miserable.

Telling lies? It didnt start with the size of the crowd at his Inauguration. As a developer, he allegedlylied aboutmany things, according to Habermans and others reporting:his net worth, the value of properties, his ties to the mafia, his prowess with women.

Haberman opens her book with a string of lies an 18-year-old Donald Trump apparentlytoldabout the dedication of the Verrazano-Narrows bridge, which he attended with this father.

Haberman reminds us that, essentially, Donald Trump believes in nothing but hisown greatness. Everything about him is transactional.He was a Republican before joining the Reform Party before becoming a Democrat before becominga Republican again. Hesupported abortion rightsbefore he was anti-abortion. He was for universal health care beforetrying to killObamaCare. According to Haberman, he wasnt even convincedabout building a wallasapolitical issueuntil he saw the enthusiastic responseitgenerated at campaign rallies.

Trumpisnot the first confidence man weve encountered. As chronicled by Herman Melville, Mark Twain, Thomas Mann and others, theyre a peculiarly American phenomenon. The only difference is, to our eternal regret, we elected this confidence manpresident of the United States.

Pressis host of TheBillPressPod. He is the author of From the Left: A Life in the Crossfire.

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Press: Donald Trump, Confidence Man, then and now - The Hill

With help from Olivia Olander

Happy Tuesday, Illinois. Election day is 21 days away.

Former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama vote early for the midterm elections on Oct. 17, 2022, in Chicago. | Shia Kapos/POLITICO

Barack and Michelle Obama returned home to vote Monday ahead of the midterm elections that will see the former president campaigning for Democrats across the country.

Doing downtown: The Obamas, who are staying a few days at their Hyde Park Home, stopped by the Chicago Board of Elections Supersite at 191 N. Clark Street, where your Playbook host got a glimpse of them casting their ballots. (Yes, they still have a home in Chicago, where they are registered to vote.)

Side by side: The former president joked with elections staffers about missing the days when he could just punch a paper ballot for Democrats. On Monday, the former first couple voted on touch screens. They stood side by side but didnt confer with each other, though the former president had notes in hand he might have referred to. They took about 10 minutes to fill out their ballots before posing for pictures with Chicago Election Board staffers, who were surprised by the visit.

The voting site stayed open while the Obamas cast their ballots and as they left, a few folks were startled at the sight of the former first couple.

More surprise visits. The Obamas then hit two youth events. The former president greeted more than 60 Chicago high school students gathered at Fulton Market event space where he headlined a panel discussion on community resources and activism. Joining him: Chicago Bulls Ayo Dosunmo, Bulls creative strategy exec Don C. and students Adeeb Borden of Butler College Prep and Aniya Hill of North Lawndale College Prep.

Michelle and Barack Obama talk to Chicago Elections Board staff as they get ready to vote on Monday, Oct. 17, 2022. | Shia Kapos/POLITICO

On the South Side, Michelle Obama surprised Hyde Park Academy students during an all-school assembly to kick off the school years Obama Foundation Futures Series, which exposes students to leaders and careers.

You dont need connections to do well. You dont need money to do well. You need people that you can go to when its hard, people that remind you who you are, the former first lady told the group. WBEZs Nereida Moreno has this story.

About the midterms: Obama will be on the campaign trail in the coming days, including in Georgia on Oct. 28, where hell stump for governor candidate Stacey Abrams and Sen. Raphael Warnock.

Obama is then scheduled to join Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer at a get-out-the-vote rally on Oct. 29. And on the same day, hell head to Wisconsin to campaign for Democrats there.

In an interview with Pod Save America that aired Friday evening, Obama said hes looking at down-ballot races. There are governors races, secretary of states races, state legislative races that are going to really matter, he said. It may turn out that in a close presidential election at some point, certification of an election in a key swing state may be at issue. And its going to be really important that we have people there who play it straight.

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Ahead of tonights governors debate, Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker issued a scathing attack on Republican Darren Bailey for not speaking out against former President Donald Trumps comments about American Jews.

Trump wrote on his TruthSocial social media platform that American Jews need to get their act together and show more appreciation for the state of Israel before it is too late.

A campaign spokeswoman for Pritzker, who is Jewish, said: After courting and earning Donald Trumps endorsement and spending months refusing to apologize for his appalling rhetoric comparing the Holocaust to abortion rights, voters can only assume that Bailey agrees with his idol that U.S. Jews need to get their act together.

In a statement to Playbook, Bailey spokesman Joe DeBose called Pritzker an out of touch billionaire who is too focused on national politics

Lamenting the state of affairs: Illinois House Jewish Caucus Leader Bob Morgan said comments by Trump and Kanye West, who recently posted anti-Semitic messages on Twitter, are fueling antisemitic behavior. Its the most Ive seen in my lifetime, Morgan told Playbook. We have had moments of extraordinarily high anti-Semitism over the years, but now were seeing public displays by people who are followed by millions of Americans.

Well be watching to see if the issue makes it into tonights debate.

The debate starts at 7 p.m. on WGN.

POLL | Pritzker, Duckworth hold commanding leads ahead of election, according to the Illinois Broadcasters Association and Research America Poll via NBC 5

Have a news tip, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job, or any other nugget for Playbook? Id like to hear from you: [emailprotected]

On the debate stage at 7 p.m. on WGN to face Republican Darren Bailey.

On the Chicago Riverwalk at 2 p.m. to announce infrastructure investments.

At the Cook County Building at 9:30 a.m. to announce the resumption of ambulance runs to Cook County Healths Provident Hospital, serving Chicagos South Side.

BIG RULING | Ahead of key Illinois Supreme Court elections, federal judge blocks state campaign contribution limits in judicial races: The decision, handed down Friday, has the potential to unleash a deluge of cash into two hotly contested races for seats on the states highest court, by Tribunes Dan Petrella.

In suburban congressional races, Dems clobbering Republicans in fundraising except in IL-17: Republican Esther Joy King of East Moline has nearly $1.4 million cash on hand to Democrat Eric Sorensens nearly $295,000, according to the latest Federal Election Commission reports. Sun-Times Lynn Sweet has all the numbers.

Sen. Tammy Duckworth holds giant fundraising lead over GOP challenger Kathy Salvi: The Illinois Democrat has raised about $18 million, while her Republican opponent on the November ballot has brought in about $1 million, according to new FEC reports, by Sun-Times Lynn Sweet.

Illinois House Speaker Emanuel Chris Welch and Democrats for the Illinois House closed the quarter reporting $14.1 million raised and $17 million cash on hand.

Judge Elizabeth Rochford is being endorsed by the Illinois Education Association in her campaign for the Supreme Court's Second District.

Republican Erica Harriss has been endorsed by the Illinois Chamber of Commerce and the Illinois National Federation of Independent Business political action committee in her bid for the 56th District state Senate seat.

Democrat Maria Peterson has been endorsed by the Illinois Senate Latino Caucus, Citizen Action/Illinois and the Latino Victory Fund in her bid for the 26th District state Senate seat.

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Illinois sees first snowfall of the season, but 70s are returning: O'Hare Airport reported snowfall on Monday as did other areas of the region, but forecasters predict the weather will steadily improve, via National Weather Service. By Patchs Jeff Arnold.

Illinois might overshadow Iowas corn fields: Iowa farmers are projected to harvest about 200 bushels of corn per acre this year on average a yield potentially less than Illinois 210, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture predictions, Successful Farming reports.

COVID UPDATE | Illinois no longer requires masks in health care facilities, though many may continue mandating them: The change marks a milestone in the pandemic and is in line with recently released recommendations from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, by Tribunes Lisa Schencker.

Mountain lion killed in crash on I-88 in DeKalb County: Now wildlife officials are monitoring a second cougar in western Illinois, by WTTWs Patty Wetli

WELCOME: For the first time in weeks, there were no new arrivals of migrants to Illinois, according to the Chicago Department of Family and Support Services. The city has so far welcomed 3,408 asylum-seekers bused from the Texas border since Aug. 31.

Immigrants from Texas need winter clothes, coats, shoes and supplies. Heres how you can donate, by Block Clubs Maia Pandey

The Chicago Housing Authority keeps giving up valuable land while HUD rubber-stamps the deals: Despite being years behind on obligations to build more homes, the citys public housing agency gets permission to sell, lease and swap its property in gentrifying neighborhoods, by ProPublicas Mick Dumke.

The agency running a 988 call center in Chicago is trying to allay fears of police ties: The nonprofit known as C4 says it has received about 350 calls to the new suicide lifeline and hasnt transferred any to cops, by WBEZs Chip Mitchell.

Embattled Ald. Jim Gardiner gives up Fire Department promotion to seek 2nd term on City Council: He objected to being forced to choose, by Sun-Times Fran Spielman

Ald. Derrick Curtis accidentally shoots himself in wrist while cleaning gun, police say, via Sun-Times Tom Schuba and Fran Spielman

City's public health chief points to funding cliff ahead as Covid federal funding shrinks, by Crains Katherine Davis

CPD officers reporting misconduct more often, COPA chief says, by WGNs Sam Charles

NASCAR: Elk Grove Village to sponsor driver in next years downtown Chicago race, continuing push to market itself as manufacturing hub, by Tribunes Robert McCoppin

Krishnamoorthi asks feds for new study of train merger that would include suburban crossings, by Daily Heralds Marni Pyke

Prosecutors dismiss domestic violence case against Cook County judge: The person who filed the complaint told prosecutors the incident was an accident and she did not want to proceed with the case, according to court records, by Sun-Times Sophie Sherry.

Boys and Girls Clubs CEO of NW Indiana had entitled attitude and BAC four times over legal limit, police report says, by Tribunes Amy Lavalley

We asked what theater scene startled you out of your seat:

Brian Bernardoni: "Anyone who remembers anything from the Annoyance Theatre in the 1990s should have a full list of shows to choose from. Mine included 'Co-Ed Prison Sluts.' If you know you know. I will leave it at that."

Lisa Brasch: Nothing compares to that hand reaching out of the grave at the end of Carrie.

Timothy Thomas Jr.: Felt like jumping (for celebration) at the Lyrics Fiddler on the Roof (took mom for her birthday) and seeing a commitment to colorblind casting with the outstanding performance of Melody Betts as the grandmother in the dream sequence. Pic!

Justin Kulovsek: Goodman Theatre's 2017 production of Gloria right before intermission ... IYKYK.

Rey Nonato: West Side Story.

John Straus: When the chandelier drops in Phantom of the Opera.

Mary Beth Hoerner: The live child burial scene in Martin McDonaghs The Pillowman at Steppenwolf, or the cat skinning/brain dripping scene in the same authors The Lieutenant of Inishmore at Northlight.

What would you ask President Barack Obama if hed stop to take your question? Email [emailprotected]

Q&A with Sen. Dick Durbin: He talks Ukraine, immigration and the upcoming midterm elections with WTTWs Paris Schutz

Future Democratic stars at risk of getting wiped out in the midterms, by POLITICOs Elena Schneider

Democrats midterm hopes fade: We peaked a little early, by POLITICOs David Siders

The legacy Nancy Pelosi never wanted, by POLITICOs Rachel Bade and The Washington Posts Karoun Demirjian

Bidens student debt relief draws 8M+ applications in first two days, by POLITICOs Michael Stratford

Thursday at 5:30 p.m.: Sen. Tammy Duckworth holds a Brews with Tammy fundraiser at an as yet undisclosed location. Details here

MONDAYs ANSWER: Congrats to Andy Shaw for correctly answering that University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Southern Illinois University Carbondale and Northern Illinois University have buildings named after former Gov. John P. Altgeld.

TODAYs QUESTION: Who was the Chicago mobster who counted congressmen, judges, federal and state prosecutors, park commissioners and aldermen as honorary pallbearers? Email [emailprotected]

Former Illinois Senate President Emil Jones, State Budget Director Alexis Sturm, staffer to state Sen. Rob Martwick J.C. Strzalka-Steil, MxDs Alyssa Anna Sullivan, University of Chicago professor Victor A. Friedman, comms consultant Jim Bray and Playbooker Steve Whitmer.

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Obamas home to vote - POLITICO - POLITICO

ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) A jury on Tuesday acquitted a think tank analyst accused of lying to the FBI about his role in the creation of a discredited dossier about former President Donald Trump.

The case against Igor Danchenko was the third and possibly final case brought by Special Counsel John Durham as part of his probe into how the FBI conducted its own investigation into allegations of collusion between the 2016 Trump campaign and the Kremlin.

Thefirst two cases ended in an acquittal and a guilty pleawith a sentence of probation.

Danchenko betrayed no emotion as the verdict was read. His wife wiped away tears after the clerk read the final not guilty to the four counts he faced.

WATCH: Brooks and Capehart on the Jan. 6 subpoena of Trump and whats at stake in the midterms

Danchenko didnt comment after the hearing, but his lawyer, Stuart Sears, spoke briefly to reporters, saying, Weve known all along that Mr. Danchenko is innocent. Were happy now that the American public knows that as well.

The jury reached its verdict after roughly nine hours of deliberations over two days. One juror, Joel Greene of Vienna, Virginia, said there were no real disputes among the jury and that jurors just wanted to be thorough in reviewing the four counts.

The acquittal marked a significant setback for Durham. Despite hopes by Trump supporters that the prosecutor would uncover a sweeping conspiracy within the FBI and other agencies to derail his candidacy, the three-year investigation failed to produce evidence that met those expectations. The sole conviction an FBI lawyer admitted altering an email related to the surveillance of a former Trump aide was for conduct uncovered not by Durham but by the Justice Departments inspector general, and the two cases that Durham took to trials ended in full acquittals.

Durham declined comment after the hearing, but he said in a statement issued through the Justice Department: While we are disappointed in the outcome, we respect the jurys decision and thank them for their service. I also want to recognize and thank the investigators and the prosecution team for their dedicated efforts in seeking truth and justice in this case.

He issued an identical statement after the first trial ended in acquittal.

The Danchenko case was the first of the three to delve deeply into the origins of the Steele dossier, a compendium of allegations that Trumps 2016 presidential campaign was colluding with the Kremlin.

WATCH: Jan. 6 committee votes unanimously to subpoena Trump

Most famously, it alleged that the Russians could have blackmail material on Trump for his supposed interactions with prostitutes in a Moscow hotel. Trump derided the dossier as fake news and a political witch hunt when it became public in 2017.

Danchenko, by his own admission, was responsible for 80 percent of the raw intelligence in the dossier and half of the accompanying analysis, though trial testimony indicated that Danchenko was shocked and dismayed about how Steele presented the material and portrayed it as factual when Danchenko considered it more to be rumor and speculation.

Prosecutors said that if Danchenko had been more honest about his sources, the FBI might not have treated the dossier so credulously. As it turned out, the FBI used material from the dossier to support applications for warrantless surveillance of a Trump campaign official, Carter Page, even though the FBI never was able to corroborate a single allegation in the dossier.

Prosecutors said Danchenko lied about the identity of his own sources for the material he gave to Steele. The specific charges against Danchenko allege that he essentially fabricated one of his sources when the FBI interviewed him to determine how he derived the material he provided for the dossier.

Danchenko told the FBI that some of the material came when he received an anonymous call from a man he believed to be Sergei Millian, a former president of the Russian-American Chamber of Commerce.

Prosecutors said Danchenkos story made no sense. They said that phone records show no evidence of a call, and that Danchenko had no reason to believe Millian, a Trump supporter hed never met, was suddenly going to be willing to provide disparaging information about Trump to a stranger.

WATCH: How the anti-Trump dossier came to be

Danchenkos lawyers, as a starting point, maintain that Danchenko never said he talked with Millian. He only guessed that Millian might have been the caller when the FBI asked him to speculate. And they said he shouldnt be convicted of a crime for making a guess at the FBIs invitation.

That said, Danchenkos lawyers say, he had good reason to believe the caller may well have been Millian. The call came just a few days after Danchenko had reached out to Millian over email after a mutual acquaintance brokered a connection over email.

And Danchenkos lawyers say its irrelevant that his phone records dont show a call because Danchenko told the FBI from the start that the call might have taken place over a secure mobile app for which he had no records.

The jury began deliberations Monday afternoon after hearing closing arguments on four counts. On Friday, U.S. District Judge Anthony Trengathrew out a fifth count, saying prosecutors had failed to prove it as a matter of law.

Trenga nearly threw out all of the charges before the trial began, citing the legal strength of Danchenkos defense, but allowed the case to proceed in what he described as an extremely close call.

Associated Press writer Eric Tucker in Washington contributed to this report.

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Think tank analyst acquitted in trial over discredited Donald Trump dossier - PBS NewsHour

close Video Obama could have stopped America's Joe Biden problem: Tammy Bruce

Fox News contributor Tammy Bruce reacts to reports first lady Jill Biden is vetting White House officials for the president on 'The Faulkner Focus.'

Fox News contributor Tammy Bruce argued Tuesday that former President Obama knew of President Biden's weaknesses and had the power to stop his presidency but didn't, telling "The Faulkner Focus" the former president "decimated" the Democrat Party during his time.

TAMMY BRUCE: Barack Obama is the leader of the party effectively. He has the most power in the Democratic Party. He could have stopped this from happening, but he didn't. So he knew the weaknesses of this man [Joe Biden].

WASHINGTON POST REPORTS RESENTMENT, 'JEALOUSY' BETWEEN OBAMA'BIDEN CAMPS: THE BROMANCE IS EXAGGERATED

He knew what would occur, perhaps he felt that Susan Rice could run the country, I don't know. But we've got this problem, he could have stopped it, but he didn't, and that's what everybody needs to know. He says some nice things. He decimated that party [Democratic] during his time.

This article was written by Fox News staff.

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Tammy Bruce points finger at Obama for Biden's problematic presidency: He could have stopped this but didn't - Fox News