President in office during historic Dem losses returns to 'prepare the next generation of leadership'

Doug P. | 1:20 PM on April 24, 2017

Former President Obama made his first public speech since leaving the presidency in Chicago today:

NOW: Former President Obama delivers first major speech since leaving the White House https://t.co/GHFQ0O89Tn pic.twitter.com/TbHnTWqklj

— CBS News (@CBSNews) April 24, 2017

Watch: For his “next job,” former President Obama says he wants to “prepare the next generation of leadership.” https://t.co/3nMu9AGrzB

— NBC News (@NBCNews) April 24, 2017

A lot happened to the Democrats during Obama’s eight years in office:

1,030 Democratic seats lost under President Obama – the greatest number of party losses during any administration in decades pic.twitter.com/MLk30BI0Yr

— FOX & friends (@foxandfriends) December 26, 2016

During his Chicago appearance, Obama made several recommendations about what should be done to bring the party back:

Obama's political issues, in the order he's mentioned them:
-Gerrymandering
-Money in politics
-Politicized media
-Voter apathy

— Amber Phillips (@byamberphillips) April 24, 2017

GERRYMANDERING!

(President Obama is totally right about this by the way. Huge issue for Dems chances of gaining back lost ground)

— Chris Cillizza (@CillizzaCNN) April 24, 2017

It appears that Obama was for gerrymandering before he was against it:

In 1996, during his first run for office, in the Illinois State Senate, Obama defeated his former political mentor Alice Palmer by successfully challenging her nominating petitions and forcing her off the ballot, effectively ending her career. A few years later, Illinois Democrats, after toiling in the minority in the Senate, gerrymandered the state to produce a Democratic majority. While drafting the new political map, Obama helped redraw his own district northward to include some of Chicago’s wealthiest citizens, making the district a powerful financial and political base that he used to win his U.S. Senate seat, a few years later.