Barack Obama warns ‘democracy itself’ is on the ballot

President Barack Obama finishes his remarks at a campaign event for the Ohio Democratic Party and for the Senate bid for former Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland at the Greater Columbus Convention Center in Columbus, Ohio, Thursday, Oct. 13, 2016. (Source: AP Photo)

US President Barack Obama warned American “democracy itself” is on the ballot in November’s presidential election, as White House concern grows about the lasting impact of Republican Donald Trump’s scorched-earth campaign. “Civility is on the ballot. Tolerance is on the ballot. Courtesy is on the ballot. Honesty is on the ballot. Equality is on the ballot. Kindness is on the ballot,” Obama said at a fiery campaign event for Hillary Clinton in Cleveland.

“All the progress we made in the last eight years is on the ballot,” he said. “Democracy itself is on the ballot right now.”