Toles-Bey, a 62-year-old small-business owner, voted for the former president twice, after never participating in elections in his life. He now follows politics incessantly, an obsession he credits to Obama’s influence. He started a T-shirt company called You Can’t Trump God after Obama left office, because President Donald Trump’s election sent him into a downward emotional spiral that only religion could counteract. But even as Toles-Bey waited outside one of Obama’s recent rallies, he wondered aloud if his political hero’s signature idealism had a place in today’s flame-throwing political climate. “It’s a different world we’re living in,” Toles-Bey said. As Obama travels across the country to support Democratic candidates, some members of the coalition that helped him become the first black president are feeling anxious. Despite Obama's speeches focusing on themes of idealism and hope, recent acts of domestic terrorism have shaken the political system leading up to the 2018 elections. Supporters are questioning if they are witnessing a relic of a past era of civil political discourse when listening to Obama speak. The New York Times reports that Obama remains a key Democratic supporter and will be campaigning for key candidates like Andrew Gillum, Stacey Abrams, and Joe Donnelly in the final week of the election. However, Trump's presidency has challenged Obama's strategy of gradual change and has disillusioned some of the voters he once mobilized. Obama's advisers believe that he does not see resistance against Trump and voter motivation as mutually exclusive, as evidenced by his recent speeches criticizing Trump without directly naming him. Some Obama supporters, like Toles-Bey, now prefer a more aggressive approach in response to Trump, feeling that the new generation of progressives is pushing back harder than Obama typically does. According to 20-year-old Gabriella Lorance, younger generations are challenging the traditional way politics is supposed to work. She and her friends, who were just 10 years old when Obama was first elected, expressed their admiration for politicians such as Jason Kander, Beto O'Rourke, and Sharice Davids, but Obama did not make their list. LaTosha Brown, an organizer and co-founder of Black Voters Matter, believes there needs to be a change in how we approach creating change. She respects former President Obama, but now sees him as more of a traditionalist in a time that calls for more drastic action. Brown is tired of being told to wait and vote, insisting that a new approach is needed. This divide could be a sign of future disagreements among liberals. In the upcoming years, as voters look for someone to follow Obama as the unifying figure of the Democratic Party, the debate over the best approach to opposing Trump will be crucial, just as important as policy or ideology. Some potential Democratic presidential candidates for 2020 have already caused controversy by escalating their anti-Trump rhetoric. Former Vice President Joe Biden made a comment about physically fighting Trump (which he later apologized for), Michael Avenatti challenged a member of Trump's family to a physical altercation, and Eric Holder, a former attorney general under Obama considering a presidential run, received backlash for altering Michelle Obama's famous quote to a more aggressive tone. “This is the focus of the new Democratic Party,” Obama frequently includes appeals to conservatives in his speeches, shifting between criticizing the current Republican Party and reaching out to what he calls "compassionate conservatives" who want to build a coalition. However, the upcoming generation of Democrats may choose a more unwavering approach. In the midst of recent political violence, two progressive Democrats, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, stood out for their strong language. Ocasio-Cortez tweeted, "Imagine if it was ISIS that sent bombs to US officials, started shooting in grocery stores, and invading places of worship. How do you think this administration would respond?" Tlaib even went further. In a tweet that called out President Trump for blaming the Pittsburgh shooting on members of the Tree of Life Synagogue, Michelle Obama criticized his lack of leadership and compassion. She emphasized that the victims were fellow Americans who deserved better than to be killed by a terrorist with an AR-15 assault rifle. Obama defended her belief in taking the high road and emphasized the importance of leaders showing decency and not using fear as a motivator. Valerie Jarrett, a close adviser to Obama, acknowledged the frustration among Democrats during Trump's administration but stressed the importance of appealing to people's better nature. Jarrett highlighted that Obama's consistent message of decency and hope should not change, even in challenging political times. She emphasized the importance of not just telling people what they want to hear in the moment. You convey to them the message that you believe is important for them to hear. This is the essence of leadership." Some of Obama's supporters agreed with Jarrett. Kasey Dean, 28, who waited for Obama before his rally in Nevada last week, stated that politicians have a responsibility to uplift the country in times of uncertainty rather than incite fear. Hallie Sebena, 34, who attended Obama's rally in Milwaukee, mentioned that there are ways to resist without resorting to unethical tactics. "We need to have discussions that start from a place of respect," Sebena added. Other liberal voters mentioned that they were so outraged by Trump's administration that it altered their criteria for a Democratic messenger. Tom Mooshegian, 64, suggested that the person who runs against Trump in 2020 will need to be more of a "fighter" to match Trump's aggressive style. Dana Williams, 41, waiting for Obama in Las Vegas, believes that Democrats may need to adopt a more confrontational approach to combat Trump's prioritization of personal attacks. She emphasized the importance of meeting "fire with fire" and not backing down when faced with adversity. Brown expressed her concern that those in high offices may not fully understand the urgency of the current political climate. Obama has been advocating for a more hopeful, civil, and incremental approach to politics in his speeches this summer, without directly responding to Holder's comments. Obama emphasized that the upcoming election is about more than just politics during his speech in Milwaukee last week. He stressed the importance of having a politics that is decent, honest, lawful, and aims to do right by the people, reflecting the values of the country. After staying away from politics for over a year, Obama has now targeted his efforts on states where Democrats are in crucial Senate races. He also tends to hold rallies in urban areas with voters who are historically less likely to vote in midterm elections, including young people and minorities. Jon Favreau, a former speechwriter for Obama who now runs a liberal media company, said the former president’s message has evolved on key issues such as voter suppression and structural racism. The Republican Party has become more overtly tied to white identity politics and immigration reduction, Favreau said, and Obama has become more explicit in his indictments. In doing so, he has laid out a pathway for how Democratic candidates can criticize without resorting to mudslinging. Favreau said campaigns like Gillum’s in Florida, Abrams’ in Georgia and O’Rourke’s in Texas were “the next generation and the next iteration of that Obama message of hope.” “If you are only fighting Donald Trump, and if you’re only fighting Republicans with whatever sick burn you can figure out, you haven’t done the full job,” he said. "What voters desire is for individuals to advocate for causes."