• “We see the utter loss of shame among political leaders, where they’re caught in a lie and they just double down and lie some more.”
"There is no way to shame a man who lacks conscience or to embarrass an embarrassment.”
~ CHARLES M. BLOW
The New York Times
May 16, 2016
https://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/16/opinion/trumps-asymmetric-warfare.html
4
“politics of fear, resentment and retrenchment”
For all of this century, that has been the conservatives' game plan...restrict, repress, regress - Republican.
5
Obama 2020; we need you back in office...!
5
Says the president (I voted for twice) who promised change from the "anything goes" of our 1% dictatorship and then installed a "Wall Street government" of criminal CEO oligarchs to run this country after they almost destroyed the world in 2008! The real reason our political-business-media establishment hate Trump so much is that he has threatened their access to the 80% of the no rights slave workers in the world via out or mass immigration in-sourcing that they have become addicted to making trillions of unearned profits off of. Our 1% and their lackey political class have committed high treason for 4 decades by "giving the farm" to China, allowing them to hake us to shreds and not retaliating in any substantial way, steal our military and commercial secrets and property for the kick back bribes from China and Mexico's corrupt top to bottom systems that have doubled our 1% wealth. Apparently Russia does not have enough people to supply our Robber Barons with many slave factory workers so that's why its not worth it for them to forgive Russia's aggressions in the same way they "forget" China's attacking and completely destroying Tibet, placing 1000's un-accused Islamists in concentration camps, having gulags for political prisoners, stealing trillions via illegal tariffs and theft of US intellectual property, state organized crime raping most of Asia's forests and resources, claiming sea beds belonging to other nations in violation of international law.
2
Thank you Obama for your very thoughtful speech.
When he articulated that the ideals promoted by Mandela are now at risk and the "moment in time in which two very different visions of humanity’s future compete for the hearts and minds of citizens around the world. Two different stories, two different narratives, about who we are and who we should be.”
Dilemma of the globalized contemporary world couldn't have been articulated better.
I am convinced that backlash to globalization has helped fuel the extraordinary political shifts.
Few year back that globalization was panacea for all economic ills considered inevitable, unstoppable force, meant industry would move from expensive rich countries to cheaper poor countries, Rich countries would either have to accept lower wages to compete, or lose their jobs. But no matter what, the goods they formerly produced would now be imported, and be even cheaper. unemployed could get new, higher-skilled jobs . Economists and politicians hailed its merits with little concern of political consequences.
As well said by The Guardian " The first three decades after 1945 were governed by the Bretton Woods consensus – a shallow multilateralism that permitted policymakers to focus on domestic social and employment needs while enabling global trade to recover and flourish. This regime was superseded by an agenda of deeper liberalization and economic integration. That model is unsustainable. The world economy awaits its new Keynes".
2
So, the alternative is Obama's "why can't we all get along" method of complete corporate capitulation? Well, the resulting payday is much better than actually representing the people who placed their hopes in you by voting for you, I suppose. And that is why they run for office, it seems.
2
I suspect that it's Obama that seeks the negative media reporting, and the far left movement he'd like the globe to embrace. This started LONG before Trump, when he started his non-profit and began his vision of the 'global initiative.' He is outrageous. Trump is unreal, but that's no reason for Obama to act like he's in charge or even has a voice right now short of that of a citizen.
4
It seems eons ago that we had an intelligent, thoughtful president who cherished and promoted American values, who was committed to our allies and who expressed empathy for the world's oppressed. President Obama reminds us it was not that long ago and gives hope we will have leaders in the future who once again embrace American principles.
12
The far right and the racists hate Obama; an intelligent black man - a Constitutional scholar and a 2 times President of the United States. They fear he’ll come back to speak the truth to the American people; that time is of the essence because our democracy is at stake He knows how Vladimir Putin maneuvers people; that Russia is an authoritarian Communist country that insists on entrapping America and are using President Trump as the bait.
President Obama also knows that had he traveled to Finland just trying to convince President Putin of his wrong doings, the Republicans would be having the National Guard waiting for Air Force One to take President Obama out of the airplane in heavy shackles.
4
With a Trump presidency, I question whether "Truth" as a value for Western Civilization no longer is regarded above lies for American voters. It's being conned; it's being told only what you want to hear; it's being told a lie that has more value than the concept of truth in a lot of people's minds.
Anyone would be considered strong after 8 years of the weak, leading from behind, we saw with Obama.
5
President Obama is just telling us what we know in our hearts to be true, now how do people who care about democracy handle those who care little about our country? How do we proceed with out them?
4
Great example of difference between eloquence and effectiveness. Obama is back with his speeches which sound good but lack substance.
He claims that his policies led to global economic recovery when he presided over the longest recovery cycle and when the beneficiaries of that recovery were primarily the rich.
He is criticising the worl order when his foreign policies led nonstop wars in middle east, rise of ISIS to capture big territories from being a "JV" team, and Russia annexing Crimea.
He talks of reducing race differences, when objective measures indicate that race relations became worse in the U.S. during his presidency.
No sit, conomic growth was not a result of socialist policies of free coutries, it was inspite of them just because a strong constitution slowed down the heavy hand of government to curb individual freedom and liberty. Other soicialist countires have not been that lucky.
4
In my opinion. There is so much wrong with the comments in this attempt to rebut Mr Obama’s speech. I’ll note two. This nation came together to defeat fascism in WWII. Our automotive industry worked as one to create a great united armed force. The Eisenhauer administration in the 50ties initiated our great US Interstate network that connects every corner of the US. You can deny that these initiatives were US socialist in action but I would argue they are. Many of this nations greatest achievements were large government driven.
Next is the question of race relations under Obama vs today. I would argue that if race relations did declined it is due to the ingrained racism in many white citizens who felt a false sense of privilege and resentment to an African American holding the highest office in the land. Some might argue that race relations were worse after the civil war or Martin Luther Kings time. This is because many somehow do not understand equality and do not recognize that they have advantages that they should not.
10
I like and respect Mr. Obama. I do however find it curious that he goes to
South Africa to speak about democracy, without addressing South Africa's greatest problem,
I.e. CORRUPTION.
Yes, "the Big Man Syndrome " and Corruption almost always go hand in hand, no more so than in South Africa, where just about every government agency has been robbed down to a skeleton structure.
Corruption and Apartheid have the same effect. Poor people do not have access to all those things which are the substance of a vibrant democracy.South Africa ,under the
ANC government has one of the worst educational systems in the world. Many South Africans are so poor they cannot afford to buy a newspaper.
Yes, America is in trouble, and it is right and good that Obama says so. However, when in Rome, talk about Rome's problems.
5
@Constanze Böhler
You mean that the ANC didn't eliminate all of the apartheid-era corruption yet, nor turn its education system into a jewel yet ... ?
If yes: look at ANY post-dictatorship country (Spain, Portugal, Italy, ... ) and you'll see that it takes DECADES to recover, after a "revolution" brings down the dictator and the slow and deep work to completely transform the system starts.
The problems in South Africa today still ARE apartheid's problems, as they're a direct consequence of it.
And as we in the West have supported apartheid for decades, it would be a bit weird to now start telling them to move faster forward than they are already doing, no ... ? ;-)
It's clearly more honest/integer/courageous, as former US president (= president of the most powerful and wealthiest country on earth), to go to a tiny country that we exploited for decades, and then criticize them rather than remembering the entire world that America is NOT just Trump, that there still ARE moral leaders to be found, even in the US, and that when needed, those leaders do speak out to criticize their own country and culture.
And by the way, it's not just America, it's also Italy, the UK, Hungary and Poland. So there's a problem in the entire West today, and that problem looks very much like what Mandela has been fighting against his entire life: racism and strongmen ...
So WHAT could actually have been more appropriate than that?
12
So why has President Obama been SILENT for the last 18 months in the face of Donald Trump’s Ferocious Assault on Human Values & the Future of our Planet ? Why is President Obama not at the forefront of the battle of Democracies around the World against Divisive Nationalism & Vicious Populism. President Obama & First Lady Michelle Obama do not seem to be doing what First Lady Michelle Obama exhorted Americans to do in her last speech from the White House ‘You need to join your Voice to the National Conversation ..as a citizen..’
Because by a sort of “code of honor”, former presidents do not attack their successors, and current presidents do not attack their predecessors.
So much for 45’s sense of honor....
11
@S Venkatesh
It's because this is a democracy.
Presidents can get elected twice, and during those years have tremendous influence on what happens in the country.
Elections are held so regularly to prevent any single man from getting too deluded all alone in the White House.
Once you had that privilege for 8 years, you are supposed to allow another president and political party to take over power, including when they take the country in the opposite direction, because that's what they campaigned on and why they won the elections.
That's why US president refrains from intervening once they leave the White House, and especially during the first decade.
A democracy isn't made by one single man. It's the Democratic party that today takes over from Obama, and continues the fight, according to the financial means given to them after the last election.
That's the ONLY way to guarantee a peaceful transition of power.
Obama did his job. Now it's up to us to enter the conversation too.
12
So Donald Trump as President gets to publicly demean President Obama at every opportunity & President Obama needs to keep mum. This is not natural justice.
Pres. Obama is, is charming and smooth, very likeable unless you are a partisan opposed to him. He's like the polar opposite to Trump in some ways. But, he had many faults, some of which he projects on others. Among them, he was timid, almost subservient to our enemies. When he left office, not only Russia, but China, Iran, were doing better and NoKo was feeling powerful. He watched as ISIS rose and Iraq slipped away. And, don't forget, allies frequently were angry at us including Israel, Germany and Brazil. He sometimes backed strong men, like Morsi. He coddled Putin. Does everyone forget his offer of reset, his meeting with Putin right before Russia entered Syria, his encouragement of Assad and Putin by backing off of his redline and making a deal with Syria about poison gas, which obviously Syrian didn't take seriously? His promising Putin through Medvedev to be more flexible once he got re-elected? What did he do about Ukraine exactly?
I don't support Trump, who has in many ways degraded our politics, except against the "resistance," which is often anti-American and fascist and I believe has hurt America much worse than Trump. But, Obama is not the one to lecture anyone about strongmen or lying - even Trump.
9
While I like President Obama and twice voted for him. I find his long held silence about Trump, the Traitor in Chief, deafening.
It’s nice that he finally said something but he said those words thousands of miles away for here and what he said was very, very weak in comparison to the treasonous rhetoric of Trump.
Democrats need to get former Presidents Obama, Clinton, Carter, Hillary, Bernie, Biden, Gore and others all together in Washington D.C. on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial with tens of thousands of Americans packing the National Mall along the reflecting pool and renounce Trump and expose the danger he poses to American, our democracy and outer future!
That’s how you begin to answer Trump and then continue and transform that energy into votes on November 6th to turn Congress Democratic Blue!
5
You think our political environment is toxic now, follow your advice and we would be all but in a civil war. Don’t you think Republicans wanted Dubya to castigate Obama and do everything in his power to impede him? Try to think what the country is going to be like post Trump.
1
Such a great President and a Great family we had in the White House. thanks for all your hard work to put this nation back on track.
5
What a privilege to listen to former president Obama live in Johannesburg! Much as Obama's tribute at Madiba's funeral stood in stark contrast to the pathetic attempts of our then president Zuma, now finally facing corruption charges, so this lecture inspired as we South Africans hope we stand on the cusp of change from the old and corrupt to finally addressing the many problems facing us. Obama did well to honour the legacy of Nelson Mandela by reminding us of the importance of the values embodied by Madiba even as much still needs doing to achieve what he set out to do.
5
President Obama is head and shoulders above everyone else.
Alas, maybe the world is not ready for him still. Greed, envy, hatred and ignorance are powerful foes. The bullies like Trump and Putin just exploit them and the weak minds give in to them readily
Still, while Mr Obama may be a bit quixotic, he deserves his Nobel Price after all
7
I was just thinking the exact same thing.
2 things made me pauze for a moment though:
1. Hillary won 3 million more votes, and all polls show that when it comes to policy, a clear majority of the American people support the Democrats' platform, not what the GOP is doing - and on many issues, even things such as immigration reform and the economy and HC, a clear majority of GOP voters actually agrees with the Dem platform and opposes what the GOP proposes (or talks about, as in real life, they don't do anything in DC, except for cashing in and doubling the deficit) too. So I do believe that America is ready for Obama - at least when it comes to policy and the importance of being a true, authentic moral leader.
2. As a community organizer, Obama is used to working with "greed, envy, hatred and ignorance". No strategy is better equipped to deal with this and get rid of it than community organizing. So here too, Obama himself at least was and is ready, I think.
I'm not so sure whether on this point America is ready though. Many people seem to stay stuck in a purely abstract discussion about the extent to which the Democratic party is progressive or not, and then tend to stay home if they believe that it isn't, whereas it's precisely Saul Alinsky, the founding father of community organizing, who has shown that all real, radical, non violent, democratic progress is step by step progress.
Compare the GOP base here: they support Trump JUST because of the SC already ...
2
President Obama was accused over and over of being an imperial President - of overriding Congressional power and using his administrative executive power to make law.
The most well known was DACA, which most Americans actually support, but our global alliances supporting the nuclear Iran deal, and the TPP pact were big players as well, and did stretch executive power when Congress sat on their hands.
The current President, in the same manner, unfunded large portions of the ACA, reversed DACA, broke trade agreements of years and years, reversed huge portions of EPA regulation, crashed though Europe like a errant missile, blowing up 75 years of relationship, to cozy up to an Soviet style Russian autocrat. Then he, while supporting the police when they demonstrate that training and organization often does not protect minorities, undermined the rule of law when it looks at powerful people, like him.
And Obama was the imperial President.
But nothing matters - the folks who support Trump simply discount facts that make him look bad. And so it goes. Obama speaks for people who think, Trump for people who parrot.
8
@Cathy. Not just accused. His administration lost the highest number of constitutional challenges in supreme court than any other recent president's administration.
5
Obama has only himself to blame. He empowered Putin by ignoring his own red line in Syria regarding chemical weapons, opening the door to Putin. He knew Putin had launched what Politico has accurately described as "a cyber Pearl Harbor" against the US, in order to subvert and destroy its political institutions, and did nothing, becoming the first US Commander in Chief in history to not respond to an act of aggression against the US. His timidity, arrogance and unlimited capacity for appeasement is what empowered the strongmen. He failed as leader of the free world. He could have been this generation's Churchill, with an infinitely better hand of cards, instead he chose to be our Chamberlain.
7
The reason Obama did not respond more aggressively to Russian meddling in the election is because Republican leaders, most notably Mitch McConnel made it known to him that they would consider public sanctioning if the Russians to be meddling in the election. That, in and of itself, was practically treason on McConnell’s part. Add in the fact that you had a totally unhinged Republican candidate who all but guaranteed that he wasn’t going to accept a loss as “legitimate,” and you had Obama basically being threatened with a national crisis if he did anything. His mistake, in all likelihood, was believing that Hillary was going to win and therefore he would be needlessly feeding that crisis (Republicans claiming he stole the election). In summary, how craven is it for Republicans who threatened chaos and discord if he called the Russians out and/or their boy lost to now act like his actions were completely inexplicable
1
President Obama, you love our country, and we love you. Keep speaking up for democracy.
13
What a treat to once again listen to an intelligent man string together sentences that made sense. Speech is on PBS’ website.
10
I must admit, I had no idea how much I would miss this reasoned, intelligent voice! Keep speaking up, Mr. President. We desperately need some sanity.
17
Incredibly brave.
Obama said what no one else has said: strongmen are bad and it is bad when people criticize institutions like the media.
It took a lot of courage to make those statements.
Kidding. I voted for Obama twice but the speech sounds like basically everyone that writes op-ed pages. Blah blah blah our values are under attack and institutions are fragile and so on, empty rhetoric followed by every newspaper in the country writing about this speech. His words rang hallow. It is hard to listen to an Obama speech at this point—he squandered his first term by believing that republicans would work with him, compromising every decent idea until it was so diluted that little left was good. Obama could’ve been a transformative president; he had the opportunity to be an FDR and lead the country but he turned out to be mediocre, better than Bill Clinton but not by much. It is too bad. He could have realigned politics but instead acquiesced to the system that existed, leaving behind millions of people disillusioned with politics, growing cynical, followed by historic losses for democrats. Whatever. So it goes.
7
@Joe Smith
In retrospect, it does seem that Obama’s presidency was the tipping point in politics. The sheer disrespect toward Obama and refusal of support by republicans set the stage for Trump to be elected because lies and hate became the normalized.
Love the hypocrisy of the right saying the left is “deranged” in their refusal to support anything Trump does. Huh… Obama did not squander the first term; he dealt with systemic push back every step of the way. Unlike Trump, Obama played by the rules of democracy and separation of power, even when it meant he did not prevail. Remember one of Trump’s election promises was to roll back “everything” Obama signed. People cheered for that. And yet, I wish I had a dollar for every time someone called Obama a dictator or that he was overstepping his power.
I suspect some people did become politically disillusioned by the fact that it was exhausting to continually defend Obama even though he was bringing us out of a recession and passing healthcare reform, all the while speaking in eloquent, grammatically correct sentences.
Obama’s presidency mediocre? Hardly.
4
@Fluffydog. Played by the rule of democracy? Objective data will disagree with you. Among the recent presidents (last 4 decades) his administration lost the bigget number of constitutional challenges in supreme court.
1
@Fluffydog
Actually, "mediocre" is giving him too much credit by a half.
Reading the New York magazine article about Obama and his reticence to publicly speak against Trump due to the reality that it would inflame more than soothe the situation made me realize his intent more clearly. But for posterity and for the sake of sanity having him speak about the horrors being committed against democracy, his words give us light in these dark times. More prescriptive words would be even more helpful as the DNC is floundering these days...
22
I miss Obama terribly, it gives me such a nostalgia to hear him talk, such a decent human being.
There is only one grudge I have with him. Speaking to young people down in Argentina in 2016 he said: "...even if we end up with somebody who I might not consider a great President, there is a limit to some of the damage that they can do ..."
I have to forgive him that probably no one could have imagined that the US president, and the image of our country, would reach such a low as we have now.
14
He counted on Congress exercising their proper checks and balance function. After all, in his experience, the GOP never had a problem telling him "no".
14
There’s just something different about an Obama speech and a Trump speech. I’m hoping to see Obama as the next Secretary-General of the United Nations.
9
No doubt Obama wins had down on eloquence. Effectiveness as president, not so much.
4
I miss you President Obama!
27
Barack Obama was a "strongman". He repeatedly thumbed his nose at Congress and governed with executive orders. Barack Obama also had a "kill list" with the CIA drone program with the power to assassinate foreigners not in combat. Barack Obama was the penultimate strongman unconstrained by the press and who surveilled millions and millions of Americans, foreign leaders, and built up the surveillance state.
Trump, on the other hand, talks like a strongman but is constrained by Congress, the courts, and press. He has governed largely with the consent of Congress.
12
“He has governed largely with the consent of Congress.”
Well, I guess if Trump can’t govern with the consent of voters, Congress is the next best thing...
3
@johnny
Being a "strongman" is something totally different than the examples you're giving here.
Congress and the WH are both independent branches of the government. What Obama did is, when Congress FOR YEARS refused to pass bills that the vast majority of the American people and the majority of GOP voters and GOP members of Congress supported, he merely used his own Executive power to at least do on his level what the law and Constitution allow him to do to solve those urgent problems.
And yes, that included some executive orders. But Obama signed MUCH less of them into law than Bush did, and Trump is signing MUCH more of them into law. So if EOs are your criterium, you cannot possible claim "Obama too" (which by the way is a strange kind of defense of Trump, no ... ? You guys always claim to hate Obama but then constantly justify what Trump does by ... referring to Obama?!).
As to "the press": the Huffington Post criticized him a lot, and of course Fox News didn't even stop for a second. Jack Tapper on CNN often did the same. So if you didn't see any "constraints" from the press during Obama's years, you must have been living on a different planet.
Surveillance system: that was built by Republican Bush, remember? Obama and Trump both maintain it.
And no, Trump did not "govern with the consent of Congress". He only got ONE bill through in almost two years, remember? All the rest failed.
If he continues like this, Obama will have achieved MUCH more.
7
@Ana Luisa. 176 bills, not 1. Not that it is an efffective metric.
1
I miss President Obama, his intelligence, his class, his humor, his propriety, his grace, his compassion, his youthfulness, his wise words. Great President. President Obama we need you!
24
Finally he has spoken up! The world has been in desperate need of this message from Obama, a man who embodies the finest qualities of a democracy. He has been AWOL while Trump tears down everything civilized people hold dear. Welcome back to the arena Obama and thanks for your eloquent words on the threat of this vicious new politics. Please keep spreading this message every chance you can to help inspire decent people to vote and get active. It's our only hope of turning things around.
12
He has to be careful how and when he speaks. Trump, after all, will automatically do anything that is the opposite of what Obama did or says. Trump will double down on his position if Obama opposes it. Obama speaking can be a two-edged sword in the time of Trump.
3
Listening to Mr. Obama speaking so eloquently, makes me sad that he is not our president at this time. It makes me sad to see what we have to settle for Two and half more years.
13
The sight of a sane American President gives the world Hope.
27
The pendulum of racism has also swung
It is now not just more openly tolerated but we will have a majority of supreme court justices who will rollback voting rights and affirmative action, and morph freedom of religion into freedom to hate.
Sadly, our first black president may be our last in our lifetimes.
3
Does Obama give lessons on how to be President of the United States? If he does I have a big job for him and it starts now. Can’t say his student will be any good.
9
What a wonderful moment of relief, in these dark and depressing days for the US, to read this civilized, intelligent, graceful, hopeful speech, wise and well founded in historical reality, and full of love of justice and love of human beings.
It is time for Barack Obama to come out of retirement, and become a community organizer again, a super-community organizer, helping this country's many neglected and leaderless neighborhoods. And it is time for him to do it now, to help Democratic candidates in the November election.
23
Well said and so true. As the very embodiment of liberal virtues he must get back into the arena to help fight for our values.
9
Surely you jest. He presided over one foreign policy mess after another. His post-recession recovery was the weakest in modern American history. Food stamp rolls swelled and he presided over a doubling of the national debt. Do not confuse outstanding oratory skills with successful leadership.
7
Because the GOP hampered him every step of the way during the recovery
15
It was good to hear Obama's logical, realistic thoughts and observations. I commend him and W (recently on child separations) for speaking up.
12
There is very little left of Nelson Mandela’s dream of the 1990s a quarter century later this remains one of the most unequal societies in the world with a leading Gini coefficient marking inequality and 40% unemployment rates among the black young population, plus extensive levels of political corruption. Did President Obama notice?
South Africa has ‘anti immigration policies as well as migrants from even poorer neighboring countries of Somalia, Nigeria, or Zimbabwe pour in raising violent protest.
The roots of violent times are well spread, and not only at the base of the world’s economies; America gets Trump as a reflection of times to come. See solutions in the winds? Obama didn’t. Find us another Mandela who could see through the haze.
1
Mr. Obama, I miss you SO much!
36
Former president? As far as any decent person is concerned, Obama is STILL the president of the United States.
27
Some strange NYT picks: for instance, give Trump’s immigration policies a chance? Give his lies and divisiveness a chance?
False equivalency, which all the world saw on full display yesterday as Trump asserted that both the U.S. and Russian are responsible for Russia’s aggression towards America, doesn’t fool anyone.
It’s still false equivalency.
14
@ShelleyB. What he said was both Russia and U.S. are responsible for the deteriorate relations. But we hear wahat we want to hear.
1
Run! Michelle Obama Run for President 2020!
Swing that pendulum back to Democracy.
12
@s.whether
He's already run...all the way to Wall Street to pick up his speaker fees. But we all knew why he didn't prosecute them in the first place. Didn't we?
1
With all due respect to the former president: the incumbent is doing a fine job of hanging himself without your sullying your hands.
6
it seems that Obama's speech and that of Trump's are different fairly. Obama addresses decently, but the way the educated could understand. In contrast, Trump says very briefly with just a few words(and repeatedly), ignorant and vulgar, but popular.
was Obama criticised for being too elitist in the United States? if then, I can understand where fascism comes from : meatballism.
24
Yep it was always the lumpen proletariat that was behind both fascism and communism. That's why our founding fathers were deeply distrustful of the mob and wanted only educated men of property to vote.
When I think what life was like just more than a year and a half ago under the brilliant, graceful, patriotic, hard-working,full of humor and goodwill Obama . . . when the possibilities seemed endless, and I was so proud of our country and so proud to be an American.
How in god's name does the U.S. go from electing such a marvelous person to our country's highest office -- and then turn around and elect the execrable-in-every-way Trump? That's a rhetorical question, of course. Shame shame shame on us.
72
I'm almost done with "the world as it is" by Ben Rhodes...I had not cried since the election but I did when I started reading this book. It makes me so sad and angry of the way the world (Republicans) treated President Obama, one of the best Presidents this country has ever had.
48
In a colonial rule or democracy or communist rule or whatever you name it,every successor normally makes the predecessor is good or bad based on the individual's personal gain or loss.
Still, the democracy in USA is vibrant,dynamic and there is no restriction to deny,express his concern,defend his policies and decisions for Mr.Obama transparently everyday in the USA but translucently in South Africa.
With all my regards to Mr.Obama, I would like to highlight that
Mr.Trump prefers trade with other nations to military invasion into their territory when compare with his predecessors. Both of you prefer to use the word," I " always in your speech.
1
January 20, 2009 – January 20, 2017 - Can we go back, please.
Thank you , President Barack Obama, for the peace of mind and pride I felt every single day of your presidency. I watched your speech live today and dared to dream for a brief moment that time had stood still.
44
Apparent rebuke! It isn't complicated. Look Trump in the eye--and rebuke him. You'd be surprised to learn that it is actually justified. Play coy language games, and Trump and the GOP will COMPLETELY ignore you, call it irrelevant, fake news. This isn't the time to play the noble, elegant, dignified card, Obama. Trump is an absolute scoundrel, but so deeply in the hole that the only kind of light he can see is a glaring light.
10
agree - I wonder if it isn't time for Obama to take the different path than most x presidents and get more heavily involved - speak out. Stand up and say THIS IS WRONG. This is not who we are!
Perhaps not (?) but Democrats, those against Trump need a louder & stronger voice than seems to be rising - even if he is not running. Dems better get activated, focused, & darn sure get out All their vote in November.
5
President Obama's very successful presidency is what bothers trump and his fanboys the most.
It is also why trump's fanboys forgive his corruption, incompetence and even treason because doing otherwise would be admitting that an African-American president could be more successful than a white one which goes against their supremacist worldview.
30
Apparent? Wow. We really hear stuff, that we want to hear eh?
Still presidential, diplomatic, empathetic, wise and visionary — President Obama continues to point the way forward. He embodies every democratic principle that dishonest, would-be autocrat Trump can never erase or obtain.
35
There are two challenges to democracy. The first is the strong man Mr. Obama decries. The second is the oligarchic tendency of the elite -- the aristocrats of 1848, the royalists of 1789, and the elite of 2018. All of us progressives must acknowledge that the non-progressives have a point. The aristocracy (Harvard, Yale, the NYT) use antidemocratic measures to nullify the democratic results we find frightening. The Hapsburgs and the Church found their unlettered adversaries frightening, but the answer is not to copy the mad dogs of the right. It is to abide democratic defeats while working to restore progressive policies and always with respect for the democratic process, even when we lose.
6
@john: You make a fair point, but only to the extent you acknowledge that the “democratic defeat” you ask us to accept is also to accept that we are all currently living under a minority rule government in which power is routinely being wielded in direct conflict with the wishes of the governed. Worse, Trump and his allies act as if they have (or ever had) the support of the country in what they are saying and doing in our name when they quite obviously do not.
2
Yep. Democracy is good. It got us Trump instead of Hillary. I'd say it's working just fine.
6
That's because of the structural flaw of the electoral college which was actually created to try and stop a demagogue like Trump from assuming power. Never forget that Hillary won by 3 million popular votes. We have a deeply flawed democracy where right wing minorities have much greater power in spite of lower numbers as they control
6
Structural flaw? It would be structural flaw when NY and CA have the power to decide how the rest of the country should be governed.
Progressives want togive federal government all the power and then give progressive states the power to control the federal government.
1
Obama is detached. The populist upheaval implicates his presidency - he wasn't a college professor for the last eight years. He left the Democratic party in ruins and did nothing on Russia (McConnell didn't stop anything). He more like Trump than he thinks - it's about himself.
16
@Stephen
President Obama and the Democrats put country ahead of party, passing legislation giving us a strong recovery from the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. They tried to close too big to fail. They created the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau that returned $12 billion to the consumer who were cheated by corrupt lending practices.
President Obama passed the Affordable Care Act because Americans needed it. He did it knowing it could cost him the House and Senate which it did. But 20 million people now have health insurance thanks to him. Note Republicans failed to repeal and replace because now the truth of ACA is out.
Doing good for the country at the expense of party is what Democrats did. They got decimated but the country prospered and people who were in pain got help.
Democrats and Obama are Profiles in Courage for what they did.
23
@Stephen - can't handle the truth about Obama's presidency surpassing in quality, stability and INTEGRITY?
16
@Stephen
please read the comment directly below yours. Then make your comment.
9
Obama gives a very fine speech.... period. He did very little to redress the very deep problems in American society. He had eight years and here we are. His Legacy... Trump.
18
In response to JL: Obama was stymied and thwarted at every move by the republicans. In spite of that, he helped 20 million people get affordable health care in addition to rescuing the country and putting it back on track after the financial crisis in 2008.
29
Question for Obama - why are you criticizing strong man politics, when you signed the Monsanto Protection Act? Monsanto is an international bully org. which bankrupts farmers and poisons the environment. They have destroyed our agricultural industry single handed, since no one wants to import our genetically modified food. Not to mention Roundup, which is killing people. Sorry, Barry - you sold us down the river. There are all different kinds of bullies, but Monsanto is one of the world's worst.
13
@Stephanie Wood obama's actions regarding enviromental/agricultural policies has nothing to do with strong man politics.
strongman politics isnt a bully. its authoritarian, its totalitarian, its opposition to democracy. its political ideology and it doesnt pertain to a company. 'strongman' ideas undermine our very ideas of democracy.
my point is just because obama, in your perception, was wrong about something regarding agriculture doesnt mean his opinion about this should be ignored.
also for what its worth, if you think monstanto is one of the worst bullies in the world then you gotta pay more attention to whats going on in the world.
16
Once again President Obama is taking the moderate and reasonable path. I think it is time for him to rise up and fight.
24
@gc - and will you join him? Don't be an armchair activist. Become the change you want to see.
7
Missing your crisp leadership, elan, words - well-formed and honest words - all the more since the new nadir we all witnessed yesterday in Helsinki.
You have set a standard, President Obama, that we will be using to weigh and evaluate your successors for a long time to come - perhaps the rest of this fifty-year old's lifetime.
23
That's his strength, giving speeches. Yeah he'd have been immeasurably preferable to the buffoon, but I still can't swoon over him the way most Times readers seem to.
15
@csx - No need to swoon. Just accept the fact he was much better as president than the incumbent.
22
@csx maybe they were just speeches, but Obama’s words called to our better angels. Trump is just divisive, ignorant and crude. We deserve better....or do we?
11
"warning about growing nationalism, xenophobia and bigotry in the United States"
The great recession and the first African American President was the perfect storm for this to begin and bring Trump to power. History has always taught us that it is always easier to rally against as Hitler did against the communists and Trump does against the non- whites.
The white race isn't losing, the rest are just catching up.
8
This, coming from the man who once said to Eric Cantor "Elections have consequences" and who passed the mammoth ACA without one single Republican vote....not one.
This hypocrisy and the single mindedness of the media to get rid of a duly elected president is what will keep Mr Trump in office and a favorite with his base, no matter what. It's going to a long 8 years for Democrats so they had best come up with some policy ideas.
17
@JAC
The ACA vote just reflected that the Republicans don't care about healthcare, as we have seen since they came to power, when after eight years they still have no decent ideas about how to help Americans afford and have access to the healthcare they need.
Republicans care about money. Democrats/ Progressives care about people.
26
You know why the ACA has so many structural flaws? Because of concessions made to entice Republican votes (and Joe Lieberman). And them the GOP refused to help. The ACA was Mitt Romney's plan but they refused to support it because a centrist black Democrat was pushing it
9
@bse. Off course Republicans care abou money, just like the Democrats. Difference is that Republicans care about their own money and Democrats care about other people's money.
On start difference between rebublican and democrat politicians is that democrat politician always become rich after leaving politics, Obama included.
What we need is an Alt-President
I miss Obama's soaring rhetoric, the call to integrity, the not so subtle innuendo, the truths. But frankly, it is time for him to call out the authoritarians in our midst. It is long past time for President Obama to use his legacy,and his prestige to do more. Much more. We need Obama to forego his comfortable perch on high and climb back into gutter politics--the only kind that exists today.
What we need is an Alt-President.
We need an Alt-President who will call press conferences, speak out on GoP policy and legislation and Trump rants. An Alt-President who will put the lie to Trumps State of the Nation address. One who will appear on Maddow et. al. We need a free-for-all between truth and alt-news. We need an Alt President who when he speaks press and media will come running for the anti-dote to tweets, one-liners and lies.
We need an Alt-President whose prestige and integrity will reassure Americans and their allies that respect, commitments and values persist. That can speak truth to power and put the lie to Trumpspeak drawing on eight arduous years of experience.
We need to do this to preserve Obama's legacy and protect America's values and Democracy itself. We need an Alt President to put the lie to the GoP's pro-rich, pro-Putin, pro-pollution, anti-American agenda. We need an Alt-President to reassure the world that sanity will soon be back in power. We need an Alt-President.
President Obama?!...
10
I am fantasizing "Obama 2020." It's a pipe dream, but we badly need some political leaders with integrity.
15
2012. Obama speaking when he thought the microphones were off ,"tell Vlad I'll have a lot more latitude after election".
Gave a reset button 3 months after Russia annexed parts Georgia
Sat on hands when Russia annexed parts of Ukraine.
Uranium deal with Russia. Hillary gets millions for foundation.
Refused defensive weapons for Poland,Ukraine Baltics.
And worst of all opened deep divisions in this country. Talked of "change" that turned out to be diametrically opposite of values expressed when he was a candidate.
He talked good though.
Suddenly Democrats are more patriotic and anti Russian than 1970's John Birch Society guys.
8
I miss having a President. The last one we had, President Obama, was excellent in all of the ways that matter. The current holder of the office doesn't even make a pretense of being President of the United States. He is the President of a far-right political rally being held in a stadium. He is the President of his crowd, but not of our great country.
69
@Zola
The current holder of the office doesn't even make a pretense of being President of the United State.
How can he when the the Grey Eminence behind his throne is none other than Putin?
13
@Zola
Its seems that you, like many, missed the last election when Mr Trump was indeed elected.
3
@JAC, 2016 was the 3d time a President was elected with a lower popular vote total than the "loser." Meaning, most people who voted, voted against him. Time to retire the Electoral College, which also gave us W's "victory" in 2000 with help from the divided (5-4) Supreme Court.
Still clinging to their guns and bibles.
15
Obama’s words exactly and being so dismissive of millions of Americans that he and you hate so much is what’s gotten you where you are today......powerless.
Too bad most of Obama's policies didn't help the poor and middle class and in fact, wealth inequality became much worse during his 8 years in office. If he would push for the ultra rich to start sharing their spoils we will all be better off and will stop becoming targets of divisiveness. Otherwise everything he says is just platitudes when too many people really are suffering.
19
@lzolatrov
"Too bad most of Obama's policies didn't help the poor and middle class and in fact,"
Yea, who needs decent affordable health care or decent paying jobs or clean air and water for that matter.
Not when we can give the wealthy and corporate entities tax cuts, that do not need the money.
24
@lzolatrov
Obama was too busy partying with his Hollywood pals to worry about the poor and middle classes.
9
@lzolatrov
The quite well of in this country received a tax break, curtesy of Dubya, our family included, that we neither needed, didn't put that extra money back into the economy by starting to buy more stuff, dining out more often, etc., and thus not creating one more job.
These tax breaks were supposed to end a few years after the recession of 2018. Teapublicans blackmailed Obama by threatening to end long-term unemployment assistance should he not vote for the extension of these tax cut, and even threatening to shut down the government again.
17
Truth is a delight to hear.
22
Can we please have more news coverage of President Obama!?!? What an inspiring and intelligent leader!
33
When bad men combine, the good must associate; else they will fall one by one, an unpitied sacrifice in a contemptible struggle. - Edmund Burke
13
Trump is a "Fake Patriot"
17
Where have you gone, Joe DiMaggio?
Our nation turns its lonely eyes to you.
29
Can't he just be, like, president of the world?
26
@jcz
"Can't he just be, like, president of the world? "
At the rate we are going, a President Obama of the World will not be as far out there as you may think.
2
This is rich. Here's the very same guy who proclaimed just a month or two before the '16 election that there wasn't any sign or even the possibility of Russian meddling -- when the fact is he had been briefed on it earlier and bravely told Vladimir to "cut it out."
1) He never said such a stupid thing to Putin and 2) He was convinced (knowing what the democrats and FBI were doing) that good 'ol Hillary would win.
19
@Len nyet. Peddle your Foxisms elsewhere.
19
Didn’t he serve as US president once?
3
@Average American. He did. But it seems that he needs a lifetime of presidency and then some to bring about a change.
Former Pres. Obama I thought you were the best president
in your time until the last six months.
When the intelligence services provided you with
information on Russian hacking, what did you do?
Yes, you told Putin to "knock it off". Was that the most you could do? Several levers were available to respond, since you were
still the President! Remember Protect,Preserve,Defend the US ?
It seems your cherished legacy was more important to you than to involve yourself as a target for the republican mob.
13
@samu
Well said ........Additionally, our current border policies are no different that when Obama was in office.
6
We’re sorry. It was all a mistake. Could you come back now Mr (former) President? We are desperate for integrity, honesty, intelligence.
26
What an inspiring leader President Obama is?
He is eloquent and thoughtful and always appeals to our better angels. What a contrast with our current President!
I hope he is will take a more forceful role in the future in trying to restore the democratic institutions that Trump disparages often. We need him desperately to defend our best ideals!
15
This speech reminds me of my Oxford classmates asking, have you heard from JoBurg... Today the message loud and clear. The whole world heard it.
6
Obama has now done it. He will never get re-elected, and some people might even dislike him. Those who compare him to Trump (one of the worst human beings on Earth) are ridiculous. My cat is a better person than Trump, and I don't even have a cat. People, face the fact that Obama was a major disappointment in so many ways, despite his intelligence and his great speechmaking. Some of the comments here spell out particular failings of Obama. Please, people, take an honest look at his failings, although his failings are not in the same ballpark as those of Trump and his accomplices. The world deserves better.
9
What failings? Please elaborate.
6
@robert bloom. Oh my. There are failings and then there are failings. Have we ver seen a President in history of whatever persuasion sell this country out to a known enemy? Comparing the current occupants badness to anyone else’s is a false comparison. So let’s stop being stupid now and ficus on the facts as they smack us in the face and make us more powerless in a changing world.
7
@NTL Known enemy?. ""You said Russia. And the 1980s are now calling to ask for their foreign policy back. Because the Cold War has been over for 20 years. But Governor, when it comes to our foreign policy, you seem to want to import the foreign policies of the 1980"
As usual, the gentleman let the crook off the hook. There is a time for gentle and a time for reading the Riot Act. Once again, Obama failed the test.
7
@Eero. Why is that Obama’s job? He is no longer an elected official. Where is Congress? Where are the Governors and Mayors? Every elected official must take a stand or be counted with #traitortrump.
9
The way I see it was Obama’s/Biden versus McConnell/Murdoch/Koch and all the race baiters one could muster. Trump is our president because most democrats were not very thrilled with their successor to the Obama years. Hillary was a lackluster choice and Bernie was the spoiler. Adding to the fact, electing another democrat after eight years of democrats, would have almost taken a miracle. Then along came a spider named Putin along with mr Comey who threw the election at the eleventh hour. Barack, the time has come for you to stand up. Not shrink. Lead this fractious party out of the woods. Please. It’s time.
8
@William Wintheiser. Throw the election? How by publishing truth about Hillary and DNC? This is what our media should've been doing instead of colluding with DNC, passing debate questions in advance, and being the mouthpiece of democrats.
Would that He could be President Obama Again
9
Once upon a time, Americans overwhelmingly voted for brilliance, grace, wisdom and decency, we got, President Barack Obama.
In 2016, minority of angry fearful, xenophobic Americans voted for Donald a misogynist, serial adulterer, crook and liar! We got a Russian puppet!
29
Finally, as a scroll through my emails, the daily alert from the NYT my says "Breaking News: Bara..." omg what a joy to have delivered what Obama said for change!!! Do it more, NYT! Cover speeches and people that makes us a better society. (Have just an emergency snipet, just so we are aware but nothing more, of the latest blow the other one delivered.)
13
The gist of the message seems something like this: Gorbachev negotiated a safe exit. Zemin made a quit-while-ahead prosperous career change too. If the two big Asian leaders’ answers for themselves is to merely to extend or remove their own term limits, individually they don’t seem very strong or wise long-range executives.
A tipping point sounds announced: If the men in the centralized capitals do not have their own exit strategies in place for when women rebalance international power, then those “strong” if not “wise” 20th century guys are the most scared of all.
2
A wise, gifted and inspiring gentleman. Despite being ridiculed, obstructed and opposed every minute of every day by angry and greedy Republicans, Barack Obama represented hope to the masses, while promoting economic policies that overcame the worst economy since the Great Depression, and expanding health coverage for 20 million Americans. Mr. Obama's greatest fault is that he gave us way too much credit - he believed the American people would easily see through the Republican billionaire/NRA based obstruction and reject them at the polls. We needed far more guidance and leadership than he thought we did.
27
I watched Obama's speech. It lasted over an hour. About halfway through, something unexpected happened: I started to cry uncontrollably. It was as though I was at funeral for a beloved family member.
There have been times when I have felt tremendous pride over my presidents -- of both parties. It happened after 911, when Bush stood in front of a group of Muslims. It happened when Reagan asked Gorbachev to "tear down that wall."
But, never have I seen a president so blatantly betray everything we stand for. So venal and self serving. And then, to hear his predecessor speak so eloquently about our ideals. It was overwhelming. It was so hard to bear.
47
Yeessss!
Ladies and Gentlemen.... a real stable genius.
21
You can say what you want; leading & governing is hard & he made mistakes. But his understanding & thought process is there. That’s all we can really ask of our leaders. And our present one has 0 understanding & 0 thought process. And his young cronies & old congressional comrades are forever stained.
23
The work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives, and the dream shall never die.
Edward M. Kennedy
14
What happens to an advanced democracy if a majority of voters turns profoundly stupid an/or ignorant all the sudden? What we have now is a preview (so far, only a sizable minority is displaying the symptoms). If follows that the fate of democracy rests ultimately on education. America's decline can only be reversed by a unprecedented effort to improve education at all levels, and not just in universities. The media should play its role by first self-regulating itself. To have propaganda drilled into millions of people day in and day out is not just shameful, it is anti-democratic. Yet this is what the whole world has to endure from this administration. If it wants to survive, America must put an end to that and start rebuilding the national consensus around facts and sober analysis.
21
Trump tweet condemning Obama coming in 5... 4... 3...
9
Good place to give that speech
3
“Look around,” he said. “Strongman politics are ascendant suddenly, whereby elections and some pretense of democracy are maintained, the form of it, but those in power seek to undermine every institution or norm that gives democracy meaning.”
Coming from someone who taught the world that red lines as synonymous with starting lines, Obama would know about ascension. Not exactly the kind of thing we used to think of when we heard that word before.
3
Thank you President Obama. Congress resisted everything you tried to do for the people of this country & the World.
Paul Ryan, Mitch McConnell etc should be ashamed of protecting Trump and in turn DESTROYING this country. How do they sleep at night......with a pillow of money and a gun?????
22
Good Lord! How I miss him!!!
27
Naturally, someone as weak as Obama would fear Strongman politics. Trump has done more in a year than he did in his entire 8. Unless, of course, we're including hopelessly dividing the country. That is an Obama legacy that will last for years to come.
12
@Reb Huh? Yes, "Trump has done more in one year"... to set back EVERYTHING from environmental protections to our standing in the world to civil rights (and civility) to abetting racism...and the list goes on.
What alternate universe are you living in that sees Obama "...dividing the country"?? Oh, wait! Yes! He divided the country between racist/fascist ignorant xenophobes and, on the other side, people who believe in our democratic values and institutions and see Russia and totalitarian governments for vacation what they are: enemies of the freedom you don't begin to understand or cherish.
14
Like insulting our allies, undercutting South Korea by cancelling our war games without consulting them and in the process using the North Korean propaganda of calling them provocative and going to Finland and appeasing that tyrant Putin. Trump of course only believes in dividing mothers from their crying children.
8
What a breath of fresh air! A normal, kind, stable, intelligent human being speaking sane, wise words. Not words of hate. Not lies.
He’s sorely missed
35
The financial collapse of 2008 led many people to blame the wrong people.
Instead of blaming George W. Bush and his Republican Party for giving tax breaks to the wealthy while lying America into war, people were misled into believing it was Obama and the Democrats fault for not saving the economy fast enough.
People forget that Republicans fought Obama and Democrats at every attempt to improve the economy, which they did despite Republican attempts to sabotage the efforts.
Enter in the loudmouth strongman. The man who has a history of personal financial disasters, followed by a very suspicious financial recovery funded by foreign banks wrapped in secrecy.
And the American public that was incapable of discerning the truth in front of their eyes, listened to the lies that boasted by a two-bit charlatan.
As bad as that was, it was not as bad as the Republican Party deciding to support the charlatan and trash their oaths of office.
Sorry, but the truth is, most of those who voted for Trump were fooled. And many of those who supported Trump belong in the basket of deplorables. Because they knew Trump was a conniving, self-promoter who would serve his own interests which coincide with the wealthy, the racists, the nativists, and as we have learned, with Putin's interests.
SAD! Does not begin to describe Trump, his voters and especially, the Republican Traitor Party.
34
Wow. So now Mr. Cool is finally speaking up?
5
Oh how I miss being proud of having an immensely qualified practicing adult to call President. Obama has forgotten more of being a true sterling symbol of steady virtue in any given second than Elmer Fudd’s human persona will ever know in the totality of his miserable and self-serving life.
10
My God, how I miss his leadership!
12
President Trump is a Strong Leader compared with President Barack Obama.
4
On what planet does appeasing the dictators of Russia and North Korea constitute being a "Strong Leader"?
9
Do elaborate...
1
It was wonderful to listen to an intelligent, thoughtful, dignified speech. Such a contrast with Trump’s word salad “double negative” style.
19
"I was born in Hawaii..."
A good man, and a funny, too!
12
I am amazed that some of the commentators here are still resorting to false equivalence to justify their slavish support of Trump. Whatever faults President Obama had, they pale into insignificance compared to the creature in the White House today. How short...or perhaps, faulty...their memories are. Two years ago we still had a fairly normal country and could go to bed without worrying about what calamity would greet us in the morning. Today? Not so much.
38
President Obama is no hypocrite. He could have played, at least somewhat, the role of strongman himself after he rose to the presidency on a wave of enthusiasm as the self proclaimed personification of "hope and change" for so many. Instead, upon taking office he humbly turned over the reigns of power to various bankers and Bush and Clinton era neoliberal apparatchiks. In his final days in office, he servilely bestowed Medals of Freedom upon super wealthy celebrity elites like Ellen Degeneres, Harvey Weinstein and Robert De Niro. The ideals promoted by Mandela are now at risk, as he says, though he himself took care never to be the strong man people were counting on to promote them.
5
I would take Retired Obama a lot more seriously if he acknowledged some of the blame he shares for how we got here.
Obama let the Too Big to Fail Banks grow even larger; stocked his administration with Wall Street lobbyists and apologists; prosecuted zero banksters; turned 2 Bush Wars into 7+ bombing campaigns; made the Bush Tax Cuts permanent; gave us RomneyCare with no Public Option; did nothing for unions, and deported record numbers of Latinos and Hispanics.
On Obama's watch, the Democrats lost over 1,000 seats, and over 90% of the income gains went to the 1%.
And then people wonder how we got Trump.
15
I think that a lot of those faults should actually be laid at the feet of Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi. The lack of congressional leadership led to an Affordable Care Act that is deeply flawed no matter the good intent behind it. That said, I think Obama's biggest mistake was in not taking on Mitch McConnell over the Merrick Garland nomination and the theft of that Supreme Court seat.
6
@G.Janeiro Stop peddling right wing talking points and pretending that every item you mentioned was all Pres Obama's fault versus the insidious Republican Congress that blocked every last thing Obama tried to initiate. You reek of Russian Global Citizen paid for by the fringe hucksters trying to destroy democracy. Get back to your basement and play some video games.
9
@Joshua Thank you, I've been waiting for the tired "GOP Obstruction" trope. Each and every thing I listed required absolutely ZERO GOP permission. Since when does the Commander in Chief need GOP permission to end a war? Since when does the Chief Executive need GOP permission to prosecute a Bankster? SInce when does the President need GOP permission to let tax cuts expire?? Oh, so the minority party forced Obama to stock his administration with Wall Street lobbyists and apologists. Speaking of... You make a great Obama Apologist.
Well, all i can say is, “it’s about time”. I have been increasingly disillusioned with the reticence that Obama has shown since leaving office. I supported him greatly when he was President, and contributed to his foundation after he left office. I have since unsubscribed from all communications from the foundation. Perhaps now, more than ever, both Barack and Michele Obama will rise up and help lead the democrats back into control. They are loved and respected by so many Americans it is time for them to act.
11
The commentator delivers a mixed message.
@Mistermortsw It's about time? What arrogance! The Obamas served this country for 8 years and more. Surely they no longer have to come at your beck and call?
3
The Nobel Committee knew exactly what they were doing when they awarded the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize to President Barack Obama. The dignity, professionalism, diplomacy, and cooperative spirit of this supremely intelligent and compassionate, intellectual humanist are all the more evident when contrasted with the current occupant of the White House. Obama is an eloquent true-believer in Democracy and its principles. Trump stands for nothing but himself.
23
Obama with a statesman's eye examines the long history/political economy of where we are now in global power politics. Are there any American politician in power who can show enough courage to think and behave like a statesman? Global freedom and peace are at stake... Can our resourceful correspondents bring out the devil's bargain trump/putin made behind closed doors in their long private meeting at Helsinki.
7
A dose of strong man would have been good in the wake of the GFC. It beats me that all those responsible suffered no worse penalty that a small cut to their multi million dollar wealth and got bailed out by governments. The tea party and Trump would never have got a foothold if these folk had been punished.
8
The great Sir Walter Scott must have anticipated Washington's future "wanna-be-strongman" when he penned these lines: "O, what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to decieve."
3
Many blame Obama.
Obama is guilty of many things, starting with his timidity in denouncing the Russians interference in our election, as well as his famous red line.
None of his failings compare with the straight denials of Russian interference or the complicity with Putin on the world stage, exhibited by Trump.
Obama's is a lack of a strong response, while Trump's is a willful denial of US institutions and defense of an adversary headed by a tyrant and murderer.
As to other blame assigned to Obama, for example, Crimea, there is actually nothing that the US can do to stop Russian aggression short of actual war, or financial punishment after the fact.
The same thing would happen if Russia invades Latvia or some other East European country. Nato does not have enough conventional forces in Europe to counter the Russians.
The best action is to tighten sanctions against Russia, which the Donald is trying to lift.
3
I like the image of the man. I believe he filled the presidential shoes well. Why did he not deliver his speech given in New York City or Washington D.C.? Africa has its problems no doubt, we have few of our own. "Mr. Obama seemed to take direct aim at Mr. Trump over his administration’s policies and his propensity for exaggerations and falsehoods." Seemed? Who is Obama channeling, a republican representative? Oh, that's right, he must maintain a presidential demeanor.
@James Griffin the article says he was invited to South Africa by mandela's widow, which is why he gave the address there.
10
We have to speak up - loud and clearly!
History taught us to speak up. Complacency is not an option.
We also have to address deficiencies in our democracy and we have to solve systemic problems. We are all imperfect and therefore we are constantly evolving and improving over time - whether individually or whether related to our society.
The Obama speech today was again inspirational and provided hope!
5
I think President Obama and other leaders need to speak out regularly and forcefully about the situation in the U.S. That Republicans by and large seem to say virtually nothing, and we do not hear as much as we should from other Democrats, those presently in leadership roles or past leaders need to make their voices heard loud and clear that what is happening in politics now is reprehensible and not to be tolerated.
4
While i admire Obama and Merkel high grounds, I hope they realize their mistakes:
-Meddling on Ukraine and proposing Nato membership resulted on Crimea invasion, and a stronger Putin.
-Brexit had to be avoided at all costs, and the referedum should had being stopped through closed doors diplomacy from the US and Germany, Im sure they could have done that, but their preferred to trust on democracy, very naive. That resulted on the raise of populist cries, including Trump.
3
I love the guy, but what did he do to prevent the ascendancy of this kind of politics in his country? From staying mum on Russian intervention in our election to letting Mitch McConnell run roughshod over his Supreme Court pick, Obama had a role in enabling all of this.
9
@Jonathan
Based on his Wall Street speech payments and his book advances he's getting well rewarded for his enabling. And you're still wondering why he never prosecuted any bankers?
4
" to undermine every institution or norm that gives democracy meaning,” is all-too-easily enabled. When ordinary people- each of US are complicit. Through complacency. Willful blindness and deafness about what exists which shouldn't be. Ignorance about available facts. Allowing lack of mutual trust. Respect. Mutual caringness.Help. when and if needed, in a toxic, daily, WE-THEY culture. Which violates targeted, selected "the other." All of which is sustainable by lack of personal accountability of individuals as well as systems. Words ALONE, of what ever literary level, quality, meaning and clarity, will not change this. Relevant, ongoing ACTIONS ARE NEEDED. By each of US. Everywhere. All of the time. "Political cancers" don't time out; timing -in all of the time. Wherever possible!
I grew up in Atlanta (white) and witnessed a transformation over time regarding racism etc. I experienced Martin Luther King, the changes of a progressing America. I was overjoyed to see Obama win the presidency (twice) and in all of my 67 years have never ever had the respect for a president as I had for Obama. His family was about grace and professionalism that has never been represented in total in the White House. And now what we are experiencing is sad. I will remember the blatant disrespect from Republican Joe Wilson "you lie" and little did I know this would be commonplace for today's Republican political realm. I love Obama, his handling of everything in life. What a difference a day can make. Thank you Obama for your positive influence on my life and what we should expect in and from a President.
12
My God, I love that man and his entire Family. And now Trump. Like going from First Class to steerage, every day, in every way. Seriously.
10
Gee I miss President Obama. An honest man speaking truth so refreshing. And his message is spot on.
11
The comments that blame Obama in any part for Trump's rise reminded me of something, then I remembered: it was the same as Trump blaming the Democrats for Russian hacking, and the Trump supporters who have the nerve to blame their continuing support of Trump on Hillary Clinton.
14
Obama's simply playing his part and cementing his legacy by giving speeches like these. They lack substance and are devoid of any political consequences since he's mostly preaching to the choir here: those who have benefited from capitalism, globalism, the international order. He's not addressing anything of issue or the reasons why Trump was elected.
Still, if you're in the business of polishing your image like Obama is currently there's no better time to give it some elbow grease than after Trump has deviated from the expected course of a president by reaching out to Russia.
Obama's a politician through and through.
10
We all play parts. Some have more parts to execute, are better prepared and can command audiences and spectators. Those abilities are better preserved and emulated. Such contributions continue long after death.
4
What a contrast. We will NEVER hear a defense of democracy from Trump.
11
I hope President Obama uses his star power to get out the vote. About 39% of the country buys everything Trump has to sell so it's not too late.
7
Nationalism is once again on the rise in several European countries as well as the United States. We know that such politics led to WWII. We need to stop them now before they lead to WWIII, which could bring about the death of the human race, or at the very least, life as we know it.
While the international order established after WWII has not been perfect, it has kept major powers at peace or relative peace for more than 70 years.
Meanwhile, in most countries including Russia, communism has died and a great threat to our way of life was thus eliminated.
We have no idea what Mr. Trump said with Mr. Putin this week. We have every reason to be concerned about their meeting, since it was off the record, a precedent without reason.
We cannot depend on Mr. Trump to keep us safe. He is instead our largest national security risk.
12
In looking at these comments, like Trump, his supporters are showing the main reason why the United States of America, is now a puppet state of Russia. While Trumps sells them, and the United States, down the river, they direct their hate at President Obama. It was their hatred, prejudice, ignorance, etc. that brought Trump to power. Trump, and them, were made fro each other. The problem is 2/3 of the country, and in creasing, are seeing what their 10 year campaign of hatred, prejudice, and ignorance have wrought.
I'm sorry, you hate the fact that an African-American became president. But, I am not sorry that he was president. The far left say he did not do enough, the right feels like he should not have been there at all.
But, comparing 2011-2017, to 2017-present, I'd rather have President Obama in the White House, than who is there now.
Finally, Trump, and many members of his party, now have the label of "traitor". Anyone, who continues to support their agenda, also have the label of "traitor". Support a president, and party, that supports a foreign government, over our Constitution, then you are a "traitor". No different than people like Benedict Arnold. At least in Mr. Arnold's case, he was war time, and not 1005 of the colonies were fro revolution. Trump, his party, and supporters, do not have that excuse.
President Obama is a patriot. Anyone against Trump, and his party, is now a patriot. Anyone who is willing to fight for the good of America, is a patriot.
40
He is a good man, and he always did give great speeches. But I wish that he would have worked better with Congress and helped build the Democratic Party, which suffers now from lack of vision and lack of credible candidates. Those failings helped put us where we are today.
6
@August West And if you listen to the speech you can hear him offer an inspiring, practical vision of how to repair the damage.
13
@D. Plaine,
I think he's a fantastic orator, and I think that he has good ideas. He is, absolutely, inspiring. His "Amazing Grace" eulogy after the church shootings will go down as one of the greatest presidential addresses ever.
But he wasn't able to translate ideas into programs or legislation that made a lasting difference. ACA wasn't close to what this country needed, and that, his signature accomplishment, likely isn't long for this world. And it's not fair to blame the opposition. Obama during his first term had Democratic majorities in the House and the Senate.
End of the day, an amazing, inspirational man. But a mediocre president.
2
@August West I don't disagree, but it is an open question whether if in this bitter political age we can have anything BUT a mediocre president. And while there is much to be said about the cynical (at best) and racist (at worst) machinations of congressional republicans during his presidency, an equally big story is the way all those who supported his campaigns--especially young people--essentially checked out of the political process during times when he needed their support the most. Again, his address today communicated hope in American ideals in spite of the bitter lessons of his presidency.
2
OBAMA'S REMARKS Are always thoughtful, well constructed and humane. Even those who disagree with him will, in many cases, acknowledge some of his positive attributes. It is alarming that the world is moving in the direction of dictatorship. Can the march toward ruin be deterred? Given its trajectory, especially given its acute acceleration during the traitorous meeting in Helsinki, we see two leaders whose styles are highly authoritarian, rigid and punitive, cranking things up. The road ahead will be difficult. This next period of time, the election campaign of 2018, will be the most crucial to the restrengthening of the US government in modern history.
21
How refreshing to hear a U.S. President - unfortunately a former one - eloquently speak to our country's fundamental ideals and principles about democracy and freedom. Trump is simply not capable of this, and even if he was his self-centeredness (to put it mildly) would prevent such words to even come into his mind. Thank you Mr. Obama, and I agree with others that it would be helpful to hear more from you at this time of crisis - the stakes will never be higher for us all.
33
Nice touch, ending with "I was born in Hawaii."
I heard some of these remarks on the radio but hadn't seen the full scope of his remarks. He certainly hit the high points, and didn't even have to mention names.
In fact, just in reading them I found myself really missing this president, so articulate, so aspirational.
He's right: things seem to have gone south in such a short period of time--a few years really-- that it makes me dizzy.
30
Whenever I’m listening to the radio ( usually BBC) and there is a news report which includes Barack Obama speaking, I generally stop whatever I’m doing, maybe turn up the volume, and savor his eloquence, his compassion and the good sense which characterize all his public statements.
Whenever I hear Trump coming out of my radio I immediately reach for the off switch and try not to tune back in until he has finished. Reading what he says is bad enough, but listening to him is unbearable.
107
Yes, there was a time when we had an intelligent man in the White House; a man with an in-depth knowledge of history, compassion and a kind sense of humor.
81
Republicans are still dancing around Donald Trump too afraid to do what is right. They are petrified of loosing their Congressional seats while Trump destroys the country. What are they waiting for Armageddon?
41
Obama is asking whites in Europe and the US to share when their majority status is threatened. That's why it rings true when Trump says immigrants and persons of color are a threat to their culture and way of life. The rise of African-Americans in terms of wealth, education, and political power is another threat because they no longer tolerate the everyday discrimination that held them back for generations. Finally, the loss of well-paying blue collar jobs is a blow to the pride and power of hard working, high school educated men. It's hard for anyone to accept a liberal view with it's emphasis on sharing and support when you see your own wealth diminish while that of others seem to increase
because of liberal policies on immigration, welfare, and affirmative action.
Lies are easy because they're simple and express what they're thinking the problems are. The truth is hard because it's complex, boring, and explaining it makes one appear the elitist egghead disconnected and indifferent to their world. Expecting these people to see how liberal policies benefit everyone is difficult when you're used to being the majority, your perspectives prevailed and you're hurting all at the same time.
The only fix may be to give Trump the chance to try and implement his policies based on divisiveness and lies and see how they play out. Then the result is there for all who choose to see and then act accordingly.
2
Obama is asking whites in Europe and the US to share when their majority status is threatened. That's why it rings true when Trump says immigrants and persons of color are a threat to their culture and way of life. The rise of African-Americans in terms of wealth, education, and political power is another threat because they no longer tolerate the everyday discrimination that held them back for generations. Finally, the loss of well-paying blue collar jobs is a blow to the pride and power of hard working, high school educated men. It's hard for anyone to accept a liberal view with its emphasis on sharing and support when you see your own wealth diminish while that of others seem to increase
because of liberal policies on immigration, welfare, and affirmative action.
Lies are easy because they're simple and express what they're thinking the problems are. The truth is hard because it's complex, boring, and explaining it makes one appear the elitist egghead disconnected and indifferent to their world. Expecting these people to see how liberal policies benefit everyone is difficult when you're used to being the majority, your perspectives prevailed and you're hurting all at the same time.
The only fix may be to give Trump the chance to try and implement his policies based on divisiveness and lies and see how they play out. Then the result is there for all who choose to see and then act accordingly.
11
@SeekingAnswers When people of a majority ethnicity resent the overturning of institutional barriers that prevent minority ethnicities from being afforded equal opportunities- what’s the word for that again?
8
Trumps policy's are to DESTROY and create chaos . There is no need. He can help the US my creating jobs within our desperately needed infrastructure repair. Instead he gave it all away to the wealthy who are happy to pocket the money for themselves.
6
SeekingAnswers--Those hardworking, high school educated, white men would rather continue to be poor, like their black neighbors, than accept diversity, and climb the ladder together. In other words, they would rather FEEL superior, than find a common solution to their common problems. That's white people for you. Or, I should say, white supremacy. Pretty stupid.
7
"Together, hand in hand, with our matches and our necklaces, we shall liberate this country." W. Mandela
Somehow, petrol-covered tires burning the faces off of opponents to achieve political aims more closely fits our former President's comments than a handshake. Strongwomen politics apply as well.
7
@Jon President Obama did not endorse Winnie Mandela’s views, nor did he even mention her.
The only “necklacing” is your placing the albatross of guilt by association around Obama’s neck. No decency at last, indeed.
4
Republicans are still dancing around Donald Trump too afraid to do what is right. They are petrified of loosing their Congressional seats while Trump destroys the country. What are they waiting for Armageddon?
14
During the era (moment?) of Trump we have all bend pressed to attend more closely to the visuals surrounding our political leaders. This said, I cannot overstate how refreshing it is to see a person of such stature as Obama--from is smile to his well-known range of bodily inflections--instead of the bloated orange, fake-hair job that is our present...president. This would all be absurdly irrelevant were it not for the fact that the words of the former are as refreshingly civilized as those of the latter are barbaric. Perhaps body language does speak volumes.
9
Last night I was thinking, if a member of the clandestine services (CIA) suddenly uncovered something sinister about the Russians, would he/she bring it up to his/her bosses if he/she was only 60% certain?
I am sure he/she would but would Trump care? He would be dismissive as he was with all intelligent reports and 60% would not stand a chance. Yet this man, Obama, was given a 60% chance of nailing OBL. He took it. And OBL was killed.
What a difference a single election makes!
20
Excuse me. The Russians interferred while Obama was in charge. The Russians invaded Crimea while Obama was in charge. The migrant crisis was at its worst while Obama was in charge. Iran continued to develop nuclear weapons while Obama was in charge. Assad used chemical weapons while Obama was in charge. I'm no fan of Trump, but Obama was a disaster.
17
me--Let's see, I think most of those things happened while REPUBLICANS were the majority in Congress. THEY were able to override anything Obama might do, OR legislate better solutions. They never did that. Did they?
118
me:
Obama chose to remain quiet on Russian interference so that he would not be seen as interfering with the US election. Imagine that; putting the country above party! Seen any of that from Trump??
Russia shares a border with Crimea and the Ukraine not to mention Georgia. There's not much any president could do about that short of war.
Libya was a peoples' uprising resulting from the Arab spring of popular uprisings. There was no stopping it. Clinton sent Ambassador Stevens to try and stabilize the country but he was killed to the anger and dismay of the Libyans themselves.
Just like Libya, the Syrian people rose up against their government. Obama asked Congress to approve a raid after a chemical attack. They refused.
Obama spent a year negotiating with Iran to get an agreement. He got international economic sanctions against them. Though careful diplomacy, we got Iran to agree to the most invasive monitoring ever. Iran was about 60 days away from producing weapons grade fissile material when the agreement was signed. Number of Iranian nukes: zero. Do you seriously think Trump's performance in Singapore and his tweets after that even compare to the JCPOA Obama got?
Are illegal border crossings really a problem? Suggest you Google "illegal border crossings into the US" and see it is not a problem. Unless you separate children from parents.
11
@me Obama did not order the Russians, Iran or Assad to do the things they did. He did, however, respond appropriately in each case. Undocumented immigration actually declined under the Obama administration. Let’s face it, Trump supporters will pretend they don’t care for him when he is outrageously out of line and try to redirect the conversation with “whatabouts.”
We wonder about the phobias, the illiberal nationalism/racism and its divisive power.
Was it predicted by Russian spy agencies? Do they aid Assad so refugees will flood the EU--at too fast a pace for peaceful assimilation, enculturation? Indeed, so fast that hosts and immigrants alike hate each other.
What a way to weaken Europe and the USA too!
What is the Russian involvement in Central America?
3
@Michael Kubara
we started it with IRaq
Back when we had clear and complete presidential sentences.
Vote for An Adult in 2020.
28
You had your eight years, President Obama. You talk a good talk, but you are deficient when it comes to action. All the messes that President Trump is cleaning up are due to your inaction.
12
No, the messes are the ones that Trump himself creates, fabricating a crisis that he then “solves.”
Wake up!!!
7
It's not about Obama's past actions. He speaking out for America Democracy. Lies and more lies and the inability for the republicans to speak out is the real problem here.
3
@John Murray Please enlighten the non Fox News watching audience to what messes President Obama created that Resident Trump is cleaning up?
4
I always enjoyed listening to Obama speak because he could express intelligent thoughts on an amazing variety of subjects. Trump? I must mute the audio whenever I see his image on the screen because he makes my skin crawl. He has overturned our democracy and leads a corrupt oligarchy who is not happy that they have most of the money because they will not rest until they have it all.
23
Even though a nice and thoughtful guy, Obama was a major disappointment, leading to low voter turnout, leading to Trump. Save for his Cuba and Iran efforts, everything else fit too comfortably within the clintonian neo liberal play book. His constant need to treat the GOP gangsters as anything but gangsters was a disaster.
17
Obama wasn't running for office in 2016. Do you forget how the Republicans, who had the majority, fought against him at the very turn. Some American people seem to believe that whomever is President is all powerful and can do whatever they want. Not true. Read your Constitution.
9
@Rickibobbi, I think low voter turnout was due more to the uninspiring and unappealing candidate Hillary Clinton. Maybe Dem voters were complacent because the country survived W (and Jeb! would have been better than W). In any case, I don't accepting logic that says Obama led to Trump. I miss Barack Obama. And Joe Biden. And George Bush.
9
@Rickibobbi
>Ricki
Don't forget the steady hand that aided the World economic recovery following the worst depression since the 1930s. Sure "cars for clunkers" seems like a joke now but in 2008/9, there wasn't a car ad on TV. Nor was Obama a disappointment to those of us who were able to buy health insurance after the passage of Obamacare. Osama bin Laden also thought Obama was ineffective - but he's not around any more.
Low voter turnout? Alas, Hillary was no Obama - and we all knew it.
9
A fresh dose of sanity.
48
Every word of this speech is worth airing. It’s time we heard from someone who has something valuable to say. Please air and provide transcript of the entire speech. Our country is in a state of emergency and Obama provides an elixir.
20
How short memories are, It was just a few short years ago and many Americans despised Obama for pushing Affordable Care Act on an agenda for millions of working class to have some healthcare.
30
@James
See, I recall it this differently. A few short years ago, Obama managed to negotiate and pass the Affordable Care Act - after 187 Republican amendments! - in a HEROIC agenda to provide health insurance coverage for over twenty million uninsured U.S. families and individuals. The voting public was overwhelmingly positive in their response to the ACA with approval hovering around 80%. I guess you were in the other 20%?!
8
James--Well, to be fair, most of those folks thought Obamacare was something different than the Affordable Care Act. What they hated was OBAMAcare. Really sharp people.
4
His vision was not so clear, it was diabolically murky in fact, when his administration decided to let Russian mafia sponsored cybercrime go unanswered because he needed the Iran deal and Putin’s help to get it.
He also covered up the corruption of the CIA in supporting and profiting from that cybercrime. Enforcing the law would have meant a scandal and endangered Clinton’s prospects and his legacy. (Plus, the Russians very likely have kompromat on Obama, too. Kompromat that was, in all likelihood, supplied by his own CIA, determined to protect this illicit stream of funds.)
Unlike Trump, Obama sounds all the right notes, inclusiveness, compassion, but in failing to enforce the law, he sold out the American people and democracy. He emboldened the Russians to put a puppet in the White House.
We will lose all trust in government if we fail to excise corrupt politicians of both parties. Neither party comes even close to a moral high ground. It is really a case of which pit has the most snakes.
6
How did he sell out the American people? Do you forget how the Republicans fought against him? Do you forget Mitch McConnell's "we're going to make him a one term President?" Blame. Blame the Republicans!
6
@Cecelie Berry Seriously, Obama did not do nothing re Russian cybercrime. That he could not prevent is true. But crime still happened on Superman’s watch. Such false equivalency borders on lunacy.
3
The best thing President Obama has said is, "Enough moping."
"The simple message right now is that if people participate, and they vote, then this democracy works," he said, "And if we don't vote, then this democracy does not work."
"So, I am happy to talk about specifics, but I want you to know for those of you who have decided you have got something else to do, I am giving you the executive summary: Vote! Participate! Get involved!"
That's right-- it is up to us to save ourselves and our democracy. There is no singular messiah; former presidents can advise, but the work is ours to do. Or as one sage put it: "Ours is not to complete the task, but neither are we free to desist from it." Enough moping- let us stand up and resist the anti-democratic forces in our country in every way we can!
51
“I was born in Hawaii.” - Ouch. What was delivered as a witty but innocent little joke brought back to my mind how that political nightmare with the Liar in Chief, who currently soils the WH got started. In normal times it should have stopped there and then.
Will we ever get back to “normal times”? Voters, it is up to you. Register, make your friends register and then , please, go and vote. For your sake, but also for Europe’s and the world’s.
79
Refreshing to hear a (real) president speak English instead of the hogwash we’ve been fed lately !
106
Did Obama take some time off from hobnobbing with the rich on their private islands and giving Wall Street $400K speeches, to actually do something for the country?
Obama is 1,000% better than Trump, but still, as a president who spread wars to several new countries in the middle east during his tenure, along with his order to execute a US citizen on foreign soil, his admonition against "strongmen" is hypocritical.
Face it, we have two political parties that are dysfunctional. Support the less dysfunctional one?
Yes, of course.
Act as if the less dysfunctional party is NOT dysfunctional?
No, that would be stupid.
15
@Ed Watters, the facts are he brought home 300,000 American troops from Iraq and Afghanistan. He did not start any wars although he did get involved in Libya, after rebels in the eastern part of that country started a war and was joined by the Arab League and some European countries. Also the war in Syria was started by rebels. For us to have stopped that war would have meant the deployment of tens of thousands of American troops for a long time. Is that what you would have supported?
6
@Ed Watters
Great assessment Ed. However, Obama murdered four US citizens without due process, not just one. And one of those citizens was a 16-year-old boy...
4
@Ed Watters Stil waiting for that perfect girl? <sigh>
1
If trump could read (O.K., he probably can … but he just doesn't 'bother'), he'd probably 'take issue' with the last line of the article. (I.e., he'd say that 'his people' [e.g., Strongbow2009 (=Weakmind0000)] came up with a lot of 'stuff' [evidence?] that President Obama, the last serving dutiful, intelligent and decent POTUS, wasn't born in Hawaii --or, being so stupid as to have said, the 'other day,' that Ireland is part of "Great" Britain, maybe he'd just say that Hawaii ... 'actually' ... is alien territory.)
6
Like Obama supporting ISIS in Syria. Funny how the Russians could get a handle on them but not the US.
4
Of course Obama is defending democracy...in Africa.
5
A Real President as opposed to a Treasonous Fake One. How low can we go America, since 1/20/17?
17
What joy to hear his voice again.
Ever heard Trump talk with such wisdom and truth? Ever think he will? Nah, it's confined to big, better, best, fantastic, tremendous and I, me and mine.
23
Former President Obama should give this speech a second time before a full session of Congress. They (including Trump appointee Justice Gorsuch) need to hear what they refuse to recognize about the Trump "presidency".
7
Wouldn't avoiding the "politics of fear" mean not fearing Russians? Personally, i am not afraid of Russians; Russians of my acquaintance have been funny, friendly, and literate, and from what I hear from well traveled friends, there is MUCH more reason to fear for one's personal safety in Chicago, Detroit or Baltimore than in any mid sized Russian city. Russian computer hackers may be a concern, but so are hackers the world over.
1
To hear President Obama's defense of democracy, tolerance, and a fact-based world order, is a relief from the chaos and corruption and malign intent that we have witnessed in the current Trump administration. We need to hear more voices like President Obama's. We also need the Republican Congress to wake up and recognize the danger that Trump poses to our national security and our liberty. This Republican Congress needs to take real actions to rein Trump in- legislation to direct resources to cybersecurity, additional sanctions on Russia, substantial legislation to protect the Mueller investigation, and real oversight of the corrupt and illogical actions of this administration.
13
Thank you, President Obama, for standing up and speaking out--for saying what needed to be said. These are unprecedented times. Accordingly our conventions must no longer bind us as to what ex-presidents should or should not do. The nation is in distress. This White House has done nothing to protect us from present and future Russian interference in our democratic elections. It looks as if Mr. Trump would like them to interfere on his behalf again. Your calling as an ex-president might very well be more important and more difficult than your service as president. It is increasingly plausible that the present president is a knowing or inadvertent Russian agent who is actively working to cripple our democracy and destroy the world order that has benefitted so many folks here and around the world. Please join us as we do our utmost to preserve the nation and its better angels.
15
Listening to this speech live via NPR, I had my first real sense of calm since the election, that all really was right with the world and that there is hope. Watching the comments posted in real time on the feed was so moving, so many expressing their longing for this wonderful man, wonderful leader. I urge everyone to watch the full video. It was vintage Obama--funny, witty, self-depreciating and with that little belated laugh he gives about 10 seconds after the laughter had died down from a joke. It was beautiful.
9
I listened to President Obama, and his voice was like hearing a friend's greeting after a too-long time apart. It actually calmed me, at least for the duration of the clip.
I so hope we will continue to hear his voice of reason in the mess we're all slogging through. I thank him for once again being visible.
9
Welcome back President Obama. America hath need of thee more than ever. A voice of reason. A reminder of traditional American values in the darkness of the Trump era. Sadly too many frustrated Americans welcome authoritarian leadership.So long as the trains run on time. AND so long as they are not the ones subject to roundup and relocation.
5
It is critical for the citizens of this country to stand up for democracy and vote this administration out. Otherwise, we will be held responsible for some of the darkest episodes of 21st century, for generations to come!
10
Mr. Deitenbeck's comments are frightening, but being frightened is nothing new for us under the current administration. I am not sure our democracy will survive the attacks of #45. Even if he were to be impeached/separated from office today, the damage he has already done to our nation and to the world may not be reparable.
We need you Mr. Obama. We need your thoughtful and insightful leadership. I believe we need to hear the voice of all our living former presidents.
This new definition of truth does not serve us well. We are in trouble!
8
"We the people" still have a voice as well. It's time to hit the streets on a regular basis and voice our concerns.
4
@Ed Andrews
Anyone know of any organized protests?
As he stands up for what is right, President Obama shows himself to be a lot stronger than the would-be-strongman, Donald Trump.
24
Where do people get the idea that Trump is not democratic? Because he supports border control and Obama favored open borders? So that makes Trump undemocratic?
Because Trump does not favor identity politics as Hillary did, that makes him undemocratic and xenophobic?
Trump is a conservative and a nationalist, he is President of the US and not a globalist president as his predecessor was. Trump favors conservative order, not a liberal globalist one that does not serve the common American citizen.
More important, Trump represents the will of the American people, who voted for him by an Electoral College landside, if not by the popular vote. That is constitutional democracy for you, if Obama says so or not. Also, the new governments in Hungary, Poland, Czech Republic, Italy, Slovenia, etc, are all conservative controlled borders leaders, and all were elected via the democratic process.
It does not work to criticize your opponents with whom you disagree politically, by calling them undemocratic, when they merely reject the liberal globalist view in favor of a conservative nationalist view.
6
@Philly
Criticizing everybody and our agencies - FBI, Special Counsel; criticizing allies is not what I call democratic. Supporting Putin over America is not democratic- short of treason actually. "It does not work to criticize your opponents politically with whom you disagree". Tell Trump that. Wow. Be realistic.
Flip Flop. Flip Flop.
3
Philly, so you are disappointed because Obama won both the Electoral College and the popular vote each time he was elected? Obama did not merely appeal to his own clan, as did the Donald!
The tradition of former Presidents to keep their peace on the current President is grounded in a tradition of civility and mutuality. The current holder of the office practices neither of these traditions; this fact should not provide cover, handicapping the former holder of the office; and, especially not when they are flagrantly abused with the perfidy of the current holder of office.
There.
Did I say it without mentioning any names?
3
It's not exactly suddenly--in Africa, Latin America, and elsewhere the United States and France (most especially, but other powers did as well) constantly propped up dictators in the (ironic) name of freedom (i.e., to support capitalism).
A key point made by Obama, too often overlooked (quoting the NYT):
"But the financial collapse of 2008, Mr. Obama said, ushered in severe economic hardship, lost wages and unemployment that led many people to question how drastically the world had changed with globalization and technology. They became wary of immigration and denounced powerful elites in both politics and places like financial institutions, he said."
A question that ought to be at the top of the list for the 2018 election: Has the US government, Republican and Democratic administrations alike, so far failed to recognize the cost of the 2008 recession and its ongoing effects on many, many people?
9
Just reading his words makes me feel better. I miss his leadership.
16
@Why
His speech is on the internet and well worth listening to.
1
Time for Obama to do this midterm what he didn't do in 2010 and 14: take off the gloves and start stumping for Democratic candidates in swing states and congressional districts.
Trump does 2-3 campaign rallies a month. Time for the Democrats to do as much.
2
I respect Obama and more than disrespect Trump, but Mr. Obama's comments, however correct they may be, aren't helpful. He is the red meat for the right, and given that quite a few from the right incline to be critical of Trump themselves, his intervention might only discourage them.
@valentine
helpful to me- hopeful and optimistic and what we don't receive from our present President.
1
Obama stepped up to criticize Trump. His opinion doesn't carry much weight these days. We need ex GOP presidents sounding the alarm for there to be a quantum effect on the electorate in the up coming mid terms.
Now is the time for all our former Presidents to speak out loudly, forcefully, and with every bit of strength they have against the travesty that is this current presidency.
There is always talk of former presidents adhering to the norm of silence when out of office. In this case, speaking out would not break that norm for the heck of it. It’s what’s right. It’s what’s moral. It’s what’s we the people need to hear.
We need to see and hear courage. We need voices to lead us out of this frightening nightmare that keeps getting worse by the hour. We need our past Presidents now, maybe more than ever.
3
Obama never liked fighting with people so, like the professor, he is, he pulled away from the rough-and-tumble of combative political life, tending instead to seek refuge in books, thought and his family's protective wing. Obama believed this approach would make him an effective leader but he was wrong. He was not very effective, as leaders go, and America, in her frustration, retaliated by flipping the switch to Trump.
7
@Margie Moore
Don’t forget that the republicans had the majority in Congress for part of President Obama’s term and blocked many things (including Supreme Court nomination).
1
@Margie Moore If by "effective" you mean bullying, then no, President Obama wasn't "effective." This country is in shreds and Obama didn't create that. The ignorance and stupidity of the populace did. Trump's supporters don't ever want to better themselves or to understand anything about what is going on. That would require introspection and they don't have the courage for that. Trump is like them- all talk, a coward, a liar and a cheat. He does not work for America. He has divided us and now he's helping Russia divide Europe. How could Obama ever be "effective," knowing how America lacks the strength and patriotism to ever truly be a beacon in the world now?
2
As much as I respect Obama and his honesty, I struggle with some of his actions. Most notably, allowing Mitch McConnell to play hardball at every step of the way. This weakened the Dems position. This, along with the "Hillary is unbeatable" mindset opened the doors for Trump (with Russian help) to stoke the radicals and sow doubts in the independents. Obama even new what the Russians were up to. Yet again his weakness of taking action so as to be perceived as "impartial" has hurt this nation. Tough to put the genie back in the bottle now.
11
Throughout our history we have never had a real relationship with the Russian government. Yes the Russians fought the axis (Germany, Japan and Italy) in WWII but we never warmed to any kind of situation like we have with European nations. Russia will continue to be adversarial toward the U.S. and will continue to try and destroy democracy as we know it. For whatever reason the president seems incapable of understanding that and holds the authoritarian leadership in Russia, China, Turkey, the Philippians and Poland in higher regard than the peoples of his own government. It is not likely that the Republican majority will push back at all after the initial reaction. Nor will most of his followers. They will give him another mulligan (the evangelicals) and a pass (most of the rest of his voters) but it will take a much more egregious event - similar to what he proclaimed about "shooting a person on Times Square and not lose a vote."
It will have to be something more serious than rebuffing his own Intelligence Agency and lauding the President of Russia. Try to imagine what it will take for his staunchest supporters to switch pronouns in their vocal chorus at his crowd gatherings from "Lock her up!" to "Lock him up!"
1
Just to say the words: "President Obama," brings a sense of relief and an instant memory of stability and civility. As we suffer through the loss of so fine a president and the culture of class, commitment and kindness he displayed while in office, we struggle to understand how we've arrived at this debacle of offensiveness.
Whatever the reason for this horror of a presidency, the end result must be what we strive for and demand. There's no place in our precious country for a criminally-inclined traitor to be sitting behind the Resolute Desk, or addressing our people as a president.
The memory of President Obama and every other president who fought to keep our country and democracy strong and safe requires vigilance on our part. Inaction on the part of the GOP is not acceptable. Remove the treasonous president from office.
3
Politicians of stature have to stop tip-toeing around these issues with elliptical comments that avoid taking on Trump by name and with specifics. The time for politesse is long past. There is a segment of the American populace that needs to be bludgeoned over the head with the stark reality of Trump's danger to democratic institutions, Western alliances, and America itself.
4
In politics, decency loses. I wish Obama had had the foresight to release all the information the intelligence community had gathered on Trump before the election. Instead he took the high road, presumably to avoid charges of crass partisanship from the likes of Mitch McConnell and Fox News. That would be laughable if it weren't so tragic.
17
The still on this video, Obama hair gone gray, with the signature wave, reminds me of the photograph of him the day he and his family walked out to board the helicopter for the last time. Elegant, reserved, fundamentally honest, deeply human. He is all that we have lost, all that we most likely never really had, the antithesis of what now controls us. He is the image of our better selves.
We will come through, but not unscathed.
12
I didn’t know how much I missed this wonderful man/president until I heard his voice on the radio one and my heart “jumped”!
4
So refreshing listening to Obama because it offers me hope that America will, one day return as a nation globally respected for its values.
I watch with despair how your great country has fallen from grace to something that resembles a gang of street fighters.
In my own Country, we are no better although the impact on the world is insignificant compared to that of America.
With great power, comes great responsibility. When politics fail your Country, it fails the world.
God Bless America - be yourself, you were already great.
10
Regarding Trump supporters of today, this quote of Ayn Rand's fits...
"Reason is not automatic. Those who deny it cannot be conquered by it. Do not count on them. Leave them alone"
8
Although I have strong positive feelings for Obama as a personality and political figure, it was his failures that allowed monster Trump to come in power.
Obama had a great missed opportunity and huge support to make the difference for the USA and the world. It is those failures from all progressives and leftists around the world that allows extreme right monsters to emerge..
5
I love you Obama.
But I will remind you that you're arguably the single biggest contributor to what is happening in this country right now, and the way it is happening.
I don't contribute the great economic resurrection that we are enjoying now to Trump at all, that's you. But in the same way, you made it possible for Trump to happen. Do I blame Bush for the 9/11? Not neccessarily. But I do remember him for all that happened after it.
For all the respect I have for you as the 44th president, all the pile of rubble you had to shovel us out of - fair or not - this is how I will remember you.
5
@Wolfegang Um, what? What did President Obama do to contribute to Trump's "success"? Exist?
14
Why ??? Presidenting while Black ???? Absurd.
3
@atb By his being black.
We need you more than ever!
Please continue to encourage us.
You give us hope for a better tomorrow.
1
Washington's Farewell Address:
Beward of foreign powers interfering with this new nation and beware of extreme bipartisanship.
9
President Obama is sincerely missed. We need his voice now, more than ever. The usual and normal is out the window. The respected practice of former presidents allowing the following office holders to go forth unmolested by comment or action is no longer practical. Our nation is in danger. President Trump is exhibiting treasonous behavior on the world stage. He is destroying democratic institutions within our nation. He is sowing the seeds of division within our nation , aided and abetted by the Russian government. The voices of our former presidents must bellow with the force of a tsunami. The values and principles of our nation must be reiterated to our citizens and our allies and enemies. It must be understood in all homes, palaces and capitals around the world that the Office of the Presidency is bigger than one man. Our democratic values and institutions are stronger than one leader. We will not allow an awful mistake created by an imperfect process to permanently damage this nation. Our people are to strong, our institutions are to strong, our values and foundations are to strong.
1
Maybe, just maybe, we would not be in this terrible situation now had Obama not frittered away his first term "reaching out to Republicans".
2
Remember when a mature, intelligent, dignified person was the face and voice of our nation to the world? When the rest of the world looked to us for inspiration and aspiration?
Thank you and God bless you, President Obama, for reminding us that true leaders do not resort to sowing division and fear, which are the tools of an insecure coward. Real leaders focus on the "united" in United States, reminding us of our commonalities, and encouraging us to face our societal issues as a nation, pulling us together rather than apart.
3
This whole Trump Debacle is beginning to take on the Iconic elements of a classic Political Crisis for this nation.
Just about every Pundit weighing in. There are competing Tweets and Press Conferences. TV Networks are devoting extensive coverage on news programs and comedy programs and late night TV. The Press, including the Tabloids are weighing in. Foreign dignitaries are having their say.
And countless threads on countless websites are seeing comments in droves from regular citizens, alarmed, outraged, grief stricken.
Some folks have resigned because of this. Many resignations are being called for.
The White House appears under siege.
It’s a time of decision. Are you for the Constitution? Or is it OK with you if the White House/‘resident declares himself above the Constitution and for a foreign despot whose hold over him appears to be akin to grabbing and squeezing Trump via a couple of his most sensitive private parts?
This is not about Party. This is about the survival of our Union under a common Constitution to which elected persons, government employees and members of our Military swear a Formal Oath of Allegiance.
I stand up for the Constitution. Against anyone who fails in their Oath and/or seeks to sway others to do that. No matter high up this goes. No matter how many join that high up person.
We are a Nation of Laws. Not of men.
2
President Obama also spoke on Mandela’s 100th birthday celebration of having more money now than he expected. After questioning how many trips one person can take and how much can one person buy, he said the “gift” of money is being able to “help others.” That’s the basic fact we’ve lost since Trump took office.
2
Sanity in a sea of discourse. May his words move us into being engaged citizens has our founders wanted us to be.
9
Weak. Predictably so. It's easy to hail the virtues of democracy - I mean, what's not to like? But to take on a tyrant, to call him out by name - now that takes a certain amount of guts and a willingness to get involved in an unseemly process. Because politics is often unseemly, and that's putting it mildly.
But Obama always prefers to hold himself above the fray. And that's why, during his terms, Democrats were decimated at the state and local level, losing two-thirds of legislative and governor races. All because Obama saw himself as "post-partisan," despite being warned at the outset of his administration that Republicans were going to be anything but non-partisan.
Politics is ALL about partisanship. You have an opinion and an ideology and you fight for them - otherwise what's the point of politics? Obama is fine for airy speeches, but not much good for anything else. He's not going to change anymore than that sociopath he helped get elected.
5
Mr. Obama finally opens his mouth to decry strongman politics and the decline of American civility and tp defend the liberal (that is, open without restraint to as many as possible) world order -- all without mentioning his successor by name.
Where was this eloquence two years ago when it might have made at least a little difference to the Russian perversion of the election? If I recall correctly, he was silent because he didn't want to appear partisan.
For all the dignity he appears to possess, Mr. Obama's profound pre-election silence was simply the final proof of his failure as a leader. Was he so naive at the time that he couldn't foresee the consequences of the rise of Trumpism?
"I'm not being alarmist," he said in Johannesburg, as if being so was a bad thing. Had he been in 2016, things might be a lot different today.
3
Clearly Trump who I don’t support, is leading the country to unknown and dangerous territories, however the Democrats and Obama share some responsibility for Trump’s rise. Not owning that responsibility is detrimental to the Democrats winning in future elections. Furthermore, Obama’s speech, how ironic, was given in a country that has been plagued by corruption and abuse by its own leaders since Mandela’s rule. Idealizing Obama is a mistake no matter how eloquent he is.
3
@Zoi Dorit Eliou
Curious regarding your statement "Democrats and Obama share some responsibility for Trump's rise". Specifically what are you referring to?
1
I watched this wonderful speech and was so proud to be an American who voted for President Obama. The South Africans were honouring Nelson Mandela and President Obama was the perfect person to headline the anniversary of Mandela’s 100th birthday. They announced him as “President”. His speech was universal, as a warning that all Mandela suffered and fought for is now being threatened by dictators, greed and racism. Yes, trump... but anyone who doesn’t put kindness and generosity for ones fellow community, freedom of press, attacks on democracy, love of greed and money ahead of common good for all citizens of the world is now in jeopardy.
2
Obama, extremely perceptive. What he doesn't quite understand is that democracy is not what makes people free. The only country in the entire world that is actually free is the USA. And it has nothing to do with democracy, but everything to do with our Bill of Rights. No matter who is elected through the democratic process, we Americans are free. I would never want to depend on democracy to keep myself free. No thank you to democracy, give me a Bill of Rights thank you.
4
@CBH You seem to have a poor understanding of democracy. You should also check out how many democratic countries have a Bill of Rights. Freedom without the rule of law means living in a state of nature.
6
WRONG!!!
The USA is not the ONLY country in the world that is entirely free.
In fact, the USA is not entirely free.
Example: when I go to my local park, there are many rules, one being "No alcohol allowed", where in other countries, that rule would be laughable.
Plus, there are other countries just as free as the US, some even more so.
You need to travel outside your country more.
4
The Bill of Rights is the rule of law.
It's so refreshing to read an article that spends much of its print space summarizing the main points of a coherent speech given by a thoughtful leader -- instead of trying to make sense of the senseless. Obama's speech provides its own context, and the journalist can focus on supplementing it with additional insights. And here I am, having learned something new about the world from it!
I wake up every day hoping that we can eventually return to a public discourse in this spirit, one that is more civil, deliberate and policy-driven. At this moment in history we're staring into the abyss, wondering if we should take the plunge. Personally I think we need to recoil for a moment and reevaluate our political choices.
18
I listened to more of his speech than is quoted here. He reminded us to look at the youth, for they are our hope. We can move beyond Trump and his ilk. But we have to work. And we must support the youth to shine the light on what is right. They stand on the shoulders of the great who have gone before ... and we will move beyond this very very dark time. And help the young to bring us forward to a better place. That's the gist of what he said. Inspiring as always.
November is before us. Let us vote. And remain vigilant and active.
33
My parents always thought of FDR as their president, long after he was gone. Although I was a fan of Bill Clinton, for me, Barack Obama (also with a mix of strengths and weaknesses) is and always will be my president. The clear vision and ethical underpinnings of this speech is another reason why.
84
@Nancy Lederman
When I was a very little girl in the South, my family spoke of FDR in terms that made me think he was like Jesus. My deeply Christian grandma put an end to that but added that Jesus would definitely love FDR.
In my mind's eye, (I'm 85) he is still a man to admire. And so is Obama, a man whose standards of behaviors make the present president look all the more distasteful.
2
@Nancy Lederman
Yes, and it good to know that he is still active in the political sphere.
We don't know what is going to happen next and his presence and potential leadership are a comfort.
Trump is the purest product of American culture. He’s an apparatus of destruction conceived in the junk entertainment industry of a junk entertainment land in which the medium has long been the message: “We shape our tools, and thereafter our tools shape us,” wrote Marshall McLuhan in 1964.
Republicans worship their leader, an object of their own invention who’s arranging their world so that they need not actually comprehend it. His sound bites come and go on a reassuringly familiar loop, the same words, the same themes, the same commentaries based entirely on emotions, on knee-jerk reactions, on resentment of political norms. Pattern recognition becomes knowledge in a ritual that demands nothing of the follower except faithful observance. What Trump promises to do doesn’t matter; all that what matters is what he’s railing against. The return on investment is bankable support derived from the darkest depths of human behaviour and psychology.
The most terrifying part of the current American moment is that it’s proof that you can become and remain POTUS while torching every known political and humanist norm. The US has jettisoned democracy in favour of corrosive chaos politics. The orange canary sings because singing is in its nature to prove fitness, to show territory ownership, to lure and lull its audience. His listeners listen because they have no use for the merit and meaning of words, even as they nullify and dispose of democracy.
77
@London Calling
Refreshingly articulate and thoughtful essay, but please, not all of America is junk, just the "deplorables".
2
In his fifties, BO is younger than most members of Congress. His non political credentials are as good as any and better than many. He thinks. He was also President for eight years. He has standing, internationally. Speak on.
43
Yes, and keep doing selectively and strategically, to maximize the impact of your words.
1
For additional context and perspective to bear in mind that this is in South Africa on the centenary of the birthday of a man who is now being criticised, inter alia, by a South African strongman who, with others, is now challenging the bona fides of those instrumental in what has been fondly called the New South Africa, and who, reportedly, boycotted the address. To tell the truth I’m deeply concerned at where this will end.
13
Unimaginable a few years ago?
The rot from within America, aided by years of GOP cuts to the working class while helping the wealthy, has been festering for a long time. US strongmen politicians did not emerge overnight.
22
Thank you Obama and Mandela, two men I respect and agree with. It is a shame So, Africa didn't do well with their leader after Mandela. Now it seems the United States is following the same path bringing down our democracy.
11
When 30% of the country believes Trump is the rational actor and Obama was some kind of duplicitous Manchurian candidate, it is time to directly question their mental capacity for rational thought. It’s also well past time to challenge thought leaders business executives and supposedly educated media pundits that still carry Trump’s water.
35
I did hear the entire speech of ex-president Obama and he seemed to say without mentioning any names, a lot about what good Trump is trying to do.
He was critical of unfair trade practices of China and he did talk of the current economic stability although he took some credit for being the person who enabled the recovery.
He did not mention Trump by name and spoke in general terms about nationalism that is growing in many nations.
The ugly head of xenophobia rises up every now and then in South Africa and in light of how Mandela fought xenophobia it made perfect sense.
I don't think Obama said anything against strong democratically elected leaders who get things done for the people who elected them.
It is mind boggling how modern day reporters and journalists twist and spin the truth to suit their own narrative.
Overall the first major lecture honoring Mandela in Johannesburg, South Afri8ca by Obama was at times disconnected, incoherent and he admitted he was speaking not from a prepared speech but making it as he went along. But it was vintage Obama sharing his forte, giving lectures and speeches.
4
You are deluding yourself if you think he wasn’t talking about tRump negatively and was instead praising him.
3
@Steve Cohen from NY. Where do I say Obama was praising him? Obama was supporting his trade policy by being critical of China.
In all of his actions, Donald Trump has averted World War III. He surrendered to the enemies.
12
A Neville Chamberlain for our times?
1
@wbj Correct. Good comparison, wbj. Except that at least Chamberlain had a back up and hastily prepared for the worst. Trump just seems to invite the worst elements.
Remember how it felt to take our leadership for granted? Remember how it felt to have a grown up in charge?
Remember how it felt to have optimism for this nation? Remember how it felt to be proud of our ideals?
Remember how it felt to hold up your President as an example? Remember how it felt to see civility in our White House?
Remember it. Remember it well. Vote Democrat in 2018 and 2020.
35
Change the constitution and let President Obama run for a third term. He is not only
smart and charismatic but he is a decent human being.
I do understand that Democracy is messy but I can not believe we could sink this deep In the muck.
18
I'm listening to President Obama now online. And it's almost like a balm to my soul. I'm usually so keyed up and agitated by trump's racism, his ignorance, by the constant attacks against people of color stoked by trump and his cruel followers, and by the complicit Congress and stuttering Democrats.
Listening to this intelligent, educated, articulate president talking about history, racism, apartheid, social justice, and ultimately how we arrived at this horrific point in history is amazing. He is still willing to show us the way forward. We can still fight to ensure that we don't succumb to the hatred and lies of trump, Stephen Miller, and Mitch McConnell.
Thank you, President Obama, for reminding me that I am the change that I seek in the world.
49
All living president's need to come together and present a unified front against Trump and the GOP leadership of they really care about the future of our country. Trump does not represent an alternative approach to policy, he represents ignorance and malicious wanton destruction. The apparent lack of concern on the part of the GOP and most of our former leaders is shameful.
18
How lovely to hear the sane, intelligent, voice of Obama. The only "lie" in 8 years was the "you can keep your own doctor" and it would have been true had Obama not made concession to the GOP in the hopes that they would work out a bipartisan law. Unfortunately, at that time, he did not know that McConnel was already fomenting his "don't support anything that Obama says or does" tactic. Look how far we have fallen in less than two years.
17
Obama is not being “classy” or “articulate” as some like to say, compliments subtly tinged with condescension because they are so obvious...
He is being downright prophetic.
8
@Suzie- I doubt that any commentors are being condescending - subtly or otherwise - at least in what I've read so far, which, granted, is not as yet the entire comments section.
I think people just do truly miss having a leader at home and a representative on the world stage who embodies the best of America at a time when we are being 'led' and represented by the most destructive and shamelessly despicable individual to be elected to the presidency in my lifetime (71) and probably way back before that.
Barrack Obama and his administration are responsible for not exposing this Russian mess when it first began. It looks to me like he didn't want to get his hands dirty or trash his legacy while leaving office. Unfortunately, by the time the Republicans are finished Obama won't have much legacy to worry about. Hey, I wish the Obama's happiness but by looking at house they purchased, their book deal and their Netflix contract, the former President and First Lady are not who I thought they were.
5
@Bruce Savin If the Obama's begin to give 250k speeches at corporate events and engage in thinly veiled paid influence peddling activities, I would share your opinion. I think, however, selling books and making shows are reasonable ways of making money for people with social influence.
6
Mitch McConnell refused to make a bipartisan statement with Obama about the Russian interference before the election. Obama didn't want to invite charges of tipping the scales for Hillary, since Trump was already claiming the elections were rigged against him. There was not a good course of action
3
@Bruce Savin
What would you have them do, wear sackcloth and ashes?
Wasn't it Barack Obama who (according to reports) knew about the hacking and the meddling by the Russians and didn't want to do anything because of the impending election?
Wasn't it Obama who said on a "hot mike" to Dmitri Medvedev that he would "Tell Vlad that I'll have more flexibility after the election" back in 2012?
I am thoroughly unimpressed with former President Obama's credibility on anything to do with world affairs.
11
Your statement of events in the first paragraph are in error.
Obama wanted to inform the public about the Russian interventions before the election, but he realized the importance of making the intel come from a bipartisan source to prevent the appearance of favoring Clinton. He asked McConnell to release the announcement together, but McConnell refused. Thank the Republican lack of cooperation for this failure, not Obama.
The constant, persistent Republican hamstringing of Obama's initiatives were the ugly source of most of the Republican myth of Obama's "ineffectual" presidency. What a different history we'd have had if they had put their partisanship subservient to our national welfare.
335
@Rosie James
The only thing you need to know about this is that President Obama knew that if he made a unilateral statement on the hacking, he would be accused of election tampering. Candidate Trump would have used any such statement, cried foul, and his supporters would have been even more emboldened. Instead (this is a matter of public record) he called together Dem and GOP leadership to put out a joint statement that the election was being tampered with by the Russians. Mitch McConnell would not put out that statement. The GOP leadership is fully responsible for having presented us with a compromised candidate.
The GOP has failed to do the right thing for decades- the result is Donald Trump.
13
Lie. And Pres. Obama's administration did reveal hacking by Russia!
5
For some reason(s), the election of Barack Obama --- a smart, capable, empathetic, observant, disciplined person --- churned up years of obstruction, denigration, name-calling, wild theories, hideous internet memes, allegations of being a Muslim non-American, et. al.
I believe it was racism, pure and simple.
Why participate in good governance when you can compare your opponent to a monkey?
Alt-right media kept these messages coming, the GOP just said No to Obama at every turn, and Trump was perfectly suited to presiding over a mess of racism, sexism, xenophobia, intentional lies and rejection of civility.
Trump didn't get where he is by himself. Millions of people admired his bluster and world view and voted for him. And that is what I find so frightening.
Americans got themselves into this mess, and we will have to get our selves out of it. One vote, one candidate at a time.
(P.S. President Obama, we sure do miss you.)
20
Trump Mea Culpa Play right now for reporters== takes saying---Easier to Ask For Forgiveness than for Permission--to new Stratospheric Heights
2
This country is truly bi-polar. The difference between the current president and the immediate past president is staggering.
8
Again, as an American at home abroad, a Democrat from the Bay State, let's remember in November.
4
Come home, President Obama. Now is the time for all good people to come to the aid of their country.
7
Let's not even diverge toward 'kill the messenger' topic on this development in Trump's bizarre penchant for Putin.
EVERY American must DO something to stop this madness. No matter how long he is able to dupe his base, those who do not support him must act:
We must hold EVERY elected Congressional member accountable to support and protect our country. That includes publicly calling out the sitting President and pursuing impeachment.
Trump is unfit, unguided, unschooled and unrepentant.
We must act to make him unacceptable as President.
6
Strongman politics warns the man who ruled by decree when he couldn't get his way through the democratic process.
3
Oh dear Lord, if we could just have Obama as president again. I at least had hope for the future with him at the helm. We someone similar, stat.
3
Too bad Obama went to Africa to preach democracy when he has been so conspicuously absent from saying anything here in the US. He has refused to use his bully pulpit here where it is needed most. I would like to hear him publicly announce why he has chosen to be so silent here. Feels to me like a twisted sense of what is and is not proper for a former President.
I think former Presidents have routinely taken the position of not (directly) speaking against the actions of a sitting President. Maybe that needs to change.
But at least Obama is saying something. Where are the speeches from Bush 1 or 2, Clinton or Carter? Seems a bit selective to single out Obama for being conspicuously absent.
2
Trump Press Conference----On my trip I met the Queen, "It was expiring"(?) I went to Helsinki- I am interested in peace. Oh I said "would" when I meant "wouldn't"--as in why wouldn't it be Russia(this is his mea culpa--don't blink or you'll miss it). This whole mess is really Obama's fault. I have respect for our Intelligence Agency. Pumps shoulders--Are we good here--------
2
Once-upon-a-time, we had an American President whose vocabulary stretched beyond the one syllable words; "Me, My, Mine; good and great.
We even had one who "misunderestimated" and wanted to know; 'Is our children learning?'
But now, it's like we never had the first and stuck on Stupid with the current occupant making the misunderestimated one sound (and look) brilliant.
How we got here; we all know. How we get out depends on us: Vote like your life depends on it; it does.
10
Bigly!
1
As much as I dislike Donald Trump this need to elevate Barack Obama to sainthood is so much worse.
10
@sharon5101
So true! The need to elevate Obama to the status of sainthood is SO MUCH WORSE than giving someone that you "dislike" a pass while he tramples all over democracy.
Nice try.
2
Gee!
Seems so long ago when America actually HAD a president - who defended the Constitution AND the country.
2018 VOTE!
2020 VOTE!
7
Obama defended the country? which country? did nothing internally to alleviate racial tension which in fact got significantly worse under his presidency. broke down the country's borders and heralded social policies that split the american public into smaller amd smaller hyphenated groups, causing dissension among those groups (kind of a divide and conquer mentality), wanted to eliminate immigration policies and just allow anyone to enter the country. foreign policy--did nothing to stop Kim's NK nuke program. agreed to a horrible nuke deal with iran and became famous for "drawing a line in the sand" that constantly moved backwards, showing his weakness with respect to foreign policy.
2
"The 80s called they want their foreign policy back"
4
Oh, how I miss this man.
19
Mention him by name, Barack! Enough of this.
You are normalizing this horrendous and dangerous situation by acting the way an ex-president would in NORMAL times.
4
@Servatius I think you bring up a good point. That timidity and that adherence to norms and rules is specifically what people disliked about President Obama. I mean---that seems like picking out the chocolate chips out of your cookie now that we are starving.......but the point you make is a good one. It's time to call him out.
Then again, all that would do is invite rebuttal and that would become the story. Perhaps it's better to have Obama handle this in a classy manner--the message then becomes the story, and not the clash.
1
I thought Donald Trump sent "people" and that they settled the issue.
And now here he goes again: still claiming to have been born in Hawaii.
He should be impeached.
5
Obama is and was a complete coward. He let Mitch McConnell steal the supreme court with barely a whimper.
He made Wall Street 40% bigger with no arrests after they cost us estimates of 6 to 12 trillion tax doars.
We went from bombing 2 counties to bombing 8 counties under Obama.
He coordinated the Cities crackdown of the Occupy movement .
He let the police club our children like dogs at the protests of the 1% and the oil pipelines.
Democrats are cowards and they gave us Trump with their weak ,inept bought off corporate friendly policies.
5
@gene"Democrats gave us Trump?"
The electoral college says Trump Voters gave "us" Donald Trump.
1
Every single living President needs to promptly speak out.
9
@Jean:...and the others need to speak from The Grave.
Wait,wasn't this the President that told Russian President Medvedev " I will have more flexibility after my election" caught on a hot Mic?
5
Putin hadn't invaded the Crimea yet. The election interference campaign was not yet to mobilize. The situation is not even sort of similar
3
@thrushjz; Your point? Please elaborate; don't leave us hanging.
2
Where have you been?
You have had your fun and made a lot of money since you left office.
Democracy needs you to be active.
Come on man Your Country needs you now!
5
President Obama, how badly we miss your leadership and courage! You are a first among equals and our country is considerably debased with the jump from a man of your integrity to the oafish, treasonous occupant currently squatting in the Oval Office.
We miss you.
14
It’s good to see that Obama is speaking out. I would like to hear from George W Bush and Bill Clinton as well. It’s obvious that our country is on a path towards total collapse unless strong action is taken. The time is over for giving the POTUS the benefit of the doubt.
38
@Javaforce And let's not forget president Carter, who has always been a voice for integrity, humanity, and just doing the right thing (even if I did not agree with his policies).
3
Time for all former POTUSs to speak out!
Our democracy assasinated and our voting integrity compromised- these couldnt be ignored anymore.
12
It's good to hear from our most recent American President. His observations were pointed, and yet his tone was calm, steady.
He reminded me that yes, we have a lot to do to protect our democracy, and the work both can and must be done.
37
For whom is Donald Trump making America great again?
31
What a bright, articulate guy. Maybe he should run for office. -)
35
The truth always wins.
This man has the dignity to speak it. And he has the humanity to lift others. Name another leader who led a grieving funeral mass through a rendition of "Amazing Grace?"
What's wrong with this world?
53
The truth always loses, we are still in thrall to the church, the military and the rich. It's called feudalism.
It is impossible to imagine Barack Obama participating on a secret meeting with Vladimir Putin, then standing up in public beside Putin and accepting his lies about Russian meddling in the 2016 election process, dismissing evidence the Justice Dept has now disclosed, because Barack was President of the United States, whereas Donald Trump is an imposter.
When Trump, the beneficiary of that Russian meddling, asks "Why would they do that?" it's hard not to burst out laughing.
Trump does not represent us in any way. He sides with a foreign power without a hint of dignity, integrity, or the patriotism he so insincerely touts.
We need a leader, not this pathetic fraud.
69
@dutchiris
Sorry, Trump is the beneficiary of the US meddling. We needed more time to crush the Middle East militarily. Trump's business style of face-off-friendly fits right in with the power behind the scenes plan to rile up the American public against Russia. As for Russian election 'meddling' didn't happen. While the US public's middle class life has gone down the tubes, this never-ending politico revelations and disclosures and charges and counter charges takes precedence. Mr McCain's experience, like mine will never allow him to trust the enemy again. In my case social workers & psych people.
Absolutely no disrespect to Obama, who has more class and decency in his little finger than Trump does in his entire body, but I take offense with one thing he said: "Politicians have always lied, but it used to be that if you caught them lying, they’d be like, ‘Ah, man.’”
What bothers me is that, though I know this is the way politicians, used car salesmen and lawyers routinely do business, Obama is glossing over the at least a basic level of lying as being acceptable and expected. No, it's not acceptable. And that Trump doesn't know the difference between the truth and a lie is beyond reprehensible and is unfitting for any human being, let alone the President of the United States.
11
I'll take what John McCain had to say rather than this toothless stately mush.
6
There is a certain protocol, a decorum, that former presidents have always followed. Obama is doing just that. He's no longer president, and it isn't his role to criticize the current president directly. Though he is doing a fine job, indirectly. And good for McCain, who is in office, and whose role it is to do just what he is doing.
If you possess even a wee bit of intellectual sophistication, you may actually see razor sharpness between Obama's lines. Give it a try.
One need not be loud and demonstrative to make a point. Sometimes subtlety is best. A bit like revenge. A dish best served cold.
4
We need President Obama to speak on American soil once again.
22
But American soil is tainted with Roundup.
Now, we have "Benedict Donald," our traitor—deceiver-in-chief.
The hypocrisy from his evangelical base is shocking. They will let him run amock to get their agenda into law. We are dissolving our Democracy like a melting ice cream cone in the
summer sun. Obama has spoken out! I don't hear enough from the Republicans about getting this menacing anomaly removed from office. The Koch Brothers and the Mercers have their operative in the WH. Putin is blackmailing "Agent Orange." Why is this happening right before our next election? Why don't we demand paper ballots? This is a disgrace to all the men and women who have died for our freedom to have this greedy fool destroy our country so he can expand his real estate empire. Wake Up America our empire is coming close to vanishing.
40
Yawn....8 years was way more than enough. Is this gent still around? Who truly cares about his views, speeches, or further denigration of our society.
11
@Indie Voter : I care. He is well spoken, a product of paying attention during a good education. He is prone to telling the truth - no, not exclusively, but very high in comparison to recent or current presidents. He is thoughtful, seeing the world as the small planet that it is. And he is respectful - a good example being his general restraint in referencing a president who just betrayed his oath of office on the world stage in order to favor the a man who lies as much, or even better than himself.
Obama was not a perfect president and not nearly as entertaining of a speaker as his replacement but he looked, acted, spoke and behaved like a president - properties I find sorely lacking in Mr. Trump.
2
"Is this gent still around?"
No, he's been replaced a narcissist who lacks critical thinking skills, has difficulty forming complete sentences and routinely denigrates Canada, the UK, Germany, the FBI and the CIA.
4
Just about everyone who has written a comment and millions of people who share their beliefs. If you are yawning you are obviously NOT paying attention to what is happening in this country.
3
Months ago we were watching the first episode of David Letterman's Netflix interview show. His first one-hour guest was Obama. I remember looking over at my wife and she was crying. She said she missed Obama so much.
Literally every quality we admire in Obama is completely absent in Trump, who exhibits so many negative traits he's more like a fictional character. Trump is the complete ultimate egoist, unfit to be president...of anything.
Eclectic Pragmatism — http://eclectic-pragmatist.tumblr.com/
Eclectic Pragmatist — https://medium.com/eclectic-pragmatism
55
The classic example of strongmen maintaining the forms of democractic government while exercising unitary power is that if the early Roman Emperors, starting with their predecessor Julius Caesar. The Senate still met and debated. Consuls were still inaugurated. Yet it was all a sham and everybody knew it.
We might still be able to prevent all this if only Republicans in Congress and their base stood up for Libertas rather than Party.
22
We need all living past Presidents to speak up together against this treasonous President.
176
On the same stage, at the same time, with live broadcast to the nation and the world. Democrat and Republican alike. This has gone way beyond politics. This is a matter of treason and the future of our Republic.
5
And those who were beaten as well. If all the ex-presidents and presidential candidates all speak as one perhaps they can influence feckless current Republican Congresspeople to remove this dangerous demagogue.
6
indeed!
what an actual leader sounds like
158
Like Night and Day. I know the right couldn't stand this man but as of today it is the far right who has NO credibility, They are traitors to this country values. They would rather jeopardize this countries integrity by staying silent to the disgusting spectacle we witness on Monday by Trump. Now it looks like the NRA were also in bed with the Russians. See the link below
(https://www.npr.org/2018/03/22/595897412/john-boltons-curious-appearance...
47
@FV
Thank you for posting the link. I thought yesterday was as bad as it could get. This video of Bolton touting the NRA and gun ownership to the Russians is more of the same.
I want my country back.
1
" You don't know what you've got, till it's Gone ". Well, many of us knew. And some didn't care, as long as the NEXT " president " was WHITE.
Make Russia Great Again: GOP 2018. Sad.
67
Hard to do when a full third of the country would vote for Ted Bundy if he promised to lower taxes, to troll liberals, and to to keep the dark people in their place.
55
Oh how we miss you.
Oh how we miss our country.
70
Oh, how I miss this wonderful man.. I know that the protocol for past presidents is to refrain from interfering with the present one. But these are not ordinary times. Trump is a stain on his office and our nation. I do not have to list how dangerous and threatening he is to our democracy. We are are getting a bird's eye view of what hell must be like. The fact of the matter is we need Barack Obama now, his intelligence, his knowledge, his dignity and grace. The more he can say in his diplomatic way to address the crises our country now faces the better for us.
138
Thank you, Mr. Obama, for your thoughtful sensible words. I hope America is listening and will vote accordingly.
70
The present situation is unprecedented and requires more than speeches bemoaning it. Obama's eloquence is admirable and so is his defense of the liberal order. But something much more forceful is needed. What could have a major impact on US politics is for Obama and G.W. Bush to publish a common statement condemning the path of destruction Trump and his enablers in Congress are taking. The time to confront them is now, not after some major calamity overtake us.
37
Just as unprecedented as Obama never going after one bank CEO that caused the 2008 financial meltdown. The soon you come to the realization that all these politicians are on the payroll of big money, the better. Bush and Obama's silence on US soil is a huge afront and an indicator of their true character.
2
Too many people, and the media, are acting like TREASON is just more news. It is not.
WE ARE IN A CONSTITUTIONAL CRISIS.
WE THE PEOPLE DEMAND that our five living Past Presidents step up and - working together - kick the traitor posing as president in OUR white house out. They need to put him under citizens' arrest - along with his Robber Baron brethren and their operatives - until Investigator Mueller and other investigators finish their work and officially lock them all up.
Working together the five past Presidents can manage OUR U.S. government and place Socially Conscious Women and men to run it until the elections this November and in 2020 are held.
The time is now. The time for talking and wringing our hands is past. NOW is the time to save OUR democratic form of governance and prevent WW3.
42
well said
“And as I watched him on the stage
My hands were clenched in fists of rage
No angel born on hell
Could break that Satan’s spell...
... I saw Satan laughing with delight...
Don McClean
American Pie
The times, they are a changing and Trump is rapidly gathering the dogs of war, but only to release them upon his fellow Americans who oppose his treasonous administration.
Fair warning fellow citizens. Vote as if our life and democracy are at stake, because they are.
26
Like him, or not, President Obama is the sanest person in the room. He has stayed out of politics, since leaving office. He has had ample opportunity to attack Trump, but stayed away from doing so. President Obama is apolar opposite to Trump. During his 8 years in office, he put up with a great deal, from the GOP and current Trump supporters, and managed to be cool under such discourse. Throughout his two terms, he tried to united the country, and improve the country.
Yes, there were a number of pitfalls, during the Obama Era, some self-inflicted, and some he had no control over. However, he did not cast blame on others, belittle the media, bully his administration, the press, the American people, our allies, our enemies, etc. Again, he tried to rise above the discourse.
Out of all the politicians in Washington, current and former, President Obama said more with this one speech, than either sitting Democrats or Democrats. They are too busy dealing with mid term elections, and keeping the oligarch money flowing in, to upset the Trump apple cart.
In another era, Trump would have been impeached and possibly removed from office. But, when you have politicians now owing to oligarchs, and a foreign power, they are in office at the pleasure of the foreign power.
Thank you President Obama again fro your insightful, and welcoming words. I just hope they did not fall on deaf ears. Not since the Civil War, has the United States has been in so much peril.
176
The need of the hour is for all living former presidents, irrespective of party affiliation, to unite and openly and stridently oppose the policies being pursued by this administration and call for impeachment of the DT. We do not want just criticism, we need true leadership. Either you are willing to fight for the soul of our country or you are not.
84
Spot on. It would show the world that Trump does NOT represent American ideals
I can still remember seeing Obama deliver the keynote at the Democratic convention and falling in love with his optimism and his belief in us. My Irish Catholic Mom, born in 1920, died a few months after he was re-elected and for her, that was one of the greatest political achievements of her lifetime.
In my eyes, he is simply the most elegant, erudite, even tempered,intellectual president of my era and the one with the greatest heart. I admire him most as a husband and a father. I have missed him more than I can ever say.
I woke up in stunned sorrow on November 9 2016. I wept through his farewell speech but mostly,I heard it as a call to action.
Let’s repay him. Be a volunteer—find a campaign. Knock on doors, chip in $5, make some calls, write some postcards. Register some voters. Be a poll watcher. Drive a neighbor or senior citizen to the polls.
For god sake, vote. We really can save the country, just like our parents did in World War II but not from the sidelines. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for.
Obama, thanksa for everything and keep lifting our spirits!
315
Maybe take a second to reflect on what this latest outrage is distracting us from?
Have all the separated families been reunited and every child returned to his or her parents? So easy to get distracted amidst all the messes Trump has made, I know, but there are little ones at stake and we must keep the pressure on.
And President Obama, thank you — I am certain what you said was only a fraction of what you have to say on the current sad state of affairs. From the sidelines, a nation looks on in horror, but I have sometimes thought that for you, a man who knows personally the weight and solemnity of the duties of the office of president ... the day-to-day desecration must stab at your heart.
I will always and forever appreciate the advances achieved under your administration, and in my heart at least your legacy will not fade.
37
Wasn't Mr. Obama that weak guy who, having control of Congress, couldn't or wouldn't support a health care public option? Who couldn't or wouldn't then enact a Chapter 13 bankruptcy crackdown that would have saved millions of homes from foreclosure? Whose negotiating posture with Republicans was always to give up half of the negotiation for nothing in return (e.g. nominating Garland)?
Of course "strongman" politics a la Mr. Trump should rightly be condemned, but is Mr. Obama the right messenger?
5
@Jerry Atrick No, President Obama is that guy who took the mess that was handed him-- economic collapse, an intransigent Congress dedicated to obstructing a fairly and overwhelmingly elected president, and ignorant bigotry and racism magnified by equally ignorant and bigoted media outlets more interested in pushing division than reporting objective truths-- and saved the economy; nailed the architect of the 9/11 disaster; went after border crossers who committed felonies and jailed and/or deported them; held families together while they awaited their immigration hearings; applied, in concert with our allies, sanctions to punish Russia for illegally annexing Crimea; negotiated a verifiable, enforceable agreement with Iran--again in concert with our allies-- to get a handle on their development of weapons-grade nuclear materials; and negotiated an imperfect-but-better-than-what-there-was vehicle to provide health insurance coverage to the greatest number of Americans possible at a price that did not cost more than they made, again despite the obstructionism of the majority party in both houses of Congress. That is who gave this speech.
3
I watched this live streamed. It was brilliant and so very important. I hope NYT will provide the full text.
28
With his no names mentioned, indirect criticisms, Obama continues to give the impression of someone who lacks the courage to fight for what he believes. He still seems to think he can persuade people who disagree with him by avoiding harsh rebukes of the leaders they support. It didn't work when he was president, and it won't work now. Perhaps he's a slow learner. Or perhaps he simply cannot bring himself to face reality no matter how obvious it is: there are bigots and hatemongers in this country who will never abandon the leaders of their "tribe" no matter what. There is nothing to lose by confronting these people with words as harsh and angry as theirs, because nothing will persuade them to do other than they are doing.
5
For one thing, Obama is what is rather crudely called a class act. For another, Trump is the worst but far from only exemplar of a narcissistic bullying grasping political hack. Has calling out DT by name ever mitigated his words or actions? What appalls is the Republican failure to dump or even censure him.
12
@Mrsfenwick I don't understand your point? "Fight" is exactly what he was talking about: getting out and voting on a grass roots level, believing in education, and GIVING back. That's how Obama chooses to fight. Maybe you're talking about actually donning gloves? His words resonated around the world. And as someone with great erudition, eloquence and kindness he's a refreshing drink of water after the last year and a half (which seems like an eternity).
1
@Hopie Here is my point: can you explain what is stopping Obama from calling out Trump by name? If he believes that Trump is doing wrong and wants people to vote in order to impeach or curb him, why doesn't he simply say that? Well? During his presidency. Obama did not take action he could have taken in regard to Russian meddling and Comey's grandstanding, among other things that influenced the 2016 election. He always seemed to find some reason NOT to do or say things he could have done or said. That is appalling to those of us who agree with him on the issues but are frustrated at his eternal hesitation to act and speak plainly.
Has Trump said anything worth agreeing with? And does it offer a contradiction to the strong defense of the post-WW2 order? Yes. His remark about the nuclear situation as an alarming fact. Trump has been very childlike in his various lamentations about this. They are not new. They will probably figure in his defense of his position. I mention them merely to suggest that in the providence of God defense of the last 50 years of our history is weak and self-serving. Trump is an outrage but so is the military industrial complex and our unquestioning embrace of it.
5
I can imagine the reasons for Obama not speaking out loudly and explicitly on the current mess. Still, here is one vote for him doing so now.
12
President Obama needs to speak up here in America if he believes the world order is being threatened by despots. As tenuous as world affairs appear to be, at this moment the US is still the only super power militarily on the globe. For the moment our American voice still means something, but words of warning about threats to democracy must come from our shores, from our leaders, directed first and foremost to US citizens who are concerned with the current state of affairs.
For Obama it might mean he's falling on his sword, but I don't believe that this is the case. He still commands a loyal following who are looking for someone of merit to lead them. Actually, he's in the sweet spot now as he won't be standing for any elective office with all the murky dealings that accompany all politics these days.
7
From now on, it's Doctor President Obama. He made me feel well again for the first time in... a long time. He's as adroit with words as the finest surgeon with a scalpel, and he looked me in the eye and said in simple terms, don't sit down for this. Exercise your rights. Exercise your freedoms. We all need to exercise!
19
We are definitely at a crossroads with very stark choices.
There's an old saying: The fish rots from the head down. In our modern international order, the head of the US remains the head for the rest of the world.
And the rot? It's come far too fast for my comfort.
11
President Obama was the president of Wall Street. Timothy Geithner put in 10 million foreclosures into the bank bailout. We lost the House, the Senate, and he didn't fight for the moderate Republican drug company lawyer Eric Garland.
We lost over 1,100 seats in states nationwide. And to add to the misery, Income Inequality is worse than ever.
Obama can take his "WeakMan Politics" somewhere else. We need wins for workers.
5
Question. Why did he not mention Trump’s name. Trump evokes his name every chance he gets to blame him.
This is the problem with Democrats. The only way to handle is to scare him
3
@Eraven Obama didn't mention Trump because Obama is smart: The minute he does so, he gives Trump a free pass to change the conversation, which is right now focused on Trump's apparently treasonous behavior, so the issue becomes about Obama instead. Plus, trading insults with Trump is a losing proposition.
11
Perhaps it is time for all living former presidents to make a joint statement condemning trump's action/comments. Our country is seriously at risk. Speak up!
17
Here's a thought experiment: imagine an alternate universe where President Obama is still president, and said and did everything President Trump said and did this past week - bully our friends, and cozy up to our enemies in treasonous language. In that universe, imagine President Obama decried any investigation of him as a "witch hunt" on a daily basis; called the press "the enemy of the people"; and routinely denigrated and insulted the very institutions of democracy, including the Justice Department and our intelligence agencies. In that reality, just imagine not only what the Republicans would be saying now, but what they would be doing in moving swiftly toward impeachment?
As for me, I'd prefer to live in an alternate universe where President Obama is still president, still speaking in intelligent, sobering, and calming tones, and where nascent fascism hasn't gripped much of our country and the world.
19
Although Obama’s speech is a welcome respite, a balm to the current political maladies, what the Nation needs and should expect is for its institutions to function and deliver as designed. For the ex-presidents to speak up in a politically prescriptive manner might be also an interference with the constitutional processes already in place. As Obama is probably doing, lets be patient and have faith in our Constitution to navigate these challenging times. We, all Americans, have no other choice if we want to survive united this sad historical chapter. It’s about Constitutionalism, not caudillismo.
6
yes, it's a powerful speech and yet, as the article puts it:
"Mr. Obama seemed to take direct aim at Mr. Trump over his administration’s policies and his propensity for exaggerations and falsehoods."
Perhaps it's time for the most distinguished of the still living Presidents of the United States to use all of his rhetorical powers and capacities for moral suasion, face up to reality completely, and give this disaster we have wrought upon ourselves a name: Donald Trump. Enough of the feints and allusions. Come right out and say it.
Previous expectations about norms and practices of courtesies and civilities between US Presidents have now been utterly shredded by the current one. He deserves nothing less than direct and complete condemnation. Obama has nothing to lose by giving what "stuns" him and once seemed "unimaginable" a clear and explicit name. Say it again: Donald Trump.
13
Pres Obama played it straight. He did not want to influence the election. He went to Congress hoping the GOP majority would put country above party for the sake of free and fair elections. Majority Traitor Leader in the Senate refused.
2 final mistakes made by an articulate, intelligent, compassionate, honest man that I am so proud to call our President. We may never see the like again unfortunately.
I would urge President Obama to speak out with more regularity and more force. If all taboos can now be broken, then this taboo: the reticence of former presidents to criticize can be broken as well.
27
The contrast is breathtaking.
In former President Obama, we have a man with solid virtue, integrity, substance, gravitas, erudition, wit, morality, family values, gentleness, calmness, rationality, humility, conviction and above all, an unshakable belief in the values of liberal democracy, in short, President Obama is everything that Trump the Pretender is not.
Unlike in parliamentary systems, where the former leader often remains in office and speaks out in Loyal Opposition, under our system, the tradition is for former Presidents and for losing candidates to retire to the sidelines and stay quiet in deference to the sitting President.
But as a number of people are pointing out on here, these are extraordinary times, where our very values as a liberal democracy are at stake and are threatened by a wannabe "strongman" who does not appear to share those values. Therefore, it is incumbent on our former Presidents and presidential candidates to defend our democracy and to speak out in this time of institutional crisis.
We desperately need their voices and their collective wisdom to help us navigate in these difficult times.
60
I liked President Obama, voted for him once and greatly regretted losing him as President.
His rhythm, grace and debonair. The cut of his jib. His smile. His cool. His tallness. His thinness. His way of telling a joke. His very evident intelligence. His attractiveness to women and young people. His affection for basketball. His overcoming of an absent father and a mother who traveled too much. His trying to give up smoking. His close attention to the ceremonial and patriotic duties of his office like visiting with hurt soldiers and disaster and crime victims.
Along the way, I was willing to forgive some of his more grievous mistakes like the Syrian red-line disaster on the grounds that his choices were limited by Republican opposition or, at least, were well intended.
The Iran nuclear deal and his imposing of the awful U.N. settlement resolution regarding Israel and his multiple failures to adequately confront Mr. Putin I did not forgive.
They left me with an incompetent, unstable caricature of a President by the name of Donald J. Trump.
7
Mr. Obama is spot on, I miss his sane perspective.
30
Typical Obama: Above the fray discourse, as he quietly watches Trump toss the last shreds of evidence that Obama ever lived in the White House. For America's sake, let's hope Obama keeps up the gutsy good work. Maybe someday he will even patriotically and bravely mention Trump's name.
6
While the speech clip gives one message, it fails to recognize that no president has exceeded Obama's efforts to restrict First Amendment rights or a "free" press, and Obama left Trump what some call a "dictator's toolkit" that empowered a president in ways that no prior president had. Apparently Obama though that Hillary Clinton was going to wield these powers, and like the NYT, hardly believed a Trump in the White House was a real possibility. What politicians say, and what the corporate media allow them to get away with increasingly differ from the reality of what the DO.
6
Cite specific instances of Obama restricting the First Amendment. All that comes to mind is the whistle-blower crackdown.
2
Thank you Sir for reminding us how a real President comports himself.
25
It is good to hear a voice of reason, and even better that this voice is President Obama's.
21
Thank you President Obama , please continue to speak out on the national stage. We desperately need your voice.
22
@J. R. That was his only strong suit, he spoke well and read frm a teleprompter. As a President he was lacking. Sorely lacking, red lines, asleep with Syria imploding, Russians, keep your doctor etc.
1
Keep your doctor - you can blame Joe Lieberman for that
Syria and Ukraine - Congress would authorize military force
Obama deserves heat, but not for things beyond his control
2
"America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms it will be because we have destroyed ourselves"
Abraham Lincoln.
43
I know people will point out to me that this is impossible, but I think I'll mention it anyway. We need Obama as president for 2 more terms to get us back to a functioning and trusted member of the world community. Obama's preparation, insight, intelligence and temperament is really unmatched. Let's repeal the constitutional amendment prohibiting a president from serving more than two terms and let's elect Obama.
12
Not nearly a strong enough condemnation by the former president. What are these political leaders afraid of? Call it what it is:the ascendancy of the authoritarian state. Trump lied from day one, and continues to do so. He is a traitor to our democratic institutions. That he has a loyal base is irrelevant, as there will always be those who support dictatorship, thinking that they are “safe.” Call him out, call for his impeachment. This must end.
11
A clever turn of phrase.
Subtle references.
Versus
Authoritarians. Fascism.
DeVos, Zinke, Jefferson Beauregard, Mulvaney, Pompao, Carson, Bolton et. al.
Clever turn of phrases are NOT ENOUGH.
4
It is Obama who, while still POTUS, failed to protect the integrity of our electoral system.
7
It makes me cry just to see photos of him. Much less hearing him speak in beautifully modulated full sentences. I want to call out--smile for us! Hold your wife's hand for us! Spell something for us! Bend down to talk to a child for us!
15
So what’s the point here, an Obama public service announcement? A pep talk? A warning, coming from the same guy who suspended habeas corpus, the “deporter in chief”, the guy who worsened income inequality, and allowed war criminals to go free? Obama does all his propaganda bashing while abroad. Last time he criticized American voters for turning their backs on his political legacy. Yet he stood idly by while African Americans were cut down via extrajudicial police murders. He “tortured some folks”, droned other some folks, and broke up immigrant families seeking peace and freedom. And then, to boot, on his way out he started collecting his Wall St. pension checks and vacationing with his patrons. And, folks still say the “miss” Obama! We truly “missed” him while he was never here for us in the first place! Actually, this isn’t the kind of guy I want advice from anyways! We got stuck with the “hope” and Obama kept the ‘change.’
5
Today I looked at this picture and I cried. We had one of the most eloquent, decent, humanitarian presidents that has ever lived and now we're in a total nightmare. Because Trump is such a lunatic I find myself just afraid. Trump is completely out of his league, completely and utterly self-absorbed and unaware of how awful he really is. God save us...and I don't even believe in god!?
18
How I miss President Obama!!!! I could weep....
15
Democracy in danger. Republicans should be ashamed of themselves.
14
God, how I miss this man as our Commander in Chief.
16
Before we make judgement let’s see what President Trump tweets.
@Piece man - Can you honestly believe anything he says?
5
Wish President Obama you were still our President !
Donald j. trump has sold his soul to Putin and diminished the Country of America to be the scorn of the World .
What Trump is trying to hide ?
11
I happen to agree with the message, but Obama is not the right messenger. He had his shot and now the only appropriate action is for him to keep quiet.
1
The ultimate truth in todays politics and the behavior of Trump and his GOP gang: Thanks Obama!!!
6
The voice of reason from our last legitimately-elected President. Maybe soon he will bravely call out the illegitimate "president" by his name. We that from all of your leaders, both public and private. In government, in business, in other institutions.
Red flags, people. Deadly serious red flags.
8
Obama is to Trump as class is to crass...
16
Obama, Ford, Carter, Reagan, Bush 41....These and many other former presidents represented the "class" of the United States, regardless of their particular political views. And of course Obama was and is truly an exceptional and a great man, in the same league with Mandela in my opinion. Thank the gods for these men, and may other men and women follow in their footsteps once we get rid of Trump, clearly the most disgraceful individual one could possibly imagine as a president of our country.
15
Oh that we could convince this AMERICAN HERO
to return to the presidency!
WHEN HE 1st assumed the office, we were on the cusp of bankruptcy and HE,
suffering abuse from the racist cabal, saved U.S.
Now we're PAST the cusp of MORAL bankruptcy
and we desperately need him.
12
@WTJ Please explain his supposed "heroism". Thanks.
In a way, watching this makes current events even worse - we have become numb to the nastiness and lies of our current president and his minions. To be reminded of such intelligence, grace and true power, to see again what we had in President Obama, makes the reality of who sits in that office today even worse.
But I thank him. And want more.
20
The US has always represented a glorious paradox: individual freedoms coexisting within a democratic system with enough checks and balances to prevent any one individual from hijacking the entire nation. And here we have one imbecilic, traitorous individual who, in only 18 months, has managed to hijack everything we have stood for and cherished over the last 250 years. The system has been tested to an extreme. We must do everything we can to protect it from a ruinous end.
18
Politicians have always lied, but it used to be that if you caught them lying, they’d be like, ‘Ah, man.’
---------------------------------
I suppose that is what Obama must have said when he was caught in a lie about "if you like your doctor, keep your doctor".
Trump called out Obama and his administration for not stopping "Russian meddling" on Obama's watch during the presser with Putin. That sure stung, apparently. Now it is payback time from a guy whose minions blamed the Benghazi attack on anti-Prophet video rather than own up to a big screwup.
Obama should be the last guy to lecture us on ethics in politics.
5
@PiSonny, Wow, so veracity is your red line when it comes to presidents. Duly noted. Politifact counted 18 lies during Obama's 8 years in office, while Trump averages 6 a day. Yet, you're a Trump supporter, how very awkward for you, never to being able to take a principled stand from now on.
13
@PiSonny There are no ethics in politics just actions or no actions. It's impossible to be ethical when you are the Leader (in U.S. President) and cannot let the average citizen know the why, how and outcome of most actions.
What are the ethics of joining a war to kill the enemy and lose our troops in the process, or leading 435 elected officials who have 870 opinions and most act in a manner so that he or she will get re-elected. Listen to the radio/tv, read the newspapers, and realize much of what you here and see or read is the partial truth.
How can there be ethics in politics when the people who are elected or hired just want self-grandisement, are egotistical, and don't have the opportunity to really meet their constituency. We get into trouble when there is an elected or chosen person where that person does not look towards the needs of the Country or club or any group of people.
I learned to be somewhat cynical very young. I am no longer surprised at Trump's (and his cabinet's) actions. They do not know about the families that barely have food enough to keep everyone "healthy" and to be sure their kids (if they have any) Learn RIGHT FROM WRONG.
Rich unethical people are the worst b/c they have the money to force their way of doing things and accepting whatever happens and you are just a bystander. . The people not making the decisions are just bystanders watching history flash before your eyes.
Sorry
Richard Isacoff
2
Finally he says something. Too little;too late.
1
wow! what an eye opener! what a difference one presidential election makes! has the US really gone that far off the rails in a year and a half?
21
Politicians have always lied, but it used to be that if you caught them lying, they’d be like, ‘Ah, man.’
---------------------------------
No, Barack. If you are caught in a lie, you should be ashamed not go, "Ah, man".
4
This is the speech of a real leader. What we have now is a purposefully ugly, ignorant, wanna -be authoritarian strong man who can't even begin to understand what America is supposed to stand for. Every single day is a new horror.
32
Like a divine fresh sea breeze. Obama's words in South Africa just now! It is winter in the Southern Hemisphere and it is brutally hot figuratively and literally today in the U.S. With our country on the edge of chaos, in turmoil now, after the Trump capitulation summit to Putin yesterday, the words of President Obama -- reminding us of our American values and the blessings of democracy and "objective truth" -- were balm in Gilead! Bless Barack Hussein Obama. We miss you and think of Al Green's song, "Let's Stay Together"!
8
The populist/nationalist movement is being spread by the likes of Trump/Bannon/Farage/Mercer/Breitbart. This appears to be a coordinated effort to bring down the EU first and then NATO. It's Putin's dream come true.
11
@Daniel
I agree with you & think this point is not emphasized enough.
Many point to the debt and kompromat regarding Trump and Putin. All true or will be proven true soon enough.
What we don't see enough commentary on is what appears to be an attempt by the likes of Bannon et al to remake the Western Democracies into white nationalist states, their non-white citizens to be cast to the winds.
I've said all along, at the risk of being called "crazy ol' Uncle Bill", that these people spearheading these nationalist movements are existential threats to our various democracies.
We cannot let them prevail.
Say it louder.
Say it HERE.
And call him by his name.
We really, truly do not have the luxury of tiptoeing around the subject of the Aberration Administration. We don't have the luxury of sitting around stunned by it and trying to frame it in some kind of normal terms. We can sit back and politely let this deranged human being endanger everyone, or we can speak loudly and truthfully.
11
We need a person of Obama's stature to utter the famous line of Joseph Welch about Joe McCarthy "have you no shame". Someone has to stop this president and it obviously won't be the GOP.
11
Harry Pearle said: "Perhaps Obama can put trump in his rightful place."
Part I
That is not Obama's job. It is ours. Can we please all stop saying this type of thing, or "how can he not believe it." about trump and Russian interference in our election. Of course he believes it. He aided and abetted it. He's been and continues to be blackmailed for it. His intelligence briefing - even if agents have to act it out in mime because he's too stupid to read - means he knows not only what are in those indictments, but about those soon to be forthcoming. Certainly more than the press or public knows now. He is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Russian enterprise. A traitor, collaborator, betrayer of his nation and its people. That is now clear to anyone without blinders (looking at you, GOP. Pun intended).
Many nations have dispensed with Dictators, Tyrants and Kings. This country rebelled against one and his *many* royalist supporters - (now AKA GOP) and won. We will win this war, too, though we may lose battles along the way. IF: we do not lose heart. Do not give in to despair and numbness. Do not minimize the fact that unlike in the movies, removing the snake's head will NOT destroy his minions. It won't, so we must steel ourselves to fight those of our countrymen who would rather see this nation destroyed than live in it as a minority, which is what whites will be in a generation.
Part II follows...
9
@Susan B.
Don't know what happened to Part II, which I posted, but which never appeared. Here it is again.
These are horrible, terrible choices. Painful to make, and to carry through. But we would not even be here if the women and men who founded this country had not had the courage to do exactly that. And again in 1865.
But the biggest IF of all, is that we must stop dancing around the truth, or try to minimize it by calling him senile, greedy or delusional. He may be all that and more - but that's not the point. Our sitting president is a traitor. The Founders envisioned that possibility, but not that we would simultaneously have a Congress that refuses to carry out their oaths of office. And so we must remove them all, with their enablers, collaborators and minions. In 2018 and 2020. We have seen our saviors, and they are us. RESIST.
1
Come home Barack and hit the ground running, to keep the path to Democracy open.
3
Man, Mr. President. You are missed!
13
It seems like so long since we had Obama, a statesman and patriot, leading our country.
How much can change in two years...
9
It was Mr. Obama himself that steered us on this course. As he would say, "Thanks Obama."
1
Now that is a truely Strong, Compassionate real MAN!!!!
9
Nice to hear Obama's intelligent words. Such a sharp contrast to the bombastic prevaricator in chief. Many of us are anxious for Obama to take the bull by the horns and stand up to Trumpism for us. Truth is, Obams is telling us to grow up and tackle this maligancy ourselves. Its our turn. Obama is smart enough to know when to get involved. Just wait. A change is gonna come.
5
Boy oh boy, do I miss Obama!
11
Says the guy who happily attended a baseball game with the thug Raul Castro, sent pallets of cash to the Iranian regime and undermined Israel at every term. As the President who allowed the Russians to meddle in the 2016 elections, after doing nothing to stop their invasion of the Ukraine, Obama has little basis to criticize Trump.
2
I would argue that those of us inside the urban areas also feel economic insecurity, erosion of social status and privilege, and even threats to our cultural identities. I'm African-American and I grew up in the South Bronx in a working-class family. My husband grew up in a working-class family in the projects in Brooklyn. We both work very hard and find ourselves working harder and harder over the years for less and less in return. And most of our friends and family members share that stress of worrying about our futures and our children's futures. We worry that we can't afford to educate them without having to take on massive debt. We also worry that our inablity to save significantly for the future may mean that we end up being a burden to them financially as we age. We worried that even with quality education and skills they will still struggle financially and may continue to need our support well into their adult years.
Just because I don't beleive Donald Trump and His Kind have the solutions to these problems, doesn't mean I don't understand or share the fears that catapulted him and the other strong men into power in recent years.
Politicians would do well to do more listening and less lecturing.
9
Thanks. I'd say in urban areas it's worse, with the cost of living so high and the constant threats of violence, development and gentrification. Life just feels terribly insecure all the time.
Trump has been such Rusian dupe, in hindsight Obama should have told us about the Rissian interference
1
Obama the Great !
3
Weak tea from the man who looked the other way every step of the way to where we are now.
Kennedy’s senate seat goes to Brown while Obama's White House says what do you want from me. Then says I don’t have the votes in the senate what do you want from me.
And so on and so on.
2
I often wonder what President Obama must be thinking when yet another new low is reached.
7
I just saw a clip of President Obama speaking. Oh how I miss his eloquent, intelligent, and wise oratory.
10
I have to dissent, once again, with Donald Trump. Obama has the best words.
5
Thank you, President Obama, for speaking up.
6
Now here's someone who really has a grasp on the realities of geopolitics. I wonder if he'd consider becoming president... :P
Mr. President, I thank you for speaking truth to power. Your appearance in Johannesburg in tribute to freedom fighter Nelson Mandela’s 100th birthday celebration is in the sharpest, deepest and most dire contrast to what your unworthy successor has unleashed across the globe.
The contrasts between your cool, calm, probing intellect, leavened with a not inconsiderable amount of wit—some of it acid—cannot be more stark. I recall your speech in race in Philadelphia in March, 2008, a deeply moving and eloquently delivered address on the cancer of our often-tortured society. You said America is an imperfect dream but we all, if we wish it so and are willing to sacrifice the antagonistic beliefs that keep us divided, that we can mold our grand experiment into “A More Perfect Union.”—March 18, 2008.
We have, unfortunately, a president to whom now the label of “treason” and “traitor” are now attached, like clanging cans tied to a rabid dog’s tail. He is impetuous and irresponsible and seems willing to hazard the security and safety of the United States of America to the whim of the moment. Unlike you, my only president, he (whose name I refuse to write here, as you refused to utter it there) has no understanding of the privileges and fearsome responsibilities of the office.
You served us honorably for eight years with uncommon dignity and grace, always in the service of all Americans, not just a raucous few. I shall hope that you return to us and share your wisdom and love.
8
We had such a smart President with Obama, now we have Putin's useful idiot as our President.
9
Obama is the real deal, just imagine how many things he could accomplish if he wouldn't be handcuffed by GOP from the 1st day on a job.
They hated a black man in a WH, they couldn't live with that.
Now they have full fledge xenophobic racist, lawless and debase creature who fits their grand obstruction party ideals.
What a disgrace for our country to be ruled by the driveling bunch of immoral crooks and only handful of decent people who speak out on behalf of the country.
Vote them out, please!
8
MORE, MORE, Mr. President. Much as I respect you, Trump should have been stopped long before the Russians managed to put him in the White House. You saw it, recognized it, but were afraid (perhaps with good reason) to act. NOW, WE WISH YOU HAD ACTED AND TAKEN THE CHANCES. How could we have a Russian Asset (probably for the last 31 years), a traitor, a spy as our president? I just want to cry --- again!
3
What a delight to hear our English-speaking President, once again. President Obama, you are sorely missed.
7
Absolutely agree;
We are closer to a constitutional crisis of our own making, helped along by Russian meddling, then we might otherwise recognize. The rule of law is under siege and the contrast of Trump and Obama could not be more stark. It is time for our retired POTUS's to speak UP and LOUD.
6
I saw this bumper sticker yesterday. "Make Obama President again". I agree! Repeal Amendment XXII.
3
For 8 years there was dignity and class in the White House. Now there is endless crass and ignominy.
Sad.
12
How refreshing it is to hear from President Obama!
By tradition, former presidents have stayed away from the limelight, mainly to allow the new president the space needed to establish their agenda and leadership style. But these are not normal times.
We need to hear more from Mr. Obama and certainly from Michelle Obama as well. Their grace, competence and sanity give us hope. Mr. President, please speak more often and publicly. We need you!
31
Now it's time for some Russian-Republicans to stand up and rejoin the American nation instead of kowtowing to the Kremlin's corrupt Matryoshka-Doll-In-Chief.
Americans need to reject Russian-Republicanism loudly and clearly everyday and especially on November 6 2018.
Trump and his Make Russia Great Again treason must be rejected, impeached and imprisoned for his filthy laundry list of high crimes and misdemeanors.
140
It is so good to hear wisdom from Obama's good heart. He is right that we have choices. Living in todays world our eyes are often glued to media with its amplification of daily problems. I like to think of the year we live in - 2018. We live in modern times where wonderful possibilities await if we don't think meanly and withdraw. We can cure disease, eliminate suffering in the world and live in peace surrounded by a clean environment, art and love. This is the 21st century.
40
This New York Times article is completely false in 2016 Obama stated that Russia cannot possibly intervene in our elections..... just more fake news
1
I think its clear that our intelligence agencies are not President Trumps' intelligence agencies because they are loyal to country and not to the man or the office. Trying to run a country like a family business results in what happened yesterday. None of us should really be surprised by that. It will only get worse before it gets better. Here comes the light to reveal/expose all that is temporarily hidden in the dark.
31
In eight years as president, I believe that Obama met with Putin a total of three times and spoke with him briefly by phone a few times; and their relationship was increasingly fraught. We'd known for a long time that Russia was developing hyper-sophisticated cyber weapons and throughout the tension between these two men that lasted eight years, Putin's destabilizing actions intensified.
Trump made a hash of that press conference in Helsinki and he should have allowed himself to be carefully scripted … and didn't. He is unsophisticated and he absolutely stinks at presenting context and developing consensus behind perfectly rational approaches, allowing his ideological adversaries to cast not only him but the approaches as deranged. He needs to apologize to our intelligence and law enforcement people.
But perhaps if Obama has been less dainty, arms-length and contemptuous in his dealings with Putin, a man he found to be (and who is) barbaric, unable to get beyond what the man IS despite the need to dissuade him from his destabilizing actions … then perhaps the urgency Trump feels at needing to forge better relations with Russia wouldn't need to be so intense.
So, tell you what. I don't value what Barack Obama has to say on this subject, because he’s telling me NOTHING I don’t already know. Russia interfered with our 2016 election on HIS watch, not on Trump's.
13
The burning question is precisely this: what does Mr Trump have on Mr Trump? If it accords with the former M16 agent's account - which seems to be gaining ground by the day - the US and the international community have a right to be worried. Mr Obama is only exposing what we all observe.
6
@Richard Luettgen shares a sad truth that 2016 interference happened on Obama's watch. Obama raised the alarm as much as could be done with non-partisan boundaries (cue McConnell failings) clearly without sufficient effect. But time didn't stop there. Judge our current President by how he's dealing with what he inherited and in that respect he has moved from inadequate response into downright treason.
15
Mr Obama is no longer POTUS.
Even though it's not fair to ask so for so much -- in my ideal version of reality, Obama would run for President in 2020 and win -- either one!
42
The "politics of fear, resentment and retrenchment" was precisely the political and ideological metaphysic the former administration so carefully cultivated and monetized. For a considered and positive contextual clarification of the Helsinki meetings, one might consider Prof. Stephen Cohen's mature and reasoned articulations. Partisan spoilage, otherwise, of the vital necessity of these meetings undermines all public welfare and might be considered a Constitutional tort, especially, and in this case interestingly, of the 14th amendment. Regards.
1
@Matt Andersson
If only other conservatives could camouflage their racism in such an articulate manner.
9
Class, intelligence, morals, values, decency, humanity. Barack Obama.
How great it feels to be proud of a president attending a defining moment in another country, to pay respects to Nelson Mandela.
This country never had to be on pins and needles and worry that Barack Obama would shame us, insult us, risk our lives.
As a senior there are many a raw day under the presidency of the 45th. There are days I can hardly stand, but agree with an 89 year old friend of mine who says she needs to silence 45’s voice with her TV remote.
Many days I go to my keepsakes and bring out the beautiful personal letter I received from President Obama after I wrote him about my gratitude. That little piece of paper, White House insignia, and his signature give me hope, give me pause, give me respect for my country.
Hoping this trip to Africa is a joyous occasion for President Obama. He has to know how much we miss him, but also he needs to know we will always be grateful for all that he has done. We also want him to know we are ever so grateful to have him represent the United States in a foreign country, foreign continent, but among always all of humanity around this globe.
335
With less than four months before the midterms, and now (hard to believe) 18 months into the Trump dystopia, it is now time for former Pres. Obama to excite his "base", especially those who will undoubtedly be the victims of voter repression. Mr. Obama must get off the sidelines and travel across the country to areas that he won handily over two elections in order to put himself out there and stress the positives of his eight years in office. It is imperative that Democrats take back the House, and hopefully limit any Senate losses or even perhaps draw it to a deadlock. He's been off the grid for 18 months. It is time to come back and take on Trump and his lying, cowardly band of Republican traitors.
100
@marty
This is exactly the right advice . Most important reply in the bunch!
3
How rich...coming from the President who oversaw the ascension of Russia in the Crimea, Syria, the world stage (reset anyone?) as well as forays in to our election system. This also from the President who openly mocked Mitt Romney for saying it was Russia who was our most dangerous geopolitical foe. Blindly blame Trump for everything if you like but the Russia die was cast years ago.
9
YOU miss the point; to most of us Trump is an untethered, POTUS misfit: Obama has grace, intelligence and perspective.
7
@dave Who is worse, Dave? The man who saw evil, protested it and asked a non-caring Congress to join him in taking a stand?
Or the man who now embraces that evil?
9
To hear President Obama speak--about anything really, but today, about this--leaves the mind to reel in mute horror that we could have descended so quickly from such fundamental decency, honor, respect, and goodness--whether or not one agreed on all policy--to the malignant sewer of psychopathology that purports to lead this country today.
Bad times.
245
How dare Obama embarrass our current president by using actual words in clear and concise sentences when addressing a crowd of people.
Where are the chants about locking her up or the 40-minute ramblings about chocolate cake or how big his golf resort is?
Nevermind the utter lack of overt Racism, Sexism, and Nationalism.
Positively un-American I say.
139
@Maurice Barron appreciate your sarcasm....but these are truly dangerous times for our country....
1
@Maurice Barron You forgot to add that the crowd at President Obama's speech yesterday was HUGE. The largest crowd in the history of crowds anywhere in the world!
1
@smurf I agree it is a very dangerous time but if you can convince me that using reasoning or logic or facts to convince the trump supporting, GOP voting, masses that they are supporting an actual idiot as president I would be all ears.
We are currently in the mud and unfortunately as much as we probably don't want to, we will have to fight in the mud.
Trump won by belittling and embarrassing other people and entertaining his fickle crowd.
The problem with having a fickle crowd behind you is when you become the one who is embarrassing and the one is being belittled by everyone your "base" turns against you.
As much as I wish people would pick a president on their fitness for the role, they want to pick a winner and in order to win and beat this clown we need to convince them hes a clown.
Bravo President Obama!! Your message must be read by every person who cherishes the America we seem on the verge of losing to the ego driven trumpism.
63
I cannot stand to even look at Trump on TV. In the meantime, it is a sad thing that the person who defends us, Obama, made for Trump. Trump is his legacy. He was much smoother than Trump especially when it comes to, as Obama himself said:
"some pretense of democracy [is] maintained"
I have come to fully see that the worst thing Obama did was both his unprecedented going after leakers and his charging them with espionage counts which carry the death penalty. As Seymour Hersh shows in his book "Reporter: A Memoir" democracy depends to a great degree on leaks by decent men and women in high places. In every field there is a fight between truth and lies, and Obama came down on the side of being able to control the message, which usually involves our government hiding it's worst deeds. This is why there is such murderous rage in high places against Snowden and Assange. They had the courage to show what was really going on in our government leaders.
4
@Timshel
Really? Blaming President Obama for Trump?
That's a new one.
1
@N. Smith
It is not new. And it is so obvious. In 2008 so many of us hoped Obama would be great. Instead he was a fake, and it got so many people so angry they stayed home. Of course HRC is not Obama, only worse.
@N. Smith
You just do not address what I said about Obama and what he did to whistle-blowers. Instead you nitpick one sentence. Perhaps, some other malevolent force made for Trump too. In the meantime, your reply just blithely ignores what I wrote about the largest issue of any time, truth v. lies. Yes Trump is one of the worst liars, but the dolt is out there, while Obama was sleazy in using language that avoided his getting caught. (As a lawyer I see such language used a lot.) READ the TPP and then see what you think of our last President.
I watched the entire speech and I was just amazed.. He nailed it in everything: message, the jokes, the nice words about Mandela and of course about the situation in the world and the US. He finally said things that we were waiting for him to say. He did not attack anyone specifically but you can tell in the message whom he was talking about. My favorite part is when he said that Mandela could have been president for life but he chose not to and how some "presidents" go against that and decide they can run for as long as they want (Putin, Erdogan, Xi and many more) It was a delight to see him speak. It really gave me hopes.
I understand why he chooses not to do it often, the speeches. He chose the best place to do it and the best moment, celebrating the life of someone who gave his life fighting for equal rights and democracy. Thank you Mr. President. We have missed your words so much. Can't wait to see more of you and Michelle.
63
Obama has beliefs,
Trump has none.
112
Obama gives good speeches.
Trump has devout followers.
1
How could the U.S. have transitioned from a principled, intelligent, and articulate man to a hateful one who has none of those qualities?
It seems the Republican Party and its donors are orchestrating a bloodless coup and they will even turn a blind eye to Russian interference to succeed.
276
They are RACISTS. Remember McConnell saying "We'll make him a one term President", and when that didn't happen, they shut down the government and blocked his EVERY move, so he had no choice but to use Executive power, which TRUMP thinks is HIS right because of a few electoral votes!
5
@Kathie I agree and terrified
@Kathie
I have to wonder if Russia has infiltrated our congress. The Republicans refuse to stand up to trump just as trump refuses to say anything bad about Putin. Chain of command?
1
The world misses the dignity and decency of this man, especially myself. I can disagree with anyone’s politics, but I will never condone the politics of Trump hate and #TREASON.
80
I voted for Obama twice. Don't forget what Hillary did to him in the first primary.
4
Obama; America's greatest moment. Voted twice for this great American. His voice was like no other. Full of GRACE. Full of warmth and lighting the minds of people across the world with love.
MISS HIM EVERY SINGLE DAY!
507
Perhaps Obama can put Trump in his rightful place.
Now, Trump will keep trumping until he is stopped by someone.
Trump trumps everyone with the power of NO.
He turns ON the media by constantly defying democratic norms.
Can President Obama out Trump, trump? Maybe he can define Trump's game and put Trump in his rightful place, out the door.
We are running out of time. The House election is weeks away.
==============================================
24
President Obama has depth to his soul. Trump has no soul.
382
It is both a comfort and a joy to hear our most dignified President Obama speak against all that is wrong in the world right now, but in particular what is wrong in these United States.
Obama has added a much needed voice of reason into the world conversation.
I hope he continues. He brings both humility and dignity and reminds us what a real human being, that once was President, behaves like in this race we call humanity.
216
Obama ...Highly respected for his intelligence and forward thinking agenda...it is indeed so unnatural that there is such a mighty appeal that his antithesis. America has lost its balance and moral sanity
58
Cogent and clear Clarion Call.
32
President Obama thinks it is un-presidential to join the debate or lead the resistance against this madness. The irony of it is that, even though he enabled the Republicans during his 8 years and needs to take some responsibility for this madness, he is the only Democratic who can unite the warring factions in the Democratic party. The tragedy is that he won't.
Without him, 2018 & 2020 will be that much more difficult for Dems. He needs to get off the sidelines and into the game. When Dems show up in numbers, they win. He can help that.
8
It is not really his responsibility, I'm sorry to say. He did his duty the best he could. He is now just another voter, like all of us. The responsibility is up to the the voters, particularly those in swing states.
4
As Kate McKinnon playing Angela Merkel in SNL once said "I miss you Barack"
41
Thanks Obama. The voices of equality, respect, love, patience, and kindness will prevail! A neverending fight.
43
"I was born in Hawaii."
That simple, declarative sentence at the end of this article says so much. Sometimes even a flawed man like Barack Hussein Obama looks really, really good.
8
@A. Groundling
Like many Americans, I would take this "flawed man" over this flawed president any day.
6
What a huge difference there is between President Barack Obama and his successor. America and global communities are alarmed at what has happened to the US over the last 18 months. Two major world powers seem to be joining hands to usher in a world view that embraces totalitarianism over democracy. It’s also telling that President Obama’s speech took place in South Africa that the US president modeled his presidential campaign on. World politics have a way of coming full circle.
30
To think we once had a president who spoke in complete and cogent sentences! While the thinly veiled racism that characterized much of the response to his two terms has become more overt, Obama needs to step up and remind Americans what America is, has been and has the potential to be. Democrats will worry that he will present an easy and familiar target for the GOP. But he, more than Pelosi, more than Schumer, more than any Democratic official currently out there, can speak to American ideals. His presidency was by no means perfect. But he is a good intelligent man with the best interests of this country in his heart. We need his voice. Now and frequently.
182
@Frank
Absolutely AGREE
3
Re-writing Paul Simon for unsettling times: "Where have you gone Barack Obama..our nation turns its lonely eyes to you..." Keep speaking, please. We miss you.
62
I love the Obamas and I miss them a lot but sorry Michelle this is not the time to go high when they go so low...some people deserve to be roundly thrashed. There is not later...now is the time.
25
I have never missed President Obama as much as I do right now.
151
It was a beautiful, amazing speech. Every American should listen to it and be ashamed of the present administration.
160
Who knew when the political pendulum swung so violently that Putin was holding a giant magnet?
51
Money was the magnet. As in the Watergate investigation--follow the money.
1
We're so close to midterms and yet his voice is heard so infrequently. He needs to insert himself back into Democratic politics so that we remember that we once as a party were united around him.
24
Mr. Obama, I miss you! Is not just the lack of chaos, or decorum, or environmental, economic policies, or any other of the multitude of things that I took for granted. What I realized, listening to this brief video and reading the article, is that I miss the hope you brought.
26
Thank You, Mr. President Obama. Yes, as you say, "We stand at a crossroads...A moment in time in which two very different visions of humanity’s future compete for the hearts and minds of citizens around the world. Two different stories, two different narratives, about who we are and who we should be.”
These are unprecedented times. The Con Don is a proven traitor and MUST be removed from OUR white house, along with his Robber Baron brethren in every governmental/regulatory agency decision making role.
Mr. President there are four other living Presidents who, for the most part, were elected with little interference by the International Mafia Top 1% Global Financial Elite Robber Baron/radical religion Good Old Boys' Cabal.
PLEASE. Join forces with the other four and work together to save/preserve/restore democratic governance in OUR United States of America. Put The Con Don, his Robber Baron brethren and their operatives in government and BIG business under Citizen's Arrest and lock them up. Work together to place Socially Conscious Women and men in their place. Pass a Constitutional Amendment to remove OUR Justice Department and judicial systems from the President's power.
NOW is the time. No more nice guy. No more hand wringing. No more talking.
OUR lives depend on it. Please. Just Do It. NOW.
Thank You.
15
We hear empty platitudes from the Republicans in Congress, who control both houses. But this will play out just as the Charlottesville debacle played. out. The empty platitudes will become a vague memory, while this feckless POTUS continues to destroy NATO and cede to Putin everything Putin asks for.
The country is lost, everything is lost.
9
There would be no President Trump without President Obama.
5
"Pretense of democracy." Very well put. Mr. Obama.
24
Listening to President Obama speak feels like watching ancient history. It's also like being in the eye of a hurrricane when the winds calm and the sun shines for a brief instant.
Hate became a hurricane when Trump was elected and we will be cleaning up the disaster he is creating for years after the world is able to look back in the rear view mirror. But when will the Trump storm pass?
18
Just what we needed after yesterday's tragedy!
We went from the best to the worst in no time at all but a breath of fresh air can really make a difference!
and GIVE US HOPE
13
We miss you, President Obama....your honesty, integrity, intelligence and compassion. I hope we regain that some day.
26
Could it be a coincidence this speech was delivered the day after Helsinki? Thank you, President Obama, for saying not what the world wanted to hear, but what it needed to hear.
15
Is it possible that Trump is setting up a scenario where he will suspend the November elections? I know he isn't intelligent enough to have thought of something like that on his own. Will he try, with Putin's instructions, to claim that we don't know who is attacking our elections and therefore they must be postponed? I know that sounds wild, but what happened yesterday would have been unbelievable until it happened. I'm telling you, folks, things are going to get far worse before they get better, if they ever get better.
74
Possibly. Keep in mind elections are run by each state, so it would be dramatically, hair-raisingly chilling to have "Trump" try to shut them down. Red-controlled states will eagerly do so, but blue states will see it as a declaration of war.
5
@Max Deitenbeck I have come to believe that McConnell believes the midterm elections to be irrelevant. He is pretty sure he is going to keep control of the Senate, so why sweat it? He will continue to appoint conservative judges, thereby cementing the GOP hold on all three branches of the government. When Tump becomes too much of an embarassment, the Dems (who control the House) will have to start the impeachment process, thereby making them the enemies of all the Trump supporters, setting things up for a complete takeover in 2020.
@Max Deitenbeck
I remind those who asks, that I was one who always believed that that guy would be elected president. I have a paper trail to prove it.
Just as I "knew" then, I "know" now, in spite of the spineless, conniving, selfish, unscrupulous, Republican governing majorities, Donald Trump will not be a candidate for re-election in 2020.
I have complete faith that Robert Mueller and his team will end this charlatan's assault on the American Constitution.
1
"Without mentioning President Trump by name..."
He gets a pass because he's overseas. If he did mention Trump, his supporters would claim this was an even worse sell-out of our country while on foreign soil.
When Obama returns, thought, I'd have no problems with more specificity. Sure, call him out by name. Why is it demanded that former presidents be so sanguine about who's currently in office? You think Trump will be when he steps down/is removed? Of course not.
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@Michael Gilman You think Trump will be when he steps down
Well, he isn't now, why would he be then? Assuming there is a then and he doesn't crown himself president for life
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@Michael Gilman More to the point, Trump criticizes Obama at every opportunity. So restraint from criticizing former presidents is not really a hurdle that Trump has ye to step over [or in].
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@Michael Gilman, that is the difference between a man who thinks about what he says (and remembers it), versus one who just opens mouth and 'something' comes out.
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Thank you President Obama of reminding once the US again of the time a few short years ago when we had an articulate, intelligent, witty, compassionate man in the White House who embraced the world and who was embraced by the world because he represented hope, aspiration, and the future.
We miss you, sir, we need you.
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Look, he speaks. A little too late perhaps. Now is not the time to play it safe and wait until everyone else has already spoken out. Even a long list of Republicans stood up and denounced Trump's candidacy during the election, risking the reputation.
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@Electroman72 "Even a long list of Republicans stood up and denounced Trump's candidacy during the election, risking the reputation."
Seriously, you're going to go there? Like they didn't all fall into line after their 'brave' stands against him?
How about the false equivalency between a former President and sitting members of Congress, most of whom STILL won't open a mouth against Donald, even when he sells us out to the enemy?
Obama Derangement Syndrome: someday, there'll be a cure.
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@Electroman72 its important that previous presidents don't publicly criticize current presents. we rarely see that in pass presidents (Clinton and Bush). I think its part of presidential "etiquette" (which does not exist in our current president--sometimes good, sometimes not so good); and because they people know how difficult the job truly is, they "hold" the criticism. I think it is very wise that they hold their tongue. For those of us who are clueless about how difficult it is to be president of a nation, we have a lot of advice and opinions (sometimes too much) about a job/role we are clueless about.
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@Electroman72 indeed. Barack Obama may no longer be president, but he is still a leader - and every day that passes without a forceful and unequivocal denunciation of Trump's corruption and duplicity is, sadly, an abdication of his responsibility to the people who look to him for guidance in these troubled times. I hope Mr. Obama enjoyed his vacation, but his voice is needed now more than ever.
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America's brand of nationalism, xenophobia, and bigotry are founded on lies and delusion. If Trump supporters didn't find yesterday's performance cowardly and weak, then they are incapable of discernment and basic understanding.
There are people who have given their lives and careers to upholding a free and fair democracy. Trump shamelessly trampled them yesterday. Republican complacency is no longer an option.
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@Suzanne Moniz, I'm afraid that they will continue to hear what a good job he's doing. I swear they really think that its about them, and their warped perception of america first.
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@Suzanne Moniz
The fact people voted for Trump is evidence “they are incapable of discernment and basic understanding.”
Our founders agreed with Plato who didn’t like democracy because it leads to mob rule (the mob forced Socrates to drink hemlock). Plato wanted philosopher kings making decisions and our founders allowed only white, male property holders to vote.
We now have universal adult suffrage except for electing presidents. A majority of the people did not want Trump as president. But a majority of a small group of unelected electors chosen by political parties gave us Trump.
This is an oligarchy, not a democracy.
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We need President Obama's strong, clear voice now. He's played the traditional role of former presidents long enough. These are not normal times. The future of our country and the planet are at stake.
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@Steve you do realize that everything you are blaming Trump for happened while Obama was President, right? Including mocking Mitt Romney for saying Russia was our number one geopolitical foe...and now you are basically calling for war with the Russians...make up your mind....
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does he have more red lines to pass out?
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@Steve I agree and would add: I'd like to hear him speak strongly and clearly in tandem with George W. Bush. Mr. Obama appeals to many, and Mr. Bush many others. We need united leaders to overcome the current hateful discord.
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The most shocking aspect of Obama's spot-on comments is that he is talking about BOTH Trump and Putin. I don't believe that Trump should receive any more classified briefings ... our POTUS is a threat to national security vis a vis the Russians.
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It’s kinda nice that Trump doesn’t pay attention to the briefings he gets.
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@Greg
...and that Trump is so completely oblivious to sarcasm and irony.
I wish that all former Presidents, Carter, H W, Clinton, W, and Obama would publicly speak out against what Trump has done and call him by name. This country is in a crisis mode and it’s no time for being PC. Gentlemen, please speak up and speak loudly!
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@Tam I wish we could get rid of 45 and his entire swamp and name former Presidents Obama and Bush as provisional co-Presidents until we can hold a clean election.
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Not only that, but they should speak out together
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@Tam
This is an excellent idea, and it certainly could not hurt. But I wonder whether it would make any difference.
The upcoming mid-terms will be the most important election in my lifetime, and I'm hoping against hope that the D's will prevail. I'm not sure, though, that they're up to the task. I hope that I'm wrong.
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It is a time-honored norm for former presidents to give space to the current president, to stay out of politics for a time.
In light of current events, where all norms and decency are being left by the wayside, I applaud Obama for bending this norm with his usual grace, in defense of something far more important that norms: Democracy itself.
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Is it not a time-honored norm that presidents not (make it a high priority goal to) disparage and slander their immediate predecessors? I guess we can just chalk this up to another convention 45 has gleefully shattered.
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Well said about former presidents giving their successors space. It is also quite the admirable tradition that current presidents stand on their own and take responsibility for their situations, without alleging what the former president left him. I have never heard a current president attack a former one with such bile as this one does Mr. Obama, for no reason other than to deflect, distract and try to make himself look important. Have Americans lost, or worse rejected, that abiding sense of fair play, honor, right and wrong?
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@Laura It was also a time honoured norm for sitting presidents not to disparage former presidents and lay the country’s present problems at the feet of past presidents. That lasted less than five minutes with the wretched man presently occupying the position. That President Obama held off this long shows the character of the man. That he has chosen to speak up now is a pretty clear indication of how far off the rails things are in America.
The question of just how far, and how many are still following, is being answered as I type. I fear the answer.
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I have read the laundry list of criticisms against Obama by the right. Some are baffling, some have some merit. None of them - not a single one - have justified the treatment he received.
The man has my respect forever. He tried always to help Americans, sometimes succeeded, sometimes failed, but always led with dignity and quiet strength. Maybe he was too gentle.
I do wish he had been able to govern with a less obsequious group of corporate Dems, followed by a less repugnant Republican Congress.
Keep speaking, Obama. Every day.
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@Dan
To paraphrase one of the closing lines from Casablanca, "Welcome back to the fight Mr. President."
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@Dan What did he do exactly "for the people" income gaps rose under his presidency, he did nothing for those in the inner cities. And in the end we didn't get to keep our own doctors. You want to know what he did well? He gave great speeches.
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@Dan
....by a less *bigoted* Republican Congress.
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Obama is asking whites in Europe and the US to share when their majority status is threatened. That's why it rings true when Trump says immigrants and persons of color are a threat to their culture and way of life. The rise of African-Americans in terms of wealth, education, and political power is another threat because they pushing back even harder against the everyday discrimination that held them back for generations. Finally, the loss of well-paying blue collar jobs is a blow to the pride and power of hard working, high school educated men. It's hard for anyone to accept a liberal view with its emphasis on sharing and support when you see your own wealth diminish while that of others seem to increase because of liberal policies on immigration, welfare, and affirmative action.
Lies are easy because they're simple and express what they're thinking the problems are. The truth is hard because it's complex, boring, and explaining it makes one appear the elitist egghead disconnected and indifferent to their world. Expecting these people to see how liberal policies benefit everyone is difficult when you're used to being the majority, your perspectives prevailed and you're hurting all at the same time.
The only fix may be to give Trump the chance to try and implement his policies based on divisiveness and lies and see how they play out. Then the result is there for all who choose to see and then act accordingly.
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@SeekingAnswerssg
You must kidding?
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These poor white men should’ve paid attention in school so they could make something of their lives. Oh, by the way, I’m a single white mother who raised a family and earned a masters degree. I’ve been laid off several times and had to hustle to get another good job. Show a little ambition instead of blaming immigrants.
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@SeekingAnswers
The biggest liars are never the good guys. Implementing policies based on lies is never a good idea, no matter whose policies they are. Also, your own wealth was not diminished by liberal policies on immigration, welfare and affirmative action. You need to stop scapegoating minorities, poor people, foreigners and liberals. They are not the source of your problems.
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This is a bad step for Obama and the Democrats.
Remember, the Democrats lost the last election. We can become more divided as a nation. Perhaps there will be an impeachment of Trump, but that is a political process. There is no guarantee that the aftermath of an impeachment will be a more united country. The reverse could occur. We could see a gradual dissolution of democracy in the USA.
Better to focus on those few things that Trump said that should have appealed to Democrats.
We should recognize that Trump's goal of stopping illegal immigration is a good one.
The Democrats should add controlling population growth to their message.
This means more emphasis on free access to family planning and even abortion.
But it also means that we cannot solve poverty in the world with illegal immigration.
We would have to start with newspapers printing stories about population growth. How it has destroyed third world countries around the world.
Compare India and China, for example. In 1979, Deng Xiaoping introduced a one-child policy. India did not. The result for China has been phenomenal growth in the Chinese economy. India still suffers from pervasive poverty as described in Katherine Boo's book Behind the Beautiful Forevers, which describes life in Mumbai slums.
The NY Times could help by nudging readers towards a one-child policy in the US. And in dealing with poverty in Nicaragua by helping control its birth rate, rather than allowing more immigration.
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@Jake Wagner D That is blatantly false. The one-child policy of China had nothing to do with its economic boom. In fact, if anything, China's one-child policy, which was finally repealed a few years back, is already looking to be an absolute disaster for them. The millennial generation in China is the smallest because of that policy, and with such a huge aging population, China will not have enough workers to support their elders, be it in labor force or tax dollars, in the coming decades. China developed way faster than India because China made it super easy to start and conduct business once they turned to capitalism. India had and still has a huge bureaucracy that inhibits how business can even get off the ground. It's normal for developing nations to have huge birth rates, because in under-developed countries with limited healthcare, you can't be sure that any child you give birth to will make it to adulthood.
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@Jake Wagner
Trump and the Christian right have been bending over backwards to make family planning difficult.
They've allowed insurance companies and employers to
deny coverage if it was in conflict with their beliefs, punishing the people who need access most.
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@Jake Wagner
The one-child policy was authoritarian, invasive and created a female genocide and reshaped Chinese demographics permanently, creating a massive old age burden. It was not the source of growth, to the contrary. Liberalizing the economy was. The one child policy should never ever be touted as a recommendation.
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Thank you President Obama. You are a true leader.
Now, can some Republicans (besides John McCain) PLEASE come out and stand up for our country?
If not, please replace your flag lapel pins with the Russian flag.
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• Mr. Obama opened his nearly 90-minute speech with a nod to current events, saying that times were “strange and uncertain” and that “each day’s news cycle is bringing more head-spinning and disturbing headlines.” He said that leaders embracing the “politics of fear, resentment and retrenchment” were undermining the international system established after World War II.
“The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed (and hence clamorous to be led to safety) by menacing it with an endless series of hobgoblins, all of them imaginary.” ~ H.L. MENCKEN
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I beg to say that it is no "hobgoblin" to notice that leaders seem more and more to tend toward propaganda, versus the facts of an issue, or even more disturbing, the facts of an event that is publicly documented. Saying "up is down" and "black is white," is no "hobgoblin" but something to be noticed and resisted and avoided at any cost.
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When President Obama forced the Affordable Healthcare Act through a Democratic controlled congress with a filibuster proof senate to the detriment of all else (eg immigration reform) it looked like ‘strong arming’ to me. He had back room meetings without the CSPAN cameras he promised would be there. He did not invite GOP members to participate (another promise broken). No transparency at all. Once I saw this I was disappointed I and regretted voting for him instead of Hillary in the primary.
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@J D Cobb
Re: He did not invite GOP members to participate (another promise broken).
You might want to read up on the process the AHA actually went through. Republicans were invited to participate in many meetings and committee hearings and were allowed to
submit many amendments to the final bill.
As the saying goes: "You're entitled to your opinion but not your own personal set of 'facts'".
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Exactly LJ. Cobb’s ‘analysis’ being another of countless examples where facts are ignored. It’s a simple matter of examining public records - the Congressional Record to be precise. It has nothing to do with a liberal press creating ‘fake news’. These are easily verifiable facts. But the truth is, people listen to likeminded ‘sources’ and repeat what they hear, it would seem often either not knowing how or caring to see for themselves. Obama bad Trump good.
4
I believe had the GOP behaved in a responsible way and allowed the Supreme Court nominee to be appointed, and not refused to act on any legislation presented, there would have been no necessity for any as you say, " back room" politics. Obama had an obstinate GOP to deal with and did as was necessary for the good of the American people.
And what exactly did Obama do? He was president when the meddling occurred.
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Oh that would have worked well! A Democratic President trying to warn the nation of Russia trying to help Trump get elected? The Republicans would have had a hissy fit and accused him of trying to help Clinton.
4
So he faced a tough decision and chickened out, as usual. Even though he was the only person responsible for dealing with it.
Please remember this: Obama decided not to speak out publicly on Russian interference during the 2016 campaign after Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell refused to sign a bipartisan statement condemning the Kremlin's role.
The Obama administration sought a united front to dispel concerns that going public with such accusations would be seen as an effort to undermine the legitimacy of the election. However, it was McConnell who shut down a bipartisan stand against Russia.
Barack Obama was an extremely moderate, middle of the road president who never, at any moment, presented any sort of credible threat to the status and privileges of upper income Americans. As if paying slightly higher taxes to fund the Affordable Care Act would have forced bankers living in skyscrapers to take second jobs at McDonald's. The unbridled greed put on display by the transnational capitalist class in reaction to Obama's very mild proposals was sickening.
Obama kept on George W. Bush appointee Robert Gates as Secretary of Defense. He didn't appoint Bill Ayers to the position and order him to destroy the Pentagon. Try to imagine Ronald Reagan retaining Jimmy Carter's Secretary of Defense as his own in 1981. What does it say about tens of millions of Americans that they so wildly overreacted to Obama's presidency as if it presaged the beginnings of mass collectivization of the land and murderous rampages by the sans-culottes?
How too many Americans reacted to Obama's presidency doesn't bode well for the country's future. It was pathetic, given how absolutely dedicated Obama was NOT to rocking the boat and trying to bring about slow, incremental change.
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Obama from begaining to end was looking for (the safe) middle including his Supreme Court nominee,
Buy reality in America is created by the few billionaires who control over 90% of the media outlets and their serving employees. Murdoch a leading contender. USA is a captured managed system and Trump just one more version but a scary one. Now the critics are on the left and sales are up for all parties. "They' love him.
3
This speech was ostensibly to South Africa celebrating the life of their beloved, Mandiba. But if one listened with the inner ear, one would hear President Barack Obama speaking to the people of America . Once again, it is a message of hope. America is much better that it was 100 years ago , and although these are dark times when the Democratic norms and institutions of the Republic are under threat of annihilation by enemies foreign and domestic , there is hope for its survival if the people , citizens , adhere to ideals espoused by leaders like Mandela .
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@Pat Richards
I read it as you did, and Ellen Valle and Ted. My first thought was, like Ellen, "How nice to have a sane, thoughtful voice back!" and my second "Can former Presidents run again, so long as at least one term has elapsed between their second term (Roosevelt rule) and the new election?' It's wishful thinking, I know but occasionally one has to indulge.
3
Nice to have you back, Mr. President. We've missed you. Please speak out more often. We need to hear your voice.
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