June 25, 2018

"Where Is Barack Obama?/The most popular American, whose legacy is the primary target of Donald Trump, has, for now, virtually disappeared from public life."

Gabriel Debenedetti (in New York Magazine) asks the question that perhaps you, like me, have been wondering about.
How did the most ubiquitous man in America for eight years virtually disappear?... He has mostly opted out of liberal America’s collective Trump-outrage cycle. Though he reads the Times and other newspapers, he doesn’t follow daily Trump developments on Twitter or watch television news. He is upset by the administration’s actions, and he’s confided to friends that what worries him most is the international order, the standing of the office of the presidency, the erosion of democratic norms, and the struggles of people who are suddenly unsure of their immigration status or the future of their health-care coverage. Still, in conversations with political allies, Obama insists that today’s domestic mess is a blip on the long arc of history and argues that his own work must be focused on progress over time — specifically on empowering a new generation of leaders. He says his legacy is not what concerns him. (“Michelle and I are fine,” he tells those who ask about it.) And while he often says he misses the day-to-day work of fixing people’s problems, he has even less patience for day-to-day politics than he did as president.

In fact, in private conversations, Obama rarely mentions Trump at all.... One of Obama’s friends repeatedly described the former president as newly “Zen-like,” a striking descriptor given that Obama’s impossible calm has been a hallmark of his entire time on the national stage. To those who’ve known him longest, his confidence in the decision not to wade back into the political muck is the product of the same hyper-self-aware posture he’s had since childhood, growing up straddling worlds and then writing a book about himself in his 30s....
He's aloof. That was always the case. That's kind of what we liked about him, those of us who liked the man who — in my observation — is considered the most likable person to become famous in our lifetime. We're just experiencing the full dimension of coolness. It's not always to your liking, even if you were one of those people who really liked it.



But I think Obama should be allowed to eat his waffle, go to restaurants and be left in peace, write his books, experience down time, and stay out of the fray. He may seem political useful, but that's because he's avoiding being used, and that's exactly what he should do.

ADDED: That waffle video won't work in the embedded form. You can click through and see it at YouTube, but for a workable embed, here's Obama eating noodles in Vietnam with Anthony Bourdain:

273 comments:

1 – 200 of 273   Newer›   Newest»
Heartless Aztec said...

I'm guessing he left it all on the table...

Bay Area Guy said...

Shorter New York Magazine:

Help us Obi-Wan Kenobi - you're our only hope!

Help us Obi-Wan Kenobi - you're our only hope!

Help us Obi-Wan Kenobi - you're our only hope!

Help us Obi-Wan Kenobi - you're our only hope!

tim maguire said...

Good to see people don't need an actual Obama to continue writing their hopes and beliefs on his blank slate.

darrenoia said...

He was likable enough.

Not really. I could never stand him. Aloofness and likability don't often go together. He sure had a nice crease in his trousers though.

The Cracker Emcee Refulgent said...

Aloofness is relative. Compared to pants-pissing, batshit hysteria, yeah, he’s aloof. And how foolish of the Left to think he wouldn’t be. Time to relax, get paid, bask in the adulation (and assets) of his well-heeled followers.

dreams said...

Obama isn't the most popular American. The headline is fake news.

Sydney said...

I suspect he's behind the scenes helping to orchestrate all the hysteria. It has community organizer written all over it.

dreams said...

"He's aloof. That was always the case. That's kind of what we liked about him, those of us who liked the man who — in my observation — is considered the most likable person to become famous in our lifetime. We're just experiencing the full dimension of coolness. It's not always to your liking, even if you were one of those people who really liked it."

Sorry, but you're just spinning.

Ann Althouse said...

"Good to see people don't need an actual Obama to continue writing their hopes and beliefs on his blank slate."

He's like Jesus. He goes away, and he becomes even more important as he lives on in the minds of believers.

Dust Bunny Queen said...

I think Obama should be allowed to eat his waffle, go to restaurants and be left in peace....

That would be a civil thing to do. However, since the left and their Congress Critters are calling for the opposite in regards to anyone who disagrees with them....I think Obama should be met with protests and have waffle interuptus daily. Harass his children and his wife and his little dog too!

Actually, I don't think that because then it would make "us" look just a bad, retarded, childish, stupid and vindictive as the left. Ignoring and taking the high road is best. Plus you do get a better aim from an elevated position.

Seeming to be likable isn't always what it seems. The likeability factor is the main tool used by Con Men (and women) to pull the wool over the eyes of their marks. Obama was and remains to be a Con Man.

YoungHegelian said...

Obama is correct in at least one respect: the Democratic Party desperately needs to grow a new crop of leaders. Let them earn their honor on the battlefield in combat with the Republican Balrog, the CheetoBeest himself, the Trumpster!

Seriously, Obama coming back onto the field just sucks the oxygen out of some other politicos career. I mean, what's he gonna do -- run for president again? Pull a John Quincy Adams & go from the White House to the House of Representatives?

Michael K said...

He's busy squeezing $200 million out of Chicago for his temple (Library).

richlb said...

He shouldn't be allowed to eat his waffles in peace if the owner of the restaurant objects to his policies. He should be shown the door. Or perhaps have his waffles spit upon and his children and family harassed.

Carol said...

He made some noise at first, and I was afraid he wouldn't go away. Going away is what former presidents are supposed to do.

Anyway, he is cool. I wish Trump had a little more of that.

Ignorance is Bliss said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Ignorance is Bliss said...

...and the struggles of people who are suddenly unsure of their immigration status...

If they are paying any attention, they are, by now, sure of their immigration status. They may not be happy about what that status is, but they are in no way unsure.

AlbertAnonymous said...

When will the media stop sucking this guy's cock? Ever?

Fernandinande said...

The most popular American was such because he was articulate and bright and clean and nice-looking.

According to the most popular American's co-conspirator.

dreams said...

Obama, there's nothing there, an empty facade reflecting the projections of those who lust for him.

Robert Cook said...

That's what ex-Presidents are supposed to do...go away and pipe down. Bush did the same thing after his eight years were up, and all previous presidents have also pretty much done so.

AustinRoth said...

I agree he is doing things in the background, but not jumping into the fray publicly is one of the most Presidential things he has done.

I never agreed with the majority of his policies or rhetoric, but give the man credit for not demanding the spotlight post-Presidency.

Name the last Democratic President, or failed Presidential candidate, for whom that can be said.

tcrosse said...

He set Hillary up with an easy lay-up, which she flubbed. What more do they want from him ?

Ignorance is Bliss said...

...here's Obama eating noodles in Vietnam with Anthony Bourdain

And now Bourdain is dead. Coincidence? I don't think so.

Comanche Voter said...

The New Lightworker is doing what he does best. "Light" working. He was always a lazy sod.

dreams said...

Without Obama these dumbasses are not the ones they had been waiting for, now they're just dumbasses.

Fernandinande said...

Ann Althouse said...
He's like Jesus.


LOL.

Which reminds me, a very cool bronze(?) sculpture of V. Lenin and B. Obama - oops, I meant Jesus, I get them confused because they're so similar - holding hands with M. Mouse. (HT Coyne)

Robert Cook said...

Do we know if Obama had any social engagements with Kate Spade in the recent past?

PackerBronco said...

Our faculty lounge leader is on sabbatical.

dreams said...

Obama is a lazy man, I guess you could say he's just another lazy black man.

exhelodrvr1 said...

Or, he is seeing that almost all the decisions made by his admin were wrong, and he hasn't figured out how to respond to that.

Jersey Fled said...

My theory, expressed here several times, is that Obama is reluctant to go all in just in case he eventually needs Trump to pardon him.

dreams said...

"...here's Obama eating noodles in Vietnam with Anthony Bourdain"

"And now Bourdain is dead. Coincidence? I don't think so."

And they say Hillary isn't well.

Drago said...

obama is simply hiding out to avoid demonstrating the LLR Chuck approved MSM is still completely in the tank when the MSM fails to ask even the most basic questions related to the most important topics of the day where obama clearly has culpability.

Of course, if anyone from any conservative outlet were to disrespectfully question the "lightbringer" the MSM lackeys can always count on their LLR allies to support their shutting down the questions.

Sebastian said...

O added the line to his CV.

He moved on to the next item: building a monument to himself.

Appropriately, it will be a library without papers.

Nonapod said...

How did the most ubiquitous man in America for eight years virtually disappear? Over the course of his presidency, Obama cast himself as the country’s secular minister as much as its commander-in-chief, someone who understood the moral core of the nation and felt compelled to insist that we live up to it. What explains his near absence from the political stage, where he might argue publicly against the reversals of his policy accomplishments, and also from American life more broadly?

It's always been traditional for former presidents to remain farily lower key in the administration immediately following theirs, not really sticking their noses in the day-to-day goings on and what not. It's considered classy and helps maintain their legacy such as it is.

I grudgingly have to give Obama a little credit for actually following that
tradition somewhat. I fully expected him to pretty much do the opposite. I fully expected him to lead "The Resistance", especially after I'd heard he and Michelle had shacked up with ValJar. I'm certain he's doing stuff behind the scenes. I know he's working on his propaganda for Netflix and he still leaks certain opinions occassionally, but mercifully he's absent from our TV screens on a regular basis.

FIDO said...

It is easy to 'be cool' when you have an entire press corps as your publicists, ignoring your scandals, not asking about corruption and tarmac meetings.

And Obama DID make threatening sounds early on. He has never been one to cleave to any custom which doesn't serve his purpose.

But I am guessing late one night, one of Trumps lawyers 'dropped by' with a sheaf of emails from 'anonymous sender' with the fact that they were a) classified, b) taken from the WHITE HOUSE computers c) when someone talk, black and 'cool' was the resident.

Suddenly classless Obama (both from his civility and his Marxism) felt 'by Allah and Reverand Wright, I really DO need to enjoy my waffle!'

'Cool kids' are generally rude and offensive just like Trump. They just have their suck ups spin their shenanigans.

Ray - SoCal said...

Obama’s afraid of getting the Jeb! Treatment.

Every time Obama has started to criticize Trump, Trump has body slammed him back, and Obama stopped.

Agree on the behind the scenes stuff. Obama set up an entire infrastructure to spread/teach Alinsky/community organizing tactics in the Democratic Party.


Dear corrupt left, go F yourselves said...

The Clinton Private Server scandal goes all the way to the top. #ObamaKnew


Media quiet and uninterested.

Dear corrupt left, go F yourselves said...

Late night comedy is news on the MSM. Obama is untouchable.

Big Mike said...

But I think Obama should be allowed to eat his waffle, go to restaurants and be left in peace ...

I’m cool with that, just as soon as Sarah Sanders and other members of this administration can also go to a movie and watch in peace or go to a restaurant and eat in peace without wondering whether the wait staff spit in their food or the kitchen staff pissed in their soup. He’s the guy who claimed to be a follower of Alinsky, after all.

dreams said...

Obama corrupted and weaponized our government against us and yet he continues to be lusted after by some feckless ...

David Begley said...

Barack was the worst President since Wilson. Worse than Carter.

sykes.1 said...

Former Presidents are supposed to disappear. Too bad Bush II and his wife are too stupid to know that.

Chuck said...

Perhaps Obama is nervous about the investigators who were sent to Hawaii by Trump and who "could not believe" what they were finding.

Because that of course was a totally legit thing and Trump was really on to something big.

Sebastian said...

Let's see.

Hill email scandal? O participated in the scheme, even sending unprotected messages to Hill while she was in Russia, then helping to squelch it, publicly and privately. Better lie low while the dust settles.

Illegals at the border? Wait, O had a similar policy, kinda defended by Jeh Johnson: so inconvenient! Better lie low while the dust settles.

Economy going gangbusters? O GDP and employment numbers look bad compared to Trump's. Better lie low until the topic changes.

Foreign policy? O failed on all fronts, Trump is clamping down on Iran, already defeated ISIS, beginning to resolve NK, supporting Israel. Better lie low to avoid bad comparisons.

Lie, not lay, see?

Big Mike said...

@Althouse, you aren’t surprised that some — probably many, and maybe most — of us would express the opinion I just expressed, are you?

tim maguire said...

Carol said...Anyway, he is cool. I wish Trump had a little more of that.

That's really all Obama ever was--the coolest kid in high school. And he had that mentality throughout his White House years. He never grew up, never grew into the role. He tried to form a shadow government after Hillary! lost, but thankfully he seems to have given that up and moved on to fleecing people and destroying a beautiful park to build a monument to himself for no public reason.

buwaya said...

Its obtuse of the writer to say that Obamas legacy is the primary target of Trump. This is remarkably parochial and ignores history.

In every case the Trump plank addresses decades of US policy and accumulated regulation from many administrations and both parties.

mockturtle said...

The NY press remains as worshipful of Obama as they are contemptuous of Trump. Do they ever really step back and look at themselves objectively? No, and they don't want to.

mockturtle said...

Obama was all style and no substance.

pacwest said...

"he's avoiding being used,"

That's rich. Certainly not something I would say about a President that had to be told that ACA was a BFD.

I also notice that the more the heat is turned up on the investigations the quieter he has become, but that might be wishful thinking on my part.

From the article I think the best case scenario we can hope for is that he fades away and becomes another Jimmy Carter, meddling where it would be best if he didn't :(

Fernandinande said...

buwaya said...
Its obtuse of the writer to say that Obamas legacy is the primary target of Trump.


I think they wrote it to make Trump look petty and unprincipled, his actions being mere reactions to Obama.

Wince said...

Ann Althouse said...
He's like Jesus.

Carol said...
Anyway, he is cool.

Maybe that's why the recent NBC version of Jesus Christ Superstar conspicuously dropped a memorable line to avoid being blasphemous... toward Obama?

"One thing I'll say for him, Jesus is cool."

Anyway, I'm still waiting for Althouse's "Trump is like Jesus" tag.

readering said...

From Maureen Dowd's column yesterday, quoting a former Trump WH official. Trump "is the meanest man I've ever met."

Quaestor said...

Obama is keeping his head down for many reasons. Firstly because he's not the president anymore, which has been deemed right and proper since Washington's retirement. However, there's another reason, sooner or later, in person or through his attorney, Obama will have to defend his actions regarding Hillary's illegal email server and his actions on her behalf regarding the Trump candidacy. I suspect a deal has been made — I'll eat my waffles and you won't indict me.

Quaestor said...

readering wrote: Trump "is the meanest man I've ever met."

And he's gonna be even meaner. Hurrah!

Dear corrupt left, go F yourselves said...

Strozk is worse than Watergate. Media uninterested.

dreams said...

"From Maureen Dowd's column yesterday, quoting a former Trump WH official. Trump "is the meanest man I've ever met.""

As to those who wish Trump and our country harm, I have some pretty mean feelings too. If you make yourself an enemy of someone then you're likely to notice how mean he is.

Bay Area Guy said...

Politically neutralizing your opponent's biggest weapons is a big f*cking deal.

Bill Clinton is a rapist. #MeToo has neutered him.

Hillary Clinton is a loser. Wandering around on book tours explaining why she lost. Thanks Comey!

And Barack Obama is silent.

These are positive developments for humanity.

p.s. Where's Al Gore when you really need him?

Wince said...

"Hey, Walt! What are you doing?"

"Makin' it look meeean."

Dear corrupt left, go F yourselves said...

but but but .... Obama put kidz in cages and now Trump is doing it and we really care!

Sal said...

the erosion of democratic norms

Correction: the erosion of Democratic norms. such as Clinton, media, DOJ corruption.

dreams said...

As to Obama, there's no there there which causes those who lust for him to mistakenly misinterprete it as aloof. Obama, an empty facade.

Are W said...

Perhaps he is contemplating a move to Kenya?

Bob Boyd said...

As President, Obama did more harm than good for his party. Now that he's out of office, he'd probably be even more damaging. Dem leadership knows that. Look how many seats the Dems lost at the state as well as the national level under Obama's leadership. And ultimately, Trump is Obama's legacy.
Maybe the Netflix thing was arranged as a payoff for the Obamas to stay out of the public eye.

exhelodrvr1 said...

Bay Area Guy,
"Where's Al Gore when you really need him?"

Unfortunately, the predicted climate change disasters haven't been occurring!

Nonapod said...

Quaestor said...sooner or later, in person or through his attorney, Obama will have to defend his actions regarding Hillary's illegal email server and his actions on her behalf regarding the Trump candidacy. I suspect a deal has been made — I'll eat my waffles and you won't indict me.

To be fair, I suspect Trump would like nothing more than bring about the full revelation of all of Obama's sins incontrovertibly... and then magnanimously pardon him. After all, they share a god tier level of enmity for one another. And the best revenge isn't incarceration. The best revenge is humiliation and the final destruction of all legacy.

Etienne said...

Obama is hiding, because he is growing a beard to surpass David Letterman and put Santa Claus in his resume twice.

The Cracker Emcee Refulgent said...


"Blogger readering said...
From Maureen Dowd's column yesterday, quoting a former Trump WH official. Trump "is the meanest man I've ever met.""

Oh, dear...

Dear corrupt left, go F yourselves said...

Obama can live large with Hillarywoodlanders like George Clooney. Life is good.

Fabi said...

The "Lightbringer" hasn't disappeared -- he's in hiding.

Michael Fitzgerald said...

Obama should be hounded out of America, chased from public wherever he appears, beaten bloody and dragged through the streets. The single most destructive despicable individual in American history. He should be hung from a lamppost in a city square.

M Jordan said...

I’m wondering if Obama kinda, sorta likes Trump. Jeb Johnson yesterday on Fox Sunday shoe was amazingly fair and honest about the immigration issue, almost like he was auditioning for a place in the Trump administration.

Kelly said...

The thing about Obama and maybe the one thing that’s real about him, he didn’t pretend to get along with those who had opposing ideas. He didn’t pretend to like them and he certainly didn’t pretend to consider other view points. Maybe that’s why the left now has given up all traces of civility. He had an excellent time in the White House bringing in his new found friends in the entertainment world and partying. I think that’s why he often had such a sleepy eyed look. I get the feeling he likes the good life and wants to just make his 3 figure speeches and travel to his different houses across the country and put his name on Netflix series that others create. Bonus that his daughter will have a job when she graduates. Being President is now very lucrative.

Inga...Allie Oop said...

“I’m cool with that, just as soon as Sarah Sanders and other members of this administration can also go to a movie and watch in peace or go to a restaurant and eat in peace...”

Trumpists still outraged over Sarah Sanders being denied service? So easily outraged.

Yawn.

wildswan said...

There's two things I know:

As "buwaya said...
Its obtuse of the writer to say that Obamas legacy is the primary target of Trump. This is remarkably parochial and ignores history.
In every case the Trump plank addresses decades of US policy and accumulated regulation from many administrations and both parties."

As "Quaestor said...
sooner or later, in person or through his attorney, Obama will have to defend his actions regarding Hillary's illegal email server and his actions on her behalf regarding the Trump candidacy."

Only I don't think Obama will have to answer in person as Questor thinks. I think it will be a spectral reckoning because this is a case where so much emotion is tied up into a catastrophic failure that the cause cannot be discussed. By spectral I mean when the last President, 44, is the topic he will be the topic without acknowledgement unless we are grovelling in admiration. As: dismantling the legacy of the past eight years. As: The questionable Iran deal of the last administration. The racially divisive policies of the politicized Justice Department since 2008. The White House was aloof from the rough and tumble. The Democrats have lost one every level of government since 2008. The black community is poorer since 2008. The Democratic party is losing donors to the new library. Hillary never forgot her loss in the 2008 primary. The FBI /CIA/ NSA found so many indifferent to security regulations at such a high level in the State department and elsewhere that they stopped enforcing national security regulations. Hillary will never be convicted because it would involve too many.

langford peel said...

I don't get it.

Why are you surprised that he is lazy and shiftless?

M Jordan said...

“Trumpists still outraged over Sarah Sanders being denied service? So easily outraged. Yawn.”

Fake Yawn Alert.

Tommy Duncan said...

"...the man who — in my observation — is considered the most likable person to become famous in our lifetime."

A view that pervades academic circles.

Drago said...

LLR Chuck once again obfuscates on obama's behalf. Once again!

After all, all obambi did was weaponize the entire federal govt against conservatives and republicans, and at the behest of some of LLR Chuck's "republican" heroes.

LOL

Transparently obvious Chuckie.

Transparent.

Unexpectedly.

Keep up the good work Chuck! Durbin and the leftists at Althouse appreciate it!

Dear corrupt left, go F yourselves said...

Maxine is yelling for more mob violence. Get your modern democrat party. Full Venezuela-Noko.

Lipperman said...

"Yawn"?
Democrats haven't denied restaurant service like this since the 50's, and it's new to many of us, Inga.

Seeing Red said...

it.) And while he often says he misses the day-to-day work of fixing people’s problems, he has even less patience for day-to-day politics than he did as president.

He was a Chicago pol fixer.

Trump actually fixes problems for we the little people.

Earnest Prole said...

Obama has vanished because he knows he would almost certainly be the loser (or at best fight to a draw and end up totally covered in shit) in any pig-wrestling match with Trump. Fortunately Obama's sense of self-preservation aligns with what's best for the country.

Anthony said...

Meh, he's just busy doing the things he always does and is good at: Himself. He's got a library/temple to build and money to wring from the public for it.

I for one don't think he really cares about his "legacy"; he was in it for the personal adulation all the way, nothing more.

YoungHegelian said...

@M Jordan,

Jeh Johnson yesterday on Fox Sunday show was amazingly fair and honest about the immigration issue

I think Mr. Johnson knows that there are thousands of people involved in the care & processing of foreign nationals coming in from Mexico, & they all know what happened then & what happens now.

When it's impossible to maintain a lie even if you want to, might as well tell the truth & get it over with.

Seeing Red said...

That's what ex-Presidents are supposed to do...go away and pipe down. Bush did the same thing after his eight years were up, and all previous presidents have also pretty much done so.


Wrong!

Carter never shut up. Neither did Clinton.

Seeing Red said...

Please since he cares about the world, go fix it.

Anonymous said...

A week ago Obama was in the headlines (small) for meeting with candidates and potential candidates for 2018 and 2020. Two weeks ago he and Michelle were in the headlines for their NetFlix deal. How the hell is that disappearing from the scene? I vote for the BS tag.

On the other hand I never felt like he was truly engaged as Pres. He's not that kind of guy. He wants obeisance and as long as he gets it he's happy.

Big Mike said...

On the other hand I never felt like he was truly engaged as Pres. He's not that kind of guy. He wants obeisance and as long as he gets it he's happy.

+1

Anonymous said...

As I see people complaining about Trump's management style I keep thinking of what it must have been like to deal with "Georgie" Patton. I suspect he would make Trump look a bit like a pussy cat.

Howard said...

One would think you Trumpeters would be over the moon that the Obummers "know their place".

Inga...Allie Oop said...

I don’t care where Obama is, why do u?

jacksonjay said...

In my observation, that petty little chickenshit never met a straw man he couldn't destroy. As I recall, the professor was particularly smitten by that shit-eatin grin. Likeable? Hardly! I guess the deserter and his parents liked Obama. That pardoned Puerto Rican terrorist liked him! Althouse and the NYT liked him.

If he was so likeable, how did we get Trump?

Inga...Allie Oop said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Inga...Allie Oop said...

“Democrats haven't denied restaurant service like this since the 50's, and it's new to many of us, Inga.”

Bakers and florists denying service to gay couples.

I don’t care, do u?

I think none of us should care about anything but ourselves anymore.
Sarc/

Rico said...

"Over the course of his presidency, Obama cast himself as the country’s secular minister as much as its commander-in-chief..."

Argh! I CANNOT stand when people refer to the president as "our" or "the country's" commander-in-chief. He's not - he's the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces. Seems like this started under George W. Bush (although I could be wrong) - Fox News was big on that. Maybe slightly understandable soon after 9/11, but after the emotions of that horrible day died down, it just feels so wrong, regardless of who's president (I'm an LLR, BTW).

Apart from giving too much moral authority to the president, it usually seems to be spoken by people who have little or no idea of the obligations or sacrifices of serving in the armed forces.

Dear corrupt left, go F yourselves said...

The Baker case went to the Supreme Court, Inga. Where a 7-2 decision was made.
The Colorado State Commission was openly hostile towards the baker calling him a Nazi.

Inga...Allie Oop said...

“The Baker case went to the Supreme Court, Inga. Where a 7-2 decision was made.
The Colorado State Commission was openly hostile towards the baker calling him a Nazi.”

I don’t care, do u?

Dear corrupt left, go F yourselves said...

Gay mafia can find any bake shop to decorate their gay cake. They were looking for a Christian to harass. Colorado State Commission of mind-crime and leftwing orthodoxy complied.

DanTheMan said...

Would it be OK now for a Republican to refuse to serve him, or to spit on his waffle? Asking for a friend...

readering said...

One reason I think Obama comes across as soo likeable (except to commenter here!) Is that there are so many great photos of him with infants and small children. Not many such photos of Trump, even with his own grandkids, let alone strangers'.

Dear corrupt left, go F yourselves said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Dear corrupt left, go F yourselves said...

You don't care Inga? Then why the fuck are you here, day in and day out?

h said...

Obama is keeping a low profile because he knows two things that we don't or that we choose to ignore: (1) He knows whether there are more dominoes to fall from Strzock, Yates, Lynch, Jarrett to Obama; (2) He knows the degree to which a President can manipulate/influence the justice department to punish political enemies.

robother said...

I hate it when hay balers deny service to gay cowboys. What they do up on Brokeback Mountain is nobody's business but their own. No reason to make their horses suffer.

walter said...

They seem to have forgotten the chunks of time during his terms when media was having difficulty finding and accessing him without a long lens.
Some have forgotten his bleating scold.
Not cool.

Yancey Ward said...

It is the convention of American politics that former presidents not be vocal political opposition. This is a convention I strongly believe in, but has been slowly eroding over time. I can definitely foresee a future US where a president, having used up his two terms, continues to wield political power publicly. The inevitable end-point is a president who doesn't leave office to thunderous applause.

Inga...Allie Oop said...

“Not many such photos of Trump, even with his own grandkids, let alone strangers'.”

He scares them.

Michael Fitzgerald said...

Yes, readering, it should be no surprise that a homosexual pedophile will have lots of pictures of himself touching up children. I'm sure Biden has lots of such pics too. Democrat party members are disproportionately represented among individuals with sexual perversions, hence the support of the Weiners, Clintons, Weinsteins, of your ilk, as well as NAMBLA and all LBGTXYZPDQETC that progs can formulate out of the sickness of their diseased ideology.

exhelodrvr1 said...

"I keep thinking of what it must have been like to deal with "Georgie" Patton."

And I wonder how much faster the war would have been won, how many lives would have been saved, and how much of Eastern Europe wouldn't have been under the Soviet thumb had Patton not been put in the penalty box for so long after the slapping incident.

And today the Demos are trying to do the same thing to Trump; who cares about the consequences.

Sam L. said...

Count me among the millions who don't care where he is, so long as he stays away.

Carol said...

Anyway, I'm still waiting for Althouse's "Trump is like Jesus" tag.

"Cool" does not mean good. At least not to this boomer..that's a millennial thing.

Cool is an affect, which has a calming effect on the listener. Or should. It's not entirely useless.

Henry said...

I sympathize with fatalism.

walter said...

..but the O's did have some kick-ass parties at the WH.

readering said...

MF, I expected disagreement (like, "Trump not a retail politician very long"), but I didn't see that coming.

Hagar said...

He has made his pile and does not wish to attract further attention.

Dixie_Sugarbaker said...

Obama may not be around, but his fingerprints are on everything!

Henry said...

It's hard to read reporting so barded in unexamined liberal tropes.

Modeling his political engagement out of office after George W. Bush’s, of all people...

Of all people. Debenedetti condescends to his readership. He can't help it.

Matt Sablan said...

He's nothing to gain, everything to lose. And, given my well-known position that, when it came to the hard stuff -- like not accepting donations for his election like he promised -- vs doing the easy thing, Obama routinely picked the easy thing.

So, I think he's just letting other people fight his battles while he lives the high life.

walter said...

The Obamas Have Outdone Themselves with Star-Studded Parties

robother said...

Obama's arc-welding a bend in the moral universe, which takes a long time. Don't bother him.

Amadeus 48 said...

Obama is having a tough time with the new reality: the arc of history bends toward Trump.

Doug said...

"Zen-like"? More like"Chauncey Gardner".

Inga...Allie Oop said...

“MF, I expected disagreement (like, "Trump not a retail politician very long"), but I didn't see that coming.”

Be careful Readering! The Fitz has been threatening other commenters here with a big hammer that he says “slices” like something or another, I forget, but he’s on the warpath.

He cares.

walter said...

So did ValJar move into Kalorama or not?
Is it a non-stop Waffle party?
Is Obama a waffler?

walter said...

Fitz "the keyboard killer" seems to not scare Inga so much. Or maybe it's just that the FBI has her number flagged: "Oh shit..send her to voicemail"
Meanwhile, Obama's cool directive to get in folks' faces lives on through the tormented vessel of Mad Max Waters:
"If you see anybody from that Cabinet — in a restaurant, in a department store, at a gasoline station — you get out and you create a crowd. And you push back on them. And you tell them they’re not welcome anymore, anywhere,”

AllenS said...

Watch Obama talk about Trump in 2016, then you'll understand why Obama needs to keep his mouth shut.

LINK TEXT

readering said...

Pretty prescient. 18 months in and no deals.

walter said...

Mad Max in 2020!
Make America Mad Again: MAMA!

Roughcoat said...

And I wonder how much faster the war would have been won, how many lives would have been saved, and how much of Eastern Europe wouldn't have been under the Soviet thumb had Patton not been put in the penalty box for so long after the slapping incident.

His temporary time-out did not in the least affect the course of the war. His relief obviated his participation in the Italian campaign, a blessing in disguise: the fighting in that theater was not conducive to the brand of open warfare at which Patton excelled. Indeed, it is probably the case that Patton would have been withheld from the Italian campaign for just this reason, even if he hadn't been relieved. In the UK he played a vital role in the deception operation to flim-flam the Germans into thinking the cross-Channel invasion would take place in the Calais vicinity; at the same he was gearing up for operations as commander of U.S. Third Army, which was transported to France in the wake of the Normandy invasion for the express purpose of breaking out of Normandy's hedgerow country (also not conducive to open warfare) to conduct what amounted to an American blitzkrieg across France to the German frontier.

Jack Klompus said...
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Char Char Binks, Esq. said...
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readering said...

Roughcoat, not sure I agree. If Patton in charge instead of Clark there might not have been the vainglorious March on Rome instead of falling on the German army from behind.

readering said...
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Inga...Allie Oop said...

“Mad Max in 2020!
Make America Mad Again: MAMA!”

Indeed. That’s how Trump won in 2016. Gin up outrage. “Outrage for me, but none for thee!” yells the Trumpist.

n.n said...

In every case the Trump plank addresses decades of US policy and accumulated regulation from many administrations and both parties.

They think that Obama is untouchable, and so in association they have license to lie, cheat, redistribute, and assault with impunity. With the forward progress of time, that assumption is becoming less viable.

traditionalguy said...

What, no mention of the Smiling One's constant attempts to stop Trump and dismantle the foreign policy of the United States by giving ante-warnings to other nations' leaders to just ignore Trump since Obama's forces have Trump's removal from Office , dead or alive, all planned out.

They hang people for that, don't they.

walter said...

Yeah..all you saw/see in Trump is anger. Fitz' online antics equivalent to repeated asshole antics by the Left.
Go with that Inga. It's a winner!
Mad Max/Inga 2020!

n.n said...

Obama's legacy in the born unPlanned penalty tax and shifted responsibility.

A legacy in global wars, saved and made.

A legacy in division and caging.

A legacy in spying, targeting, intimidation, and prosecutorial discretion.

A legacy in weapons running to Syria, to Mexico, etc.

A legacy of financing Iran to finance terrorists.

A legacy of elective wars, summary judgments, and catastrophic anthropogenic immigration reform.

stevew said...

I didn't like him, always found him to be an arrogant scold. Of course, I never met him either so that's an assessment from afar and through the public lens. But, he was in the public sphere 24/7 for something like 10 years or more, and he had to have an opinion about everything, had to make decisions about most things, and had to put up with constant criticism. I'd say that he's entitled to some down time and to do whatever it is that moves him, including ignoring all these leftists that want to use him to advance their politics.

-sw

dreams said...
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Drago said...

Next up for Inga and pals: harassing the Angel Moms and driving them out of restaurants.

Angel Moms lack the "divine sparks" that MS13 members have....

LOL

It's amazing. All the lefties/LLR's had to do was simply not be insane...and that was just too much for them.

It's fantastic.

Michael Fitzgerald said...

Readering, that you did not see it coming is not surprising. Progs and Democrat party members tend to not notice or care about the unintended consequences of their behavior.

Roughcoat said...

Readering: "If Patton in charge instead of Clark there might not have been the vainglorious March on Rome instead of falling on the German army from behind."

I agree, but so what? Italy was always going to be a sideshow no matter what happened there. The war would be won in Northern Europe, that was always the case. Italy was largely a strategic distraction. Also, after taking Rome, what would Patton have done? There would be no blitzkriegs up the boot; even for Patton, it would be hard pounding all the way. In Patton's case, the waste of brilliant open warfare practitioner.

Roughcoat said...

Re: "The war would be won in Northern Europe, that was always the case." The Soviets also recognized this. Which is why they put relatively little effort into taking the Balkans. They simply ceded Greece to Britain, which turned out to be a huge mistake for them, and decided that Yugoslavia wasn't worth the trouble. They couldn't have cared less about Italy, and were not much concerned with Austria and Czechoslovakia either. Their focus was northern Germany, specifically Berlin, the belly of the beast.

Jim at said...

Obama was a pretentious, lecturing prick. There was absolutely nothing 'cool' or likeable about him.

dreams said...
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dreams said...

The Dems can't be trusted, this is the first time in our history that after an election we haven't had a peaceful transfer of power, it's been resistance from the getgo.

Roughcoat said...

I can't stand Obama. Smug, arrogant, lazy, opportunistic. I've dealt with people like him all my life, so have we all I suppose. The type that thinks he's the smartest person in the room and let you know it with his attitude. His life in college and after was and continues to be a skate, a cornucopia of unearned privileges.

dreams said...

"Obama was a pretentious, lecturing prick. There was absolutely nothing 'cool' or likeable about him."

Plus, an anti-American and yet they continue to lust.

buwaya said...

Obamas trips to various capitals in 2017 are suspicious indeed.
Someday we will find out what he was up to.

It would have been easy enough for a journalist to figure this out, some of these places, such as India, leak like crazy.

Jim at said...

Bakers and florists denying service to gay couples. - Inga

Of course they weren't denied service.
But you're too dishonest to admit it.

But I do like the left's new-found appreciation for businesses telling customers to pound sand.

bagoh20 said...

Being "cool" used to be a good thing. I guess now it means you're a dick.

"Cool" is something you show under pressure, not under fawning.

Trump, with his winning in the face of unprecedented and hysterical opposition, criticism, and name calling is what I'd call cool. Keeping your head under all that pressure is a lot cooler than the lightworker preening under the unwarranted adulation of the Obama media cult. Cool is making things happen, rather than just promising and pretending, preening and posing.

Cool is as cool does.

Anonymous said...

bagoh20:

"Cool" is something you show under pressure, not under fawning.

Nicely put.

dreams said...

Being thought cool if in fact, you're nothing but a phony is not cool.

readering said...

Ah, but if the Tenth army had been destroyed . . . .

I guess the counter is that then there might not have been a second landing in the South of France, which proved to be so successful and important to the French campaign.

readering said...

I see Obama derangement syndrome remains strong not just in Oval Office.

Rabel said...

Althouse's view of Obama as aloof, cool and likeable while others saw him as arrogant, elitist and disdainful is understandable.

As a female law professor at UW she was not among the targets of his disdain - the bitter clingers, the deplorables, the men without sharp creases, me.

She liked him because he liked her, or at least people such as her. But he didn't like me or those such as me and I felt that dislike, that disdain, every time he spoke.

pacwest said...

Obama was a hipster. But I guess that was what made him cool. He was the Head Hipster. A hipster, followed by a buffoon. At least the buffoon is using common sense to govern.

Rockeye said...

I have often wondered what BHO would do after he left the White House. Mid 50s and had been the most powerful man in history (as American presidents are nowadays.) Anythine else seems anticlimactic.

BUMBLE BEE said...

Obama is always up to something. Quietude is not like him. Like Ayers, much of the weatherman crowd were trust fund kids, do you think they all took up crocheting? Like Acorn, they shed their skins in the dark. They'll be around, bet on it.
I expect to see Barry on "I almost got away with it".

Bay Area Guy said...

When Obama and the Dems got "shellacked" in 2010 -- losing 63 seats -- he understood that he was not going to get another piece of legislation passed.

His one achievement was Obamacare, and he was blocked from anything else (legislatively).

So, he tried his best with Executive Orders, kicked butt in his 2012 re-election bid, and raised on a lotta money. Good for him.

But there was a downside. He basically gutted the Dem party at all the lower levels. And he mistakenly chose Hillary over Biden as his successor. And when he tried to rig the game to get Hillary elected, James "Maxwell Smart" Comey blew it all up.

He's only 57 and will earn a hundred million over the next 10 years.

He's still addicted to power and leftwing politics, but Trump has boxed him out, so hopefully he'll stick to making money for the time-being. But he will be back.

Jim at said...

I see Obama derangement syndrome remains strong not just in Oval Office.

Take it up with the yahoo who wrote the slobbering piece in the first place.

BUMBLE BEE said...

Smoke some dope, shoot some hoops, maybe a little golf, talkin shit, partyin hard. You see 'em on streetcorners by the hundreds anywhere USA.

Michael K said...

I guess the counter is that then there might not have been a second landing in the South of France, which proved to be so successful and important to the French campaign.

Leftist military historian. What next ?

narayanan said...

definition of leader - the person who leads or commands a group

does not say a/in the front by brave example, b/from the back with goads and prods
or c/sub-rosa with goal different from the group being led.

which is Obama?

judge (weigh the evidence)and learn, learn (discover the facts) and judge.

Michael K said...

readering said...
One reason I think Obama comes across as soo likeable (except to commenter here!) Is that there are so many great photos of him with infants and small children. Not many such photos of Trump, even with his own grandkids, let alone strangers'.


It was what Obama did best. Trump solves problems, not posing for pictures.

Jack Klompus said...
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Rabel said...

"He's only 57 and will earn a hundred million over the next 10 years."

You underestimate the man. With the book deal, the Netflix contract and the speaking fees he'll knock that out in the next 2 years. Although it might depend on what the meaning of "earn" is.

Sebastian said...

"it might depend on what the meaning of "earn" is"

What, you don't think curating narratives with Michelle is hard work?

rehajm said...

Barack was the worst President since Wilson. Worse than Carter.

Worth repeating. Obama's policies hurt people. His 'accomplishments' were unwound with a pen- didn't even need the phone! His first accomplishment as President would have been to close Guantanamo...

What was to like? He was petty and divisive. His slights were Junior High Childish.

Jon Ericson said...

Dickin'Bimbos@Home said...
"You don't care Inga? Then why the fuck are you here, day in and day out?

She's here to make this blog uncivilized, degrade it.
We also are required, it seems, to respond to her mind droppings dozens of times of day to the detriment of real discussions.
Pretty obvious.

tcrosse said...

We also are required, it seems, to respond to her mind droppings dozens of times of day

Only if you take the bait.

Rusty said...

Even when he was here, he wasn't here.

MeatPopscicle1234 said...

Funny that this comes out almost in lockstep with the new Quinnipac poll showing Obama ranked as the worst President since WW2...

Guildofcannonballs said...

Captain Sully is more likeable than ANYONE.

Anyone.

Big Mike said...

Obama ranked as the worst President since WW2...

I rank him all-time second worst to James Buchanan (1857-1861). And Carter is third.

dreams said...

Yeah, I agree Obama is our second worst president.

rcocean said...

Never understood the hate for Obama.

Worse, than Clinton?
Worse, than Carter?
Worse than Bush I?

Say what you want about the O-man, at least he wasn't getting lewinsky's in the White House, or getting us into useless wars, or giving us double-digit stagflation.

Hillary would've been 2x worse than Obama. He was more or less an empty suit.

dreams said...

"He's only 57 and will earn a hundred million over the next 10 years."

He might not even be living in 10 years.

AllenS said...

Obama will always be remembered for his most bestest Presidential accomplishment which was known as "Cash for Clunkers". Who on earth could top that for brilliance?

OGWiseman said...

Much as I hated the Bush Presidency, I respect the post-Presidency insofar as he's mostly stayed out of things. That's a long-standing tradition and he respected it, much to his credit. I assumed Obama was just doing the same thing, as he should.

Once someone has been President, they've had plenty of influence for a lifetime. We don't need them to keep on and on at us.

I hold out very little hold that Trump will ever shut up, even once he's out of office. There's always another grift to run on somebody.

robother said...

"...or getting us into useless wars."

You mean like overthrowing Quadaffi? Or re-starting he Afghanistan War (the "good war" according to O)? Or the BLM war on cops?

Or do you find those useful wars?

DanTheMan said...

>>What was to like?

I hear the Iranians are big fans...

bagoh20 said...

The most popular man in America had an approval rating the same as the guy who appearantly is the most hated man in America.

Everytime I hear someone say, as often pundits do, "America wants this" or "Americans think that", I always ask "which America?

DanTheMan said...

>>I hold out very little hold that Trump will ever shut up, even once he's out of office.

Can we get people who lose to shut up?

Big Mike said...

@rcocean, you don’t consider Libya a useless war? Or are you swayed by Obama calling it a “kinetic military action” so he didn’t have to use the W-word?

Jack Klompus said...
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mockturtle said...

Everytime I hear someone say, as often pundits do, "America wants this" or "Americans think that", I always ask "which America?

You know, bagoh, I think they believe that if they continue to repeat these lies some will start to take them seriously. Just like they keep telling us what a bunch of losers [uneducated,'working class'] voted for Trump. Now, there is nothing wrong with being either uneducated or working class but there are a hell of a lot of us who are neither who voted for Trump. In fact, many of the women who voted for Hillary are Oprah-watching, uneducated, young single moms. The media are entitled to their illusions so long as they don't pass them off as news.

Darrell said...
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dreams said...

I judge presidents on their accomplishments and Trump has accomplished a lot already whereas Obama forced Obamacare on us along with his failed foreign policy which destabilized the world and he corrupted and weaponized our government against us and for the first time in history after an election failed to peacefully transfer power to the people's choice of their next president by encouraging and directing the resistance. I consider Obama to be an evil man who hates America and did try to fundamentally transform our country, however maybe Trump can still save our country. Time will tell.

Darrell said...

"Eat my waffle" was Obama's euphemism for spying on the other party's presidential candidate in violation of the law. We heard his confession.

mockturtle said...

PS: Their aim is to lead people to think, "Gee, I don't want to be thought of as an uneducated, blue collar, possibly racist loser", which is not only ridiculous in its foundation but is insulting to working class people [and they use the term 'working class' pejoratively]. Besides, do not most of us work for a living? It seems the Dems have been guilty of class-ism, which, IIRC, used to be considered a GOP thing.

mockturtle said...

If Obama really cared about black folks [he doesn't] he would run for mayor of Chicago, his home town, and try to fix the problems. His buddy Rahm has certainly failed to deliver.

Drago said...

OGWiseman: " I respect the post-Presidency insofar as he's mostly stayed out of things."

False.

GWBush simply stayed out while obama weaponized the federal govt against conservatives and republicans.

He, and his wife, have become quite vocal against Trump.

Perhaps you missed that.

dreams said...

Obama hasn't stayed out things. Valerie Jarrett moved into his home to help him direct the resistance and his shadow government. Apparently ignorance is bliss.

MayBee said...

Obama likes to pontificate, but perhaps he is doing it mostly in person where he can't be criticized. Remember the dinners he privately held while traveling- I know we heard about one in Italy- where he could cultivate an interesting crowd and pontificate to them? But speaking in public? I think people would begin to notice there is no there there, and his charm isn't quite as charming when he doesn't have his cadre of writers. It's not like any of his policy solutions were all that great, and his foreign policy was a feckless punt.

MayBee said...

I, like many others here, suspect the people who funded Obama also fund the "resistance". Remember how statesmanlike Obama seemed when he met with Trump? And how his cabinet members and FBI were secretly setting Trump up to look like he was colluding with Russia and peeing on Russian hookers?

Gahrie said...

I, like many others here, suspect the people who funded Obama also fund the "resistance"

Soros has contributed hundreds of millions to both. How history treats him is going to be interesting. Objectively he is an example of everything the Left opposes, but they continue to suckle at his teat.

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