February 18, 2020

"With the race looking more and more likely to grow bitter and messy, and maybe even wind up in a contested convention, the former president..."

"... and those around him are increasingly sure he will need to play a prominent role in bringing the party back together and calming its tensions later this summer, including perhaps in Milwaukee, where the party’s meeting is scheduled to be held in July. So he is committed to not allowing his personal thoughts to dribble out in the meantime, directly or via leaks, conscious of how any sense that he’s taking sides in intraparty disputes could rock the primary in the short run and potentially undermine his ability to play this larger role in the months ahead.... While he’s following the race by reading newspaper reports, he’s been disengaged with its day-to-day dynamics, sure that he’ll have to catch up on them later this year anyway — he doesn’t even make a point of watching the debates... Even if he felt like speaking out against Sanders specifically, he knows such a statement would likely ruin his standing on the left and almost certainly divide the party just when it needs uniting, according to multiple people who’ve spoken with him about the race. Obama and those around him 'have a very clear understanding that if they put their finger on the scale right now, all of a sudden half of the Democratic Party hates him,' an influential Democrat who keeps in touch with Obama explained.... This time around, Obama has sought to make sure the full field of Democratic candidates understands his intention to be both neutral and passive.... Obama’s aversion to TV news hasn’t abated now that he has enough time on his hands that he’s compared himself to Neo, the time-slowing Keanu Reeves character from The Matrix, say people who’ve been spending time with him. If he’s in front of a television, they say, he’s probably watching sports."

From "What Obama Is Saying in Private About the Democratic Primary" (NY Magazine).

ADDED: I feel like Obama — I have an aversion to TV news and I am taking a position of cruel neutrality.

176 comments:

tim in vermont said...

"If he’s in front of a television, they say, he’s probably watching sports.”

So nothing’s changed for him, from since he was president at the Law Review to president of The United States. The party has moved on from moderates like Obama.

tim in vermont said...

No “cruel neutrality” tag?

Fernandinande said...

all of a sudden half of the Democratic Party hates him

It's a start.

R C Belaire said...

So, The Savior awaits! Good to know.

Beasts of England said...

’If he’s in front of a television, they say, he’s probably watching sports.’

That’s the apex of his intellectual curiosity.

rehajm said...

’If he’s in front of a television, they say, he’s probably watching sports.’

Given the chaos of the left it's hard to imagine it will be improved with the insertion of a more public Obama.

Let's let him eat his waffle...

Kevin said...

Someone drove the party into the ditch.

Anne in Rockwall, TX said...

He was a lazy President and he's a lazy ex-President.

Jim in St Louis said...

I don't believe a word of it, more A. Nonie Mouse information and of course its all B.S.

The only intelligent question is 'to whose benefit is this idea that Obama does not have a preference? Who would be pleased to have Dems thinking that Obamba is neutral?

Bob Smith said...

Mmmmm. Waffles. Think I’ll have some for breakfast.

wendybar said...

History will not look fondly on the Scandal ridden Obama. When the Deep State cabal is busted wide open, it will show that Obama started ALL of this. Hopefully, he will be welcomed into Gitmo with open arms.

Bob Smith said...

Oh, the subject of the thread.. The Dems candidate , Michelle Obama.

gilbar said...

Bob Smith said...
Mmmmm. Waffles. Think I’ll have some for breakfast.


Serious Question
Which are More Delicious? Waffles? or Pancakes?

Temujin said...

The first of many "Obama. Save us" articles that will be coming out.

Oh if only He would show His face.

Sorry. I cannot take anything written for...I mean, about Obama seriously.

Kevin said...

Obama trying to save the party right before it destroys itself is exactly how Hollywood would write it.

His waiting until the convention enables the audience to suspend disbelief a bit longer, making the ending that much more dramatic.

Kevin said...

They will have to speak, act, and vote exactly as their leader tells them if they wish to defeat “authoritarianism”.

David Begley said...

His wife as VP will unify the party. And lower the rise of the oceans.

whitney said...

I don't know if that was sycophantic or narcissistic. I'll just go with both. Obama thinks he's a fictional character. That makes sense. He has enough cash and toadies to be completely shielded from reality so he can think whatever he likes. It's telling that he doesn't watch the news at all. I bet he doesn't read the news either. He's in his safe space. Why would he want to get out. He's probably descending into madness now.

Beasts of England said...

And exactly how is Obama going to unite the party with a convention speech about himself?

JPS said...

"This time around, Obama has sought to make sure the full field of Democratic candidates understands his intention to be both neutral and passive."

So, to vote Present?

AllenS said...

Barack Hussein Obama hasn't changed one bit, he simply doesn't have a clue. I have to shake my head when people look up to him for advice.

Charlie said...

Every single word in this article is BS. Also, is he doing his final four picks this year???

Lance said...

“he’s compared himself to Neo”

So he really does have a Messiah complex.

gspencer said...

"are increasingly sure he will need to play a prominent role in bringing the party back together and calming its tensions"

That's highly, highly unlikely. After his 8 disastrous years, during which he fanned the racial flames while installing predictably terrible economic policies using vicious individuals, this selfish person is simply that, greedy, selfish, self-centered. What he and the uxor can say however, "AA has been very, very good for us."

Howard said...

I suppose Obama would get more respect from you people if he spent his time eating a super size Happy meal drinking a gallon big gulp Coca-Cola in front of the television watching Fox & Friends Sean hannity the no spin zone and everyone's favorite Tucker Carlson.

Breezy said...

Yesterday he claimed he was responsible for the current great economy. He signed that stimulus-graft bill, you see.

tim in vermont said...

Drop out Joe, you’re starting to stink!

FBI agents last month raided the home of the CEO of a bankrupt hospital chain and one of its hospitals in Pennsylvania in new signs of trouble for a company central to accusations of influence-peddling by James Biden, brother of former Vice President Joe Biden.


“You people”

You’re one of us Howard, or you wouldn’t be here every day.

Howard said...

Hopefully whoever gets the nomination Barack will campaign more aggressively this time around. At least for the entertainment value from triggering the deplorables into racist mouth foaming Glee.

AllenS said...

He could do all of those things, Howard, and I, and I would imagine others wouldn't give a rip.

Howard said...

That's right Auntie. I'm like one of those former smokers who is hectoring people about their nasty habits

tim in vermont said...

The economy we are enjoying today is due to the raises Obama got for the teacher’s unions. It’s “trickle down” stuff. Now even the lowest wage, lowest skilled employees are starting to benefit.

Plus his immigration policies had a lot to do with it!

https://www.economist.com/united-states/2020/02/13/immigration-to-america-is-down-wages-are-up

Oh, wait...

Howard said...

It's not a complex if you are actually the Messiah

MadisonMan said...

Clinton and Obama are responsible for the sorry state of the Democratic Party. So Obama looks around at the ashes he created and ponders how to create a Phoenix. But I don't think he has that ability.

madAsHell said...

Hillary’s boy?

stevew said...

Yeah, I'm not buying it, except the he thinks about himself and his importance a lot part.

ga6 said...

Me, Me, Me....

Howard said...

Thanks Allen S for confirming and strengthening the point I was making about how you people completely ignore what a disgusting pig Trump is because he makes you feel better about yourself. It's quite sad really.

Marcus Bressler said...

He's a textbook definition of a narcissist.

THEOLDMAN

Worst. President. Ever. (well, of my lifetime)

tim in vermont said...

"At least for the entertainment value from triggering the deplorables into racist mouth foaming Glee.”

That’s the Democrats’ problem right there. They don’t care about a candidates qualifications or accomplishments nearly as much as they want a nominee that gives them the chance to say that the slightest opposition to any policy must be based on deplorable racism, misogyny, or homophobia.

It’s because you guys do it for the dopamine rush that is the source of all bigotry. Bigots aren’t bigots because it makes them feel low and mean, they are bigots because they enjoy the little frisson of superiority they get from it. I am sure you have no idea what I am talking about Howard.

Rory said...

"all of a sudden half of the Democratic Party hates him,'

The party hates the other half of the country. Half the party hates the other half of the party. You'd think they'd see a trend there.

Dust Bunny Queen said...

Serious Question
Which are More Delicious? Waffles? or Pancakes?


Best pancakes EVER! Tres Leche pancakes at Denny's
Not the Tres Leches crunch ones, though

AllenS said...

I'm doing fine, Howard, health wise and financially, and I am damn glad that millions of people like me, high school graduates have jobs. None of us voted for Trump to be nice to people who hate him, and, by the way, hate all of us who like Trump.

Beloved Commenter AReasonableMan said...

Who thinks Trump could find Ukraine on a map?

tim in vermont said...

“It's not a complex if you are actually the Messiah”

They have started putting halos behind Mayor Pete’s head, the order has been handed down, so adjust your thinking accordingly.

traditionalguy said...

The Kenyan is buying himself an immune from prosecution ticket by entering into the 2020 Presidential race discussions as if he is the Dems' leader.

tim in vermont said...

Squirrel!

Rory said...

"they say, he’s probably watching sports"

Big slap in the face to Hollywood.

rhhardin said...

I'd assumed he'd be in jail.

Dust Bunny Queen said...

I suppose Obama would get more respect from you people if he spent his time eating a super size Happy meal drinking a gallon big gulp Coca-Cola in front of the television watching Fox & Friends Sean hannity the no spin zone and everyone's favorite Tucker Carlson.

Cool. Then he can reincarnate himself as Fat Albert. Hey Hey Hey!

Howard said...

Yeah and I'm glad to hear that Allen, especially the good health part.

Amexpat said...

Saw Amy on Meet the Press and thought she did reasonable well. She got her talking points in without looking robotic and she differentiated herself from other candidates without going negative.

However, she, or her prep staff, dropped the ball when she didn't know the name of the Mexican president in an interview with a Hispanic station in Nevada. I give her a minus for that. Not because of not knowing the name, but for not anticipating that she would be asked about US-Mexico relationship in such an interview.

AllenS said...

Thank you, Howard. Don't tell anyone, because I'm from Wisconsin, but I quit drinking (beer).

JCA1 said...

So, once again, he learned about it in the papers. Some things never change!

Howard said...

The problem with mayor Pete is that you can still see that he needs training wheels

tim in vermont said...

Warren says that candidates are responsible for what their supporters do

Well, I’m a Warren supporter and I think every Democrat who doesn’t vote for her is either a Russian asset, a coronavirus super carrier, or a mendacious fuckhead who may as well vote for Trump!

Go Lizzie! You go girl!

Howard said...

For some reason I thought you were from Indiana, Allen. Apologies. You can still maintain your street cred by making a beef stew or Texas style chili using beer instead of beef stock. All the alcohol gets cooked off but you still get that wonderful flavor of youthful indiscretion

Iconochasm said...

I call bullshit. Obama features prominently in the Bloomberg ads that play every commercial break, and I really doubt Bloomberg is using that footage of Obama praising him without permission, precisely because it comes off as a tacit endorsement.

Dust Bunny Queen said...

Thanks Allen S for confirming and strengthening the point I was making about how you people completely ignore what a disgusting pig Trump is because he makes you feel better about yourself. It's quite sad really.

The point is that Democrats and RINOs vote based on superficiality instead of looking deeply into what the policies of the politicians actually are.

Obama is the nice bright shiny penny, slim, and trim, with the clean cut suits, sharply creased pants, who can perfectly perform a speech full of glittering generalities. Mouthing policies that appeal to whomever he is currently speaking AT. Like a lithe willow, Obama bends with the wind.

Trump is a turnip. He is rumpled and in his older age inelegantly dressed. His speech-making is also rumpled, and not at all the elegant soaring oratory of a professional speaker, but more the stream of consciousness and rambling of the ordinary person.

The difference is that Obama's policies were guaranteed to create chaos, disorder, economic disasters and disrespect around the world for America. Trump's policies are doing the exact opposite. The economy is soaring and our foreign policy is stronger than ever.

So Howard can choose the slim trim elegant disaster of Obama. I choose success in a rumpled package.

One group is only interested in the superficial and is always getting taken in. Who are the rubes?

Churchy LaFemme: said...

In general go with waffles, unless they are "Belgian" waffles, which don't have enough perforations of the right size to get the correct syrup/waffle balance. Always go with a Pecan waffle if available.

If you are at IHOP the balance shifts a bit because the "Harvest Grain & Nut" pancakes are excellent, otherwise a standard waffle always beats a standard pancake.

Denny's: I don't even know what to say. I have never had a good meal at Denny's. The pictures on the menu sure look great though.

Sebastian said...

"he’s been disengaged with its day-to-day dynamics"

Always has been. That's why he left the Dems in shambles. O was about O.

tim in vermont said...

This is what I mean that a lot of women find it difficult to envision the consequences of their actions, God bless ‘em, because if they could, there would be a lot less good porn.

Gusty Winds said...

I'm listening to a Bloomberg ad right now and it's all Obama saying Bloomberg is great from some past speech. Blah Blah Blah.

Looks like Bloomberg has already paid for and claimed Obama's endorsement.

Howard said...

Good morning DBQ. I think I might be more compelled by your reasoning except for the fact that you like Denny's pancakes. WTF is wrong with your husband? A fine gal like you deserves homemade gourmet pancakes whenever she wants. Yes people I am that whipped.

Ann Althouse said...

"No “cruel neutrality” tag?"

See my update, written before I read your comment.

On the original post, I considered adding cruel neutrality, but I don't know if I've ever used it other than to describe myself. If I used it without the material that's now in the update, it would have been saying "Obama is like me." That's a stretch, even though I have now said "I am like Obama," and I understand how equations work.

whitney said...

Iconochasm said...
I call bullshit. Obama features prominently in the Bloomberg ads that play every commercial break, and I really doubt Bloomberg is using that footage of Obama praising him without permission, precisely because it comes off as a tacit endorsement.

Interesting. I bet the media is about to fall in line behind Bloomberg no matter what the candidates say. Their biggest issue is the incredibly violent Bernie supporters. I would not put it past them to try to burn down cities. I love old Russian literature and one of the things that Pushkin, Turgenev, and all of them write about is Moscow Burns every 5 to 10 years.

Bob Boyd said...

Typical Dems, expect the guy who created the problem to be able to solve it.

This situation is Obama's legacy.
Next they'll be telling us Hillary needs to step in.

Dust Bunny Queen said...

Denny's: I don't even know what to say. I have never had a good meal at Denny's. The pictures on the menu sure look great though.

Yeah. Denny's isn't my first choice. We were traveling on I-5 where it is MILES AND MILES between towns... and desperate for a place to stop, get out, go to the bathroom and get a bite to eat. And Ta DAH a Denny's with a gas station connected somewhere north of Sacratomato (as we fondly call the capitol of our ruined State)

Since they serve breakfast all day and I don't want a greasy lunch..... and I love love tres leches from my days when we lived in Mexico and how my aunt from Argentina makes it...I thought...what the heck.

Best pancakes ever. At least at that particular Denny's /shrug

Howard said...

It makes sense that Obama is getting behind Bloomberg because they have to recognize the fact that the Democrats need to launch an outsider to get as far away from Hillary as possible while still actually being an insider.

The problem is how will the Democrats keep the Bernie Bros and the African American voters interested in November. I keep telling my wife that Bloomberg needs to have a strong black woman who is not obese in the number two slot

gilbar said...

I (personally) think the Key to delicious pancake deliciousness is that you have to eat them RIGHT OFF THE Pan (well, on a plate, but a plate where they haven't been for more than about 10 seconds

When you buy them at a restaurant; they have sat around for so long (a minute! maybe) that they get hard. Waffles seem to have a longer lifespan

However!
IF you're cooking them yourself (or, having your man cook them for you); and you flip (flap? Slap?) them right off the pan, and onto your plate; and then poor some warm (real!) maple syrup over them, and start eating... They're WAY better than waffles

protip: Yes, pancakes are Supposed to have chocolate chips in them. You think they should have blueberries? Well, that's not needed; but Remember! it's blueberries TOO, not blueberries instead

Otto said...

If he is the real messiah, the Jews are saying " oy veh for this we suffered 2000 years"

Anne in Rockwall, TX said...

"I call bullshit. Obama features prominently in the Bloomberg ads that play every commercial break, and I really doubt Bloomberg is using that footage of Obama praising him without permission, precisely because it comes off as a tacit endorsement."

I've wondered about that myself. Just like Kay Granger down here in Texas using cliips from a Trump speech where he praises her.

Do they need permission, or is 'fair use' in play?

Bob Boyd said...

Bloomberg needs a black running mate. Who can he pick? Booker? Harris? Someone not currently on the radar?
Is there a black woman farmer out there with a degree from Harvard? There has to be. This is America, goddammit!

gilbar said...

At least at that particular Denny's /shrug

It seems like the further other restaurants are from a Denny's, the better the Denny's is
{Not just seems to be}
If there are three other restaurants at the corner where the Denny's is;
the Denny's gets disillusioned, and resigns itself to crappiness.
BUT! If the Denny's is a Free Range Denny's, with out intimidation; a Denny's can shine

Kai Akker said...

if they put their finger on the scale right now, all of a sudden half of the Democratic Party hates him

So, later. When it will be impossible for Sanders to recover. It almost worked last time! Practice makes perfect.

AllenS said...

Are there any blacks that Bloomburger could chose that haven't run down white people?

Why not go with someone safe, and white, like Crazy Bernie?

Bob Boyd said...

Are there any blacks that Bloomburger could chose that haven't run down white people?

Bill Cosby

Birkel said...

His sentiments against Bernie **ARE** leaking out in this very article.

Bernie is going to sweep the first four states.
Bernie is the front runner.

gilbar said...

Is there a black woman farmer out there with a degree from Harvard?

Stacey Abrams graduated Cum Laude from Harvard, EVERY BIT AS MUCH AS SHE WON THE GOVERNORSHIP
Stacey Abrams is a farmer, EVERY BIT AS MUCH AS SHE WON THE GOVERNORSHIP

PLUS! Y'all DO realize? That Stacey was BORN in MADISON WISCONSIN?

Come the convention; She'll be The Favorite Son
{Stacey Abrams is a son, EVERY BIT AS MUCH AS SHE WON THE GOVERNORSHIP}

tim in vermont said...

Obama knows better than anybody what bullshit cable news is. There must be some news network we have no access to where the real news gets passed around, protected by a bodyguard of lies by the time it gets to us.

Seeing Red said...

Leading from behind.

Fernandinande said...

he’s probably watching sports

?!?!? How unwoke can you get?

Since Obama loves him some sadism, I'm purty sure they meant to say, "he's probably watching a mentally ill man crack a woman's skull".

Bob Boyd said...

Are there any blacks that Bloomburger could chose that haven't run down white people?

I don't remember OJ ever running down white people. True, he stabbed a couple of them, but it wasn't a race thing.

Dust Bunny Queen said...

More pancakes...less Obama!!

Gilbar is correct.

Pancakes must be "hot off the griddle".

Free range Denny's. I like that. The Denny's was basically alone in the valley except for the gas station. But full of people. The other reason I ordered the tres leches was that it was Sunday about 1pm. Church was out and the place was full, standing room only with all the Mexican families were there eating. (Eating after church is a Catholic tradition since you were supposedly fasting all night in order to take communion). My Mom used to bribe us with the promise of ice cream sundaes ;-)

Most of the families were ordering the pancakes and especially the children. Kids know good pancakes. Hmmmm....if they all want it, it must be good.

If Howard makes tres leches pancakes, I'll be right over.

tim in vermont said...

My opinion on pancakes doesn’t count since I like buckwheat pancakes and I seem to be the only one.

I'm Full of Soup said...

Obama just gets more and more brilliant.

Gahrie said...

I feel like Obama — I have an aversion to TV news and I am taking a position of cruel neutrality.

...and you'll eventually vote for the Democrat.

I'm Full of Soup said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Hagar said...

If Obama presumes to intervene, I think he will get as badly clawed up as anyone else.

Obama has made his pile. I don't think this crowd is going to be receptive to words of wisdom from the Cape Cod upper crust estates.

Ralph L said...

Meanwhile, She is still nodding sagely during her morning intelligence briefing.

Curious George said...

"Iconochasm said...
I call bullshit. Obama features prominently in the Bloomberg ads that play every commercial break, and I really doubt Bloomberg is using that footage of Obama praising him without permission, precisely because it comes off as a tacit endorsement."

LOL of course he is.

donald said...

If I can’t have Stacy Abrams grotesque visage and personality, I strongly recommend Kamala Harris as the token black woman.

I'm Full of Soup said...

Would love to see the debate moderator or one of the other candidates ask Mini Mike whether he is for or against Citizens United and why.

Bob Boyd said...

Wouldn't be surprised if Romney's googling 'sex change operation' as we speak.

Dust Bunny Queen said...

Back to the actual topic.

Obama is better off to play neutral. Be the "wise" statesman. Taking sides, especially at this point, would be chaotic.

The question would be...Is Obama Chaotic Neutral Or Chaotic Evil

Which roll of the dice did he cast, this time.

wendybar said...

Obama is the one who really RESTARTED bad race relations in this country. How the hell is HE going to unite them now??

Gusty Winds said...

Obama is struggling for relevance outside of being the first African-American President. We all know he weaponized the FBI, IRS, DOJ, and CIA as tools against his political opponents. His supporters know it too; they're just ok with it. His VP and other Dems were on the take laundering money through foreign aid. Giuliani is right.

A Trump second term is a nightmare for Obama and his "legacy".

Birches said...

This race feels very 2012 to me right now. If they go with Bloomberg, it will definitely be. I can't think of a worse opponent to take on Trump from a Democrat point of view. Bernie has the best shot. Why don't they see that?

Amadeus 48 said...

Obama is in shock from realizing HE picked Joe Biden for VP and then, through inexperience, set up the 2010 elections, which cost the Demmies a generation of office-holders (i. e., future party leaders). He created this whole mess. He did build it.

So he is taking refuge in TV sports. (Look out, NBA! Something is coming for you!)

I'm Full of Soup said...

Obama is a commie too. He is just not upfront with it.

rcocean said...

Denny's does breakfast well (although even that can be screwed up) and something easy like a club sandwich or hamburger and fries. Anything more complicated is a crap-shoot.

The quality - never high - has gone down over the last 20 years, and its become more downscale. middle-class peep prefer someplace more sophisticated. Plus, younger folk prefer something more exotic and lighter.

rcocean said...

This is why I like Obama, he's just a average guy who happened to be black and lucked into being President. No matter his lefty beliefs, he doesn't really have to desire to do anything other than watch TV Sports and enjoy life.

If he had lost in 2008, he would've been perfectly happy being a Senator-for-life, and going whatever his rich backers wanted him to do. Compare that to Hillary, that horrible little-Engine-that-couldn't.

Churchy LaFemme: said...

I think it was back in the Regan years, some black Secret Service agents were in town and ended up suing Denny's for racist discrimination for (non) service during their meal.

I remember thinking at the time: Well, it could be -- but it's more likely they got the standard Denny's service and thought it was so bad they thought it must be a deliberate slight..

Kevin said...

The leftist thesis of 2016 is that people voted for Trump over Hillary because of racism.

I don’t know why they’re floundering so.

Churchy LaFemme: said...

Wow, that sentence in my last needs some Secret Service protection of its own!

narciso said...

the stealing of the iowa primaries didn't go off as planned 'rinse, wash, repeat' but it's interesting about the #zookeeper for pete, who went berserker re nascar,

narciso said...

he was the banker's candidate then, like buttigeg is in this cycle, goldman, chase, citigroup, et al,

rcocean said...

I notice George Bush has finally shut up. Maybe he realized all his yapping about immigration and "isolationism" was counter-productive. Like Romney, my opinion of him is at rock bottom. Not one word of criticism while Obama was in office, but with Trump, he's full of talk. Its obvious he prefers Obama to Trump, since they are both globalists.

rcocean said...

This is going back 25 years, but when I would go to more often to Denny's you'd have a lot of customers who'd order some coffee and some inexpensive dish and then hang around all night. Sometimes they'd come in a big group, and then many would "skip out" without paying.

Some customers aren't worth the hassle. Giving them slow service, gets the message across.

Kevin said...

For all of Obama's fault's, being an idiot was never one of them.

Drago said...

Obambi desperately wants full credit for the great economy that ARM and Howard and the dem candidates all say doesn't exist.

This will be fun to watch.

tim in vermont said...

It’s true that Obamacare wiped out the moderates in the Democrat Party. Now you have only opportunists like Manchin who pretend to be moderates when elections draw near.

rhhardin said...

Cruel neutrality means votes like a woman. No in-depth thinking. Only sideways.

JAORE said...

Damn few quote marks in that piece about what Obama really thinks.

And, "he’s compared himself to Neo, the time-slowing Keanu Reeves character from The Matrix". Really?

OK,Matrix 3, maybe.

DarkHelmet said...

Contemplate the life of a lingering Obama acolyte. Imagine your job is to go find out what Obama thinks about something, and to reassure him that's he's freakin' brilliant, wise, just and noble. To promise that you'll get his sage words into print somehow. To vouchsafe that all the Democrats respect and love him, and eagerly await his anointment of a (delayed) successor.

Sad.


chuck said...

I have an aversion to TV news

Say, what happened to the Gorilla channel?

exhelodrvr1 said...

You can't possibly feel like Obama - you've been benefiting from white privilege your entire life!!

Chick said...

What is a choreographed strategy ? Does it involve Camille Brown ?

DavidUW said...

It’s sad when retired folks just sit around and watch TV all day. He should try to get out more.

Earnest Prole said...

Even if he felt like speaking out against Sanders specifically

This is the entire point of the piece, a plausibly deniable middle finger to Bernie in a speech about how he won’t take sides.

Yancey Ward said...

It would be a mistake to endorse someone right now, so Obama's instincts are correct.

However, Bloomberg's online ads on Youtube have 3 or 4 different versions that include Obama talking about Bloomberg in glowing terms. Bloomberg is pretending that Obama has endorsed him.

Howard said...

I've never made tres leches pancakes DBQ. The grandkids are coming over for the weekend, so I'll definitely give it a go

RMc said...

"What Obama Is Saying in Private About the Democratic Primary"

"Guess I'm voting for Trump this year...sigh."

stevew said...

I had noticed Obama's appearance in Bloomberg's ads and wondered if permission had to be secured. Fair use or public domain?

Clyde said...

One of my Democrat friends in Colorado posted on Facebook a couple of days ago that he voted for Bill Weld on his mail-in primary ballot, just so he could vote against Trump, even though he knew that Weld had absolutely no chance of winning the Republican nomination. Never mind the fact that there's an actual race among the Democrat candidates where his vote might make a difference. No, he went with the pointless gesture against the Bad Orange Man, much as his party did with the futile impeachment of Trump, because it made him feel good. Feelz make failz.

Seeing Red said...

No way. Cracker Barrel Pancakes for the win.

Seeing Red said...

—I suppose Obama would get more respect from you people if he spent his time eating a super size Happy meal drinking a gallon big gulp Coca-Cola in front of the television watching Fox & Friends Sean hannity the no spin zone and everyone's favorite Tucker Carlson.—

I don’t like Marxists —disenfranchised or not -.

Gk1 said...

Aren't endorsements from Obama pretty much the kiss of death for any candidate in a red state?From failing to score the Olympics for Chicago to hurting the chances of obamacare passing every time he spoke, why do we have to keep pretending their is some golden obama endorsement that will be a game changer? It seems like so much misplaced nostalgia for a time that never was for the msm.

Left Bank of the Charles said...

"I am taking a position of cruel neutrality."

... which on the Althouse blog in the Trump Age of Bullshit doesn't mean what it used to mean:

"I would advise Buttigieg, Warren, Klobuchar, and Biden to get together and pick one. But they need to do it soon. If I picture those 4 huddling and really trying to decide which of the 4 of them should take up the banner of moderate anti-Trumpism, I see the choice as Amy Klobuchar."

Skeptical Voter said...

Obama was hailed as The New Lightworker. In reality he was just an ordinary "light" worker--couldn't really be bothered to work too hard.

I'm not certain that Obama really wants to get down in the mud wrestling among the candidates at this point. I'm also not certain that Obama is actually relevant in today's Democrat party.

And since light (as in not so much) working is his default style, he'll stay above the fray and not waste any remaining relevance. Heck I'd be surprised if he actually showed up at the Democrat convention for any length of time.

Amadeus 48 said...

"You can't possibly feel like Obama - you've been benefiting from white privilege your entire life!!"

I don't believe in that.

Dust Bunny Queen said...

@ Howard. I've never made tres leches pancakes DBQ. The grandkids are coming over for the weekend, so I'll definitely give it a go

:-)

The creamy milk syrup/sauce instead of regular syrup....is the important part. Make dulce de leche by plunging a can of sweetened condensed milk in boiling water and let it cook for a long time. Like THIS Be sure!!! to keep the water level well over the top of the can and let it cool completely.....or you will have a sticky sugar bomb in your kitchen.

The resulting caramel is great. Too strong for me for pancakes, and probably your grandkids. You can thin it a bit with some heavy cream and add some nutmeg. (That is how my Argentinian Aunt did it)

Dust Bunny Queen said...

Yancy Ward Bloomberg is pretending that Obama has endorsed him.>

It does seem that way. What can Obama do? How can he clarify his neutral position without seeming to be taking sides?

Kind of a quandary for Obama.

Sam L. said...

"What Obama Is Saying in Private About the Democratic Primary": Who ARE these fools?

DanTheMan said...

>>A Trump second term is a nightmare for Obama and his "legacy".

Anything good that happens while Trump is president will be claimed by Obama.
Anything bad that happened when Obama was president is blamed on George Bush.

It's a very simple rule.

DanTheMan said...

>>A Trump second term is a nightmare for Obama and his "legacy".

Anything good that happens while Trump is president will be claimed by Obama.
Anything bad that happened when Obama was president is blamed on George Bush.

It's a very simple rule.

Amadeus 48 said...

Denny's has never really gotten over the trauma of merging with Sambo's.

You know, you go along, just thinking this other person is misunderstood, that they have a lot to offer if they are just given a chance, that they do their job really well, and that the two of you can make a go of it. It isn't that person's fault that they were named Hitler Adolph.

Old Man Adolph thought it was funny, and Ma Adolph never read the papers. Grandpa Adolph was kind of a Nazi, anyway, so he didn't care. The parents just thought it would toughen him up.

That's what Denny's lives with.

The Cracker Emcee Refulgent said...

"A Trump second term is a nightmare for Obama and his "legacy"."

Nonsense. A Trump second term means Obama is still the leading light of the Democrat Party and heaps more wonga in Obama's pockets. A Democrat presidential win relegates Obama to yesterday's papers and that, my friends, will never do.

The Cracker Emcee Refulgent said...

No matter what criminal hijinks the Obama Administration got up to, Obama himself knows that he is untouchable.

Bay Area Guy said...

The Dog that didn't bark -- Obama's complete and thorough silence on his own VP's quest to become President. Not a peep of support, not a peep of disapproval.

What does that tell you?

Bay Area Guy said...

Joe Biden says he asked Obama NOT to endorse him .

"I asked President Obama not to endorse," he said. "Whoever wins this nomination should win it on their own merits."

Does anyone on Planet Earth believe this?



Howard said...

DBQ: Thanks, I'm on it. That caramel sounds perfect warmed up in a shot of espresso over vanilla ice cream.

Howard said...

BAG: Think white and get serious. Biden thought he was going to walk away with the nomination, he's a cocky mofo and hates sharing the spotlight, so yeah, axing the Messiah to stand down is completely in character for Unka Joe.

TrespassersW said...

Aunty Trump said...
The party has moved on from moderates like Obama.

It really says a lot about the state of the Democrat party when the label "moderate" is applied to Obama. Or Klobuchar, for that matter.

Mid-Life Lawyer said...

I think Comrade Obama is frustrated with Bernie for being so honest about their intentions. You are supposed to wait until you get elected to betray your true political ambitions.

Bay Area Guy said...

@Howard:

"axing the Messiah to stand down is completely in character for Unka Joe."

Nooooo. You don't ask the chief to stand down, you ask the chief for permissions to do shit like this!

Iman said...

The guy won't let you forget him, as easy as it should be.

Howard said...

When did Biden ever following directions or sing from the same sheet of music? Being a loose cannon is his mo.

exiledonmainstreet, green-eyed devil said...

"Tres Leche pancakes at Denny's"

It's been many years since I was in a Denny's. "Tres Leche" sounds like they've gone all fancy-schmancy.

Hammond X. Gritzkofe said...

If Obama did not favor Sanders, HE ABSOLUTELY, DEFINITELY, AND CERTAINLY WOULD NOT WANT THAT TO LEAK OUT said anonymous sources well positioned for strategic leaking.

Inga said...

Another thread rife with Obama Derangement Syndrome.

narciso said...

well three milks don't quite convey the same impact,

Hammond X. Gritzkofe said...

First day of early voting in Texas primaries. This being far South Texas where County and regional State offices are determined in the Democrat Party primary, we took that line.

Guy ahead of us, if he were a foot shorter and longer heir, would double for Bernie Sanders. Slightly stooped posture, raspy voice, facial features and complexion dead on.

Per procedure, after he signed the log, attendant fanned out several ballots (precaution against corrupt attendant "forcing" a partially pre-marked ballot).

Attendant: "Pick one."

Voter (rather argumentatively): "Why?"

Attendant: "You have to pick one. I cannot do it for you."

Voter (after studying ballots): "They all look alike."

Guy seemed not to have voted in a decade or more.

County Sheriff is retiring after 30 years, half a dozen candidates. Two prior Dist Attys trying to unseat incumbent. Some contested constable positions. Dozen or more names to pick from for President.

The "politiqueros" are digging deep for warm bodies to load up in the van for a trip to the polling place.

narciso said...

clearly he's not an honest broker, most of his staff defected over to buttigeg's campaign, through endorsement and/or appointment, I don't think he has real ideological objections with sanders, it's more about timing, that takes Obama seriously, what he has taught and proselytized on for 25 years if not longer,

Greg the class traitor said...

I'm really going to enjoy watching Mr "I voted 'Present'" discover how little power and influence he has with the 2020 Democrat Party

Hammond X. Gritzkofe said...

Sanderphobia. Sandermonium.

Achilles said...

Iconochasm said...
I call bullshit. Obama features prominently in the Bloomberg ads that play every commercial break, and I really doubt Bloomberg is using that footage of Obama praising him without permission, precisely because it comes off as a tacit endorsement.

Now that is interesting.

Achilles said...

Inga said...
Another thread rife with Obama Derangement Syndrome.

Obama was caught red handed and has admitted to spying on political opponents.

He has admitted to crimes that are way past what Nixon resigned for.

The problem isn't the people opposed to Obama. It is with the people that support him.

You are stupid, evil, or both.

exiledonmainstreet, green-eyed devil said...

Achilles said...
Iconochasm said...
I call bullshit. Obama features prominently in the Bloomberg ads that play every commercial break, and I really doubt Bloomberg is using that footage of Obama praising him without permission, precisely because it comes off as a tacit endorsement."

Why wouldn't Obama support Bloomberg? They are both globalists with authoritarian instincts.

And Google and the rest of the Silicon Valley billionaires were comfortable with Obama and would be just fine with Bloomberg.

Greg the class traitor said...

Kevin said...
They will have to speak, act, and vote exactly as their leader tells them if they wish to defeat “authoritarianism”.

Kevin wins the thread

Butkus51 said...

"feeling like Obama"....that gave me an unpleasant feeling. How on earth did a bad used car salesman...........

But I digress

Achilles said...

exiledonmainstreet, green-eyed devil said...

Why wouldn't Obama support Bloomberg? They are both globalists with authoritarian instincts.

And Google and the rest of the Silicon Valley billionaires were comfortable with Obama and would be just fine with Bloomberg.



Because there is no constituency for this.

The .00001% and the 5% need the 50% at the bottom to team up with them.

The 50% is going to tell Bloomberg to F himself and write in Bernie in the general.

Bernie will naturally endorse whomever his masters tell him to endorse. But Bernie endorsing Bloomberg makes the con so obvious even his idiot supporters will figure it out.

Yancey Ward said...

I agree, Kevin wins the internet award for best comment of the day. Bravo!

exiledonmainstreet, green-eyed devil said...

"Because there is no constituency for this."

True, there is no natural one. But Bloomberg thinks he'll be able to buy himself one with all that sweet cash. He'll definitely get the Ingas, who will vote for any piece of poop calling itself Democrat, and the NeverTrumper Chucks. I would imagine a certain chunk of the middle class (specifically middle class women, who aren't socialists and have no objection to billionaires, but find Trump icky and vulgar) would vote Bloomberg.

Of course, as you note, the Bernie bros will be pissed off. It's a question as to whether they hate Trump more than they love their own stated principles. Some will vote for Bloomie in the end, others won't. And Bloomie certainly hasn't made friends among the blacks and the farmers. He really seems unable to understand anybody who isn't an urban technocrat.

But $2 billion can buy a lot. And who else do the Dems have?

exiledonmainstreet, green-eyed devil said...

I do think it's great that a bunch of pro-2nd Amendment guys showed up at a Bloomberg event in Richmond for the free beer.

They like free beer. They still don't like Bloomberg and are not going to vote for him.

If he does that in Milwaukee, I might stop by for a brewski myself. As long as he's showering the country with money, I might as well get a couple of free beers from mini-Mike.

Michael K said...

A little OT but Andy McCarthy is explaining today's pardons and the Blago commuting as related to Stone.

He is pointing out unfair sentencing and prosecutions and I think he has a good point. Milkin was a poiltical prosecution and he pled out to save his brother.

Gk1 said...

Watching Hulu over the weekend and see its being carpet bombed with Bloomberg ads with Obama praising Mini-Mike. If that's not an tacit endorsement I don't know what is then. Did the Bloomberg people find a "fair use" loophole?

Iman said...

Feeling like the man who went out of his way to set race relations back is not a good thing.

Iman said...

"If he’s in front of a television, they say, he’s probably watching sports.”

It’s more likely he’s watching Andy Cohen on teh Bravo channel...

Greg the class traitor said...

Blogger exiledonmainstreet, green-eyed devil said...
"Because there is no constituency for this."

Of course, as you note, the Bernie bros will be pissed off. It's a question as to whether they hate Trump more than they love their own stated principles. Some will vote for Bloomie in the end, others won't. And Bloomie certainly hasn't made friends among the blacks and the farmers. He really seems unable to understand anybody who isn't an urban technocrat.



True Leftists / Progressives believe that they win by going hard left. It is to their political best interest to sit out the election / vote for Trump / vote Green to "teach the Democrat Party" that they have to go left to win.

As far as a good chunk of them are concerned, letting a billionaire buy the Democrat Nomination and then win the Presidency would be a bigger destruction of their goals than Trump winning a second term. "After all, then we'll win in 2024!" (Narrator voice: no they won't.)

It's better for the Democrats for Bernie to win the nomination, and then flame out horribly. Then they could possibly start to get their nuts under control, in time to be competitive in 2024. But they're desperately looking at RBG's health, and so they will desperately destroy their chances for both elections by throwing the election to Bloomberg

narciso said...

news from 1991:

tim in vermont said...

Salmon with cream cheese, red onion, and capers on a bagel for a campaign feed? Sure, why not? Would it be too much to ask him to tell one of his secretaries to give me a blow job?

tcrosse said...

There's a Warren ad playing in Nevada in which the voice of Obama is heard heaping praise on Liz.

The Godfather said...

Suppose you care about the future of the Democratic Party (I don't insist that you pretend that this describes Obama), and you know that NONE of the candidates can beat Trump (or even beat Pence if Trump gets hit by a falling piano in October), who would you pick whose loss would least damage your party? If you look at history, there are two choices: A respectable loser, or a paradigm-changing loser. Respectable: Stevenson in 52 and 56, Nixon in 60, Humphrey in 68, Dole in 96, McCain in 08. Paradigm-changer: Goldwater in 64. The Democrats' potential paradigm-changer in 2020 is Sanders. I don't think that would work, but I could be wrong. The respectable loser would be Kloubachar. The party could survive her loss and come back to win in 2024, but I don't think that's true of any other candidate.

exhelodrvr1 said...

After what we've learned over the past three years of the DOJ and FBI, how the IRS has been used by the Democrats to punish conservatives, the Stone trial jury, etc., it's quite reasonable to question any actions involving those departments over the past 10-20 years.

Ralph L said...

Speaking of contested conventions, I thought I just heard Jeopardy claim that the last one was in 1952, but so was 1972. Did anyone hear it differently?

Nichevo said...

The Democrats' potential paradigm-changer in 2020 is Sanders.


They need to shift their paradigm, all right. They need to do one or both of two things:


Excise the Clintons and all their works, and especially, all their people;

Take this commie element out behind the barn.


A loss by Sanders enables the latter. However, their countermove would entail the former.

Iran-Iraq. Somehow they must both lose.