April 14, 2020
Maybe this will help: 12 minutes of Obama.
The news is that now — after all these months — after every other Democrat has withdrawn from the race — he is endorsing Joe Biden.
I only watched the first 1/4, but I take it that out of everyone who's left in the race — Joe Biden and Donald Trump — Obama picks Joe Biden. Noted!
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Leading From behind©
Ask yourself, am I helping? 12 minutes of Obama...
Profiles in Courage.
Wow, that took a loooong time. Hasn't Mr. Biden been campaigning for a while now? I seem to recall that the two of them worked together some years back...
I wonder how many people this will convince to vote for Biden rather than not vote at all or vote for Trump. I try to imagine the hypothetical person who was waiting on this specific endorsement, a person who was unenthusiastic about going out to the polls to pull the lever for Biden in November, who is now going to make the trek because of this wonderous endorsement. This isn't so much a critizism of Obama doing what is expected finally, rather just me wondering if it actually changes anything to any great extent.
I guess my question is: Do endorsements actually matter?
Really taking a leadership role there, Barack:)
The delusional Dems and delusional NYT will probably swoon, though......
All it did was to make me want to vomit.
What happened, I wonder - his finger held to the wind kept drying out?
Doing it this way, the former-president-but-still-a-Muslim avoids making two wrong endorsements, one in the primary, the other in the general.
Whenever a D loses it’s always a positive for America. Under O’s eight years, something like 1000 Ds lost seats. Yah!
Don't past presidents normally not take a stand on their party's nomination contest? Did W endorse McCain or Romney before their nominations were a done deal? Or ever for that matter. Did Clinton endorse Gore or Kerry early on?
Obama stayed out because Biden had to win it on his own.
Which he did after everybody else quit to make room for him.
If Obama had endorsed Biden last year either Biden would lose and embarrass Obama, or Biden would win and people would consider him to be somebody who only won because of the endorsement.
Besides, Obama probably wasn't convinced Joe was the best candidate. If Booker or Harris had broken away and taken the lead, he would have been happy with that.
Next week, Obama will salute Dr. Salk for his work on the polio vaccine.
Shocker!
Presidents and former presidents generally don't make early endorsements of presidential candidates. Ike's coolness to Nixon may have cost Nixon the election. Reagan figured Bush had to win it on his own. Gore wasn't crazy about accepting support from Clinton, and Clinton probably thought he'd only be getting in the war when Kerry ran. People sort of expected that Barack and Joe (and before them, Barack and Hillary) were a team and would back each other up to the hilt, but that's not the way things usually work. As Joe might say, in politics everybody girds their own loins. Girding somebody else's could be taken the wrong way.
Biden-Clinton ticket would be the two highest level family enrichment government crooks to ever run for office.
Will Biden pick Hillary? - she refuses to go away. I bet he will.
After thinking about this I realized that this changes nothing, and only means that Obama is back in town and ready to run the party. Biden can leave the race under any condition leaving Michelle and Hillary to fight it out. Obama will be publicly wrong if Biden drops out because he is intimate with Biden's "challenges" but he can say poor Joe was the best but tragically he can't carry the ball and still be pretty credible.
If Hillary gets the nomination Obama is sunk, no love left there. Michelle could be shadow prez while Obama does world tours.
How does this sit with Andrew Cuomo?
I saved the video for later.
He sees the opportunity of no longer being the worst president ever.
Obama Derangement Syndrome
@Nonapod, think of the reverse: what if Obama does not endorse Biden?
In that case I think it would be pretty easy to think of people who would not vote for Biden; who might wonder what is so bad about Biden that Obama won't endorse him.
So in the end, this endorsement matters a lot. Because without it, I don't see how Biden can win.
The non-endorsement endorsement. Sweet Old Barry mastered that skill a long time ago. Don't suppose NPR asked him for a real Birth Certificate.
So a question for someone who did watch - how many times does he say 'I', 'me'?
He sees the opportunity of no longer being the worst president ever.
Obama Derangement Syndrome
I agree. Buchanan was our worst president ever. Obama wasn't even as bad as Carter.
Do ex-presidents usually make endorsements?
In my humble opinion, I think Cuomo is too smart to run. Many of his associates have drawn FBI attention. Nothing will happen to him if he stays put, but being in the national spotlight may be a problem. At least he would have to start making bigger payoffs to his partners in alleged crime to keep their mouths shut.
20 seconds was long enough.
He sure does read a speech well.
@Gahrie:
I agree. Buchanan was our worst president ever. Obama wasn't even as bad as Carter.
I even think a lot of the Carter hate is overblown. He definitely seemed sanctimonious and not especially likable but had some pretty important successes during his presidency.
Everyone knows that Biden can't do the job. Obama stressed that Joe will hire "experts" to run the country. Experts who believe in "science."
The same experts who came up with the covid19 models that were very, very wrong. Obama said Joe will deal with climate change. CAGW is premised on models and those models are even more wrong than the covid19 models. And, of course, the GND would destroy the country.
I refuse to believe the country will elect Joe Biden.
And I do agree with BleachBit. Biden will pick Hillary. And after a year or so in office when the senility really sets in, he will resign and Hillary will be POTUS. Of course, there will be a massive payoff by the Clintons to the Bidens.
Do ex-presidents usually make endorsements?
Or do they even matter? I mean, who exactly is this endorsement supposed to sway?
Hoo boy. I sure did not miss listening to the patronizing, irritating cadence of President Jug Ears.
Interesting commentary on the presidency.
And I do agree with BleachBit. Biden will pick Hillary.
If he does, it will certainly prove he's even dumber than I already think he is. And that's not a low bar.
Twelve minutes of the New "Light" Worker---best taken in three minute doses.
Profiles in Courage.
My thought exactly. This is quite possibly the most useless time to endorse.
Just what we need:
More Cowbell.
I suspect a certain LLR fainted straight away at the sight of obambi the way a 15 year old girl might have swooned in the time of the Beatles.
An Obama endorsement = real malarkey
Courage.
When it comes to evaluating who was the "worst" president ever, an argument could be made that in general more recent presidents could be worse simply because they're necessarily more consequential due to the federal government being far, far larger and power being more centralized than... say it was in the 1800s or whatever.
ARM: "Interesting commentary on the presidency."
Interesting link by the Althouseblog resident ChiCom propagandist linking to the most pro-ChiCom publication in the United States.
If ever an "Unexpectedly" was warranted, it would be right here.
zipity: "Hoo boy. I sure did not miss listening to the patronizing, irritating cadence of President Jug Ears."
Many a Fake Conservative consider the sweet dulcet tones of obambi's melodic voice to be "magnificent".
Skeptical Voter: "Twelve minutes of the New "Light" Worker---best taken in three minute doses."
One should never look directly upon a "sort of a God".
Typical Obama BS Platitudes. Hard to watch all the way to the end, but I made it.
Spent a lot of time talking about Bernie and how great he is.
Here's my fave tho...
Republicans denied the science of climate change, just as they denied the science of this pandemic."
Go away Mr. Irrelevant.
J Farmer- what were Carter's "pretty important" success?
es
I'm picturing what questions would be directed at obambi from our current White House press corps were obambi ever deign to allow them to ask questions of his earthly messiah-like self.
I suspect the questions would be variations of previous questions asked of him, to wit: What have you found most enchanting about your life since leaving this President role that was clearly unworthy of your greatness?
The brave, brave Sir Barack.
Damn. I was almost sure he was going to endorse Trump. Oh well.
I liked the custom of returning the President to status as one of us when he/she leaves office. So instead of President Trump, President Obama, President Bush, President Clinton, and President Carter, we would have President Trump, Mr. Obama, Mr. Bush, Mr. Clinton, and Jimmy.
I never hated Obama.
Was thrilled American picked him over Hillary.
However, - Obamacare - really - PelosiCare is a horrible failure that only made access to healthcare worse, and the price tag higher. It was sold as a total lie. It was more camel nose under the big tent of fun-house mirror-slide into a full-government take over/ Nationalized health care.
re-named over the decades.
I want to pay for my own insurance and I want to know the price tag of everything up front.
Nanny Gov answers: NO.You'll pay what we say, and you'll get the crap sandwich. Stay well!
Carter deregulated airlines and trucking.
Endorsing from behind.
Drago said...
If ever an "Unexpectedly" was warranted
BINGO!
wait, he Did NOT pick "None of the Above"?
better than nothing is a high standard!
(and i'm saying this TOTALLY sarcastically! believe it or not, a BAD driver is better than none)
Trying to stay relevant. Who cares that he endorsed a man who has dementia??? It's what he's hiding behind his back that scares me...
Obama, "Republicans denied the science of climate change, just as they denied the science of this pandemic."
It isn't science. Both are models. And the covid19 model is wildly wrong. How could Obama be so stupid or arrogant to make that statement? We can all see that the covid19 model is wrong. Must be the Big Lie technique.
Must get the endorsement in quickly, like the day after the one from Sanders.
Biden's mental facilities are fading fast.
At a certain point even Obama can't endorse "old Joe".
@BleachBit-and-Hammers:
J Farmer- what were Carter's "pretty important" success?
Appointing Paul Volcker to the Fed, deregulation of major industries (airlines being the most consequential), beginning to phase out oil and natural gas price controls, Camp David Accords, SALT-II, Helsinki Accords.
@Mal, you may be right (in that if Obama didn't endorse him it could be a huge negative). But even then I'm unconvinced it matters that much. I mean, sure, in the event of a non-endorsement, political hacks would fret over the lack of an endorsement and perhaps the GoP and/or Trump would point out that "not even Obama is willing to endorse Biden!". But I don't even think that would move the needle one way or the other really. I just think people make far too many assumptions about things like endorsements.
My theory about this election continues to be that the an absolutely overwhelming majority of voters have already made their decision, and that decision was made long before even the Covid-19 crisis. What's more I don't think the crisis has had much of an effecth in terms of people changing their votes (in fact if anything it may have pushed more voters into the Trump's corner, but who knows?). I honestly don't believe Obama's endorsement or lack thereof matters at all. He's just old news and only truly consequential to people who would never vote for Trump in a million years anyway. The story of this election has already been written.
it was kamal adham who through an Egyptian spy, brought sadat out of the soviet orbit, it was future president, who would be among the first officers exclusively trained in the us, suleiman fmr spymaster was Frunze trained,
I'll be watching for the part where Obama says Biden is "mentally-fit enough" to be President.
I hate that walking turd so f*cking much. He might as well have been Pandora and opened a box filled with evil during his administration.
Everything that is wrong with this clown world now is a direct result of his election and the people he brought with him.
Worse than Carter. An absolute sh*tshow of a president. I hate him.
Wowser!
This just in: Black democrat State Representative Vernon Jones of democrat-heavy, state-employee-heavy Dekalb County, GA has endorsed Donald Trump for President in 2020.
“It’s very simple to me. President Trump’s handling of the economy, his support for historically black colleges and his criminal justice initiatives drew me to endorse his campaign,” Jones said. “This is not about switching parties. There are a lot of African Americans who clearly see and appreciate he’s doing something that’s never been done before,” Jones added. “When you look at the unemployment rates among black Americans before the pandemic, they were at historic lows. That’s just a fact.”
And this is on top of ANOTHER poll from an anti-Trump outfit, Fox News polling under NeverTrumper Stirewalt, that shows a solid 20% of African-Americans supporting Trump nationally.
Which is on top of a burgeoning "Blexit" movement that is attracting scores of young African-Americans to Trump's banner.
And all of this is subtext to the global story of how the entire free west is waking up to the growing ChiCom threat and propaganda being pushed everywhere, including on this blog by certain posters:
How China is Exploiting the Coronavirus to Weaken Democracies
A Great Awakening indeed........
We can all see that the covid19 model is wrong.
Yeah, long-term the climate-change folks will have a hard time explaining why we should believe their models, which are far more complex than the public-health models and are more sensitive to variations of input.
@prairie wind:
I liked the custom of returning the President to status as one of us when he/she leaves office.
I completely agree, but I think we should extend this custom to all officeholders. Honorific titles for life are absurd. The only thing more annoying are people with PhD's who refer to themselves as "Dr."
JESUS CHRIST ON A SKAEBOARD!!! What a load of bovine excrement!!!
Why is this remotely interesting or surprising to anyone? It is inconceivable that Obama wouldn’t have endorsed the Democratic nominee. What’s noteworthy is that he sat on the sidelines until now, after Bernie dropped out and endorsed Biden. I can understand why he might do that — maybe Obama just didn’t want to appear to be interfering in the nominating process, and risk alienating Bernie voters —but on the other hand it could reflect his tepid support for Joe.
Anyway, I made it about 2 minutes in his endorsement before I turned it off. At least to me, he’s soooo boring.
I agree with Farmer, Carter wasn't worse than Obama. And Obama wasn't as bad as Wilson. As for Biden, Obama damned him with faint praise. If he didn't endorse Biden that would be an admission that he was wrong to have picked Biden as his running mate. Obama chose Biden as life insurance. Biden's problem is finding another Biden. If he picks anyone that can speak coherently and sensibly then it becomes a question of why the person isn't on the top of the ticket? If Biden is elected ( perish the thought) he would be the first president to be held accountable under the 25th amendment. Senility isn't acceptable in a president. Stupidity, perhaps, Mendacity, of course. Dementia, no way.
Kevin: "Must get the endorsement in quickly, like the day after the one from Sanders.
Biden's mental facilities are fading fast."
Slow Joe was clearly reading off a teleprompter during his "free wheeling" "unscripted" (wink wink) convo with Bernie the Fake Socialist yesterday.
And it appears that the scripted convo didn't convince many of the Bernie Bros who are still reeling from the realization that their "leader" basically didn't campaign very hard again and is converting his campaign into personal gain.
For The People, of course. All for The People.
nonopod said...
recent presidents could be worse simply because they're necessarily more consequential due to the federal government being far, far larger and power being more centralized than...
you COULD make that argument, but; as Al Smith would say, let's take a look at the record
Which President sent arms and ammunition to unguarded arsenals in places that were ALREADY in rebellion?
Which President ORDERED our Navy NOT to resupply a fortress that was ALREADY under siege?
Which President's Secretary of War defected, and became a General in the rebel forces?
(fun side question? Which Sec of War was responsible for those rebels LOSING their first Army?)
The main quibble I have with Carter is the 19% interest rate I had to pay on my first house. We now know that inflation can be solved yet Carter did not act earlier to prevent it. The fact that Trump could not predict crono death is in no way an exoneration of Carter, what someone else did wrong is no excuse. In our binary judgement system Carter is a failure. Likewise Obama is a failure due to the Obamacare website fiasco. I learn a lot about how to judge presidential failure on the blog.
prairie wind: "I liked the custom of returning the President to status as one of us when he/she leaves office."
A funny HW Bush story told by Bush himself was that on his last day in office, after he handed the keys over to the new tenants, he took off from DC and flew back to his Houston home and sat in the kitchen and had dinner with Barbara. When dinner was over and the table had been cleared, Barbara told George to take out the trash.
HW recounted: "That's when I knew I wasn't President any longer."
@Lucid-Ideas:
Everything that is wrong with this clown world now is a direct result of his election and the people he brought with him.
Now that really is Obama Derangement Syndrome. How can you possibly believe such an absurd statement? If anything, Obama was a pretty status quo president who carried on implementing the same neoliberal agenda his three predecessors carried out.
I agree he was a bad president, since I think the neoliberal agenda is an utter disaster. But saying that "everything that is wrong" with the world is a "direct result" of his presidency seems to overstate the case just a tad.
Josephbleau: "The main quibble I have with Carter is the 19% interest rate I had to pay on my first house. We now know that inflation can be solved yet Carter did not act earlier to prevent it."
Things Carter got right: Tried to institute zero-based budgeting.
What the dem congress told him: Nice try chump. Get back to scheduling the White House tennis court.
OFF TOPIC BUT IMPORTANT!
I just watched the governor of Oregon give a press conference about opening OR back up again. It was pretty much as I expected – not going to happen right away. Other things have to happen first – masks and gloves for all, more testing, progress toward vaccine, etc. At least she did acknowledge that women and minorities were hardest hit (almost in those very words).
OR is in partnership with CA and WA on this so I expect to hear the same from those two states.
I’m hoping other places (I'm thinking Texas) open up soon and experience no upsurge, to put pressure on the Left Coast to move faster.
Biden has already endorsed Trump.
According to the NYT's style of writing about the Wisconsin Supreme Court race this morning, this long-expected and completely routine dog-bites-man endorsement story is a real "upset" and a "significant victory"!
He's just about O-forevah on endorsements. A good sign of things to come...
Althouse's Boyfriend's Back
He went away and you hung around
And bothered me, every night
And when I wouldn't go out with you
You said things that weren't very nice
My boyfriend's back and you're gonna be in trouble
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You see him comin' better cut out on the double
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You been spreading lies that I was untrue
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So look out now 'cause he's comin' after you
He's been gone for such a long time
(Hey-la-day-la my boyfriend's back)
Now he's back and things'll be fine
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You're gonna be sorry you were ever born
(Hey-la-day-la my boyfriend's back)
'Cause he's kinda big and he's awful strong
(Hey-la-day-la my boyfriend's back)
(You're a big man now but he'll cut you down to size
(Wait and see)
My boyfriend's back he's gonna save my reputation
(Hey-la-day-la my boyfriend's back)
If I were you I'd take a permanent vacation
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Yeah, my boyfriend's back (La-day-la, my boyfriend's back)
Look out now, yeah, my boyfriend's back (La-day-la, my boyfriend's back)
I could see him comin' so you better get a runnin' alright now (La-day-la, my boyfriend's back)
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My boyfriend's back now (La-day-la, my boyfriend's back)
Know he's comin' after you because he knows I've been true now (La-day-la, my boyfriend's back)
I agree with Farmer, Carter wasn't worse than Obama. And Obama wasn't as bad as Wilson
This is a fun conversation.
My worst ever would be LBJ. The damage done by the Great Society programs of 1965 are still haunting us today, and would probably take 100 years to reverse via any legislation (even if it could be passed). The afflictions in African American neighborhoods can be directly traced to that program, which I'd call the most destructive set of laws ever passed.
Also off topic, but tangentially related:
Over at Instapundit, Stephen Green has a couple of links to stories about the Bidens rather lucrative engagements with China. I've been wondering, if we had a Democrat in the white house, what would our position regarding Huawei be now?
that was the price to break the inflation, it crested with the 1982 recession,
Obama helped reverse the alliance with cairo, after the fall of Mubarak, making the officer corps put more trust in Russia, a similar thing happened with the fall of Qaddafi and General Haftir who arose out of the chaos of eastern Libya, both fighting Qatari proxies, like bel hadj and bin qumu (the organizer of Benghazi attack)
The interesting thing about the timing is that the endorsement didn't occur when the race was between Biden and someone who isn't even a Democrat.
lbj never believed in a Vietnam intervention, he had opposed the involvement after dien ben phu, as minority leader, circumstances brought him to the consequences of the diem coup, that arose in part out of harriman's misreading thanks in part to Halberstam, who in turn was misled by a Vietcong agent,
he thought that the desoto/ operation 40 would be acknowledged by Hanoi, that's the pretext to the gulf of Tonkin resolution,
@I Callahan:
My worst ever would be LBJ.
I would definitely put him near the top of the list, between the civil rights and welfare policies and his major escalation in Vietnam. Interestingly, even during the 1966 mid-terms, Republicans attacked Johnson's "war on poverty" but tended to ignore Medicare due to its popularity.
Obama helped reverse the alliance with cairo
We never had an alliance with Cairo that could be reversed.
He warned of 'the other side' and its 'massive war chest' and 'propaganda network with little regard for the truth.'
- One in five women on campus are sexually assaulted.
- Obamacare will save the "typical" family 2,500 year.
- More than half of personal bankruptcies in America are due to medical bills.
There is certainly a propaganda network in this country but unfortunately Obama and almost all Dems fully support it.
Twelve minutes long! Why?
Obama was not even close to the worst Prez Indeed, he mostly shot his wad on Obamacare, and then after 2010 got politically neutered.
Clunkers for Cash was stupid, but didn't really hurt anyone.
LBJ much worse. Carter much worse. Good argument that GW Bush was worse.
Michael Corleone (Barack Obama)
gives his vice-president Fredo Corleone (Joe Biden)
the endorsement of death after he acknowledges Fredo's unelectability
If you want a Biden-Hillary Oligarchy - you know who you are!
MadisonMan: "Twelve minutes long! Why?"
11 minutes wasn't sufficient to encapsulate all that Slow Joe "goodness" and 13 minutes was just too darn long.
I think I'd rather have the last sixteen minutes of the Bob Dylan song that I bailed on after a minute than twelve minutes of Barack Obama.
I am finished pre-missing this awful POS.
No fence left to straddle.
BleachBit-and-Hammers said...
Will Biden pick Hillary? - she refuses to go away. I bet he will.
Not if he has any instinct for self-preservation in his body.
"Twelve minutes long! Why?"
It's to set up Joe Biden.
Joe Biden cannot speak contemporaneously for 12 minutes. And Obama knows it.
Provides a nice contrast to compare.
@Bay Area Guy:
Good argument that GW Bush was worse.
Undoubtedly. "Compassionate conservatism" at home and Wilsonian idealism abroad are a dreadful combination. And Bush still doesn't get enough flak for pushing home ownership for unqualified or underqualified minorities.
i spent 12 minutes running around the block. did I miss anything more important than a warm up exercise bout?
I don't listen to presidential speeches for the same reason I fast forward through TV commercials. And I certainly couldn't fathom ever attending a rally and chanting with a crowd. I always think the best attitude an electorate can have towards its president is suspicion and skepticism.
Carter was worse. The country was in better shape in 2012 or 2016 than it was in 2008 or 1980. Of course, it's a subjective call. Some people like Carter's piety. Obama certainly botched health care. But the economy, our national stature abroad, and American morale were worse under Carter than they were under Obama, though it may be hard to remember back that far.
I fear I may suffer from Obama Derangement Syndrome. If you were to ask me to choose between getting a thumbtack driven into my hand or watching Obama speak for 12 minutes straight, I'd have to think about it.
J. Farmer:
My recollection is that it was Barney Frank that was primarily responsible for loosening mortgage requirements for underqualified folks.
Oh hey, worst president conversation
Wilson set us on the road that allowed for FDR, LBJ and Obama.
Wilson was the worst.
J. Farmer said ... I even think a lot of the Carter hate is overblown. He definitely seemed sanctimonious and not especially likable but had some pretty important successes during his presidency.
I lived through the Carter malaise after voting for him in 1976.
His primary success was convincing me to vote Republican for the first time in my life.
>>I mean, who exactly is this endorsement supposed to sway?
I think there are some folks who saw O's lack of endorsement as something sinister. Now that he has endorsed, it might be the nudge some need to get them to vote, and to vote D.
As we learned last time, a percent here and there can make all the difference.
Worst: Buchanan
Remainder of the bottom five (worst and up): Wilson, Lyndon Johnson, Carter, Obama
>>We never had an alliance with Cairo that could be reversed.
We gave them billions of dollars... starting with Jimmy Carter. A bribe for peace. So that was an informal alliance, if nothing else.
But if you mean it, like the payments, was non-reversible, I'd agree.
Obama before endorsing Biden
Shamelessly stolen from elsewhere.
O.k now can Obama go back to eating his waffle?
This is what Obama endorses :
In December 2013, Hunter landed in Beijing aboard Air Force Two, accompanying his father on an official visit to China. Less than two weeks later, Hunter’s company, Rosemont Seneca, became a partner in a new investment company backed by the state-owned Bank of China.
Christening the new firm Bohai Harvest RST (BHR), the partners set out to raise $1 billion for the new fund.
Representatives of the Biden family have denied any connection between the vice president’s visit and Hunter’s business. However, a BHR representative told The New Yorker earlier this year that Hunter used the opportunity to introduce his father to Chinese private equity executive Jonathan Li, who became CEO of BHR after the deal’s conclusion.
https://nypost.com/2019/10/10/6-facts-about-hunter-bidens-business-dealings-in-china/
Obama endorses Biden, but it was a close call.
I only watched a bit. But did Obama announce Joe had asked him NOT to endorse anyone while the race was on?
My boyfriend's back
and you're gonna be in trouble
Hey La hey La
My boyfriend's back
Oh darn
Beat by the Bushman.
@Tomcc:
My recollection is that it was Barney Frank that was primarily responsible for loosening mortgage requirements for underqualified folks.
Pushing home ownership, particularly for minorities, was a major component of Bush's "ownership" society. He stated explicitly at HUD in 2002 that he wished to increase minority home ownership by a million. He gave a speech later that year at an event he hosted titled White House Conference on Increasing Minority Homeownership.
@Farmer,
Undoubtedly. "Compassionate conservatism" at home and Wilsonian idealism abroad are a dreadful combination. And Bush still doesn't get enough flak for pushing home ownership for unqualified or underqualified minorities.
The sun is shining, and I'm in such a good mood, I'm not gonna argue with you, Farmer!
Bush junior sucked!
@DanTheMan:
We gave them billions of dollars... starting with Jimmy Carter. A bribe for peace. So that was an informal alliance, if nothing else.
I agree with you about the military aid, but that is more akin to the relationship with a client-state, not an ally. An alliance is typically understood as an agreement for mutual support in the event of a war.
@Gahrie:
I agree. Buchanan was our worst president ever. Obama wasn't even as bad as Carter.
Buchanan was bad by omission...fiddling while Rome burned. LBJ was bad by commission....getting 50k Americans and 4-6 million Viets killed while at the same time planting the seeds of the 70s stagflation.
@Francisco D:
I lived through the Carter malaise after voting for him in 1976.
His primary success was convincing me to vote Republican for the first time in my life.
I agree that Carter's leadership style left a lot to be desired. He was probably too honest for the American public. As I've said, nobody wants a president to tell them the truth. But he did in fact pursue policies that helped get inflation under control, even if the necessary pain the country had to endure to do so cost him a second term.
Pushing home ownership, particularly for minorities, was a major component of Bush's "ownership" society.
It was also a priority of Thatcher, a rare miss step by her.
It is a version of post hoc propter hoc fallacy. Owning a home does not create a middle class individual or family.
“You don't have to do this, Barack, you really don't."
Ann's comment implies Obama had to think about which person to endorse...
I was very much in favor of expanding home ownership, and I still am. I think it goes a long way to making a safer, more respectful, responsible society, but lending people money they can't pay back does just the opposite. As always, Democrats took a good idea and made it bad by encouraging or even forcing people to be irresponsible.
I am ambivalent on the question of Buchanan's presidency. He's mostly pilloried for not doing enough to prevent the Civil War. But since I don't believe the president should stop the states from seceding, I have a hard time dinging Buchanan for that.
It's not so much Obama's record of (non) accomplishments, it's more the people who he surrounded himself with in his administration that had such a bad impact. Names like:
John Kerry
Hillary Clinton
Tim Geithner
Eric Holder
Loretta Lynch
Susan Rice
Valarie Jarrett
...just to name a few.
Trump carves another notch on his rifle butt.
I don't believe Obama would have said anything until the convention if Trump hadn't called him out the other day.
My worst ever would be LBJ. The damage done by the Great Society programs of 1965 are still haunting us today, and would probably take 100 years to reverse via any legislation (even if it could be passed). The afflictions in African American neighborhoods can be directly traced to that program, which I'd call the most destructive set of laws ever passed.
Totally agree, Callahan. In Caro's biography of Johnson, he described a Life magazine special issue that was planned on Johnson's corruption, especially with Brown-Root. The Kennedys were going to drop him for 1964. The editors had a final meeting to clear the special issue. The meeting was held the morning of November 22, 1963. During the lunch break, the assassination of Kennedy occurred.
The special issue vanished.
But Obama sounds nice. He speaks nice. He smiles nice. He has a calm tone. Don't you knuckle-draggers understand this?!!?
Historical data show that "in order to keep their heritage in their own hands, the Spanish Habsburgs began to intermarry more and more frequently among themselves." The result was the downfall of the Hapsburg dynasty. Frequent consanguineous marriages led to rulers that were physically disabled, mentally retarded and disfigured.
Same for the U.S.A.: Bush II, Obama and Trump are all trash incompetents.
@bagoh20:
I was very much in favor of expanding home ownership, and I still am. I think it goes a long way to making a safer, more respectful, responsible society, but lending people money they can't pay back does just the opposite. As always, Democrats took a good idea and made it bad by encouraging or even forcing people to be irresponsible.
While there may be partisan interests in laying this squarely at the feet of Democrats, the Bush administration HUD did in fact put pressure on Fannie and Freddie to increase "affordable" home purchases and to devote a percentage of their portfolio to "special affordable" loans. Bush also had HUD endorse a "zero down payment initiative."
Bush pushed the idea early on, but also tried to reign it in when it became obvious folly in execution from regulations that all but forced banks to make stupid loans. You had to go along to get in on big goverment projects and avoid bogus audits claiming discrimination.
When his administration tried to pull it back, the Dems jumped completely out of character and accused them of racism and only caring about banks and the rich.
Obama is the classic man of words. Trump is the classic man of deeds.
Trump's inability to speak in that calm Ivy League manner that Barack perfected gets him into trouble; especially with the Fake News. But Trump acts and we love him for it.
Nipple rings.
I believe the jury is still out on the worst President ever. Let's wait until Durham sees how far up the chain he can go and what the linkages to Obama are. Obama is very much still in the running for this singular honor.
If I say lets donate to charity and my wife gives away the bank account, that's not really on me, except maybe for marrying her in the first place.
During the Kavanaugh hearings:
1. Joe Biden: "For a woman to come forward in the glaring lights of focus, nationally, you've got to start off with the presumption that at least the essence of what she's talking about is real, whether or not she forgets facts, whether or not it's been made worse or better over time. But nobody fails to understand that this is like jumping into a cauldron."
2. Joe Biden'spokeswoman: "Vice President Biden believes Professor Ford deserves a fair and respectful hearing of her allegations, and that the committee should undertake a thorough and nonpartisan effort to get to the truth, wherever it leads," the spokesperson said.
3. Joe Biden on Tara Reade sexual assault accusations against him: ..................
OK, can we at least agree that Obama was the worst President at basketball?
Pretty bad at improving racial relations too, maybe even worse than Jefferson Davis.
Farmer
I am not trying to wind you up, but shouldn’t your preferences make Lincoln the worst President ever?
I bet Biden REALLY thinks Obama is an "articulate and bright and clean" African-American now!
Obambi endorsing Slow Joe at this very late date, only after Bernie has withdrawn, along with obama's praise for Bernie and his policies, will help a great deal after Michelle steps in at the convention (now scheduled for late August) when Slow Joe and his handlers "reluctantly" come to the conclusion that Slow Joe spends most of his day wondering where his pudding is and when he can eat it and if so, will he have to use a spoon again.
At which point Michelle, also "reluctantly", will step in as the dem "unity" candidate, against her wishes mind you, forced to agree by the sheer weight of the acclamation of the faithful despite her fervent desire to remain in William Tecumseh Sherman mode.
And then, with barely 2 months and a handful of days to go til the general election, Michelle will have avoided any scrutiny at all and the media will be in Full Dem Protection/Trump is a Racist Mode for the 9 week sprint to the finish!
Michelle will not even deign to debate with Trump because he's OrangeManBad and so exalted a personage as Michelle could never really be expected to stand on a stage with such an horrific person.
All according to plan.
I think I was actually the worst president ever: 6th grade. The average income of my classmates was zero by the end of my term, I took fascist control of the science locker, and used my position to garner extra attention from our young attractive new teacher.
Bushman of the Kohlrabi said... [hush][hide comment]
Althouse's Boyfriend's Back
He went away and you hung around
And bothered me, every night
And when I wouldn't go out with you
You said things that weren't very nice
My boyfriend's back and you're gonna be in trouble
Served full sentence, paroled, or Corona commutation?
@Ken B:
Farmer
I am not trying to wind you up, but shouldn’t your preferences make Lincoln the worst President ever?
He's certainly high on the list, but Wilson has generally been my go to for worst president ever. I think a pretty good case could be made that had the United States stayed out of WWI, the allied powers would not have had the leverage to impose such a punitive peace on Germany. Wilson was totally ineffective at Paris, which devolved mainly into spats over dividing up spoils of war.
Blogger Charlie Currie said...
Trump carves another notch on his rifle butt.
I don't believe Obama would have said anything until the convention if Trump hadn't called him out the other day.
Whether true or not, Trump's good timing trolling sure makes it look that way.
I am not adverse to repeating the claim, con mucho gusto!
[Carter] definitely seemed sanctimonious and not especially likable but had some pretty important successes during his presidency.
Some, as in more than one. Pretty important, as in more significant than toast vs bagel for breakfast and less significant than avoiding 444 days of hostage humiliation.
Are all his pals on Martha's Vineyard "hunkering down"?
@Quaestor:
Some, as in more than one. Pretty important, as in more significant than toast vs bagel for breakfast and less significant than avoiding 444 days of hostage humiliation.
Carter's deregulation of airlines, transportation, and telecoms were all vastly more significant than the "humiliation" experienced from the hostage crisis.
I can't understand why Obama endorsing Biden -- and waiting to endorse Biden now -- is considered news. It's best for both the Democratic Party's and Obama's brand if Obama endorses the person who is the actual nominee and not a challenger who fails to secure the nomination. Obama has now done that. Dog bites man. In other news, water is wet.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/President_Barack_Obama_(painting)#/media/File:President_Barack_Obama_by_Kehinde_Wiley.jpg
This was an American president. Worst. President. Ever.
Everything that is f*cked with America today was made worse by that ass.
- Race relations
- The deep state
- Strengthening of urban zeitgeist against the saner less urban members of the country
- Epic enhancement of every sexual deviancy known to man
I could go on and on. His legacy is a legacy of trash and will be remembered as such. I hope he goes to hell. I hate him with an incandescence that rivals the sun.
Matt Walsh
@MattWalshBlog
·
4h
“I’m proud to endorse the only option I have”
Lucid-Ideas, I feel exactly the same way. I remember being hopeful when he was elected that MAYBE he could help some of the things you listed. That even though I hadn't voted for him, maybe I could be convinced I was wrong and maybe he would help fix some things. I was so incredibly naive. And everything about this man just makes me mad now. What a wasted opportunity.
It's Back To The Future starring the two most powerful crime families in Washington. Hope he picks Hildabeast. I wondered the other day, what have the democrats done in the last eleven years to move this country forward. I couldn't say.
@Lucid-Ideas:
I could go on and on. His legacy is a legacy of trash and will be remembered as such. I hope he goes to hell. I hate him with an incandescence that rivals the sun.
Exactly how much power over the cultural zeitgeist do you think a president has?
Lucid... +100
All these best/worst lists are little more than jabberwocky absent an objective list of criteria by which we can evaluate the candidates.
Here are a few ideas, on assessing POTUS, to get started:
- Defender of the Constitution and thereby our Federal form of government
- Interventionist/Non-interventionist
- Protector of the social and economic interests of the United States
- Respectful of the rights of the states (kinda part of the first on this list)
- Adherent to the law
What would you add, or subtract?
bagoh20 said...
used my position to garner extra attention from our young attractive new teacher.
This has some disturbing parallels with my own tenure as president in the 4th grade.
@Cheryl
"What a wasted opportunity."
Bingo. He completely flubbed it. He didn't even have one shot, he had two, and he fumbled both.
He disgusts me as an American and a man. He was utterly disappointing. We can't those 8 years back and they were incredibly vital for the country. He should be ashamed of himself.
What a complete waste. History will not and should not be kind to him.
@Lucid-Ideas:
We can't those 8 years back and they were incredibly vital for the country.
What made those 8 years more "vital" than any preceding eight-year period?
Well well well. (ht Ace of Spades)
"It appears NPR has a story out about how "Bloomberg News killed a story About Communist China's Ruling Class Getting Capitalistically Super-Wealthy, In Order to Maintain Favor;
Bloomberg Then Went After the Reporter and Even His Wife"
Further from Ace of Spades: "The public has a right to know if its supposed news organizations are colluding with a hostile foreign communist regime.
Bloomberg News was so determined to kill the story completely that they fired the reporter they'd already censored suspecting him of having talked about the story. (That is, fired for committing journalism.)
They threatened him and demanded he sign an NDA. He did.
They also threatened his wife -- who had no connection to Bloomberg, except for her husband -- and demanded that she also sign an NDA swearing to never speak ill of Bloomberg.
She refused."
From NPR: "Fincher is a former correspondent for CNBC and Voice of America. At the time, she was finishing up her doctorate at a Chinese university. She bristled at what the company's lawyers were suggesting.
"They assumed that my husband would be able to silence me," Fincher says. "He didn’t want to do that. That's not the kind of relationship that we have."
Fincher tells NPR she walked out of the conference room, took the elevator to the lobby, left the building and never returned. Bloomberg LP continued to press her."
I don't suppose its even necessary for me to point out that ARM has been a busy little beaver today linking to Bloomberg stories.
I mean, isn't that a given these days?
Link to the NPR story that ARM will refuse to read for obvious reasons even though its NPR
“Carter's deregulation of airlines, transportation, and telecoms were all vastly more significant than the "humiliation" experienced from the hostage crisis.”
I wonder if you can say that consistently. Did that experience predispose America to a more interventionist stance? I think it dead. But for you that’s the ultimate sin isnt it?
@Drago,
"I don't suppose its even necessary for me to point out that ARM has been a busy little beaver today linking to Bloomberg stories."
Is that the same Bloomberg who spent $900 Million dollars in 2 months to win the Democrat primary in American Samoa?
Guy's a political savant:)
"What the fucking fuck", Chuck!?
Courting more deletion?
Brain of Jello?
I miss Obama.
@J Farmer
It is my opinion that much of the last 19 years of American political and social life has been one of war, begun on 9/11 and defined by it ever since. To an extent, an argument could be made that the current situation may unseat that event and become the new 'defining' situation we live under, but the key understanding is that America, since that day, has been defined by one calamity proceeded by another.
I am 37 years old and I can not remember what the USA was like when I was growing up. It feels like a foreign country, a foreign time to me. I am not alone. Others voice this concern as well. It is my opinion that Obama had an opportunity, on the back end of a war in which I served, and economic calamity which impoverished large portions of the country, and racial tension with which he was uniquely situated to speak to his own people, to work toward returning the nation to that time when things made more sense.
He instead doubled-down on the insanity, which the 'insane-makers' were only so happy to go full speed ahead, accelerationist style. Those elements were emboldened and got a real taste of the power he let them have, and I will not forgive him. He knew he owed them for victory and boy oh boy, did he come through for them.
He is massively responsible for the epic parade of the obscene that is currently the USA. Donald Trump isn't my first choice, but look at what has been necessary to even get back to some semblance of normalcy. America is now a cavalcade of extremity. I blame Obama very very much for this.
It is a frankly ignorant take; presuming that Obama only endorsed Biden when there were no other choices. And that therefore Biden was Obama’s last choice for the nomination.
97% of scientists agree,Obama would not have endorsed Biden if Trump had not trolled him.
Next up, Trump casually mentions Obama's scientific oceans rising yet he buys waterfront property.
“ I miss Obama.”
You really shouldn’t be shooting at him in the first place.
Blogger Readering said...
I miss Obama.
Adjust your sights, more practice.
Althouse didn’t watch the whole thing. We're a long way from pre-missing that beautiful man.
I don't get the "honesty and humility, empathy and grace" line when it comes to Biden. The guy lies about his academic record, claims to have been at protests he didn't attend, boasts about having a higher IQ than his constituents and getting prosecutors fired, and challenges opponents to push-up contests and threatens to take them behind the school for a beating. He does benefit from our nostalgia about Irish-American politicians and sentimentality about modest and humble "little guys." That's strange because he's not particularly modest or humble and spends much time pretending that he's more and smarter than just the average Joe.
Althouse's Boyfriend's Back
"He went away and you hung around
...
You said things that weren't very nice"
A droll reference to Trump's talk of pussy grabbing. Nice!
walter: "What the f***ing f***", C****!?
Courting more deletion?
Brain of Jello?"
A certain banned commenter saw a comment critical of the ChiComs and the dems and that certain banned commenter will never allow that to happen to his beloved allies without a fight.
"I only watched the first 1/4, but I take it that out of everyone who's left in the race — Joe Biden and Donald Trump — Obama picks Joe Biden. Noted!"
What--no Green Party candidate? No Libertarian candidate?
It would've been funny if he would have endorsed Trump, especially given that an Obama endorsement is usually the kiss of death for a candidate. He must want Trump to win.
no he didn't that's not what Obama was about, he was motivated by 'countering Reagan's dark deeds' he was more foolish then the original nuclear freeze supporters like pannetta biden and Kerry, for reasons we could ruminate on, he despised this country as designed,
@Ken B:
I wonder if you can say that consistently. Did that experience predispose America to a more interventionist stance? I think it dead. But for you that’s the ultimate sin isnt it?
I certainly wouldn't say it is the "ultimate sin." And I don't believe the US became any more interventionist after Carter's presidency. He was highly interventionist before, during, and after Carter. Also, I don't think a lot of Americans have any particular disposition for or against interventionism, per se. I think rather they were skeptical of deploying troops overseas. And Reagan was extremely wary of direct military confrontation, preferring instead to finance and arm proxy groups. The only land war he initiated was Grenada, which only lasted a few days, and the only time he deployed air power was the bombing of Libya.
In fact, I think the event that probably had the most impact on easing America's weariness about overseas deployment was the First Gulf War. Between the end of the Cold War and America's swift victory against Iraq, Americans became much more confident in the ability of the military to achieve strategic objectives, and this helped pave the way for Clinton's highly interventionist foreign policy.
We saw for 8 years how Obama's popularity did not transfer to others--crushed in the House on 2010, barely held even in 2012 when he was on the ballot to bring out his voters, lost the Senate in 2014, deliver (enough) for Hillary Clinton against a very weak opponent in 2016, Democrats lost about a thousand State-level offices from in 2009-16. And now he endorses Biden only as the last Dem standing, so of course he does just as a matter of partisanship.
A weak endorsement--I don't care what Obama says, endorsing Biden against only a Republican rather than in, say, January as the best Democrat in the field, is WEAK.
So a fairly popular ex-President with no coattails gives a weak, almost pro forma endorsement to someone who is manifestly in dementia, and all the Democratic "professionals" are talking it up like a big deal, because they know it isn't one unless they can convince people that it is...
Uh huh.
The word of the year for 2020 will probably be "coronavirus," but the political word of the year is "Gaslighting."
Or, in the words of the immortal Marx (Chico, that is), "Who you gonna believe, me or your own eyes?"
@Lucid-Ideas:
to work toward returning the nation to that time when things made more sense.
With all due respect, I think it is utterly naive to expect any president to be able to do that. I totally agree with you about the US seeming like a "foreign country." But that is a result of very systemic forces that have been operating for decades. I think Americans are addicted to quick-fix solutions, and it is appealing for us to believe that major systemic problems can be solved by voting for person X or Y. I don't blame presidents for not solving problems they could never solve in the first place.
It's a podcast made for women! The estrogen cloud is there. You can easily see how well-meaning Obama is. The only problem is how far credulity can go among the credulous.
The Obama endorsement that does appear to have done Biden some good was choosing him as VP. Bidens' support among black voters seems largely due to his proximity to Obama.
Farmer: "And Reagan was extremely wary of direct military confrontation, preferring instead to finance and arm proxy groups. The only land war he initiated was Grenada, which only lasted a few days, and the only time he deployed air power was the bombing of Libya."
I would suggest that moving intermediate nuclear missiles into Europe in response to the Soviets buildup (and subsequent Soviet funding for the Euro weenie protests against the US action) was a very aggressive direct confrontation action.
Not to mention the number of "unmentionable" direct confrontation actions that were taking place hidden from public view. In my book those count, even if they don't involve large scale military maneuvers.
Not to mention that time we stole The Red October. Man, that Soviet skipper had a strange accent.
GW Bush, worst President, by far. Trillions wasted in the Middle East, no conservative initiatives or reforms, poor management of the government and Endless War in Afghanistan when he could have declared victory after six weeks.
Plus Paul Bremer in Iraq. That one gets its whole category.
Obama's sending of many millions to the "Mad Mullahs" of Iran were aiding those waging war against the USA. In other words he is guilty of TREASON.
Obama was much worse than Carter.
Speaking for myself, I prospered under Carter, had some of my worst years ever under Obama. Obama killed my great health insurance, for example.
The big thing Carter gave us was that he made the country willing to elect Reagan, the greatest President of the 20th century.
I suppose that in that sense Obama gave us Trump, who is the greatest of the 21st century. But I was happier under Reagan.
recall the day after, was based on the notion that the pershings were unnaturally provocative, along with a rebellion in east germany, this would lead to a Warsaw pact intervention that would turn nuclear, the precedent was with the Jupiter missiles in turkey and Russia,
@Drago:
I would suggest that moving intermediate nuclear missiles into Europe in response to the Soviets buildup (and subsequent Soviet funding for the Euro weenie protests against the US action) was a very aggressive direct confrontation action.
I think this is just a difference of semantics. I was only referring to Reagan's reticence to deploy direct US military force, preferring instead covert actions. Reagan was aware of what became known as "Vietnam Syndrome" and often resisted calls from his right for more direct military action. H.W. Bush and Clinton deployed conventional military force to a much greater degree than Reagan ever did.
@Jim Gust:
Speaking for myself, I prospered under Carter, had some of my worst years ever under Obama. Obama killed my great health insurance, for example.
Ha. That's a pretty solipsistic way of answering the question. But can't argue with the logic.
Wilson has generally been my go to for worst president ever. I think a pretty good case could be made that had the United States stayed out of WWI, the allied powers would not have had the leverage to impose such a punitive peace on Germany. Wilson was totally ineffective at Paris, which devolved mainly into spats over dividing up spoils of war.
4/14/20, 3:24 PM
Wilson also jailed anybody who publicly criticized the war.
And his administration covered up the seriousness of the Spanish flu epidemic, which took a great toll on army bases. With only 4 months left prior to the German surrender, American troops infected with the Spanish Flu virus were shipped to Europe. Millions died.
Yet a progressive Democrat and former Ivy League president was presented in the history books I grew up reading as, at worst, a naive idealist, instead of the godawful shit he was.
Farmer: "H.W. Bush and Clinton deployed conventional military force to a much greater degree than Reagan ever did."
What if Iraq had invaded Kuwait during Reagan's tenure?
Hey, you know who was really reluctant to use military force compared to FDR? Hoover.
Woodrow Wilson said nothing about the Spanish Flu - the flu our soldiers probably imported in WWI.
D's would be fine with it.
I'm sorry - the flu our soldier probably EXported - to Europe.
narciso: "recall the day after, was based on the notion that the pershings were unnaturally provocative, along with a rebellion in east germany, this would lead to a Warsaw pact intervention that would turn nuclear, the precedent was with the Jupiter missiles in turkey and Russia,"
Recall too that all it took was one phone call from a Soviet govt official to ABC to get them to pull the show.
It was only after the pushback and ABC realized that their clear pro-Soviet stance against Reagan was too obvious and embarrassing that they agreed to air the made for TV movie.
Not unlike how many in the US (lefties and LLR-lefties) are carrying the ChiCom's water, even on this very blog, as they did with the Iranian mullahs and Little Rocket Man to oppose Trump.
exactly - Exiled.
BleachBit-and-Hammers, what will probably get Wilson kicked out of the Democrat Pantheon of Presidents will be the same thing that caused them to give Jackson the boot - racism.
Being responsible for the death of millions is one thing, but the guy admired "The Birth of A Nation" - now that's unforgivable!
I think Drudge sold his soul to Bloomie.
He's become an irresponsible prick.
the other day he posted some link that declared the Wuhan-Covid is worse than the Spanish Flu. or more deadly than the Spanish Flu.
Utter. Crap.
@Drago:
What if Iraq had invaded Kuwait during Reagan's tenure?
Beats me. But we do know what Reagan did in response to the 1983 Beirut bombing. We also know that he criticized calls for direct military action in Nicarauga, saying, "Those sons of bitches won’t be happy until we have 25,000 troops in Managua, and I’m not going to do it." Reagan pursued negotiations with Noriega and refused Eliot Abrams' and George Schultz's push for an invasion even after the negotiations backed down.
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