When even the President doesn’t care about the country
If you look through old posts here, you know I have a low opinion of Obama. He’s never done anything to indicate a fundamental change from the dawn of his political career when he maneuvered disqualifications of voters so that he could take an election from a popular incumbent. And the list of sleaze after that has been of a piece through the years. Just search this blog, if you want the gory details. For me, it’s too depressing to scare up the links.
But his latest display of his complete lack of interest in doing what’s right has managed to surprise me. After all these years.
While Obama's FBI director smeared Hillary, Obama sat on evidence of Russian efforts to elect Trump that had basis in evidence.
— Franklin Foer (@FranklinFoer) December 10, 2016
“Had basis in evidence.” Let that echo around in your head for a while. “Had basis in evidence.” “Had basis in evidence.” “Had basis in evidence.”
The smears of Hillary had no basis in evidence. None. Zip. Nada. Bupkis. Those were shouted from everywhere.
Meanwhile, Obama sat on evidence of Russian efforts to elect Trump that had basis in evidence.
Meanwhile, he’s helping a serial sexual assaulter — a proud serial sexual assaulter — get comfy in the White House and surround himself with wifebeaters and racists and ignorant toadies. That Cheeto-topped Dogpile is an existential threat to rule of law in this country. But for Obama, actually acting like the President and taking care of his country is …
?
What??
Too much bother?
So, meanwhile, Obama sat on evidence of Russian efforts to elect Trump that had basis in evidence.
Well, DUH.
And, apparently, it IS proved. That’s why anyone in the Senate and White House is talking about it at all. If it was speculation, do you think John McCain (R-Arizona) and Lindsay Graham (R-South Carolina), or for that matter Obama, would be saying anything at all?
And Obama knew it months ago. The Senators, too, for all I know. Harry Reid (D-Nevada) was certainly trying to get Obama to act way back in August. (Or was it July? September? Long enough before the election to have been actionable information.)
quixote on December 10th, 2016 at 17:48
And then today all I see is headlines like “Trump rejects CIA hacking report.” (BBC) “Trump dismisses reports Russia helped him in election.” (Reuters)
For God’s sake.
Why report something like that? What else is he going to say? “Aw gee. I just read about that on my twitter feed. I had no idea.” ??? Honestly, media. Pull yourselves together.
If he opened all his records, accounts, transactions, everything, and said there was no evidence of any help, that would be worth reporting.
Otherwise you might as well report on me receiving the Nobel Prize without worrying about what the people in Stockholm have to say about it.
quixote on December 11th, 2016 at 10:05
I’m glad *someone* is calling out Obama on this, as well as reminding people of his long history of less than ethical behavior.
Hillary Clinton was in an impossible position vis-a-vis Obama’s record: she had to have known how half-assed it was, but could not afford to, and in any case would not have wanted to, drive away the people who still supported him, by saying how much better she would do once in office. Her policy proposals came close to actually saying this by implication, but those were given no coverage, as we all know.
Still, I believe one reason for Obama’s back-stabbiness was his belief she would outshine him. He may not have wanted a Republican in office, and certainly not that Republican, but I think his jealousy and sexism made him ambiguous as to her winning.
PDXPat on December 12th, 2016 at 00:01
(Hi PDXPat! :D)
She really was in an impossible position. I always thought she was crazy to work with him, but she did get a lot of black support because she never said word one against him. So, as usual, she’s a lot smarter than I am!
I can see where blacks are coming from. I mean, if Hillary had been elected and then turned out to be a corporate tool who did nothing but funnel money to health insurance companies and did nothing for women’s rights, I’d be crushed.
On Thanksgiving in 2008 I was talking to an 85 year old black man who’d grown up when they still had water fountains for “colored” and white-only playgrounds. He almost had tears in his eyes about Obama’s election. He passed away a couple of months later, and the only good thing about that was that he didn’t have to see what Obama actually did.
When Obama and Michelle finally, really started campaigning for Hillary in August (?), I figured his only motivation was not getting his “legacy” trashed by the next administration. He sure had never done a thing for her before. But I must admit I didn’t think he might sit on this info because he’d just as soon be better than the next guy. I don’t know if even he would sink that low, but when he’s surprised me it’s been to the downside.
quixote on December 12th, 2016 at 16:04
(Hey! BTW, this is written on Linux Mint Cinnamon, thanks to your little blurb over on the side. Someday I’ll get around to carving out another partition and trying out PCLinux, too)
It does seem cynical to look at that way, but I think the biggest thing Obama and Trump have in common is outsided vanity combined with a pathological insecurity, especially if the wrong type of person shows them up. An existential failure in a public servant, especially when contrasted with HRC. She seems to be confident enough in her extraordinary intelligence that she just wants to put it to work and make a difference in the world, rather than have an adoring worldwide audience.
Poor thing, she got one anyway!
PDXPat on December 12th, 2016 at 21:58
Uh, please make that “outsized vanity”.
Plus maybe “pathological insecurity” may be a bit strong for Obama’s avoidance of anything he fears would reflect badly on him. It seems to be more that outsized vanity combined with laziness combined with indifference. Whereas for Drumpf the original term is only too mild.
PDXPat on December 12th, 2016 at 23:53
Delighted to hear about the Linux Mint! I don’t understand why anyone would bother suffering through Win10 when there are real and free operating systems out there. (I haven’t looked at PCLinuxOS in ages. Don’t know if it’s still any good.)
As for our pig’s breakfast of a government, I agree with both your comments.
I’m getting totally boggled that auditing the vote and re-running an obviously tainted election is some kind of radical unthinkable course. It’s what we’d tell an African country to do if they had this mess, but us? No. Gotta ride on them established rails even when they’re going right off a cliff in about 200 feet!
Unbelievable. I mean that. I just can’t believe it. Intellectually, I know they’re going to do that. On a gut level, I’m idiotically convinced that we’ll save ourselves.
Aargh.
quixote on December 13th, 2016 at 13:08
Going back to this part of your earlier comment: “Still, I believe one reason for Obama’s back-stabbiness was his belief she would outshine him. He may not have wanted a Republican in office, and certainly not that Republican, but I think his jealousy and sexism made him ambiguous as to her winning.”
I was incredulous. Now I’m not so sure. It started with that backhanded bullshit of his a few weeks ago when he crapped out that bit about how he “would have won.”
Oh yeah? She got near-3 million more votes in the teeth of an eight years older voter purge effort plus the anti voting rights Supremes decision, in the teeth of the FBI dumping loads on her, in the teeth of Putin and his puppets. Whereas B0 had to be carried over the finish line by the Dem party to overcome her advantage in the primary vote in 2008.
But him saying that means he still knows he’s not and never has been in her league.
And then look at all the adulation lately, while we’re facing life under the Gropenfuhrer. There would have been about one tenth of that if we had a real government to look forward to. And I suspect he knows it.
So, yeah, I guess the whole I-want-to-seem-great-by-contrast pettiness is seeming more and more plausible.
Stop the world. I want to get off.
quixote on January 15th, 2017 at 14:24
Didn’t see this at the time, but this from Dec 16, 2016 by Brian Frydenborg is about the same thing but with way more data.
quixote on May 28th, 2017 at 15:57