Archive for the ‘Obama’ Category

Obama has no shame – Washington Post (blog)

In the age of President Trump, liberals love nothing more than to pine for the glory days of President Barack Obama. But Obama was always better in theory than he was in reality. His recent trip to Europe reminded us all of that phenomenon. Still, liberals would have you believe that todays problems began on Jan. 20, 2017, with Donald Trumps inauguration as if the plague of Obamas foreign policy blunders and failed economic initiatives had never occurred. And so the story goes, with Obama retired from the White House, the liberals and their allies in the media are trying to recapture the near-godlike status he had attained during the summer of 2008.

But some things never change. Obama continues to hold himself in high regard. He still loves the sound of his own voice, and his self-congratulatory ramblings mirror the inescapably pretentious tone of his campaign and presidency. Perhaps unsurprisingly, therefore, Obamas supporters continue to swoon behind him seemingly blind to the chaos caused by the past eight years of mishaps, inaction and distorted truths.

Former president Obama has no shame. After all, it was Obamas arrogance, inexperience and misguided worldview that fractured our relationship with key allies. It was Obama who retreated from the world stage at a time of increasing conflict and uncertainty. As Israeli President Reuven Rivlin asserted this week, under President Trumps leadership, America is back again. For Obama and his supporters, that has got to hurt.

And it was Obama who capitulated to Iran, saluted Cuba, and walked back on the American promise to retaliate against the Assad regimes barbaric use of chemical weapons in Syria. It was Obama who undermined U.S. leadership and signaled to our allies that America was not the reliable actor they previously knew. But even with the benefit of hindsight, Obama has not come to terms with the impact of his foreign policy blunders. Rather than remain silent and humbly accept the consequences of his misguided actions, Obama incredibly announced in a recent interview, the issue that required the most political courage was the decision not to bomb Syria after the chemical weapons use had been publicized. In his mind, reneging on a commitment made to the world should be glorified as an act of political courage. And perhaps most chillingly, the truth is neither Assads refusal to turn over his entire supply of chemical weapons nor the fact that he took a green light from Obama to continue slaughtering his own people seem to have made any impression on the former president.

And here at home, Obama has contrived notions of reality that serve to build only the facade he desperately wants us to see. Rather than remain on the sidelines for a gracious period of time like most other former presidents, Obama is taking shots at his political opponents. While cozying up with a host of euro-elites in Berlin yesterday, Obama pronounced in a pompous and self-righteous fashion, We cant hide behind a wall. Thankfully, the homeland security secretary, retired Gen. John F. Kelly, pushed back against Obamas childish jab, arguing, Were not hiding behind a wall, and you cant defend anything by hiding behind something.

With a flock of unquestioning liberal enablers cheering on his every word, Obama can continue to obfuscate reality and advance the narrative that all was good and well under his reign in the White House. But Obama invited mayhem around the world, fostered a depressed, crippled economy at home, created racial divisions, and imposed a PC culture that hangs like a dark cloud over Middle America. Remember, Obama did more to make the conditions ripe for a Trump presidency than anything Hillary Clinton did.

Regardless of what happens at home or abroad, our former president can hop on his private jet and escape the unfortunate realities of todays crises. Obama can bask in self-delusion and embrace the collective amnesia of his pious followers while living the life of a .01 percenter, but feeding his own ego does not help solve any of todays problems. Obama can afford to walk away from his blunders, but the rest of us can only hope that todays leaders do a better job than he did.

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Obama has no shame - Washington Post (blog)

Obama avoids crowds outside Edinburgh charity dinner – BBC News


BBC News
Obama avoids crowds outside Edinburgh charity dinner
BBC News
Former US president Barack Obama is speaking at a charity dinner in Edinburgh, addressing an audience made up largely of business leaders. The event has been organised by the Hunter Foundation, set up by the philanthropist Sir Tom Hunter. Thousands ...
Obama hits the links in ScotlandThe Boston Globe
Watch: Former president Obama plays Old CourseGolf Channel (blog)
Barack Obama Is Having a Blast on Vacation in Scotland Playing GolfTMZ.com
Golf.com -Sporting News -The Guardian
all 79 news articles »

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Obama avoids crowds outside Edinburgh charity dinner - BBC News

Frustrated 5-Year-Old’s Speech About ‘Marack Obama’ Is Deeply Relatable – HuffPost

For 5-year-old Taylor, its bad enough Barack Obama is no longer the U.S. president but did Hillary Clinton have to lose the 2016 election, too?

In a three-part Instagram video thats gone viral since her mom uploaded the clips on Thursday,the 5-year-old had some questions as to how this electoral system would allow Obama to depart from the White House and allow President Trump to enter.

Why did [Obama] go? a genuinely frustrated Taylor asks her mom. Where did he go? So why do we have the president we have now at the same spot he was and why did he leave it anyway?

When Taylors mom starts to explains that presidents can only sit for two terms, Taylors already moved on.

But how come Hillary did not get to be the president and why is she the loser? she asks.

But the real existentialist kicker in the video came when Taylor asked: And what are they even winning, anyway?

After using pizza to try to further her understanding of Americas voting system, Taylor becomes increasingly frustrated and confused as to why Trump had to occupy the presidency.

Part 2

A post shared by tabgeezy (@tabgeezy) on May 25, 2017 at 8:22am PDT

Under the belief that Trump is ruling the nation from her native Texas, she becomes annoyed.

Well, why does he have to live there? she exclaims throwing her hands up in exasperation.I want him living somewhere else, I dont want him living in Texas.

Taylor still isnt pleased though when she finds out the White House isnt actually in Texas.

Well I dont want him being our president, anyway...I wanted Hillary and Marack Obama, the defeated 5-year-old said.

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Frustrated 5-Year-Old's Speech About 'Marack Obama' Is Deeply Relatable - HuffPost

OBAMA: We Have To ‘Spread Work Around More’ – The Daily Caller

Former President Barack Obama said the country needs to spread work around more in an essay on climate change and food published Friday.

My guess is that, ultimately, what is going to happen is that everybody is going to have to work a little bit less, and were going to have to spread work around more, Obama wrote in The Guardian, describing his view of the consequences of technology innovations.But thats going to require a reorganisation of the social compact.

That requires that we change our mindset about the link between work, income and the value of people in the teaching profession, or healthcare, or certain things that cannot be done by AI or a robot, he continued. And one of my goals as president one of the goals of every leader of every country right now was thinking about that time 20 years from now, or 30 years from now, when technology will have eliminated entire sectors of the economy.

Obamas piece is an adaptation of a talk he gave at the Seeds & Chips Global Food Innovation Summit, and was published in The Guardian on the heels of a high-profile visit with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin Thursday. Obama obviously aimed to draw a contrast with President Trump ahead of his meeting with Merkel and other leaders that same day, as he continues to wield his influence untethered from the political realities of the presidency.

How do we prepare for that? Obama continued in The Guardian, referring to the emergence of new technologies as though the economy is a zero-sum game. How do we start creating, or at least having a conversation in our society about making sure that work and opportunities are spread, and that everybody has the chance to live a good and fulfilling life, rather than having a few people who are working 80 or 90 hours a week, and making enormous incomes, and then a large portion of redundant workers that increasingly have a difficult time supporting families. Thats not a sustainable mechanism for democracy and a healthy society.

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OBAMA: We Have To 'Spread Work Around More' - The Daily Caller

Trump and Obama are having very different trips to Europe – Washington Post

Former president Barack Obama spoke in Berlin on May 25 at a discussion on democracy with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. (Reuters)

Thanks to an awkward coincidence, President Trump is in Brussels at the same time as predecessor Barack Obama is in Berlin. These two trips are certainly offering contrasting views of the United States's relationship with Europe.

Obama was in the German capital Thursday morning to appear alongside German Chancellor Angela Merkel at a biennual festival organized by the German protestant church. The two spoke in front of a large crowd at the iconic Brandenburg Gate, with Obamagoing out of his way to praise Merkel.

Not only do I love this city, but one of my favorite partners throughout my presidency is sitting next to me, Obamasaidwith a smile.

Speaking at the democracy-themed event, he also appeared to offer thinly veiled criticism of Trump, then only a few hundred miles away in Belgium. We cant isolate ourselves. We cant hide behind a wall, he said, prompting cheers from the audience.

Even before he became president, Obama had endeared himself to Germans. In 2008, while campaigning for the Democratic nomination, he gavea speech to an estimated 200,000 Berliners inTiergarten park. Five years later, he returned to the city to give a speech in front of the Brandenburg Gate, the iconic location from whereRonald Reagan called onSoviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev to tear down this wall.

Merkel became a key Obama ally on the world stage, despite strains over ascandal involving alleged U.S. monitoring of her phone. During Obama's last official trip to Germany, in November, theaffection between the two was apparent,and theyissueda joint warningagainst taking democracy for granted.

Obama's high standing in Germany is largely shared across the continent. A poll conducted by thePew Research Center last summer found that 77 percent of Europeans hadconfidence in him, including 86 percent of Germans. The poll asked Europeans what they thought about Trump, who at that point was a presidential candidate. Just 9 percent of Europeans said they had confidence inhim.

Trump's remarks about Europe on the campaign trail may not have helped his cause. He labeled himself Mr. Brexit and questioned the logic of the European Union, while warning that the North Atlantic Treaty Organization amilitary alliance that binds Europe and North America may be obsolete. He even singled out Merkel, sayingshe was ruining Germany with her immigration policies.

President Trump criticized leaders at a dedication ceremony at the new NATO headquarters in Brussels, May 25, saying they need to increase financial contributions to combat "the threat of terrorism." (The Washington Post)

As Obama and Merkel spoke in Berlin, Trump was in Brussels the center of European political power and a city he once calleda hellhole as part of his first foreign trip as U.S. president. The trip has included stops in Saudi Arabia, Israel and the Vatican.

In the Belgian capital, Trump met with E.U. officials Thursday morning and later in the day will attend a working dinnerwith world leaders including Merkel representing NATO members. In April, Trump toned down his criticism of the organization, even saying that the alliance was no longer obsolete. Such comments mark a broader trend for Trump, who has walked back some of his harshest criticisms of Europe since becoming president.

So far his bark has been worse than his bite when it comes to the core issues Europeans care about, said Charles Kupchan, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations andprofessor of international affairs at Georgetown University.

However, Trump's time in Europe may also have its share of tricky moments.He will meet with British Prime Minister Theresa May later Thursday. She is expected to raise the issue ofapparent leaks of shared intelligenceabout Mondays Manchester bombing. Trump has ordered the Justice Department to launch a full investigation into the leaks, adding in a statement Thursday that there is no relationship we cherish more than the Special Relationship withBritain.

Trump also had a private lunch with new French President Emmanuel Macronat the residence of the U.S. ambassador to Belgium on Thursday a meeting that prompted a widely mocked video of the pair shaking hands, if nothing else.

President Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron shared an intense handshake at their first meeting on May 25. (The Washington Post)

After the NATO meeting, Trump will head to Sicily fora Group of Sevenmeeting of the world'stop industrialized nations. His time in Europe isimportant.European leaders and publics are still sizing him up, Kupchan said. Opinions will firm up over the course of the next 48 hours.

That Obama received such a rapturous reception in Berlin probably won't help. Several aspectsof Trump's first foreign trip have been compared unfavorably with his predecessor's:After Trump signed a short, curiously upbeat message at Israel's Holocaust memorial Tuesday, social media users begansharing the lengthy and solemn note Obama wrotewhen he visited Yad Vashem in 2008.

By all accounts, Obama's trip to Berlin was long planned and not designed to clash with Trump's Europe sojourn. However, the awkward timing may benefit at least Merkel, who isfacing reelectionin September.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel told world leaders at NATO headquarters, May 25, that preserving "open societies" leads to success, not "the building of walls." (The Washington Post)

If you look at public opinion surveys, Barack Obama has retained a popularity in Germany that Donald Trump has not achieved, said Karen Donfried, president of the German Marshall Fund and a member of the National Security Council during the Obama administration. Given the political year that we have in Germany, with a national election in September, the chancellor could be well served by showing her relations with both the past U.S. president and the current U.S. president.

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Trump and Obama are having very different trips to Europe - Washington Post