Tag Archives: Barack Obama

national news

So much for unity at this inaugural

I have a message to the new president of the United States, if only he receives it.

The campaign is over, Donald John Trump. You won. You’re the president. You promised to unify the country. You could have started when you delivered the inaugural speech. Sadly — in my mind — you didn’t.

What the country heard from the president was a recitation of the themes that won over enough voters to elect him president.

He painted yet again a dark, forbidding portrait of the greatest nation the world has ever known. He talked about job losses, a dispirited military establishment, fear of radical Islamic terrorists, a general feeling that the nation has gone to hell in a hurry.

This wasn’t your typical inaugural speech. It contained little of the high-minded hope that presidents bring to their high office.

Here is the speech in its entirety. Take a look and judge for yourself:

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/full-speech-president-donald-trump-inaugural-address/ar-AAm3VY0

Believe it or not, I was hoping there would be at least a glimmer of recognition of the progress that President Barack Obama made during his eight years in office: dramatic reduction in the jobless rate; revival of the auto industry; huge reduction in the annual federal budget deficit; success in the war against terrorists — including the killing of Osama bin Laden.

None of that came forward.

Interestingly as well was the lack of mention of the dreaded Affordable Care Act, which Trump has vowed to “repeal and replace.” Nor was there a mention of the Iranian nuclear deal that Obama negotiated to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons.

He talked instead of restoring jobs, bringing back manufacturing jobs. Here’s a news flash, Mr. President: Those jobs fell victim to automation, not poorly negotiated trade deals; good luck if you think manufacturers are going to forgo robots for human beings.

I’m going to wish the president well — believe it or not. If he succeeds in all that he wants, more power to him, and to the country he now leads.

Failure, as the saying goes, is not an option.

If only he could have lifted our spirits just a little bit.

national news

Hoping for a beautiful sunrise tomorrow

A lot of aspects of American life likely could change sometime this afternoon.

At 11 a.m. (CST), Donald John Trump will become the 45th president of the United States. Barack Hussein Obama will exit the world stage and jet off to Palm Springs, Calif., for some well-deserved R&R with his family.

The new president will attend a parade, shake some hands, then venture into the Oval Office.

Then — he says — he will sign some executive orders, which he is entitled to do.

Will these orders undo some of the many positive aspects of Barack Obama’s presidency? Trump, after all, has called the current president a “disaster.” He’s said his policies are “stupid.”

Trump, who calls himself a “smart person” with a “good mind,” and someone who will surround himself with the “best minds” and a team that has highest collective IQ of any in the history in the history of the republic, will get to work to make his mark on the presidency.

What that entails, at this moment — on Inauguration Morning — remains virtually anyone’s guess.

I am going to hold out hope for one thing to occur. It will be that the sun will set tonight and we’ll all be able to awake Saturday to yet another beautiful sunrise.

I am going to pray that the new president is successful in whatever plans he has laid out for the next four years. The consequences of failure are too grim to ponder.

national news, political news

Transition from Somebody to Nobody

I don’t spend a whole lot of time thinking about these things, but the thought has crossed my mind: What is it like for someone to transition from being the most powerful man in the world to, oh, just another Ordinary Joe?

That is what awaits Barack H. Obama, his wife Michelle and their daughters Malia and Sasha.

At noon Friday, President Obama becomes just another guy, a citizen who will get to drive his own car, open his own doors, sleep in if he wants and relax with his family.

He follows a tradition set by dozens of other men who’ve had the good fortune to survive their presidencies and transition to a new life … that resembles the way it used to be before they became the planet’s most powerful figure.

I don’t know how President Obama feels about all this. His body language, though, tells me he’s ready to get out of Dodge. He’ll fly to California on that big blue jet that’s called Air Force One when the president is on board. He’ll play some golf, eat some relaxing meals with his wife and daughters, read, write and relax.

It might be arguably a little more of an adjustment for Barack Obama than he’ll be willing to admit. You see, I’ve long noticed one thing about this president: From the very beginning of his two terms, he seemed to own the office he occupied.

Why do I say that? I was struck for eight years how he would use the first-person singular pronoun when referencing the government he led. He would mention “my national security team,” “my vice president,” “my attorney general.”

I once wrote that the government didn’t belong to the president. It belongs to us — you and me. The president merely is our hired hand elected to the job by virtue of getting more electoral votes than anyone else.

In just a few hours, the 44th president will surrender that immense power to the 45th president. Then he becomes an average guy — so to speak.

Barack Obama is likely to prove me wrong by adjusting just fine to his new life. At least I hope he does.

Well done, Mr. President.

national news

No scandals, Mr. Fund … none!

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Believe it or not, I expected better from John Fund, the noted conservative columnist and Fox News Channel contributor/pundit.

He said President Obama has told a final “whopper” by declaring his administration is finishing its work in Washington without suffering a major “scandal.”

Fund disagrees, as he writes in an essay attached to this post. Here it is:

http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2017/01/19/john-fund-obama-has-one-last-whopper-for-america-as-exits-white-house.html

He calls Obama’s “fast and furious” deal that resulted in drug cartels getting weapons from the Justice Department; he notes the Benghazi massacre in which four Americans died in a firefight with Islamic terrorists; he mentions the IRS targeting certain political groups for intense tax scrutiny.

Fund writes: “Obama has, in fact, presided over some of the worst scandals of any president in recent decades.”

All of those matters were deplorable. They weren’t illegal. They might have been careless, perhaps reckless. They didn’t break any laws.

Scandal? In the strictest sense, President Clinton lying to a grand jury — under oath — about his relationship with the White House intern qualifies as a scandal. He broke a law, which served as the pretext for the House of Representatives to impeach the 42nd president. One can argue the merits of the impeachment about whether lawmakers were truly interested in protecting the law; or whether they were motivated by the salacious aspect of the whole ordeal.

The issues cited by Fund do not, in my mind, constitute “scandalous” behavior.

Therefore, I will stand behind the president’s assertion that his administration served the country in a scandal-free environment.

Of course, one man’s mere controversy is another’s scandal. Fine. If that’s the case, then bring it on!

national news, political news

No talk of polls these days from POTUS-elect

Polls became something of a linchpin of Donald J. Trump’s successful campaign for the presidency.

He boasted about them continually when they showed him leading his Republican Party primary rivals. He ridiculed other GOP candidates for failing to break the 1 or 2 percent barrier.

Then he got nominated and he started bragging as the general election campaign raced toward the finish line and polls showed him closing the gap with Hillary Rodham Clinton.

Polls are up? They’re good. Polls go down? They’re “rigged.”

Well, the president-elect has some more polling data with which to contend. These are the polls that show Trump to be about the least popular president-elect in decades.

Barack Obama became president with an approval rating at nearly 80 percent. George W. Bush took office in 2001 also with soaring public approval ratings.

Trump’s ratings? They’re at 40 percent or less, depending on the polls you see.

Think of this, too: The president-elect hasn’t done anything! He’s made no difficult decisions that are bound to anger millions of Americans.

Transitions historically have been the high-water mark for presidents of the United States. The next president starts at a much lower platform than most of his predecessors.

What about these polls, Mr. President-elect?

national news, political news

Get ready for chaos at the top

Donald J. Trump ran the most unconventional presidential campaign in history.

He is now running the most unconventional presidential transition in most folks’ memory.

Does this all portend the most unconventional presidency, one fraught with chaos and, as Politico reports, “empty desks”?

Let’s all hold on.

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/01/trump-transition-agencies-233811

The president-elect takes office at noon on Friday. His predecessor will no longer be The Man. That title passes quietly, peacefully and seamlessly (one should hope) to Trump.

But is he ready? There appears to be growing concern that he isn’t. The Trump administration will take office without most of its Cabinet heads confirmed by the U.S. Senate. Indeed, some of them might not be confirmed over questions ranging from lack of knowledge of public education policy, stock purchases of companies that benefit from legislation pursued by a Cabinet nominee and another appointee’s close personal friendship with Vladimir Putin.

National security posts are unfilled. The world is dangerous, jittery and fraught with peril on many fronts. The Trump team hasn’t yet prepared to take its post.

I don’t know about you, but I long have appreciated how previous presidents have assumed power. I have admired the preparation they have completed. Democrats and Republicans alike all have done their homework. They all have moved cleanly and swiftly to fill key posts. The transition from one administration to another — George W. Bush to Barack Obama, Bill Clinton to George W. Bush, George H.W. Bush to Bill Clinton — all have been testaments to the fundamental concept of “peaceful transfer of power” that is so American in nature and scope.

When Democrats hand power over to Republicans — and vice versa — it’s all gone mostly hitch-free.

That feeling is missing in action as Barack Obama prepares to hand the immense power of the presidency to Donald J. Trump.

media news

Obama’s poll numbers spiking in final days

I have a good time following certain public opinion polling sites, my favorite of which is the RealClearPolitics average of polls.

Here’s what it shows now about President Obama’s poll standing among Americans: The nation is falling back in love with the guy.

The average of polls shows Obama’s standing at 57 percent. There’s now an 18-percentage-point spread between the “favorable” and “unfavorable” ratings.

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/other/president_obama_job_approval-1044.html

How does the poll average rate Congress? It’s about 14 percent. Interesting, yes?

Why the poll spike for the president? It might have something to do with how voters view him in relation to the man who will succeed him in just a couple of days.

He’s conducting himself with remarkable calm, grace, dignity. Donald J. Trump, meanwhile, is continuing to lash out at his foes, the media, almost anyone who makes a critical statement.

What’s not to admire about a president who is leaving the stage with such style?

media news, national news

Tweeter in chief doesn’t appreciate majesty of his office

In just a couple of days, Donald J. Trump is going to become the 45th president of the United States of America.

He’ll be head of state of the greatest nation on Earth. And, yes, it’s still the greatest nation, Mr. President-elect.

It’s fair to ask, given this fellow’s use of Twitter as his primary mode of communication: Does he truly understand the majesty attached to the office he is about to assume?

Trump has tossed countless conventional norms into the dumper on his way to become president. He has gotten away with countless insults, boorish stunts and profoundly bizarre statements. All of them — or any one of them — would have disqualified him in the eyes of voters.

Instead, his supporters stiffened their spines. They stood behind him. They cheered him on for “telling it like it is.” Good grief!

They also are cheering on his Twitter taunts and tirades. They, like their man, are giving raspberries to the very office that Trump is about to inherit.

He uses Twitter, in the words of some pundits, to “punch down” at critics. Presidents of the United States are supposed to be better than that; they’re supposed to hold themselves above the petty bickering that erupts all around them.

Twitter is supposed to be a tool reserved for schmucks — like, oh, yours truly — to fire off barbs or share others’ barbs.

Not so with the president-elect of the United States of America.

Perhaps I shouldn’t be surprised that he doesn’t appreciate the grandeur of the office he sought — and won! He has had zero dealings with any of its previous occupants.

He acknowledged meeting President Obama for the first time after the election. And this comes after he spent years questioning out loud whether Barack Obama was qualified to hold the office. You know … the birther baloney.

You know, there at least is the remote possibility that after he takes the oath, bids good bye to the Obama family and then settles in behind the Oval Office desk he might appreciate the immense power and tradition of the presidency.

He might …

I am not holding my breath.

 

national news, political news

When guys like Frank are sweating it …

My friend Frank doesn’t get rattled too easily.

He’s in his early 60s. Frank has been around. He told me he has witnessed a lot of presidential transitions. None of them prior to what’s about to occur has him as concerned — even a bit frightened — as the one that’s coming up.

Barack H. Obama is going to hand the presidency over to Donald J. Trump.

Frank is deeply concerned. As am I.

We chatted for a bit and we agreed on at least one fundamental point: It’s that Trump’s absolute lack of public service experience has left him woefully ill-prepared for becoming president of the United States of America.

I reminded Frank that we’ve had a number of dramatic transitions in our respective lifetimes. I mentioned Ronald Reagan taking over from Jimmy Carter in 1981. Sure, some folks considered Reagan little more than a B-movie actor who starred in those films with a chimpanzee named Bonzo.

But as I told Frank, even Reagan had government experience. He had administrative experience at that, as a successful two-term California governor.

Trump? He has spent his entire adult life in pursuit of a single goal: personal enrichment. He got a head start with a healthy inheritance from his wealthy father and then parlayed that nest egg into a vast fortune.

Public service? None. Zero.

Frank wondered, “What kind of thing is he going to do? What in the world does he stand for?” I told him that we don’t know. The president-elect campaigned for this office espousing zero core values. He didn’t articulate an ideology. Instead, he boasted at seemingly every campaign stop about how rich he is and how he intended to use his business acumen to “Make America Great Again.”

We did agree on this point, too. We both want Trump to succeed. We’re hoping for the best. Failure, we reminded each other, is going to cost all Americans dearly. Therefore, neither Frank nor I will wish the kind of failure for Trump that many of Barack Obama’s foes wished for him when he became president eight years ago.

Frank has another thing quite right: Now is the time to pray real hard for our country.

I’m with him on that, too.

national news, political news

This prank won’t happen, however …

This tweet showed up on my Facebook news feed a little while ago. It speaks to a prank that someone believes President Obama should pull on his successor, Donald J. Trump.

It cracks me up. It’s damn funny. The prospect of someone putting something like this over on Mr. Insult/Innuendo/Showman/Reality TV Celebrity strikes me as seriously hilarious.

It won’t happen. You see, the current — for the next four days — president of the United States is far too classy, too gracious, too mindful of political consequence to even consider anything so sophomoric.

The president has pledged a smooth transition with Trump’s team. The two men — Obama and Trump — disagree on virtually every single policy issue one can imagine. The president clearly is dismayed that his candidate, Hillary Clinton, lost the presidential election to someone who’d never before sought a public office of any kind, at any level.

I don’t for a minute doubt that Barack Obama has been faithful to his pledge to seek a smooth transition. My concern, though, rests with the Trump team’s willingness to ask the right questions, seek the correct counsel, dot all the i’s and cross all the t’s required to understand all the nitty-gritty of running a government.

This all speaks to the absolute abandoning of tradition that Trump has demonstrated from the very moment he declared his presidential candidacy.

President Obama, though, believes in tradition and has committed to ensuring a smooth hand-off at noon Friday.

There’s something, though, sinisterly tempting about the notion of the president quitting his office on Thursday just to mess things up for the merchandising geniuses peddling Trump’s presidency.