Archive for the ‘Obama’ Category

Joe’s other woman: Could Michelle Obama be persuaded to be Biden’s VP? – Salon

Joe Biden is right. There are exceptional women qualified to be president. That means he will have a number of possible choices for his vice presidential partner in the upcoming election.

The obvious candidates

The obvious prospects are those who have demonstrated strengths in the Democratic primary process and other leadership roles. Kamala Harris, Amy Klobuchar and Elizabeth Warren lead that field.

Capable women also hold governorships in a number of states, including Gretchen Whitmer in the battleground state of Michigan. Any one of them could balance the ticket in useful ways.

A seriously incomplete list

That list, however, is seriously incomplete. There is another woman with distinctive qualifications to be Biden's running mate and potential successor as president.

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She has demonstrated at the highest levels of government unusual ability to attract personal support across a broad range of political constituencies. She has become an eloquent, indeed unique, voice for causes appealing not only to Democrats but to independents and Republicans as well. In her public as well as in her private life, she has proven a role model for young and old alike.

True, this woman has not served in elective office, but she has shown an outstanding talent for political campaigns, at both the U.S. state and federal levels. Her record of policy and political counsel, though largely confidential, is recognized by knowledgeable observers as unusually wise.

A private citizen's leadership skills

Rather than running for office herself, she has chosen instead to exert her impressive leadership skills as a private citizen. Writing and speaking extensively, she has addressed many critical issues confronting the nation.

Her life story, told in a bestselling book and occasional media appearances, is moving testimony to her formidable intelligence and dedication.

The most admired woman in America, according to Gallup

The other woman is Michelle Obama, the most admired woman in America according to Gallup polls.

It will be objected immediately that Mrs. Obama has never fought the good fight by campaigning for herself and risks rejection by voters.

That is likely a source of some resentment especially by women who have long been in the fray of electoral politics. However, all of them are patriots and can be relied upon to recognize a once-in-a-generation opportunity. They will thus surely acknowledge that there is a powerful case for her candidacy.

Dynastic worries?

There will also be understandable concern about the dynastic tinge that her candidacy would raise but, compared to other considerations now in play, that has to be a secondary worry.

And by leaving the women senators in place, tapping her for the nomination would increase chances that a President Biden might also gain a Democratic majority in the U.S. Senate.

Not wanting to run?

It will also be stressed that she has repeatedly resisted the idea of running for office. Without questioning her right to remain in private life, things have changed since she first expressed her opposition to seeking election.

On a personal level, her daughters are now young adults. Thus, the time claims of motherhood which she has met so admirably are less compelling than in the past.

More importantly, the calamities washing over the United States and the rest of the world make this a time to try the souls, not only of men, but of women.

Collapse of the White House as an institution

Michelle Obama must be agonized by the collapse of integrity and capability in the White House. At age 56, she is ideally suited to bridge the generations between what will surely be a one term Biden presidency and a future administration.

Nothing could perplex Mr. Trump more than having to face another Obama after the years of hostility he has shown toward her husband.

And yet, with Michelle Obama on the Biden ticket, it would scarcely be possible for Donald Trump to disguise the misogyny and personal animus that shape his behavior. Underscoring Trump's defective character is the centerpiece of the campaign against him.

That focus should even force evangelicals and others to confront the tension between their moral values and the political ambitions they invoke to justify support for Trump.

Conclusion

Could Michelle Obama be persuaded to accept the role? Well, beggars can be choosers. And, if anyone can change her mind, a bended-knee visit by Joe Biden should do the trick.

Amid the divisions and animosities and degraded discourse that afflict our country, Michelle Obama's healing presence on the Biden ticket could be decisive in assuring victory.

This article is republished from The Globalist: On a daily basis, we rethink globalization and how the world really hangs together. Thought-provoking cross-country comparisons and insights from contributors from all continents. Exploring what unites and what divides us in politics and culture. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter. And sign up for our highlights email here.

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Joe's other woman: Could Michelle Obama be persuaded to be Biden's VP? - Salon

Obama thanks Fauci, Stephen Curry during Instagram Live session | TheHill – The Hill

Former President Obama commented on a live Instagram Q&A session between NBA star Stephen Curry and Dr.Anthony Fauci, the direct of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, thanking the two for their efforts to raise awareness during the coronavirus pandemic and urging the public to continue social distancing measures.

Listen to the science. Do your part and take care of each other, Obama commented Thursday. Thank you, Steph and Dr. Fauci.

President Obama weighs in pic.twitter.com/xyahCltK6Y

The former president has urged Americans to adhere to social distancing protocols to help flatten the viruss infection curve in the U.S., tweeting a New Yorker article Wednesday about overburdened New York City hospitals amid the pandemic.

It's only going to get harder across the country. Another reason to maintain social distancing policies at least until we have comprehensive testing in place. Not just for our sakefor theirs, Obama tweeted Wednesday.

Fauci, who has served as one of the public faces of the federal response to the pandemic, told the Golden State Warriors star during the Thursday conversation that amid wide-scale shutdowns across the country, the U.S. can start thinking about getting back to some degree of normality when the country as a whole turns that corner on reducing infections.

Before the country can return to the status quo, Fauci told Curry, you need to see the trajectory of the curve start to come down.

Fauci has sought to temper expectations after President TrumpDonald John TrumpWith VP pick, Biden can't play small ball in a long ball world Coronavirus hits defense contractor jobs Wake up America, your country doesn't value your life MORE suggested businesses and other public spaces could be able to reopen by Easter. The president also suggested that waiting longer could irreparably damage the economy.

However, Fauci toldCNNs Chris CuomoChristopher (Chris) Charles CuomoObama thanks Fauci, Stephen Curry during Instagram Live session Fauci: 'You don't make the timeline. The virus makes the timeline' CNN's Cuomo: 'Telling the truth about Trump' more dangerous for Fauci than coronavirus MORE Wednesday night, Youve got to be realistic, and youve got to understand that you dont make the timeline, the virus makes the timeline.

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Obama thanks Fauci, Stephen Curry during Instagram Live session | TheHill - The Hill

An Open Letter to George W. Bush and Barack Obama – The Bulwark

Dear President George W. Bush and President Barack Obama,

The moment you have sought to avoid for nearly four years is here. We are witnessing one of the worst crises to ever confront the United States and one of the worst government failures in the history of the country you served and love.

Together, you have a collective 16 years as president, during which you dealt with a number of crises: the September 11 attacks, two wars, the collapse of the financial system, and the Ebola and H1N1 outbreaks. Faced with these events, you marshaled the vast forces of our government, trusted our best experts, told hard truths, led capable teams on complex missions to tackle these emergencies, and called upon our citizens to unite in patriotic spirit to ride out the storm together. Neither of you were perfect presidentsyou both would be the first to admit thatand you each have your detractors.

But both of you knew what the job of the president is in times of crisis and how to manage the basic blocking and tackling of government responses.

President Donald Trump has now proven what many of us long suspected: He has not done any of this, because he cannot do it. He lacks the most basic capabilities required of a president in this moment.

America doesnt just deserve better. We need better.

And you can help.

Podcast March 27 2020

On today's Bulwark Podcast, Jonathan V. Last, Sarah Longwell, and Benjamin Parker join host Charlie Sykes to discuss the...

This is the time for you to join forces and publicly demand that the government create a plan to manage the COVID-19 outbreak.

The United States is now a worldwide epicenter for the virus. We have outpaced the rest of the world even though we had a long lead time to prepare for it and were one of the last large countries to be struck by it.

But the scariest part is that we are leading the world in total number of cases and the wave has still not crested here: The pace of infections is still accelerating.

These are not political talking points. They are facts. Because COVID-19 doesnt care where you live in or what party you vote for. In a pandemic, there are no red or blue statesonly infected states.

These facts have developed for one reason and one reason only: They are the catastrophic consequences of President Trumps leadership. He denied the threat the virus posed for weeks. He ignored monthsyearsworth of warnings and calls to action to move faster on testing capacity and to stockpile essential medical supplies.

And even now, with the evidence of his failure everywhere around us, President Trump continues to push for an arbitrary, dangerous end to the suppression measures which have been enacted by state and local authorities.

You both know that Trumps response has failed and that continued failure could result in damage which will extend not for years, but decades, to come.

So it is time for you to step forward publicly, rally Americans of both parties to heed the recommendations of public health officials, and demand that the current executive leadership do better.

I know you are both loathe to do this and believe that former presidents should not criticize sitting presidents. Under nearly every other circumstance, that impulse is a wise one. But in this particular situation there is an ongoing disaster where a course-change by the current leadership could effect a material change in Americas outcome. And the only two men in America with enough moral and political leverage to make a difference are the two of you.

Please do not wait another day.

President Obama, you have tweeted encouraging messages about social distancing, which were clearly meant to counter Trumps sudden case of Social Distancing Disgust. That was helpful, but not enough.

President Bush, you dont tweet. (And God bless you for that. May you be a beacon to the world on this score.)

But what we need from the two of you is more than tweeting. We need you to publicly stand together and speak out.

Yes, we know President Trump will be dismissive of anything you recommend. As he said recently, he hasnt reached out to his predecessors because he doesnt think he would learn much. But it may prompt him, begrudgingly, to actif for no other reason than to want to control the optics of looking like hes doing something.

For now, Trump is basking in his mothers milkpollingwhich shows the public approves of his handling of the outbreak. These have convinced him that all is well. But what the polls dont telland what the current numbers of diagnosed cases do tellis whats coming next.

President Trump plans to revise social distancing guidelines next week to open up economic activity in places he would like to classify as low risk. He has telegraphed that shelter-in-place restrictionswhich seem to be working in slowing the progress of the virusare a plot to defeat him at the polls in November.

On Wednesday he tweeted that The LameStream media is the dominant force in trying to get me to keep our Country closed as long as possible in the hope it will be detrimental to my election success. The real people want to get back to work ASAP.

On Thursday he claimed that the mortality rate is way, way down. Its unclear what he means by thisprecise language is not his strong suitbecause we dont have a clear handle on the mortality rate from COVID-19. There seem to a number of deaths occurring from coronavirus-like symptoms that arent being classified as COVID-19 deaths because the patients werent tested. Further, the mortality rate varies by age and by access to healthcare. You are more likely to die from COVID-19 in a setting where healthcare resources are maxed out than if you are the only case in the hospital ward.

What we do know is that the total number of official deaths will soon eclipse the number of Americans killed on 9/11.

As that number continues to increaseincluding in states which Trump hopes to carry in Novemberhe may reverse course and tell those real people to stay home instead of go back to work. You could help both to focus his mind and give him cover on this.

If Trump could be forced to focus more on the pace of infection, instead of the stock market, he would. But as our infection and death curves spike in the days to come, dont assume that Trump can focus on the right data.

Neither should you not take comfort in the hope that those around the president will help him do whats necessary. We cannot count on them. We have all watched as they continue to tolerate his purposeful negligence in this crisisa combination of magical thinking, denial, impatience, political calculation, and lies.

The posture of the presidents abettors seems to be that he will get it, soon. But he may not, and waiting in hope that he will next week, or the week after, is a dangerous gamble.

What youand only youcan do is outline a national plan of action, rally public support to it, and force President Trumps hand.

You can determine the exact specifics of the plan by working with public health experts and economists. It would likely involve a national lockdown for some weeksthe final duration of which to be determined by (1) the infection data and (2) the completion of a nationwide testing system. The lockdown should probably not be eased until we have a testing regime that can easily identify infected people so that they may self-quarantine and also be running random sampling so that we can identify potential hotspots before they flare up. Also: The lockdown should probably not be eased until the supply lines of PPE and other essential healthcare materials are moving efficiently.

The intricacies of epidemiology may be too complicated for the average voter to grasp, but the basic plan for fighting the spread of an epidemic is not.

If you create a plan, and rally support for it among the general public, then you can create the a groundswell of support for it which can then carry Trump into executing it. This need not be done in an adversarial manner. In a perfect world, you two can do the work that he has not been capable of and then give him the space to take ownership of it.

Trumps own current posture remains both foolish and inhumane. Trump recently remarked that state governors have to treat us well if they want help, as if he were a mafia don brokering the allocation of sanitation contracts between his underlings and not a president trying to save the lives of American citizens.

Meanwhile, governors in ravaged states are begging for ventilators that experts estimate we will need roughly a million of, despite the current national inventory of only 200,000. Public health officials also tell the New York Times that a centralized government effort is needed to referee the allocation of ventilators to places in the most need, as well as bidding for newly produced ones.

Yet while Trump signed legislation to invoke the Defense Protection Act, he has yet to trigger it. It is mystifying why he has declined to use the available power to supercharge our supplies in the face of such dramatic shortfalls. For instance, New York state requested 30,000 ventilators; the government, provided 4,000 of them. This week more than 100 former national security officials from both parties called upon President Trump to mobilize the law to the full extent to provide masks, tests, ventilators, and other critical supplies and equipment, stating the private sector lacks the ability to process incoming requests, prioritize the most urgent needs and coordinate with other companies absent more concerted government involvement. In spite of all of these urgent messages and requests and reports from the frontlines of our crushed health care system Trump still questioned the amount of ventilators governors are asking for in an interview with Sean Hannity Thursday.

Outlining a pathway to fix these critical supply chains should be part of your plan, too.

Both of you saw your predecessors working together in their post-presidencies to return to service: George Herbert Walker Bush and Bill Clinton not only raised millions for Asian Tsunami recovery but for the victims of Hurricane Katrina as well. When people were in need, Bush and Clinton stepped back into the public square to help.

Americans are in dire need today. And even though Donald Trump may not want your help, he cant stop you from proposing plans and uniting Americans in shared interest to meet needs that arent being met.

Unlike congressional Republicans, who fear Trump and want to please him, you are former presidents of the United States. I suspect that at one point or another the two of you have discussed Trump and are likely of one mind on his administration. Over the last four years you have stayed silent on the subject, for many reasonsmost of them good and wise.

But in the face of so much death and destructionsome of which has already happened; much of which is still to comethere are no good reasons for you to be quiet now.

America needs you. And even though he does not realize it, so does President Trump.

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An Open Letter to George W. Bush and Barack Obama - The Bulwark

Did the Obamas Buy Controlling Interest in Home Depot? – Snopes.com

On July 9, 2019, the Obamawatcher website published an article positing that former U.S. President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle Obama had bought a controlling interest in the Home Depot chain of home improvement stores:

Being the 17th richest man in the country certainly has its advantages. And it seems like Barack Obama and his wife have decided to make use of one.

After hearing that the Home Depot corporation had decided to patriotically donate money to President Trumps 2020 reelection campaign instead of bowing to back one of the socialist nincompoops currently jockeying for position, Obama and his foundation quickly hit the stock market, and gobbled up 51% of the company, establishing controlling interest.

This item was not a factual recounting of real-life events. The article originated with a website that describes its output as being humorous or satirical in nature, as follows: Everything on this website is fiction. Any similarities between this sites pure fantasy and actual people, places, and events are purely coincidental and all images should be considered altered and satirical.

For background, here is why we sometimes write about satire/humor.

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Did the Obamas Buy Controlling Interest in Home Depot? - Snopes.com

Joe Biden is Barack Obama without the fake Greek columns – The Washington TImes

ANALYSIS/OPINION:

Whatever you think about President Trump and his response to this global pandemic that sparked from a Chinese wet market selling wildlife, you cannot exactly be heartened to behold the response offered by Democrats.

The partys presumed nominee, former Vice President Joseph R. Biden, finally mounted the barricades this week to personally combat the Wuhan virus by what else? setting up a television studio in his Delaware home to offer counterprogramming to the president and his crisis team of doctors, public health officials, industry leaders and economic experts.

Watching Mr. Biden stumble, mumble and dodder through a simple speech in his living room while looking lost and lonely staring into a cold camera is physically painful for any human.

For nearly five decades, Mr. Biden has been one of the great masters of Washington. Yet he is a blubbering disaster unfit for the national stage during a crisis. Unfit, really, for any stage during any time.

He is Barack Obama minus the fake Greek columns.

Meanwhile, Democrats in Congress cannot help but reveal their true loyalties in the desperate throes of a global meltdown.

More Americans have lost their jobs in the past several weeks than at any other point in history, and what is the first instinct of panicked Democrats in Washington? They race to lard up an emergency financial rescue package with treasonous smash-and-grab bags of obscene money for the greedy special interest groups that keep Democrats in power.

From environmental wackos to self-serving union bosses to the suicidal open borders industry, the great puppeteers of Washington Democrats were the partys first and only priority in this panic.

Workers be damned! Taxpayers be screwed! Damn the greatest economic engine on the earth!

This really should not be much of a surprise if you look back at their performance these past several years. Since the dawn of the Trump Dynasty, Democrats have manufactured ridiculous crisis after ridiculous crisis.

Russian hookers peeing on a bed in a Moscow hotel room. Supreme Court Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh a serial gang rapist. Ukraine Kabuki impeachment.

These people are fundamentally unserious. Totally untrustworthy. Genetically anti-American.

And nothing reveals their unseriousness like an actual, true crisis.

Perhaps the most obvious and cynical way Democrats in Washington exposed themselves during this pandemic was their nakedly partisan effort to expand of all things voting from home in the massive bailout bill. Also known as ballot harvesting, this scheme strips away every safeguard designed to ensure election integrity in America.

After all, this is the same party that managed to lose an election to President Trump. The only way they have any hope of winning is to entirely rig the whole thing.

There is also talk in Washington these days of doing something just as bad as ballot harvesting. Some people want to allow congressmen and senators to be allowed to cast ballots from anywhere.

These people are bad enough being allowed to vote while in Washington. Why on earth would we want to encourage them by allowing them to vote from home, too?

The whole point of establishing the nations capital in Washington was that it was a dismal swamp uninhabitable most of the year. The mosquitoes alone kept Congress out of session for long months at a time. This narrowed the amount of time each year that federal legislators could be in Washington wasting your money and destroying the country with their ridiculous ideas and votes.

Then along came air conditioning, and that ruined everything.

One of the rare bright spots in this whole pandemic has been that finally Mitt Romney found a job for which he is actually qualified: self-quarantine.

Its just too bad he didnt think of that back in 2012 before Republicans nominated him to run against Mr. Obama. Maybe if he had, Republicans could have nominated a real leader a real statesman like Donald Trump.

Charles Hurt can be reached at [emailprotected] or @charleshurt on Twitter.

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Joe Biden is Barack Obama without the fake Greek columns - The Washington TImes