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In a February 17 article, NPRs Ron Elving claimed that the American people are tired of presidential campaigns that last too long, but Now, they are confronted with one that refuses to end even after reaching the White House.

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Elvings attack on Trump came in response to the Presidents often combative February 15 press conference that the NPR Washington correspondent described with a simpleWow.

After notingthe criticism of the presser published by various news outlets, Elving then complained that Trump used I or me or the royal we too often during his presentation.

The NPR staffer then went on to say, The president often seemed to be responding in the manner of a candidate. He added, The campaign mode continues this weekend, with the president again rallying like its 2016.

Elving suggested that Trump might be being using this permanent campaign as a tactic to keep his policy ideas at the front of the political discussion.

Or perhaps the campaign continues because it continues, Elving said as he wrapped up. The president does not yet seem comfortable in his new office with all the crosswinds and complications of divided powers and shared responsibilities.

PerhapsElving has been in a coma since 2007, when Obama launched a campaign for president that didnt end until he left office on January 20, 2017. Obama spent eight years being hit with charges that he never stopped campaigning, It was one of the most common criticisms of the Obama presidency.

In fact, Obama kept his campaign apparatus, Organizing for America, in operationeven after what he claimed would be his last election. In December of 2012, for instance,The Observer remarkedthat OFA was still soliciting contributions months after Obama won his second term.

Indeed, OFA is up and running today, aiming to undermine Donald Trump and many are making noteof it.Obamacontinues to issue tweets using the OFA Twitter account,and gives marching orders to his OFA army, even in reputed retirement.

In August of 2009, former George W. Bush political advisor Karl Rove charged that Obama was continuing to use divisive, and permanent campaign tactics despiteeasily winning his election. The Washington Timesobserved the same thing.

The claim was not made only by disgruntled conservatives or center-right news sources, either.

In 2013 The New York Times wrote that Obamas campaign without end was fundraising in an unprecedented manner.

Before that, the Washington Posts Dana Milbank commented on the issue in May of 2012, saying that Obama had embraced the permanent campaign and was flying all across the country leading campaign-style rallies to push his agenda.

To a greater extent than his predecessors, Obama has used the trappings of his office to promote his reelection prospects even while handling taxpayer-funded business, Milbank wrote.

In addition, several left-wing websites and commentators actually celebrated Obama for using campaign tactics to continue to sell his ideas. MSNBC praised Obama for putting the permanent campaign to good use, and The Atlantic marveled that Obamas permanent campaign was using his reelection playbook to change Washington.

With all this, it is interesting that today NPRs Ron Elving seems to have only just noticed that a president is perpetrating a permanent campaign to keep his policieson track to completion.

Finally, it was rathertone deaf for Elving to criticize Donald Trump for using I and me too much, coming off the last eight years ofa president famous for his narcissistic references to himself in every appearance. Despite mocking the penchant of the center-right press for keeping count of his self-referential habits, The Washington Post recently published a piecenoting just how often Obama talked about himself.

After all, Barack Obama was the president so enthralled with himself that he gave the Queen of England the dubious gift of an iPod filled with Barack Obama speeches.

Follow Warner Todd Huston on Twitter @warnerthuston or email the author at igcolonel@hotmail.com.

The rest is here:
After 8 Years of Campaigner-in-Chief Obama, NPR Accuses Trump of 'Permanent Campaign' - Breitbart News