Barack Hussein Obama II: 44th President of The United States

[ruby24]

There's none. There were zero scandals for his entire administration, which is very rare. The closest thing I can think of is the failure of the healthcare.gov website in the beginning.

And now we go to this.

[shok]

And for all the media and opponents who say President Obama got nothing done in his eight years, I refer them to this.  cutthecrap/obama accomplishments

[backformore]

14 minutes ago, shok said:

And for all the media and opponents who say President Obama got nothing done in his eight years, I refer them to this.  cutthecrap/obama accomplishments

ANd he did it all without tweeting every thought that popped into his head!

[stormy]

If pains me to hear Kellyanne say that President Obama talks to fat ass regularly.  I know President Obama has an obligation and feels he has no choice, but I wish he just wouldn't answer the phone.

[truthaboutluv]

lol, that mental image of President Obama doing everything to avoid Trump's calls, just really made me laugh. In any case, considering this is coming from Kelly Anne Conway, I'd say take it with a grain of salt. I'm sure they've had conversations but regularly...I don't buy it. 

Edited November 28, 2016 by truthaboutluv

[callmebetty]

6 minutes ago, truthaboutluv said:

lol, that mental image of President Obama doing everything to avoid Trump's calls, just really made me laugh. In any case, considering this is coming from Kelly Anne Conway, I'd say take it with a grain of salt. I'm sure they've had conversations but regularly...I don't buy it. 

That would make for some great Biden memes 

[Dresdengirl]

6 hours ago, truthaboutluv said:

lol, that mental image of President Obama doing everything to avoid Trump's calls, just really made me laugh. In any case, considering this is coming from Kelly Anne Conway, I'd say take it with a grain of salt. I'm sure they've had conversations but regularly...I don't buy it. 

I take everything  Kelly Ann says with a grain of salt. 

[shok]

16 hours ago, stormy said:

If pains me to hear Kellyanne say that President Obama talks to fat ass regularly.  I know President Obama has an obligation and feels he has no choice, but I wish he just wouldn't answer the phone.

Well, personally, I'm very glad that President Obama has the fate of the world on his mind and is smart and classy enough to put that first and as much as he hates it, to try and school the orange buffoon on how to be president so he doesn't blow up the world by the end of January.

In that long interview with David Resnick in the New Yorker, Obama told him that first meeting with Cheeto didn't quite go as he described to the press and said (paraphrased) maybe I'll tell you about it someday, over beer...and off the record'. The intimation was that he was horrified at what an ignoramus Trump is.

[stormy]

So doughy man's non-apology to the President worked for him because by getting his job doughy man was able to say fuck you, Obama.

I am sad to think in less than two months our coolest president (in my lifetime) will be citizen Obama.

[stillshimpy]

On 11/29/2016 at 0:02 AM, shok said:

Well, personally, I'm very glad that President Obama has the fate of the world on his mind and is smart and classy enough to put that first and as much as he hates it, to try and school the orange buffoon on how to be president so he doesn't blow up the world by the end of January.

 

 

As am I.  I also keep hoping that it's all an attempt to let Trump spectacularly implode before he ever even takes office. 

[shok]

Such a good interview with The Rolling Stone  I wish all the people and pundits going on and on about Hillary losing because of her economic policies could read this part.

Quote

But how did the Democrats miss the white working class in such great numbers, who clearly had these big economic issues? They have lost their jobs in industrial states. ...
It's not quite that simple, because this is not simply an economic issue. This is a cultural issue. And a communications issue. It is true that a lot of manufacturing has left or transformed itself because of automation. But during the course of my presidency, we added manufacturing jobs at historic rates, and think about it: In Michigan—

But, I mean—
Hold on. Let me finish. If you look at Michigan, which I won, not just in 2008 but in 2012, by a wide margin, we paid a lot of attention to manufacturing jobs, which is why the auto industry is on double shifts in plants that used to be shut down. If you look at minimum-wage laws or family-leave policy or the investments that we made in community colleges or, for that matter, the Affordable Care Act, these are all big investments for working families, white, black and Hispanic. The challenge we had is not that we've neglected these communities from a policy perspective. That is, I think, an incorrect interpretation. You start reading folks saying, "Oh, you know, working-class families have been neglected," or "Working-class white families have not been paid attention to by Democrats." Actually, they have. What is true, though, is that whatever policy prescriptions that we've been proposing don't reach, are not heard, by the folks in these communities. And what they do hear is Obama or Hillary are trying to take away their guns or they disrespect you.

One of the challenges that we've been talking about now is the way social media and the Internet have changed what people receive as news. I was just talking to my political director, David Simas. He was looking at his Facebook page and some links from high school friends of his, some of whom were now passing around crazy stuff about, you know, Obama has banned the Pledge of Allegiance.

I think it is really important for us, as progressives – set aside the Democratic Party as an institution, but just anybody who wants to see a more progressive America – to think about how we are operating on the ground and showing up everywhere and fighting for the support of folks and giving them a concrete sense of what it is that we think will make their lives better, rather than depending on coming up with the right technocratic policies and sharing that with the New York Times editorial board. If we are not on the ground, and people are not hearing and seeing us face-to-face, then we'll keep on losing, even though I genuinely believe that the Republican prescriptions are not going to be as helpful to these folks.

Oh lord, how could the country go from such a smart, articulate, dignified guy to an orange buffoon who can't complete a sentence and is already creating crises around the world? It's unbelievable.

[stormy]

Sadly, the people that decided this election don't give a rat's ass that their mighty leader has the vocabulary of a 12 year old and tweets whatever comes out of his head like a high school cheerleader.

[Duke Silver]

1 hour ago, stormy said:

Sadly, the people that decided this election don't give a rat's ass that their mighty leader has the vocabulary of a 12 year old and tweets whatever comes out of his head like a high school cheerleader.

It's like the Dubya candidacy, except worse by an order of magnitude, WRT anti-intellectualism (though it's not spoken of in those exact terms).  This is why the GOP wants to destroy public education: a dumb electorate will buy anything, and will operate on feelings & emotions instead of science & rationality.

Edited December 3, 2016 by Duke Silver
can't spell this morning for some reason

[BW Manilowe]

1 hour ago, shok said:

Such a good interview with The Rolling Stone  I wish all the people and pundits going on and on about Hillary losing because of her economic policies could read this part.

Oh lord, how could the country go from such a smart, articulate, dignified guy to an orange buffoon who can't complete a sentence and is already creating crises around the world? It's unbelievable.

Small point: The publication's name is just Rolling Stone, with no "The" in it.

[BW Manilowe]

President Obama speaks at yesterday's White House reception for this year's Kennedy Center Honors recipients (the gala saluting the Honorees was taped last night & will air on CBS later this month--usually sometime between Christmas & New Year's Eve).

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=bOF6KDO441M

[MulletorHater]

13 minutes ago, BW Manilowe said:

President Obama speaks at yesterday's White House reception for this year's Kennedy Center Honors recipients (the gala saluting the Honorees was taped last night & will air on CBS later this month--usually sometime between Christmas & New Year's Eve).

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=bOF6KDO441M

Apparently, he received the longest standing ovation of the evening--more so than the honorees.

I can't get that video out of my mind of the little girl, who cried hysterically when her family explained to her a few months ago that President Obama would have to leave the White House.  I know exactly how she feels.

[DollEyes]

On ‎12‎/‎3‎/‎2016 at 7:00 AM, stormy said:

Sadly, the people that decided this election don't give a rat's ass that their mighty leader has the vocabulary of a 12 year old and tweets whatever comes out of his head like a high school cheerleader.

 President Obama,  many 12-year-olds and many high-school cheerleaders are way smarter than the Orange-Tinted Turd.

[NewDigs]

20 hours ago, BW Manilowe said:

President Obama speaks at yesterday's White House reception for this year's Kennedy Center Honors recipients (the gala saluting the Honorees was taped last night & will air on CBS later this month--usually sometime between Christmas & New Year's Eve).

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=bOF6KDO441M

The Kennedy Center Honors usually (always?) airs the Tuesday after Christmas. And it's usually really good and quite moving.

This year that's Tuesday, December 27 at 9:00 pm est on CBS.

[Ohwell]

I feel kinda sad that this will be my last one to watch since I won't be watching the next four years.

[callmebetty]

10 minutes ago, Ohwell said:

I feel kinda sad that this will be my last one to watch since I won't be watching the next four years.

Who chooses who gets honored? I know that any legit performers and such will go because they still feel a sense of patriotism. but if the president picks who do we see Duck Dynasty guys ,  Ted Nugent ,  Scott Baio ,  Victoria Secret angels?

[truthaboutluv]

The Board of the Kennedy Center picks the honorees. The President has nothing to do with it. Apparently, Steven Colbert, who hosted again this year, made a joke about that very thing during the ceremony (i.e. it's a good thing the President doesn't have a say because they'd be honoring Chachi next year). I wonder if it'll make the final edit. 

Edited December 6, 2016 by truthaboutluv

[stormy]

Did anyone watch the WH tree lighting ceremony on the Hallmark Channel last night?

I had tears in my eyes at the end.  President Obama gave a short "be hopeful" type of speech.

I won't be watching it again.   Little things like this won't be the same.

[callmebetty]

32 minutes ago, stormy said:

Did anyone watch the WH tree lighting ceremony on the Hallmark Channel last night?

I had tears in my eyes at the end.  President Obama gave a short "be hopeful" type of speech.

I won't be watching it again.   Little things like this won't be the same.

Didn't see it, but saw soundbite on the news.  It is really going to be like every dystopian movie or book, almost drabless .

 We are all going to be living in a  black and white before ad for every Seen on TV product.

[peacheslatour]

On 12/5/2016 at 9:09 AM, MulletorHater said:

Apparently, he received the longest standing ovation of the evening--more so than the honorees.

I can't get that video out of my mind of the little girl, who cried hysterically when her family explained to her a few months ago that President Obama would have to leave the White House.  I know exactly how she feels.

We've gone from pure class to unadulterated crap  I mean crass.

[BW Manilowe]

7 hours ago, truthaboutluv said:

The Board of the Kennedy Center picks the honorees. The President has nothing to do with it. Apparently, Steven Colbert, who hosted again this year, made a joke about that very thing during the ceremony (i.e. it's a good thing the President doesn't have a say because they'd be honoring Chachi next year). I wonder if it'll make the final edit. 

I believe the public, at least in recent years, can also suggest celebrities for the Kennedy Center Honors. Friends said it was on their website in the last year or so.

[truthaboutluv]

Yes, two years ago they opened up an option for the public to make suggestions online but the final decision still lies with the Board of Trustees.

[BW Manilowe]

2 hours ago, stormy said:

Did anyone watch the WH tree lighting ceremony on the Hallmark Channel last night?

I had tears in my eyes at the end.  President Obama gave a short "be hopeful" type of speech.

I won't be watching it again.   Little things like this won't be the same.

Here are President Obama's remarks at this year's National Christmas Tree lighting ceremony, as posted by the White House to YouTube. They run a little under 14 minutes. He was accompanied by Mrs. Obama & 1 of their daughters (I think Sasha, but I'm not certain).

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=FBYlc3dLkBU

If anyone wants to see what's apparently the whole ceremony, with the entertainment, there's also a version lasting about an hour & 15 minutes posted by someone other than the White House or Hallmark Channel.

[DollEyes]

17 hours ago, peacheslatour said:

We've gone from pure class to unadulterated crap  I mean asshole.

Fixed that for ya. 

[shok]

Fareed Zacharia's special on President Obama on CNN was pretty good tonight. The only part that I took issue with was the economic situation he had to deal with when he took office. I thought the editors made it look like the crash occurred under Obama's watch instead of making it clear that it all happened when W was president and Obama had a herculean job to clean it up even with the Republicans obstructing every inch of the way. Obama deserves far more credit than he gets for that whole situation.

I know I and most other people were very impressed with Pres Obama when he went to Charleston to speak at the funeral but I didn't realize how deeply and profoundly African Americans were touched by it. To see Van Jones tear up during the program and then Bakari Sellers break down and cry on Don Lemon's panel afterwards was very affecting. My heart just went out to both of them and to all other African American people (including Barack Obama) who have had to put up with such shit in their lives just because of the color of their skin. 

[stormy]

shok   I think you're talking about Van Jones' special The Messy Truth.

I fear for this country.  the doughy fat butt is turning into a military/police state.

I remember President Obama, during the primaries, saying, the American people will never elect a reality TV star.  I kept thinking that's exactly why they will.  He rode on a wave of celebrity-hood.   Getting media attention no one else was afforded and playing them like a cheap fiddle.

When President Obama went out campaigning for Hillary, I kept thinking, you're not talking to to the right people, you're preaching to the choir.

Well, that shouldn't have been President Obama's burden anyway.  He told the crowds if Hillary doesn't win, it would be an insult to him but two things.  #1 they didn't care they had no allegiance to Hillary and #2 Hillary was running against doughy butt, the FBI, the Russians and Wikileaks.  Yet, she won but the system made her loose.

President Obama is going to turn the keys to the White House over to the most vile, inept person he could ever have imagined.  I hope his legacy is, that no matter what, he was a President we will always be proud of and respect.  It will be for me.

[shok]

7 hours ago, stormy said:

shok   I think you're talking about Van Jones' special The Messy Truth.

 

No, I didn't watch Van Jones' special because he's a BoB'er through and through and I really didn't want to watch an hour of him finding people to espouse Bernie's blatherings. You should watch Fareed Zacharia's special on the Legacy of Barack Obama. It's excellent.

[stormy]

:)    Thanks shok.  Will look for that one.
 

[BW Manilowe]

President Obama will be interviewed by Trevor Noah on The Daily Show on December 12. Besides airing on Comedy Central, it will be simulcast on MTV & BET.

http://variety.com/2016/tv/news/president-obama-daily-show-1201937733/

[NewDigs]

Not sure where to put this but Obama is ordering an investigation into Russian hacking.

BUT:

' ... it is unclear that the contents of the report will be made public. Intelligence agencies and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, which still has an active investigation of the hacking underway, have been reluctant to make public any of their findings; they fear it will reveal sources and methods of how the incursions were traced back to Russia.'

Figures. Maybe this will help:

'On Capitol Hill, the pressure for deeper investigations and a broader release of intelligence findings is growing. Seven Senate Democrats asked the White House earlier this week to declassify some of their conclusions, a step that Ms. Monaco said the intelligence agencies were now considering. Senator John McCain, Republican of Arizona, has vowed to hold hearings on Russian activities, including efforts to get into military systems.'

[navelgazer]

With this CIA report, it has become crystal clear that the election was rigged by Russia for Drumpf.  Obama should do whatever it takes, up to and including exercising his power to suspend the Constitutional process long enough to hold an uncompromised revote.  

Sorry, Mr. President, it looks like you won't be able to dance off into history as soon as you thought.  

Quote

The CIA has concluded in a secret assessment that Russia intervened in the 2016 election to help Donald Trump win the presidency, rather than just to undermine confidence in the U.S. electoral system, according to officials briefed on the matter. 

Intelligence agencies have identified individuals with connections to the Russian government who provided WikiLeaks with thousands of hacked emails from the Democratic National Committee and others, includingHillary Clinton’s campaign chairman, according to U.S. officials. Those officials described the individuals as actors known to the intelligence community and part of a wider Russian operation to boost Trump and hurt Clinton’s chances. 

“It is the assessment of the intelligence community that Russia’s goal here was to favor one candidate over the other, to help Trump get elected,” said a senior U.S. official briefed on an intelligence presentation made to U.S. senators. “That’s the consensus view.” 

-snip- 

The CIA shared its latest assessment with key senators in a closed-door briefing on Capitol Hill last week, in which agency officials cited a growing body of intelligence from multiple sources. Agency briefers told the senators it was now “quite clear” that electing Trump was Russia’s goal, according to the officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss intelligence matters. 

[more at link]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/obama-orders-review-of-russian-hacking-during-presidential-campaign/2016/12/09/31d6b300-be2a-11e6-94ac-3d324840106c_story.html?utm_term=.b8aef8e54b3c

Edited December 10, 2016 by navelgazer

[DollEyes]

On 11/28/2016 at 6:41 PM, Dresdengirl said:

I take everything  Kelly Ann says with a grain of salt. 

Just a grain? A mineful would be more like it. 

Here's a brilliant essay from Ta-Nehisi Coates praising President Obama. There's a little searching, but it's worth it:

My President Was Black

Edited December 13, 2016 by DollEyes

[Padma]

I'm sorry, but Obama is such a disappointment to me.  Heard congressman Adam Schiff this a.m. saying he could have--and should have--released the info about Russia hacking for Trump during the election.  Also said that even now, he could release more details--that Americans deserve to know.

Additionally, I'm seeing what is happening in Aleppo and thinking this is Obama's Rwanda.

I still haven't forgiven Clinton for opting out of intervening to save lives in Rwanda.  Some around Obama have wanted him to get involved to help those people. Now, it's too late.  History will not judge him well for this failure of leadership.  He's so often maddeningly over-cautious, imo. It's tragic.

[millennium]

On 12/10/2016 at 6:18 AM, navelgazer said:

With this CIA report, it has become crystal clear that the election was rigged by Russia for Drumpf.  Obama should do whatever it takes, up to and including exercising his power to suspend the Constitutional process long enough to hold an uncompromised revote.  

 

Are you kidding?  He apparently can't even be bothered to make a public stand for the legitimacy of the CIA report or to condemn the way Republicans are undermining public opinion regarding our national intelligence agency.

I am very angry at him for virtually abdicating in this past month, when America needs him more than at any time in the past eight years.

[navelgazer]

15 minutes ago, millennium said:

Are you kidding?  He apparently can't even be bothered to make a public stand for the legitimacy of the CIA report or to condemn the way Republicans are undermining public opinion regarding our national intelligence agency.

I am very angry at him for virtually abdicating in this past month, when America needs him more than at any time in the past eight years.

No, not kidding.  People remember the Twitler's call back in July for Russia to hack the Democrats.  I thought that was treason even then.  I give Obama credit for tasking the CIA with coming out with the report about what the Russians did to fix the election before the EC has voted.  If the electors put country before party -- I know, I know, I'm a glass-half-full girl -- then we can go from there without Obama having played a partisan role, which I think is vital.  

Edited December 14, 2016 by navelgazer

[Duke Silver]

Yeah, I've been a bit of an Obama apologist (at least since the election)....giving him the benefit of the doubt about trying to perhaps remain an influencing force in Trumpland even after 1/20, but this extreme reticence in calling out the #RussianHack stuff is jarring.

I don't know...I've disagreed w/ Obama A LOT from a policy perspective over the last 8 years, but I've always respected him.  With that said, given what's at stake, I'm disappointed to say the least.

[millennium]

12 hours ago, navelgazer said:

 If the electors put country before party -- I know, I know, I'm a glass-half-full girl -- then we can go from there without Obama having played a partisan role, which I think is vital.  

 

The Democrats are cowering like whipped dogs.    They have had almost no voice in the past month, leaving Trump free to go unchallenged on nearly every statement.

PRESIDENTIAL TRANSITION Democrats fear another Trump trouncing

I was watching CNN yesterday and Kelly Ann Conway was asked Trump's opinion of the CIA (or something to that effect) and she began her response with, "Well, he is the President of the United States ..." and I thought, No, he's not.   But he may as well be because Obama has already checked out.

12 hours ago, Duke Silver said:

Yeah, I've been a bit of an Obama apologist (at least since the election)....giving him the benefit of the doubt about trying to perhaps remain an influencing force in Trumpland even after 1/20, but this extreme reticence in calling out the #RussianHack stuff is jarring.

I don't know...I've disagreed w/ Obama A LOT from a policy perspective over the last 8 years, but I've always respected him.  With that said, given what's at stake, I'm disappointed to say the least.

I understood at first when Obama dreamed he could somehow bring Trump to Jesus.   But the handwriting is on the wall.  The cabinet picks say it all.   Obama's legacy is toast.   Clinging to the hope that by remaining silent he can retain some influence seems like a pipe dream.   We really need him to be out there right now on behalf of the popular voters but instead he's dropped out of sight.

[stormy]

I don't have a clue, but, has any president-elect inserted himself into policy the way this flaming asshat has?

I mean first it was talking to the president of Taiwan, then it was going after Boeing, then his bogus saving 1000 jobs at Carrier, then yesterday going after Lockheed, tanking their stock.

Seriously, WTF?

[navelgazer]

FWIW, the WH hasn't exactly been silent.  

Quote

 

WH: No doubt Trump benefitted from Russian hacking

BY JORDAN FABIAN - 12/12/16 01:49 PM EST

President Obama’s top spokesman went on the attack Monday against President-elect Donald Trump and his allies over allegations the Russian government interfered in the election to boost his candidacy.

White House press secretary Josh Earnest said there’s no denying Trump benefitted from Russian hacking of political organizations during the campaign season.  “You didn’t need a security clearance to figure out who benefited from malicious Russian cyber activity,” Earnest said during the daily press briefing.  “The president-elect didn’t call it into question," he continued. "He certainly had a pretty good sense of whose side this activity was coming down on.”

Earnest rattled off a long list of reported ties between Trump’s team and Russia, suggesting that members of Congress and the public knew of those connections before the election.  The spokesman also threw the White House’s support behind a congressional effort to investigate the claims, which came to light last Friday in a Washington Post report.  

President Obama last week directed the intelligence community to compile a report into Russian hacking tied to U.S. elections. Earnest said the results could aid congressional investigators.  He noted that the only information published from the hacks, which reportedly hit Democratic and Republican groups, pertained to Democrats.

“It’s all information that is, as far as I can tell, undisputed,” Earnest said. “One conclusion it does lead me to is the special responsibility that members of Congress have to take a close look at this. Particularly those members of Congress who endorsed Trump in the elections.”

http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/309999-wh-no-doubt-trump-benefitted-from-russian-hacking

[more at link]

 

[Duke Silver]

Really, please all, take the time to read BOTH of these:

My President Was Black: A history of the first African American White House—and of what came next

 

The Problem With Obama's Faith in White America

[slf]

Well, I think to a degree his hands are tied with what he can say. It's not like the CIA has a crystal ball that gives them info. They have sources, C.I.'s, etc., and if they've got things in the works they aren't going to come out and say that, give Trump and co an idea of what's coming. As this twitter thread points out: 

"US intelligence does keep some secrets. Here are two hypotheticals. One is that the FBI has identified specific Russian perpetrators of the election hacks and obtained sealed indictments, pending an operation to capture them. Another is that CIA or NSA have substantially more than circumstantial evidence of Putin's direct involvement and intent in the election hacking. Public disclosure of the former could make arrest and prosecution of criminal hackers much harder. Public disclosure of the latter would presumably blow an extraordinarily valuable intelligence source or NSA access. The FBI, CIA and NSA would be loath to pay those costs. The dilemmas are genuine. But if either scenario is true, and I have no inside information here, then it is hard to think of a more consequential set of facts. The stakes don't get much higher than a hostile nation weaponizing intelligence or the purpose of tipping a presidential election."

So I'm going to wait. If Trump is sworn-in and nothing has been done with what the CIA knows, then yeah. But this is uncharted territory for us and it's complicated by Congress not only not caring but really not wanting any investigation at all.

[navelgazer]

26 minutes ago, Duke Silver said:

Really, please all, take the time to read BOTH of these:

My President Was Black: A history of the first African American White House—and of what came next

 

The Problem With Obama's Faith in White America

Going to need get the hardcopy of those so can take my time to really read them and not get distracted.  Thanks for posting.   

[theredhead77]

36 minutes ago, slf said:

Well, I think to a degree his hands are tied with what he can say. It's not like the CIA has a crystal ball that gives them info. They have sources, C.I.'s, etc., and if they've got things in the works they aren't going to come out and say that, give Trump and co an idea of what's coming. As this twitter thread points out: 

"US intelligence does keep some secrets... [snipped for length]

This is what I've been telling myself for so long. We may demand transparency but we are not entitled to it all the time. For those reasons.

[DollEyes]

13 hours ago, theredhead77 said:

This is what I've been telling myself for so long. We may demand transparency but we are not entitled to it all the time. For those reasons.

ITA. As someone who comes from a military family, I know that there are some things that the President can't say/do publicly because there may be covert ops involved with innocent lives at stake. Re the Russian hacks, I believe that President Obama wanted to make sure that he had all the facts before he said anything, which IMO was the right thing to do. While he's not "perfect," Obama's willingness to at least try to take the presidency seriously is just one of the many reasons why I'll not only miss him, it's why I think the country will be worse without him. 

[ruby24]

I was watching Ta-Nehisi Coates on The Daily Show last night and every time I think about how extraordinary a person Obama had to be on every single level to become the first black president, and how absolutely awful and indecent a person Trump is and that was all it took for him to be president (rich and white, like Coates said), it makes me sick and despair.

And frankly, I guess it makes me think that our first woman president is going to have be just as extraordinary a person as Obama was. Not that Hillary wasn't extraordinary (the most qualified person to ever run for that office, I mean, come on), but the first woman pres is out there, and whoever she is, she's probably going to have to be five times as smart as any man, but also with movie star charisma, maybe movie star looks (who knows, but women are judged on a different standard), squeaky clean as far as scandals or potential scandals (she can't give them anything, just like Obama didn't), a clean record of devotion from her spouse as well, and inspirational to boot. I just hope she also has Hillary's steely reserve, because she's gonna need to be a fighter in her bones, more than Obama was.

That's what it's going to take. And she'll probably still have "trust" issues, because many people just don't like to see women trying to get to a position of power over men no matter what. But she has to have all of Hillary's qualifications, minus her weaknesses, plus the communicative strengths of Obama and/or Bill Clinton.

Man, that's a tall order. I worry, because the thing with Hillary is that I KNEW she could handle the job once in office and was capable of doing it. We need a person who is ALL of these things, great candidate AND great president, and there's so few women who have been a model for this that it's difficult to imagine now. I mean, how many absolutely extraordinary people like that exist in the world? It's a rare thing.

Edited December 14, 2016 by ruby24

[Padma]

Watching what is happening in Aleppo. Yes, genocide is happening because of Assad and Trump's good buddy Putin.

But there should have been American leadership on this and we should have done everything possible to save those people.

This is blood on Obama's hands and will--and should--forever damage his reputation as president. Whatever he had done back when the rebels had momentum--we should have tried--but we hung them out to die. 

It's not a question of him trying his best. I think he barely tried at all.

What a disgrace and what a disappointment.  If I were the Nobel committee, I'd take back that prize.