In Farewell, Obama Sets Red Lines That Would Pull Him Back Into Fray

[DonViejo]

By MICHAEL D. SHEAR and PETER BAKER JAN. 18, 2017

WASHINGTON — When President Obama arrived in office eight years ago, the departing President George W. Bush essentially withdrew from public life, declaring that his successor “deserves my silence.” It was an approach that Mr. Obama greatly appreciated but does not intend to follow.

At the final news conference of his presidency, Mr. Obama made clear on Wednesday that he finds some ideas advanced by President-elect Donald J. Trump so alarming that he laid out markers that would draw him back into the fray.

“There’s a difference between that normal functioning of politics and certain issues or certain moments where I think our core values may be at stake,” Mr. Obama told reporters in the White House briefing room.

Mr. Obama continued: “I put in that category if I saw systematic discrimination being ratified in some fashion. I put in that category explicit or functional obstacles to people being able to vote, to exercise their franchise. I’d put in that category institutional efforts to silence dissent or the press. And for me at least, I would put in that category efforts to round up kids who have grown up here and for all practical purposes are American kids, and send them someplace else, when they love this country.”


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https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/18/us/politics/obama-last-news-conference-as-president.html?emc=edit_th_20170119&nl=todaysheadlines&nlid=57435284&_r=0

[mcar]

1. I hope he takes a nice break then jumps back in

We need his voice more than ever.

[bdamomma]

2. He will be back

stronger and without anyone obstructing him too.

[DK504]

7. I'd love to see him barnstorming

the country, after a long vacation, and bringing America around to sanity.

[Baitball Blogger]

3. Cannot contain my excitement.

We need more leaders that understand the changing political demographics in the U.S.A., and who also have the personality that can draw support from citizens who have been largely ignored, exploited and/or abused.

[Gothmog]

4. I am glad that President Obama will continue to participate and hold trump accountable

[Freedomofspeech]

5. The thought of him continuing to lead us is my only hope right now.

[WhiteTara]

6. That he will continue to live in DC

will be a great asset to the resistance.

[ProfessorGAC]

8. Couple Years, Anyway

Papers here said when younger daughter graduates, they're moving the whole deal back to Chicago. Buildings already picked out.

But, since it's 2017, it's not like Chicago is a different solar system.

[KittyWampus]

9. After a short break, there's no question he'll be back. And HE gives press conferences

He may actually accomplish more out of office than in the office.

Fewer restraints.

[Mc Mike]

10. Thank you, Prez Obama. nt.

[avebury]

11. I hope that he will try to unify the Democratic opposition to Trump. nt

[orleans]

12. does anyone have a link to the entire press conference? n/t

[Cha]

13. There's a difference.. It wouldn't be

Obama to retire from public life for one thing.. and he has humanty.. blotus doesn't.

He gets all the dissent this country can muster.

“There’s a difference between that normal functioning of politics and certain issues or certain moments where I think our core values may be at stake,” Mr. Obama told reporters in the White House briefing room.

Mr. Obama continued: “I put in that category if I saw systematic discrimination being ratified in some fashion. I put in that category explicit or functional obstacles to people being able to vote, to exercise their franchise. I’d put in that category institutional efforts to silence dissent or the press. And for me at least, I would put in that category efforts to round up kids who have grown up here and for all practical purposes are American kids, and send them someplace else, when they love this country.”

Thanks Don~

[Skittles]

14. LOL, "deserves my silence"

that's because it was Dubya's puppeteer Cheney who did the heavy lifting

[DFW]

15. Well, hell, there is, after, all, one major difference

George W. Bush was succeeded by a benevolent man of very high intellect, and he knew it.

Barack Obama is being succeeded by a malevolent man of no intellect, and he knows it.

[DonCoquixote]

16. Mr. Obama let me be honest

Mr. Obama, unlike many of the critics I realize that if you tried to go off half-cocked all but you would've gotten is an impeachment and something to be used to scare off any non-white male that would dare run for president. However, I also have to tell the truth, there were many times that you brought knives to gunfights, we extended a hand when it was very clear that the GOP had no other intention but to break your fingers and by proxy ours. So let me be honest about this idea of certain things that would "bring you back into the fray."

First off, you are in the fray. You win the fray before you ever became president, and you will be in the fray until your dying breath, and not just because you happen to be a president, but because, despite the fact that you tried to become the president of All-America, you are still America's first African-American president. You know that when Trump runs in 2020, and is Congress people run in 2018, you will be used as a sort of scarecrow to frighten those angry white working-class voters and good church folk into the voting booth. The GOP knows that they cannot accomplish half of their agenda in four years and even if they wind up accomplishing a lot of it the promises that they made to their voters are going to evaporate quicker than steam. They will need a smokescreen, and even if they are in a war, they are still going to need to bring about your ghost as a means to frighten all the white voters into the voting booth.

So please, now more than ever, now that you don't have to worry about an election, now truly go ahead and engage. As of right now, politeness is weakness. Of all due respect about this going high stuff that Michelle s, it's impossible to reach high when your opponent has shot you in the kneecaps, kicked you in the groin and then proceed to cut your head off of the chainsaw, all while bunch of cops, reporters, and clergy nod and smile, because they know Bill get some sweet love from the billionaires.

Again, I realize that a lot of the stuff that people yell at you in say you should have done is something that is completely the product of not only overactive imaginations, but people who refuse to admit that they are feeding off of same racist trough that those people they claim to hate so much do. it was very easy for bunch of mostly white progressives lecture minorities on how they should wage the war against the GOP when they could not get elected to so much as dogcatcher. From the very first race whistle that Hillary blew in 2008, to were Ralph Nader actually used a very nasty word (involves uncles) to describe you, to the self-appointed purist left is spewing that ignores the fact that they hated you from day one, I knew that you had to deal with many snipers at your back, so many a diluted Brutus willing to stab you and say "not that I loved Obama less, but that I loved my purity and vanity more."

All the same, do not come to this fight unless you are willing to throw some of the nasty left hooks that you did not swing as president. If people do something that you would've considered a low blow back in your time, keep in mind, this is no longer your time. You often said, and rightly said, that was we the people that would make the change. While now you're just another member of the people Barack, and while will be happy to have you among us, do not wag a finger at us because we get below the belt. Sorry to say, the GOP has basically Civil War, the only difference between the election of Donald Trump at the first shots fired at Fort Sumter is that there are a lot of lawyers involved now, not that the GOP does not want to kill a lot of people, because they do. You gave them more than enough chances to think of themselves as Americans first, Republicans second. If there is any valid criticism is that you gave them too many chances, we are not going to give them any more.

[fishwax]

17. this new president deserves silence from no one