"Obama hopes to pave way for Clinton with farewell State of the Union"

[Dawson Leery]

http://www.cnn.com/2016/01/12/politics/barack-obama-hillary-clinton-2016-election/

"Obama looks to Clinton
Though the White House says Obama will not endorse a candidate in the 2016 primary race, there is no doubt that he has long seen Clinton as the best hope for preserving his legacy.

In fact, that belief was one reason many people in the administration's inner circle were wary of a run by Vice President Joe Biden.

"I think Barack Obama believes that it is incredibly important that Hillary Cinton succeeds him," said a former close aide to Obama who is still connected with the White House. "The only way that we have an economy where people aren't losing their health care is if Hillary Clinton becomes president."

Jeff Shesol, who is familiar with the dynamic between a president and his preferred successor after working in the final years of the Clinton White House as a speechwriter, including on the State of the Union address, highlighted Obama's reliance on Clinton for his place in history."

[mak3cats]

1. Ya think?

I heard a lot more of Bernie's positions in that speech than Hillary's. But maybe I'm just stupid.

[FreakinDJ]

7. Definitely was not Clinton being groomed

[tazkcmo]

52. That's what I heard.

After many of President Obama's statements I was saying, "Thank you, Bernie.".

[TheProgressive]

2. Woopppssss...

Mr. Obama was channeling Mr. Sanders' platform.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

3. Sounded like that

[global1]

4. Sorry But I Was Hearing Bernie's Platform In The Bulk Of....

this speech - not Hillary.

[hollowdweller]

13. Me too. Could have lifted a lot of it from one of Bernie's speeches.

[Punkingal]

5. I seriously doubt he has to rely on Clinton for his place in history.

[ram2008]

6. So he calls for a change in politics

And we're supposed to think that means he's paving the way for more Clintons?

[Paulie]

8. I'll leave this here

https://m.

[polly7]

50. Woot, there it is! nt.

[bkkyosemite]

9. He was talking Bernie tonight about issues not Hillary

[onehandle]

10. Clearly. When Senator Sanders drops out in March, his support of Hillary will shine. nt

[RobertEarl]

11. Occupy too

Not only was Bernie in the background of the Obama words but Occupies too. It is evident that Obama sees the future of American politics and its not the same old. It's the People, and Bernie is.

[blondie58]

12. Why would Bernie drop out

When he is Doing so well in the Polls? 😼

[hollowdweller]

15. Hillary seems stalled out right now.

Also the more she attacks Bernie and says republican things the more Bernie seems to go up.

[onehandle]

31. Hillary is firmly ahead in 96% of states representing 98% of the U.S. Population.

On March 1st she will have more than 50% of the delagates.

[Cal33]

48. Just keep on with your wishful thinking, if it's of consolation to you.

[99th_Monkey]

14. I think not. Not even ONE camera panned to Clinton, was she even there?

there were 3-4 pans to Bernie.

Conspicuously, Hillary was either AWOL, not invited, or totally ignored by the media.

Wonder which it is? Did you see her there?

[hollowdweller]

16. Maybe she sees Obama's poll numbers are down and wanted to distance herself from him.

[Motown_Johnny]

18. I think she was out begging for money, again.

http://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/politics/elections/2015/12/29/hillary-clinton-fundraising-detroit/78047656/

^snip^

Hillary Clinton plans Jan. 12 fundraiser in Detroit
8:56 p.m. EST December 29, 2015

Democratic presidential frontrunner Hillary Clinton is coming to Detroit on Jan. 12 for a fundraiser, her campaign confirmed Tuesday.

The campaign sent an email calling it a “very special evening with many state and local officials and special guests.” Tickets start at $300 for the event from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., but the campaign did not say where the event was besides Detroit.

The fundraiser, which The News reported earlier this month, coincides with the second day of the media preview for the North American International Auto Show at Cobo Center in Detroit.

[libdem4life]

22. Heck, I got an email request to donate $1 ... $1. It costs most than that to process it.

Couldn't figure out if it was ignorance, sloppy accounting, or desperation for donors, any donors.

[99th_Monkey]

29. Combo of ignorance and gimmickry

She's clearly trying to boost her "Total Number of Donors" up, on the cheap, so
she can boast about at least approximating Bernie's total number, plus it pushes
DOWN the "Average Amount of Donations" number. so her huge corporate donors
aren't so apparent.

It just one more sign of the desperation at work in Camp Weathervane

[libdem4life]

30. I thought that, too, It's almost embarrassing this is a Democrat, least of all the new

POTUS wannabe. Couldn't she have made it $5...the cost of a pack of cigarettes or a latte? I just watched Cenk on The Young Turks...he's telling it like it is. Bernie and Trump. Real choices...not the same old establishment.

So what happens to the parties? Are we adding parties, dissolving parties?

[99th_Monkey]

32. An amazing election, this one. great questions about the parties.

We the People apparently have other ideas, and I'm loving the NON-Trump part
of the equation.

[tazkcmo]

53. Bingo!!!

She's so transparent and behind the curve, always. Always! So clueless...

[Le Taz Hot]

43. An attempt to be able to say

she has a million+ donors. Another brilliant idea from her high-paid staff.

[libdem4life]

45. It was an insult...Oh, too poor to pay $2,700? Let me help keep it in your budget.

See, I like poor people. Some of my best friends are....oh, well... I'd like to be your friend.

I'd love to know the "take" from that idea?

[restorefreedom]

42. she really doesn't get it

the aristocracy is dying. and all her campaign does is throw more money at a problem that is LARGELY THE RESULT OF TOO MUCH CONCENTRATED WEALTH!!!!!!

not yelling at you, 99M. had to get that out.

wow are they clueless!

[Cal33]

49. That certainly makes her general behavior more understandable to me.

[libdem4life]

24. This puzzles me. Why would she NOT be at the SOTU? She schedules another event

in Michigan? Makes no sense. Something has happened. All the comments here and the awesome speech, Bernie there, and no Hillary? Politics is strange.

[Motown_Johnny]

25. The location was never disclosed either.

At least not so far as I can tell. The local news mentioned it a couple days ago, and she was going to visit the auto show also. That is the last I heard about it.


It is strange. Maybe she wants this one to slip by unnoticed.

[libdem4life]

28. How do you slip out of The Event of The President's Most Important Speech of The Year...and still

want people to empower you to give that speech next year? Again, unless she was not invited. That would be the only sane reason...and it would certainly be a valid one.

Has she made any comments? Bernie did. Has she shown any interest? Strange.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

34. Technically she wouldn't have to be there because she isn't a member of Congress.

However, since this was Obama's last SOTU it would seem appropriate and respectful for her to attend.

[libdem4life]

39. Especially because of all the news that he wants to help her continue his legacy.

Now "a former commitment" excuse makes sense. If Obama wanted her there, she'd have been there for the photo op and a comment later. Sounds like this "internal polling" has cooked the Golden Goose.

[840high]

35. She wsn't there.

[Motown_Johnny]

17. He sounded like Bernie to me.

The whole thing about people getting involved to change the system and not settle for the status quo sounded like Bernie.


I think he may have been paving the way for his successor, but successor does not equal Clinton.

[Karma13612]

19. I first noticed the nod to Bernie when

Obama said he would keep the speech short because some people were eager to get back to Iowa, and that he could help them with pointers.

Unless invited, Clinton would not be there, right?

And then he started talking about all the issues Bernie speaks of in his stump speeches.

[99th_Monkey]

21. Yes, the uninvited do not attend. see Motown_Johnny post: HRC was chasing $$$ in Iowa apparently

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1251&pid=1001102

[Motown_Johnny]

27. Not Iowa, in Detroit.

Which is even stranger since it is less than 3 seeks to Iowa.

[Le Taz Hot]

44. $$$$$

As usual, she's not campaigning as much as she's raising money. Remember, she's going through it pretty quickly.

[Cal33]

51. Uninviting as it is, I was trying to catch a glimpse of Debbie Wasserman Schultz, but I didn't.

Maybe she was with Hillary? Perhaps I just didn't see her.

[dragonlady]

23. The only other senator/candidate I saw was Rubio

Were Ted Cruz or Rand Paul or any other Republican candidate present?

[underthematrix]

26. That wasn't a nod to Bernie. That was a dig at Repubs

[Dretownblues]

33. You must have missed

When he talked about income inequality, big banks, climate change, free college, and removing money out politics.

[840high]

36. Yes he did.

[underthematrix]

37. Yes I did but that was not a shout out to Bernie. That was a shout out

to the Democrat policy agenda which he has been talking about in his first and second campaigns and his first and second terms.

The reason I'm framing it that way is because all our candidates have given those issues priority. They differ in how to move forward on them and how to pay for them.

[lovemydog]

38. I did not feel he was doing that with his State of the Union speech this evening.

I think he was sincere about wanting voters to decide.

The quote from an unnamed source doesn't persuade me.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

40. That was one of the greatest speeches I have ever witnessed.

We might have presidents as smart but never presidents as cool.

[randome]

41. Well, Sanders is not a Democrat so...

[hr][font color="blue"][center]Precision and concision. That's the game.[/center][/font][hr]

[Cal33]

54. Sanders' voting record coincides in the high 90s% with that of Democrats. He found

it disgusting that some Democrats, too, were being bought off and influenced by
Corporate Power people. So he showed his disapproval and his personal independence
from Corporate Influence by calling himself a Democratic Socialist. He was telling them
and showing them that he could not be bought.

You know the above very well, too. Why do you keep on writing as though you didn't?

[demwing]

46. Nope, that's wrong

Collinson was wrong when he wrote this Hillary infomercial, CNN was wrong when they published it, and you were wrong when you posted this mess of uninformed bias.

The article was written before the SOTU was given, so the author (Collinson) is predicting what Obama might say. Those of us who watched are commenting on what Obama did say. It's not difficult to figure out that the former is wishful thinking, and the latter is a straight reporting of the facts.

[Myrina]

47. Yeah, sorta not.

n/t