“Imagine if I had done any of this” (Barack Obama, April 3, 2025)
Because of who he is, and the power he still holds with only 8 words Obama has blown a hole in Trump and the GOP’s “case” for what Trump has been doing – and the GOP has gone along with. A hole big enough to sail an aircraft carrier through. Democrats have been waiting, crying out even for some big guns to start hitting Trump and the GOP and in ways that will get attention. To follow the lead of the great John Lewis and heed his call to get into “Good Trouble.”Â
Well, Senator Cory Booker did his part to create Good Trouble early in the week with a record setting, scathing 24 hour plus floor speech criticizing Trump, Musk/DOGE and the GOP. It turns out the week would have more. Kamala Harris has been in what to me is an impossible position – speak out or stay silent and it seemed like a lose-lose thing for her either way. Well, I guess she decided something I adopted back in college – when you’re damned if you do and damned if you don’t you might as well DO. So now Harris has broken her silence and hopefully we’ll hear more from her. However the biggest “gun” in Democrat’s arsenal is former President Barack Obama. Yesterday HE decided to come off the sidelines!
Traditionally once they leave Office Presidents keep a low profile. Oh, they make speeches (often overseas), write a book or two and give a handful of interviews and make appearances during Presidential campaigns from Convention time on. However like I said they respect the norm of ‘One President at a time’ and even when an occupant of the Oval Office takes shots at them they do their best to avoid responding. Obama sure as hell has taken far more shots, undeserved ones than others (let’s not forget Bush 43 actually warranted so much criticism!) but he’s respected the norms. However since Trump rose to power ‘Norms’ don’t mean jack-sh*t anymore. He has shattered plenty and it’s gotten to the point where he does it so often no one even blinks anymore.
That makes it worth asking “Why the hell does Trump get to ignore, even shatter norms but nobody else gets to do so?” I can understand concerns about breaking the norm of former Presidents holding back even when criticized by successors. I even get that Trump shattered that norm for four years after getting whupped in 2020 by Joe Biden – as in people thinking we should lower ourselves to Trump’s level. I’ve worried about our taking part in ‘normalizing’ former Presidents taking an active role in current affairs. At least a public one. Prior to Trump most Presidents would quietly consult prior Presidents regardless of Party on important matters. Most of the time we never knew about it.
Anyway, getting back to the ‘should we jump into the Trump sewer and play on his terms I keep going back to what I’ve said before: When you find yourself caught up in a bar fight forget reason. Forget rules and trying to explain you just happened to be there. No, you have to do WHATEVER you have to do including fighting, complete with gouging, kicking, biting, hitting people with beer bottles or pieces of broken furniture. Whatever it takes to get out the door with minimal injury. We didn’t start the fight. We and almost everyone else was just in some place, perhaps a little rough looking but seemed peaceful and quiet when the fight broke out. And escalated. If you’ve never been though that type of thing I can promise you – all bets are off and you damn well better do anything you have to do to get out in one piece. Or at least not needing to head to the ER.
This is worse than any bar fight, even a ‘biker bar’ fight. THESE ARE NOT NORMAL TIMES and we’ve got an out-of-control President, who’s Party control (narrowly but it’s mostly been enough) of both chambers of Congress who are letting him rampage. Some GOP officials actually support him, although if journalists are to be believed there has been even worse concern, if not outright angst over Trump’s antics than there was in his first term. However they are cowards and afraid to publicly stand up to him. Cowards that they are, they are hoping and in some cases I’ll bet praying for the courts (Including SCOTUS) and Democrats to do what they don’t have the courage to do – politically throw Trump and MAGA into the wood chipper.
I’m not the only person to have, in the past asked of conservative acquaintances or written here (and in other places) ‘What if a Democrat said/did that?’ and gotten sullen responses, if any at all. That question has ended many a conversation and even friendships since 2016. In part it’s because I often, especially when writing whether here, or elsewhere (on my FB account) add if you say you’d be okay with it ‘you’re a goddammed LIAR!’ Still, while I had a small but dedicated following on Kos, and a small one here on Politizoom I’m not a big voice that millions, much less tens of millions will sit up and pay attention to. But there’s ONE person who could ask that question and everyone, Democratic, Independent or Republican will notice. And President Barack Obama has publicly posed it!
All that was going through my mind when I clicked on this article from The Irish Star. It tells us both Kamala Harris and Obama appeared at a forum at Hamilton College yesterday. Naturally there was discussion about the state of affairs in the U.S. and the world, and given the crazy chaos (given it’s Trump/Musk driven perhaps KKKrazy KKKaos is a better descriptor) we’ve already seen they both had to know they couldn’t avoid commenting on it. I saw some of Harris talking about things last night. I had no idea from what I was watching that Obama had spoken out yesterday too. He took Trump to task over the cuts to the federal government, the immigration crackdown and all the attacks on the media and legal profession. Then posed that pointed question:
“So, this is the first time I’ve been speaking publicly for a while,” Obama said, adding that he has been “watching for a little bit.” Another eight word comment summed up something many Americans feel: “Imagine if I had done any of this,” the Democrat said.
He added: “It’s unimaginable that the same parties that are silent now would have tolerated behavior like that from me, or a whole bunch of my predecessors.”
Dare we hope that our former President and (to me at least) the most powerful influence in the Democratic Party has decided to say ‘screw the old norms?’ That he’s decided come what may it’s time to make like John Lewis and stir up a big ole pot of GOOD Trouble? Imagine this: What if THIS became the Democratic Party theme – the key talking point? For every elected leader to every day ask that question Obama posed – What if Obama, or Biden or Harris did even ONE of these vile acts Trump and his people have done? Every day in both the House and the Senate, both on their respective floors and in hearing rooms, and in EVERY chat with a journalist that question needs to be posed.
Over and over, day after day until JOURNALISTS have no choice but to start asking every Republican that question. And, more importantly being willing to (especially on camera) call bullshit on any conservative who tries to lie and say they’d be okay with a Democrat doing what Trump has done! Senator Booker’s voice and body have earned some rest after his epic speech, but by now he’s probably mostly recovered. THIS should be the question he starts putting forth, and it’s a simple yet devastating way to keep knocking Trump and the GOP back.
The opportunity is there. Right there for the taking. Our leaders just have to seize it, and let Obama know we’ve got his back so he’ll keep stirring up GOOD TROUBLE.
***** Friends, if you can spare a small donation, we could use it. We’re devoted to the mission of bringing you little viewed aspects of what is happening in this country and seeing the Democrats back in power. In all events, thank you for coming here to read. Ursula *****
I can answer your question Barak…since lynching black folks wasn’t outlawed in the US until 2022, after the bill bounced around for 100 years. The honest truth is when these racists get in the back room…it would be ‘hang that uppity nigger’.
Oh, they said that while he was president, they even made effigies to that effect.
Had Obama signed similar EOs, even had they agreed with any of them, the outcry from republicans would have been deafening! You have to remember, it’s only wrong if a democrat, especially a black democrat, does it.