Practically Defamatory

The massive Democratic psychotherapy session, courtesy of much of the mainstream media and of former Obama Administration officials, continues. Politico reports

Joe Biden is fair game. Barack Obama is not.

Former Obama White House officials and allies responded in force Thursday to stress that message after several Democratic contenders criticized the former president in a debate that featured uncharacteristically tough assessments of his policies.

The disparagement of aspects of Obama’s record led to stern warnings that the tactic could backfire on the presidential candidates themselves — and perhaps arm Republicans with ammunition to attack the eventual Democratic nominee next fall.

“Stay away from Barack Obama,” advised Steve Elmendorf, a well-known Democratic lobbyist who worked on John Kerry’s 2004 presidential campaign.

“I don’t know why you would attack Barack Obama or his record or any part of him when he’s the most popular person in the party,” he added. “And I don’t think it helps for the general election voters, either. I don’t know what they’re thinking.”

Here is what they're thinking, or should be:

To all those handwringing over the Democratic re-examination of the Obama years:

This isn’t North Korea or the GOP. Members of the party don’t just have to clap at Dear Leader. You can love Obama and still ask what should be done differently 12 years after he started running.

— Anand Giridharadas (@AnandWrites) August 2, 2019

Evidently, Democratic candidates still love Obama, or at least pretend they do. On Tuesday night, the name “Obama” came up seventeen (17) times, ten times by either a moderator or by Joe Biden. In the remaining seven instances, two references (one each by Booker and Gillibrand) were neutral; five were positive.  Harris maintained that her health care proposal had been endorsed by an “architect” of the Affordable Care Act, later claiming that Obama would not have become President “had segregationists had their way.”

Julian Castro’s remark was positively worshipful: “We have now had about 105 straight months of positive job growth, the longest streak in American history. Over 9  months of that was due to President Obama. Thank you, Barack Obama. Thank you, Barack Obama.”

During Wednesday's debate (which gave rise to the criticism form Elmendorf and others), the name of the last canonized saint of the Democratic Party was invoked by a candidate nine times. They were the following:

- We need the public option. That’s what Barack Obama wanted... (Klobuchar)

-  If we decriminalize entry, if we give healthcare to everyone, we’ll have multiples of that. Don’t take my word. That was President Obama’s Homeland Security secretary that said that. (Bullock)

- And we can do that without decriminalizing and providing healthcare for everyone. And it’s not me saying that. That’s Obama’s Homeland Security secretary that said you’ll cause further problems at the border, not making it better. (Bullock)

-   I think we have got to do… I think what I meant is what President Obama said, and that nobody up here is going to tell you that we have the magical solution to the crisis. (Sanders)

- Well, it is my way of talking about I know how to fight and I know how to win. I took on giant banks and I beat them. I took on Wall Street and CEOs, and their lobbyists and their lawyers, and I beat them. I took on a popular Republican incumbent senator and I beat him. I remember when people said Barack Obama couldn’t get elected. (Warren)

-  Most of the folks running for president want to build economic walls to free trade and beat up on President Obama. So, listen. This is what I don't understand. Most of the folks running for president want to build economic walls to free trade and beat up on President Obama.I’m the only one running for president who actually supports the Trans-Pacific Partnership. President Obama was right about that. We should be getting back in that. (Delaney)

- So, that was the Trans-Pacific partnership. I think President Obama was right. (Delaney)

(No, he wasn't.)

Number of candidates name-checking President Obama positively: five. Number of times the ex-President was mentioned positively: nine. Number of candidates name-checking President Obama positively plus number of times the ex-President was mentioned negatively- or even in a neutral manner: zero (0).

Politico did note that Cory Booker told Biden he couldn't invoke Obama when convenient and disregard him when not, and that Bill DeBlasio asked Biden why he didn't stop deportations.

If criticism of the policies during the eight years- for which he is proud- that Joe Biden served as vice-president  is off-limits, the Party might as well concede the nomination to Biden. However, that is evidently what now constitutes among Democratic professionals and elite members of the media an "attack" upon the former President. We already have one political party which won't question a president; we shouldn't have two.

Politico seems to be fretting that Donald Trump Jr. "how nice it was '"to see Democrats finally go after Obama’s failed policies very aggressively'”“ and daddy at his Cincinnati rally declared "The Democrats spent more time attacking Barack Obama than they did attacking me, practically. This morning, that's all the fake news was talking about."

Fear not that the Trumpists gained a little fodder from the Obama controversy, ginned up by the media. It is nothing compared to the vilification of the Obama Administration, as well as of Barack Obama and Joe Biden personally, that will dominate the airwaves and social media platforms if the former vice-president is nominated. Obviously, as both Wednesday's debate and the reaction to it indicate, as of now neither former Obama hands, the national media, nor the candidate himself is ready for it.



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