2016 Postmortem

vi5

(13,305 posts)

54. There's nothing he can do now other than be diplomatic..

Sat Dec 17, 2016, 11:20 AM

Dec 2016

..I think there was plenty he could have done in the past 8 years in terms of promoting a more aggressive tone and push back on the Republicans instead of enabling them as he did many times. He could have been a better and more aggressive negotiator. He could have sold his policies a little better than he did.

And I do think that his trying to be diplomatic and "bipartisan" along the way definitely emboldened Republicans to behave as they did and in some sense gave us what we have now which is a hot mess in the worst possible way.

But the fact is that the damage is done and at this point there's nothing he can do so expecting him to all of a sudden be aggressive and angry when he refused to do that over the past 8 years is silly and counterintuitive/counterproductive.

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We desperately needed a lifeline from our President [View all] ALBliberal Dec 2016 OP

I feel the same way lastone Dec 2016 #1

I think he felt like Lincoln as the civil war was brewing. libtodeath Dec 2016 #2

And what was President Obama supposed to do? shadowrider Dec 2016 #3

Well, for certain people ... NanceGreggs Dec 2016 #4

So true treestar Dec 2016 #52

I just replied to an "optics" post. For gods' sake they want him to "stay stateside" .... Hekate Dec 2016 #79

Lay out the facts ALBliberal Dec 2016 #5

What facts? Are you joking? Idiots voted him in. bettyellen Dec 2016 #43

I don't get it..m w...t...f... was he suppoded to DO!? Call it rigged and dionysus Dec 2016 #103

I don't want him to do some crazy unconstitutional thing that Trump can use as precedent! bettyellen Dec 2016 #105

Throw a temper tantrum? redstateblues Dec 2016 #6

Punch people in the face!!!! / Sarcasm uponit7771 Dec 2016 #9

Call for election reform,tranparency and paper trails libtodeath Dec 2016 #14

Ummm That is the priority for his post presidency Dream Girl Dec 2016 #48

His post presidency starts in a month so it would have been a good start. libtodeath Dec 2016 #65

precisely; dems continue to flat-out deny that there is a problem. nt TheFrenchRazor Dec 2016 #97

You left out one I also saw on DU today "declare war against Russia". n/t PoliticAverse Dec 2016 #16

Declaring war is a power the Constitution delegates exclusively to Congress. n/t 24601 Dec 2016 #95

Bomb the sh*t out of 'em!!11! Earth Bound Misfit Dec 2016 #17

It's the meme of the day. As much as I'm gonna miss Pres. Obama, he deserves so much more than... Tarheel_Dem Dec 2016 #34

And everything is his fault and his problem! treestar Dec 2016 #53

It's sad that Civics has been on the chopping block of many school budgets. They don't get the.... Tarheel_Dem Dec 2016 #93

You making faces at me? You scowling at me? That's it! Them's fightin' woids... put up yer DUKES!!1! dionysus Dec 2016 #104

Hey dion! Tarheel_Dem Dec 2016 #106

This, I don't know what they could have expected treestar Dec 2016 #51

Unlike Trump, madamesilverspurs Dec 2016 #7

everyone should have supported hillary the way he did during the campaign JI7 Dec 2016 #8

I and my entire damily supported HRC ALBliberal Dec 2016 #12

Would that millions of racist and misogynistic idiots also didn't vote. bettyellen Dec 2016 #44

He blamed the media and the electorate triron Dec 2016 #10

Your sentence structure is a little confusing. Are you saying Obama is responsible for this fiasco? Hekate Dec 2016 #80

Maybe appeal to our better angels? He is ALBliberal Dec 2016 #11

He's done that all along, and all along I've been here among supposed Democrats... Hekate Dec 2016 #81

I'm a huge Obama supporter but . . . brush Dec 2016 #13

I envy Republicans these things...their ALBliberal Dec 2016 #23

I don't want him to favor us outright JHan Dec 2016 #32

WTF? He DID reveal to the public what was known about hacking. bettyellen Dec 2016 #45

It was released on the same day as the Trump Access Hollywood audio brush Dec 2016 #57

McConnell threatened? Oh come on ... KPN Dec 2016 #60

Look it up. That was stated as a reason for not revealing Putin's machinations closer . . . brush Dec 2016 #67

That wasn't my point. I already knew that -- it just KPN Dec 2016 #71

I agree. My post 13 says that exactly. brush Dec 2016 #74

Yeah but two things- Putin was not named specifically then and the media had already done the damage bettyellen Dec 2016 #63

I agree. We should have broadcast Putin's actions much louder and continuously brush Dec 2016 #70

+1. They fight. We don't. They mercilessly obstruct. We don't. They cheat. We cheat much less. JudyM Dec 2016 #59

+1000! KPN Dec 2016 #61

He told us. He told the media. He used the English language. He did it a month before the election. Hekate Dec 2016 #82

Unfortunately it was put out the same day as the Trump crotch grap audio brush Dec 2016 #85

Yet somehow the media behavior was all Obama's and Hillary's fault Hekate Dec 2016 #86

You're missing the point. It was not Hillary's fault brush Dec 2016 #88

Obama? Told us what? triron Dec 2016 #87

I feel the same way. femmocrat Dec 2016 #15

yes, femm you are jodymarie aimee Dec 2016 #18

Thank you, jodymarie. femmocrat Dec 2016 #20

what you wrote was absolutely correct jodymarie aimee Dec 2016 #47

I at least expected Comey's ass to be fired. Nope. Nay Dec 2016 #62

I honestly don't know what to think or feel anymore. Guilded Lilly Dec 2016 #19

Brilliantly stated, Lilly. femmocrat Dec 2016 #21

Thanks. Being here does help. Guilded Lilly Dec 2016 #24

Thank you for that reply so very sad and I ALBliberal Dec 2016 #22

It certainly won't set us personally back if we continue Guilded Lilly Dec 2016 #26

Certainly there are things behind the scene dflprincess Dec 2016 #35

Could not agree with you more triron Dec 2016 #36

A perfect comment, princess. I've felt this way for a long time, too. If the Dems Nay Dec 2016 #66

A Loyalist in 2016. former9thward Dec 2016 #72

Two of my direct ancestors fought in the Rev War and I recently considered Nay Dec 2016 #75

I also have ancestors who fought in the Revolutionary War dflprincess Dec 2016 #89

OMG, those 3 exact ladies were at one of my meetings. LOL Nay Dec 2016 #91

Between 2000 and now, the Voting Rights Act was dismantled. LisaM Dec 2016 #69

Yes it was dflprincess Dec 2016 #92

I accepted his explanation for most of it, tavernier Dec 2016 #25

do you think trump would nominate someone better? he would probably nominate guiliani. La Lioness Priyanka Dec 2016 #28

And he would be worse than a proven traitor? tavernier Dec 2016 #30

Yes Giuliani would be worse. At least comey once stood up to GOP La Lioness Priyanka Dec 2016 #42

People keep making this mistake! Please stop! It's not about WHO Trump would Nay Dec 2016 #68

Once confirmed, the FBI director serves a fixed 10-year term and does not serve at the pleasure of 24601 Dec 2016 #96

POTUS can fire him. tavernier Dec 2016 #100

elections have consequences and the president cannot save us or himself from the outcome La Lioness Priyanka Dec 2016 #27

This Dream Girl Dec 2016 #49

Many of us gave up on him by not turning out to vote in 2010, 2014 and 2016.. dubyadiprecession Dec 2016 #29

See above. Would have been nice for ALBliberal Dec 2016 #31

Don't mean to get biblical but it's all about original sin brush Dec 2016 #37

America's refusal to deal with the intertwining of racism Quayblue Dec 2016 #76

Obama has always tried to educate the public, and the media calls him professorial and the Dems yawn Hekate Dec 2016 #83

People expect on man to do it all Dream Girl Dec 2016 #50

I think he's just as worn out as we are. forgotmylogin Dec 2016 #33

Really! That makes me feel better flamingdem Dec 2016 #39

Wtf did Obama mean by that remark??? triron Dec 2016 #40

He explained it during yesterday's speech- he's not going far. bettyellen Dec 2016 #46

Context? Didn't hear that. triron Dec 2016 #73

perhaps you should listen again. his thousands of comments are on the record at whitehouse.gov. Sunlei Dec 2016 #99

I'm pissed but get that the rethugs want things to descend into chaos w Obama in charge flamingdem Dec 2016 #38

Much like he did during his presidency budkin Dec 2016 #41

Yes, absolutely. TonyPDX Dec 2016 #64

Uh huh Hekate Dec 2016 #84

Public Option had no chance. He made the best of what was available. redstateblues Dec 2016 #102

There's nothing he can do now other than be diplomatic.. vi5 Dec 2016 #54

I told Putin to "Cut it out!" Where have I heard this phrase before? Is this part of a playbook? jalan48 Dec 2016 #55

I wondered about that as well. nt dflprincess Dec 2016 #90

It's multi level chess... SHRED Dec 2016 #56

This is hilarious. Two days ago one of my posts was removed for breaking a "forum rule"-- TonyPDX Dec 2016 #58

He could still pardon a bunch of people. HassleCat Dec 2016 #77

I love President Obama, but... ElementaryPenguin Dec 2016 #78

Almost every day over the past years he's made comments, through election & transition. Sunlei Dec 2016 #94

He handed us thousands of lifelines, and to many people only paid attention to the side-show. Sunlei Dec 2016 #98

Think We Are In The Fifth Stage Now... LovingA2andMI Dec 2016 #101