As Barack Obama stumps for other Democrats, the party gets to see what it lost | Barack Obama
“It’s not like we didn’t see this coming,” Barack Obama said, a note of sombre humor in his voice. “I admit the situation is worse than I expected, but I warned you all!”
The crowd at a sports arena in Norfolk, Virginia, half laughed, half groaned. “I did,” Obama added. “You can run the tape.”
He did it. The former US president has spent 2024 sounding the alarm about the horror show that awaits Donald Trump if he returns to the Oval Office. Trump had already won the election a year ago on Wednesday.
Among the many unintended consequences is Obama’s return to the political scene. Former presidents tended to run foundations or write memoirs and avoid criticizing their successors, but this became another norm that was gathering dust.
Obama has made 25 public appearances or speeches in the past six months, according to a list released by his office. He’s tackled everything from USAID to Tylenol redistribution. He fills the void left by Trump’s immediate predecessor, Joe Biden, who turns 83 this month.
Now Obama is back on the campaign trail, where Democrats are running for governor in New Jersey and Virginia. This gives him a platform to deliver an alternative State of the Union address. And the gloves are off.
Hearing the expectant roar of the 7,000-plus crowd in Norfolk as candidate Abigail Spanberger promised that Obama’s entrance was just minutes away was a reminder that Democrats once had a president who matched Trump’s superstar charisma.
“We love you!” Someone shouted from the stands, just like at Trump rallies. “We missed you!”
There were fans waving mini flags and signs with giant stars and stripes in the background. But while Trump had all orange hair, a navy blue suit, white shirt and red tie, Obama’s hair was short and gray and he was wearing a light-collared blue shirt with the sleeves rolled up. Trump is often compared to a stand-up comedian, but Obama has a sharper tone.
Freed from the burden of seeking elected office again for himself, he clearly enjoyed pumping up the president with harsh, scorching remarks, as if he were attending a late-night TV audition.
“It’s hard to know where to begin, because every day this White House introduces new lawlessness, recklessness, malevolence and outright insanity,” Obama said; As the crowd applauded every word, perhaps wondering why Chuck Schumer and others couldn’t speak so candidly.
The former president ran through an exhausting but not exhaustive list of Trump’s crimes: turning the justice department against his political rivals; replacing career prosecutors with loyalists; firing decorated officers because they might be more loyal to the constitution than him; the deployment of national guards to US cities to stop non-existent crime waves; ICE agents approach in unmarked pickup trucks and kidnap people, including US citizens; a health minister who rejects proven science and promotes fake drugs; A senior White House aide who called Democrats domestic extremists; and a poor labor economist who was fired for reporting bad business figures.
“I mean, it’s like every day is Halloween,” Obama said, “but it’s not all tricks and treats.”
He acknowledged that many people voted for Trump because they were “understandably frustrated” by inflation, gas prices, the difficulty of finding housing and concern for their children’s children, saying: “So they were willing to take a chance.”
It certainly worked out well for Trump and his family, who own crypto ventures worth hundreds of millions of dollars, and for wealthy allies and corporations whose tax bills have been slashed. But for ordinary people, life is harder than ever, with health care premiums doubling or tripling and the government shutting down.
“As for the President,” Obama said, “he focused on critical issues like paving the Rose Garden, gold-plating the Oval Office, and building a $300 million ballroom to keep people from getting mud on their shoes.
“Virginia, here’s the good news. If you can’t get to a doctor, don’t worry, he’ll get you out of dancing. And if you don’t get an invite to the next White House party, you can always watch the festivities and all the beautiful people on Truth Social.”
The crowd embraced him. Obama was in good shape. He scolded Republicans for putting on “a big show of deporting people and targeting transgender people.” They never miss a chance to scapegoat minorities and DEI for every problem under the sun.
“Did you get a flat tire? DEI.
“Is your wife angry with you?”
The audience rejoined: “DEI!”
It was a reminder that humor is a powerful political weapon. That’s why Trump’s allies are trying to take down TV host Jimmy Kimmel and California governor Gavin Newsom is getting under their skin.
Obama turned to AI videos Trump posted on his Truth Social account, which included images of him wearing a crown, flying a fighter jet and pouring brown liquid on No Kings protesters.
“All the nonsense we see in the news every day, the hyperbolic rhetoric, the made-up conspiracies, the bizarre videos of a crowned US president flying a warplane and throwing poop on protesting citizens, it’s all designed to distract you from the fact that your situation is not getting better,” he said.
There he was: the man whose words inspired – yes we can; hope and change; There is no liberal America and a conservative America, there is the United States of America – reduced to saying the word “poop” from the stage. When they fall…
Obama dutifully praised Spanberger and urged Virginians to vote for him. It was a performance of wit and wisdom that reminded America of what it had lost and the Democrats what they could never recreate. The party needs someone to take the fight to Trump. But the best candidate for 2028 is the one who doesn’t run.
