Obama was the turning point
[Hat tip: commenter “AesopFan.”]
I’ve long felt that, as the title of this post says, Obama was the turning point – not to some hoped-for racial reconciliation, but to a divisive leftist dominance in US politics. Here’s an article from yesterday that illustrates his malign influence [emphasis mine]:
At their Substack “Truth Over News,” independent journalists Jeff Carlson and Hans Mahncke report on the newly obtained transcript of a Jan. 17, 2017 meeting between then outgoing President Barack Obama and 17 unnamed “progressive” journalists, in which they discussed Trump’s upcoming term and allegations that Trump had colluded with Russia. As Carlson and Mahncke note, Obama knew the Russia allegations were false; his CIA director, John Brennan, had briefed him in late July on a “proposal from one of [Hillary Clinton’s] foreign policy advisors to vilify Donald Trump by stirring up a scandal claiming interference from Russian security services.” …
It would be an understatement to say that the press fell for the scam; this entirely fake story became the dominant political narrative of the first two years of Trump’s presidency, and it is still believed by a narrow majority of Democratic partisans, who nonetheless consider Trump’s “Big Lie” about the 2020 election to be disqualifying from office. …
I highlight this briefing not only because the transcript is new but also because it points to the origin point for the derangement of American politics over the past eight years: the Obama faction’s weaponization of the security state and the press to deny the American people a legitimate opportunity to reject their agenda at the ballot box. That agenda was described (in part) in the first half of today’s Big Story: alliance with Third World regimes abroad and the cultivation of a Third Worldist political culture at home, complete with corrupt spy services, rigged elections, a lackey press, the censorship and legal harassment of the opposition, sectarian division of the population among party-designated identity categories (“LGBTQI+” and “AAPI”), and violent street displays targeting the perceived enemies of the ruling regime, whether “racists” and “cops” (as in 2020) or “Jews” and “Zionists” (as in 2023 and 2024). Indeed, both in and out of government, the party-state machine constructed by Obama did its best to create, in lieu of a governing program that could appeal to the majority of Americans, a vast public-private apparatus of censorship and thought control targeting dissident speech as “misinformation”—a project that was thwarted only by Elon Musk’s purchase of Twitter in 2022. More recently, the criminal prosecution of Trump on absurdly inflated charges suggests a willingness to abuse the legal system to go after opponents and interfere with electoral outcomes—unless, of course, they suffer blowback at the ballot box.
Prior to Obama, presidents cared to a great extent what the people wanted, and tended to respond to public opinion if only because they thought the people might vote them out, but sometimes also because they thought that was their job. After the election of Obama, who was the first truly leftist president and the first Alinskyite president, the MSM became totally taken over by propaganda rather than partially, and the president became deceptive about his goals and methods. The Democratic Party began to veer more strongly and openly to the left as the Overton window moved.
Obama didn’t try to shape his policy to the needs and desires of the American people, but rather to do what he could to further a global rather than a US agenda, and if the people didn’t like it they were just going to have to accept it. That approach has become far more common in Europe as well – or rather, it may have began in Europe and Obama was following their example. In reaction to all of this, both here and abroad, populist movements have sprung up and the left has concentrated on demonizing them as Nazi-esque.
In July of 2009 I wrote this about Obama:
We’ve had experience with incompetent presidents and/or deceptive presidents before. But I submit that we’ve never before had a president with such malignant and radical designs who also was so deceptive in such a profound way. Nixon, for example, was deceptive about many things as well as malignant towards his “enemies,” but he was still well within the mainstream of American political thought regarding defending freedom around the globe, keeping America strong, and the economy. Also, Tricky Dick seemed tricky; we knew about this characteristic of his even before he was elected.
Obama does not seem deceptive on the surface — at least, he doesn’t to many people, and that’s what’s important. And yet he has been deceptive about something far more basic than Nixon ever was: who he is, and his underlying vision for America.
To Obama’s credit, over time he has become more honest about all of that. Perhaps not so much in his rhetoric, but in his deeds.
And by his deeds ye shall know him.
A knave of epic proportions who led the fools and lesser knaves in the fundamental transformation.
There is a special place for him.
I am reminded of a Mad Magazine take on Nixon, between 1960-68: “In my sincerest insincerity.”
Richard Nixon was an introvert playing politician, an extrovert’s game. He could not hide his discomfort.
Related (Past. Present. Future?):
“WIN OR LOSE THERE’S A Looming Political Earthquake.”—
https://instapundit.com/682393/
Conclusion:
Indeed, “TRANSFORMATION” always meant bankrupting the nation…financially, socially, morally…
So that, typical for Marxist thought, treachery and deceit, “The Audacity of Hope” REALLY meant/means “The Audacity of NO Hope”….
Obama is a malignant curse on our country. Totalitarian, which accompanies his hidden Muslim nature. Cloaked. How else could he have “worshiped” with the America-hating Reverend Wright for 20+ years?
IMO.
I was just thinking today that Obama was the turning point of it all.
Obama did not have to respond to public sentiment because he knew from the get-go that he was a shoe-in for reelection. The 2012 race may as well have been called “there’ll be big trouble if we fire the black guy.”
Lee Smith: https://tomklingenstein.com/obama-is-still-waging-war-on-trump/
rtwt
Neo, you are one of the few public voices I know of who really saw through Obama. Your analyses of the subtle ways he introduced “a little drop of poison” (Tom Waits song) into his speeches on race and so forth were absolutely correct. Not many people, even on the right, seem to have fully grasped that.
I sometimes think that in the end it will prove to be slavery that doomed our republic, in a roundabout way. Obama never would have been elected if he hadn’t been able to trade on white guilt. though he had no authentic American “blackness” in him at all.
Related (apologies if already linked to):
“The Obama Machine;
“No matter who wins or loses, we can look forward to four more years of Chicago on the Potomac”—
https://www.tabletmag.com/sections/news/articles/obama-machine-michael-lind
Peeling back the layers till the toxic core is exposed….
My wife is a partisan democrat. In the run-up to his first election, I warned her that he was fast-tracked by the Chicago political machine, and if he was elected, he would infest the Federal level with that sleaze and it would take years to wash it out of the system, if we ever could.
That he did, although I still wonder who the puppet-master behind him was.
Neo, I believe your insightful opinion on Obama has been the lodestone and certerpiece of your political and social analyses, and has been the reason I continue to come here to imbibe your posts and the comments that frequently complement and expand upon the wisdom etant therein. I have also been of the same opinion of Obama, and yet if you ask any random assortment of “conservatives” you will still find much admiration for that charlatan. It astounds me that there is anyone still in his thrall, but sadly, it is so.Perhaps the scales will fall from a few more eyeballs during Trump 47. Let us sincerely hope so.
…”And yet he, (Obama), has been deceptive about something far more basic than Nixon ever was: who he is, and his underlying vision for America”.
Kamala is the perfect disciple of this principle. The woman is not a dummy, but she is totally deceptive. Imagine having to come up with disingenuous answers to questions without letting anyone know what you really think and who you really are. Hence, all of her pre-recorded, memorized and repeated ad naseum sayings and speeches; hence no Rogan sit-down; hence vinegarette on your Kamala word salads?
I hate to admit it but Hillary would have been better for the nation in 2008. Much.
“One of the reasons it has taken so long for some people to finally see through Barack Obama is that people do not like to admit, even to themselves, that they have been played for fools by a slick-talking politician.” – Thomas Sowell
I’ll never forget the Thanksgiving Dinner prayer after Obama’s election. Our host, a magnificent man, accomplished in every way that is commendable: a war veteran, first rate international pilot, pilot instructor and then a position at NASA. Gifted in so many ways, a man’s man and a gentleman. He wept for our country when he prayed. He knew exactly where we were headed.
Years in Jerimiah Wright’s “church” , helped along by Bill Ayers was all anyone needed to know about Obama. Serpent extrodinaire.
And Avi..yes hard to admit if she had won the primary in 08 how much different things might have been. She’s evil, but he’s at a different level.
An old comment from Nov. 5, 2008 about Obama being elected:
“Americans walked through a door last night, and it locked behind them.
Certainly, nothing dire will happen immediately. But the long-term rot will continue unabated, at times slowly and at other times more quickly, until someday .. maybe years in the future …. most of us will recognize that this was indeed a pivotal moment that altered the course of America and our society in such ways that we can never hope to recover.
While the euphoria is now about America having evolved enough to finally elect an African-American as president, the majority of Americans will someday recognize that he wasn’t just that, but he was more importantly a Marxist, anti-American, anti-Western, anti-Semitic, black separationist, Muslim jihadi sympathizing, corrupt Chicago politician who loathed the half of himself that was Caucasian.
Posted by: fdcol63 ”
SO true.
At first I only knew Obama as a black guy who gave a good speech at the 2004 DNC. I thought maybe he was a liberal black businessman with broader ambitions.
Then Bill Ayers name popped up and I knew Obama was a radical leftist. I was still a registered Democrat in 2008, so I voted for Hilary in the primary.
I don’t think I was a regular reader here during the run up to Obama’s first term, but for those lauding neo’s insight and writing then, I’ll add her research and analysis in the run up and during the COVID19 pandemic.
I was in mourning when Obama got elected because of that whole Jeremiah Wright and Bill Ayers connection. Sean Hannity had been talking about that stuff on his radio program for a while.
With this landslide and mandate, the question is will Obama order rioting in DC? Will the Legacy Media and Deep State continue to resist?
Trump learned plenty in his first term. He will have much better people around him this time. And I look forward to Elon cutting $2b from the federal budget.
…the question is will Obama order rioting in DC? — Cornhead
A couple days ago, when media folks were beginning to strongly suggest that Trump might win, I thought that there will likely be some sort of violence.
Rioting in DC sounds fairly rudimentary to me. I would expect the unexpected. Something much more clandestine and insidious. The Antifa affair has been a rather astonishing alliance between communist and anarchist factions, highly organized, and a very covert and well funded (by whom?) violent form of “activism.”
After the election of Obama, who was the first truly leftist president and the first Alinskyite president, the MSM became totally taken over by propaganda rather than partially, and the president became deceptive about his goals and methods.
This is a great post, and some of the old neo material mentioned predates my coming to this site. It’s a solid starting thesis: Obama was a turning point.
And because neo is so astute, she includes Alinsky. Now I’m a little conflicted over my next point, which is Hillary. Just yesterday, I stated that a Hillary presidency would have been much preferrable to a Kamala presidency. However OTOH, there is this well known (by some) history about Alinsky.
Frank Nitti, aka Francesco Nitto, was a mob assassin and later boss, that pioneered the mob branching out into ruling labor unions. Saul Alinsky was a acolyte of Nitti and probably learned a lot about corrupting labor unions and other organizations as well.
Hillary was a HUGE fan of Alinsky, wrote a (masters?) thesis about him, and was all giddy when she was able to visit with him. (Do you recall the “vast right wing conspiracy”? That was a classic Alinsky style tactic.) And of course, Hillary was intimately involved in the Russia-gate hoax.
Alinsky created a school of community organizing tactics and Obama taught there for a period of time. I assume he was a student there, before instructing.
PS: I think Bill and Hillary did not see eye-to-eye on a great many things, and aside from Bill being rather dishonest and sleazy, he wasn’t a half bad president in hindsite.
…the question is will Obama order rioting in DC?
–Cornhead
A valid question. Yet I think not. I think we’ve dodged that bullet.
The size of Trump’s victory — including the popular vote — makes that a tougher proposition, thankfully.
IMO Democrats and the Deep State must be prepared to declare martial law and frog march Trump to jail to prevent his threat to democracy.
Short of that they will have to go vague resistance mode, which won’t be nearly so effective.
I don’t think they know what to do now. Keep in mind that both Biden and Harris were short-term moves while Dems figured out their future strategy.
They don’t have any good moves now, short of wheeling out Antifa and the tanks. I think they are smart enough to know that won’t work.
Still … maybe I should buy a gun.
“one of Hillary Clinton’s foreign policy advisors”
Sid Blumenthal. Same guy that convinced Hillary to “wag the dog” and overthrow the regime in Libya – which was to be her “great achievement” that would get her elected POTUS.
He cooked up the entire Russia Hoax. And no one ever calls him out over it.