Former President Obama on Challenges to Democracy - The Lincoln Project

[Rhiannon12866]

Former President Obama: "A healthy democracy depends on our better angels being encouraged."

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1. Post-2008 GOP politics has basically boiled down to equating democracy with people of color

i.e. something that should be "put in its place" - done away with, if need be.

Few people if anyone understand this more deeply and personally than former President Obama.

[Rhiannon12866]

2. Well said.

And I have often thought that if we feel pain, experiencing what's happened since President Obama left office, I cannot imagine how he feels - glad to hear he's speaking up.

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3. No doubt about it

As much as we've already learned about our would-be Orange Dictator, Obama must know a lot more.

Things that, were they to become public knowledge, would damage not only Cheeto and the GOP (deservedly) - but U.S. standing in the world (undeservedly).

And that was one of the big lessons Roy Cohn taught him: that when committing crimes and other wrongdoing, make sure it either a) compromises other people, such that they'd have a stake in keeping it secret or b) compromises the wider system itself - such that powers-that-be themselves will keep it a secret for you.

The presidency simply gave him the perfect stage on which to test that corollary.

[Rhiannon12866]

4. Agreed, that's the thing. President Obama must know a great deal that we never will

So it's got to be many times tougher for him. Kudos to him for speaking out, we need to hear from him now more than ever...

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5. He's lucky he's got such a great sense of humor

Personally - and though I was chastised for saying this by some here on DU - I'd love to see him on the Supreme Court.

True, he's never been a judge and has only modest experience as a trial lawyer - but boy, would it shake up things up at the stodgy (and much used and abused) Supreme Court.

His replacing Coke Can Thomas would be an added plus.

Bigly.

[Rhiannon12866]

6. Oh, I'd love to see him in absolutely any part of government, he's certainly capable enough

But the impression I get - well, especially from Michelle - is that he put in his time, both of them did, and there's no arguing with that. And when it comes to the Supreme Court, I still remember what was said when my former governor, Mario Cuomo, was supposedly offered a seat. And he said that he didn't want it since he would no longer be able to speak out as he liked to do - but from what we've seen recently, it looks like that "norm" has changed, too.