The Fragile Legacy of Barack Obama

 Boston Review

"In the end there are only two ways a president can forge a legacy in U.S. politics: accomplish things with bipartisan support, or nurture his political party so that people are elected who will carry on and protect his accomplishments. Obama’s legacy is in trouble because he did neither."

https://www.terrellaftermath.com/

"It becomes clearer every day that Barack Obama, a historic president, presided over a somewhat less than historic presidency. With only one major legislative achievement (Obamacare)—and a fragile one at that—the legacy of Obama’s presidency mainly rests on its tremendous symbolic importance and the fate of a patchwork of executive actions.

"How much of that was due to fate and how much was due to Obama’s own shortcomings as a politician is up for debate and is a question that emerges from Princeton historian Julian Zelizer’s new edited volume, The Presidency of Barack Obama.

"With contributions from seventeen historians, the book bills itself as “a first historical assessment” of the Obama presidency. The overwhelming consensus, Zelizer writes, is that Obama “turned out to be a very effective policymaker but not a tremendously successful party builder.” This “defining paradox of Obama’s presidency” comes up again and again: the historians, by and large, approve of Obama’s policies (although some find them too timid) while they lament his politics.

"The politics were pretty disastrous. As Zelizer summarizes, “During his presidency, even as he enjoyed reelection and strong approval ratings toward the end of this term, the Democratic Party suffered greatly. . . . 

"Democrats lost more than one thousand seats in state legislatures, governors’ mansions, and Congress during his time in office.” Zelizer could have gone further. According to Ballotpedia, more Democratic state legislative seats were lost under Obama than under any president in modern history." . . .

Another Big Nov. 5 Loser: Left’s ‘Lawfare’ Campaign Against Trump, MAGA

 Issues & Insights 

" . . .Both Garland and Smith have dirtied their names and offices by politicizing the law. Now they will skulk away, without censure, impeachment, or any other well-deserved punishment for their politically motivated misconduct of recent years." 

"Of all the excesses of the four-year Trump interregnum that was the Biden-Harris administration, none was worse than the left’s use of our legal system to exact political retribution and “send a message” to those who dared oppose progressive extremism. It had all the markings of totalitarian behavior, but now it’s going down in flames.

"The idea of America as a nation ruled by laws, not by the biases and whims of political powers, has been central to our country’s identity and stability since its very founding. It’s what makes our country unique in the world.

"But after Biden’s 2020 election win, Democrats repeatedly used spurious and at times fraudulent readings of our laws to get revenge on Donald Trump and those who had the temerity to publicly support him.

"They first went after those who demonstrated at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Many of them still imprisoned and suffering under false charges of “insurrection.” More than 1,530 were charged with crimes and about 615 have served, or are still serving, lengthy prison terms, basically for staging a rowdy protest in front of Congress over the 2020 presidential election.

"Meanwhile, those who rioted during the long, hot summer of 2020, leading to at least 28 deaths and more than $2 billion in property and other damage, went virtually uncharged for their violent crimes. Why? It was for a cause, the death of drug addict George Floyd at the hands of the police. It turned out, his death was not caused by the police. To the left, it didn’t matter. It still doesn’t.

"They then went after Trump’s political allies and advisers, such as Steve Bannon. He was released from prison at the end of October after serving four months for “contempt of Congress” charges for refusing to comply with a subpoena to testify.

"Looking for bigger game, emboldened progressive prosecutors went after Trump, hitting him with 116 felony charges in four separate cases brought by federal prosecutors under Attorney General Merrick Garland and lefty blue-state legal authorities.

"The threatening political message sent from those on the left was plain: if you dare oppose us, you are an enemy of the people, and you will be jailed or imprisoned. No mercy." . . .

The Back-Stabbing Between Harris and Biden Begins, and Things Are Getting Very Spicy

RedState  "With Donald Trump's landslide victory in the rear-view mirror, the recriminations among Democrats have begun. That's the great thing about the transition period. It's uniquely enjoyable in that the victors aren't in power yet and thus can't be blamed for anything, but the losers fight it out over who was at fault. Grab your popcorn because things are going to get spicy. 

"Before we get to the quotes, though, it's important to lay out the battle lines. To do that, you only have to understand one thing: The Joe Biden camp has always hated the Kamala Harris camp. From the beginning of the now-outgoing administration, the long knives have been out. For example, I wrote the following piece back in 2021. 

READ: The Long Knives Come Out for Kamala Harris As Her Vice-Presidency Continues to Collapse

Worn out by what they see as entrenched dysfunction and lack of focus, key West Wing aides have largely thrown up their hands at Vice President Kamala Harris and her staff — deciding there simply isn’t time to deal with them right now, especially at a moment when President Joe Biden faces quickly multiplying legislative and political concerns.

The exasperation runs both ways. Interviews with nearly three dozen former and current Harris aides, administration officials, Democratic operatives, donors and outside advisers — who spoke extensively to CNN — reveal a complex reality inside the White House.

Gloomy Nancy Pelosi ducks questions on swapping out Biden for Harris, gets heated with Donna Brazile at VP concession speech    "A glum-looking Nancy Pelosi avoided The Post’s questions Wednesday about her role in swapping in Kamala Harris for President Biden as the 2024 Democratic nominee — after getting in a tense discussion with ex-Democratic National Committee chair Donna Brazile ahead of the vice president’s concession speech at Howard University.

" 'Do you think it was a mistake to kick Joe Biden off the ballot?” The Post inquired as the former House speaker left the event.

"The 84-year-old Pelosi, who was elected Tuesday to a 20th term representing her San Francisco-based district in the House, ignored all inquiries — including one about whether she expected to run again in 2026." . . .

Dems rage against Biden’s ‘arrogance’ after Harris loss    "Democrats are directing their rage over losing the presidential race at Joe Biden, who they blame for setting up Kamala Harris for failure by not dropping out sooner.

"They say his advancing age, questions over his mental acuity and deep unpopularity put Democrats at a sharp disadvantage. They are livid that they were forced to embrace a candidate who voters had made clear they did not want — and then stayed in the race long after it was clear he couldn’t win." . . .

“There was a Biden weariness,” James Zogby, a three-decade veteran of the Democratic National Committee, said of the shift among the electorate in recent years. “And he hung on too long.”

2 New Yorkers busted in plot to stalk, assassinate Trump ordered by Iran, bombshell indictment reveals

NY Post

 Other would-be targets of the trio included two “Jewish businesspeople residing in New York City,” according to the complaint. Shakeri claimed the IRGC had provided pictures of both potential victims, which “appeared to come from social media and which indicated [their] support for Israel.”

Video: Maybe not these Iranians, but pretty much like them and the liberals they influence. 

"The Iranian government instructed one of its agents to stalk and assassinate former President Donald Trump this past September, according to a bombshell indictment unsealed by Manhattan federal prosecutors Friday. 

"The indictment, which charges Iranian Farhad Shakeri and two New Yorkers with murder for hire and conspiracy, states that an unnamed official in Iran’s notorious Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) instructed Shakeri in the final weeks of the 2024 campaign to “focus on surveilling, and, ultimately, assassinating, former President of the United States, Donald J. Trump.” 

"Prosecutors say that when Shakeri noted that the plot would “cost a ‘huge’ amount of money,” the IRGC official said that “we have already spent a lot of money … [s]o the money’s not an issue.”

"In a phone conversation with an FBI agent, Shakeri said he was instructed by the IRGC on Oct. 7 of this year to have a plan in place to kill Trump “within seven days.”

"If Shakeri did not meet his deadline, the IRGC contact allegedly said, the hit on Trump would be postponed until after the election, which Tehran assessed that the Republican nominee would lose “and, afterward, it would be easier to assassinate [him].” . . .

Here are all the Hollywood stars vowing to leave the US over Trump’s presidential election win

 The Gateway Pundit 

"Packing their bags!

"After former President Donald Trump’s election victory over Vice President Kamala Harris, some of the biggest stars in Hollywood have threatened to leave the US.

Trump’s victory.

 The 40-year-old is allegedly looking to start a new life in the UK with her husband, Ryan Piers Williams, and their two children, son Sebastian, 6, and daughter Lucia, 4.

A source told Daily Mail that the “Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants” alum is in search of a better life for her kids.  '  . . .

Hollywood hubris takes a hit.

....."Hollywood stars who have said they would leave the United  States if Trump won include Cher, Sharon Stone, Bryan Cranston, Tommy Lee of the Mӧtley Crüe, Sophie Turner, Minnie Driver, Barbra Streisand — who also so threatened in 2016 — Sharon and Ozzy Osborne, Elon Musk’s estranged son, and America Ferrera.

"Want to bet on how many actually do?

"Would anyone’s life be diminished if any of these folks lived outside the U.S.?  Is anyone begging them to stay?  I don’t think so. Many have not had a prominent role in anything for years, if not decades. And anyway, who cares?

"Pretty boy George Clooney decided to take a walk on the wild side. In the summer of 2024, "Clooney penned an editorial published in The New York Times. The gist of it was that he loved Joe Biden, but it was time for another candidate."

Well, it’s quite comical how that has turned out. Many Democrats have now turned on "Clooney, blaming him for a race they believe Biden, or an open primary candidate, would have won.  . . .

You may enjoy the readers comments to this article 

“Don’t Let The Door Hit You in The Ass on The Way Out” – Ex-MLB Star Roger Clemens Slams Liberals who Threatened to Leave US if Trump Won

But...but...The View just won't be the same without Whoopi!

Here are all the Hollywood stars vowing to leave the US over Trump’s presidential election win   ..."Cardi B had a message for those gloating on her timeline, too.

“ 'So listen,” she said in a video posted to X on Wednesday. “Imma let you know this right now, okay? So, you little trumpets, you won, I know you’re happy. Whatever the f–k. No one’s acting like bitter losers. However, you need to leave me the f–k alone because I got one more f–king cigarrete in me before I start lighting your ass up. Alright?”

"Cardi, 31, added, “And that’s word to the United States of mother f–king America.”

P-47 Thunderbolts vs. German Tiger Tanks

 Ed Cottrell and the Battle of the Bulge

"Ed Cottrell was a young airman serving with the US Army Air Forces’ (USAAF) 493rd Fighter Squadron, 48th Fighter Group at the time the Ardennes Offensive kicked off. He and his comrades were given one task that was to be repeated over the course of the battle: support the Allied ground forces by targeting German tanks and equipment from the sky.

"To do this, Cottrell piloted a Republic P-47 Thunderbolt, which he’d nicknamed “Our Mary.” .  .

"As a decorated United States Army M1 Abrams tank commander it is heartwarming to see at the end of this film the two adversaries come together with respect and admiration for one another and finally in decency and friendship. What a wonderful story with a very satisfying ending. Kind of reminds me of my days in the early 1980s in The former West Germany, a place where I have very many happy memories serving with the third infantry division based in Aschaffenburg am Main on the front lines of the Cold war. I was so grateful that two former adversary nations had come together in friendship and mutual camaraderie to keep the world at peace together. My hat's off and my love and admiration for the German people as in my older age now I wish to return to my former Garrison town and say hello once more. Peace and love to all."

Ed Cottrell and the Battle of the Bulge | War History Online