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You are here: Home / Politics / Proud to Be A Democrat / Best President Ever

Best President Ever

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barack_obama

Sorry for stepping on AL, but I had a good cry during that speech and my nose is all stuffed up.

I just love that man. He’s just such a fundamentally decent guy. I don’t want to have a beer with him, I want to be like him. He makes me want to be a better person, and makes me ashamed at how cynical and crude I am sometimes.

I’m happy, but I am also sad, because I just don’t think I’m ever going to see a political leader like him again in my lifetime. I’m so lucky to have lived during his time as President.

Reader Interactions

243Comments

  4. 4.

    gogol's wife

    This was an amazing evening from start to finish. President Obama is the greatest man I hope to ever see in my life. And I got to shake his hand once!

  5. 5.

    Tim C.

    The day after Kerry lost, I walked right into my friend’s classroom (High School teachers) and just said, “Obama 08” I was that inspired, even then. I can’t pretend everything has gone as I wanted or that we live the best of all possible words, but he really is that good and the GOP and every single lickspittle hater can go eat a bag of salted dicks.

  6. 6.

    lamh36

    Wait a minute John Cole..is has been where is our curmudeonly(sp?) leader.

    I kid…you are a sofite at heart John under all the cynicism…and Obama speaks to that…

    It was a great speech

  7. 7.

    DH

    Simply the best

    I agree with Mr.. Cole:we will never see his like again as President, sadly.

  9. 9.

    J R in WV

    Yes, indeed. We watched his speech 12 years ago and were amazed.

    Tonight we watched CBS, I could not stand to see Andrea Mitchell on NBC again, I will never watch her distort events again.

    The CBS newscasters were appalled by Trump’s miscalculation today, were casting about for an accurate way to say how big a mistake it was for Trump, that it made him completely unqualified to become president, and finally just said that.

    Then they talked about how great Tim Kaine’s speech was, we saw that, I caught bits of Bloomberg’s speech, thought it was pretty good for a guy who isn’t a Democrat, and Obama blew it away. Bill was a big grin all evening. And how good did Gabby Gifford look, sitting with Chelsea and Her husband Mark!

    Then Hillary came out and hugged Obama! Over the Moon!!

    A great night in Philly! I bet Trump can’t sleep for a week after hearing these speeches.

  11. 11.

    Thoroughly Pizzled

    I’m gonna spend the rest of my life bragging about him to anyone too young to remember his presidency.

  12. 12.

    MikeBoyScout

    We did that Cole. He acknowledges that, and we (you) should too.

    Let’s do it again; and never stop. This is the challenge to champions.

  13. 13.

    j.a.m.

    “I don’t want to have a beer with him, I want to be like him.”

    This is the key. He is such a decent human being.

  15. 15.

    MomSense

    “The American Dream is something no wall will ever contain”

    Just one of many great lines.

  16. 16.

    gogol's wife

    @MomSense:

    My husband kept saying (during Biden and Kaine too), “That’s a good line.” But especially during Obama he said it about 50 times.

  18. 18.

    Manyakitty

    I said almost the same thing on someone else’s post. Barack Obama and his family represent the very best of the United States.

  19. 19.

    Jeffro

    I just don’t think I’m ever going to see a political leader like him again in my lifetime.

    As I Tweeted at Josh Marshall, let’s just hope it’s only a little while…maybe just a few years? A decade?

    What a capper to an artillery bombardment of a night for the Dems! KRAKA-DOOM! You hear that Trump? You. Are. All. Alone in this…

  21. 21.

    Punchy

    And probably damn near 95% of his accomplishments would disappear–almost certainly extra-Constitutionally if necessary–if Trump takes over. EPA, ACA, Lilly Ledbetter, gay marriage, voter protections, abortion rights, Iran deal….all gonzo if Donny wins. Tough to comprehend.

    And he’d put in place a SCOTUS that would keep it so for generations.

  23. 23.

    tobie

    I have never felt so grateful to people who devote themselves to public service. We are so fortunate to have had President Obama. We will be so fortunate to have (Mme) President Clinton.

  24. 24.

    SiubhanDuinne

    I honestly wasn’t expecting to see Hillary tonight — it just never really occurred to me that she would be coming onstage — but seeing her looking so happy, and the obvious genuine affection between her and POTUS, well, I started blubbing like a little baby.

    Like everyone else, I think Obama is a once-in-a-lifetime president, and I’ll miss him desperately, but I feel very confident right now about our future.

  25. 25.

    Emerald

    The man is a miracle. I say that as a complete secularist.

    I finally lived to see a truly great president, one that I supported from the start, win twice and be in office during my lifetime, and I appreciated him the whole way!

    In the next few decades he’ll be ranked in the top ten. A few more decades beyond that and it will be top five.

  26. 26.

    3am

    This. Worst I can say otherwise is that I didn’t particularly enjoy his episode of Comedians in Cars Drinking Coffee.

  29. 29.

    Anne Laurie

    Thanks for using my category tag, John.

    Welcome (again) to our tent — it’s noisy and hella disorganized (which I know irks your Lawful soul no end), but there’s always a spare place at the table. As my Irish granny would say, “Maybe it’s nothing but stew, but then, stew stretches.”

  31. 31.

    lamh36

    @FLOTUS
    That’s my man! Your truth, dignity and grace reminds us what real leadership looks like. I am always proud of our @POTUS. -mo

  36. 36.

    Aleta

    I think, hope, he will be around in public and be speaking up and doing good for some time. I’m still amazed how he showed up after those dark years when my despair at the corruption of Cheney-bush-blackwater-Halliburton had become a depression that never lifted any more; and then he won. My young nieces, one AA, one white, each called us that night in tears. I’ll never forget his inauguration and how I got tears in my eyes during so many of his speeches and joy at his interactions with children.

  37. 37.

    Betty Cracker

    It was a fantastic speech from a wonderful president. I can relate to what you say, Cole, about PBO’s optimism making me ashamed of my cynicism.

  38. 38.

    Kathleen

    I marvel how, after 8 years of malicious, vile hatred and disrespect directed towards him and his family, he can deliver such a powerful speech from the heart. Like John, I feel I have much to learn from him about being a better human being.

  39. 39.

    rikyrah

    Awesomely Luvvie ✔ @Luvvie
    I’m so hype right now that if Barack had told me to fly Spirit Airlines, I would have. #DemsinPhilly
    10:40 PM – 27 Jul 2016

  41. 41.

    Face

    I’d love to have a beer with him, if only to tell him just how much I absolutely hate his White Sox.

  43. 43.

    jonas

    Meeting BHO or his amazing wife in person some day is on my bucket list. I think we can all take some solace in the fact that he’s going to be a seriously amazing force for progressives and Democrats for several decades to come. He will bring down the house in every DNC convention, and make it rain for every Democrat running for office for the next 30 years, God willing.

  44. 44.

    hovercraft

    @lamh36:
    Much like his speech in 2004, this speech was about America and our values and who we are as a people. The only people who will fault it if they are being truly honest are the 27%. People like Nicole never wanted Trump and know that he is a danger to the country. People like John McCain and Paul Ryan can not say that this speech was patriotic and spot on because they want to be re-elected.

    Upton Sinclair — ‘It is difficult to get a man to understand something, when his salary depends on his not understanding it.’

  45. 45.

    Ella in New Mexico

    Repeal the 22nd Amendment, and institute term limits for Congress instead.

  47. 47.

    Eric NNY

    Compare the gun violence victim’s mothers with friggin’ turtle brandishing a rifle four years ago. We have this.

  50. 50.

    Keith G

    A semi repeat of an earlier comment:
    Keeping It 1600 is a great listen for insider insights into this campaign. Description of Tuesday’s podcast:
    Hosts Jon Favreau and Dan Pfeiffer discuss the bed-wetting over the Trump bump in the “poller coaster,” the Democratic National Committee email leaks (12:00), the “Bernie or Bust” booing (17:00), the performances of Cory Booker, Elizabeth Warren, and Bernie Sanders (24:00), and Michelle Obama’s empowering convention address (32:00).

  52. 52.

    Dork

    @PigDog: when you’re a Republican and you’ve lost Chuck Toddler, you’ve done fucked something up big time. The GOP is typically Teflon in MSM circles.

  54. 54.

    sigaba

    @Omnes Omnibus: Term limits are based on the proposition that voters are too stupid to vote a bad politician out of office, but are smart enough to select his worthy successor.

  56. 56.

    rikyrah

    Westeros Pipes ‏@rodimusprime 14m14 minutes ago
    Like the hatred of his black skin and black excellence created a party that was easily taken over by an open bigot who won’t code switch.

    Khal Draghoe
    ‏@brownandbella
    @rodimusprime He destroyed a major political party. Literally drove them to destruction with his mere existence. GOAT.

  58. 58.

    Mai.naem.mobile

    I have told my 18 year old niece to appreciate Obama while he’s in office but doesn’t have the experience of living through an incompetent presidency as an adult. Anyhow,i am truly going miss the low key quiet competence of Obama.

  59. 59.

    redshirt

    I think Obama has made me a better person. He truly is an inspiration in his grace, his intelligence, his demeanor, his everything. He’s amazing.

    — OBOT

  60. 60.

    Irony Abounds

    The main reason I may be in such a bad mood regarding politics this year is that there isn’t someone to root for this year, just some asshole sociopath to root against. Cole pegs it correctly, though, beyond anything else, Obama is just an incredibly decent human being. He will be missed – greatly.

  61. 61.

    Davey C

    As fucked up as these past 8 years have sometimes been, I’m SOOOOO grateful that we have been led by a President as decent, tenacious and competent as Barack Obama. I don’t know where we’d be without him.

  64. 64.

    TheMightyTrowel

    Can we start the BJ fundraising thing now? In previous elections I’ve loved all the recs about state and regional elections with great candidates and links to their fundraising pages. I live outside the US and want to do what I can and often that’s shoot some money in the direction of a candidate in regional america who isn’t getting publicity but can get shit done.

    I really value all the suggestions that come through here and the BJ fundraising posts have been great reminders to chuck some money at candidates in lower profile races.

  67. 67.

    Ajabu

    I posted this downstairs but I’m so stoked by the President’s speech tonight that I think it bears repeating:
    My two granddaughters are currently ages 6 & 7. They have never (in their lifetimes) known another president but Barack Obama. So they already assume POTUS is a Black man’s job.
    Come January 2017 they’ll discover it’s also a woman’s job.
    So they’ll realize they have both qualifications necessary to run the country when they grow up. I LOVE THAT!!

  68. 68.

    Keith G

    @Omnes Omnibus: I do not mind presidential term limits. I think that on balance they offer a bit of protection.

    The executive branch is continuing to grow in size and power. It’s a good idea that the political leadership of those dozens of departments, councils and agencies get regularly tossed out.

  70. 70.

    BR

    @TheMightyTrowel:

    And not just fundraising. I want front page posts daily for us to sign up to volunteer and discus what calls we made or doors we knocked on or voters we registered. We need action posts! It’s like Obamacare or Obama ’08. Not a spectator sport!

  71. 71.

    Betty Cracker

    @MisterForkbeard: Oh, nothing so terrible; he just criticized Tim Kaine’s Trump impression and offered his own, which was lame AF. He’s just such a supercilious prick. I cannot abide the priggish worm.

  74. 74.

    Barbara

    Six words that hit me viscerally out of this great speech: “We don’t want to be ruled.” To me this pretty much sums up the difference between the parties today.

  76. 76.

    cain

    @Aleta:
    I will never forget when he was elected.. the pure unadulterated joy that I felt sitting in the Obama campaign office.. there was a stunned silence and then this gigantic roar especially from the organizer.. months of work, no sleep, drive.. culminated into getting this man, this great man elected as our president. He is one for the ages. I cry every time I go back during that time frame and watch all the videos. We will never see his like in my lifetime. (Clinton came close.. but Obama will always be the main man.. the pure ideal)

  77. 77.

    ? Martin

    EWErickson: Text just now from a senior House Republican who gave me permission to tweet this: “We were supposed to make that sort of speech.”

  79. 79.

    John Weiss

    @Betty Cracker: Betty, optimism is a political stance. Barak (blessings upon his great heart) was just what the doctor ordered. I’m a better person for his example.

  81. 81.

    Greg

    Trump is going to hate paying off his losing campaign debt with Harriet Tubmann and Barack Obama bills.

  82. 82.

    Mike J

    People said some of the heckling came from the Washington delegation. Gives me a week before my LD meeting to write a resolution reprimanding them.

  83. 83.

    ? Martin

    @Davey C: I don’t. Obama isn’t much older than me. I hope he is with us long enough for me to not see it – you only get to go on stamps and money after you’ve died.

  85. 85.

    Lizzy L

    I agree, John. There have been other Presidents in my lifetime whose words or charisma or dedication I appreciated, but this man has such grace, kindness, courage, and brilliance of spirit as well as mind — we have been so fortunate these last 7 and a half years!

  86. 86.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    Raf Noboa y Rivera ‏@noboa 1h1 hour ago
    Wasn’t yours. It’s *ours*. That you thought otherwise is why we got Trump.
    Rich Lowry @ RichLowry
    American exceptionalism and greatness, shining city on hill, founding documents, etc–they’re trying to take all our stuff

  87. 87.

    Anne Laurie

    @Betty Cracker:

    Jake Tapper is such an asshole. That is all.

    I want to see Jake Tapper and Jon Karl caught in a nasty public sex scandal — preferably with Chuck Todd involved. That’s the only thing might get their sorry Repub ratfvcker arses off my tv screen.

  88. 88.

    Gemina13

    @Emerald:

    This.

    I can remember trying to persuade my mother and brother to support Obama in 2008. We all liked Hillary, but I had a feeling Obama was going to make history. The night he gave his acceptance speech at the DNC, Mom turned to me and said, “Okay. If he can pull all that off, I’ll gladly vote for him.”

    Sadly, she first contracted pneumonia after the election (which we both watched in tears), and then slid deeper into Alzheimer’s. She died in 2009.

    I have a feeling that she would have joined me in crying during Obama’s speech tonight, not only for the way it exposed how gracious, generous, and good this man is, but all the pain he’s gone through as President. She would have loved him like a son. And she would have cheered and applauded to see Hillary come out, and the two embrace like the good friends they obviously are.

    I’m fortunate. I’ve seen a once-in-a-lifetime President. I’m about to see another in Hillary Clinton. I believe that with all my heart.

    And I also believe Mom is watching from wherever she is, and smiling. Cheering us on.

  89. 89.

    rikyrah

    Westeros Pipes @rodimusprime
    And “buyer’s remorse” was such a telling term that white people openly used to say they regretted voting for a black man.
    11:24 PM – 27 Jul 2016

  90. 90.

    Anne Laurie

    @Mary G: Greatest Of All Time. (always catches me by surprise, too, since I’m older than the demographic that put the acronym into circulation.)

  91. 91.

    cortanya

    So I’ve lurked on here for over 8 years and after tonight’s speech I MUST post for the first time. What a wonderful man!!! I am so proud that we voted him to be our President!!
    I live in a Republican area outside of Atlanta and you all have kept me sane for the last 8 years!!

  92. 92.

    Suzanne

    Word, to every word. I admire a great deal about HRC, but I don’t think I’ll ever love another president like I love President Obama.

  94. 94.

    Prescott Cactus

    Near the end of his recent speech to the Canadian Parliament, they chanted “4 more years”. . .

    There is no hope, but we can dream.

  96. 96.

    Gemina13

    @Face:

    And he’d probably argue stats with you, rib you about the beer you’re drinking, and buy you another. Especially if you order pie.

  100. 100.

    Gemina13

    @Mike J:

    Oh, fuck. Nearly every friend I have is going, “I’m going to bed in tears over that owl.”

    Fuck the NRA, the Senate, Mitch McConnell in particular, and every fucking Teabagger on Capitol Hill.

  102. 102.

    Matt McIrvin

    @Keith G: I do not like that the executive branch is growing in power, even though the party I prefer currently controls it. But ironically it’s largely because the legislative got so fond of procedural hardball that they can hardly ever do anything.

  103. 103.

    Mnemosyne

    I turned off everything but the TV so I could just enjoy the speech in real time as it was, and the president did not disappoint.

    I’ve always said that Bill probably still had a few hard feelings towards Obama from 2008 because it is always easier to forgive someone who hurt you than it is to forgive someone who hurt someone you love, and we know after Bill’s speech yesterday that, though his body may stray at times, he loves Hillary with all his heart.

    Seeing the shots of Bill watching Obama give the speech championing Hillary tonight, I think that all is forgiven. And they both know it.

  104. 104.

    rikyrah

    Erick EricksonVerified account
    ‏@EWErickson
    I started the evening saying for the first time I thought Trump could win. Then Obama spoke. I’m so angry at my own party right now.

  108. 108.

    seaboogie

    We have been so fortunate, these 7+ years, that Barack Obama decided that he wanted that terrible job, and we gave it to him. Godspeed to Hillary in the same….

  109. 109.

    Mnemosyne

    @gogol’s wife:

    The writing in Bloomberg’s speech was better than his delivery of it. He started with all of the milquetoast “both sides do it” crap to conceal the fact that he had a frickin’ hatchet hidden behind his back that he was going to use on The Donald without an ounce of mercy. He brought it, and I thank him.

  113. 113.

    Matt McIrvin

    @Punchy:

    And probably damn near 95% of his accomplishments would disappear–almost certainly extra-Constitutionally if necessary–if Trump takes over. EPA, ACA, Lilly Ledbetter, gay marriage, voter protections, abortion rights, Iran deal….all gonzo if Donny wins. Tough to comprehend.

    And he’d put in place a SCOTUS that would keep it so for generations.

    I tell the third-party people that and they just go “they tell me that scaremongering bullshit every time. I don’t do panic votes.” aka YOU’RE NOT THE BOSS OF ME.

  114. 114.

    Mike J

    @rikyrah:

    Then Obama spoke. I’m so angry at my own party right now.

    Obama was the reason I was anti-Sanders. From the time Sanders said Clinton would “just” be a third Obama term I knew he was a nitwit. His entire campaign was based on how awful America is.

  115. 115.

    Lizzy L

    The GOP sent out a tweet about the pin Tim Kaine wears, saying it was a Honduran flag, and stating it was shameful for him not to wear an American flag. Assholes.

    Tim Kaine’s pin is a Blue Star service pin; he wears it to honor his son, who’s a deployed U.S. Marine.

  118. 118.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @Mnemosyne: If you ever thought that Bill and Hill didn’t love one another to distraction, you are off-base. His infidelities weren’t important to her. It appears that they were mostly distractions. Her choice. Not our business.

  119. 119.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    Gabriel SnyderVerified account
    ‏@ gabrielsnyder
    This is outrageous: law enforcement working on behalf of the Trump campaign against the press
    Paul Farhi @ farhip
    Post reporter barred, patted down by police at Pence rally.

  121. 121.

    Matt McIrvin

    @PGFan: I don’t think we need to worry too much about Hillary; she’s not the greatest orator but she’s a fighter; hostility seems to energize her.

  122. 122.

    Villago Delenda Est

    @Punchy: Coolidge was an utter sack of shit. No wonder the shitty grade Z movie star loved him so much.

  123. 123.

    Suzanne

    @Mnemosyne: I firmly believe that Bill and Hillary adore each other, and that they likely have an arrangement. They strike me as deeply entwined, even if they aren’t monogamous sexually.

  124. 124.

    pseudonymous in nc

    There’s always going to be the feeling that we let him down — a big ‘we’, from the DNC downwards — in 2010. He and the nation deserve a substantial final act (if he wants it, and after Sasha’s gone to college) and not just the usual post-presidentin’, and we know what’s necessary for that to happen.

    Tangentially, Bloomberg’s speech is going to play well in the Charlotte burbs where people work for banks and were promised All-Star Game tickets. I really like NC’s chances of going blue, but it’s going to take work.

    @Lizzy L:

    The GOP sent out a tweet about the pin Tim Kaine wears, saying it was a Honduran flag, and stating it was shameful for him not to wear an American flag. Assholes.

    It was the NC state GOP, which is run by idiots and whose Twitter account is run by the biggest idiot, and it got deleted fast once everybody pointed out it was a Blue Star Flag pin. Not before it got screencapped.

  126. 126.

    Mnemosyne

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist:

    I only realized it when I said it in the other thread, but while the Republicans were desperately trying to prevent us from triangulating on legislation, Obama instead triangulated them on patriotism.

    Game, set, and match, motherfuckers. Your “shining city on a hill” belongs to us now, and we’ve made it multicultural.

  127. 127.

    jl

    @Mnemosyne: Yeah, that was weird, but effective. Wonder if the speech was written specially to take advantage of Bloomberg’s ‘unique’ oratorical abilities. I was about to drift off, and suddenly Bloomberg is droning out (rhetorical) axe blows. Woke me up.

  128. 128.

    rikyrah

    Matt BaiVerified account
    ‏@mattbai
    There is some serious anticipation in this room for the president. Feels like the crowd wants to say a last, loud thank you.

  130. 130.

    Mike J

    @pseudonymous in nc:

    Tangentially, Bloomberg’s speech is going to play well

    I understand why Democrats don’t want to listen to him, but his speech wasn’t aimed at us. I can’t understand Dems who don’t want to help us get our message out even to people we disagree with.

  131. 131.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    jelani cobb @ jelani9
    Obama in full preacher mode here.
    t.tara turk-hayes ‏@ ttaraturk 1h1 hour ago
    I almost dumped all my money in the collection plate.

    jelani cobb ‏@ jelani9 1h1 hour ago
    Not too many people would’ve imagined this scene in 08 when HRC was handing Obama’s head to him in the debates.

    ETA: That last point is going to be interesting when/if HRC and Trump go head to head in debates.

  132. 132.

    pseudonymous in nc

    @SiubhanDuinne:

    I honestly wasn’t expecting to see Hillary tonight — it just never really occurred to me that she would be coming onstage

    It was foreshadowed by the intro, but after this morning, it also made damn sure that Hillary (and not just Obama) would make the late editions of the newspaper front pages.

  134. 134.

    Mnemosyne

    @SiubhanDuinne:

    It will when he’s done with it. Like others, I suspect that he’s going to make gun violence his signature issue once he leaves office, and he’s not going to want to let that owl out of his sight until he succeeds.

  135. 135.

    amk

    I would also consider one of kenyan’s biggest achievements is to drive his opposition party utterly batshit crazy and showing them for what they are – a hollow, corrupt edifice shattered by a mere carnival barker.

  136. 136.

    Anyone but Trump

    Amazing speech, I will miss our President. However, I take solace in knowing we have candidates like Elizabeth Warren, Cory Booker, Gavin Newsome, and many others that will carry the torch of the Democratic Party.

  138. 138.

    AxelFoley

    My Republican boss turned me on to Obama after his 2004 DNC speech (I missed it). I really didn’t think much of it back then. When he first ran in 2008, I had to be reminded he was the guy whose 2004 speech everyone was raving about. As I followed his campaign, I grew more and more impressed. I had a feeling he was gonna be a very good President (the first of us black folks ALWAYS has to be damn good–see, Robinson, Jackie), but wouldn’t have guessed he would become one of the greatest Presidents we’ve had (I personally say he’s the GOAT, but I don’t want to argue tonight).

  139. 139.

    leeleeFL

    We have been blessed to have Barack Obama for these years. I never once doubted this was his time and that Hillary would be his natural successor. The many accomplishments of this most excellent man are only part of his legacy. He reminds us always of how much more there is to do. One day, my Grands and Great Grands won’t know what racism or misogyny mean. Money won’t control politics. The Trumps of the world will properly be in the dustbin of history. The work awaits.

  140. 140.

    Mnemosyne

    @Mike J:

    His entire campaign was based on how awful America is.

    I think that’s the other reason Obama brought the optimism so hard tonight. It’s partly because that’s who he is, but it’s also to counter the Bernie-or-Busters who are grumblers, not just disappointed. He invited the disappointed ones in and told the grumblers to get to work or step aside and STFU.

  141. 141.

    jl

    @lamh36: Trump going full fake populist in his response.
    I think addressing various worries and unease in the country was planned to be left to HRC, and for very good campaign reasons.
    Glad they telegraphed their talking points before the most important speech of the convention.
    Sad that the HRC team is probably too sloppy to take note, huh?
    Maybe not the most artful, but the most important.

  143. 143.

    Mnemosyne

    @Omnes Omnibus:

    I still swear I saw a “60 Minutes” interview from the 1992 election where Hillary said something like, You know, not everyone has a monogamous marriage. But I’ve only run into a few other people who remember seeing the same thing.

    For me, it’s more that Bill struck me as a bit of a shallow egotist, so I wasn’t sure he was really capable of those kind of depths. Trust me, I am a believer now.

  145. 145.

    tobie

    @Mike J: So true. I don’t want to go negative tonight but I can’t help but feel contempt for a campaign that spawned the catcalling and hectoring we saw during Obama’s speech. It distracted me when I wanted to focus on his words. Okay…I just need to remember everything uplifting I did hear. Thank you, Mr. President!

  147. 147.

    Villago Delenda Est

    @Lizzy L: The Rethuglicans know no shame at all. None. They dare to get upset when we righteously call them fascists.

  148. 148.

    jl

    @Mnemosyne: They way he addressed the Berni-busters was brilliant, and wove in the need for accountability of next president was brilliant, in way that supported the good Bernie-ites will shutting down the bad ones was brilliant.

    How did he do that? Because he is brilliant? I guess so.

    And because he works his ass off. Here is the bit I saws about how much Obama worked on his speech:

    Mark Knoller
    3:01 PM July 27, 2016
    ‘Aides say @POTUS has been through 6 drafts of tonight’s speech over past week. Stayed up til 3AM rewriting after watching @FLOTUS speech.’

    I don’t know how to link to twits on the tweeter, so that is best I can do.

    Edit: I think Mark Knoller is a shouty reporter who I used to hear doing what I thought were a lot of cheap shots against Barack and Joe. I think so. Don’t hear much of him now. But if that is bit is true, thanks for reporting it, MK.

  150. 150.

    lamh36

    I also love this line:

    “Just ask the Marine who proudly serves his country without hiding the husband that he loves.”-President Obama #DemConvention  #DemsInPhilly 

    cause I’m reminded about how mush flacks CSI rain folks gave him and yet he speaks more unabashedly, comfortably and freely on LGBTQ rights than almost anyone before

  151. 151.

    Mnemosyne

    @jl:

    Glad they telegraphed their talking points before the most important speech of the convention.
    Sad that the HRC team is probably too sloppy to take note, huh?

    I think you forgot the sarcasm tag. ;-)

  156. 156.

    Cacti

    I just love that man. He’s just such a fundamentally decent guy. I don’t want to have a beer with him, I want to be like him. He makes me want to be a better person, and makes me ashamed at how cynical and crude I am sometimes.

    I’m happy, but I am also sad, because I just don’t think I’m ever going to see a political leader like him again in my lifetime. I’m so lucky to have lived during his time as President.

    Agree with all my heart.

    Barry Bams in the only guy in my lifetime that I think of as “My President” rather than “The President”. It hurts to know that his time is ending. Voting for him was truly an honor, and something I’ll look forward to telling my grandchildren about.

  158. 158.

    jl

    @Mnemosyne: I didn’t think one was needed.

    What a night for speeches. I’m going to watch some of those again. to study up. Just in case, when I am all growed up, I need to give some speeches. Seriously.

    Only thing was, everyone, even Obama, seemed a little ‘off’ right at the beginning. Were they feeling pressure, or some glitch up on the stage we couldn’t see? But makes no difference, they all hit their stride soon enough.

    Edit: Though, Bloomberg’s might be a case of studying how to write an effective speech for a bad speaker.

  159. 159.

    Nom de Plume

    @lamh36:

    WOW!!! Ericksons full timeline

    I’m starting to seriously wonder if he’s doing a John Cole. Everything he’s said lately has been dangerously sane.

  160. 160.

    goblue72

    @Mike J: Just can’t stop scratching that itch and leave well enough alone can ya?

    Try following our President’s lead and act like the better man.

  161. 161.

    Lizzy L

    @lamh36: That line made me shout out loud. And other lines made me tear up, which is not something I do easily. Brilliant speech.

  166. 166.

    Elie

    @jl:

    I think that in Obama’s case, he was a little sentimental — a little sad knowing that this was his last big speech as President. He seemed to look around sentimentally as he walked in. He also knows, I think, how vile this battle will be this fall and how it will leave scars. He is disappointed, I am sure, to leave office with this vile threat running in opposition… He wound it up though, didn’t he?
    I felt truly sad for Bernie who just couldn’t allow himself to stand tall tonight…. Sad

  167. 167.

    goblue72

    @Nom de Plume: If you read his Twitter, every half sane bleating is immolating followed by an exploding pustule. He’s still a retrograde sociopath. He actually tweeted that he doesn’t understand why someone who works full time should be guaranteed not to live in poverty.

    Sociopathic.

  168. 168.

    jl

    @Elie: I have no clue what the complaints are with Sanders tonight. Didn’t even see a shot of him. But I was listening far more than watching.

  169. 169.

    BR

    I’m reminded of when I was voting for the first time, in 2000, for president. At the time everyone told me there was no difference between Gore and Bush, and being young I mostly believed them. I went into the voting booth planning to vote for Nader, like all the good lefties were supposed to do.

    But something in me knew that it wasn’t the right choice, and at the last minute I voted for Gore. I realized it wouldn’t be the responsible choice. My dad had predicted when we were watching the Bush v. Gore debates that Bush was going to invade Iraq if he won. I don’t know how he knew, but he could tell.

    I think, and hope, that there are pox-on-both-houses folks who are struck by the same realization I was when I was 19.

  170. 170.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @Elie: I felt truly sad for Bernie who just couldn’t allow himself to stand tall tonight…. Sad

    the negative campaign, trying to determine who’s a ‘real progressive’, the refusal to admit defeat, putting Cornel West on the platform committee, encouraging the Sarandons and the “whores” guy, the bitcy remarks about Kaine… he’s a small and bitter man

  171. 171.

    Mnemosyne

    @jl:

    What a night for speeches. I’m going to watch some of those again. to study up. Just in case, when I am all growed up, I need to give some speeches. Seriously.

    In that case, the one to really study is the woman who introduced Obama — great-grandmother, Gold Star mother, politics is her retirement career. That was a great speech and she delivered it flawlessly.

  172. 172.

    Elie

    @jl:

    I only saw a couple of shots and in both he was literally sitting scrunched down and glum next to his wife who at least made an effort to smile and look energetic. He just looked depressed and glum. He appeared to be pouting

  173. 173.

    SoupCatcher

    @Mnemosyne: In the video introduction to Obama there was a shot of him sitting at his desk in his office, and I think the portrait behind him on the wall was of Grant. I’m not sure – it was from the mouth down – but that sure looked like his beard. If so, I wonder where Obama would rank Grant on his personal list of Presidents. He’s always been one of my personal favorites, and it’s been nice to see a little rehabilitation recently. Especially after everything the southern school of historians did to drag him through the mud in their odes to the Lost Cause.

  174. 174.

    Mnemosyne

    @jl:

    He was sitting slouched in his chair in most of the shots, but to me it almost looked more like he was in physical pain, like he’d thrown his back out or something. He straightened up and smiled a few times during Obama’s speech, though.

  175. 175.

    lamh36

    I heard Obama’s “we don’t look to be ruled” line in the voice of @idriselba and that Pacific Rim movie “apocalypse” rant scene???

    Good night BJ.

    Tomorrow night its HRCs turn.

    I do still expect dead Enders to show their asses, but I’m optimistic enough to to hope they don’t

  176. 176.

    Prescott Cactus

    @TheMightyTrowel: Thanks for the heads up. McCain’s opponent Ann Kirkpatrick has a chance and the notorious Sherriff Joe Arpio in Maricopa County has a chance of being overthrown.

    Make sure it’s close before you ever send a check.

  177. 177.

    jl

    Been re-watching some of Biden and Obama speeches.
    There was quite a bit of ‘tweaking’ the GOP, and bigots and jingos, in both.
    Right now I am watching part where Obama explicitly and nonchalantly discusses his mixed race heritage.
    Appropriating nice White Republican Kansas heritage. The presumption! (though some of them will use another word) Maybe that is what the NR loon was talking about taking ‘their’ stuff.

    I think that part of the speech will persuade quite a few carnsarned white guys, and outrage the rest.

  178. 178.

    tastytone

    OP:

    He makes me want to be a better person

    Yup yup yup. The man inspires me, and will probably be the only politician to truly inspire me, ever. If I had an atom of that man’s patience…
    Can’t wait for them to get back to Chicago–just having them around will brighten-up the place as far as I’m concerned.

  179. 179.

    goblue72

    @Mnemosyne: I realize the bug crawled up your rear so long ago that its taken up permanent residence, but you just sound like a crank at this point. Aside from the Leon Panetta booing – who is, let’s be clear here, an unmitigated war-hawk asshole who as soon as he left the Obama administration he started trashing it – the boo-birds were almost entirely dealt with and drowned out.

  180. 180.

    Mnemosyne

    @Betty Cracker:

    This is still the line from Obama’s speech at this year’s WHCD that makes me laugh every time, because you know it’s kidding on the square:

    But the prospect of leaving the White House is a mixed bag. You might have heard that someone jumped the White House fence last week, but I have to give Secret Service credit — they found Michelle, brought her back, she’s safe back at home now. It’s only nine more months, baby. Settle down.

  183. 183.

    Mnemosyne

    @goblue72:

    I realize the bug crawled up your rear so long ago that its taken up permanent residence …

    You sure spend a lot of time thinking about my anatomy. First my non-magic vagina, and now my ass. Do we need to find you a girlfriend?

  187. 187.

    goblue72

    @jl: He looked like an old guy who was at this point really exhausted and ready to go sleep for the next 72 hours. He smiled at various times and other times he had his usual Sanders face – he’s the old guy version of Resting Bitch Face.

    Half the time when the cameras scanned the audience, you could easily see random folks ignoring the President completely while they played with their cell phones. I saw one guy who I swear could easily pass for Larry Summers who had his head propped up during the President’s speech looking completely bored to tears.

    Some people just have a bug up their ass about Sanders and refuse to let things go. Kind like some certain BoB dead-enders in the CA delegation.

  188. 188.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @goblue72: Heh. How you doing, Dwight? How’s your fantasy life as a grassroots activist and organizer? Make that cubicle a little less bleak? are you middle-aged or a millennial tonight?

  191. 191.

    AxelFoley

    @Mnemosyne:

    Game, set, and match, motherfuckers. Your “shining city on a hill” belongs to us now, and we’ve made it multicultural

    Mnenmosyne, IIRC you’re married, but right now, I want to have your babies.

  192. 192.

    hovercraft

    @jl:
    He’s the heavy set white guy who sits in the second row of the press room on the right, he is considered the press statistician, I think he works for CBS radio. He keeps count of stuff in the white house, it’s his thing, not an official thing, I think it started as a hobby and then he became the go to guy if you wanted any weird obscure fact.Photo

  193. 193.

    goblue72

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist: I dunno Jim. I sit in my own office overlooking the FiDi in downtown SF. But please, spin whatever fantasies and misrepresentations you like, if that makes your sad life feel better.

  194. 194.

    amk

    Joshua DuBois

    This was not a Democrat vs. Republican speech from @POTUS. It was democracy vs. demagoguery, decency vs. incivility, & courage vs. fear.

  196. 196.

    jl

    @Mnemosyne: Your clip started with an ad for HRC. She’s too old for me and i think she’s a married women. What kind of match-making business are you running anyway?

    Anyway, right now I’m re-listening to O’Bama’s speech. Those Irish cans sure talk right?

  197. 197.

    Ruckus

    @? Martin:

    “We were supposed to make that sort of speech.”

    Republicans have no one and nothing in their political concepts that would support a person that could make that sort of speech. They want to have that, but their entire theology just repels it.

  198. 198.

    JudyinSD

    I loved the shout outs to the future generations who Hillary has so steadfastly supported. And from tweeter Science Mike told this story

    My youngest daughter: “who’s that?” Me: “That’s Bill Clinton.”
    Her: “Is he related to Hillary Clinton?”

  199. 199.

    Mnemosyne

    @goblue72:

    Happily married sweetheart. But please continue with your insane paranoias.

    Shall I provide a link for everyone to see? Half the women who post here saw it in real time. But, hey, bitchez be crazy and make shit up, right?

  200. 200.

    jl

    @hovercraft: Thanks. I might have him confused with some other reporter guy. Voice sounds different, not nearly as ‘shouty’ as the CBS guy who irritates me.

  201. 201.

    Mnemosyne

    @jl:

    Your clip started with an ad for HRC. She’s too old for me and i think she’s a married women. What kind of match-making business are you running anyway?

    Hey, I’m not eHarmony — everyone can be matched with whatever consenting adult floats their boat!

  202. 202.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist: I dunno Jim. I sit in my own office overlooking the FiDi in downtown SF.

    Anonymously bragging to strangers on the internet is a sure sign of happiness, success, and contentment.

  203. 203.

    Death Panel Truck

    @Ella in New Mexico: I’m for that. If there’s any president in my lifetime who has deserved more than two terms in office, it’s Obama. I’ll be happy with Hillary, but damn do I wish Barack Obama could be president for as long as possible.

  204. 204.

    EconWatcher

    I regret that my kids aren’t old enough to understand how special Obama is while he’s President, but I’ll make sure they do as they grow up. It’s a bittersweet moment, thinking of him riding off into the sunset.

    But here’s a thought that makes me happy: This guy redefined the career track to the Presidency; who ever could have thought community organizing was a stepping stone to that? So how do you think he’ll redefine the role and impact of a long post-presidency?

    He’s still a young guy. God willing, he’s going to be with us a long time.

  205. 205.

    SarahT

    @Gemina13:lateto the thread & you’ll probably never see this but I absolutely love your comment. For me, it’s my dad who deserved to live for the obama years, and – if we work our asses off – to say “madam president”. Hoping like hell mom can hang in for “madam president”, too. Anyway, cheers to you, our parents, & to all who brought us this night.

  206. 206.

    RadioOne

    I still find it amazing how many people knew instantly he was the guy to lead our nation after he gave his keynote speech to the Democratic convention in 2004. People can be remarkable judges of character.

  207. 207.

    BR

    @RadioOne:

    I think the same can be said, at a gut level, of the opposite. I knew there was something deeply false about people like John Edwards, Alan Grayson, and people like them. But it takes time for everyone to start seeing it. I hope the same is true about Trump.

  209. 209.

    tamiasmin

    If anyone asks me what damn good I’ve ever done in my life, I’ll say I voted for Barack Obama twice.

  210. 210.

    TriassicSands

    @Ella in New Mexico:

    Term limits don’t solve or improve anything. Republican voters, assisted by gerrymandered districts, would simply send one terrible representative after another to Congress. Except, then, none of the representatives would have any experience or expertise, they’d all be like the Tea Baggers that have come to plague us since 2010. Worse, experienced Democrats would be forced out as well.

    We don’t need a better Congress. We need a better electorate. A better Congress would follow.

  211. 211.

    Calming Influence

    @efgoldman: No, I don’t think congress is likely to impose term limits on itself. What I DO think is that it would be great if the founders had anticipated gerrymandering and included congressional term limits in the constitution.

  212. 212.

    piratedan

    @Prescott Cactus: agreed, AK has been running a solid campaign. Lots of outreach in the hinterlands, going rural, trying to connect with those that can be reached. Plus from my understanding, the voter registration outreach has been ongoing in AZ. Especially so with Arpaio and Trump out there simply being themselves.

  213. 213.

    TriassicSands

    I wrote it in an earlier thread, but looking at that photograph I have to repeat myself:

    Barack Obama has the nicest, most genuine smile imaginable. It radiates warmth. It’s hard to believe that with a smile like that the president is aloof in personal dealings.

    @BR:

    The troubling thing is that Trump’s phoniness is so obvious and so boundless that it’s difficult to imagine how anyone could fail to see through it. I’ve never seen anything like the Trump phenomenon. He’s like the worst actor ever trying to play a part that is far beyond his ability. And people in the audience are on their feet shouting “Bravo.”*

    PT Barnum** was wrong. There isn’t a sucker born minute — there are two or three.

    * Actually, they’re shouting something else, but it’s not fit for public display.
    ** Or he would have been wrong if he’d actually said that.

  214. 214.

    Gemina13

    @MikeBoyScout:
    @SiubhanDuinne:

    Thanks, you guys. I miss my mother a lot – I took care of her for 12 years, and she was my best friend and companion for all of those. Even the last year, which was hell on earth for both of us.

    She never liked the idea of a woman running for President. Then Bill and Hillary came on the scene in 1992. She loved Bill, but Hillary was her favorite because, kind of like Mom herself, Hillary was a woman in a man’s world (Mom worked in electronics factories and supervised a plating line at one point), and took shit from nobody. She didn’t fault Hillary for not leaving Bill over the Monica scandal – as she remarked, it was her decision, and nobody’s business. When Hillary announced she was running for President, Mom couldn’t wait to tell people that she was voting for her, and what a great President she would be. If she was still here, she’d be so happy, it’d be like I had an older sister that made good.

  215. 215.

    Origuy

    @Calming Influence: I doubt they anticipated the population growing so large that it was possible to the extent that it has become. They instituted the decennial census because the UK Parliament had no way of adjusting for changing populations. That led to “rotten boroughs” where an MP represented a deserted village, while new cities like Manchester had no representation at all.

  219. 219.

    guachi

    The more I think about it, the more I love Obama’s speech. It was great, in isolation. But what makes it even better was it was the capstone of a sequence of good speeches going back several hours to the “end gun violence” offset of the night.

  221. 221.

    BR

    As others have said, they better have the Bernie dead enders under control tomorrow. I don’t want to hear a peep out of them during Clinton’s speech. And I find it odd saying that because I’m a very new Clinton supporter, having been an Obama die hard and neutral in the primaries. But the Bernie dead enders and Trump insanity have made me a solid Clinton supporter, and I’m tired of their antics and destructiveness.

  222. 222.

    Gex

    The tag says it all.

    As someone up thread stated, tonight is a good night to be a Democrat.

  223. 223.

    EconWatcher

    @BR:

    Not only the Bernie dead-enders–who was the idiotic piece of s#!t who kept doing the wolf whistle? He did it even during the most affecting parts of Biden’s and Obama’s speeches. I wanted to grab him by the collar and punch his teeth out. I mean, really. What’s wrong with you?

  224. 224.

    Death Panel Truck

    But the Bernie dead enders and Trump insanity have made me a solid Clinton supporter, and I’m tired of their antics and destructiveness.

    I wasn’t wild about Clinton, but I saw Sanders as promising the world with no plans as to how to achieve it, and knew pretty much from the start that he couldn’t be taken seriously. Unlike a lot of people here in the state of Washington, I voted for Hillary in the primary.

  225. 225.

    Origuy

    Gary Kasparov tweeted: Perhaps tomorrow Trump will outdo Kaine’s Spanish by speaking fluent Russian…

  226. 226.

    Keith P.

    Ugh…woke up at 2:30 am with my heart leaping out of my chest. Already had 3 BP meds before going to bed, but did not sleep well. Trying a Benadryl before going in for ER visit #4.

  227. 227.

    Felanius Kootea

    @tamiasmin: This! I’m so pumped up by Obama’s speech I can’t sleep and I have an early day tomorrow (well, later today).

  229. 229.

    Bruce K

    @Origuy:

    The biggest surprise I’ve had this election year is the discovery that Garry Kimovich Kasaparov is a mensch. It’s like … I dunno … Bizarro Bobby Fischer?

  233. 233.

    EconWatcher

    A little side note: In his great speech, Obama never said “I’m with her.”

    There’s a reason for that: Obama pointed out all of Trump’s self-referential and narcissistic slogans, claiming he is the only one who can restore order and fix things, and contrasted them with Obama’s own slogan of “yes, we can.” Obama said democracy is about what we can do together, not what one person promises to do, especially an aspiring strongman. Obama suggested that the slogans Trump uses expose him as an authoritarian with contempt for self-government. Just so.

    But that discussion also shows that “I’m with her” is flawed, especially for a fight with Trump. Trump scored some points when he sneered at “I’m with her,” saying instead that “I’m for you.” I think Obama recognizes that, and was providing some gentle guidance.

    Hillary needs to dump “I’m with her” and adopt some kind of slogan that includes “we” as the subject and an active verb, to incorporate that notion of self-government that Obama emphasized.

  234. 234.

    J R in WV

    @Lizzy L:

    I remember when Obama spoke in Ohio back in 2008, and the Republicans went on and on about how he had invented a special Obama flag for his rule over America, with a big “O” on it. It wasn’t even shaped like a real American flag.

    It was a Fuqn Ohio State Flag, and the “O” was for OHIO!!!

    They show their ignorance and blind hate every time they lie about Obama OR Hillary.

  236. 236.

    Darkrose

    @Face: I would love to have lunch with him so we could laugh together about the White Sox and Chris Sale hacking up the ’76 throwback jerseys.

  238. 238.

    Applejinx

    @jl:

    Sad that the HRC team is probably too sloppy to take note, huh?

    Oh, like hell they are ;)

    I’m going to be very smug and happy to watch HRC comprehensively out-left the Donald.

    I think the best part is, by accounts of her loyalists here, she’s happiest doing that. Yeah she can take multiple directions, but maybe we’re going to see some unexpected enthusiasm from her. Between Obama, Bernie and Trump trying to get to her left in populist terms, it’s like 1971 Hillary has been legitimized like never before. It’s like the 80s and 90s never fucking happened. Breath of fresh air.

  240. 240.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @EconWatcher:

    Hillary needs to dump “I’m with her” and adopt some kind of slogan that includes “we” as the subject and an active verb, to incorporate that notion of self-government that Obama emphasized.

    It doesn’t follow the precise syntactical pattern, but IMHO “Stronger Together” conveys the message just fine, and in only two words.

    ETA: Or what Applejinx said ^^^

  241. 241.

    Comrade Scrutinizer

    @Mnemosyne: That interview is on youtube. Sorry I haven’t a link just now, but search 60 Minutes Clinton and you’ll find it.

  242. 242.

    Cat48

    I agree John. Everytime I hear that U2 song, I tear up bc–Obama! No politician will ever move me this way again.

  243. 243.

    Egilsson

    When I first saw Obama, I prayed he could be the president that democrats admired as their version of Reagan (not that I admire Reagan…).

    He has been and then some, and then some more.

    I am proud I was a delegate for Obama x2 to my state convention, and I am sure I will always regard him as the best president of my lifetime. We will really miss him in the years to come …

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