Obama Tells Hard-Left Democrats To Pump The Breaks… When Did He Become The Voice Of Reason?

Wes WalkerNovember 18, 2019

34 2 minutes read

President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden hold in the Blue Room of the White House before delivers remarks and signing the health insurance reform bill in the East Room, March 23, 2010. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

When Senator Obama first ran for election, his voting record had him ranked as the furthest left Senator. And now he’s calling his own party ‘extreme’.

What a difference a decade can make, eh?

Not so very long ago, Obama was assuring us all he was a big believer in traditional marriage who just wanted to bring some positive vibes to Washington DC. We were told not to pay any attention to the race-baiting rantings of Jeremiah Wright, the man whose church he had attended for years.

Obama was billed as being just like us — only cooler and more awesome. Or something. And then, once we had him, the bill came due.

But as the current crop of 2020 wannabees chase their dreams of high office, they are tripping over each other competing for who can give the wilder promises hoping to buy support with the voters’ own money. It’s hardly a new tactic, but it tends to work with a certain segment of the electorate who assumes that bill will be forwarded to some other poor slob.

The New York Times reported Obama’s warning to a room full of Democrat donors:

Yet, he also raised concerns about some of the liberal ideas being promoted by some candidates, citing health care and immigration as issues where the proposals may have gone further than public opinion.

While Mr. Obama did not single out any specific primary candidate or policy proposal, he cautioned that the universe of voters that could support a Democratic candidate — Democrats, independents and moderate Republicans — are not driven by the same views reflected on “certain left-leaning Twitter feeds” or “the activist wing of our party.”

“Even as we push the envelope and we are bold in our vision we also have to be rooted in reality,” Mr. Obama said. “The average American doesn’t think we have to completely tear down the system and remake it.”

The comments marked an extraordinary entrance into the primary contest by the former president, who has been careful to avoid even the appearance of influencing the direction of the race.

His remarks offered an implicit critique of Senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, who have urged voters to embrace “political revolution” and “big, structural change,” as well as proposals once widely considered to be left to the liberal fringes of the party, including court packing and decriminalizing illegal border crossings.

Since we know the New York Times isn’t anything even CLOSE to impartial, what are we to understand from them choosing to publish this particular reporting?

There are a couple of explanations.

They might be telling Democrats that they are drifting too far left, and it could cost them the election.

Or, because this is Obama, and we saw the difference between his words and deeds, there is another plausible explanation.

Dial back the rhetoric. Pretend to be a centrist, and wait until you are elected to pull the country hard to the left. Once you have power, who can really stop you?

It’s a cynical read on his words, but having seen his actions, it isn’t an implausible one.

What do you think? Was it one of those two, or did we miss one? Let us know in the comments.

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