My household recently received a letter from former president Barack Obama requesting money for the Democratic National Committee (DNC) to be used to elect “Democrats nationwide to stop Trump’s agenda,” some of which is not much different than what occurred during Obama’s presidency.
The ask is for a small amount of money. One is provided with a “Special Reply to President Barack Obama” that includes a box to be checked for $20, $30, $40 or other. Such a donation will entitle one to become a member of the DNC. Presumably, some of the money donated will be used to pay for future mailings asking for more money.
Obama’s letter starts off accurately. It notes that the Trump regime is devoting “its energy to enriching themselves…and their friends” and “silencing their critics.” Obama worries about how “basic democratic rules and norms have been weakened.”
At the end of his letter, he claims, “America’s problems are solvable” by, for one, abiding by “core constitutional principles.” Did abiding by those constitutional principles happen during his presidency when this former constitutional law professor saw fit to order the execution by drone of a U.S. citizen living in Yemen, Anwar Al-Awlaki, even though he had never been indicted let alone found guilty in a court of law of committing a crime as one expects by those who “abide by” the core principles of the U.S. Constitution?
There has been no congressional declaration of war as required under the Constitution for Trump’s war in Iran nor did Obama see fit to get one for the continuation of the war in Afghanistan or for the launching of a war in Libya.
Do adherents of “core constitutional principles” let people get away with torturing others as the Obama administration did? The International Human Rights Clinic at the Harvard Law School joined with Advocates for U.S. Torture Prosecution in submitting a report to the UN Committee Against Torture that documented “how the Obama administration is in clear violation of the law by shielding from criminal liability the senior government officials responsible for the post-9/11 US torture program.”
Furthermore, an article favorable towards Obama with the title “Obama Shows Leadership on Torture Memos” that was put out by the Center for American Progress claims that Obama “made the correct and responsible decision when he… ruled out prosecution of CIA operatives who acted in good faith on” the “legal guidance” found in “Bush-era memos providing legal justification for certain types of torture.” One might be reminded of Nazis claiming they should not be punished because they were just following orders.
Additionally, in what could be viewed as a violation of “basic democratic rules and norms,” many who committed financial fraud that helped to usher in the Great Recession were not criminally prosecuted by the Obama administration.
Obama’s Reasons for Why One Should Donate to the DNC
In his letter, Obama calls on the recipient “to stand up for the values that we believe in.” He calls on one to “do something” noting that “right now, Democrats are the last line of defense between the Republicans’ destructive agenda and the freedom and prosperity American families deserve.” What can one do? For Obama, one can “take a singular, powerful action in making a difference to elect Democrats: Join the DNC.”
By donating to the DNC, Obama provides six bullet points of what could result. The first is that the money raised “powers the largest partisan voter registration drive for Democrats in decades” for the purpose of registering more than “100,000 new voters.”
Something is fundamentally wrong with the DNC if registering over 100,000 new voters is the largest partisan voter registration drive “in decades.” How could that have not been at the heart of much of what the DNC has been doing to win elections–registering what are probably millions of people who are likely to vote for their party and seeing that they vote? Has the DNC not wanted more people voting? Would such a drive even be necessary if inspiring comcrete policy proposals were put forward by all Democratic candidates that address people’s needs for affordable housing, health care, food, education, a clean environment, etc.?
A second use of the money is to “deploy resources where they are needed most to win the toughest battleground races” without specifying where those races are taking place. He does cite the DNC investment of $6 million in New Jersey and Virginia last year which led to “historic wins,” presumably, of the two candidates for governor in each state.
A third bullet point is to fight “off all attempts by Republicans to block ballot access.” This should be supported since ballot access is fundamental to democracy. Is the DNC the best organization for stopping voter suppression? Has it been effective and leading the charge at doing so?
A fourth point is to fuel a “Rapid Response War Room in Democratic politics” that pushes back on Republicans. Doesn’t Obama recognize the widespread frustration with the Democratic Party leadership over the inadequacy of their responses to Republican outrages? What can be expected from a “War Room” given what, for many, has been feeble responses of much of the Democratic Party leadership?
A fifth is to support “Democratic state parties” since they are the “experts on the ground who would help Democrats compete and win everywhere.”
And the sixth is extremely vague. It consists of four words. “And so much more.” How inspiring?
Obama goes on to claim that the donations being requested “helps the DNC remind voters that with Republicans in charge, affordable health care is in jeopardy, and how the costs of everyday goods will continue to rise” as if that hasn’t been happening when the Democrats are in charge. How what he calls affordable health care will be protected and the costs of everyday goods kept from rising in price will be accomplished were the Democrats in charge is not specified.
Nowhere does Obama provide answers and possible solutions offered by the DNC to the undiscussed economic anxiety and the difficulties at getting by that many are experiencing nor are specific answers provided that address major environmental problems, obscene levels of economic inequality, poverty, the threats of war and militarism, etc. that we face.
The overall theme of Obama’s letter is to stop “Trump’s agenda” without specifying much of what is in the Trump agenda they plan to stop—his support for the murderous policies of Israel? his war in Iran? his embrace of the proliferation of data centers, AI and crypto currencies? Trump’s environmental and ICE policies?
Some of Trump’s policies towards refugees appear to have been in place when Obama was president. The Center for Constitutional Rights characterized “Obama’s policies towards refugees” as “cruel” in that they created “constant fear in immigrant households and communities” and included “resurrecting the family detention centers.” Even a New York Times editorial noted how, during Obama’s presidency, “ICE has been running amok, raiding homes and public spaces in search of deportable youths” which might remind one of the current policies of the Trump regime.
Obama has been effective at offering up flowery and pleasing language—hope and change, yes we can–that makes people feel warm and fuzzy inside but is devoid of addressing the real problems they face. Among his concluding comments, he writes “This November, we have the chance to elect leaders who will help build a stronger, better brighter future for all Americans.” Who are those leaders and what exactly will they seek to do is not specified.
Obama’s letter demonstrates that the wing of the Democratic Party that includes people like Obama is, once again, showing little interest in addressing the real problems many face.
In a P.S., Obama uses a favorite word invoked by Trump. “America’s problems are solvable, but only if we listen to each other and abide by the core constitutional principles and civic values that made this country great.” (emphasis added) What are those civic values and what does Obama mean by the country becoming great, and when was greatness achieved?
