As the 44th president enters his seventh decade, friends and associates describe him as personally content, politically worried but unfailingly optimistic. @MrDanZak https://t.co/T7s1w2sEDe
— Karen Heller (@kheller) August 9, 2021
A little readership reward, from the Washington Post — “Feet on the dance floor, eyes on the future”:
… [A]s the 44th president enters his seventh decade, friends and associates describe him as personally content, politically worried but unfailingly optimistic. He is relieved that the American people denied President Donald Trump a second term, but animated by what he views as an assault on voting rights happening at the state level. For all the pandemic’s trials and terrors, he was delighted to have his daughters at home — “like making up for lost time,” one confidante says — and he binge-watched TV series that he’d missed while in office (including the Odenkirk oeuvre of “Breaking Bad” and “Better Call Saul”).
He’s listening to new Migos, old Rihanna and older Joni Mitchell. He recently read novels by Kazuo Ishiguro and Rumaan Alam. He spent part of his birthday week reviewing and signing off on the list of Obama Foundation scholars for the coming academic year at the University of Chicago…
“They’re in a very good place,” says close friend Valerie Jarrett, a former White House senior adviser. “Over the 30 years I’ve known them, I don’t think I’ve ever seen them as happy as they are now. To not have the responsibilities of office but still have an extraordinarily important platform is the best of all worlds. They’re free, but people still care a great deal about what they say and do.”
Obama has done the typical post-presidential things: laboring over his memoirs (he still owes his publisher a second volume) and overseeing his foundation, which will break ground this autumn on a presidential center and museum on the South Side of Chicago. But Obama also commands his media fiefdom, with his wife as partner, in a way that no other ex-president has. In February, Obama launched a podcast with Bruce Springsteen on Spotify and, with Michelle, announced a new slate of film and series projects from their production company Higher Ground, which is partnered with Netflix. Their stated goals are to amplify American stories — “Crip Camp” charted the disability rights movement and “American Factory” won an Oscar for its depiction of postindustrial life in small-town Ohio — and strengthen American values in the culture…
David Axelrod, a former longtime senior adviser, thinks Obama has been more active in his post-presidency than he himself anticipated, given the nature and volume of national crises. Michelle has often been by his side, or working the same issue from another angle. In the run-up to the midterm elections in 2018, she hyped voter participation through When We All Vote, her turnout initiative, while he campaigned for specific candidates. About a year ago Obama turned his eulogy for Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.) into a critique of the filibuster and an endorsement of equal representation for residents of Puerto Rico and D.C. Following the insurrection both he and Michelle issued their own blistering condemnations that ended with a very Obamian refrain.
“While he is an apostle of hope he’s not a naive apostle of hope,” Axelrod says. “He sees the challenges. And it concerns him. So he’s just not of a mind to retreat and enjoy the rewards of a life well spent.”…
While doing research for his new three-part HBO documentary “Obama: In Pursuit of a More Perfect Union,” Peter Kunhardt found an old interview in which Obama, then a new president, was already thinking past his time in office.
“Early on in an interview he mused that it was his post-presidency that he most looked forward to,” Kunhardt says. “I think that’s telling. He gets along great with people, but at the same time, he doesn’t. To be freed of the obligation of all the interpersonal negotiations he was faced with must be a relief.”…
Biden spent this past weekend at home in Rehoboth Beach, Del., but sent a happy-birthday video message that was played for attendees at Saturday’s party in Martha’s Vineyard.
The “greatest gift” we can give “all of our children and grandchildren is a nation and world worthy of their dreams and talents,” Biden said in the video. “That’s what you did and continue to do.”…
Almost Retired
Here’s hoping he gives Jimmy Carter a run for his money as the greatest ex-President! He’s well on his way. And I have to grudgingly acknowledge that he was the first President who was younger than I am (albeit by two weeks).
debbie
Hope he’s celebrating this along with his birthday. Article says the GQP legislature doesn’t have the votes to override the governor’s veto. WooHoo!
misterpuff
Obama is a wee youngster, says I who was born in December of 1956.
The 60s in life now is very livable
Happy Birthday
Barry Barrack, Sir.mrmoshpotato
Hahaha
zhena gogolia
@mrmoshpotato:
You’d think so if you asked Kaitlin Collins.
Another Scott
Another good piece from Stephen Robinson at Wonkette:
Maybe we’re just not as loyal or maybe we have human souls capable of shame and remorse. It’s a complex metaphysical question.
Indeed.
Cheers,
Scott.
The Thin Black Duke
I’m glad that my Mom got to see a black man elected President of the United States in her lifetime.
sab
@zhena gogolia: Good God how did that young woman get to be so prominent and influential. She seems like such an idiot, and not in a way that will improve or learn with age.
zhena gogolia
@sab:
I think maybe TFG threw her out of a press conference or something so she became Carl Bernstein overnight.
trollhattan
“Painting with light” is a catchall photography term for making a long exposure in the dark and introducing light sources–continuous or flash–to build the scene. It can yield clever and intriguing images but I’ve never seen anything remotely like this. I’ll call the dude a light sculptor. Mind=boggled.
https://www.facebook.com/HannuHuhtamoPhotography/posts/356410516052074
Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)
Since it’s an open thread: Until Spring 2022, you can request weekly credit reports from the three credit bureaus via annualcreditreport.com. It’d be nice if this could be monthly, instead of just one a year from each
Ajabu
@misterpuff:
as someone who sees both you and President Obama as youngsters, I can tell you that reaching adulthood in the 60s was no walk in the park…
Ruckus
@The Thin Black Duke:
I am too.
trollhattan
@mrmoshpotato:
If it’s “Biden’s Katrina” then Biden is in damn fine shape indeed.
West of the Rockies
Robin came out of the closet in the latest Batman comic. That seems like another big cultural event destined to freak out the enraged QOP.
PJ
@trollhattan: “Painting with light” has been a term for photography since it was invented. Notably, it was the title of John Alton’s book on cinematography, which was written a little more than 70 years ago.
Alison Rose
@Another Scott: That headline makes me happy.
Alison Rose
Oh and I love the Obamas now and forever. Maybe I’ll write to them and tell them so and then be like “hi you’re rich could you send me some money to pay off my tax debt kthx.”
You never know. My mom got a personal letter back from him when she send him a letter saying she thought he looked like Fred Astaire. We framed the letter and photo he sent her. It’s now a family heirloom.
bbleh
To who?! By WHO?!? What in the gosh darn heck kinda names are those? Where does he think he lives anyway? And “scholars” and “academics”? What kinda ee-leetist taxpayer mooching is that? Why by damn if I were 10 years younger …
David ? ☘The Establishment☘? Koch
@Alison Rose: More details please.
When did he write? Was it hand written? Can you summarize their exchange
Thnks
Mike in NC
President Obama endured eight years of being trolled by the Fat Orange Clown on Twitter. That was an accomplishment I could never have pulled off.
debbie
@Alison Rose:
It was lost over the decades of moving, but I received a personal reply from JFK when I was a kid.
OzarkHillbilly
@The Thin Black Duke: I’m sorry my mother didn’t. She would have appreciated it.
laura
I’m so happy that my parents lived long enough to live from FDR – their most beloved President to President Obama as their most beloved President. I wish the Obama’s every joy, every normal regular thing, contentment and boredom and friends and hobbies and birthdays/weddings/grand babies/stuff and more. They’ve carried the weight a long time and the time for rest, reflection and whatever they want is now.
OzarkHillbilly
@trollhattan: Cave photographers have been doing it for a long time. Some truly astounding shit in that genre.
Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)
@Mike in NC:
Imagine how he must have felt on Election Night 2016 after all of that
aliasofwestgate
@West of the Rockies: I figured at least one of them would come out as queer at some point. The one that did? Not surprising. *grins* Batfam is so big, the odds were there. I’m glad to see DC just bringing the characters out instead of worrying about things and seeing the joy everywhere about it. Plus i think they were encouraged by the tv popularity of Batwoman (both versions from both seasons) being queer as well.
ETA: Pissing off the GQP is a bonus, honestly.
mrmoshpotato
@Mike in NC:
And the Rethuglicans being an obstructionist shitpile of “NO!”
JPL
@Alison Rose: I still miss him, but recognize the fact that Joe has the wind at his back.
Starfish
A real security engineer went to the My Pillow Guy’s conference about the election hacking.
burnspbesq
ICYMI, Bexar County (San Antonio) got a temporary restraining order barring enforcement of Abbott’s executive order prohibiting mask mandates. Scope of the mandate is apparently TBD. Hearing on the county’s motion for a preliminary injunction next Monday.
Hopefully the floodgates will open and a torrent of common sense will inundate this Republican dystopia.
MomSense
@Alison Rose:
My son sent him a picture he drew of him with a note and got a handwritten note back plus a bunch of cool kid things like a coloring book, stickers, a picture book history of the presidents, pencils and some other fun things.
JPL
@MomSense: That is so awesome, and I’m jealous.
rikyrah
I love that 44 is enjoying his best life.
I always feared that he would be another Jackie Robinson- dying young from the stress of being ‘The First One’.
I want 44 to die at the age of 95, surrounded by his children and grandchildren.
zhena gogolia
@MomSense:
I got to shake his hand and say “God bless you,” and he said “Thank you.”
I almost fainted when I first saw him.
ETA: I met Al Gore a few years ago too! Really nice to shake his hand. I guess now I couldn’t be able to.
JPL
@rikyrah: Michelle is pretty awesome, too.
BC in Illinois
So President Obama is 60?
That’s only 15.5 celsius.
Citizen Alan
Hah! I just got David Sirota mad enough to respond to a Tweet by accusing me of being a bot! My day is suddenly brighter.
zhena gogolia
@Citizen Alan:
Congrats!
The Thin Black Duke
@rikyrah: May Obama’s exit be “the painless result of having lived.”
scav
@Citizen Alan: I can see the reflected glow from here! Congrats indeed.
Mousebumples
@debbie: it’s true. And another reason WisDems and Voces de Frontera are such amazing groups for their efforts in 2020. We turned wisconsin blue AND were able to flip/defend enough state leg seats to maintain Evers’ veto powers. Important with redistricting coming up. Hope we can get things in-gerrymandered for 2022 races. ?
Alison Rose
@David ? ☘The Establishment☘? Koch:
I set this old post public so hopefully you can see it? She had sent him pictures of him and Fred side by side and said that she thought they looked alike, and that she was a big fan of both of them :)
Alison Rose
@debbie: How cool! Honestly, we all FELT like little kids when we got the letter :)
Alison Rose
@MomSense: OMG that is freaking awesome.
cain
@West of the Rockies:
oh wow, that’s awesome! Imagine the new stories that would generate. I’m quite pleased.
WaterGirl
@Alison Rose: I would be happy to front-page that tomorrow as a belated Happy Birthday to my forever president, if you like.
cain
@bbleh:
Real Americans listen to Rush anyways. ? er I mean Bing Crosby!
JMG
The reaction to Obama being happy as an ex-President is very telling. It drives the right wing racists mad. It’s better than if he said, “fuck off all of you, I did my best and you didn’t care.” At bottom he’s a happy man (got a lot to feel good about) and for a movement built on rage that’s intolerable.
cain
@JMG:
Truth. Of course, I have several friends who still hold him personally responsible for all the drone attacks and what not. I’ve always pushed back against it as drones was a way not to commit soldiers on the field of battle.
I understand their point, but it wasn’t Obama who got us in that position in the first place.
ETA I will remember this day, #50. My luck can only get better from here on in! Yeeeeeehaaaaa!!!
The Thin Black Duke
@JMG: Bigots hate it when black people refuse to be martyrs.
JPL
@cain: Maybe dead americans do, but not real Americans. just sayin
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@JMG: not just the right. Jacobin had an article today about Obama’s failed ex-presidency, because Jacobin.
trollhattan
Holy fucking shit, y’all, maybe it wasn’t PG&E.
Imagine Professor Levenson would like a chat with Professor Maynard.
Alison Rose
@WaterGirl: Heck yeah, that would be awesome! :
These were the pictures she sent, BTW
japa21
@Citizen Alan: He is, without a doubt, one of the biggest snowflakes out there. Me email address is in his spam filter simply because I heard him call Obama a liar and I merely asked him to elaborate on that claim.
eddie blake
@aliasofwestgate:
it’s nice to see more bisexuals, (especially bisexual men) in comics. really the ONLY one i can think of is marvel’s hercules, who has been openly bi for a couple of years now.
CaseyL
Happy Birthday to a man who made me feel proud to be an American. Not because of who he was, but because of what he accomplished. Obama-haters can gabble on all they want about what he didn’t get done, but fuck them. Considering what he inherited, and the headwinds he had to push through, Obama did amazingly well.
gwangung
@CaseyL: The headwinds, we should add, that are still there for both Democrats and black people (ya think they’re gonna let up on Harris?)
Ken
“Oh, you thought I meant teaching those subjects….”
schrodingers_cat
@Jim, Foolish Literalist: That was a ridiculous piece.
debbie
@Mousebumples:
That’s really great!
WaterGirl
@Alison Rose: I’ve asked MomSense if she would be up with sharing photos from their Barack response, too.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@schrodingers_cat: and here’s a ridiculous tweet from alleged journalist Ryan Grim, of the equally ridiculous Intercept, where he covers Tara Reade.
Ohio Mom
I remember reading that President Obama read and answered a dozen or so (don’t remember actual number) letters from everyday citizens every evening. It was a small way to feel connected with the people he was serving.
His aides selected them from the mountains of mail arriving at the White House so something about Alison Rose’s mom’s letter tickled one of their fancies. Probably because it was so light-hearted. I imagine a lot of the letters were tales of woe or angry.
WaterGirl
@Ohio Mom: It was 10 letters. I ?Barack Obama.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
Stupid tweets, part deux
a great fiction novel
Matt McIrvin
@cain: While I did not support Obama’s use of drones, most of the criticisms of it were bad faith, as you can tell by the fact that these people were utterly silent about Trump expanding the drone war massively and Biden winding it down. It was just the one way they could claim that Obama was a worse warmonger than Bush.
PST
@OzarkHillbilly: I’m glad my mother lived to see Obama elected president. She voted for him. Twice. Then she voted for Trump. WTF. I did not understand her and now I never will.
Citizen Alan
@aliasofwestgate:
My only regret about this is that I liked the Tim/Stephanie relationship. And since I think it was never resolved, it’s kind of like Tim is cheating on her with the new guy.
David ? ☘The Establishment☘? Koch
@Matt McIrvin:
what is the case against drones?
Jeffro
@West of the Rockies: *which * Robin? There have been so many..
ETA (sorry, I’m lazy): oh, Tim Drake? That works. Damian Wayne is so repellent to any/all others he probably couldn’t um get with anyone anyway, and Nightwing is SO clearly hetero that I figured it was Drake or Jason Todd (money was on Todd)
Kay
Ha. Because it’s a giant pain in the ass. This is what we need- they should go bother Republican counties. All of a sudden local Republicans will be ready to “move on”.
Kay
Trump himself calling the AG is new- previously it was Trump directing one of the sleazy Right wing lawyers to pressure the AG to throw out tens of millions of votes and keep them all in power.
The plan was to give their failed candidate a “do over” in 6 states- they all think they’re entitiled to special rules and extra help – not a legal argument, just a whiny, three month tantrum and demand that they be handed what they didn’t earn.
JML
@eddie blake: Loki is also bisexual on the Marvel side. I’m all for more LGBTQ representation at the Big Two in comics, but I wish they were less hamfisted about it. The Iceman retcon portraying him as gay was horribly done (a forced telepathic outing? awful).