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By noemon
#14859242
Independent wrote:Barack Obama gets a lot of letters from concerned Americans. Some of them are worried about the erosion of his legacy, others want to know his thoughts on the new administration. To many of them, he sends the same, forward-looking letter.

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The letter, first obtained by Yahoo News, tells worried citizens not to lose hope. Echoing many of his previous speeches, Mr Obama writes that “our country's progress has never followed a straight line – for every two steps forward, it often feels like we take one step back".

Though he himself has maintained a relatively low profile since leaving office, Mr Obama encourages those who write him to get involved in politics. He writes that American democracy is only threatened when we take it for granted, and that "change only happens when people get involved".

Mr Obama sends the letter to those who write him via email, or by regular mail addressed to his office, Yahoo reports.

Read the full text of the letter, below:

"Thank you for writing. I hear your concerns and I want you to know I'm listening.

Our country's progress has never followed a straight line-for every two steps forward it often feels like we take one step back. But I hope you'll remember that the long sweep of America is defined by forward motion, and the course we chart from here depends on no one person alone. Rather, our destiny will be decided the same way it always has been: by all of us; by we the people; by selfless and engaged citizens who step forward and speak out to guard the values that make us who we are – not just when there’s an election, but every day.

Our democracy is threatened whenever we take it for granted, and change only happens when people get involved. As long as folks like you keep looking out for others and working to defend America’s promise, I'm confident our future will be bright. Please know Michelle and I will continue standing alongside you, and we wish you the very best.

Sincerely,

Barack Obama"


Independent
By foxdemon
#14859421
Nobody has commented on this. OK, so to get the ball rolling, Is Obama’s legacy the ill advised intervention in Libya?

Well, you know, two steps forward and one step back. Surely the military intervention in Libya was a step back. But maybe it was Hillary’s fault and Obama can only be blamed for not having the balls telling the bitch precisely how she really ought to shove her head up her own...well, it would be rude to say which specific orifice.

Does anyone wish to elaborate? :)
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By Godstud
#14859427
Nobody envisioned what would happen in Libya, after Gadaffi was gone. Look what happened in Iraq.

Every President in history has made some mistakes during their presidency. The only difference in Trump's is that he has yet to get something right. :lol:



Kudos to Obama for writing a hopeful letter.
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By Drlee
#14859442
What I think is significant about this letter is that people are still looking to President Obama for leadership. More specifically they see President Obama as someone who cares about them. I don't think there is a soul in the US these days who harbors any illusions about the ruling party and president caring one whit about them.

As to the sentiments of the letter. He is, of course, correct when he says, "our country's progress has never followed a straight line – for every two steps forward, it often feels like we take one step back".

Though this is supposed to make us feel better the course of events in Washington these days is taking a very disturbing course. In the past the governing folks always took great pains to maintain the facade that we are a functioning democracy rather than a plutocracy/oligarchy. No longer. The republicans don't even try to do that anymore. They have dropped the effort to even try to convince all but the dumbest of their followers (now known as their base) that they are not simply dancing on the strings pulled by said rich folks.

Consider this stunning FACT!

The NRA is touted to be this powerful lobby that has republicans shaking in their boots. Don't cross the NRA is practically a republican mantra. But do they really feel that way? Nope. Not at all. Is the NRA a major political force? Maybe a little. But in the great scheme of things it is the issue not the NRA. The NRA reports that it spends about 4 million dollars on lobbying. It controlled spending of about $54 million dollars, $37 million of it spent on ads against democrats and only $265 dollars spend on ads supporting democrats. So really the profoundly stupid people who give to this organization fail to understand it as what it is....an arm of the republican party.

But as noisy as the NRA is, it is not even a player when it comes to money. Two men, the Koch brothers, planned to give a stunning $889 million dollars to the 2016 campaigns. Virtually all of it to republicans. So two of the biggest (if not the biggest) alligators in Trumps metaphorical swamp were the biggest contributors to the campaign cycle. Adelson gave Trump a reported $100 million dollars.

Why am I picking on the republicans? Because they are in power and have dropped all pretense of caring about the middle and lower economic classes. They have simply lied about the current tax bill rather than even try to help the middle class and small business. They know they can but more importantly they know the Koch brothers will fund their repair campaign of lies if they get in trouble.

The US is no longer a functioning democracy (spare me the semantics game) and Obama knows it. That is not to say that it may not become one again in the future.

But Foxdemon consider this. You have to look to Libya for a failure of the Obama presidency. Is this the best shot we have against him? In less than a year Trump is destroying health care in America and trying to add as much as two trillion a year to the debt. His TEA party people are just not educated enough to see debt as a tax yet to be paid so they are gleefully going along with him. Stimulating the economy at a time of unprecedented growth and a runaway Dow is exactly the opposite of what these TEA party folks should believe but they are not smart enough to know it. 'Long as he don't git after my guns...." He is dismantling environmental regulations and social welfare programs that are the result of decades of bipartisan effort. And he is very near to picking a nuclear war with the DPRK that could cost millions of lives. And we are discussing Libya; an event about which nobody in the US and damn few people around the world give even a little shit about.

I think Obama's letter is a dodge. I wish he would be far more vocal in opposition to what is happening now. Trump's middle and lower economic class supporters are simply not smart enough to see what he is doing to him and his upper economic class supporters are just happy to cash the check.
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By Vanasalus
#14859447
F*ck Obama!

His progressiveness was only in his nice speeches. In substance, he was an establishment politician from top to toe.

Little, if not none, of his progressive promises was materialized.

Nothing has changed in terms of income distribution, racial injustices, financial (ir)regulation, foreign policy, or any other vital issues of the US.

Establishment politicians like him, big in words but absent in conviction and action, are the main reason why populist, right wing and xenophobic idiots are gaining political power, even come to government around the world.

He can shove his letter in to an appropriate place. I am not interested in his "prospectus" for the second term re-election of Donald Trump.
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By Rugoz
#14859458
Drlee wrote:Two men, the Koch brothers, planned to give a stunning $889 million dollars to the 2016 campaigns.


And yet people didn't vote for the candidate with the deepest pockets but for the biggest con man. I'd say American democracy is alive and well, for better or worse.

Vanasalus wrote:Nothing has changed in terms of income distribution, racial injustices, financial (ir)regulation, foreign policy, or any other vital issues of the US.


The part about financial regulation is not true (Dodd-Frank Act). Apart from that, Obamacare managed to insure millions and the US navigated through the financial crisis relatively well.
By mikema63
#14859460
I should also point out that putting the failure to solve multi-generational problems on to one man who is neither all powerful nor can be reasonably expected to know how to solve these difficult problems is a bit silly.
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By blackjack21
#14859461
mikema63 wrote:I should also point out that putting the failure to solve multi-generational problems on to one man who is neither all powerful nor can be reasonably expected to know how to solve these difficult problems is a bit silly.

It's nice to hear you giving Trump a chance.
By mikema63
#14859464
Trump doesn't want to solve shit. The only thing trump wants is to massage his own ego.
By skinster
#14859478
Godstud wrote:Nobody envisioned what would happen in Libya, after Gadaffi was gone. Look what happened in Iraq.


Gaddafi told us what would happen to Libya if he was removed, repeatedly warning the west before and throughout the war, and pretty much all of that happened (and worse). Saddam said the same about Iraq being invaded. The people who conducted these wars of destruction of entire countries knew too, but they don't care for anything except how they would benefit, along with their useful eejits (who don't benefit but think they do).
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By Negotiator
#14867953
Well, thats a nice and diplomatically worded, positive letter that doesnt hurt anyone. And what else is Obama supposed to write, anyway ?
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By Potemkin
#14867983
Well, thats a nice and diplomatically worded, positive letter that doesnt hurt anyone. And what else is Obama supposed to write, anyway ?

Precisely. It's anodyne. It's not going to offend anybody, and in fact it's calculated not to offend anyone. Rather like Obama's presidency itself, in fact. Lol.

Paradoxically, the anodyne nature of Obama's approach didn't stop the right wing from taking offence at everything he ever said or did, however. They even seemed to be offended by his very existence. I wonder why that could have been? Hmm.... *strokes beard* :eh:
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By QatzelOk
#14867994
His letter summarized:

We the people
Forward sweep of history
Selfless and engaged citizens
America's promise

If had been a retired McDonald's manager, he would have mentionned all-beef patties and special sauce.
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