Obama Returns To Political Spotlight With Speech On Gerrymandering

After six months of vacationing at some of the most lavish resorts on earth, including Richard Branson"s own private island in the British Virgin Islands, Obama, as it was foretold by Eric Holder many months ago, is apparently ready to make his valiant return to the political spotlight.  His return will come in the form of a speech to be delivered on behalf of the National Democratic Redistricting Committee (NDRC), which just happens to be chaired by Holder.  More from the Washington Post:

Obama’s appearance Thursday before a few dozen people at a closed-door event in the District on behalf of the National Democratic Redistricting Committee (NDRC) highlights the balance he is trying to strike as his party seeks to regain its footing at both the state and national levels. Obama does not want to cast “a long shadow,” in the words of Democratic National Committee Chairman Tom Perez, but he remains a central figure for a party that has yet to settle on a single strategy to combat President Trump.

Perez said in an interview Sunday that while some Democrats have urged Obama recently, “You’ve got to get out front on issue X or issue Y,” the former president wants instead to “build the bench” for the party. Democrats suffered a greater loss of power during Obama’s tenure than under any other two-term president since World War II.

“Because tomorrow’s president is today’s state senator. And he knows that very personally,” said Perez, referring to Obama’s experience as a state senator in Illinois. “When you lose 900 state legislative seats, those are people who could have been the next governors and senators and Cabinet positions, and that is something that he’s very committed to.”

Of course, after overseeing the loss of over 1,000 Democrat legislative seats during his presidency, it"s no wonder that Obama feels some obligation to help Democrats regain an edge by any means necessary.  Per Fox News, here is a recap of how many democrat-held seats were lost under Obama"s reign:

The Democratic Party suffered huge losses at every level during Obama’s West Wing tenure.

The grand total: a net loss of 1,042 state and federal Democratic posts, including congressional and state legislative seats, governorships and the presidency.

Democratic U.S. Senate seats fell from 55 to 46. Their share of the House plummeted from 256 seats to 194. Republicans still control both chambers going into the next session.

Democratic governerships also became a rarity during this eight-year period, slipping from 28 to 16.

The Obama years, which saw the rise of the Tea Party as well as a new movement form around Trump that is still being defined, coincided with a loss of 958 state legislative seats for Democrats.

Not surprisingly, Obama and Holder plan to attack their redistricting efforts by alleging racism as the primary motivator of current district maps.

But Democrats now see cause for optimism, in part because of several recent legal victories. In May the Supreme Court struck down two North Carolina congressional districts as unconstitutional, finding that lawmakers used race as the dominant factor when crafting their lines. The court has made similar rulings regarding Alabama and Virginia, and has agreed to take up a case regarding gerrymandering in the coming year.

In 2011, when state legislators and governors were drawing districts in many states, Republicans have 22 states in which they held the governor’s mansion and both legislative chambers, while Democrats controlled 11. The situation has grown even bleaker for Democrats, since they have just six such trifectas now to the GOP’s 25.

“Restoring fairness to our democracy by advocating for fairer, more inclusive district maps around the country is a priority for President Obama,” Lewis said.

One senior Obama adviser, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to talk frankly, said the former president will be “supporting efforts that tackle the inequities of our current political system,” although he would only weigh in publicly on political questions sparingly.

Of course, we"re certain that district maps in California and New York have been drawn in a completely "fair" manner and will not draw any criticism in Obama"s speech.

The Big Collusion Narrative Keeps Melting Down

Authored by David French via National Review,

After two days and almost six hours of high-stakes public testimony, I’m struck by the total lack of any compelling claims supporting the “big” collusion narrative, that Russia conspired with Trump or Trump officials to “hack” election.

While we certainly aren’t privy to all the relevant information or all the relevant testimony, nothing that James Comey said last week or that Jeff Sessions said this week (much less any of the questions directed his way) contained so much as a meaningful hint that the Committee was on the verge of uncovering the political scandal of the century.

Rather, the focus keeps shifting to much narrower questions regarding Trump’s decision to fire James Comey - questions that are important but far less historically consequential than any claim that a president or his attorney general are traitors to their country.

Here’s where we stand:

1. Not only is there no evidence that Trump personally colluded with Russians or ordered anyone to collude with Russians, there’s now evidence that he hasn’t been under personal investigation by the FBI.

 

2. There is absolutely zero available evidence that Jeff Sessions colluded with the Russians.

 

3. Similarly, there is so far no evidence that even Trump’s more unsavory aides – men like Paul Manafort and Michael Flynn — colluded to influence the election

 

4. To the extent that there is evidence of wrongdoing connected with a foreign power, it deals not with the election itself but rather with Flynn’s alleged failures to disclose foreign payments and contacts.

Millions of American believe the worst about their current president, claims every bit as toxic in their own way as “truther” smears against George Bush or “birther” smears against Barack Obama.

The Trump collusion narrative has gotten a far wider and more respectable hearing than either of the two conspiracy theories that plagued the Bush and Obama administrations.

Truth is truth, and it’s important for responsible people to not just understand and respond to actual evidence - no matter where it leads - but also acknowledge its absence. And so far the absence of evidence points to Trump’s innocence of some of the worst allegations ever leveled against an American president or his senior team.

"Activist" Obama Tells Americans "You Get The Politicians You Deserve"

Claiming that he is spending his time "empowering an effective network of global activists," former President Barack Obama told an audience in Milan, Italy today that "you get the politicians you deserve."

During a question-and-answer session after the speech on food innovation, Yahoo reports that Obama may have tossed in a dig at people who didn’t show up to the polls in November.

“You get the politicians you deserve,” Obama said without mentioning President Trump. “And if you don’t vote and you don’t participate and you don’t pay attention, then you’ll get policies that don’t reflect your interests.”

The comments came during a discussion about leadership.

“The mark of a good leader is somebody who is able to empower other people,” Obama said.

“So often we think of leadership as somebody at the top who is ordering other people around … but it turns out, for me at least, what made me understand leadership was when I could see somebody who thought they didn’t have a voice, thought they didn’t have influence or didn’t have power, and teach them how to speak up on the things that were affecting their lives.”

“Politicians can help guide policy,” he added. “But change is going to come from what people do every day.”

Full interview below (fwd to 27:00 for his comments on "getting what you deserve")...

Having signed a record book deal in March, said he is spending most of his time lately working on a memoir, “fighting Michelle for closet space” and carving out the “next phase” of his political career: empowering “an effective network of global activists.”

“When I was president, wherever I would go, I would meet with young people,” Obama said. “And it would always give me energy and inspiration to see how much talent and sophistication and optimism and idealism existed among young people.”

“The problem is so often young people’s voices aren’t heard, and when they want to get involved on issues, they don’t know how and they don’t have the tools,” Obama continued.

The goal of the forthcoming Obama Presidential Center, he said, is “to provide them the tools, the training, the networks, the relationships, the funding, so that they can be even more effective. That’s probably what I’m going to be spending most of the next 10 years on.”

Valerie Jarrett Moves In With Obamas In DC "To Lead The Fight & Strategy To Topple Trump"

Obama"s goal  is to oust Trump from the presidency either by forcing his resignation or through his impeachment, The Daily Mail reports according to a family friend. To help him "lead the fight and strategy to topple Trump" his longtime consigliere, Valerie Jarrett, has moved into The Obama"s house with them in Washington.

After Eric Holder"s comments yesterday:

Barack Obama is getting closer to making his public reappearance in politics, his friend and former Attorney General Eric Holder said on Tuesday.

Holder said he’s been talking to the former president about ways — including fundraising and interacting with state legislators — that could help the new National Democratic Redistricting Committee, which Obama asked Holder to chair last year.

“It’s coming. He’s coming,” Holder said, speaking to reporters at a briefing for the new group. “And he’s ready to roll.”

Throughout, Holder said, Obama “will be a more visible part of the effort.”

It appears Barack Obama is building his team, as The Daily Mail reports, he is turning his new home in the posh Kalorama section of the nation"s capital - just two miles away from the White House - into the nerve center of the mounting insurgency against his successor, President Donald J. Trump.

Obama"s goal, according to a close family friend, is to oust Trump from the presidency either by forcing his resignation or through his impeachment.

And Obama is being aided in his political crusade by his longtime consigliere, Valerie Jarrett, who has moved into the 8,200-square-foot, $5.3-million Kaloroma mansion with  the former president and Michelle Obama, long time best friends. Jarrett played a vital - if at times low-key - role in the Obama presidency. She lived in the White House, dined with the Obamas, and help shape his domestic and foreign policies.

The Mail reports that according to the family source, Obama was at first reluctant to assume the role of leader of the opposition.

"No longer the most powerful man in the world, he was just observing Trump and not liking what he saw," said the source.

"He was weary and burned out after eight years in office. But Valerie convinced him that he didn"t have any choice if he wanted to save his legacy. And, as usual, he bowed to Valerie"s political wisdom and advice."

In his only public comment against Trump since leaving the presidency, Obama came out in support of the protests opposing President Donald Trump"s executive order to restrict immigration from predominantly Muslim countries.  A spokesman said the former president thinks they"re "citizens exercising their Constitutional right to assemble, organize and have their voices heard by their elected officials is exactly what we expect to see when American values are at stake."

"He is going to use his immense popularity with the half of the country that identifies as liberals and progressives," said the Obama family source. "Millions of Americans are energized and ready to take to the streets to oppose Trump, but they need to be organized and have their anger focused and directed.

"Obama is dismayed at the way Trump is tearing down his legacy—ObamaCare, the social safety net and the welcome mat for refugees he put in place," the source continued.

"He had hoped to write his memoirs, golf to his heart"s content. and bask in the glory of his eight years in power and the progressive achievements he brought about. Instead, he is going to be leading the fight and strategy to topple Trump." says the insider.

So much for coming together and conciliatory tone. Sometimes it"s better to know when you"re beaten - perhaps Mr. Obama should look at the spike in confidence measures before he starts tearing down the presidency that his former secretary of state so dismally lost.

Trump Speaker Downplays Imminent "Russian Hacking" Revelations; Says "Zero Evidence" Russia Involved

Over the weekend, Trump made waves among policy and media circles when during a brief, informal exchange with reporters on New Year"s Eve at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, the president-elect questioned the official version of "Russians hacking the election", saying it was possible "somebody else" compromised the Democratic campaign’s servers, and adding that he will reveal some previously undisclosed facts in the coming days by hinting that "I also know things that other people don’t know, we they cannot be sure of the situation."

Asked what that information included, the Republican President-elect said, "You will find out on Tuesday or Wednesday." He did not elaborate.

This naturally prompted curiosity among the press, with some wondering what, if anything Trump knows, above and beyond what has been revealed, while others such as CNN"s Jim Sciutto, suggesting that "Trump"s promise of "new information" on #RussianHacking and his team"s subsequent backing off has echoes of the birther campaign."

1/Trump"s promise of "new information" on #RussianHacking and his team"s subsequent backing off has echoes of the birther campaign

— Jim Sciutto (@jimsciutto) January 2, 2017

2/Often, just a hint of something secret and new is enough to keep the story going for his most ardent supporters

— Jim Sciutto (@jimsciutto) January 2, 2017

3/Now his camp is pointing to White House review due out by inauguration but question is: will that sway him if briefings so far have not?

— Jim Sciutto (@jimsciutto) January 2, 2017

Meanwhile, perhaps concerned by the build up in expectations, Trump"s incoming White House press secretary Sean Spicer on Monday sought to temper expectations that the President-elect will reveal new details about alleged Russian hacking during the U.S. presidential election in the coming days.

“It’s not a question of necessarily revealing,” Spicer said on CNN’s “New Day.”

.@seanspicer: "Irresponsible" for Obama to act on intel report on alleged Russian hacking as it is not yet final https://t.co/lPWONBiTwk

— New Day (@NewDay) January 2, 2017

“He’s going to talk about his conclusions and where he thinks things stand. He’s not going to reveal anything that was privileged or was shared with him classified. I think he can share with people his conclusions of the report and his understanding of the situation and make sure people understand there’s a lot of questions out there. “

During the Monday interview, Spicer stressed that a report released last week that said the FBI and Department of Homeland Security had linked Russia to the hacking of Democratic party organizations is not final (it was also, as noted here yesterday, woefully inadequate and incomplete).

“The current president of the United states has not seen a final report. The intelligence community is talking about wrapping it up later this week,” he said. “I think that the idea that we’re jumping to conclusions before we have a final report is frankly irresponsible.”

Spicer also took a dig at host Alisyn Camerota. “I know this is frustrating for you that we are doing it in a logical way. We are going to actually get all the information, get briefed properly and then make a decision. We’re not going to put the cart before the horse.”

"I know this is frustrating for you that we are doing it in a logical way." Trump spox takes shot at @AlisynCamerota https://t.co/ffqmL8CubK

— New Day (@NewDay) January 2, 2017

* * *

Following up his CNN appearance, Spicer later spoke on Fox News, and said that there’s “zero evidence” that Russia influenced the U.S. presidential election.

“The way the mainstream media is playing it up is that [Russia] had an influence on the election,” Spicer said on Fox News. “There is zero evidence that they actually influenced the election.”

Spicer emphasized on Monday that  “whether or not they were hacked and they did anything is a completely different story” than whether Russia had an influence on the election. The incoming White House speaker also added that “hacking is wrong” and that “people shouldn’t be interfering,” but said the “13-page report is more of a how-to manual for the [Democratic National Committee] as to how they can improve their IT security.”

No matter what Trump will, or won"t reveal, on "Tuesday or Wednesady", one thing is virtually certain: it will take place on Twitter, and will completely bypass the conventional press distribution apparatus, leading to even greater anger among the mainstream media.