There is a longstanding tradition in this country that lame duck presidents refrain from getting overly involved in the next election. Ike barely did anything for Nixon in 1960, Reagan maintained a respectful distance from the Bush campaign, even Bill Clinton did little campaigning for Al Gore, George Bush was pretty much absent from McCain's campaign.
There is a good reason for this tradition. Having the sitting president out on the campaign trail or attacking a candidate lowers respect for the office, and creates a banana republic climate.
Leave it to Obama to ignore another of our country's traditions however. He waded into the campaign today, calling Trump "unfit" and "woefully unprepared" for the presidency. http://www.realclearpolitics.com/vi...y_has_to_be_a_point_where_you_say_enough.html
The irony here is unavoidable, since Obama himself was probably the most unprepared and unfit candidate for the office in modern times. Seven and a half years of disasters later, it should be obvious that being a race hustler and community organizer in corrupt Chicago is not good prep for the Oval Office.
Obama's reckless language carries a more worrying threat however. He made it a point to say Trump was unfit not on policy grounds but on more general grounds of character and temperament. No doubt encouraged by the way cowardly republicans have backed a shady pakistani immigration lawyer over their party's candidate, Obama called on republicans to abandon trump. He went even further:
"There has to come a point at which you say somebody who makes those kinds of statements doesn't have the judgment, the temperament, the understanding to occupy the most powerful position in the world," Obama said at the event with PM Lee Hsien Loong.
"There has to be a point in which you say this is somebody I can't support for president of United States," the president said. "There has to be a point in which you say 'enough.'"
Obama is edging up to some very dangerous ground here. He is close to saying that no matter the outcome of the election, Trump cannot be allowed to take office. This kind of talk would be disturbing coming from any public official. Coming from the president it conjures up visions of tanks in the street and Turkish-style repression.
If a republican president had made a similar statement, the cable channels and print media's collective heads would have exploded by now. Every republican leader would have been challenged to repudiate the statements and most of them would have obliged. Instead, we'll get agreement from the media and silence from republicans.
There is a good reason for this tradition. Having the sitting president out on the campaign trail or attacking a candidate lowers respect for the office, and creates a banana republic climate.
Leave it to Obama to ignore another of our country's traditions however. He waded into the campaign today, calling Trump "unfit" and "woefully unprepared" for the presidency. http://www.realclearpolitics.com/vi...y_has_to_be_a_point_where_you_say_enough.html
The irony here is unavoidable, since Obama himself was probably the most unprepared and unfit candidate for the office in modern times. Seven and a half years of disasters later, it should be obvious that being a race hustler and community organizer in corrupt Chicago is not good prep for the Oval Office.
Obama's reckless language carries a more worrying threat however. He made it a point to say Trump was unfit not on policy grounds but on more general grounds of character and temperament. No doubt encouraged by the way cowardly republicans have backed a shady pakistani immigration lawyer over their party's candidate, Obama called on republicans to abandon trump. He went even further:
"There has to come a point at which you say somebody who makes those kinds of statements doesn't have the judgment, the temperament, the understanding to occupy the most powerful position in the world," Obama said at the event with PM Lee Hsien Loong.
"There has to be a point in which you say this is somebody I can't support for president of United States," the president said. "There has to be a point in which you say 'enough.'"
Obama is edging up to some very dangerous ground here. He is close to saying that no matter the outcome of the election, Trump cannot be allowed to take office. This kind of talk would be disturbing coming from any public official. Coming from the president it conjures up visions of tanks in the street and Turkish-style repression.
If a republican president had made a similar statement, the cable channels and print media's collective heads would have exploded by now. Every republican leader would have been challenged to repudiate the statements and most of them would have obliged. Instead, we'll get agreement from the media and silence from republicans.
