Former President Barack Obama was buried under a tsunami of backlash Wednesday for passing over the Uvalde school massacre to honor George Floyd.
The second anniversary of Floyd's death came one day after a teenage gunman opened fire inside an elementary school in south Texas, killing 19 schoolchildren and two teachers.
Obama, therefore, suggested Americans briefly cease grieving the horrific loss of life to "recognize" the anniversary of Floyd's death.
"As we grieve the children of Uvalde today, we should take time to recognize that two years have passed since the murder of George Floyd under the knee of a police officer. His killing stays with us all to this day, especially those who loved him," Obama said.
\u201cAs we grieve the children of Uvalde today, we should take time to recognize that two years have passed since the murder of George Floyd under the knee of a police officer. His killing stays with us all to this day, especially those who loved him.\u201d— Barack Obama (@Barack Obama) 1653509313
Obama also honored the "new generation of activists" that rose up after Floyd's death, who "raise awareness of systemic racism and the need for criminal justice and police reform."
Obama's tweet generated tens of thousands of responses, most of them negative. After all, details of the Uvalde tragedy are still being worked out, while families of the victims are just beginning the journey of grief.
In the wake of the Uvalde bloodshed, Obama called for "any kind of action," though he did not provide any concrete ideas that could prevent the next mass killing.
Richard Grenell, who briefly served as acting director of national intelligence under President Donald Trump, called President Joe Biden's pledge to nominate the first black woman to the U.S. Supreme Court, "a terrible precedent," noting that many people were excluded from the pool of potential candidates.
Biden nominated Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to fill the seat of Justice Stephen Breyer, who is slated to retire later this year. In a 53-47 vote on Thursday, the U.S. Senate confirmed Jackson to serve on the nation's high court. GOP Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah, who in June, 2021, voted against confirming Jackson to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, was one of only three Republicans to vote in favor of confirming Jackson to the Supreme Court.
"There will be one seat on the Supreme Court with an asterisk - because not every American was considered to fill it. Hispanics, Asians, Whites, gays and men were not even considered. This is a terrible precedent," tweeted Grenell, who also previously served as the U.S. Ambassador to Germany.
Democratic Rep. Ted Lieu of California responded by tweeting, "Apparently @RichardGrenell believes that prior to President Biden, every Asian American, every gay person and every Black female was considered for Supreme Court openings and not a single one of them throughout US history was ever qualified. That’s [bullsh*t] and it’s demeaning."
Grenell, who is openly gay, fired back, "Ted LIEu proudly supports rejecting Hispanics from Supreme Court consideration. His constituents are outraged by his open intolerance." In another tweet Grenell said, "Ted LIEu attacks @BarackObama and Bill Clinton as racists and homophobes."
Apparently @RichardGrenell believes that prior to President Biden, every Asian American, every gay person and every Black female was considered for Supreme Court openings and not a single one of them throughout US history was ever qualified. That\u2019s bullshit and it\u2019s demeaning.https://twitter.com/richardgrenell/status/1512155340204228613\u00a0\u2026— Ted Lieu (@Ted Lieu) 1649392046
President Barack Obama nominated Sonia Sotomayor in 2009 — she is the first Hispanic to serve on the high court.
"What about the fact that minorities were historically excluded from Supreme Court openings?" Lieu replied to several people who had responded to his tweet. "Do you actually believe not a single Asian American, gay or Black female prior to Biden was qualified? What about that? Why won’t you answer the real question?"
Grenell accused Lieu of backing "racism and sexism."
"No President has ever vocally excluded Asians, Hispanics and men for the Court. Stop defending this horrific precedent of intolerance. Shame on you for supporting racism and sexism," Grenell tweeted.
No President has ever vocally excluded Asians, Hispanics and men for the Court. \n\nStop defending this horrific precedent of intolerance. Shame on you for supporting racism and sexism.https://twitter.com/tedlieu/status/1512287736790724612\u00a0\u2026— Richard Grenell (@Richard Grenell) 1649392693
Other Americans have also been critical of Biden's decision to limit the pool of potential candidates based on skin color and gender.
"Biden’s mistake: He should not be choosing a Supreme Court justice based on the color of their skin or sex, but rather on their qualifications & commitment to uphold our Constitution & the freedoms guaranteed to all Americans in that document which is the foundation of our nation," former U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard tweeted earlier this year.
Former President Barack Obama was blasted Thursday for "self-serving revisionist history" after claiming he was tough on Russia as president.
While speaking at the "Disinformation and the Erosion of Democracy" conference at the University of Chicago, Obama claimed he was forced to "drag" European allies to take action against Russia for invading and annexing Crimea in 2014.
"I will say that, as someone who grappled with the incursion into Crimea and the eastern portions of Ukraine, I have been encouraged by the European reaction. Because, in 2014, I often had to drag them kicking and screaming to respond in ways that we would’ve wanted to see, from those of us who describe ourselves as Western democracies," Obama said.
\u201cAs somebody who grappled with the incursion into Crimea \u2026 I have been encouraged by the European reaction because in 2014 I often had to drag them kicking and screaming to respond in ways we would have wanted to see,\u201d @BarackObama tells @jeffreygoldberg at #Disinfo2022.pic.twitter.com/TwooEJlr3Y— The Atlantic (@The Atlantic) 1649283743
The claim immediately drew criticism on social media.
Northeastern University professor Max Abrahms, an expert in international security, shared the video and said, "Watch Obama’s self-serving revisionist history of how his administration responded the last time Russia invaded Ukraine in 2014."
It was also pointed out that:
And of course, perhaps the most infamous incident of all, Obama dismissed Russia as a serious threat during a 2012 presidential debate with Mitt Romney, who earlier in the election season said Russia is America's "number one geopolitical foe."
"The 1980s are now calling to ask for their foreign policy back, because the Cold War’s been over for 20 years," Obama told Romney in the debate.
Even James Clapper, who was director of national intelligence during the Obama administration, admitted in February that he wished the Obama administration had been tougher on Russia.
"I wish we, as an administration, had been more aggressive in 2014," Clapper told CNN host Jake Tapper.
Former President Barack Obama was slapped with a reality check Saturday after urging Virginia voters to ignore what he called "fake outrage" and "trumped up culture wars" that he claimed are being peddled by "right-wing media."
While campaigning for Democrat Terry McAuliffe in Virginia, Obama denounced focusing on cultural issues, instead saying that Americans should be concerned with recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic.
"We don't have time to be wasting on these phony trumped up culture wars, this fake outrage that right-wing media peddles to juice their ratings," Obama said.
Former President @BarackObama: "We don't have time to be wasted on these phony trumped-up culture wars, this fake o… https://t.co/k102Jlbu2r
— The Hill (@thehill) 1635024216.0
Obama appeared to be speaking about McAuliffe's opponent, Republican Glenn Youngkin, whose campaign platform includes supporting parents to have a voice over decisions made by school boards.
"Instead of stoking anger aimed at school boards and administrators, who are just trying to keep our kids safe, who are just doing their jobs, stoking anger to the point where some of them are actually getting death threats," Obama said. "We should be making it easier for teachers and schools to give our kids the world-class education they deserve, and do to so safely while they are in the classroom."
Obama's comments generated sharp rebuke.
Critics pointed out that children's education is not part of the "trumped up culture war" as Obama claimed, especially considering that McAuliffe has said parents shouldn't have a say in school board decisions.
As many others pointed out, Loudoun County Schools also stands accused of "covering up" two sexual assaults as they pushed controversial LGBT policies.
Obama is the latest high-profile figure to stump for McAuliffe. President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris have also been campaigning for McAuliffe, which signals the race to become Virginia's next governor is much tighter than Democrats anticipated.
McAuliffe and Youngkin are separated by fewer than three points in an average of recent polling, according to FiveThirtyEight.
While California Gov. Gavin Newsom could be figuratively left with egg on his face if voters oust him from office during the state's gubernatorial recall election, it appears that someone threw a literal egg at recall candidate Larry Elder on Wednesday.
Video footage shows a person in a gorilla mask throwing an object at Elder from behind, and Kate Cagle of Spectrum News 1 tweeted that it was an egg that just missed the back of Elder's head.
"It kind of glanced his head," an Elder campaign staffer said about the projectile, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Breaking: A flying egg narrowly missed the back of recall candidate @larryelder's head after it was thrown by an ac… https://t.co/vdfVkT7Z8C
— Kate Cagle (@KateCagle) 1631130122.0
Elder, a conservative talk radio show host who is running in the state's recall election, is one of the dozens of candidates vying for the opportunity to replace Newsom. If he wins he would become the state's first black governor.
The RealClearPolitics poll average shows Elder with a large lead over other potential replacement candidates competing for the chance to take Newsom's job.
If a majority of votes are cast in favor of recalling Newsom, the candidate who receives the most votes will become the state's new governor and serve out the rest of Newsom's term. If Newsom is ousted from office, his removal will come more than a year before his current term is slated to end.
Should Newsom be ejected from office, he will not be the first governor recalled in the state. Back in 2003 California voters successfully recalled Democratic Gov. Gray Davis and replaced him with Republican Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Elder tweeted that he "voted early in person" on Wednesday.
Many prominent Democrats have rallied behind Newsom, including former President Barack Obama, who appears in an ad backing the Golden State governor.
Big news: @BarackObama is urging Californians to vote NO on the Republican recall in a new ad. Find your ballot a… https://t.co/2D2DCz00w3
— StopTheRepublicanRecall (@StopRepRecall) 1631137288.0
Former President Barack Obama is throwing a huge birthday party for himself at his opulent $12 million waterfront mansion on Martha's Vineyard on Saturday. The birthday bash was originally supposed to include nearly 500 guests and more than 200 staff, but the celebration was "significantly scaled back" to include "only family and close friends" due to criticism over holding a social gathering of that size during a surge in COVID-19 infections.
However, photos emerged of massive tents constructed specifically for the birthday party on Obama's 29-acre estate. There were also images of celebrities arriving at Martha's Vineyard to attend the festivities. The internet was quick to point out that the preparations for the party looked anything other than "scaled back."
Several celebrities were reportedly invited and then uninvited, including late-night talk show hosts David Letterman and Conan O'Brien, "Curb Your Enthusiasm" actor Larry David, and David Axelrod, chief strategist for Obama's presidential campaigns, according to the New York Times.
The celebrities who did make the cut include Beyonce, Jay-Z, Eddie Vedder, Tom Hanks, and musician Questlove, who reportedly coordinated a meat-free menu for the party. "Oprah Winfrey and Ava DuVernay had pulled out of the party earlier because of concerns over the Delta variant," the Times reported. Steven Spielberg, Bruce Springsteen, and George Clooney were reportedly on the original guest list, according to the New York Post. There were no reports of Obama's "bro" and former vice president Joe Biden attending the birthday party.
The New York Times added that the attendees of the party would be a "mostly vaccinated crowd," but "all of whom had to submit negative tests to gain entry to the property."
The party had been planned for months, and "the former president had baseball caps made for the occasion that read '44 at 60.'"
The Daily Mail released photos of massive tents on the Obamas' grandiose grounds. The outlet also published photos of celebrities arriving at the wealthy Massachusetts enclave for Obama's 60th birthday party, including Chrissy Teigen, John Legend, Dwayne Wade, Gabriel Union, Don Cheadle, and Stephen Colbert. Biden's climate czar, John Kerry, was seen in photos taking a private jet to Martha's Vineyard.
EXCLUSIVE: Obama's 60th birthday bash looks anything but intimate as huge tents are erected on his $12M Martha's Vi… https://t.co/JfLmqD7Wzh
— Daily Mail US (@DailyMail) 1628297308.0
JUST IN - Massive tents are erected ahead of Obama's 60th "scaled back" birthday bash on Martha's Vineyard.… https://t.co/DqlIoG3qBQ
— Disclose.tv 🚨 (@disclosetv) 1628339097.0
“Scaled Back” https://t.co/wvSLvGM1We
— Jack Posobiec 🇺🇸 (@JackPosobiec) 1628298626.0
The internet reactions to Obama's swanky and seemingly over-the-top birthday party complete with circus-like tents were delivered fast and furious.
This is the tent for Obama’s “scaled back” birthday party where only close friends & family were said to attend. In… https://t.co/hUlhc3ePdB
— Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) 1628349304.0
Former President Barack Obama said this week that he believes cancel culture has become a dangerous social plague upon America and that "certain right-wing media venues" are stoking "fear and resentment" among America's white population.
During a wide-ranging special titled "Barack Obama on Fatherhood, Leadership, and Legacy," the former president also joked about critical race theory and suggested Republicans should be more concerned with climate change and the country's economy.
During the Monday night special, Obama told CNN's Anderson Cooper that he believes people today are going overboard with cancel culture.
"At least in conversations with my daughters, I think that a lot of the dangers of cancel culture are that we're just going to be condemning people all the time, at least among my daughters they will acknowledge sometimes among their peer group or in college campuses you'll see folks going overboard," he said.
On his daughters, Obama added, "[T]hey have a pretty good sense of look, we don't want — we don't expect everybody to be perfect. We don't expect everyone to be politically correct all the time. But we are going to call out institutions or individuals if they're being cruel, if they are, you know, discriminating against people."
The former president also argued that the media — specifically "certain right-wing media venues" — are stoking "fear and resentment" among white people.
He told Cooper that he believes the nation's race problems are indicative of the United States and its citizens not having "fully reconciled" with America's history, and insisted that it was difficult for a majority of white people to "recognize that you can be proud of this country and its traditions and its history and our forefathers, yet it is also true that this terrible stuff happened."
"The vestiges of that linger and continued," Obama insisted.
"I also think that there are certain right-wing media venues ... that monetize and capitalize on stoking the fear and resentment of a white population that is witnessing a changing America and seeing demographic changes," he added. "... [They] do everything they can to give people a sense that their way of life is threatened and that people are trying to take advantage of them."
Obama also addressed critical race theory in America and joked that Republicans are more keen to focus on CRT rather than "major issues" such as "the economy and climate change."
"Who knew that was the threat to our Republic?" he joked.
.@BarackObama scoffs at suggestion Critical Race Theory is a “threat to our republic” “There are certain right-wi… https://t.co/tkYvmgYcWX
— Tom Elliott (@tomselliott) 1623152880.0
Former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama are releasing an animated music video series through Netflix that is aimed at teaching children about taxes, government, and elections.
It's called "We the People."
The trailer for the video series, described as "delightful" by CNN, lists numerous stars from the music industry who will lend their talents to the project. Among those are H.E.R., Bebe Rexha, Janelle Monáe, Brandi Carlile, Lin-Manuel Miranda, and Adam Lambert.
"The show combines music and animation to educate a new generation of young Americans about the power of the people," claims the show's description.
The series will be composed of 10 music videos each tackling an issue or concept related to civics education.
Michelle and I are excited to share our latest show from Higher Ground: We The People. Some of our favorite artists… https://t.co/5hXNiFhQrH
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) 1622654589.0
"Some of our favorite artists got together with amazing animators to remix civics—and the result is a lot better than what we had in school," tweeted Obama from his social media account.
Netflix announced the partnership with the Obamas to produce new streaming content in May 2018. They have helped produce a documentary about U.S. trade with China called "American Factory," and Michelle Obama also stars in a puppet show teaching kids about healthy cooking called "Waffles + Mochi."
"Barack and I have always believed in the power of storytelling to inspire us, to make us think differently about the world around us, and to help us open our minds and hearts to others," Mrs. Obama said at the time.
"Netflix's unparalleled service is a natural fit for the kinds of stories we want to share," she added.
The former president also said then that they were not going to use the platform to attack then-President Donald Trump, or to fight against news outlets he disfavored, like Fox News.
The cartoon series is scheduled to premiere on Netflix on the Fourth of July.
We The People | Official Trailer | Netflixwww.youtube.com
Former President Barrack Obama invited a wave of criticism with remarks he made on a radio program about why President Donald Trump won a larger share of the Hispanic vote in the 2020 presidential election.
In his comments, Obama said that "evangelical Hispanics" ignored the "racist things" Trump says about Mexicans and how he put "undocumented workers in cages" because Trump agrees with them on gay marriage and abortion.
"People were surprised about a lot of Hispanic folks who voted for Trump, but there's a lot of evangelical Hispanics who, the fact that Trump says racist things about Mexicans, or puts detainees, undocumented workers in cages, they think that's less important than the fact that he supports their views on gay marriage or abortion," Obama said on "The Breakfast Club" radio show.
Obama on @breakfastclubam: “… There’s a lot of evangelical Hispanics who, the fact that Trump says racist things ab… https://t.co/lUH8nfu5U1— The Recount (@The Recount)1606309730.0
Trump earned 32% of the Latino vote in the presidential election, improving his election margins in 78 of 100 Hispanic counties in key battleground states from 2016. As Obama noted, many political commentators were surprised that Trump performed so well with Hispanics despite the media narrative that his immigration policies and focus on border security are "racist" toward Mexicans and other Hispanics.
Critics were quick to point out that the policy of separating migrant children from their parents or adult accompaniment was carried out under the Obama administration and that the infamous picture of children in cages used to attack Trump's immigration enforcement policies was from 2014, when Obama was president.
Also, Obama publicly opposed gay marriage when he first ran for president in 2008 and it wasn't until just before the 2012 election that his views "evolved" to appease progressives. President Trump, on the other hand, was the first elected president to support gay marriage while he campaigned for office.
Hey @BarackObama - take a pause from the race-baiting & pandering that built your career & divided a nation to refl… https://t.co/0biXPTU4cL— Chip Roy (@Chip Roy)1606312813.0
"[Barack Obama] sadly will not be fact-checked by the adoring media for this lie," said Richard Grenell, the first openly gay official to serve as acting director of National Intelligence under President Trump. "Obama ran for president saying he was against gay marriage. And he created the cages."
Others suggested Obama's comments were reminiscent to his 2008 statement on "bitter" working-class Americans who "cling" to guns and religion.
"Ah yes, those Hispanic evangelicals. So backwards. Clinging to their guns and religion, you might say," said Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.). "Barack Obama still the most condescending corporate liberal in America."
"This is a great example of why Democrats are losing support in America's Hispanic community," said former Florida Congressman Carlos Curbelo. "The comment is dismissive of millions of people and seems to diminish their faith. Regrettable at a time when the President-elect has called for healing and reconciliation."
www.theblaze.com
freebeacon.com