I am sure the man deserves a break, but Iâd like to see him in a much more active role than mentoring. Democracy is on the skids if not broken. We need every charismatic leader on the streets, not in the classrooms.
He said he would act as a âtalent scoutâ as well as a âcouchâ for new leaders in the Democratic party.
For fucksâs sake, TPM, hire a copy editor.
Yes, yes, yes to this offer. Thanks, Obama!
As Fonzie would sayâŚSit On It?
IMO, President Obama will go down as the last American President we had. After this, the country is irreperably broken into different parts. Itâll just be âturtles and BS all the way down.â
In terms of mentoring, I think weâd be better served by those Dems who are tougher, more willing to speak truth to power and can see the reality of what this country is really facing now. He is a highly intelligent man who understands diplomacy but Iâm not clear that he can go beyond that which is what I think we need for a younger generation. Weâre done with reaching across the aisle. That era is over and a new one is starting.
Young leadership is just the start. The party needs ground-level organizing of people who are willing to stuff envelopes, make calls, hold signs, pound the pavement and ring doorbells. And many of us are old.
Last week, I called the DNC and asked to be connected to someone dealing with efforts to retake state legislatures. The nice young person who fielded my call eventually put me into the âconstituencyâ line, because she couldnât think of anything more pertinent. I left a voicemail. Still waiting for a response.
My suggestion: avoid having Young surrogates coo and swoon over how excited they are that Jay-Z will be at some democratic rally when rural voters have no idea who that even is, and could never get even mildly enthusiastic about it anyway.
President Obamaâgrizzled, old, wise man at 55. 
That era is over and a new one is starting.
You mean youâre not holding out for Hillary in 2020 brooklyn?
One thing I think needs to made abundantly clear is the rural areas are no longer Democratic. Stop trying to chase an illusion that we never bear fruit. Understand who your true constituents are. If rural voters arenât interested in Democratic ideas after youâve told them what you stand for, leave 'em.Whether you invite Jay-Z to a rally or Garth Brooks, doesnât matter.
BTW probably a good idea to learn how Russiaâs FSB made the sale with ruralist Yahooâs and take careful notes.
With much respect I donât think youâre right. Democrats need to start wearing cowboy hats at strategic locations because every vote counts I think.
Better to lose 60-40 in some districts than 80-20. That will make a difference statewide. Actually I think PBO said words to that effect himself.
Good. Iâm looking forward to him still being involved and active - in whatever capacity he chooses.
I will certainty miss him as President. I donât think we will see the likes of him for a very long time.
I am down with his offer. Great use of the time of a successful former President. It suggests an understanding that the Democratic party needs to be rebuilt. Letâs hope he doesnât confine his efforts to the traditionally blue areas of traditionally blue states.
Really? Do you think the Trump voters went to hear policy debates? The fact that the Dems brought in the celebs is not the problem. And yes, I think that ârural votersâ know who Jay-Z is. The problem is not talking to them about THEIR concerns. They are sick and tired of being told what they SHOULD care about and not enough talk about what they DO care about.
I guess you are permanently tied to the current world. It took the Republicans a long time and a lot of work to convince suburban and rural voters to vote against their own interests, but they did it and they are ascendant now. We donât know if a similar effort would bear fruit.
I saw a comment on the Great Orange Satan and I thought it was really appropriate:
For many who voted for him, Rump is the âHuman Molotov Cocktailâ they wanted to throw at America.
I agree with that completely. Once youâve explained your position, see people for what THEY are not for what YOU want them to be. Donât try to imbue people with a sense of innate decency and fairness that doesnât exist. Younger Dems need to accept a different reality today than existed even 5 years ago. There are many in the rural areas that just wonât listen to our message.
Rump won on revanchism, racism, sexism and economic insecurity. And what do you counter that with?
You realize that most Republican voters live in suburban areas, the areas between the urban core and the agricultural hinterland. Our country isnât âNew York, nothing, Los Angeles.â There is a lot in between.
Mostly he won on economic insecurity. You arenât going to change the people who voted for Trump, but you might reach a few million who didnât vote. The question Democrats should ask isnât why didnât people vote against Trump? The question is why didnât they vote for Democrats? Focus on the Democratic message.