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How Trump’s Election Shook Obama: ‘What if We Were Wrong?’
NYT ^ | May 30, 2018 | Peter Baker

Posted on 05/31/2018 7:15:58 AM PDT by keat

How Trump’s Election Shook Obama: ‘What if We Were Wrong?’

In the weeks after Donald J. Trump’s election, Mr. Obama went through multiple emotional stages, according to a new book by his longtime adviser, Benjamin J. Rhodes.

WASHINGTON — Riding in a motorcade in Lima, Peru, shortly after the 2016 election, President Barack Obama was struggling to understand Donald J. Trump’s victory.

“What if we were wrong?” he asked aides riding with him in the armored presidential limousine.

(Excerpt) Read more at nyti.ms ...


TOPICS: Politics/Elections
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Some of the more delicious quotes and outtakes. I literally cannot get enough!

“What if we were wrong?” he asked aides riding with him in the armored presidential limousine. ...

“Maybe we pushed too far,” Mr. Obama said. “Maybe people just want to fall back into their tribe.”

His aides reassured him that he still would have won had he been able to run for another term. ...

“Sometimes I wonder whether I was 10 or 20 years too early,” he said. ...

In the weeks after Mr. Trump’s election, Mr. Obama went through multiple emotional stages ... At times, the departing president took the long view, at other points, he flashed anger... And he expressed rare self-doubt, wondering whether he had misjudged his own influence on American history. ...

Few moments shook Mr. Obama more than the decision by voters to replace him with a candidate who had questioned his very birth. ...

In handing over power to someone determined to tear down all he had accomplished, Mr. Obama alluded to “The Godfather” mafia movie: “I feel like Michael Corleone. I almost got out.” ...

When they parted for the final time, Ms. Merkel had a single tear in her eye. “She’s all alone,” Mr. Obama noted. ...

“What else did you expect from McConnell?” he asked. “He won’t even give us a hearing on Merrick Garland.” ...

He noted that Mr. Trump was already claiming that the election would be manipulated if Hillary Clinton won. “If I speak out more, he’ll just say it’s rigged,” Mr. Obama said. ...

On election night, ... Mr. Rhodes asked if he should offer reassurance to allies. “No, I don’t think that I’m the one to tell them that,” the president said.

The next day, Mr. Obama focused on cheering up his despondent staff “There are more stars in the sky than grains of sand on the earth.”

But days later, Mr. Obama seemed less sanguine. “I don’t know,” he told aides. “Maybe this is what people want. I’ve got the economy set up well for him. No facts. No consequences. They can just have a cartoon.” ... “we’re about to find out just how resilient our institutions are, at home and around the world.” ...

Afterward, Mr. Obama called a few aides to the Oval Office to ruminate on the encounter. “I’m trying to place him in American history,” he said.

“He peddles” bull, Mr. Rhodes answered.

“Maybe,” Mr. Obama answered, “that’s the best we can hope for.”

1 posted on 05/31/2018 7:15:58 AM PDT by keat
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To: keat

“Mr. Obama went through multiple emotional stages”


Yep, Seven Stages of Grief.


2 posted on 05/31/2018 7:17:58 AM PDT by sevlex
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To: keat

Another CYA attempt to rescue Obama’s Leftist legacy from the dust bin of our history by one of his political hacks.

And WHERE is that IG’s report we were supposed to see in May?


3 posted on 05/31/2018 7:22:56 AM PDT by txrefugee
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To: keat

“Sometimes I wonder whether I was 10 or 20 years too early,”

Still doesn’t realize his Marxist agenda is never for America.


4 posted on 05/31/2018 7:24:02 AM PDT by Rennes Templar
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To: keat

Within 4 hour limit for same source.

http://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3659467/posts


5 posted on 05/31/2018 7:26:06 AM PDT by TexasGator (Z1)
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To: keat

“Mr. Rhodes writes that neither he nor Mr. Obama knew at that time that there was an F.B.I. investigation into contacts between Mr. Trump’s campaign and Russia, despite Mr. Trump’s recent unsubstantiated claims that the departing president placed a “spy” or multiple spies in his campaign.”

I call BS on this. Clapper admitted there was an “informant” in the Trump campaign. How can they totally ingore this? What a toilet rag this paper has become.


6 posted on 05/31/2018 7:26:13 AM PDT by GoreFreeTN (Thank you, President Trump!)
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To: keat
"...“Maybe we pushed too far,” Mr. Obama said. “Maybe people just want to fall back into their tribe...”

No, you ignorant piece of socialist, Marxist, crap.

People don't have a problem being part of an AMERICAN 'tribe'...they simply don't want to part of the 'tribe' that you and your Alinskyite Marxist comrades want us to join.

Experience has shown us, with hundreds of millions dead in the last century, what is at the end of THAT tribe's road.

What a narcissistic, ignorant POS. How did the country survive eight years of that scum?

7 posted on 05/31/2018 7:26:15 AM PDT by rlmorel (Leftists: They believe in the "Invisible Hand" only when it is guided by government.)
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To: keat

You omitted the most important sentence from the article:

“Mr. Obama did not impose sanctions on Russia in retaliation for the meddling before the election because he believed it might prompt Moscow into hacking into Election Day vote tabulations.”

Do you realize what this means? Rhodes is ADMITTING that they know that election results (most of which are tabulated on Soros-owned voting machines) can be hacked! We have got to get back to paper ballots.


8 posted on 05/31/2018 7:27:36 AM PDT by Piranha (Power is not only what you have but what the enemy thinks you have - Saul Alinsky)
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To: keat

Barack, you were a curse on America.

You did everything possible to destroy the best country in history.

YOU are the division exacerbating the racial divides.


9 posted on 05/31/2018 7:29:32 AM PDT by G Larry (There is no great virtue in bargaining with the Devil)
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To: keat

I am reading this article and finding no thoughtful reflection or analysis by the former administration at all. Just cognitive dissonance between the reality of the poor results and their enforced dictated policies.


10 posted on 05/31/2018 7:32:15 AM PDT by KC_Conspirator
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To: keat

Hussein wrong?

He started with Bill Errs...


11 posted on 05/31/2018 7:33:05 AM PDT by Paladin2
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To: GoreFreeTN

Ben Rhodes is another “Clapper” or “Brennan” when it comes to veracity. This man plays dirty.


12 posted on 05/31/2018 7:33:31 AM PDT by yoe
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To: rlmorel
“Maybe people just want to fall back into their tribe.”

The Democrats push the concept of Identity Politics. For them, it's all about tribes 24/7. They want the Balkanization of America so that groups can fight other groups over redistribution rights.

And when their ideas are rejected, they project their failed ideas on us -- "Those stupid deplorables just want to fall back into tribes."

No. We want to be united as Americans. E Pluribus Unum.

13 posted on 05/31/2018 7:38:00 AM PDT by ClearCase_guy
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To: lonevoice

ping!


14 posted on 05/31/2018 7:39:53 AM PDT by Pride in the USA
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To: keat

“Maybe we pushed too far,” Mr. Obama said. “Maybe people just want to fall back into their tribe.”

Tribe, huh? OK. I’ll stay with my own TRIBE.


15 posted on 05/31/2018 7:40:59 AM PDT by Old Grumpy
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To: Old Grumpy

“Barr responded to Kimmel who was surprised that someone as liberal as her could put up with Trump. “I am shocked because I know you are a socially liberal person in general,” Kimmel said. “I’m still the same! You all moved,” she said. “We did?” Kimmel asked. “You all went so f*cking far out you lost everybody,” Barr said.”


16 posted on 05/31/2018 7:45:29 AM PDT by Califreak (Take Me Back To Constantinople)
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To: KC_Conspirator

Go back to the first month of the Obama Administration and Team Obama was preparing for the London visit, and they had to buy a gift for Gordon Brown (PM, Labor). They ended up buying a DVD collection of American movies....which could ONLY be played on a US CD player (not a Brit system).

It was like they went out and hired people to be on Team-Obama who had zero background, and built to screw up.


17 posted on 05/31/2018 7:49:50 AM PDT by pepsionice
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To: sevlex

57.


18 posted on 05/31/2018 7:50:20 AM PDT by longfellow (Bill Maher, the 21st hijacker.)
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To: yoe

These people are pure evil. They care for nothing but themselves.


19 posted on 05/31/2018 7:51:42 AM PDT by Freedom_2_ADM
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To: keat

Shocked for all the wrong reasons. Bitter clingers coming for him and his minions.


20 posted on 05/31/2018 7:52:19 AM PDT by TruthFactor (Hang em', Hang em' High.)
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