BOY, BARACK OBAMA, YOU KNOW, HE ONCE SAID I’M LeBRON, BABY.
HE SURE LOOKED LIKE LeBRON WHEN
HE WAS SPEAKING.
AND THAT WAS LIKE AN EASY LAYUP
WHEN HE SAID HOW HARD CAN IT BE
TO CRITICIZE NEO NAZIS?
>> RIGHT.
>> RIGHT. >> SORT OF PUTS YOU IN THE PLACE
WHERE WE ARE WHERE IT’S JUST
SURREAL THAT DONALD TRUMP HAS
TROUBLE EVEN CRITICIZING NEO
NAZIS AND WHITE SUPREMACISTS.
DO YOU KNOW WHAT, WE HAVE A GUY
WHO WANTS TO BE IN THE UNITED
STATES SUPREME COURT AND WE WILL
GET TO THIS LATER, TOO, BRETT
KAVANAUGH WHO WOULD NOT EVEN
ANSWER WHETHER IT WAS RIGHT TO
STOP PEOPLE FROM COMING FROM --
FROM COMING INTO THE UNITED
STATES BECAUSE OF THEIR RACE.
I MEAN, THAT’S UNHEARD OF.
BUT, AGAIN, WE WILL GET TO THAT
A LITTLE BIT LATER ON.
BUT THESE ARE STRANGE, STRANGE
TIMES AND UNFORTUNATELY WEAK AND
SNIFFLING MEN AND WOMEN WILL DO
OR SAY JUST ABOUT ANYTHING, JUST
LOOK TO CAPITOL HILL TO SEE
THAT, TO TRY TO GET IN THE GOOD
GRACES OF A MAN WHO HAS
ABSOLUTELY NO UNDERSTANDING
ABOUT WHAT AMERICA’S
CONSTITUTIONAL NORMS ARE OR WHO
WE ARE, WHAT VALUES WE HAVE AS A
COUNTRY.
COUNTRY. >> YEAH.
>> YEAH. MY DAUGHTER HAS STOPPED TALKING
TO ME ABOUT POLITICS QUITE SOME
TIME AGO BECAUSE IT WAS ALL TOO
MUCH AND TOO NEGATIVE.
MY PHONE LIT UP, BOTH OF THEM,
DURING OBAMA’S SPEECH AND SNAP
CHATS AND YOU KNOW WHAT, IT ALL
SORT OF COMING IN BECAUSE THEY
WERE FINALLY EXCITED AGAIN.
SO THAT CERTAINLY SAYS
SOMETHING.
SOMETHING. FORMER PRESIDENT OBAMA CONTINUED
HIS FORAY BACK INTO THE POLICE
CAL SCENE THIS WEEKEND, ONCE
AGAIN MAKING THE CASE AGAINST
THE MAN NOW HOLDING HIS OLD JOB,
PRESIDENT TRUMP.
PRESIDENT TRUMP. THE FORMER PRESIDENT WAS ON THE
CAMPAIGN TRAIL IN CALIFORNIA ON
SATURDAY WORKING TO RALLY VOTERS
AS DEMOCRATS MAKE PLAYS FOR
SEVEN COMPETITIVE CONGRESSIONAL
DISTRICTS THERE.
DISTRICTS THERE. OBAMA’S SPEECH WAS NOTABLY
DIFFERENT FROM THE ONE HE
DELIVERED IN ILLINOIS ON FRIDAY,
WORKING TO TURN OUT THE VOTE IN
NOVEMBER RATHER THAN DIRECTLY
ATTACKING THE TRUMP
ADMINISTRATION.
ADMINISTRATION. STILL, THE FORMER PRESIDENT TOOK
A NUMBER OF VEILED SHOTS AT HIS
SUCCESSOR.
SUCCESSOR. >> WE’RE IN A CHALLENGING MOMENT
BECAUSE WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE ARC
OF AMERICAN HISTORY THERE HAS
ALWAYS BEEN A PUSH AND PULL
BETWEEN THOSE WHO WANT TO GO
FORWARD AND THOSE WHO WANT TO
LOOK BACK, BETWEEN THOSE WHO
WANT TO DIVIDE AND THOSE WHO ARE
SEEKING TO BRING PEOPLE
TOGETHER, BETWEEN THOSE WHO
PROMOTE A POLITICS OF HOPE AND
THOSE WHO EXPLOIT POLITICS OF
FEAR.
FEAR. I DEEPLY BELIEVE THERE ARE NO
SET OF PROBLEMS, THERE ARE NO
SET OF ISSUES THAT WE CAN’T
SOLVE IF WE’RE WORKING TOGETHER
AND WE’RE TRUE TO THE TRADITIONS
THAT ARE BEST IN AMERICA.
IT’S ALWAYS TEMPTING FOR
POLITICIANS, FOR THEIR OWN GAIN
AND FOR PEOPLE IN POWER TO TRY
TO SEE IF THEY CAN DIVIDE
PEOPLE, SCAPEGOAT FOLKS, TURN
THEM ON EACH OTHER, BECAUSE WHEN
THAT HAPPENS YOU GET GRIDLOCK
AND GOVERNMENT DOESN’T WORK AND
PEOPLE GET CYNICAL AND THEY
DECIDE NOT TO PARTICIPATE.
>> MIKA, YOU TALKED ABOUT BEFORE
HOW THIS IS UNUSUAL FOR A FORMER
PRESIDENT TO ACTUALLY BE
CAMPAIGNING AGAINST A CURRENT
PRESIDENT, THE CURRENT
PRESIDENT’S INTERESTS.
PRESIDENT’S INTERESTS. YOU OF COURSE HAVE DONALD TRUMP
WHO HAS BROKEN EVERY RULE, YOU
HAVE DONALD TRUMP WHO IS STILL
CAMPAIGNING AGAINST A WOMAN HE
DEFEATED TWO YEARS AGO, STILL
HAVING CROWDS CHANT LOCK HER UP,
LOCK HER UP.
DONALD TRUMP IS MAKING THIS A
CONTINUATION OF A CAMPAIGN
AGAINST HILLARY CLINTON AND A
CONSTANT CAMPAIGN AGAINST BARACK
OBAMA.
OBAMA. SO IF I WERE A DEMOCRAT AND IF I
WERE SOMEBODY THAT WANTED TO WIN
THIS FALL, I WOULD HOPE THAT
BARACK OBAMA WOULD GO ALL IN, GO
THERE, AND DO WHAT HE NEEDS TO
DO TO DRAW THE LINE, NOT BETWEEN
HIM, BUT DRAW THE LINE BETWEEN
AMERICA’S POLITICAL AND
CONSTITUTIONAL NORMS.
CONSTITUTIONAL NORMS. >> YES.
>> YES. >> AND JUST HOW DEMENTED AND
TWISTED SOME OF THE STATEMENTS
AND POLICIES THIS PRESIDENT HAS
OMOTED OVER THE PAST YEAR AND
A HALF HAVE ACTUALLY BEEN.
SOMEBODY HAS GOT TO DO IT
BECAUSE THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY
DOES NOT HAVE A VOICE OF OP
OPPOSITION
OPPOSITION OPPOSITION.
OPPOSITION. BARACK OBAMA IS THAT VOICE RIGHT
NOW.
NOW. >> YOU COULD ARGUE HE WAS
CAMPAIGNING FOR DECENCY AND
BELIEF IN THE SYSTEM, QUITE
FRANKLY.
FRANKLY. ONE OF OBAMA’S COMMENTS FROM HIS
SPEECH IN ILLINOIS ON FRIDAY
APPEARS TO HAVE GOTTEN UNDER
PRESIDENT TRUMP’S SKIN.
DURING THAT SPEECH MR. OBAMA
REMINDED THE CROWD THAT THE
ECONOMIC SUCCESS MR. TRUMP LIKES
TO CLAIM CREDIT FOR ACTUALLY
BEGAN UNDER HIS WATCH.
>> BY THE TIME I LEFT OFFICE,
HOUSEHOLD INCOME WAS NEAR ITS
ALL TIME HIGH AND THE UNINSURED
RATE HAD HIT AN ALL TIME LOW AND
WAGES WERE RISING AND POVERTY
RATES WERE FALLING.
I MENTION ALL THIS JUST SO WHEN
YOU HEAR HOW GREAT THE ECONOMY
IS DOING RIGHT NOW, LET’S JUST
REMEMBER WHEN THIS RECOVERY
STARTED.
STARTED. >> ALL RIGHT.
FOLLOWING THAT COMMENT PRESIDENT
TRUMP FIRED OFF A NUMBER OF
TWEETS ON THE ECONOMY OVER THE
WEEKEND INCLUDING ONE CITING
COMMENTS FROM FORMER HOUSE
OVERSIGHT CHAIRMAN JASON
CHAFITIES QUOTING BARACK OBAMA
TALKED A LOT ABOUT HOPE BUT
DONALD TRUMP DELIVERED THE
AMERICAN DREAM.
AMERICAN DREAM. ALL THE ECONOMIC INDICATORS,
WHAT’S HAPPENING OVERSEAS,
DONALD TRUMP HAS PROVEN TO BE
FAR MORE SUCCESSFUL THAN BARACK
OBAMA.
OBAMA. >> WOW.
>> WOW. >> PRESIDENT TRUMP IS DELIVERING
THE AMERICAN DREAM.
WOW, THAT’S DELIVERING A LOT OF
YOU KNOW WHAT.
BUT LOOKING AT JUST ONE OF THE
MOST CLOSELY WATCHED ECONOMIC
INDICATORS, JOB CREATION, IT
APPEARS PRESIDENT OBAMA DOES
HAVE THE ADVANTAGE OVER
PRESIDENT TRUMP.
PRESIDENT TRUMP. SO FAR THIS YEAR AFTER AVERAGE
OF 206,000 JOBS HAVE BEEN ADDED
PER MONTH UNDER TRUMP, AN UPTICK
FROM LAST YEAR’S AVERAGE OF
180,200.
180,200. DURING HIS SECOND TERM HE NEEDED
195, 226 AND 250,000 JOBS PER
MONTH IN HIS FINAL THREE YEARS,
JUST ADDING SOME FACTS INTO THE
CONVERSATION, JOE.
CONVERSATION, JOE. >> MARK McKINNON, THAT’S THE
THING.
THING. BARACK OBAMA NEVER COULD GO OUT
AND BRAG ABOUT HOW WELL THE
ECONOMY WAS DOING UNDER HIM.
HE SEEMED TORTURED TO GO OUT AND
TELL PEOPLE ACTUALLY THE GOOD
NEWS ABOUT HIS ADMINISTRATION.
HE MAY START DOING THAT NOW, BUT
THERE ARE A LOT OF AMERICANS,
AND IT’S FRUSTRATING, THERE ARE
EVEN A LOT OF PEOPLE IN NEWS
THAT LISTEN TO DONALD TRUMP AND
SEE THE SHOWMANSHIP AND GO,
WELL, YEAH, THE ECONOMY HAS
GOTTEN A LOT BETTER UNDER HIM.
NO, IF YOU JUST LOOK AT HARD
FAST ECONOMIC NUMBERS, THE RATE
OF GROWTH, THE RATE OF -- YOU
KNOW, WHETHER YOU LOOK AT THE
S&P OR WHATEVER, IT’S ABOUT THE
SAME UNDER DONALD TRUMP AS IT
WAS UNDER BARACK OBAMA WHO
ACTUALLY INHERITED THE WORST
ECONOMY SINCE 1932.
>> WELL, JOE, I THINK IT’S
INTERESTING THAT, YOU KNOW,
FIRST OF ALL, WE SHOULD COMPARE
APPLES TO APPLES AND LET’S WAIT
UNTIL WE HAVE FOUR OR EIGHT
YEARS TO COMPARE AGAINST EACH
OTHER, BUT WE ARE THROWING OUT
THE RULES OF THE CAMPAIGN.
IT’S INTERESTING TO WATCH BARACK
OBAMA STEP UP AND YOU CAN TELL
HE’S RELISHING IT.
WHAT’S HAVING TO SEE IS THE
WHOLE FALL I THINK IS GOING TO
BE LIKE THIS WHERE WE’RE GOING
TO HAVE A SPLIT SCREEN WITH
BARACK OBAMA AND DONALD TRUMP.
ONE IS REALLY GOOD AT
CAMPAIGNING ABOUT HOPE, THE
OTHER IS REALLY GOOD ABOUT
CAMPAIGNING AGAINST FEAR OR WITH
FEAR.
FEAR. SO WE’RE GOING TO HAVE A
HOPE/FEAR ELEMENT IN THIS
CAMPAIGN AND TWO OF THE BEST AT
DOING HOPE AND DOING FEAR.
SO IT WILL BE INTERESTING TO
SEE.
SEE. >> NICK, THOUGH, ALSO THIS ISN’T
A NATIONWIDE CONTEST.
AS YOU KNOW AND AS OUR VIEWERS
KNOW, WE ARE GOING DISTRICT BY
DISTRICT.
DISTRICT. YOU KNOW, BARACK OBAMA IS GOING
TO PICK THOSE CALIFORNIA
DISTRICTS AND ILLINOIS
DISTRICTS, HE’S GOING TO PICK
OTHER DISTRICTS ACROSS AMERICA
WHERE REPUBLICANS ARE HOLDING
THE SEATS, BUT THEY WERE WON BY
HILLARY CLINTON AND SORT OF HAVE
A BLUE TINT TO THEM.
IT SEEMS TO ME THAT BARACK OBAMA
IS OVERWHELMINGLY POPULAR IN ALL
OF THOSE DISTRICTS.
>> LOOK, JOE, HIS JOB IS NOT TO
COME OUT AND BE THE STANDARD
BEARER FOR THE ENTIRE PARTY.
HE IS A TARGETED SHOT IN THE ARM
IN KEY DISTRICTS, PLACES WHERE
DEMOCRATS CAN FLIP A SEAT OR GET
HIGHER TURNOUT AND SECURE A
SEAT, BUT IT’S STILL FASCINATING
TO WATCH HIM IN ACTION.
IT’S LIKE HAVING BEEN IN A HALL
OF MIRRORS ARE PRESIDENT DONALD
TRUMP FOR THE LAST TWO YEARS AND
SOMEONE KIND OF OPENS THE DOOR
AT THE END OF THE HALLWAY AND
YOU SEE DAYLIGHT.
IT’S A TURN TO KIND OF A
REALITY-BASED POLITICS AND
CERTAINLY A DIFFERENT TONE THAT
YOU HEAR FROM HIM.
HE IS THE POLAR OPPOSITE OF
PRESIDENT TRUMP IN EVERY WAY,
BUT THE QUESTION FOR ME IS THIS
COUNTRY REJECTED THE POLITICS OF
PRESIDENT OBAMA TO SOME EXTENT
IN 2016 AND TURNED ITS BACK ON
WHAT HE WAS OFFERING AND THE
HUGE QUESTION FOR ME IN 2018 IS
IF THAT STILL CONTINUES OR IF
THERE IS SOME PART OF THE
ELECTORATE THAT WANTS TO TURN
THEIR BACK ON PRESIDENT TRUMP
NOW.
NOW. >> YOU KNOW, EDDIE, WHAT’S SO
FASCINATING WATCHING BARACK
OBAMA GO THERE, I SEE A
POLITICIAN WHO I DISAGREED WITH
ON MANY POLICIES, FROM THE WAY
HE DID HIS STIMULUS PACKAGE TO
HOW HE DIDN’T MOVE, I THOUGHT,
AS DECISIVELY AS HE NEEDED TO IN
SYRIA.
SYRIA. I COULD GO DOWN A LONG LIST OF
AREAS WHERE I DISAGREED WITH HIM
IDEALOGICALLY, BUT I KNOW A LOT
OF REPUBLICANS, A LOT OF
CONSERVATIVES, WHO SAW HIM UP
THERE AND SAID, MAN, IT’S NICE
TO HAVE LIKE A NORMAL GUY OUT
THERE AGAIN, EVEN IF I DISAGREE
WITH HIM, AT LEAST WE AGREE ON
THE CONSTITUTION AND WE AGREE
ON, YOU KNOW, HOW WE TREAT OUR
NEIGHBORS AND WE AGREE ON JUST
THE BASICS OF AMERICAN LIFE AND
THE BASICS IN CIVIL DISCOURSE ON
THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL.
>> ABSOLUTELY, JOE.
AS YOU KNOW, I DISAGREED WITH
PRESIDENT OBAMA FROM
IDEALOGICALLY FROM THE LEFT, BUT
IT WAS NICE TO SEE AND HEAR
REASONED THINKING, A KIND OF
THOUGHTFULNESS AND IN SOME WAYS
A COMMITMENT TO THE BASIC NORMS
OF DEMOCRATIC LIFE THAT HAVE IN
SOME WAYS DEFINED THE COUNTRY AT
LEAST SINCE I’VE BEEN BORN AND
POLITICALLY AWARE.
POLITICALLY AWARE. I THINK WHAT’S INTERESTING,
THOUGH, IS THAT WHEN WE THINK
ABOUT PRESIDENT OBAMA STEPPING
OUT, I THINK NICK IS ABSOLUTELY
RIGHT, IT’S A VERY DELIBERATE
DEPLOYMENT, BUT HE OPENS UP
SPACE.
SPACE. DONALD TRUMP HAS TAKEN UP SO
MUCH OF THE OXYGEN IN THE
POLITICAL ROOM THAT WHEN BARACK
OBAMA STEPPED ON THE SCENE
SUDDENLY WE HAD SPACE TO THINK