“President Obama, don't you think you should follow in the footsteps of your predecessor? Remember, President George W. Bush? He stayed out of the political arena, and he let you, his successor, do your job.” ThinkingShouldJobsRememberPoliticalPresidentPresident ObamaArenaFootstepsPredecessorsSuccessorsPresident George W Bush Author:Sean Hannity
“President Obama will not be able to contain himself, and he will go after Mr. Trump every single chance he gets once Obama is out of office.” AblePresidentChanceTrumpOfficePresident Obama Author:Sean Hannity
“If President Obama wants to keep calling for protests, then that will be his legacy, one of division, rich versus poor, old versus young, black versus white, always dividing. That's what you get under President Obama.” IfsWantYoungBlackPresidentWhitePoorRichCallingLegacyProtestDivisionPresident ObamaVersusDividing Author:Sean Hannity
“I'm not just going to go on these fishing expeditions. I didn't do that with President Obama. We didn't go through this with President [Barack] Obama. I think the world and certainly the American voters understand that Donald Trump has mass holdings. He's worth billions of dollars. He's been very successful in business. And I think the American voters understood that when they voted him in.” ThinkingWorldPresidentSuccessfulGoes OnTrumpMassUnderstoodDollarsBillionsBarackFishingVotersPresident ObamaPresident Barack ObamaExpeditionsAmerican Voters Author:Jason Chaffetz
“I think that the only time we will really know what then-President Trump is going to do about the set of challenges that confront him is after he has sat down with his advisers as the commander in chief, when he's looking at the threats and the intelligence from the standpoint of being the number one decider, when he's hearing from his secretary of defense, his chairman, who was the same chairman President Obama had, Chairman Joe Dunford, who is an outstanding public servant, who has led our anti-ISIL effort, on which we're making great progress.” ThinkingKnowsPresidentChallengesNumbersEffortProgressTrumpThreatHearingDefenseChiefsServantSatPresident ObamaSecretaryOnly TimeCommandersOutstandingChairmanStandpointAdviserCommander In ChiefPublic ServantsIsilGreat Progress Author:Samantha Power
“In one of his final acts in office, President Obama shortened the sentences of 209 prisoners, pardoned 64 individuals .The list included Army whistleblower Chelsea Manning, longtime imprisoned Puerto Rican independence activist Oscar López Rivera and retired U.S. Marine Corps General James Cartwright. But missing from the list is 71-year-old Native American activist Leonard Peltier.” YearsIndividualPresidentMissingOfficeArmyIndependenceFinalsSentencesListsNativeActivistPrisonerPresident ObamaNative AmericanOscarsMarineRetiredMarine CorpsChelseaWhistleblowersPez Author:Amy Goodman
“President Obama's Justice Department won less than half of its total cases before the Supreme Court, which is the lowest presidential win rate since Harry Truman. Average historically for the last 50 years is about 70 percent.” YearsLastsWinningPresidentJusticeHalfCasesPercentCourtRateAverageSupremePresidentialDepartmentPresident ObamaLowestSupreme CourtTrumanHarry Truman Author:Ted Cruz
“Donald Trump has every intention to repeal the Affordable Care Act, as much because it's known as Obamacare [as because he wants] to try and deconstruct the legacy of President Obama. But that has implications that mean women who were accessing family planning and contraception as a preventative service with no co-pay will lose access to that coverage. We [will] only see an exacerbation of the things we were engaged in trying to prevent - like unplanned pregnancy and the need for abortion, which creates a societal dilemma.” WantNeedsTryingMeanCarePresidentLosesPayKnownTrumpIntentionAccessPlanningLegacyEngagedAbortionPregnancyPresident ObamaImplicationsDilemmaObamacareAffordableCoverageContraceptionFamily PlanningAffordable Care ActUnplanned Pregnancy Author:Willie Parker
“I mean, all of these things that [Bashar Assad] has done, there's no way even if President Obama wanted to just play along that you could actually achieve peace, because there are 65 million Sunni in between Baghdad and the border of Turkey, Syria, and Iraq, who will never, ever again accept Assad as a member - as a legitimate leader.” IfsWayMeanDonePlayWantedPresidentLeaderAcceptingMillionsAchieveMembersIraqBordersPresident ObamaSyriaTurkeysBaghdadAssad Author:John F. Kerry
“Chelsea Manning's treachery put American lives at risk and exposed some of our nation's most sensitive secrets. President Obama now leaves in place a dangerous precedent that those who compromise our national security won't be held accountable for their crimes.” NationsPresidentSecretRiskSecurityDangerousCrimeCompromiseSensitiveExposedPresident ObamaNational SecurityAmerican LifePrecedentTreacheryChelsea Author:Paul Ryan
“We know that President Obama and his accomplishments, that there's a lot of unfinished business there.” KnowsPresidentAccomplishmentPresident ObamaUnfinishedUnfinished Business Author:Kellyanne Conway
“Just to hear President Obama speak - he's eloquent, he's so classy.” SpeakPresidentPresident ObamaEloquent Author:Jolene Ivey
“Barack Obama's been president for about eight hours; President Obama was here for eight years. So if you want to talk about numbers that matter, it's quantifying all the losses - the women who were slid into poverty, those who can't find meaningful work, and their children who deserve a better life.” IfsWantYearsChildrenMatterPresidentHoursLossNumbersPovertyDeserveEightMeaningfulBarackPresident ObamaBetter LifeFind MeMeaningful Work Author:Kellyanne Conway
“Hillary Clinton is probably one of the best prepared people to walk into the Oval Office certainly in a generation, with all the love and respect and admiration that I have for President Obama, and he's been a great president, going in he was nowhere nearly as prepared as Hillary Clinton.” PeoplePresidentWalksGenerationsOfficePreparedClintonAdmirationPresident ObamaLove And RespectOvalGreat Presidents Author:Nancy Pelosi
“It is manifestly in the interest of the United States to deal with the very real threat that climate change poses. And that's why President Obama has worked so hard to reduce our own emissions and to lead internationally in forging the Paris climate agreement.” RealHardStatesPresidentInterestUnitedDealsUnited StatesThreatClimateClimate ChangeParisAgreementPresident ObamaEmissionsForging Author:Susan Rice
“What's happened is that our government has been taken over by a secret government, which is associated with President Obama. And this has gone through one step and another. We've just gone through another step, which is actually, really mass murder, mass murder of citizens of the United States - the only term you can call it.” Has BeensStatesGovernmentPresidentTermUnitedSecretStepsUnited StatesGoneTakenHappenedCitizensMassMurderPresident Obama Author:Lyndon LaRouche
“A lot of my opposition to President Obama's policies had behind them 5, 6, 7 years of bad policies that made America less safe in my regard.” YearsMadeAmericaPresidentBehindsPolicySafeRegardOppositionPresident Obama Author:Tom Cotton
“I do have to say when we read certain words being used to describe President Trump - it's never been done. It wasn't done about President Obama. It wasn't done about either President Bush, President Clinton, because people have a certain respect for and recognition of the dignity for the office of the president. And so I am beseeching everybody to cool it down a little bit.” PeopleLittlesDoneUsedCertainBitsPresidentTrumpOfficeLittle BitDignityClintonRecognitionPresident ObamaPresident BushPresident Clinton Author:Kellyanne Conway
“I was very, very concerned about President Obama and how much executive order and how much executive power he tried to exert. But I think I want to be, and I think congress will be, a check on any executive, Republican or Democrat, that tries to grasp too much power. And really, a lot of the fault is not only presidents trying to take too much power, it's Congress giving up too much power.” ThinkingWantGivingTryingOrderPresidentToo MuchRepublicanGiving UpConcernedFaultsDemocratCongressChecksExecutivesPresident ObamaExecutive PowerToo Much PowerExecutive Orders Author:Rand Paul
“President Obama has brought this country back economically so far from where we were when he took office, and Hillary Clinton is going to take that baton and take us even further. And what she's doing is what we have done for generations, which is really build out an infrastructure of opportunity in America.” CountryDoneAmericaOpportunityPresidentGenerationsOfficeClintonPresident ObamaInfrastructureBatonOpportunity In America Author:Joaquin Castro
“My dad died when I was young. He was a good and decent man. There are a few things he would say that have just always stuck with me. He'd say, "Son, you're either part of the problem or part of the solution." Well, regrettably, President Obama has become part of the problem, and Mitt Romney is the solution.” MenWellsProblemYoungPresidentSonDadSolutionsDiedMy DadStuckDecentPresident ObamaRomneyDecent ManDad DiedMy Dad Died Author:Paul Ryan
“If I were advising President Obama, since he's the one running, I would have made his campaign very simple. I promise that in four years, I will get more Americans, as many as I possibly can, the opportunity and access to some form of post-secondary education. I want more of them to graduate high school with the skill-set of post-secondary education and I want more of them to be able to obtain that post-secondary education. This is the only way we are going to close the income gap.” IfsWayWantYearsMadeRunningAbleSchoolFormOpportunityPresidentSimpleFourPromiseSkillsHigh SchoolAccessCampaignsIncomePostsGapsPresident ObamaFour YearsGraduatesI PromiseSecondary Education Author:Thomas Friedman
“I think that asserting that former President Obama wasn't born in the United States was just the height of irresponsibility, of course. And Donald Trump corrected that one. There are others that have yet to be corrected.” ThinkingStatesCoursesPresidentBornUnitedUnited StatesTrumpFormerHeightPresident ObamaIrresponsibility Author:Al Gore
“I'd like to think that "President Obama believed deeply in this democracy and the American people."” PeopleThinkingPresidentDemocracyPresident Obama Author:Barack Obama
“The prospect of Hillary Clinton not winning the presidency opens up a vast dark hole, an unknown, beyond which it is impossible to know what would happen to race relations or anything else we, as a county, want to improve. It has surprised me that Trump has done so well. I used to think the clamor for Trump was simply part of the rightwing backlash against eight years of President Obama. But perhaps it is that and more than that. There is a lot of suspicion, fear, mistrust, anger and hatred out there.” ThinkingDoneWinningPresidentDarkImpossibleHatredRelationClintonPresident ObamaSuspicionCountyMistrust Author:Clarence Major
“I do my job. I love my job. It's the best job I ever had. And it's probably the best job I will ever have. And I serve at the pleasure of the president. That's true of President Obama. That will be true of President Trump. And if and when a president decides that they want to replace me, I'll ride off into the sunset.” PresidentPleasureBeing TrueSunsetPresident Obama Author:Preet Bharara
“I think, all in all, the Obama administration and what President Obama has focused on has lived up to our need to protect American interests, to live our values and assert our values, and to stand up for future generations.” ThinkingValuesPresidentInterestProtectFocusedPresident ObamaFuture Generation Author:John F. Kerry
“President Obama is traveling around the country, proposing a stimulus bill that has already failed once. Instead of having an honest discussion about whether or not a plan that already failed once will fail again, the establishment would rather distract the American people with gossip.” PeopleCountryPresidentPlansFailingHonestBillsDiscussionGossipPresident ObamaEstablishmentStimulus Author:Alveda King
“I think what we need to do is understand our number one obligation is to act in the national interest of the United States of America. I believe it is in our national interest to see democracy take hold on the island of Cuba. And so we examine our foreign policy, including all the changes that President Obama made, in that lens and through that lens.” ThinkingBelieveI BelievePresidentInterestDemocracyPolicyObligationPresident ObamaForeign Policy Author:Marco Rubio
“Here is the thing people do not understand. And I have said this repeatedly. I am not against changes in U.S. policy towards Cuba. I just want to make sure that those changes are reciprocal, that they're reciprocated by the Cuban government. That was not part of what President Obama did.” PeoplePresidentPolicyPresident ObamaCuban Author:Marco Rubio
“When I had been dating my husband for a while, the president Obama said to me, "When is he going to put a ring on it?" And I was like, "Oh, come on. We are so busy. We don't need to think about that." He said, "He needs to put a ring on it because you're worth it." And the thing is, I'm not even kidding you, it was about a week or two later that we got engaged.” ThinkingPresidentWeekHusbandDatingBusyRingsMy HusbandPresident ObamaWorth It Author:Alyssa Mastromonaco
“I think that one of our most difficult international challenges is clearly climate change and making sure that the Paris agreement goes forward. While I think the international community understands that President Trump is not taking the same position as President Obama.” ThinkingDifficultPresidentCommunityChallengesClimate ChangePresident Obama Author:Gina McCarthy
“The president-elect seems to want Russia as a friend. President Obama arguably has not wanted to say that Russia is that great of a threat.” PresidentThreatPresident Obama Author:Steve Inskeep
“I want to be clear that when you mention the Republican critique of President Obama, that is not President-elect Trump's critique, right? So you have a real clash within the Republican Party, and I think within the Trump administration, about how to develop policy toward Russia.” ThinkingRealPresidentPartyPolicyRepublicanPresident ObamaRepublican PartyCritiqueClash Author:Michael McFaul
“It has been a little surprising to me, anyway, is to find out through media that there actually have been several chemical attacks recently. Now, with some belief on my part, and I think a lot of people, that we thought we got rid of the chemical weapons with the regime that President Obama and President Putin put in place.” PeopleThinkingBeliefPresidentPresident Obama Author:Michael Mullen
“I've never seen people as physically distraught as the Bush administration team was because of what was happening to the economy. I personally believe that the steps that President Obama took saved the economy. He doesn't get the credit he deserves for taking some very hard positions. But it was a terrible recession. So now we've dug ourselves out of it, we're standing, but we're not yet running.” PeopleBelieveRunningPresidentEconomyTeamTerribleDeservePresident Obama Author:Hillary Clinton
“I'll give President Obama credit that he's dealing with big issues. I've seen administrations come to town and only deal with the little ones. You know, he's confronting a lot of major concerns here, and he's the only president we're going to have for the next four years, so we hope he's got some degree of success.” GivingPresidentConcernPresident Obama Author:Sean Hannity
“Did Donald Trump apologize for taking after somebody in a Twitter war and making fun of her weight? Did he apologize for saying African-Americans are living in Hell? Did he apologize for saying President Obama was not even a citizen of the United States? You will look in vain to see Donald Trump ever taking responsibility for anybody and apologizing.” WarFunPresidentResponsibilityHellVainPresident ObamaApologizingTaking Responsibility Author:Tim Kaine
“The Trump campaign management team had to be fired a month or so ago because of those shadowy connections with pro-Putin forces. Governor Pence made the odd claim, he said inarguably Vladimir Putin is a better leader than President Obama. Vladimir Putin has run his economy into the ground. He persecutes LGBT folks and journalists. If you don't know the difference between dictatorship and leadership, then you got to go back to a fifth-grade civics class.” RunningPresidentLeaderEconomyTeamManagementJournalistOddLgbtPresident ObamaDictatorship Author:Tim Kaine
“Good poems do a lot of things at once. Often, by doing so, they encourage us to acknowledge mixed and incompatible feelings. Good poems, like good works of history, resist monocausal explanations for anything. There's not one reason why I am angry or excited or hopeful, when I feel those things. And there's not one reason why President Obama won two elections. And there's not one reason why Donald Trump won the most recent presidential election.” ReasonFeelingsPresidentElectionExcitedFeel GoodPresidentialAcknowledgeExplanationHopefulPresident ObamaGood WorkPresidential Election Author:Stephen Burt
“I still remember how upset I was in the aftermath of President Obama's election, where people in Republican leadership didn't say that, "Hey, I want to focus on the issues and values of our country," but, "My number one goal is to see that Barack Obama is not a two term president." That to me is outrageous. I would never do that. My number one goal is to fight to protect poor people, ethnic and religious minorities, working class folks.” PeopleCountryRememberValuesFightingGoalPresidentTermReligiousPoorFocusRepublicanProtectElectionBarackUpsetPresident ObamaWorking ClassPoor People Author:Cory Booker
“Gender bias is real. I was an early Barack Obama supporter, and I was even shocked at the way the media treated President Obama vs. how they treated Secretary Hillary Clinton. Questions that were asked about, what is wearing, how much does she weigh, about her hair were never ascribed to the president.” RealPresidentClintonGenderBarackPresident ObamaBiasSecretarySupporter Author:Cory Booker
“President Obama really just let all of us genuinely be who we were and didn't expect — I'm goofy. And so for him, he just never expected us to be any different than who we were and he wanted us to always give our opinions. He is not the kind of person who wanted to sit around and be told he was right all the time. Especially if he wasn't. And I think that seeing that in him made us all take that away with us.” ThinkingGivingKindDifferentPresidentOpinionPresident ObamaGoofy Author:Alyssa Mastromonaco
“President Obama, I think, wanted what was best for the country, but I think it didn't work well. I think we have the death spiral, and I think particularly premiums in the individual market are going through the roof. Republicans want what's best for the country, but I think they're not fixing the death spiral of Obamacare. They're going to subsidize it with a lot of taxpayer money. So, characterizing something as mean or generous I think goes to people's motives, and I think it is sort of why we have such an angry country now. We think that people have ill motives.” PeopleThinkingMeanCountryIndividualPresidentRepublicanIllGenerousMotivePresident ObamaRoof Author:Rand Paul
“The problem or the fundamental flaw of Obamacare was that they put regulations on the insurance, about 12 regulations, which increased the cost of the insurance. And so President Obama wanted to help poor, working-class people, but he actually hurts them by making the insurance too expensive to want to buy. I had someone at the house just recently was doing some work, and he said: "Oh, my son doesn't have insurance, he's paying the penalty because it's too expensive."” PeopleHelpingProblemHousePresidentHurtPoorSonFlawsMy SonPresident ObamaHelp The Poor Author:Rand Paul
“President Obama said, oh, we want to make insurance perfect for people, but he added all these regulatory mandates, made it too expensive. Young, healthy people didn't buy it, and the people remaining in the insurance pool were sicker and sicker. That's the adverse selection and the death spiral of Obamacare. And so really we do need to discuss the intricacies of what worked and what didn't work in Obamacare. And I think the better way to do this is to let individuals have the freedom to choose what kind of insurance is best for them. The government doesn't always know best.” PeopleThinkingKindIndividualPresidentPerfectHealthyPresident ObamaPoolFreedom To Choose Author:Rand Paul
“Ninety-eight percent of blacks voted for President Obama. That means these people are tied to that political party in a way that's different from other groups of people. Certain rappers always want to represent the Democratic side because they know that's safe and that's what represents their community. I tend to just do what I feel is right by all people.” PeopleMeanDifferentPoliticalPresidentCommunityPartyDemocraticPresident ObamaRapperPolitical Parties Author:Killer Mike
“When you look at somebody like a Netanyahu, to simply not understand that this is a right-wing politician, a guy who kind of crashed the United States Congress to give his speech there, ignoring President Obama, not even consulting with him, using it for political purposes back home, a guy who has supported the youth - the growth of settlement, I think the - the overreaction and the destruction of Gaza went too, too far. Israel should not be bombing schools or homes, just terrible damage there.” ThinkingGivingKindHomeSchoolPoliticalPurposeGuyGrowthPresidentYouthPoliticianTerribleDestructionPresident ObamaSettlementGaza Author:Bernie Sanders
“President Obama, I voted for him. I think he's a mature politician, but here's what happened. Obama wanted a green economy. He spent billions of dollars of tax money to create a green economy and it didn't happen. The question is why.” ThinkingPresidentEconomyPoliticianTaxesMaturePresident Obama Author:Jeremy Rifkin
“Donald Trump always puts himself first. He built a business career, in the words of one of his own campaign staffers, "off the backs of the little guy." And as a candidate, he started his campaign with a speech where he called Mexicans rapists and criminals, and he has pursued the discredited and really outrageous lie that President Obama wasn't born in the United States. It is so painful to suggest that we go back to think about these days where an African-American could not be a citizen of the United States.” ThinkingLyingGuyPresidentPainfulPresident Obama Author:Tim Kaine