His last presidential vacation behind him, Barack Obama is entering the closing stretch of his presidency, an eleventh-hour push to tie up loose ends and put finishing touches on his legacy before handing the reins to President-elect Donald Trump.
Obama returns to Washington midday Monday from Hawaii with just two-and-a-half weeks left. His final days will largely be consumed by a bid to protect his endangered health care law, a major farewell speech and the ongoing handover of power to Trump.
In an email to supporters on Monday, Obama said he’ll deliver a valedictory speech on Jan. 10, following a tradition set in 1796 when the first president, George Washington, spoke to the American people for the last time in office. The speech will take place at McCormick Place, a giant convention center in Obama’s hometown of Chicago.
“I’m thinking about them as a chance to say thank you for this amazing journey, to celebrate the ways you’ve changed this country for the better these past eight years, and to offer some thoughts on where we all go from here,” Obama said.
Obama’s chief speechwriter, Cody Keenan, traveled with Obama to Hawaii and spent much of the trip working on the speech. The Chicago trip will likely be Obama’s last outside Washington as president and will be include a “family reunion” for Obama’s former campaign staffers.
Obama is also planning last-minute commutations and pardons, White House officials said, in line with his second-term effort to cut sentences for inmates given unduly harsh sentences for drug crimes. Though prominent offenders like Edward Snowden and Rod Blagojevich are also asking for leniency, Obama’s final acts of clemency are expected to remain focused on drug offenders whose plight Obama tried but failed to address through criminal justice reform.
After taking office eight years ago, Obama and his aides were effusive in their praise for how Obama’s predecessor, George W. Bush, helped his team take over the massive federal bureaucracy. Obama has vowed to pass on the favor to Trump. But the transition hasn’t been without incident.
The two teams have clashed over the Trump team’s requests for information Obama aides fear could be used to eliminate government employees who worked on Obama priorities like climate change and minority rights overseas. Trump’s team, meanwhile, has been frustrated by Obama’s attempts to box Trump in with parting moves to block ocean drilling, declare new monuments and further empty out the Guantanamo Bay prison.
While on his annual vacation in Oahu, Obama asserted himself forcefully on two foreign policy issues that put him in direct conflict with Trump. Obama directed the U.S. to defy tradition by allowing a U.N. Security Council resolution criticizing Israel on settlements to pass, then slapped Russia with sweeping penalties over U.S. allegations of hacking.
The final days are Obama’s last chance to define his presidency before his loses the bully pulpit and cedes his legacy to historians. For Obama, helping Americans understand how his two terms have reshaped American life is even more critical amid concerns that Trump may undo much of what he accomplished, including the health law.
As Trump and Republicans vow to gut the Affordable Care Act, Democrats are working to devise a strategy to protect the law by exploiting GOP divisions about how to replace it. To that end, Obama will travel Wednesday to the Capitol to meet with House and Senate Democrats, likely his last meeting with his party’s lawmakers as president.
His administration is also working feverishly to finish up regulations in the pipeline that Obama hopes can be completed in the final days, perhaps increasing the likelihood his policies carry over. But the closer it gets to Trump’s inauguration, the harder those tasks become.
Though Obama remains president until Jan. 20, the White House can’t process the departure of all its staffers on a single day. So this week Obama aides will start “offloading,” turning in their Blackberries and shutting down their computers for the last time, leaving a smaller staff on hand for the final days.
Obama must also prepare to become a private citizen for the first time in two decades. An office of the former president must be stood up, and Obama’s family will be making arrangements to move into a rental home in Northwest Washington where they plan to stay until youngest daughter Sasha finishes high school.
The Obamas have long lamented how the presidency denied them freedom and privacy, with first lady Michelle Obama likening the White House to “a really nice prison.” But on their last Hawaii vacation, the first family took time out to visit Breakout Waikiki, where visitors are “trapped” in a room together and must try, as a team, to escape.
(AP)
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17 Responses
even though this report does not specifically state it, i believe Obama is going to spend his last days in office trying to figure out how he can put as many stumbling blocks as possible in Trumps way. such immaturity i have yet to witness! But you know what, Trump will sooner or later (hopefully sooner) get past those obstacles and we will once and for all be rid of the worst president in recent memory!
🎶 We love to see you Go, We Love to see You GO, because you hate Jews we Love to see You Go! 🎶
Obama leaves a legacy of hate towards the Jewish people. His treatment of Bibi was disgraceful, not as a leader of a nation should be treated. You could see Obama’s disdain for the Jewish leader and the Jewish State.
Obama leaves obamacare, which is ripping most Americans off. The deductibles are so high, that most people don’t eve want to meet them. But the monthly payments are enormous. So when visiting a doctor, people have to pay out of pocket.
Some top doctors are not taking any insurance anymore. If latients can oay, they get treated, if not, they have to go to doctors that do.
The eight years of Obama presidency have been long and painful. Looking forward to President Trump.
And yes Michelle, we have hope. The Jewish people always have hope. Amain.
Take your Tehillims out! Scary days ahead. America’s first Muslim President began his presidency with lies and forged birth certificate and is ending his presidency with lies about Russian hacking and still trying to do as much damage to America and Israel before he leaves. Typical Arab. Who know what this Muslim has up his sleeve these days? I wouldn’t trust him for 1 moment, esp. near the nuclear bomb. American people are holding their breaths waiting impatiently for the days to pass. Every day that passes without incidence from Obama is a miracle.
Closing stretch?
When did he ever begin his presidency? He was always either chilling somewhere on a golf course, or being a dictatorial thug using executive actions. President?
Obama, we won’t forget you. A tall, remarkable young politician who went from the truly bottom of the bottoms to the heights of public power.
Wise, handsome and calculated, you guided this country during some of its darkest hours. You enacted huge, game changing laws, such as healthcare for all. You were always friendly to the Jews. I’ll never forget watching your Chanuka and rosh hashana greetings on YWN. Your love for every individual, regardless of race and religion always touched me. Your courage to speak out for the Syrian people, despite white supremacist hate around the world, makes you a righteous non Jew forever, a rose amongst the thorns of the world.
Signed proudly with my name and address, Yonah Stuart, 2161 rose wood lane, Baltimore M.D.
happyhocker24, you forgot to mention that Obama made us all safe and secure by giving Iran the right to build nukes and billions $ in cold cash. On Jan 20 it will be such a loss that you should start siting shivah.
Mr. Obama,
Thank you for leaving over an incredible legacy the likes of which have not been seen over the past several decades:
1. You were the inspiration for the Arab Spring that saw stable leaders deposed and replaced with governments that significantly increased insecurity and chaos in the world.
2. You took a strong, well respected United States and made them into a weak, disrespected country which no longer is able to wield its authority to solve problems around the world. You have successfully spurned leaders of allied countries while befriending countries promoting dangerous ideologies that mistreat their citizens and threaten the world with terrorism.
3. You succeeded in destroying the concept of the rule of order and living by the law through your unilateral presidential orders, your complete disdain of law enforcement and your protection and encouragement of illegal immigrants.
4. You have set back 25 years of progress on race relations in America so that there is more distruct between different races now than there has been for decades.
5. You have destroyed people’s health care system by increasing premiums and deductibles and moved it closer to the European medical systems which do are unable to support their populations’ medical needs.
6. You have done little to stem the spread of terrorism in the world and the U.S., all the while falsely preaching that gun availability is the culprit.
7. You have exponentially increased the country’s debt which will be passed on to our children so that they may pay for our mistakes by shouldering a crushing burden of debt.
This plus more is the legacy you leave behind.
Lev milachim biyad Hashem. He’s just a messenger. So is the next one.
Oh poor Michelle. Always complaining. America has always been bad and evil to her and her poor downtrodden family. Yes, she been imprisoned for so long. She’s had such a hard life. She’s always been forced against her will to take what she can from the hard working American taxpayers. She always hated being a gold digger. I truly hope she won’t be traumatized. I hope she won’t suffer from post traumatic stress disorder. Being the First Lady is an extremely stressful & abusive life. Sorry that Hillary lost and you won’t be getting your reparations. Poor baby. I’m sure Oprah can lend you a few dollars.
GET OUT!
#6: Owings Mills, not Baltimore. That’s the Rosewood State Training Center, right?
That explains your post.
Vchol karnei rishoiim agadeos…
Title should be: “Obama In Closing STENCH Of Presidency”
To, GoLearnTorah,
Well, you do the same.
Everyone knows he’s a messenger , so a big shkoyach, but he’s still a rasha.
So were Pharoah, Haman, Nebuchadnetzer, and on and on messengers, but Yimach Shemom all of them.
Lev melochim are beyad Hashem , but we don’t know when they’re allowed some bechira on their own, and when Hashem steps in and takes control, like ” Vayichbad Lev Pharoah.”
Which reminds me, it’s a short haul to Purim.
Not a bad idea to get 2 graagers, one for Haman messenger and another for Obama messenger.
What are you Obama haters going to do after January 20? Who will you blame for the things that don’t go your way? I suppose you could blame it on some mysterious black magic that the Obamas will practice after they leave the White House.
Correct Shazam, correct. I’ll see you around.
Huju, cut out your racist references like black magic.