All of this bad faith posturing garbage was fairly recent, yet it feels like the narrative of a million years ago. The one where Obama used the IRS and the DOJ to go after his political enemies, where investigators were dispatched over a depiction of him in an outhouse, where he spied on his opponents, including Netanyahu, and befriended Islamist tyrants.
And then compares a democratically elected Jewish leader to a dictator.
Former U.S. President Barack Obama credited ex-Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with fueling the rise of Putinism, alongside other authoritarian leaders, before stepping down from office, newly published quotes reveal.
“What I worry about most is, there is a war right now of ideas, more than any hot war, and it is between Putinism — which, by the way, is subscribed to, at some level, by [Turkish President Recep Tayyip] Erdogan or Netanyahu or [former Philippines President Rodrigo] Duterte and [former U.S. President Donald] Trump — and a vision of a liberal market-based democracy that has all kinds of flaws and is subject to all kinds of legitimate criticism, but on the other hand is sort of responsible for most of the human progress we’ve seen over the last 50, 75 years,” he told reporters in off-the-record comments first published by Bloomberg.
Erdogan was one of Obama’s great pals. The Islamist terrorized and brutalized his own people, staging a fake coup and then having his thugs sexually assault his political opponents, seize control of the press (without a word of protest from our media) and run a totalitarian state.
Comparing Trump and Netanyahu to Putin and Erdogan is particularly ironic coming from a guy who spied on both. Trump and Netanyahu were freely elected leaders. And had Trump acted like Obama, we’d have had DOJ and FBI types entrapping Obama and Clinton associates.
Obama’s theory of “Putinism” is a new level of dishonesty. Erdogan isn’t copying Putin, he’s following the Islamist plan of the Muslim Brotherhood. But Obama can’t say that. Netanyahu is not a strongman. As a prime minister, he’s fairly weak and there’s nothing that Obama could point to that’s authoritarian. Netanyahu actually liberalized the Israeli economy significantly.
If Obama wants to talk about “a liberal market-based democracy that has all kinds of flaws and is subject to all kinds of legitimate criticism”, Israel has that.
Under Obama, it began to disappear in the United States as socialism was imposed and speech was suppressed. But notice how Obama emphasized “legitimate criticism”.
Legitimate criticism is leftist speech. Illegitimate criticism is conservative speech.
Leftists falsely equate conservatives with authoritarianism, when they’re the “I have a pen and phone” authoritarians.
WJ says
When Israel is standing alone with no one to help her, that, will be the most dangerous time in recorded human history.
One has to wonder what Noah was thinking when, after he entered the Ark, and the door was shut behind him? We seem to have entered a time like his, humanity going unhinged.
He didn’t know what it was for rain to fall let alone a deluge. But we are pretty much where he was just before the rain started to fall. How? We have never seen a deluge of fire from nuclear weapons. We know what to expect but have never seen anything like what can happen when it does happen.
Not only is Israel going to be standing alone in a dangerous time, the whole world will be standing on a precipice where it has never gone before.
Even the elitists will find their games of power and wealth will not have prepared them for times they themselves have pushed to the forefront for their own personal gain.
Algorithmic Analyst says
Everything Netanyahu did that I saw I could justify based on practical political considerations, like having to bend to the wind from bad USA governments. Not that I would necessarily have done the same, but at least I could understand where he was coming from.
Una Salus says
Obama is a rodeo clown without the guts or humour it takes to be a rodeo clown.
Dov Jacobs says
Obama was and remains to this day a committed Anti Israel, Antisemitic, Anti American Traitor.
He and Biden were Communist Mentored for 8 Years, (Trevor Louden, Epoch Times.)
Obama and Biden are out to destroy the American Constitution and Way of Life, Obama/Biden love Dictators .
E T Gwynn says
“Obama used the IRS and the DOJ to go after his political enemies”
And…his political operatives to sway other-nation elections…Elias, anyone?
Michael McConnell says
Let’s not forget D’Souza who went to prison after writing and anti-Obama book/film; The Roots of Obama’s Rage. While Sharpton owes millions to the IRS, D’Souza gave 10,000$ too much for a campaign contribution. The media didn’t even touch it.
glpage says
When it came to abusing the federal government for one’s political ends, Obama made Nixon looks like an inept amateur.
TruthLaser says
Zer0bama has never spoken without lying. Finding an exception would be rarer than the Cullinan Diamond.
Christopher Riddle says
As El Rushbo used to say:”They Are Accusing US of Exactly What They Are Doing”!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Jeff Bargholz says
Yep. Constantly.
Daniel Greenfield says
Putinism does not mean being friends with Putin, it means an authoritarian who seizes control of the political system and suppresses the political opposition.
Erdogan’s Islamist roots and orientation are hardly a secret either.
Mickorn says
Erdogan has Islamist roots, but his policies are not at all those of the Muslim Brotherhood. To equate the two is disingenuous. It is an attempt to make all Muslim political movements seem like they are the same, which anyone who actually pays attention knows they are clearly not.
Regardless of how you wish to define “Putinism,” the headline of the piece is misleading and you know it.
Jeff Bargholz says
What were you doing in Israel? A member of Hamas?
Bareback Hasbeen Obangi was the real dictator.
Algorithmic Analyst says
Yeah, I thought the headline made the point succinctly. Writing headlines is actually hard,
Steven Brizel says
Obama pioneered what Biden is doing today with the weaponization of the DOJ, FBI and the IRS and appeasing terror world wide
Algorithmic Analyst says
And other government agencies as well. Scary.
Steven Brizel says
Obama is a c;loset anti Semite who does not understand or respect Israel or its need to defend itself against Islamic terror