Obama is a one trick pony. His one trick is the race card.

After eight years everyone had been saturated with his patter of, “This is not who we are”, “We must live up to our values”, and, “This country sure is racist”. 

So Obama scuttled off for a few years, avoided very high profile speeches, and saved his ammo for this moment.

Except it’s the same ammo.

The condescension. The presumption. The false accusations of racism. The self-righteous lectures from the worst president in this country’s history.

Obama kicks off by calling the Constitution racist. He goes on to scold President Trump for not finding “common ground”. That’s quite a whine from a radical who never bothered to find common ground. And treated everyone who disagreed with him with outright contempt. But Obama doesn’t really mean any of this stuff. These are just the routines that he learned to manipulate middle of the road moderate voters. And it worked pretty well for him.

Then Obama claims credit for his mismanagement of Ebola. And spends a whole lot of time patting himself on the back. He calls violent thugs attacking shopkeepers and federal buildings, trying to burn churches and terrorizing communities, “peaceful protestors”.

It’s an effective routine in its own way. It’s a reminder of how Obama won two elections. It’s also cynically manipulative, deeply dishonest, and worn out.

All these years later, Obama, like Kamala, is trading on a black civil rights identity he never had a part of, in order to elevate an old white man he despises to the top job.

And far fewer people care.

Obama’s routine, like the Super Bowl ad that 10 years later people switch the channel to avoid, long ago passed its sell by date. Not just with Republicans. The strings have been cut. The puppets no longer dance. The routine is trite and old. And so is Obama.