Seeing as we’re at the time of year when Major League baseball nears its seasonal conclusion, the games get more important, nerves get shattered and the ability to send in an ace pitcher to close out a victory is the most appreciated.
The presidential race is no different, and the parallels between what’s happening on the diamond and in the political arena are showing up in earnest. This is when the best performers are brought in to produce game tying (or winning) runs and, in the alternative, to preserve leads and stop the other team from scoring.
Both parties have their candidates on the field. Republicans, for the third consecutive time, are counting on the always unpredictable Donald Trump to carry them to victory. Democrats offer what they see as the “joyful” politician, cackling Kamala Harris, with the beaming smile and phony laugh to dispatch the “threat” to “freedom” that Trump represents.
Yet a growing number of Democrats surmise they need an additional boost to put them over the winning threshold. Do they have such a shut-down threat? In an article titled “Democrats see Obama as their closer against Trump”, Amie Parnes reported at The Hill recently:
“Democrats are hoping former President Obama will help move the needle in the tight presidential race between Vice President Harris and former President Trump.
“Obama is expected to be a major force in the final weeks of the campaign, appearing in key battleground states including Pennsylvania, where he [stumped] for Harris [last] Thursday.
“Democrats, who have been eagerly awaiting Obama’s entrance on the campaign trail for weeks, say he — more than anyone — can help make the case for the vice president at a time when she most needs it.“ ’He does still pack a punch, and that is why despite the hand-wringing and complaining each cycle, they wait until the end so that he’s not overused and has the most impact,’ Democratic strategist Eddie Vale said. Vale compared the Democrats’ elder statesman to Hall of Fame baseball pitcher Mariano Rivera, who was often brought in at the end of tight games to secure Yankees wins…”
Well, to be fair, even Rivera blew a certain percentage of his save opportunities. I don’t know the exact number, but when it comes to Obama, he had an abysmal record for losing seats throughout his two terms. How many state legislative seats did “The One” forfeit to the GOP? How many state legislatures changed party control? How many federal House seats?
Remember the Tea Party wave election of 2010? How many senate seats? Heck, Mitch McConnell probably paid Obama back in federal pork for keeping him in power all those years.Now is different, however. Obama certainly retains his popularity among Democrats and his power to rile up the base is probably unequalled – except for maybe his wife’s. Barack is certainly better thought of than when he witnessed Donald Trump take his oath of office all those years ago, though there’s still a question of his worth as a “closer” in the baseball sense.
Granted it was a purely partisan crowd that went to Trump’s swearing-in, but I can attest to the joy from the revelers who were almost as relieved to see Obama go as they were in knowing Trump would replace him. Partly because of circumstances and partly because senile Joe Biden has been so disappointing, Democrats see Obama as the answer to their secular prayers.
But now is now. In addition to Barack’s speaking duties, Obama supposedly will, “cut other ads and record robocalls for other candidates, in addition to signing his name on fundraising emails and making stops on the campaign trail.”
Therefore, expect to hear The One’s golden voice and unique speaking inflection in your smart phone’s voicemail box. A lot. With Democrats still desperately seeking to hide Kamala as much as possible (though she’s seemingly come out of her spell a little bit to give “friendly” media interviews), the former community organizer will be pushed to the spotlight.
But Obama ain’t perfect no matter how hard Democrats try to spin it. His “savior” status is largely motivated by the party rank-and-file’s belief that Kamala Harris is so pathetic she couldn’t possibly close out the win by herself. I didn’t see the cackling one’s (and Tampon Tim Walz, too) appearance on 60 Minutes the last week, but apparently it didn’t go very well. How could it? She’s an idiot!
Begging Obama to come out of the “bullpen” is sad, really. It’s a testament to the lack of frontline star power on this year’s presidential ticket that Democrats would feel compelled to haul Barack Obama out of mothballs and implore him to add a little pizzazz to their party’s presentation. After all, Obama left office on January 20, 2017 and typically only resurfaces around election time – federal midterm, national presidential election, state, local, special election or otherwise – to inject some interest into the particular contest.
I recall a few years ago (in 2021) when desperate Democrats beseeched the Big “O” to come to the rescue of faltering Virginia gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe, who experts predicted might lose to 6’8” Republican no-name (at that time) Glenn Youngkin, a political outsider who was so new to the scene that most non-Virginians didn’t take him seriously.
McAuliffe lost despite Obama’s having devoted measurable time to attempting to rouse Old Dominion liberals. Not even Barack’s presence could save the old Clinton buddy (McAuliffe), as Republican swept the election, gaining a new Lieutenant Governor (Winsome Sears) and Attorney General (Jason Miyares) to complete the GOP takeover.
The lesson garnered is that Obama’s value as a relief-pitcher type stump speaker only carries so much weight. 2022’s Dobbs Supreme Court decision casting Roe v. Wade to the dustbin of history seemed to do the trick more ably, as Youngkin and co. haven’t really been able to take advantage of their new power base to capture control of the legislature or expand the GOP’s representation in Congress.
The conclusion I’ve come to is that endorsements or event fill-in speakers rarely do anything to move the needle on a tight race. Sure, having Obama’s name on a rally promotion could bring out more folks who are less than enthused about milquetoast air brain Kamala Harris – or crotchety old communist coot Tim Walz – but beyond that, what value are they?
Contrast the Democrats, who routinely bring in their bench of past-prime party former stars to kick their soup up a notch, with the Republicans under Donald Trump, who shares the spotlight with no one and doesn’t seem to mind carrying the campaigning load all by himself one bit.
Though it could be said Republicans don’t have much top tier talent in their former pol line-up, they don’t need it. Who would there be? John McCain wasn’t much of a draw to begin with, but he passed on over six years ago. 2012 Republican standard-bearer Mitt Romney’s been exposed as an establishment stooge and would only repel people if he came to speak to a MAGA gathering. Romney never was a very good orator, and his intervening years in the senate haven’t improved him much.
The same goes for Paul Ryan. Yuck. The Trump campaign wouldn’t want any of them within a hundred miles of one of their rallies.
One name that’s surfaced recently as a possible campaign speaking supplement is Elon Musk. Before this season, who would’ve ever thought?
But how else to interpret the Democrats looking to Obama to produce some name stars for the liberal party? Barack and wife Michelle were given an entire evening’s worth of speaking slots at the Democrat convention in August. Former nominee and first lady Hillary Clinton and hubby Big Bubba Bill took prominent roles on two other nights, including the latter as a warm-up act for Tim Walz.
If not Barack, then who? Here you see the problem. The reason why Democrats ended up with senile Joe Biden as their basement-based presidential candidate during the 2020 COVID pandemic was he was the best of the also-rans who he competed against. Cackling Kamala didn’t make it to the primaries, as you recall, because party voters in the early states preferred just about anyone else to her.
Bernie Sanders was viewed as too “out there” for Democrats to take a chance on. It’s been another four years since that time, and the cantankerous avowed socialist from Vermont hasn’t gotten any younger.
Similarly, Elizabeth “Pocahontas” Warren wouldn’t be much of a relief pitcher/closer, either. Would anyone other than the rabid abortion-monger feminist base of the party pay her any mind? Who else? Nancy Pelosi? Gretchen Whitmer? Senator Mark Kelly? Pennsylvania governor Josh Shapiro? He’s already out there.
Joe Biden? No way. So there’s no one. It all goes back to Obama, the one surviving true “star” of the Democrat faction.
Republicans, on the other hand, have a promising “bench” of potential fill-ins, but with Trump, they don’t need them. Governor Ron DeSantis remains popular, but he’s pretty tied up with handling the hurricanes down in The Sunshine State. Nikki Haley could potentially be used, but who knows what she’d say – and hers and Trump’s foreign policy agenda are completely opposite.
J.D. Vance is already on the campaign trail. He’s terrific and has turned out to be a valuable asset in MAGA-land.
As many have already mentioned, it’s Donald Trump’s party now. With Trump handling the rallies, there simply isn’t a need to call down to the bullpen for a closer-type to be sent to different swing state locales to draw a crowd. Trump is a one-man show and exhibits no signs of letting up until the election – and longer, if necessary.
If Trump were a starting pitcher, they’d say he has a rubber arm and non-stop stamina.
Having Barack Obama being called on to bolster cackling Kamala’s candidacy should be seen as a sign that Democrats are worried that it’s all slipping away – and the 44th president is the only one who can save them. No one should blame Democrats for relying on Barack; Harris is truly horrible. Trump should just keep doing what he’s already doing.
Joe Biden economy
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gas prices,
Nancy Pelosi
Biden senile
Kamala Harris candidacy
Donald Trump campaign
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J.D. Vance
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Donald Trump assassination
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Tim Walz
It's not just washed up Obama coming out to rescue Harlot Harris, but also Bill Clinton, who we can argue is even more irrelevant. I heard that Clinton showed up at a restaurant and people didn't even know who he was. Young people wouldn't know, since he was President before all of them were born. Clinton looks very elderly. He is an old man. He should be sitting this out, not trying to drag Harris over the finish line.
President Obama. Man, the shine is really off this guy now isn't it? The "thrill" is gone. He heard that black dudes aren't excited about Harris. Apparently, he cannot make the case for her with "the brothers" without cajoling us, playing…