After Barack Obama endorsed presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden , progressive commentator Michael Brooks unleashed a blistering attack on the former president and the Democratic Party as a whole.
According to Brooks, Obama’s endorsement video, in which he praised Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders ‘ movement and suggested it will help move America toward “progress and hope,” is nothing but a “bedtime story.”
“Barack Obama is the leader of the right-wing, corporate wing of the Democratic Party,” he said later in the video.
Brooks made the comment after speaking on reports of Obama’s role in rallying the former Democratic presidential nominees around Biden, echoing Glenn Greenwald , who made similar comments after Amy Klobuchar and Pete Buttigieg dropped from the race and endorsed the former vice president. Reports also suggested that Obama pressed Sanders to drop from the primary.
Brooks also expressed his belief that the current Democratic Party cannot be relied upon to enact genuinely progressive policies.
“I don’t have any political or ethical expectations of the Democratic Party leadership,” he said.
“They’re gone. It’s not even that they’re gone, we just have completely different views of the world. We care about poverty; we care about delivering for everybody; we care about a democratized future.”
According to Brooks, these goals are not compatible with the ideology and policies pushed by the current Democratic Party.
“They’ve worked for decades to create precisely the opposite,” he said.
While Brooks acknowledged that Obama made history being the first black president and said his political talent is “undeniable,” he claims that his real legacy is less impressive. This legacy, he argues, will be consolidating Wall Street and Silicon Valley, making a “massive amount of money” after his time in office, and stopping the reform of the Democratic Party.
Brooks also claimed that many of the younger people who supported the reforming of the Democratic Party pushed by Sanders were probably first exposed to politics by Obama.
As reported by The New York Post , Obama’s wife, Michelle Obama, is allegedly the next key endorsement for Biden. According to the report, the former first lady is speaking with Biden on helping him with voter registration and virtual fundraising.
“Any future announcement would reflect the incredible impact her voice has,” a Biden aide reportedly said of Michelle Obama’s support.
Per The New York Post , Michelle Obama is planning to attach her name to fundraising emails as early as next week. In addition, she is allegedly considering an endorsement video similar to her husband’s.
