Dems turn on Obama, castigate him for not being more involved in party: report

A report by The Hill on Thursday alleges that several people in the Democratic Party are highly dissatisfied with former President Barack Obama's apparent detachment from the party.

What are the details of the report?

Amie Parnes at The Hill writes, "When former President Obama left the White House, he pledged to take a back seat to make room for other Democrats in the party to shine."

"Nearly 17 months later, that’s proving to be an impossible task," she grimly adds.

Parnes notes that Clinton "fatigue" has set in and Democrats are now looking for the former president to step in for party guidance and more.

According to the report, Democrats want Obama to step in "to take a more leading role" during the 2018 midterm elections, and help to bolster the party for the 2020 presidential election.

"There’s f***ing no one else," one Democratic strategist told Parnes. "Bill Clinton is toxic, [former President Jimmy] Carter is too old, and there’s no one else around for miles."

Another detractor — a "longtime Obama bundler who rarely criticizes the former president" — said, "[Obama has] been way too quiet. There are a lot of people who think he’s played too little a role or almost no role in endorsing or fundraising and he’s done jacks*** in getting people to donate to the party."

What about Obama's lack of endorsements?

The bundler added that Obama's lack of endorsements during the midterm election season has been off-putting to some Democrats.

"You have all these people running for office, some of them against other Democrats, and his strategy has been to not endorse anyone and that’s what’s been so f***ing ridiculous because not only are you not helping them, you’re hurting them," the bundler added.

Parnes reported, however, that it seems Obama does have plans in pocket, despite his apparent hands-off attitude at this point in the game.

"A source close to Obama said the former president is looking forward to hitting the campaign trail, fundraising and issuing more endorsements closer to the midterms," Parnes writes. "But the source added that injecting himself into day-to-day politics would do the Democratic Party a disservice by making it more difficult for other Democratic voices to rise to prominence."

Anything else?

A Politico report on Monday revealed that Obama has quietly met with at least eight Democratic 2020 hopefuls.

Those with whom Obama has reportedly met are purportedly seeking his counsel for potential 2020 presidential bids.

According to the Politico report, the former president “is eager to be a sounding board and counselor to the Democrats he sees as playing a role in shaping the party’s future.”

The Politico piece reported that Obama has met with lawmakers such as Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), former Vice President Joe Biden, and former Gov. Deval Patrick (D-Mass.), among others.