Subject: Obama blasts liberals on trade
From: Brent Budowsky <[email-masked]>
To: Eric Schultz <[email-masked]>, John Podesta <[email-masked]>
Date: Sat, 9 May 2015 07:10:29 -0400

Good thing I do not have a column on Sunday, because if I did, I would blast the living crap
out of Obama for what he said about liberals at Nike, and where he said it, and why he did it.
And you can quote me.  Maybe I will calm down by my next column deadline.  Then again,
maybe I will not.  

SIX YEARS OF THIS HAS SO DEPRESSED THE DEMOCRATIC BASE THAT PART OF
OBAMA'S LEGACY WILL BE THE DESTRUCTION OF THE DEMOCRATIC BASE IN 
TWO MIDTERM ELECTIONS THAT LED TO THE DESTRUCTION OF THE DEMOCRATIC
HOUSE AND DEMOCRATIC SENATE, AND THE CREATION OF A REPUBLICAN SENATE
AND REPUBLICAN HOUSE.

I am sending a visible copy of this to John Podesta, because the biggest danger to Hillary
Clinton is not what Republicans say, and not what Peter Schweizer writes, but that she 
ultimately takes liberals too much for granted and ends up like Miliband in Britain, Herzog
in Israel, and Harry Reid losing the Senate in 2014.

For Obama to be insulting Harry Reid and Elizabeth Warren right now on trade is the most politically stupid and maladroit move in my memory from any Democratic president---for
Obama to be insulting labor unions and progressives right now on trade is not only politically
stupid for his own position but it hurts Hillary Clinton by inflaming the very Democrats who
have doubts about her that liberals such as myself are trying to remedy even though I----
unlike many who travel in your circles---have no desire to get another high level job
in government and no desire to become a lobbyist for banks or consultant to British
conservatives or give paid speeches to oil companies.

For Obama to keep a trade negotiation secret and then tell liberals they don't know what
they are talking about on a trade policy that is being kept secret from them is absurd and
Orwellian and the kind of contemptuous  language and attitude that is the greatest single
reason that Democrats lost the House and Senate---and this attitude is the greatest single
threat to Hillary Clinton's candidacy after Miliband and Herzog and Harry in 2014 learned
the hard way what happens when too many liberal voters stay home.

And for Obama to say this at Nike, of all places, demonstrates his cultural and psychological
ignorance of how a majority of Democratic voters and activists view trade trade policy and
trade politics.....

I read portions of this note to two Democrats whose names you know and told them I would
be sending to it people who could---if they chose----send this to Obama and Clinton and
they told me send it, send it, and if they don't read it,  write it publicly because they need to
hear it.

Others will be seeing this, and Eric,  you're a good guy and because you handle the press, I am alerting you to the fact that I might well be writing it publicly soon because I am fed up to the gills
with the attitudes Obama's comments convey and crony capitalist mentality that so permeates
a Democratic establishment and did so much damage to what was once the Democratic
Congress.

I am no protectionist, but I'lll be damned if I'll keep working to help Democrats who insult me
like this----and insult so many Democrats like this----you can bet your ass that I know what
I am talking about, and so does Elizabeth, and so does Harry, and what Barack Obama  has
still not learned is that these insults of Democrats are the greatest single reason his presidency
has been lobotomized because he now must sit across the table with Speaker Boehner
and Majority Leader McConnell.

Today I write this privately; I make no promises about tomorrow.

Sent from my iPad