Obama torches Trump like American democracy depends on it

Barack Obama went high.

On the third night of the Democratic convention — a word that seems increasingly absurd to describe what is really just two hours of nightly programming from the DNC — the former president delivered a memorable speech that balanced torching the sitting president with assuring voters of the possibility of something better. All the while, he pulled back the historical view to 30,000 feet where it was possible to show voters the sweep of American history and remind them that the country, despite what he called “these dark times,” has faced bigger challenges than Trump.

But despite the optimistic strands, Obama did not minimize the threat he believes the country faces under President Donald Trump. “It is not a normal time,” he said at the top. “So tonight I want to talk as plainly as I can about the stakes in this election. Because what we do these next 76 days will echo through generations to come.”

As Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders, and John Kasich — three people with major ideological and personal differences between them — all made clear in their earlier speeches, the case against Trump is not about policy. The urgency that has united socialists, liberals, and conservatives featured this week is about something much more fundamental, something that is frankly difficult for political reporters who are used to litigating policy and political disputes between the two parties to convey in a way that seems unbiased.

Obama accused Trump of failing to “discover some reverence for the democracy that had been placed in his care.” He essentially accused him of corruption and abuse of power, saying Trump had “no interest in using the awesome power of his office to help anyone but himself and his friends.” And he accused his successor of a dangerous form of narcissism when he said that Trump had “no interest in treating the presidency as anything but one more reality show that he can use to get the attention he craves.”