Several weeks ago, the Daily Kos published an article on “the growing ethical crimes of Sarah Huckabee Sanders.” It is indeed a sad day in America that the official voice of the executive branch of our government is most likely disseminating downright lies to the American people. (It goes without saying that it is a total travesty that the spokeswoman’s boss, the President, is a pathological liar himself…) 
The Daily Kos article, written by Frank Vyan Walton, challenged Huckabee Sanders’ searing claim that President Trump “has done more for bipartisanship in the last eight days than Obama did in eight years” by making a deal with Senator Schumer and Minority Leader Pelosi on the debt ceiling. Daily Kos, then, quoting a Real Clear Politics article, ripped the Press Secretary’s claims to shreds: “Because of divided government, Obama relentlessly pursued Republican votes, and almost all of his domestic policy achievements came from bipartisan deals.”
Here is a brief, partial list of Obama’s bipartisan deals, according to Real Clear Politics:
- The Recovery Act
- Repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell
- Dodd Frank
- Surveillance reform
- Food Safety Bill
- Mandatory prison sentence reform
- 2010 tax cuts
- 2012 tax cut deal to raise taxes on the very wealthy
- The sequester
- Numerous continuing resolutions negotiated with Republicans to keep the government open
Author Walton continues, “The list above is partial, and there are dozens of more legislative accomplishments during the Obama years that were bipartisan and never got the credit or attention that they deserved. So to sum up, in one single presentation Sarah Huckabee-Sanders may have violated federal ethics rules, committed witness intimidation and also full on slander against a former President.”
How do average Americans combat the flood of lies emanating from this White House? At the very least, we need to be aware that this is happening. When it comes to the Trump Administration’s constant criticism of President Obama, I would also like to propose a theory, based on fact and observation. The facts:
- Trump, like many other whites in our culture, is almost certainly racist. Going way back in his adult life, we know about the alleged racial discrimination in housing units owned by Trump Management Co. in the 1970s and also his comments about the Central Park Five, long after the five African American men had been exonerated of the attack. Trump’s comments during the presidential campaign and now as President about Muslims, Mexicans, immigrants, the Gold Star father, a judge with a Mexican background, African American NFL players kneeling during the National Anthem, the Latina mayor of San Juan, Puerto Rico, and a Latina Miss Universe winner – not to mention his statements following the tragedy in Charlottesville – all point in the direction of racism, as does his relationship with Steve Bannon and Steve Miller, who have been linked to the alt-right and white nationalism.
- Trump promulgated the disgraceful lie that President Obama was not born in the US and thus was illegible to be President (the birther controversy).
- Obama is extremely popular, while Trump has been spectacularly unpopular.
- Obama has a family that is widely admired, while Trump is on his third marriage, and his adult children find themselves under laser-focused scrutiny from many sides for probable ethics breaches.
- Obama’s actions, legislative successes and Executive Orders generally support the vast majority of Americans rather than the very wealthy (like Trump and his cronies); Trump’s actions overwhelmingly favor the rich and privileged.
Here then is the theory: Donald Trump and many of his staff, his family, his wider circle and his supporters gritted their teeth and seethed angrily for eight years while Obama – a black male, and a Democrat – was President. They basically watched as some of their world disappeared around them. They are jealous, immature, narcissistic, vengeful