Obama Sees ‘Straight Line’ From Palin To Trump, And It’s Getting Worse (VIDEO)

Many of us long for the days when Sarah Palin’s brand of crazy was the worst thing on the presidential ballot. Though some could not believe that such a person was the vice presidential nominee, none of us were prepared for what happened this year. President Obama, however, can see how it all happened.

Obama: A ‘Straight Line’ From Palin To Trump

In a recent interview with Jonathan Chait for New York magazine, Obama talks about how we got to where we are today. When asked whether he sees a parallel between the political atmosphere of 2009, after his inauguration, and today, he answered:

“Absolutely. I see a straight line from the announcement of Sarah Palin as the vice-presidential nominee to what we see today in Donald Trump, the emergence of the Freedom Caucus, the tea party, and the shift in the center of gravity for the Republican Party. Whether that changes, I think, will depend in part on the outcome of this election, but it’s also going to depend on the degree of self-reflection inside the Republican Party. There have been at least a couple of other times that I’ve said confidently that the fever is going to have to break, but it just seems to get worse.”

What’s worse is that he sees no end in sight.

“I have very cordial relations with a lot of the Republican members. We can have really great conversations and arrive at a meeting of the minds on a range of policy issues, but if they think they’re going to lose seats or that they’re going to lose their own seat because the social media has declared that they sold out the Republican Party, then they won’t do it.”

Obama has just said, point blank, that the Republicans will not do anything that will anger their base. And, as we all know, the base of the Republican party consists of the racist, sexist, homophobic types who come out in droves for the primaries. It’s why we find ourselves with Donald Trump as the Republican presidential nominee.

Obama: Private Conversations With Republicans Are Very Different

Over the past eight years, one of the most egregious sins a Republican could commit was showing Obama even the most passing of positive feelings. Charlie Crist and Chris Christie, for instance, agree with Obama on almost nothing. However, they are examples of Republicans punished for merely associating with him:

“They’re imagining the potential problems that arise, so it’s pretty hard for them to publicly say, ‘Obama’s a perfectly reasonable guy, but we just can’t work with him because our base thinks he’s the Antichrist.’ It’s a lot easier for them to say, ‘Oh, the guy’s not listening to us,’ or, ‘He’s uncompromising.'”

Of course, the effect this has had on the country is devastating. One small demographic — the rabid, racist, right-wing base — has held us all hostage with their threats to elected officials. That’s not to say that the elected officials are blameless. In a perfect world, they could have tried to stand up to the base. Of course, what generally happens then is that the nutjobs put up an even MORE conservative candidate in a primary. Thus, the cycle continues.

If nothing else, Obama’s words should make it very, VERY clear that voting is crucial, and in EVERY election. 2020 marks the next time Congressional districts are redrawn — make sure yours is drawn by Democrats.

Watch New York magazine’s Adam Moss discuss the interview on “Morning Joe” here:

Featured Image by Pete Souza via Flickr under a U.S. Gov’t Works license

Carrie is a progressive mom and wife living in the upper Midwest.