Dear Barack Obama

WTF are you?

Dear Barack Obama:

It’s me—Jeff Pearlman. And I was just sorta wondering, well, where the hell are you?

Not sure if you’ve noticed, but the democracy you devoted your life to preserving is on the verge of crumbling apart. That might sound like hyperbole, but … I don’t think it is. As we speak, Donald Trump isn’t merely undoing the good you accomplished—he’s undoing us. America. What we stand for. What we fight for. Goodness. Decency. Empathy. The checks and balances are evaporating by the minute. Once-upon-a-time independent agencies are now beneath his thumb. An unelected Nazi-saluting wanna-be Darth Vader has taken over. Planes are suddenly crashing. Nonpartisan government employees are being fired en masse. We are now pro-Russia. PRO. FUCKING. RUSSIA. Truth no longer matters, for it has been hijacked by men who crave power above all else. They are the General Zods we’d been fearing.

To be blunt: We are drowning, and we need help.

So, eh, where the hell are you? I see you hanging with pro athletes, attending award shows, working on Netflix deals, posing for photos, having a gay ol’ time. Making money, lathering in the glow, book releases and shindigs galore.

But—again—where the hell are you? Now? At this moment? When we desperately need a spokesperson with a platform? Where’s the pro-democracy rally you should be headlining? Where’s the New York Times’ guest editorial? Where are you calling out Donald Trump for what he is? A conman. A fraud. A huckster. A liar. An authoritarian.

I know … I know—presidents don’t bash other presidents. Decorum and decency and tradition and … bullshit. Fucking bullshit. This isn’t you being kind to W. This is you doing what you can (all that you can) to prop up a sinking ship.

I cannot state this with enough passion: Barack Obama, we need you.

So where the hell are you?

Sincerely,

Jeff

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