Barack Obama has earned a public reputation as the “no drama Obama” guy who goes out of his way to avoid confrontations and prefers to use logic and a sense of shared mission to solve problematic behavior or issues. Part of it undoubtedly springs from the political death that would’ve naturally flowed from any hint of the “angry black man” stereotype and part of it is just Obama’s personality. But it is also part of Obama’s personality to defend his dear friends and confront people that have crossed an ethical line that goes beyond politics. A year ago, Obama sent Rep. Ronny Jackson, former White House doctor, a rare private scolding for calling Biden mentally unfit, an ethical missile with GPS guidance directly into Jackson’s soul.
Jackson, though – now solidly MAGA, had no soul to hit. The missile passed through a vacuum and hit the red Texas dirt behind Jackson.
The entire matter started when Dr. Ronny Jackson, then running for office, issued a tweet, as recounted by Mediaite:
“Remember the cognitive test that I gave @realDonaldTrump? The one he aced! Sounds like somebody else might need some testing done!! Scary!!”
Obama privately emailed Jackson (rather than blast him on CNN). And Obama’s shaming would have remained private if Ronny Jackson didn’t make it public in his new upcoming book, Holding the Line: A Lifetime of Defending Democracy and American Values, obtained by CNN. Jackson states that Obama wrote an email to Jackson stating:
“I have made a point of not commenting on your service in my successor’s administration and have always spoken highly of you both in public and in private. You always served me and my family well, and I have considered you not only a fine doctor and service member but also a friend.”
Obama being Obama, softened Jackson up, letting Jackson know that Obama absolutely values and respects Jackson. And then the issue and hammer:
“That’s why I have to express my disappointment at the cheap shot you took at Joe Biden via Twitter.
“It was unprofessional and beneath the office that you once held. It was also disrespectful to me and the many friends you had in our administration. You were the personal physician to the President of the United States as well as an admiral in the U.S. Navy. I expect better, and I hope upon reflection that you will expect more of yourself in the future.”
Utter perfection. Obama unapologetically tells Jackson that he didn’t live up to the expectations of his profession or the positions he held and instead went for the cheap shot, descending from high orbit to below-ground political hackery, quite a fall.
As said, though, despite the fact that 98% of us, if having known and served Obama personally would have been deeply ashamed of ourselves or at least regretful and reflective, Jackson had sold his soul to the public grift and raw power of the MAGA movement. There is only one acceptable public reaction, basically telling Obama to get bent, while Jackson beat his chest as the big powerful congressman. The story according to Mediaite:
Surprised and flustered by the email, Jackson ultimately chose not to respond. Jackson recalls considering whether to call the former president, but a friend of his, radio host and conservative commentator Dan Bongino, reminded him that Obama did nothing while Jackson was in the midst of a Senate confirmation fight to be Trump’s secretary for the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Obama didn’t get involved in any aspect of how Trump ran his administration. Obama didn’t help people, and Obama didn’t hurt people. He did what ex-presidents do, respect the fact that the new president is entitled to have a former president that keeps his mouth shut. How typically MAGA (and Bongino) to believe that Jackson deserved to have Obama come flying in to defend him in tough times but then expect Obama to keep his ex-presidential self out from criticizing the Trump administration and staff directly.
And thus Jackson summed the situation up just as one would expect from any self-respecting, Trump-worshipping, MAGA politician:
“So, upon reflection, I thought, You know what? Screw that guy! I’m not doing it. I just walked away from it, which was the last time I had any contact with [Obama].”
A retired Navy admiral and White House staff member to the former president and Commander in Chief he served, “Screw that guy!” Again, magafection.
It is pretty easy to publicly write “Screw that guy!” while knowing that Obama isn’t the type to leak any of the dirt that absolutely surrounded the White House clinic under Jackson. Obama has to have plenty of stuff he could use in response to Jackson’s insult.
Jackson just knows that Obama has too much class to use it, wrestling with pigs and all. Obama spent decades building up a reputation for being above petty fights like this and he’s not about to lower himself to fight with some hothead first-term representative. Obama has other stuff on his plate, things that matter. Jackson won’t make the list.
@JasonMiciak believes a day without learning is a day not lived. He is a political writer, features writer, author, and attorney. He is a Canadian-born dual citizen who spent his teen and college years in the Pacific Northwest and has since lived in seven states. He now enjoys life as a single dad of a young girl, writing from the beaches of the Gulf Coast. He loves crafting his flower pots, cooking, and currently studies philosophy of science, religion, and non-math principles behind quantum mechanics and cosmology. Please feel free to contact for speaking engagements or any concerns.