Barack Obama was a guest on ABC’s “This Week” with George Stephanopoulos this morning to attempt to justify taking executive action on immigration after saying on half a dozen previous occasions that he lacked the Congressional authority to do so.
That wasn’t the only topic discussed. There was also back-and-forth on the Freguson grand jury decision, which is imminent, and the battle against ISIS.
When the subject shifted to Obama’s successor and whether he thought Hillary Clinton would be a viable president, the interview curiously devolved into an extended car metaphor.
OBAMA: You know, one of the benefits of — running for president is you can stake out your own positions. You’re — and — and have — clean slate. A fresh start. You know, when you’ve been president for six years you — you know, you’ve got some dings and — [Chuckle] you know and — and —
STEPHANOPOULOS: And you don’t mind absorbing a few more if that’s —
OBAMA: No.
STEPHANOPOULOS: — what it takes?
OBAMA: You know, I think — I think the American people, you know, they’re gonna want — you know, that new car smell. [Laughter] You know, their own — they — they wanna drive somethin’ off the lot that — that doesn’t have as — as much mileage as me.
Obama and the Democrats may want to find a better metaphor if their hope is to elect Clinton, who has not only been around the block a few times but had her tires kicked once or twice, not least of all by Obama himself in 2008.
Obama might be well advised to stop applying the car metaphor to himself, now that so many have come to regard his presidency as a lemon.
