Article snippet: It was a speech MORE had held off from delivering. For months, the former president refused to come off the political sidelines, even as some activists said that they wanted him to publicly take on MORE. Obama grumbled privately to close allies about Trump, but said he did not want to become even more of a foil to his successor, who frequently criticizes him on Twitter and in remarks to friendly audiences. He said he wanted to create space for new leaders to emerge, and that he didn’t want to suck up all the oxygen. The sight of a former president going directly after his successor — Obama said that Trump was “capitalizing on resentment” and called him out for pandering to bigotry — was like nothing previously seen in modern political history. And Democrats were thrilled. “About f---ing time,” said one Obama bundler who had been clamoring for the former president to go out on the campaign trail and call Trump out. “His strategy was never to give a speech like the one he gave today but this time requires it, this moment requires it,” the bundler added. “No one else could do what he did. No one could do it in a way that could resonate from the mountaintops and on social media and get people’s attention.” Obama’s address was carried from beginning to end by all three cable news networks, a rarity for a speech by a Democrat. While Trump was unfazed, saying he fell asleep during the ex-president’s lengthy address, it appeared to energize Democrats who have lo... Link to the full article to read more