'Tightly controlled': GOP consultant tells Obama to 'pack his bags and leave town'

Republican political consultant Keith Naughton said in an article published in The Hill Thursday that President Donald Trump was elected by "disaffected Obama voters."

The author said it was hard to determine what the former president is really thinking, adding that he is "tightly controlled as ever" and only sits for "sycophantic interviews."

"He seldom reveals anything of real interest. But his actions point to a man out of touch and befogged by his own delusions of genius," Naughton said.

He acknowledged that Obama enjoys higher ratings compared to other former president, but added that this popularity is "little more than nostalgic." The author went on to say that the former president has "lost his political touch" and needs to quit politics.

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"The nation’s politics has moved on. It is past time for Obama to pack his bags and leave town," he wrote.

"When you compare the 2012 and 2016 exit polls and county-by-county results, what stands out are defection and disaffection — defection of Obama voters to Trump and disaffection toward Obama’s chosen successor, Hillary Clinton," Naughton noted.

He added that Obama is no longer popular even among the “youth vote" that once backed him. "Well, those 18-29s in 2012 are now 30-44. That age cohort went from Obama at plus-13 points in 2012 to Kamala Harris at a mere plus-4 points. In other words, Trump jumped by 9 to 10 points with Obama’s 'special friends'," the GOP consultant wrote.

Naughton further said Harris was the prohibitive favorite to be the next nominee ever since she was elected vice president. "The idea that any VP could be passed over — much less the first black woman to serve as VP — was crazy. Only if Harris was going to meekly accept the lofty judgement of Obama would that work, and why would she do that?"

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He quoted Amie Parnes and Jonathan Allen who revealed in their new book that Obama was thinking the 2024 Democratic ticket should be Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D). "He seemed to think that these little-experienced, unfamiliar pols were going to blitz Harris and grab the nomination," Naughton said.

"The fact that the mediocre Harris easily sunk this buffoonish plan shows how truly weak it was."

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