Columnist and bestselling author Carl Hiaasen dived into alternate history in his latest Miami Herald column, picturing the reaction from the right if former President Barack Obama had acted like President Donald Trump.
Point by point, Hiaasen described the things Trump has done but changed the name to Obama. Then, he envisioned the reaction from Republicans, conservative evangelicals and Fox News.
In one passage, Hiaasen described Obama saying ― as Trump did ― that he “fell in love” with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un, then gave him a pass on Otto Warmbier, the American student imprisoned in the country who died shortly after being sent home in a vegetative state.
Hiaasen wrote:
“Sean Hannity’s neck gets so hot that the lacquer in his hair catches fire. Rush Limbaugh abruptly goes on a ‘personal leave’ so he can learn how to defibrillate himself. Meanwhile, Mitch McConnell says the special counsel ‘should slow down and pursue every lead, no matter how small.’”
Hiaasen also shared his thoughts about how evangelicals and Vice President Mike Pence would react if Obama was caught on tape bragging, as Trump did, about grabbing women “by the pussy,” what would happen if he didn’t release his tax returns (again, as Trump has done) and how quickly Republicans would move to impeach him if it was revealed he pressured his staff to give security clearances to his daughters (as Trump reportedly did for Ivanka Trump, who also serves as a White House adviser).
Spoiler alert: They would not be OK with it.