What Barack Obama wants to achieve in the Hallenstadion

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Selling T-shirts and smoothies on the beach in his old hometown of Hawaii: that’s what he wants to do after the end of his presidency, Barack Obama (61) once joked to his then chief of staff during a walk through the garden of the White House. But nothing came of the entrepreneurial dreams in the Pacific paradise. Not yet, at least.

It is six and a half years ago that the Democratic high flyer Obama had to hand over the keys of the White House to his successor Donald Trump (76). Soon after, his two daughters Malia (24) and Sasha (21) left and now live together in LA, one as a screenwriter and the other as a psychology student.

Under the law, Obama is no longer allowed to drive or take any steps without the guidance of the Secret Service. In quarreling Washington, where he still lives, he apparently fails to calm the political waves behind the scenes. In the upcoming presidential election campaign, Obama will have to restrain himself in order not to surpass his half-year-old former deputy Joe Biden (80).

Up to $1.5 million per appearance

So why not jump the pond and pay a visit to the old world? Perhaps Obama thought so too when he signed an exclusive contract with a German event agency for three short performances in Zurich, Amsterdam and Berlin.

The agency, which usually brings rap artists to local stadiums, is of course silent about the deal. One thing is clear: Obama gets a lot of money. The “Mirror” reports that he raises up to $1.5 million for his speeches. The money will benefit his “Obama Foundation”, which, among other things, supports young people from difficult backgrounds with educational opportunities.

So is Obama just raising money, or does he really have something to say? For all his accomplishments, like Obamacare health care reform, which is so popular these days even Republicans don’t even think about it, he certainly has some explaining things to do. For example, why he downplayed Russia as a “weak regional power” or, contrary to his warning, allowed Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad to use poison gas with impunity.

However, one should not expect plain language or even confessions from Obama in Zurich. The evening, moderated by the German TV star Klaas Heufer-Umlauf, is more like a first-class chat circle with a musical setting.

Obama’s first visit to Switzerland

So what really drives the former political superstar, whose global reputation is just behind that of Jesus Christ, to tour? With his documentaries and podcasts, he eventually reaches many more people than the 15,000 that fit in the Hallenstadion.

Obama is probably fed up with the way two old men compete in his homeland over who gets to sit in the Oval Office. He probably longs for the days when the Democratic Party still had visions and America still dared to dream: that’s what it’s about.

Obama himself put it this way in his 700-page book “A Promised Land”: “In politics, the stories you tell are just as important as the content you achieve.” He has achieved a lot. Stories apparently don’t say enough. His fans in the Hallenstadion will be grateful to him.

Source: Blick