I'd argue that current events have a direct impact on all of us and this absolutely warrants discussion. Furthermore, I'm not sure I know of any instance where a President has disseminated writing like this. It's an interesting change, since it means that former Presidents can continue exerting influence.
I actually agree with you, but given that the article was posted by mwseibel, I wanted to see what everyone's thinking was. Just because he's a significant YC partner doesn't mean he knows/has authority over HN. It's a valid discussion to have.
But what's the appropriate line? A hard line with no room for interpretation, even in significant events? Where does Coronavirus land in that then? It certainly affects tech/hacking, but it definitely is being tainted by politics and belief structures. Are the only valid articles ones that talk about remote work?
Similar thing related to civic action. Keeping politics out of HN is a good rule, but man, that line is never going to be discrete.
This article clearly falls over that fuzzy line. It's not a discussion, or an analysis, or an evaluation of competing claims. It's not even an attempt to persuade. It's a call to action, a set of instructions from Mr. Obama on how to accomplish the political goals he presumes readers share. I do share his goals, and his instructions sound reasonable, but I don't see HN as an appropriate venue to publish them. Not every discussion forum should turn into a political action committee when there's important politics to be done.