Barack Obama, who ran as an agent of change, too often adopted policies from both of his immediate predecessors, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton. In the party offered warmed over Clintonism served up by a wholly ineffective candidate.
Now, Progressives are saying loud and clear that they will not be taken for granted and expected to digest more leftovers out of the view that they have no choice given that Trump will be the only other item on the menu. The truth is that Barack Obama was a good president — in a less contentious environment he could have been a great president — but he was also a disappointment.
As the first African American nominee of a major political party and then as president, Obama came into the office with pressures and expectations unique to that fact. Some people criticized him out of bigotry and others put off by the almost messianic expectations and perceived elitism of some of his followers.
Obama made some missteps early on that played into the hands of his detractors from the Greek columns at his acceptance speech to what was essentially a large campaign rally in Berlin , a spot from which only sitting presidents — JFK, Reagan — had delivered memorable addresses. But the award of a Nobel Peace Prize only months into office sent a message of hubris and elitism. Obama would have been well-advised to decline the honor with a statement that although he would hope to one day earn it, he had not done so yet.
Unfortunately, in his eight years in office, President Obama never did earn that prize. His efforts to wind down the conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq and to close Guantanamo were halting or dashed. Although he did seek peaceful resolutions in dealing with potential conflicts with Iran and China through a successful international nuclear accord on the former and through a pivot to Asia and a trade agreement TPP to counterbalance China both foolishly abandoned by the current administration.
His administration nevertheless committed the same mistakes from the Iraq War in the regime change brought about though force in Libya. Another error was in encouraging demonstrations in Maidan Square in Ukraine contrary to an agreement for a peaceful transition that had just been negotiated.
Newsletter Receive regular updates about forthcoming events and other news from Intelligence Squared. Thanks You have been added to our mailing list and will now be among the first to hear about events. Play video Listen to the podcast. Watch Yes, He Can. Obama is a Failed President. Speakers for the motion. Christopher Caldwell Senior editor at the Weekly Standard. David Frum Political commentator and former speechwriter for George W.
Speakers For the motion. Christopher Caldwell is a senior editor at the Weekly Standard and the author of Reflections on the Revolution in Europe. He is at work on a book about posts America. Senior editor at The Atlantic. We were not ready for a black president. He cedes power on Friday to the very people who questioned his legitimacy and denied him the right to govern. They have already begun to demolish his accomplishments.
But historians eventually will also calculate the benefits of the Affordable Care Act, look back on the results of the opening to Cuba, appreciate his admittedly belated environmental activism, and notice that his Administration was virtually scandal free. Presidential legacies can be complicated and nuanced, yet simple when it comes to the basics: Win two terms in office, get big things done on your policy agenda, and keep your party in power.
Yet, the Democratic dominance was short-lived. As Obama leaves office, the Republican Party is stronger than it has been since and will control the White House, both houses of Congress, a large majority of governorships and state legislative houses. The irony is that Obama leaves office with a solid approval rating and more popular than President-elect Donald Trump. President Obama, with laser-like focus, tried to change the way we thought about what our government does for us at home and what it does abroad.
In so doing, he strengthened and broadened the social safety net and redefined the American engagement with the world. We will see in the coming years what the American people want to preserve of those changes. The other thing I might add is that President Obama is among those presidents most aware of history. I look forward to reading what he has to say about his legacy. Barbara A. President Obama righted the ship through a stimulus package including infrastructure improvements , expanded relief of failing banks and investment firms, and the bailout of the American auto industry.
The dignity and grace that he and his family brought to the White House will constitute his most enduring legacy. Read more about the criteria Perry uses to judge presidential legacies. Katherine A. I find him reflecting in some ways both John F. Kennedy and Dwight D. In addition, both had First Ladies who were significant assets to their administrations.
In contrast to both of those predecessors, however, he had to deal with a starkly oppositional Congress bent on undermining his agenda, and that situation has certainly affected his initiatives.
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