Opinion: Obama’s legacy hangs over the 2020 Democratic primaries
Former president Barack Obama speaks during a campaign rally in 2018. By Paul Waldman Paul Waldman Opinion writer covering politics Email Bio Follow Opinion writer May 23 at 2:10 PM Whenever a party has an open presidential primary, its voters ask themselves some very fundamental questions about their identity, their history and their future.
To begin, let’s consider the criticisms many liberals make of Obama and his presidency. The first and perhaps most important is that Obama wasted valuable time and energy trying to win the support of Republicans for policies such as the Affordable Care Act.
I’d argue that the reason many Democrats are so ambivalent about Obama is the emotional journey he took them on, the one O’Rourke alludes to. It started with the 2008 campaign, an extraordinary enterprise that gave Democrats not just hope that Obama could win but also hope that the entirety of American politics could be transformed into something that, frankly, it has never been.
On reflection, part of the problem with the vision Obama began with was that it treated Republicans as almost nonexistent, yet their unceasing opposition and procedural radicalism ended up defining his presidency, culminating in their refusal to allow him to fill a vacant Supreme Court seat. Which is why every Democrat now seeking the presidency has to tell voters how his or her theory of political change accounts for the GOP.
Malaysia Latest News, Malaysia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Obama without Obama-ism: 2020 Democrats embrace the ex-president but not his policiesDemocratic presidential candidates praise Barack Obama in glowing terms. But most are running on a very different agenda.
Read more »
Sanders, other U.S. Democratic 2020 candidates back workers in dispute with McDonald'sAs a part of a push to increase the minimum wage for American workers, Bernie Sa...
Read more »
Jimmy Carter finds a renaissance in 2020 Democratic scrambleJimmy Carter is re-emerging in the 2020 presidential race as some candidates go to Plains, Georgia, to seek the 94-year-old former president's advice
Read more »
Analysis | The Trailer: Why polls haven't scared off 2020 Democratic hopefulsIn this edition: Why the other candidates still think they can beat Biden, Bill de Blasio's escape from New York, and Justin Amash's rebellion.
Read more »
Cramer: Health care stocks are rising on hopes Biden will snag the 2020 Democratic nomination'Unlike Bernie Sanders or Elizabeth Warren or Kamala Harris, Biden's against 'Medicare for All,'' the 'Mad Money' host says.
Read more »
Jimmy Carter finds a renaissance in 2020 Democratic scrambleFormer President Jimmy Carter is re-emerging from political obscurity at age 94 to win over fellow Democrats. Some see his family-run campaign after the Watergate scandal as the road map for toppling President Donald Trump in 2020.
Read more »
The Latest: Kentucky AG Beshear wins Democratic gov. primaryLOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — The Latest on Kentucky's primary election (all times local): 8:40 p.m. Attorney General Andy Beshear has won the Democratic nomination for governor in Kentucky,...
Read more »