After Kamala Harris secured her party's presidential nomination, Democrat leaders swooped in to help her campaign. One of the most prominent voices that aggressively tried to deliver victory for Kamala Harris was Barack Obama—and his failure to come through is a well-deserved rebuke of his legacy.
Despite his disastrous presidency, Obama remains a revered symbol on the political left. For years, his supporters have viewed his time in office through rose-colored glasses, often ignoring or downplaying the long list of failures and scandals that defined his administration because he was the "first black president."
Not long before the election, I wrote that Trump's victory would bring about the end of Barack Obama's star power. So, I can't help but take some genuine pleasure in the fact that, according to his biographer, Barack Obama is "nervous about his legacy" in the wake of Donald Trump's stunning victory.
“He has been and remains extremely concerned and nervous about his historical legacy,” explained David Garrow, the author of “Rising Star: The Making of Barack Obama.” “That has certainly taken a big hit with Trump once again triumphing.”
Garrow added, “The conclusion for Democrats is that they’ve got to dispense with these people from the past, including Hillary Clinton too, and move to a new generation of figures who are not in the AOC club at all."
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Garrow pointed to Obama and Michelle’s condescending tone while campaigning for Kamala. He told The Daily Mail, “People do not want to be talked down to, no matter who they are… I thought it was tone-deaf and clueless for them to preach as they did… I would expect that perception will be shared by lots of people. If so, I think it reduces their relevance to Bill Clinton territory.”
In October, Barack Obama visited Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, aiming to rally black voter turnout for Kamala Harris, particularly among black men shifting their support toward Trump. His approach, however, sparked criticism for being condescending, with some calling it racist and sexist. Much like Joe Biden’s infamous “you ain’t black” remark, Obama leaned into race and gender to pressure black men into supporting Harris, suggesting their hesitation was due to her being a woman. He framed her candidacy as a stand against Trump’s so-called “bullying,” urging them to get behind Harris.
Obama's comments appeared desperate, and Garrow clearly thinks that they backfired on him.
“Even before last night, I was of the quite strong belief that the tone and condescension with which both Barack and Michelle spoke, particularly towards black men, was self-defeating to the point of backfire," he said.
He predicts the Obamas will now mostly fade from the political scene, opting to spend their time mingling with celebrities on Martha’s Vineyard. "I certainly expect them to be spending less time in Washington after early January," he added.
Fantastic. The less we see of them, the better.
As bad as Joe Biden's presidency has been, much of the blame lands at Barack Obama's feet. The Biden presidency was modeled after Obama's radical agenda. So, as Kamala said it was time to turn the page, I'm hopeful that this country is turning the page on the Obama era.
