Obama has been working in the shadows. But he’s been setback.
Because Barack Obama has received terrible news he never could have predicted.
Barack Obama’s Legacy and the Democratic Party’s Reckoning
The Democratic Party is facing a moment of reflection and reckoning following its disappointing performance in the 2024 election cycle. With the election results showing significant losses, party leaders, including former President Barack Obama, are confronting a potential shift in the party’s direction, as well as their own political futures. Experts predict that Obama’s dominance over the party may be drawing to a close, as questions about leadership, electoral strategy, and ideological direction loom large.
The 2024 presidential election was a rollercoaster for the Democratic Party. Despite early optimism and a unified front behind President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, the party was unable to secure a victory against the resurgent Republican challenger, Donald Trump. Trump’s decisive win, with 312 electoral votes compared to Harris’s 226, has stunned many in the Democratic establishment and raised serious questions about the direction the party is heading.
The Democratic Party’s efforts to secure a second term for Biden were notably marked by Obama’s influence. Obama, a former two-term president with considerable sway within the party, was actively involved in rallying support for Biden and Harris throughout the campaign. His endorsement was seen as crucial. However, despite these efforts, the party suffered significant losses, with the White House and Senate flipping to Republican control, and the House remaining firmly under GOP control.
As the dust settles on the election, Democratic strategist Julian Epstein warns of a “greater reckoning” within the party, one that will force a deeper look at its leadership and strategy. In an interview with Fox News Digital, Epstein sharply criticized the Democratic establishment, including Obama, for their role in propping up Biden and installing Kamala Harris as vice president. Epstein argued that party leaders, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, and Representative Hakeem Jeffries, had failed to recognize the disconnect between their policies and the priorities of average voters.
“I think there are going to be big demands for a greater reckoning. The Democratic politburo – Obama, Pelosi, Schumer, Jeffries, and others – all participated in the obvious lie that Biden was capable of a second term, in the anti-Democratic move to install a wholly untested Vice President Harris,” Epstein said. “And in lacking the courage for the past four years to stand up to a progressive left whose policies are far out of touch with most voters. They all failed the test of leadership in this respect.”
Obama’s Response and the Question of Trump’s Rise
One of the key moments in the aftermath of the election was Obama’s speech at the 2024 Obama Democracy Forum. While Obama’s rhetorical skills were on full display, an op-ed on MSNBC argued that Obama still failed to understand the root causes of Donald Trump’s rise. The piece suggested that Obama’s eight years in office contributed to the very conditions that led to Trump’s ascension, criticizing his inability to acknowledge the shortcomings of his presidency.
“Obama’s characteristic rhetorical virtues were on full display. He was a constitutional law professor before he was a politician, and he still sounds like one,” the op-ed read. “But there was a massive gaping hole at the center of his speech. He still doesn’t understand why his eight years in power culminated in the rise of Trump.”
The op-ed continued, arguing that the first step to understanding why Trump won was to stop listening to Obama, whose policies were seen as part of the entrenched status quo that many voters sought to escape.
Kamala Harris, Obama’s longtime ally, was thrust into the spotlight as the Democratic nominee following Biden’s exit from the race in July. However, her campaign has been plagued with criticism from both within and outside the party. Progressive figures, including Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, have accused the Democratic establishment of moving away from the working-class voters who once formed the backbone of the party. Harris’ campaign, which leaned heavily on Hollywood celebrities and high-profile endorsements, was seen by some as out of touch with the struggles of everyday Americans dealing with inflation, ongoing wars in Israel and Ukraine, and rising economic uncertainty.
A critical Washington Post op-ed this month highlighted how Harris’ campaign advisers blamed everyone except themselves for the loss. The piece called out her campaign staff for failing to acknowledge their mistakes — such as not distancing Harris from Biden early enough or focusing too much on battleground states like Arizona, where she lost by six percentage points. The lack of self-reflection only added to the party’s growing disillusionment.
The Fall of the “Obama Doctrine” and Growing Criticism
The election results have sparked a serious critique of Obama’s political legacy, with many on the Right declaring the end of the “Obama doctrine.” The New York Post editorial board argued that the American electorate had rejected Obama-era policies, pointing to the rise of Trump as evidence that voters no longer embraced the policies championed by Obama and his allies.
“When Obama installed Kamala Harris as the latest face of his revolution, the American public of all colors, ages, and genders finally called time,” the editorial read. “Voters at last saw through the industrialized demonization of Trump and woke up to the truth that his policies are far closer to the American ideal and what they consider normal.”
As Obama’s influence wanes, critics argue that his failure to address the rise of progressive left-wing politics has harmed the Democratic Party’s ability to connect with a broad swath of the American electorate.
The controversy over President Biden’s mental fitness became a central issue in the 2024 election. After years of speculation, the issue gained new traction following the release of Special Counsel Robert Hur’s report on Biden’s alleged mishandling of classified documents. The report described Biden as a “sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory,” and his actions on both the national and international stages only fueled concerns about his ability to continue serving as president.
Obama, meanwhile, worked behind the scenes to shore up support for Biden, despite mounting public doubts about Biden’s mental acuity. He participated in fundraisers with Biden and former President Bill Clinton, and publicly defended Biden’s performance following a disastrous debate against Trump. Obama’s defense of Biden, however, fell flat with some Democratic insiders who argued that the party should have embraced new leadership.
As the election unfolded, key Obama allies — such as David Axelrod, Jon Favreau, and George Clooney — were vocal in urging Biden to pass the torch to a younger generation. Clooney, in particular, was candid in his assessment of Biden’s decline, writing in The New York Times that the man he had known was no longer the same.
“It’s devastating to say it, but the Joe Biden I was with three weeks ago at the fundraiser was not the Joe ‘big F-ing deal’ Biden of 2010,” Clooney wrote. “He wasn’t even the Joe Biden of 2020.”
Amid these growing calls for a change in leadership, Obama’s silence on Biden’s future only added to the speculation that he was quietly backing a shift in the party’s leadership. When Biden finally dropped out of the race in July, Obama’s endorsement of Harris was seen as a signal of his continued influence, but also his reluctance to fully embrace the new direction of the party.
The 2024 election marks a significant turning point for the Democratic Party, as it grapples with its future in a post-Obama era. Obama’s policies and approach, which once seemed like a beacon of hope for a divided nation, now appear increasingly out of step with the evolving political landscape. The rise of Trump, the failure of Harris’ campaign, and the increasing discontent among working-class voters signal that the Democratic Party must reconsider its approach.
As the party faces the fallout from a devastating election cycle, the question remains: Can it redefine itself, or is it doomed to continue down the path set by Obama’s legacy? The coming years will likely determine whether the Democratic Party can adapt and evolve in a rapidly changing political environment or whether it will remain trapped in the shadows of a past era.
Stay tuned to the DC Daily Journal.
