Indeed. But the fact that Trump followed Obama says quite a bit about…Obama. He cut a curious figure in American public life. I wasn't kidding when I called him the BIPOC politician most adjacent to white. His parentage and upbringing were radically atypical for an African American; in that respect he was a man apart. And that apartness, his intellectual cool, was what commended him to white progressives. Those people could never quite swallow the notion of, say, Jessie Jackson, as America's first black president. But Obama? He reminded white progressives of themselves, not least in the enormity of his self-regard.
The cult-like hype that surrounded him as a candidate and in the early period of his presidency prefigured MAGA. You probably remember the iconography, Claire: Obama the Lightbringer, Obama the Christ-like figure. The cult of Trump is just a down-market version of the same thing. But the real Obama was different: intelligent but not wise, glib but not eloquent, casually dismissive of criticism and opposition. He gave the impression that America was not quite worthy of him. FDR too was a cold man, but he cultivated a surface geniality and sunniness that made him popular as an individual. Obama's popularity was purely a function of projection.
His actual record as president is none too impressive. Obamacare, supposedly a long step down the road to universal healthcare, turned out to be little more than another dysfunctional government program. The pullout from Iraq produced a mess. The Iran nuclear deal was a colossal blunder. He was president for eight years and he talked a lot, but never produced a memorable turn of phrase.
Look at that: I've practically written an article about the guy. So maybe I will, having gotten off to a decent start...
Obama's comment reminds me how much I wish the GOP hadn't gone insane.
Indeed. But the fact that Trump followed Obama says quite a bit about…Obama. He cut a curious figure in American public life. I wasn't kidding when I called him the BIPOC politician most adjacent to white. His parentage and upbringing were radically atypical for an African American; in that respect he was a man apart. And that apartness, his intellectual cool, was what commended him to white progressives. Those people could never quite swallow the notion of, say, Jessie Jackson, as America's first black president. But Obama? He reminded white progressives of themselves, not least in the enormity of his self-regard.
The cult-like hype that surrounded him as a candidate and in the early period of his presidency prefigured MAGA. You probably remember the iconography, Claire: Obama the Lightbringer, Obama the Christ-like figure. The cult of Trump is just a down-market version of the same thing. But the real Obama was different: intelligent but not wise, glib but not eloquent, casually dismissive of criticism and opposition. He gave the impression that America was not quite worthy of him. FDR too was a cold man, but he cultivated a surface geniality and sunniness that made him popular as an individual. Obama's popularity was purely a function of projection.
His actual record as president is none too impressive. Obamacare, supposedly a long step down the road to universal healthcare, turned out to be little more than another dysfunctional government program. The pullout from Iraq produced a mess. The Iran nuclear deal was a colossal blunder. He was president for eight years and he talked a lot, but never produced a memorable turn of phrase.
Look at that: I've practically written an article about the guy. So maybe I will, having gotten off to a decent start...