It seems Barack Obama has reason to be sweating after President-elect Donald Trump’s big win over Kamala Harris. According to his biographer, David Garrow, the former president is reportedly “nervous about his legacy.” And who can blame him? After eight years of working to cement his place in history, the idea of Trump’s policies taking center stage again—policies that dismantle much of what Obama stood for—is probably his worst nightmare.
Garrow doesn’t hold back, suggesting that Obama’s status as the Democratic “voice of reason” may be wearing thin. In fact, he thinks Democrats need to move on from the old guard—meaning Obama, Hillary, and even the younger “celebrity progressive” squad like AOC—and find new leadership that doesn’t reek of elitism.
And here’s where Garrow really gets candid: Obama’s and Michelle’s lecturing tone on the campaign trail was about as appealing as a cold bowl of soup. Their condescension, especially toward Black men and young voters, wasn’t just out of touch—it likely backfired.
One of Obama’s biggest missteps, Garrow argues, was his approach to Black male voters. At a Harris campaign event in Pittsburgh, he openly chastised Black men for not showing up for Harris as they had for him, implying their lack of support was somehow rooted in sexism.
“You’re coming up with all kinds of reasons and excuses,” he said, suggesting that they weren’t voting for Harris because she’s a woman. If that sounds patronizing, that’s because it is. Instead of rallying support, his tone alienated the very people the Democrats needed.
Obama’s influence in politics has been set to zero last night. He gambled it all and lost.
He is no longer a power player.
This is a deathblow to the Obamas pic.twitter.com/1YxNAB2SbE
— Thomas Musket ⓒ (@ThomasMusket) November 6, 2024
And Michelle Obama didn’t exactly help matters. At a rally in Kalamazoo, she turned to the men in the crowd with a similarly condescending tone, suggesting they should “ask yourself, what side of history do you want to be on?” Her remarks came off as a guilt trip, implying that if men didn’t vote for Harris, they were somehow betraying the women in their lives. As Garrow put it, this approach was “self-defeating.” It’s as if the Obamas thought scolding and moralizing would win people over, when in reality, it pushed them away.
Garrow’s view is that the Obamas’ star power may be dwindling. Yes, they still have the “celebrity factor” and their Martha’s Vineyard lifestyle, but their relevance seems to be slipping toward “Bill Clinton territory”—someone the Democratic base admires but doesn’t see as politically influential anymore.
And with Trump back in the Oval Office, Garrow expects they’ll be spending a lot less time in Washington, probably choosing instead to “hang out with celebrities” on the Vineyard rather than sticking around D.C., where they can no longer call the shots.
Now that Barack Obama’s third term has come to an end,
Begin the arrests, the mug shots, the cuffs and the incarcerations.
Obama’s own Director of National Intelligence (DNI) James Clapper,
CONFIRMING BEYOND THE SHADOW OF A DOUBT,
Barack Obama ordered it all,
the greatest… pic.twitter.com/TtDfi83iWm
— 🇺🇸RealRobert🇺🇸 (@Real_RobN) November 9, 2024
Trump’s win has left the Democrats in an identity crisis. The old guard can’t connect with the newer generations, and the younger progressive wing has its own set of problems. Obama’s moralizing campaign appearances didn’t bring out voters—it drove them away. And if the Democrats don’t find a way to truly connect with people rather than talking down to them, Trump’s victory won’t just be a hiccup in the legacy; it’ll be a full-blown rewrite.
