The Democratic Party’s Quiet Abandonment of Barack Obama
Donald Trump’s scorched earth war on the previous presidency has destroyed its premise
By Edward Luce
It is one thing for Donald Trump to reverse everything Barack Obama did. His quest is nearing completion. From the Iran nuclear deal to the Paris climate agreement, Mr Trump is stamping on anything with his predecessor’s name on it. The unfinished task is Obamacare, which Republicans have only partially disabled. It is thus ironic that most Democrats vying to replace Mr Trump would finish the job for him. Very few are promising to restore Obamacare. The main exception is Joe Biden, who, as Mr Obama’s number two, helped enact the Affordable Care Act. Even Mr Biden, however, is conflicted about whether to boast of his Obama association, or change the subject.
Nobody in the Democratic presidential debates has attacked Mr Obama directly. Their distancing is no less emphatic for its stealth. This too can be blamed on Mr Trump. In addition to his scorched earth war on the Obama presidency, Mr Trump has destroyed its premise. Mr Obama was elected on the lofty vow of finding what Americans have in common. There was no red or blue state America in his worldview — only a united America. Was that only a decade ago? To Democrats, Mr Trump’s presidency…
