Not Without Incident: Questioning Big Brother's Platitudes

“I won’t stop. In fact, I will be right there with you, as a citizen, for all my remaining days. But for now, whether you are young or whether you’re young at heart, I do have one final ask of you as your President — the same thing I asked when you took a chance on me eight years ago. I’m asking you to believe. Not in my ability to bring about change — but in yours.”[i]– Barrack Obama

“But just answer one question. Who built the cages? A big ask of that, who built the cages?”[ii]– Donald Trump

There is a tendency to contrast Obama and Trump, and even Bush and Trump, to argue that in 2017 America became a nightmare hellscape which saw the undoing of all his predecessor’s accomplishments. This is assuming that people were prospering pre-Trump, and the evidence says otherwise. Other than Obamacare, it is often difficult for people to tell you why Obama was such a stellar president. Upon being elected, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, as his election alone apparently improved America’s standing. In his acceptance speech, Obama discussed the use of force and war more than actual peace. At the time of his speech, Obama had recently approved a troop surge in Afghanistan, and he used his acceptance speech to argue that in some cases the use of military force is justified. As Nia-Malika Henderson comments, in his speech “Obama addressed the seeming contradiction of a wartime president receiving a prize for peace and said that “the instruments of war do have a role to play in preserving the peace.”, and he also refers to ‘’enlightened self-interest’.[iii] Instead of being a deviation from his militaristic predecessor, Obama was a continuation and, in some areas, an accelerator of militarism. The committee who awarded Obama the Nobel Peace Prize noted that he was being acknowledged for efforts to solidify diplomacy and multilateralism, and as Ed Krayewski remarks, “At the time, Obama acknowledged that the honor was aspirational. It still is.”[iv] Awarding Obama the Nobel Peace Prize fed into a romantic image of him as a figure of peace and prosperity, and it was a complete contrast with the reality of continued war making. Chrisopher Hitchens was highly critical of Obama’s attainment of the Nobel Peace Prize from the outset, and he wrote that, “just as he must already regret crossing the seas to try and hustle an Olympic deal for his adopted hometown, the president may live to wish that he didn’t go all the way to Oslo to accept the unearned adulation of what Saul Bellow once called the Good Intentions Paving Company.”[v] Though some see unearned adulation, many see merit, and yearn for the days when Obama was president, delivering ornate speeches and ultimately saying nothing incredibly well. Trump, for all his flaws, signed a historic peace deal in the Middle East, the Abraham Accords, and he also attempted to reach a peace deal with North Korea. Though this was not a success, he got further than previous administrations.

There was also a lot of continuity between the Obama and Trump administrations, on domestic as well as foreign policy. On issues where Trump appeared to be a massive shift, like immigration, there was little difference between the two, in fact, the Obama administration deported far more people in his first term than the Trump administration.[vi] The outrage expressed over images of kids in cages because of the family separation policy was never brought up during Obama’s tenure, nor is it during Biden’s. As Trump asked Biden in the second presidential debate, “Who built the cages Joe?”[vii] The answer is the Obama administration. One of the hopes that many had was that issues in US policy that continued under Trump would be recognized as abhorrent, but that recognition would come with the requirement that it is not Trump who is totally to blame, it is also his predecessors, who includes Clinton, Bush, and especially Obama. Until people realize that a main reason that Trump followed Obama was the abject failings of the latter. To this day Obama is upheld as a symbol of when America valued democracy and liberalism. Just like Trump needs to be rethought, so does his predecessor. If this does not occur, there is a risk that Biden or an alternate zombie Democrat is only a transition between a worse Trump. As Bhaskar Sunkara notes, Trump may not have lived up to the promises that he made in 2016, but if Biden fails to deliver on what he promised in 2020, the next Republican president could be a worse Trump.[viii] They could be a theocrat, or an actual fascist of some variety. Whether he likes it or not, Trump’s election is a huge part of Obama’s legacy, not a mere footnote.

On the domestic policy front, Obama was a failure. His biggest mistake was his handling of the fallout from the great recession. Instead of prosecuting bankers, where, as pointed out by journalists like Glenn Greenwald, there was ample evidence to do so, his administration bailed out the big banks.[ix] Millions of people, after watching the same people who screwed them over by crashing the economy undoubtedly became enraged and disillusioned. To learn from Trump’s victory, Obama’s economic failures must be reconciled. Matt Stoller points this out and he argues that two elements of the Obama administration’s economic policy paved the way for the backlash that manifested in the form of Trump.[x] The first was the bank bailouts, and the second was their pro-monopoly policies.[xi] The impact of this is proven in the 6-9 million voters who switched from Obama to Trump in 2016.[xii] A factor in Trump’s success was the economic insecurity felt by many after the 2008 recession. Obama already lost many of the votes he received in 2008 by 2012, and Clinton performed even worse in 2016, and small margins in key states led to Trump’s victory. If Obama was so great, why did this shift happen?

Obama said the right things, but he did not enact anything he talked about. Until the role this had in Trump’s election is seriously grappled with, a backlash will manifest in future elections, whether it’s in the form of Trump or a worse version. As W. James Antle notes, Trump took advantage of two of Obama’s key weaknesses in the election against Hilary Clinton, the anointed successor, and “The first is the attitude he conveyed toward that disaffected group; the second is the policies he denied it.”[xiii] Expanding on Stoller’s point, that rural areas that swung from Obama twice to Trump in 2016 were disadvantaged by the financial policies of the Obama administration, there was also an attitude of disdain and condescension directed at these voters. This is of course perfectly captured in Clinton’s ‘deplorables’ comments, and these comments were similar in tone to remarks made by Obama in 2008 on the campaign trail, that these voters were bitter clingers. Trying to scare people about the dangers of voting for Trump, and dehumanizing his voters, are a crucial factor in his victory, and Obama and his lackeys contributed to this, and they continue to. Every time Obama made an appearance to slander Trump it was always criticisms that could be made about him and his own administration. As Stoller contends, the Democratic party needed to offer something to displaced voters, and “In the wreckage of this last administration, they didn’t.”[xiv] Out of that wreckage came Trump, and where most see wreckage, the liberal class sees serenity and prosperity. Again, if Obama and his administration did such an incredible job, how did Trump follow him?

Obama continues to be remembered fondly by the liberal class. His charisma and eloquent rhetoric covered scandals and abuses of power that, if done by a Republican administration, would be headline news for weeks and months. Trump was proclaimed a unique threat to the press, but as some noted after Trump’s election, Obama set a precedent of cracking down on whistleblowers and invoking the Espionage Act during his presidency.[xv] Obama promised to be a change from the Bush administration. He instead doubled down on coercive means of surveillance, torture, and choking of press freedoms. There is more willingness to fret over Trump’s threat to the free press, which beyond theatrical bouts with clowns like Jim Acosta and bombastic tweets was not that alarming, and there is little willingness to reconcile with the actions of the Obama administration that led to a chilling security apparatus being in the hands of a ‘madman’. Trump was essentially handed the means to enact the craziest policies and actions that he talked about in his campaign. The Democratic party did not look inward or reflect over what they did to consolidate such a draconian system. Trump is less a contrast to Obama and more an inevitable next step from him. The notion that Obama is so different and that his presidency was so incredible for many Americans is a delusion, and Obama shares this delusion. The idea that Obama’s economic policies were brilliant and that his administration steered the country out of the great recession expertly is fantastical. As Gary Younge points out, the notion that Trump and his cabinet of crooks and buffoons supplanted a roster of A-list experts and professionals is inaccurate, and “The premature nostalgia for the Obamas in the White House is not a yearning for Obama’s policies.”[xvi] People, especially those in the liberal media, missed Obama because he didn’t upset anyone, he didn’t tweet like a lunatic, he didn’t insult reporters, and he didn’t stumble in his speeches.

People miss the aesthetic, not the policies. Ask anyone on the street what they loved about Obama, and 9 times out of 10 it will be related to his oratorical ability or the wonders of Michelle Obama, not a specific policy or stance on an issue. As David Sirota notes, the Obama administration was friendly to Wall Street and the big banks, he was not the critic or fighter against them that he claimed he was in his campaign.[xvii] The facts of what they did, and the actual policies that were enacted, are dismissed and the Obama presidency is declared an era of normalcy, which was broken by Trump. Sirota remarks that what has happened “is an economic version of the Iraq War, where all the facts and the lying and the greed are erased, with elite media playing the role of the brain-wiping machine in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.”[xviii] This brain wiping, and indoctrination continues into Biden’s tenure. Trump is still declared an aberration, and Biden is dubbed a return to normalcy. With none of the charisma or rhetorical ability of his former boss, Biden is unable to even emulate the aesthetic that people missed. The inevitable result is a worse Trump. Sirota captures the manipulation of history and the purpose behind it when he writes that “No doubt, that kind of sanitization of history helps make liberals feel good.”, and that is what it comes down to.[xix] Trump made us feel queasy. Biden makes us feel good. Obama made us feel good, and the truth is not supposed to make you feel good. The truth is Obama paved the way for Trump. If the Democrats and the liberal class continue to deny this, their demise is inevitable.

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[i] White House Archives. “President Obama’s Farewell Address.” Accessed July 6, 2022. https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/farewell.

[ii] USA Today. “Trump, Biden Final Presidential Debate Moderated by Kristen Welker.” Accessed July 6, 2022. https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/elections/2020/10/23/debate-transcript-trump-biden-final-presidential-debate-nashville/3740152001/.

[iii] Henderson, Nia-Malika. “Obama Accepts Nobel Peace Prize.” Accessed July 6, 2022. https://www.politico.com/story/2009/12/obama-accepts-nobel-peace-prize-030430.

[iv] Krayewski, Ed. “The Peace Prize Winner Who Waged War.” Accessed July 6, 2022. https://reason.com/2017/01/15/the-peace-prize-winner-who-wag/.

[v] Hitchens, Christopher. “Christopher Hitchens on Obama’s Undeserved Nobel Prize.” Accessed July 6, 2022. https://www.newsweek.com/christopher-hitchens-obamas-undeserved-nobel-prize-81177

[vi] Treene, Stef W. Kight, Alayna. “Trump Isn’t Matching Obama Deportation Numbers.” Axios, June 21, 2019. https://www.axios.com/2019/06/21/immigration-ice-deportation-trump-obama.

[vii] USA Today. “Trump, Biden Final Presidential Debate Moderated by Kristen Welker.”

[viii] Sunkara, Bhaskar. “Brace Yourselves. The next Donald Trump Could Be Much Worse.” Accessed July 6, 2022. https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/nov/10/biden-establishment-democrat-next-donald-trump.

[ix] Greenwald, Glenn. “The Untouchables: How the Obama Administration Protected Wall Street from Prosecutions.” Accessed July 6, 2022. https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/jan/23/untouchables-wall-street-prosecutions-obama.

[x] Stoller, Matt. “Democrats Can’t Win until They Recognize How Bad Obama’s Financial Policies Were.” Accessed July 6, 2022. https://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2017/01/12/democrats-cant-win-until-they-recognize-how-bad-obamas-financial-policies-were/.

[xi] Stoller. “Democrats Can’t Win until They Recognize How Bad Obama’s Financial Policies Were.”

[xii] Skelley, Geoffrey. “Just How Many Obama 2012-Trump 2016 Voters Were There? – Sabato’s Crystal Ball.” Accessed July 6, 2022. https://centerforpolitics.org/crystalball/articles/just-how-many-obama-2012-trump-2016-voters-were-there/.

[xiii] Antle, W. James. “How Obama Led to Trump, and How Biden Can Avoid the Same Mistakes.” NBC News. Accessed July 6, 2022. https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/biden-must-remember-trump-followed-obama-he-needs-avoid-his-ncna1255927.

[xiv] Stoller. “Democrats Can’t Win until They Recognize How Bad Obama’s Financial Policies Were.”

[xv] Timm, Trevor. “How the Obama Administration Laid the Groundwork for Trump’s Coming Crackdown on the Press.” Common Dreams. Accessed July 6, 2022. https://www.commondreams.org/views/2016/12/13/how-obama-administration-laid-groundwork-trumps-coming-crackdown-press.

[xvi] Younge, Gary. “How Barack Obama Paved the Way for Donald Trump” Accessed July 6, 2022. https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/jan/16/how-barack-obama-paved-way-donald-trump-racism.

[xvii] Sirota, David. “Obama Was Always in Wall Street’s Corner.” Accessed July 6, 2022. https://jacobin.com/2021/06/barack-obama-ezra-klein-nyt-wall-street-bailouts.

[xviii] Sirota. “Obama Was Always in Wall Street’s Corner.”

[xix] Sirota. “Obama Was Always in Wall Street’s Corner.”

Bibliography

Antle, W. James. “How Obama Led to Trump, and How Biden Can Avoid the Same Mistakes.” NBC News. Accessed July 6, 2022. https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/biden-must-remember-trump-followed-obama-he-needs-avoid-his-ncna1255927.

Greenwald, Glenn. “The Untouchables: How the Obama Administration Protected Wall Street from Prosecutions.” Accessed July 6, 2022. https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/jan/23/untouchables-wall-street-prosecutions-obama.

Henderson, Nia-Malika. “Obama Accepts Nobel Peace Prize.” Accessed July 6, 2022. https://www.politico.com/story/2009/12/obama-accepts-nobel-peace-prize-030430.

Hitchens, Christopher. “Christopher Hitchens on Obama’s Undeserved Nobel Prize.” Accessed July 6, 2022. https://www.newsweek.com/christopher-hitchens-obamas-undeserved-nobel-prize-81177.

Krayewski, Ed. “The Peace Prize Winner Who Waged War.” Accessed July 6, 2022. https://reason.com/2017/01/15/the-peace-prize-winner-who-wag/.

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Sirota, David. “Obama Was Always in Wall Street’s Corner.” Accessed July 6, 2022. https://jacobin.com/2021/06/barack-obama-ezra-klein-nyt-wall-street-bailouts.

Skelley, Geoffrey. “Just How Many Obama 2012-Trump 2016 Voters Were There? – Sabato’s Crystal Ball.” Accessed July 6, 2022. https://centerforpolitics.org/crystalball/articles/just-how-many-obama-2012-trump-2016-voters-were-there/.

Stoller, Matt. “Democrats Can’t Win until They Recognize How Bad Obama’s Financial Policies Were.” Accessed July 6, 2022. https://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2017/01/12/democrats-cant-win-until-they-recognize-how-bad-obamas-financial-policies-were/.

Sunkara, Bhaskar. “Brace Yourselves. The next Donald Trump Could Be Much Worse.” Accessed July 6, 2022. https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/nov/10/biden-establishment-democrat-next-donald-trump.

Timm, Trevor. “How the Obama Administration Laid the Groundwork for Trump’s Coming Crackdown on the Press.” Common Dreams. Accessed July 6, 2022. https://www.commondreams.org/views/2016/12/13/how-obama-administration-laid-groundwork-trumps-coming-crackdown-press.

Treene, Stef W. Kight, Alayna. “Trump Isn’t Matching Obama Deportation Numbers.” Axios, June 21, 2019. https://www.axios.com/2019/06/21/immigration-ice-deportation-trump-obama.

USA Today. “Trump, Biden Final Presidential Debate Moderated by Kristen Welker.” Accessed July 6, 2022. https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/elections/2020/10/23/debate-transcript-trump-biden-final-presidential-debate-nashville/3740152001/.

Younge, Gary. “How Barack Obama Paved the Way for Donald Trump”Accessed July 6, 2022. https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/jan/16/how-barack-obama-paved-way-donald-trump-racism.