The pathetic, slow-motion downfall of Barack Obama
Houseguests and fish begin to smell after three days, as the saying goes. But ex-presidents who stay in Washington, D.C., reek almost immediately.
In the history of the republic, former presidents have had the decency to get out of town rather than loom over their successor. The two exceptions appear to be Woodrow Wilson and Barack Obama. Wilson, however, has the excuse that he was practically bedridden and expired within three years. Obama has no excuse at all.
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The latest in politics and policy. Direct to your inbox. Sign up for the Opinion newsletter SubscribeObama cannot stand being out of the spotlight. During his second term, instead of focusing on building the Democratic Party, he created his own political organization. Before it flopped, he raised millions, diverting resources and organizing away from his party. This is a supposed political genius, yet his decisions opened a path to victory for Trump.
Obama will not and cannot come to grips with this fact, even to this day.
Trump was elected by disaffected Obama voters. When you compare the 2012 and 2016 exit polls and county-by-county results, what stands out are defection and disaffection — defection of Obama voters to Trump and disaffection toward Obama’s chosen successor, Hillary Clinton.
Between the 2012 and 2016 elections, Clinton dropped by nearly 3........
© The Hill
