Barack Obama can’t run for president again. But so far, it seems as though the 2020 Democratic primary could be defined by efforts to recapture the magic he briefly seemed to sprinkle over the party.
It’s a logical ambition. The former president is very popular among Democrats. Hillary Clinton would be president if she had won over his 2012 coalition. As the party tries to work its way through its identity crisis, of course Democratic candidates, strategists, activists and voters long to resurrect their most recent winning formula.
But while Obama’s personal style, his approach to policy and even his coalition are replicable, key elements of Obama’s appeal were tied to his specific political moment. His presidency and the response to it changed the American political landscape in dramatic ways. Democrats can’t go back to the past: They can only find a new way forward. CONT.
David Byler, Washington Post