If I may borrow a lesson from a particular thought-leader: we exist within the context of all that came before us. Obama was the charismatic guy after 8 years of Bush. He was the guy who gave capital everything it could have wanted during a historical financial crisis while also doing the PR for the bailouts. He also handed the medical insurance industry a huge win while pushing the US to produce record amounts of oil during the inflection of climate change.

The world is now different. I am not so sure his tricks could work again. Mainly because his tricks have led to resentment and political reorganization that would oppose him at every turn. He's simply not smart enough to reinvent himself to fit this moment. People shit on Bush and gave Obama a lot of credit for being clever but he's not really any better. His best role in the current era is reality TV and being a guy who makes phone calls. He's a reverse Trump.

[–] marxisthayaca@hexbear.net 5 points 1 month ago

That's precisely what I mean. We live in the aftermath of Obama's broken promises, Occupy Wall Street crackdowns, and saying things like "If I was a republican, I'd be a reaganite". Folks don't want that. He would also face very tough questions about being absent during these turbulent times.