No Bench: The Democratic Party's Obama Dilemma
Matt Vespa
8/25/2017 1:44:00 PM - Matt Vespa
One of the issues facing Democrats is the search for a new leader. After building the party’s brand and message behind one, term-limited politician, no one on the Left really wants to point to a leader. Even Democratic National Committee chair Tom Perez declined to name himself as the party leader, even though technically he is while the Democrats are out of power. The DNC is struggling with fundraising, struggling to find a sense of direction, and constantly having internal battles between the Obama/Clinton wing of the party against the unabashed progressive Bernie Sanders wing that’s yarning to take the reins and push movement more to the Left. So, who’s the relief pitcher? Well, they’re looking to the man who got them in this political rut in the first place: Barack Obama.
It was obvious that Obama was just not going to fade into the ether after he left the presidency. This is Professor Barry; he can’t help himself. Yet, while he has a knack for delivering speeches and giving Democrats a boost of enthusiasm on the campaign trail, the Democrats lost Congress under his watch, then scores of state legislatures, then numerous governorships, and finally the presidency. There are 1,000 fewer Democrats in office across the board since 2008-2009. Meanwhile, the GOP has become the dominant political force in the country, controlling Congress, The White House, 69/99 state legislatures, and two-thirds of all the governorships. While the Obama political machine beat the Republicans twice, the former president ironically was a highly motivating factor for the GOP and conservative grassroots. Now, with the 2018 midterms, a lot of Democrats are excited for Barry’s return, though many are wary about the fact that him stepping in could clog the spot for future leaders. In all, it’s just another case of the Democratic Party having no bench, looking to those who have all but left public life to help them drag their party across the finish line, or so they hope (via The Hill):
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https://townhall.com/tipsheet/mattvespa/2017/08/25/no-benchthe-democratic-partys-obama-dilemma-n2372362
