I think President Obama did a very good job. I was actually hoping for better, but he fell short in several areas of performance for me.
As our first Black President, he had a golden opportunity to pick up the baton which fell when MLK was killed. The very fact that he got elected as a Black was historic, and he could have capitalized on that. He could have really improved race relations in the USA and the world.
Instead, he didn't want his race to be associated with his achievements as President. He wanted race to be a non-issue. He tried to lead by example, not talking much about his race, actually avoiding the issue many times when he should have spoken up about it.
Worse, precisely at the time when he should have embraced the role as the First Black President, white supremacists were motivated to further their hatred through increased propaganda and participation in hate groups. The way President Obama avoided the race issue actually made racial divisions worse. Obama could have improved things, but sadly, he inadvertently made them worse.
It was a big mistake for him to try to remain impartial on race.
President Obama did a good job of being President during some very difficult times. He should be lauded for the cool leadership we needed to chill out the market melt-down. The nation would have done far better under him if Republicans and conservatives had not actively tried to prevent any progress attributable to President Obama. I mean, wow. The Republican Party has really sunk to new lows. Now, they are so polarized they don't even care if the nation goes downhill while they are not in power, and worse, they actively try to make that happen for political reasons. And if that's not bad enough, now we see many conservatives who think more of Putin and the Russians than they do of their own liberal American friends, neighbors, co-workers, and relatives. That is just sad, low and wrong for the USA. It does not make America great.
Of COURSE President Obama is more popular than President Trump.
And you know what else?
He always will be.
President Trump is a public spectacle just like the Kardashians. He always was. Anybody who takes him seriously or trusts him is making a grave mistake. Born with a silver spoon, he can not POSSIBLY empathize with you. He has NO IDEA what it is like for most Americans. He has lead a pampered life, and he was trained to be a bully by his father. He will always be a public spectacle. He has NEVER been accepted into old money social circles no matter how much he has or claims to have. They consider him a joke.
And he is a joke
A tragic joke on the American people.
And a mistake I hope we learn from quickly.