DNA Edit: Obama, the orator-president, will be missed

The hallmarks of a staple Barack Obama speech were in view at Chicago: the soaring rhetoric, the self-deprecatory humour, and the emphatic tributes to his family and associates. Of course, the wonkish emphasis on his pet policies was missing this time. But what was hard to miss in the Obama speech was the despondency and fears that liberal Americans harbour about Donald Trump. In a clear reference to Trump’s Islamophobic, anti-immigrant, and misogynistic statements, Obama noted that the promise of American democracy lay in inclusiveness and equality of economic opportunity for all, regardless of race, religion, gender or sexual identity. Aware of the deep political, social and economic divisions in the country, Obama called for unity even as he asked citizens to stay vigilant against the erosion of democratic ideals.

Obama’s last speech as US president would also be a good time to evaluate his achievements and failures. Obama’s message of change struck a chord with the electorate in presidential polls, but his Democratic Party consistently struggled to win enough seats in House and Senate elections. Obama can take credit for steering the US out of the Wall Street crash of 2008, the Paris climate change deal, and minimising the US military’s exposure to the Iraq and Afghanistan insurgencies. Obamacare was the single biggest overhaul of the US health sector allowing access to insurance for millions of uncovered persons. But Obama’s inability to address rising economic inequality, gun control and race relations have undeniably cast a long shadow over his other achievements. 

When Obama speaks, America listens in rapt attention and Tuesday was no different. The public intellectual in him surfaced in his observation that too many people lived in bubbles “surrounded by those who look like us and share the same political outlook and never challenge our assumptions”. Obama witheringly noted that people “accept only information, whether true or not, that fits our opinions, instead of basing our opinions on the evidence that’s out there”. In such a sharply polarised society, where people are more likely to respond to overwhelmingly positive and negative messaging, conventional politicians like Hillary Clinton are clearly at sea. It was hypothetically possible that Trump, with his gospel of fear, would have met his match in Obama, with his celebration of hope. Eight years ago, Obama inherited two costly wars and a tottering economy from a broken George Bush. With a successor who threatens to reverse his policies, Obama’s legacy is already in danger. The world will miss the inspirational flourishes and the moral force he brought to his speeches. It is unfortunate if Obama will be remembered only for his speeches.