Achievements and legacy of the Obama presidency : "hope and change?"

This book provides a broad analysis of the legacy of the Obama presidency, representing multiple perspectives across the partisan and disciplinary divides. The chapters in this book are grouped into three major legacy categories: domestic policy, foreign policy, and rhetoric. Domestically, the contributors examine the "Obama coalition" and its staying power in the age of Trump, President Obama's legacy regarding the use of executive power, his impact on intergovernmental relations, and his impact on the welfare state and education. On the foreign policy front, the central focus is on whether Obama was in fact much different from his predecessor, what impact he had on the Middle East and Afghanistan, and whether his pivot to Asia yielded the hoped-for results. The contributions in this book also aim to (re-)assess the Obama legacy in light of the subsequent efforts by his successor to undo many of the policies embraced and implemented during the Obama years. Michael Grossman is Professor of political science and international studies at the University of Mount Union, USA. Ronald Eric Matthews is Assistant Professor of political science at Notre Dame College in Cleveland, USA. Francis Schortgen is Professor of political science and international studies as well as business at the University of Mount Union, USA Foreword: The Obama Legacy 6 Contents 10 Notes on Contributors 12 List of Tables 16 1 Introduction 17 References 28 Part I Domestic Policy and the Legacy of the Obama Presidency 29 2 Almost, Maybe, Kinda, Transformational: Barack Obama 30 Rural Populists 32 The White Working Class 33 Rural Populists and the Backlash Thesis 35 The New Politics and the White Working Class 35 Monopolies: The Rural Populist and Urban Liberal Glue 37 From Populist Anti-Monopolism to New Deal Liberalism 39 The Obama Coalition 41 References 43 3 Barack Obama, Intergovernmental Relations, and Economic Policy: Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, and Something Blue 46 Economic Policy Institutions 47 Something Old 49 Something New 49 Something Borrowed 51 Something Blue 53 Conclusion 56 References 59 4 Obama’s Education Policy: Is the Price of the Ticket a Moral Thicket? 62 History of Presidential Legacies 63 The Modern Era 1950–2008 64 President Obama’s Legacy in Education 66 Input from Practicing Teachers 68 Secretaries of Education—Duncan, DeVos, and Cardona 70 Concluding Remarks 72 References 73 5 How Obama Made Unilateralism Safe for His Successors 75 The Presidential Trend Toward Unilateralism Before Obama 77 Obama’s Unilateralism 78 Unilateralism from the Start 79 Justifying Unilateralism 80 Practicing the Unitary Executive in All But Name 81 Obama’s Unilateralist Legacy 83 Unilateralism from the Start 83 Unilateralism Across the Board 83 Institutionalizing the Super-Strong Presidency 84 Trump and Biden Follow in Obama’s Footsteps 84 Donald Trump 84 Joe Biden 85 Unilateralism and the Gaullist Presidency 86 References 87 Part II The Rhetorical Legacy of the Obama Presidency 91 6 Obligations to Act: The Rhetorical Legacy of the Rescues of the Domestic Auto Industry 92 Bailouts for the Domestic Auto Industry 93 Presidential Rhetoric and The Institution of the Presidency 94 The Obama Legacy on the Domestic Auto Industry 95 Obama’s Rhetorical Legacy in the Trump and Biden Administrations 99 Presidential Legacy and the Domestic Auto Industry 101 References 102 7 A Lighthouse and a Crossroads: The Rhetorical Strategy of President Barack Obama 106 Nesting Dualisms of Race and Identity 108 Nesting Dualisms and Visceral Politics 111 Nesting Dualisms and the Rule of Law 115 Conclusion: The Obama Legacy 117 References 120 Part III Foreign Policy and the Legacy of the Obama Presidency 122 8 From the Audacity of Hope to “Small Ball”: How Obama’s Retrenchment and Caution Contributed to Trump’s Rise 123 Globalist Hopes Raised and Dashed 124 Obama’s Strategy of Retrenchment and Posture of Caution Mismatches Public Fears 127 Conclusion: Discipline vs. Terrorism Fears 134 References 136 9 President Barack obama’s Counterterrorism Strategy in Afghanistan: Transformational and/or Transactional 139 United States Strategy Versus Reality, 2009–2014 139 Afghan Presidential Election of 2014 141 United States Military Withdrawal from Afghanistan 142 Operation Freedom’s Sentinel 143 The Pakistan/China Axis Impact on Afghanistan 145 United States’ Role in Afghanistan Beyond 2016 146 Conclusion 148 Obama as Transformational and/or Transactional 151 References 151 10 The Perils of Retrenchment: Barack Obama’s Middle East Policies 153 The Obama Modus Operandi: Mostly Risk Averse 153 Doldrums of Empire 156 Obama’s Promising Start 157 The Arab Spring and the Remaking of the Middle East 158 The Early Obama Second Term: What Could Have Been 161 Overtaken by Events: Obama’s Policy in the Post-Arab Spring Era 162 The Obama Legacy 164 Obama and Trump: The Continuity of Retrenchment 168 References 170 11 Containment, Engagement, and Continuity: China and the Evolution of obama’s Foreign Policy Toward the Asia–Pacific 173 From Bush’s Rebalance to Obama’s Rebalance 174 Economic Realities 176 Military Rivalry 178 Peer Competition 181 References 184 Part IV Conclusion 189 12 Obama’s Uncertain Legacy 190 Assessing Obama’s Legacy: Transformative, Transitional, a Little of Both? 193 The Take-Away 196 Works Cited 198 Index 200