This whole discourse about Presidential legacy is a modern day thing.
When Lincoln made his Gettysburg address, he said humbly, "the world will little note nor long remember what we say here," and yet his speech lives, and will live in the annals of man.
In today's day and age, I think when the press talks about a legacy, it is about what imprint a President leaves (or left) on the US.
From that perspective, no one can take away from him the fact that he was the first black President of the US. Nor can anyone take away the fact that he took office at a very difficult time from an economic standpoint, and turned the country around.
We can call the recent upward spike in the stock market a Trump effect, but Obama is still President, and as far as I am concerned, the outgoing President deserves all the credit.
Let's also face facts: Trump has gone to the left of the far left in the rust belt. He may repeal Obamacare, but he's also going to break away from NAFTA/WTO etc. That would be a win for folks leaning liberally (after all Dems prior to Bill Clinton were opposed to NAFTA and free trade agreements).
The next few years will be very interesting, no doubt.
|