Dems starting to distance themselves from Barack Obama

Over the last few years, while Michelle Obama remains extremely popular, it would appear that Barack Obama is losing his grip as the golden boy of the party.

Obama’s latest flub, backing Joe Biden, then waiting to endorse Harris, has some donors and party officials wondering if the time has come to cut ties with the former president.

Popular Upon Leaving Office

When Biden and Obama left office in 2017, they were both enjoying some of their highest numbers, with Obama at 58% approval and Joe Biden sitting at 61% approval.

These were among Obama’s highest approval ratings, only surpassed by his 69% approval rating after taking office (usually when every president enjoys their highest rating), and the 62% Obama saw as the election was taking place.

Obama was higher than George W. Bush and Bill Clinton when they left office, having 40% and 57% approval ratings respectively.

Obama secured a massive entertainment deal, books, and was tearing it up in regard to high-priced appearances, appearing as though he would be the kingmaker for the party for many years to come.

Losing His Mojo

After the 2024 election, there were some bad feelings being aimed at Obama for the way he handed the whole Biden-Harris debacle.

If anyone could have talked Joe into stepping down early or not running, it would have been his bracelet buddy Barack Obama.

Obama took nearly a full week to back Harris after the endorsement of Joe Biden, and many thought that showed that Obama was not fully behind Harris, which scared some people off her candidacy.

Democratic strategist Julian Epstein was among the first to start throwing darts at Obama over the loss, criticizing Obama and Democrat leadership for just handing the nomination over to Harris after Biden’s dismal debate performance that more or less ended his chances of winning the election.

Strained Relationship

One of the three tell-all books that is about to hit the shelves, "Fight: Inside the Wildest Battle for the White House," outlines how Obama may be losing his grip on the party.

Jonathan Allen of NBC News and Amie Parnes of The Hill co-authored the book, and along with some devastating reporting on Joe Biden, they also hit Obama.

The book states, "Though Organizing for Action never realized his vision, it competed with the party for power and money. He left the Democratic Party far weaker than he found it. Or, as one Black party operative put it, ‘Obama destroyed that s---.’"

The book also slams Bill and Hillary Clinton for helping to keep establishment Democrats in charge of committees rather than turning the party over to the new breed. I believe the mid-terms will be the final calling card in this battle. If Dems win the House and Senate, Obama and company will remain in charge. If the GOP somehow manages to hold Congress, even one chamber, I think it could spell the end of the fossils, with a very loud call for the younger progressives in the party to take over.