Barack Obama’s farewell address was not one for the ages. Like his presidency, it was full of hope yet ultimately disappointing. When Obama rode into office eight years ago, he had two mandates from the public: to right the economy after the Great Recession and to end the wars that George W. Bush had started but couldn’t finish.
Beyond that, yes, his voters hoped this first black president would usher America into a post-racial future. Even many Americans who had voted against him wished him well. He was enormously popular, and he had majorities in Congress to prove it. He was in a position to make good on his promises.
But he didn’t, and he doesn’t seem to realise it. In his farewell, Obama boasted that ‘the economy is growing again; wages, incomes, home values, and retirement accounts are rising again; poverty is falling again.’
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