The Four Presidencies of the Obama Era: Strategic Narratives Constraining the Obama Legacy

One and a half years short of the end of a president’s second term of office is a precarious point to attempt to articulate, sum-up and reflect upon the legacy of his administration. As experts prepare to ponder the legacy of the Obama era and his presidency one is confronted with no less a daunting task than one would find at this point in the term of any two-term president. The context, particulars, and therefore narrative, are all quite different from one president to the next. However, the chronological structure remains the same. Eighteen months are left in Obama’s incumbency and given the history of this president’s ability to execute the unexpected and craft a public discussion through effort and organization designed to elevate the public discourse, one is on risky ground trying to suggest too much in the way of any final prognosis of his presidency, let alone how history will judge this president.