Former US President Barack Obama is planning a return to the political scene to play an active role in helping the Democratic Party rebuild itself, according to The Hill. However, Obama’s re-emergence will be carried out delicately according to an aide and is not designed to make the former president the face of the party prominently.
Obama and his assistants will be working on his fall schedule, which likely will include fundraising events for the Democrats and the party’s redistricting committee. Most of the former president’s active participation will be carried out behind the scenes just like what he had been doing for the recent months, according to reports.
Obama not “a foil” for Trump
Obama’s planned re-emergence on the national scene is not to make him a contrast to President Donald Trump and the leadership of the Republican party, according to his advisers. Obama’s aides said that he does not want to be “a foil.”
Trump has made several statements in the last few months critical of Obama on issues such as inaction to the alleged interference of Russia in the 2016 presidential election, never attending the Boy Scout’s national jamboree, healthcare, Cuba, and North Korea.
During the intense debate and unpredictable Senate vote to overhaul Obamacare, the former president was conspicuously silent during the public discussions. Political pundits believe that Obama’s cautious stance is designed to avoid rallying the Republican base thus helping to raise the low popularity President Donald Trump.
Hillary Clinton's new book
Aside from Barack Obama, another prominent Democrat expected to return to the national scene is Hillary Clinton. The former Democratic nominee for president will launch in September her new book “What Happened,” promoted as a personal memoir, which will unguardedly look into Clinton’s shocking defeat last fall.
Unlike Obama’s cautious and behind the scene approach, Hillary’s return will be prominently marketed, discussed, mocked, and could dominate national discussion for quite some time.
According to reports, Democrats worry about Clinton returning to the national scene as this may make the party appear to look backward rather than forward.
One Democratic strategist was quoted saying that the Democrats already lack a party leader, vision, and identity and so it cannot “remain stuck in the past.”
Obama's high approval
There are also those who believe that it would be good for Obama to emerge because his approval ratings remained high since he left office. Data from a Gallup Survey conducted in June showed Obama has 63% approval rating.
According to a strategist, Obama was scandal free and popular when he left the White House. President Donald Trump’s administration, on the other hand, has to deal with investigations and the low approval ratings of the president. Therefore, the contrast can be helpful.
However, this is precisely the kind scenario Obama does not want when he returns to the political arena.
