Democrats wish Obama was in charge.
Former President Barack Obama’s visit to the White House on Tuesday (April 5), where he touted his signature healthcare legislation, Obamacare, was a much-needed boost to President Joe Biden, whose polls have been suffering.
Since exiting office in 2017, Obama has remained very popular among Democratic voters, with many Democratic lawmakers hoping this will help Biden, who has been struggling to increase his polling figures.
One Democratic strategist noted that Obama’s visit is the “jolt of energy” Democrats need, adding that it “comes at the right moment.”
Matt Bennett, a former White House staffer during the Clinton administration and co-founder of centrist think tank Third Way, said it was a smart move for Biden to get Obama involved, considering that Obama’s healthcare law has achieved newfound popularity.
Bennett also noted that “popular and talented former Presidents can really help the incumbent craft and carry a message.”
Obama’s popularity among Democrats is undeniable. Arriving at the East Room on Tuesday, Obama was greeted with excited cheers from members of Congress and Biden administration staffers.
But those with knowledge of the relationship between Biden and Obama are skeptical about Biden bringing in Obama to assist with boosting his polls.
Despite Biden and Obama residing within miles of each other, the two have hardly seen each other since Biden took office, pointing to a silent feud between the two. A feud that is rumored to have begun when Obama pushed for his former Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton’s Presidential bid in 2016 and worsened when Obama remained neutral during the Democratic primaries for the 2020 Presidential bid.
A White House official has also downplayed any link between Obama’s White House visit and an attempt to boost Biden’s dismal polls. Instead, the official noted that it made sense for Obama to visit the White House to champion the law that informally bares his name.
