BTR News – From Community Organizer to Imperial President: The Real Obama Legacy

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By Scotty Reid

I. Introduction

Barack Obama’s rise to prominence was built on a narrative of grassroots activism, hope, and systemic change. He entered the national stage as the embodiment of progressive ideals—a former community organizer who spoke eloquently about universal healthcare, social justice, and ending the corrosive influence of money and special interests in politics. For many, he represented a break from the old order, a leader who would finally steer the nation toward equity and fairness.

But as history has shown, the reality of Obama’s presidency fell far short of that promise. Instead of dismantling entrenched systems of injustice, Obama became a custodian of neoliberal economics at home and a champion of imperial power abroad. His administration expanded mass surveillance, institutionalized extrajudicial killings, escalated wars, and facilitated coups, all while entrenching corporate power in the domestic economy. This is not merely a question of broken promises—it is a matter of deliberate political choices that contradicted his activist roots.

II. Early Activism & Political Roots

Obama’s early years as a community organizer with the Gamaliel Foundation painted a very different picture. He engaged with working-class communities on issues like affordable housing, job training, and neighborhood empowerment. He worked alongside progressive circles, including those affiliated with the Democratic Socialists of America. During these formative years, he aligned himself with policies like universal healthcare—a goal he later diluted as president.

Those early affiliations and his emphasis on social justice created an image of a man committed to systemic change. Yet, by the time Obama reached the Oval Office, those ideals had given way to pragmatism—or more accurately, political opportunism—that left core structural issues untouched or exacerbated them.

III. Domestic Policy Failures & Reversals

A. Healthcare
One of the most glaring examples of this shift was healthcare. Obama campaigned on the notion of universal coverage and flirted with progressive language, which gave hope to advocates of single-payer or Medicare for All. Instead, we got the Affordable Care Act—a reform that left private insurance companies firmly in control of the system. While the ACA expanded coverage, it entrenched a for-profit model that continues to bankrupt working families and deny care to millions.

B. The Drug War & Mass Incarceration
Obama’s rhetoric as a candidate suggested sympathy toward ending the failed War on Drugs. Yet he failed to deschedule cannabis federally, leaving countless people—disproportionately Black and Brown—trapped in the criminal justice system. Even worse, his administration threatened to cut off aid to Latin American nations that considered legalizing cannabis, effectively exporting America’s failed drug policies abroad.

As for mass incarceration, Obama took years to address private prisons. Only in the twilight of his presidency did he announce the end of federal contracts with private prison corporations—a move easily reversed by Donald Trump. If Obama had acted early in his second term, the industry could have collapsed under financial pressure, reducing one of the biggest drivers of mass incarceration—modern-day slavery under the 13th Amendment.

C. Police Violence
High-profile police killings during his presidency—Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, and countless others—sparked national outrage. Yet Obama’s response was largely symbolic. His policing task force offered recommendations but produced little meaningful change. The structural issues of militarized policing and systemic racism persisted unabated.

IV. Foreign Policy & The Imperial Pivot

A. Israel & Palestine

Obama’s foreign policy exposed his complicity in systemic violence on a global scale. During the Great March of Return, when Palestinians in Gaza marched peacefully for their right to return to ancestral lands, the Israeli Defense Forces opened fire on unarmed protesters—including children, the elderly, and disabled people. Obama’s response? Approve an emergency arms shipment to Israel, ensuring the continuation of state violence against a stateless people. Despite repeated snubs and public disrespect from Prime Minister Netanyahu, Obama never held Israel accountable for its crimes.

B. Regime Change & Interventions

Obama’s administration was a hub of destabilization.

• Honduras (2009): The U.S. supported a coup that ousted a democratically elected president, plunging the country into political chaos.

• Libya (2011): Under NATO’s banner, Obama authorized an intervention that destroyed one of Africa’s most prosperous states. Today, Libya is a failed state where open-air slave markets sell Black Africans—an atrocity Obama has never forcefully condemned, even as a private citizen.

• Syria: The U.S. maintained an illegal military presence without the Syrian government’s consent, fueling a proxy war that devastated the country.

• Iraq: Despite the Iraqi parliament’s calls for U.S. withdrawal, Obama maintained a troop presence, undermining Iraqi sovereignty.

C. Drone Warfare, Kill List & Assassinations

Perhaps the most chilling aspect of Obama’s foreign policy was his embrace of targeted killing. He institutionalized the kill list—a program that allowed the executive branch to assassinate individuals without trial. Among the victims were U.S. citizens such as Anwar al-Awlaki and Samir Khan, who were killed in Yemen based on accusations, not convictions. These extrajudicial killings violated both the U.S. Constitution and international law, yet they were normalized under Obama’s watch.

This expansion of executive power and normalization of state assassination eroded democratic principles, setting a dangerous precedent that later enabled Donald Trump’s own authoritarian tendencies. People rightly criticize Trump for disregarding law and international norms—but Obama paved the way.

V. The 180-Degree Shift

The contrast between Obama the activist and Obama the president could not be starker. From advocating for universal healthcare to entrenching corporate health insurers; from community empowerment to global militarism; from promising change to expanding Bush-era security measures—Obama represents the very failure of personality-driven politics. His presidency was not an aberration but a continuation of systems he once claimed to oppose.

VI. Conclusion

Barack Obama’s legacy should not be judged by soaring speeches or symbolic milestones but by the material consequences of his policies. He was not the transformative figure many hoped for, but rather a sophisticated manager of empire and inequality. If we are serious about justice—domestic and global—we must reject the myth of Obama as a progressive icon and confront the truth: he was a president who chose power over principle, perpetuating the very structures he once claimed to challenge.