Evaluating the Obama Presidency

Part III: Communication, Executive Power, and Leadership

Chapter 12 Obama, the Pen, and the Phone: Promises to Policies

Donna R. Hoffman

Alison D. Howard

Barack Obama’s campaign was based on a conception of “hope.” Crowds, at his urging, often shouted “yes we can!” Campaign themes would set the stage for the presidency, and while expectations for new presidents are always high, no recent president had a higher burden. In a 2020 interview reflecting on his presidency, Obama said, “I think that the danger for someone like me, who was elected with outsized expectations and a lot of symbolism, is that sometimes your supporters feel as if you’re going to wave a wand and it’s all going to get done.”¹ Presidents don’t get wands.

The public, ...