Editorial: Trump debacle will make Obama look very good

Andrew Austin, Editor of Hawke's Bay Today.

The world, and especially the United States, will be poorer with Barack Obama's departure from the White House tomorrow.

Mr Obama made history eight years ago, when on a wave of optimism and euphoria, he swept to power to begin what turned out to be a very tough two terms as President of the United States of America.

Unfortunately for him and probably America, it has been a difficult time as he has had to battle to get his initiatives through a parliamentary structure controlled by the opposition Republic Party that vetoed almost everything he put in front of them.

His landmark Obamacare health policy, which does not even come close to Britain or our system in covering citizens, was scorned by conservatives as an example of too much government involvement and it will almost certainly be repealed by incoming president Donald Trump.

Generally many people, especially those in western countries, believe Mr Obama has done a good job, but if you watch Fox News on television you would think he was the devil incarnate.

Presenters like Sean Hannity froth at the mouth and paint him as a far-left president pushing a socialist agenda.

That is difficult for many of us in New Zealand to understand, as even our most conservative politicians would be called socialists in the USA.

I hope I am wrong, but I think it is soon going to dawn on many people that a terrible mistake has been made in Mr Trump being elected as president.

America wanted change and that is why they voted for him, is the common argument, but while change is good, this transition is giving the impression that it is a change for the worse.

I reckon people will look back fondly at the Obama legacy when the Trump juggernaut eventually goes up in flames.