“It’s actually about Obama versus Bush and Biden versus Trump, not the other way around,” he said. Emanuel said. ‘We have built long-term, robust economic growth. And I think it’s historically not accurate to compare one with the other. And, more importantly, it is strategically not beneficial. ”
David Axelrod, who served as chief strategist for Mr. Obama has served, saying he believes the current critique was born out of a desire to avoid an interim hijacking similar to the one the Democrats suffered in 2010.
“It’s annoying only in the sense that it was a very different situation,” Axelrod said. “If Obama’s economic record was flawed, I’m pretty sure Joe Biden would not succeed.”
In many ways, the maneuver is a pretext for greater tension within the party. Mr. Obama’s close circle is very committed to protecting his policy legacy. A growing left wing wants more investment in health care and the fight against climate change, and an interruption of the tough immigration policy. The government of mr. Biden wants to map his own path.
In a recent speech to House Democrats, Mr. Biden argued that at the time, it was Obama’s “humility” that cost Democrats because the president did not spend enough time explaining the benefits of his stimulus package to the American people.
“Barack was so modest that, as he said, he did not want to take a ‘victory round’,” he said. Biden said. “I kept saying, ‘Tell people what we did. “He said, ‘We have no time, I’m not going to take a win,’ and ironically we paid a price for that humility. ‘