How is Obama's legacy ruined? The party made it clear in 2020 that they wanted to move beyond his legacy, and while Biden won by running as his VP he hasn't governed like Obama at all. Worse yet the party has shifted to his left on issues like immigration while getting nothing in exchange. I've got plenty of issues with Obama and how he conducts himself during elections, especially this one (the slander towards black men). And yea, Obamacare is probably getting shytcanned now. But anyone trying to make this an indictment on neoliberalism is just bullshytting. Biden was to Obama's left on multiple labor and worker issues and guess what? It didn't matter because regular people felt they were getting fukked by high costs.
Nearly every western incumbent (including Trump 2020) has lost in the post-covid world. There's a rightward shift across the globe. It's far worse in Europe than here, obviously.
Do I think Kamala did enough on middle class issues? No. But I don't think it mattered. She got SMOKED, guys. A lot of that hinges on the economy, some of it hinges on her being a woman. I don't see this as a rejection of democrats or liberals, or a rejection of "wokeness" or whatever else. People are getting squeezed by high prices and are tired of it. Prices are coming down right now, slowly. But will go back up further if Trump gets his wish on tariffs.