He's a road paver for something much greater a bit of a ways down the road, but paving roads mean the old road still exists.
Which matters to you more? Therein lies your answer to the question.
That's true. Obama has always kind of come across as a
"paved road president" to me. I like that he has brought liberal ideas back, but I always felt his actual policy was in many cases not quite the liberal policy I was looking for.
However, I'm not entirely sure that this excludes him in this question. We could have just as easily gotten another less-liberal president who didn't push for the same things. Plus, I've always thought Obama has had quite a unique effect on the Millennial generation. Not all presidents are like this, regardless of their ideology. While we might not see it right now, especially with the state-level losses suffered under Obama, we may owe some of political successes down the road to the coalition Obama helped cement during his tenure.
Anyone who says this isn't even trying to be fair. The world is on fire.
Of all the Democrats after FDR, where would you rank Obama then?
Truman
Kennedy
Johnson
Carter
Clinton