Question is mainly directed to the American posters, Obama brings out some strong emotions from both sides of the US political spectrum. So the question is pretty simple do you think Obama has created a bigger gap between the American left and right or is it still business as usual?
Probably the most unifying presidents in my lifetime in order had to be Eisenhower, JFK and perhaps Reagan. Reagan won over independents and he had a huge chunk of Democrats for him in his Democrats for Reagan. The most divisive, Nixon hands down, not for his first term, but for Watergate. But diehard Democrats hated Nixon ever since he fingered Alger Hiss and the Democratic Leadership had it out for him since then. LBJ ended up being very divisive, but it wasn't along party lines. It was over the war in Vietnam and he had the support of most Republicans. It was the support of a lot of his own party members he lost.
I see some have listed Clinton, but he had the support of his party, of most independents and even after his impeachment and senate trial his approval numbers were in the mid 60's. I wouldn't call that divisive and he worked with the Republican controlled congress to get his agenda passed. The only one I think who would consider him divisive is once again the diehards of the opposition party.
Obama, He is not up there with the Nixon of 1974 for sure. He is not there with LBJ either in 1968. But unlike Clinton, Obama never tried to work with the Republicans in the House and his refusal to even consider it probably has brought about him being looked at as being a divisive president, if not divisive, certainly polarizing. The politics of today has a lot to do with it, this divide and conquer to win elections. Turn rich against poor although the Democrats has been trying this since I can remember. But turning one race against another to the extent it has been done is something new. This idea of making one segment of our population hate another in order to get their votes is what I am referring to here. I think Obama has unified the Democratic Party, but has made the Republican party his enemy and thus united them in opposition to him. Independents are somewhere in the middle, most like the president as a person but think he has done a bad job.
Your real successful presidents have reached across the aisle for someone to work with. IKE did this with LBJ then the senate majority leader. JFK and LBJ did the same with Everitt Dirkson then the Republican Minority Leader. Reagan and Democratic Speaker Tip O'Neal relationship is stuff of legends. Even Clinton worked with Republicans in congress even though they wanted to impeach him. Obama hasn't done this, he remains above the fray. He won't go to the Republican House and say I will give you A, B, C and if you give me D, E, and F. Compromise and give and take have become dirty words today whereas that was how congress operated until him.
Perhaps it was his huge majorities in the president's first two years that convinced him he didn't need any Republican help to accomplish what he wanted. He didn't, but the election of 2010 changed all of that, just like the election of 1994 change Clinton's outlook on congress. But Clinton made adjustments and changed strategy and actually worked across the aisle and got his hands dirty making phone calls to all lawmakers when he thought he needed to. Obama won't touch the phone and views Republicans as enemies of the state, not just the opposition political party that they are.
