For Obama to Be the Liberal Reagan, Hillary Has to Win

My latest post at Bloomberg View takes a look at the State of the Union address–and the state of Obama’s project to be the liberal Reagan.

[T]o leave his mark on American politics for an era, and not just a presidency, Reagan had to do more than just change his own party or even public policy. He had to move the opposition party in his direction, too. And to do that, he had to be succeeded by an ally. His successor didn’t have to be someone who inspired the new Reagan coalition, as, indeed, George H. W. Bush didn’t. The successor didn’t have to be someone who had always been an ally: Bush had run against Reagan in the 1980 primary, and represented a more moderate tendency in the party. To help consolidate the victory of Reaganism, Reagan’s successor just had to win the election running as a candidate of continuity with him. 

In a way, it was even helpful for the successor to lack the political talent of the transformational figure: It showed the opposition that the new coalition could assemble a majority without it.

Obama and Hillary Clinton now have the same relationship.