President Obama went full dad-mode Tuesday night. He examined his accomplishments, thanked and praised his supporters, and then lectured all of us to do as he says and not as he does.
In the 53-minute production, we were treated to poetic and hopeful rhetoric delivered in the cadence we've come to expect. But the anticipated speech quickly became a lecture on how Americans should behave without him.
Yes, there is division. And yes, we should be able to disagree in an agreeable way. But what he asked of us does not mimic his approach of the past eight years.
Obama said a lot in 53 minutes, but what I heard was: "Do as I say, not as I do."
(President-elect Trump received this same bit of advice a few weeks ago.)
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05.13.2025