It's time for America's ex-presidents to team up against Trump

Jimmy Carter, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama — assemble!

Former presidents Barack Obama, George Bush, and Bill Clinton.
(Image credit: AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

The idea that American presidents must basically go into occultation, focus on memoir-writing, or transform themselves into nonpartisan cheerleaders for various uncontroversial causes is deeply engrained in American culture. From George Washington retiring back to his plantation to Harry Truman and Lyndon Johnson basically disappearing from the public eye altogether to George W. Bush becoming a quietly reflective painter, few ex-presidents have remained active in the country's political life after leaving office. Citizens don't generally want someone who dominated public debates for four or eight years interfering with the workings of a new administration, one that typically enters office with a temporary surfeit of goodwill and popularity that crosses party lines. Even popular presidents have typically worn out their welcome by the time they leave.

In normal times, this makes a certain kind of sense. New presidents should, ideally, be granted time to fulfill their campaign promises and enact sensible public policy without the last president hovering over their shoulders like latte-addled helicopter parents. And even presidents who left office ostracized and alone have, over time, gradually become unifying figures, in part because they are free to pursue hobbies or endeavors that are not related to divisive party politics. With their high-minded departure from the boxing ring of politics, they communicate to the public that our differences are not so profound after all. This is to say nothing of the total exhaustion most presidents feel after serving one or two terms in office.

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David Faris

David Faris is an associate professor of political science at Roosevelt University and the author of It's Time to Fight Dirty: How Democrats Can Build a Lasting Majority in American Politics. He is a frequent contributor to Informed Comment, and his work has appeared in the Chicago Sun-Times, The Christian Science Monitor, and Indy Week.