Barack Obama made history as the first black president, and he remains a gifted communicator. However, records beyond that are thin.
Michelle Obama praises Barack Obama’s achievements in speech
Michelle Obama spoke at the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago to commemorate former President Barack Obama’s tenure in office.
Former President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle will open the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago on June 19th. This center is an eight-story temple to ourselves, built primarily at the expense of others.
A day earlier, a star-studded crowd including Bill and Hillary Clinton, Stevie Wonder and John Legend had gathered to celebrate the sprawling 19-acre campus, which includes a public library branch, basketball court, restaurants, playgrounds and a ticketed museum.
Despite the fanfare, this monstrosity stands as a monument to hypocrisy and the Obama family’s undying thirst for the spotlight, a presidential legacy project that has disappointed more Americans than its architects are willing to admit.
The Obama Presidential Center is a disaster.
The project honoring a couple cost $850 million to build, making it the most expensive presidential center ever built, and it’s not even close. Although the building and exhibits were funded by private donations, Illinois taxpayers spent approximately $123.3 million on infrastructure (road realignment, utility relocation), which is expected to approach $200 million by completion.
Neighbors say the construction has increased rents by 43% and increased home prices. The Obama Foundation had hoped to establish a $470 million endowment, but currently only has about $1 million in endowment funds.
The project has also been a nightmare for local workers and subcontractors, who say they are still owed money despite the promised economic benefits. Mike Owen, owner of Adamson Plumbing, says he is about $4 million in debt after years of work.
“This is a hole that no subcontractor or small business can survive in,” Owen told Fox News Digital.
Omar Sharif, president of the African American Contractors Association, says contractors are in debt and feel silenced by non-disclosure agreements they sign.
“I’ve never seen anything like this happen in all the time I’ve been in the business,” Sharif told FOX News Digital. “The building certainly looks great, but the fact that they’re not paying the contractors doesn’t matter.”
Although the Obamas were likely not involved in day-to-day construction operations, the project was built at their direction.
The Obama Foundation hired Lakeside Alliance as construction manager. Lakeside Alliance said in a statement that it is common for projects to remain unpaid after completion, and that it will work to resolve any issues.
President Obama’s legacy: Promises change, delivers disappointment.
The Obama Presidential Center is operated by the Obama Foundation itself. That arrangement says it all about what this project really is. It is more a monument to ego than a public institution.
Although the Obamas left the White House nearly a decade ago in 2017, they still seem unable to resist the spotlight. Former fist lady Michelle Obama has written multiple books and appears regularly on podcasts and talk shows.
In a recent interview on “Good Morning America,” Barack Obama said he has changed from “player” to “coach” when it comes to public policy discussions. If by “player” he means building a roughly $1 billion temple to his presidency, that’s certainly one way to stay relevant.
But the legacy he enshrines deserves scrutiny. His signature achievement, the Affordable Care Act (ACA), which dramatically raised health insurance premiums, deductibles, and out-of-pocket costs for millions of Americans, was far from the transformation he promised.
What drives the Obamas to build monuments like this is a belief, nourished by years of sycophancy, that their legacy rests on true accomplishments. That’s amazing arrogance. Obama made history as the first black president, and he remains an excellent communicator. However, records beyond that are thin.
If the Obamas were truly memorable, they wouldn’t need a hideous $850 million building that bedeviled contractors and billed taxpayers to prove it. The Presidential Center is the perfect monument to President Obama’s term itself. It was a grand gesture, lavishly executed, promising transformation and delivering disappointment.
Nicole Russell is an opinion columnist for USA TODAY. She lives in Texas with her four children. Sign up for her newsletter, The Right Track, delivered to your inbox.
