Opinion - Trump versus Obama: ‘Fundamental transformation' is in the eye of the beholder

Yahoo

03-04-2025

On Oct. 30, 2008, just days before the presidential election, Barack Obama stood before a crowd in Columbia, Missouri, and uttered the line that sent Republicans into a frenzy: 'We are five days away from fundamentally transforming the United States of America.'
To conservatives, that line wasn't just annoying — it was something akin to blasphemy. Transform America? Change who we are and what we stand for? The outrage came fast and furious. Republicans lined up to say, 'We don't need fundamental change. We don't need to tear down what makes this country great.'
Those were the days when 'principles' were still something people claimed to care about, the key word being 'claimed.'
Fast forward to now, and we've got another president who wants to fundamentally transform America. Only this time, it's not the guy who campaigned on hope and change. It's the one who sues pollsters whose numbers he doesn't like, sues news networks whose coverage he doesn't like and wants to impeach federal judges whose rulings he doesn't like. He has even gone after law firms that had the audacity to offend our president because they represented clients he didn't like.
If he had his way, Canada would be our 51st state. NATO? Out the window. Allies? Alienated. Chaos? Right here at home, courtesy of the commander-in-chief.
And yet, this time around, the same people who gasped for air over Obama's 'transformative' language are — how do I say this gently? — eerily silent. The same party that once warned us against changing the fundamental fabric of the country is now applauding the president who is changing the fabric of the country. The double standard isn't just obvious — it's embarrassing.
Meanwhile, Democrats — who once gave Obama a standing ovation for his grand vision — are now warning us that President Trump is a fascist for trying to do the exact same thing. So yes, if you're keeping score at home, the party that once loved transformation now hates it, and the party that once hated it now can't get enough. Let me know when your head stops spinning.
But this isn't really about Obama or Trump. It's about something deeper, something we've lost along the way: principles.
I've written about this before, and I'll keep writing about it, because it's the story of our political era. We don't argue ideas anymore — we just root for the color of the uniform. Red jerseys versus blue jerseys. That's what politics has become. And to paraphrase that great line from 'The Treasure of the Sierra Madre' — 'We don't need no stinking principles.'
Sure, politics has always been divisive. Nothing new about that. But what is new is the complete and utter collapse of consistency. If your guy does it, it's fine. If the other guy does it, it's tyranny. If your team wins, it's democracy in action. If the other team wins, it's the end of the republic.
I guess it's possible that I'm making too much of this. Maybe the hypocrisy has always been there and it just feels worse now because of social media, cable news and the 24/7 outrage machine. But I don't think so.
I think we've crossed a line where principles no longer guide our politics — only blind loyalty to our team does. And when blind loyalty becomes the only principle, don't be surprised when the whole thing starts to fall apart.
So no, this isn't just about Obama in 2008 or Trump in 2025. It's about what we're willing to tolerate and what we're willing to ignore — and whether we still believe in anything bigger than winning.
Because if we don't, then we're not only transforming America — we're unraveling it.
Bernard Goldberg is an Emmy and an Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University award-winning writer and journalist. He is the author of five books and publishes exclusive weekly columns, audio commentaries and Q&As on his Substack page. Follow him @BernardGoldberg.
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