It’s telling how regularly it happens that most prominent politician taking on Donald Trump is not some fiery Democratic upstart but Hillary Clinton, the Democrat he already beat. Nine months into Trump’s administration, it’s as if the campaign never ended.

And Clinton, though she’s typically the only one accused of overstaying her political welcome, is but one character in the Democratic party’s extended walk down memory lane.

This week Barack Obama, who had until recently stayed out of the national spotlight, put his charisma to work for the Democratic National Committee, his first fundraiser for the party since leaving office; Joe Biden unveiled his new daily podcast; and Bernie Sanders positioned himself front and center in the country’s big healthcare debate.

Meet the new Democratic stars, same as the old ones. It isn’t what the resistance envisioned, but the party appears to be stuck with familiar faces thanks to never building a Democratic bench and putting all their hopes into a 2016 basket that fell spectacularly apart.

At a time when the party might be drafting a blueprint for the future, it’s rehashing debates of the past election. Could Sanders really have won? Did Clinton lose because of sexism? And what exactly was Russia’s involvement anyway?

It’s important to learn from the past, and crucial to revisit – even investigate – these questions. Yet more than seeking out broader truths or extracting overarching lessons, Americans seem fixated on clinging to their candidates and nostalgia.

And while Clinton’s attracted the lion’s share of public attention with her book tour in full swing, she’s far from the only offender.

Between governing duties and trying to win re-election in Virginia, Tim Kaine might be considered to have a rather full plate. But that hasn’t stopped him from opining in print on Democrats’ economic message, knocking Trump in state stump speeches, and reminding local audiences that, yes! he and Clinton really did win the popular vote!

Meanwhile Obama, though he typically won’t deign to name the president by name, is out decrying Trump’s moves on everything from immigration policy to his response to Charlottesville and lack of aid to Puerto Rico. At major fundraisers this week, Obama expounded on the state of the world and nature of leadership – and just as significantly: his efforts were well met.

Amid the all the divisiveness, an attendee of one fundraiser said, “It renewed my hope.”

The good news and the bad news for Democrats is that the campaign of hope and change already happened. And ironically, while people wring their hands about the effects of Obama’s interventions or the spectre of Clinton never leaving, it’s people like Sanders and Biden who threaten to never go away.

Since losing the primary last year, Sanders has never faded from the national spotlight, and his championing of single-payer healthcare has made him a leader in the party once again, as the once controversial position is increasingly embraced by the party’s mainstream.

Biden shows no signs of fading either. Less than a year after leaving office he’s founded two policy institutes and planned a 19-city “American Promise” tour for his new biographical book due out in November. He’s also become a prolific freelancer: last week he penned a New York Times op-ed taking on Trump’s foreign policy; on Monday he published another piece in Marie Claire highlighting his work to stop violence against women.



Such apparent courtship of the American electorate is not entirely misplaced.

No sooner had Obama left office, than calls for his return began. And his administration’s grip over the country’s cultural imagination has likewise remained strong. (Adam Reid thought his election-inspired vision for a show featuring Obama and Biden as an animated time-traveling duo was a “stoner idea” – until his Kickstarter raised more than $100,000 in a matter of weeks.)

One problem for those who favor a new cast of Democratic characters heading into 2020 is that none of the fresher-faced candidates who are obviously angling for White House loom particularly large. The only guy who has officially declared is Maryland representative John Delaney.

Another problem is that early efforts to gather momentum for new candidates, may already be losing steam. The right has begun investing in damaging storylines around Elizabeth Warren, for instance, attacks that closely resemble portrayals of Clinton as, for instance, hypocritical and untrustworthy.

All this would seem to sum up Democrats’ lack of leadership nicely: the best indication of their emerging starpower is who Republican operatives see as a threat.

The silver lining? If there is one, and it isn’t obvious, perhaps it’s that such a void could mean blank space enough for new stars to grow big, and shine.