In the months since the election, Democrats have been trying to figure out why Hillary Clinton lost the presidency. The party is splintered over how to resist President Trump’s agenda. At the same time, there’s no clear leader to dig Democrats out of their worst political position in nearly a century.

For many Democrats, former president Barack Obama’s first public comments since leaving office provided some much-needed relief.

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So on Monday, there was Obama on the screen. He looked relaxed. He looked young for a former president. He left office with some popularity. Oh, and by the way, he won the White House. Twice.


Obama could be the leader that Democrats desperately need right now. But during his Monday evening, it was clear that Obama has zero interest in taking on this role again. And once Democrats get over that, they will realize this is a good thing.

Before heading overseas to give paid speeches, Obama stopped by the University of Chicago to hold a panel discussion about youth activism. Obama never uttered the President Donald Trump’s name once during the event.

In his post-presidential life, Obama has mostly stayed above the day-to-day combat of politics. Instead, Obama talked about increasing voter participation, broadening and elevating the political discussion and helping urban communities.

Obama did not suggest he would join a weekend rally against Trump, raise money for candidates on the 2018 ballot, or create a plan to win back white working-class voters.

This is a good thing for Democrats. While they may yearn for Obama -- or any Democrat -- to be back in the White House, focusing on Obama means the party is looking backward.

Democrats need new leaders and a new message. The most recent ABC News/Washington Post poll suggests that many Democrats agree. The survey found that 67 percent of respondents -- including 44 percent of Democrats -- viewed the party as out of touch “with the concerns of most people in the US today.”


Democrats won’t have a real leader until they pick a presidential nominee in 2020. Until then they will have national figures, such as Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders on one side, and perhaps Cory Booker and Joe Manchin on the other.

This is the time for Democrats to figure out where they are going to go, and what kind of party they can be. Obama doesn’t want to be part of that conversation. Nor should he be in it.

James Pindell can be reached at james.pindell@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @jamespindell or subscribe to his Ground Game newsletter on politics: http://pages.email.bostonglobe.com/GroundGameSignUp