President Barack Obama’s public approval rating is higher now than at any time in his second term in office. Many observers think Obama will have high popularity ratings when he leaves office in January 2017. Yet during his eight years as president, the Democratic Party has suffered a sharp reduction in power at the national and state level. Republicans now hold more power nationwide than at any time since the 1920s. The Washington Post newspaper recently noted that “the biggest stain on (Obama’s) political legacy may turn out to be the decimation of the Democratic Party on his watch.” Republican Donald Trump defeated Democrat Hillary Clinton in the presidential election this month. Barack Obama and his wife Michelle supported Clinton’s campaign for the presidency. They made campaign appearances for her in many states. But many Americans who had voted for Obama did not seem to support Clinton. The president told reporters “I think it’s fair to say that I was surprised by the election results.”