When he ran for president in 2008, the junior senator from Illinois was firmly, resolutely, 100% against gay marriage. It was a religious objection, you see: “[A]s a Christian, [marriage] is also a sacred union. God’s in the mix.”

Of course, then-Sen. Barack Obama said this just a few months after the Rev. Wright “God d**n America” controversy. People forget, but that scandal put Obama’s Christian faith in the spotlight. His halo was tarnished and his momentum derailed: He lost three of the next four states to Hillary Clinton (Pennsylvania, Indiana, West Virginia), winning only North Carolina, where black voters were one-third of the electorate.

But his 2008 opposition to gay marriage exposes how Obama thinks: Timing is everything. Don’t let your reach exceed your grasp. Dream big, but don’t act stupid.

Because he’s a realistic revolutionary. He won’t hunt what he can’t kill.

Donald Trump is a go-big-or-go-home wheeler-dealer; Barack Obama is not. Obama is calculating, incremental, and deliberate. Trump speaks at rallies extemporaneously for hours at a time; Obama relied so heavily on his teleprompter that reporters called it the TOTUS.

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That’s Obama’s M.O.: Everything is planned. Each move is intentional. Nothing is accidental.

His 2008 position on gay marriage was a calculated chess move. 

Four years later, of course, President Obama leaped left. Because this time, he wasn’t a junior senator clawing for mainstream approval (or fearful of being ostracized for his Muslim-sounding middle name); he was a first-term president campaigning for reelection, and his base was unhappy: A supermajority of Dems — 65% overall and 83% of liberals — now backed gay marriage.

The political tides had changed. And so, Obama changed with them.

“And, you know, we’re both practicing Christians,” Obama told ABC News, explaining his policy switcheroo. “And obviously, this position [supporting gay marriage] may be considered to [be] at odds with the views of others. But you know, when we think about our faith, the thing, you know, at root that we think about is not only Christ sacrificing himself on our behalf, but it’s also the Golden Rule, you know? Treat others the way you’d want to be treated.”

Before, he opposed gay marriage because he’s a Christian. Now he supports gay marriage because he’s a Christian. (Isn’t religion versatile?)

And since then, Obama’s been a gay pride booster who celebrated the Supreme Court’s Obergefell v. Hodges ruling by illuminating the White House with rainbow colors. He’s such an enthusiast that Obama was reportedly furious that Vice President Joe Biden scooped his Damascus conversion!

Because that’s how Obama thinks: Hold your fire. Wait until you’ve got ‘em dead to rights.

And then blast away.

When you’re a realistic revolutionary, you recognize that Rome wasn’t built in a day — and neither will your socialist utopia. Baby steps. There’s no rush. After all, if you push too fast or too recklessly, there’s gonna be blowback. 

That could set your movement back for decades.

It’s far shrewder to take the long view of history. (One of Obama’s most-recited campaign lines was, “The arc of history is long, but it bends towards justice.”) So be patient. Consolidate gains. Capitalize on your enemy’s mistakes.

Because time is on your side.

So you seize opportunities and advance your chess pieces when openings emerge. You hedge your bets and keep your powder dry — until the stars align and the timing is perfect. Just like Obama did with gay marriage.

And then you go “all in.”

There are 35 Senate seats up for grabs in the midterms. Another 36 gubernatorial elections. Plus, of course, all 435 House seats. 

This means that roughly 700 Democratic candidates are running for office.

Barack Obama won’t be campaigning for all of ‘em. Hey, he’s a retired millionaire — and his couch is awfully comfy. He’d rather hang around the mansion or visit his, ahem, “unusual looking” presidential library:

This is why it’s so eye-opening that Obama has agreed to campaign side-by-side with Abdul El-Sayed, the DSA-aligned Senate candidate in Michigan. 

A politician who’s been quite critical of Obama’s legacy:

He’s Barack freaking Obama: 96% of Democrats still have a favorable opinion of him. He could’ve campaigned with ANY of the 700 Democratic candidates running for office — yet he accepted the invitation to campaign side-by-side with El-Sayed.

Why?

We know Obama isn’t going there on a whim — because that’s not who he is. Nothing he does is impromptu; everything about him is calculated. Clearly, this was something Obama had been considering for a while.

And we know this because El-Sayed and Obama have been chatting on the phone since early August.

The realistic revolutionary is making his move: The timing is right. The stars have realigned.

He’s going to fundamentally transform America once again.

Obama isn’t stupid. He’s fully aware of the DSA’s ascent — and the direction of liberal tides. He knows 2026 ain’t 2008: It’s a very different Democratic Party.

And with the proper push, a very different Democratic Party can create a very different America.

I’m sure Troy Jackson would’ve loved Obama’s help in the must-win state of Maine, but there are no announced visits. Nor will the ex-president be visiting the nip-and-tuck state of Minnesota. 

Instead, Obama will be traveling to Michigan — because Michigan represents an opportunity that Maine and Minnesota do not.

Obama realizes that vast swathes of the public are fearful of the DSA. They view socialism as scary and un-American. (And with the middle name of Hussein, he’s hypersensitive to Christian concerns about Islam.) It’s what’s limiting the DSA’s growth.

Conquering these fears is the next step in the revolution. 

It all makes sense when you consider the long arc of history: Obama is leveraging his presidential prestige to mainstream and normalize not just Abdul El-Sayed — but what El-Sayed represents.

Which includes much of the DSA platform.

If it were just about the midterms, Obama would be visiting all the must-win states. But he’s not. Instead, he’s making a bold bet about the future of his party.

Just like gay marriage, he’s “all in.”

Because it’s the next move on the chessboard — and the next phase in America’s “fundamental transformation.”