In my childhood I would listen raptly at the dinner table as my parents, thoroughly engaged liberals, would discuss domestic politics, foreign affairs, Broadway shows, and all else of note except for sports. I remember the fervor with which they supported Democrat Adlai Stevenson of Illinois in his losing presidential contests with Republican Dwight Eisenhower, five-star general and commander of D-Day, first commander of NATO forces, and president of Columbia University.

When I asked my enlightened mother in a preadolescent voice just why she felt so committed to Stevenson, she replied, “Well, he speaks so beautifully and Eisenhower does not.’’ And there you have it: the 1950s-lofty-rhetoric version of what counts in many progressive precincts to this day. It is not so much the quality of ideas or their scrupulous execution, but rather how they are expressed. It has been more than 60 years since my voice changed, and I am still skeptical.

President Obama speaks beautifully, but he paved the way over eight years for a successor disdained by a plurality of voters. Jeff Jacoby is right: President-elect Trump is his legacy.

Paul Bloustein

Cincinnati