At the close of 2020, former President Barak Obama was enjoying a fresh jolt of popularity. His memoirs had hit the digital bookshelves, he was being interviewed by nearly every news outlet, and he received the “Voice of Influence Award” from the free-speech advocacy organization, PEN America. And, not surprisingly, as he took laps around the speaking circuit, he was asked to weigh in on the leftward drift and the new, progressive agenda driving many…