 I don't doubt the Obama economy has affected many, but this man is assuredly not among them. His status in life is directly attributable to the choices he's made, and his life will improve only through better decisions. But for him to make better choices, he needs to live in an environment that forces him to ask tough questions about himself. There's a cultural movement in the white working class to blame problems on society or the government, and that movement gains adherence by the day. Now again, Hillbilly Elegy originally came out in 2016. At the time, Vance was quite anti-Trump.