I certainly don't claim to always know what the best ways to achieve actual policy goals in Washington are, but Obama's first term was definitely notable for a general failure to articulate a progressive vision. I don't mean on my terms, I mean on his, however progressive he is (meaning, even if you think he's basically a moderate Republican he failed to articulate that vision clearly).
And maybe that was a good strategy legislatively. I have no idea. But obviously the legacy of presidents can be a bit larger than what passes Congress when they're in charge. The Reagan legacy is still with us, at least on economic issues, dominating the CW that infuses all public conversations about such things. I get that the Reagan legacy wasn't just about Reagan, it was about the ascendancy of the Right in DC generally, but it had something to do with the man himself.
Maybe nothing good will get through Congress in the next 2 or 4 years. If so, all that's left is rhetoric. So, yes, good start.
