Obama hasn't been divisive just because his policies are so unpopular, though that's a large part of it.
Obamacare itself did not become popular until the middle of 2017, when the risk of repeal was the greatest; for the bulk of 2010 after passage, it was unpopular by double-digit margins.
There are three elements to perceived popularity. A student has to be visible, recognizable and influential.
I have no predilection for unpopularity as such, but I hold it much preferable to the popularity of a day, which perishes with the transient topic upon which it is grounded.