A good website with more specifics: http://whattheheckhasobamadonesofar.com/
From Andrew Sullivan:
From Andrew Sullivan:
Here are the political accomplishments: defeating the most heavily favored party machine in decades (the Clintons) while actually bringing his biggest rival into his cabinet, where she has performed extraordinarily well; helping to cement the GOP's broad identity as extremists opposed to compromise; entrenching black and Hispanic loyalty to his party; retaining solid favorables and not-too-shabby approval ratings during the worst recession since the 1930s. 44 percent of the country still (rightly) blame Bush for this mess, only 15 percent blame Obama.
On policy: ending the US torture regime; prevention of a second Great Depression; enacting universal healthcare; taking the first serious steps toward reining in healthcare costs; two new female Supreme Court Justices; ending the gay ban in the military; ending the Iraq war; justifying his Afghan Surge by killing bin Laden and now disentangling with face saved; firming up alliances with India, Indonesia and Japan as counter-weights to China; bailing out the banks and auto companies without massive losses (and surging GM profits); advancing (slowly) balanced debt reduction without drastic cuts during the recession; and financial re-regulation.
Yes, there have been failures. The election of Scott Brown; the 2010 mid-terms; the surrender to Netanyahu and AIPAC; the botched and ill-conceived war in Libya; the failure to embrace Bowles Simpson up-front; the collapse of cap and trade (maybe not such a bad thing anyway).
What a bunch of malarkey! Rightly blame Bush? It was a Democratic congress that created the mess. He did not prevent a Great Depression. Universal Healthcare bill that was passed was unconstitutional and a massive fraud in terms of cost accounting. Ending gay ban in military is a strike against, not for. Cutting and running in shame from Iraq. Face saved in Afghanistan? How, by refusing to call the Taliban terrorists? Advancing debt reduction? Name one Obama budget that lowered the debt even by 1 dollar!
ReplyDeleteYou blame everything on Obama and when Bush was president it was Democratic Congress fault. Great. Who started 2 wars that are not paid for? Tax cuts for everyone which are not paid. Donut hole closing not paid for. NCLB, not paid for. Is there any law Bush passed that was paid for? And now that Obama has to pay for the laws Bush passed. It's Obama's fault. Great argument.
ReplyDeleteThis chart should give you a better perspective: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/ezra-klein/post/obamas-and-bushs-effect-on-the-deficit-in-one-graph/2011/07/25/gIQAELOrYI_blog.html
ReplyDelete