An incredible amount of accomplishment in 18 months

[scheming daemons]

- comprehensive health care reform that covers millions that weren't covered before

- comprehensive financial regulatory reform that closes many of the loopholes that caused the Bush recession

- an $800 billion stimulus, without which unemployment would be 13-15% and GDP would still be shrinking and 3.5 million more would be unemployed

- a comprehensive nuclear arms treaty, the likes we havent had in decades

- the most diverse administration in this nation's history

- two liberal female justices that will influence the court for decades

That's just the biggies.

Any other President had done that, and we'd be adding his bust to Mt Rushmore.

This President gets held to an impossible standard.

Call me a koolaid drinking cheerleader all you want. This President has been outstanding.

If you cant see that, then you need to re-evaluate your perception of reality.

[DevonRex]

1. He has been outstanding. K&R. nt

[phleshdef]

2. Finish repealing DADT and pass energy and immigration reform.

I think that would basically knock out most of the big ticket items he campaigned on.

[Phx_Dem]

3. +1000000. Simply outstanding!

[noamnety]

4. "incredible" is a perfect description. (nt)

[rury]

12. President Obama is doing terrific things for this country

OBAMA 2012!!!!

[Oregone]

5. "comprehensive health" .. insurance .. "reform..."

:rofl:


We set the bar so fuckn low, eh?

[DCBob]

14. Nobody set the bar anywhere... that is what came out of endless negotiations..

It isnt the Presidents fault that we have an opposition party willing to use every trick in the book to block legislation.

[Oregone]

21. Na, I was laughing rather at how much people put the final result on a pedestal

If that was my child, Id lock em in a dark closet chained to the wall.

[slay]

6. Maybe Flavor Aid

i would never go so far as to say kool-aid though. :) personally i am very disappointed in his pro-corporate stance on, well, everything. also his continuation of this horrible war in Afghanistan goes against everything i believe in. then we have the cover-up of all the Bush era crimes by just refusing to even address them. single payer was off the table from DAY ONE. i could go on and on but his list of failures when HUGE opportunities presented themselves far outweighs the small amount of good he has done. you are right in that he is facing incredibly stupid opposition from the republicans but i can't accept it as an excuse to deliver on the change he promised. what we have isn't change, it's a slight - SLIGHT move to the left kind of but meh not really in a country that is WAY WAY too far to the right.

[mzmolly]

7. But, he hired

Liz Fowler!!! :sarcasm:

:silly:

[vaberella]

9. I know...who happens to have a decent rep.

Although DU says otherwise. I don't get it.

[KingFlorez]

8. And these are all things that will permanently shape the country

He's already left a mark in less than two years and the prospect of even more accomplishments is what we have to look forward too.

[jobycom]

10. Not bad, but given his control of Congress, not as impressive as all that.

He got to appoint the "liberal female justices" because the last president was so bad no one wanted to retire under him. They weren't even his picks, they were on a list created before he took office.

The stimulus bill was being planned by Congress and experts before he even took office, and Congress and the nation were motivated. It isn't like he came up with it, hammered out the details, and rammed it past a hesitant Congress. In fact, if he'd tried harder or understood the economy a bit, he could have done something more stimulating and less supply-sided, and we might be doing better now.

He did good on both of those, but it's not like any other Democrat elected would have done something different.

With health care, he got a bare minimum passed through a Congress that would have passed a lot more with some guidance. They were begging him to get more involved and show leadership, and he stood back and let the bill melt to the simplest form that could be passed. Again, yay, but again, any other Democrat elected would have done at least as well.

I'm sorry, I just don't see where he's done anything that any of the other top Democrats wouldn't have accomplished, and I do think he could have done better at most things he's passed. He's just average.

For instance, Clinton's first 18 months:

Family Medical Leave Act

Brady Bill

Earned Income Tax Credit

Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (which raised taxes on the top 1% of income earners and lowered them for those below the poverty line, while making small business loans available. He passed this without a single Republican vote).

National and Community Service Trust Act (Americorps)

He passed aggressive stimulus bills, he passed education bills to put 100K more teachers in classrooms, and 100K more cops in the streets.

And he, too, appointed the most diverse cabinet the nation had seen at the time.

Obama has done okay on the beauracratic issues, he's signed some groundbreaking legislation, he's certainly made this country function better. But he's had a strong majority in Congress and the will of the people behind him. He has escalated two wars, he's watered down everything he's done out of fear of a party with almost no support, he's allowed that party to regroup and strengthen when just a year ago people were wondering if they were going to vanish into history...

He could have done so much more. And if you can't see that, you need to re-evalute your perception of reality.

[impik]

13. Oh, how sad for you.

[NorthCarolina]

19. Or possibly, how sad for YOU! eom

[jobycom]

22. Yes, we truth-seeers are often saddened by the blind.

I'll bet you're happy.

[paulk]

17. +1000

well said

[uponit7771]

18. BULLSHIT!!!!!!!!

[jobycom]

23. Great discussion! Your grasp of history, facts, and logic shine through.

Bill O'Reilly needs new writers. Just sayin', don't think you aren't ready.

[WI_DEM]

20. Except that HCR and Financial Reform have eluded about every other president

HCR all presidents who attempted (including Clinton) and Financial Reform--nothing major since FDR. These are rightly called "Landmark legislative accomplishments." And as far as his control of congress is concerned, obviously you haven't heard but he's had near universal GOP opposition and 3-4 Dems who can't be relied upon not to mention losing Kennedy and Byrd. Also, the Obama stimulus is much larger and more far reaching than any previous president has attempted.

[jobycom]

24. You don't think Biden, Richardson, or Clinton would have passed at least the same?

The tone of Congress and the nation, and the absolute fear when Obama took over of complete collapse, were the deciding factor. I haven't seen Obama push anything through that anyone else couldn't have gotten, and I think most others would have gotten more with health care and finance reform.

And the Republicans were just as united and far better lead and organized under Clinton. Boehner is nothing compared to Gingrich.

[DearAbby]

11. Agree with him or Not

Obama has changed America, and Change was what he was elected to do. This record speaks for itself.

[babylonsister]

15. Rec'd. He just keeps proving the naysayers wrong. I like it. nt

[spoony]

16. Boy the disciplinarians are in top gear

All hitting the same sour notes.

[scheming daemons]

25. looks like the faux progressives are out too

...pretending to criticize "from the left"

you arent fooling anyone, freeper