Obama's next big accomplishment?

[Blue3]

Since the midterms, President Obama has been laser-focused on one or two things at a time, gets them done despite the odds, and then moves on to the next one.

* US-China climate change agreement
* Immigration Reform Executive Action
* New FCC rules to protect net neutrality
* New EPA regulations on greenhouse gases
* US-Cuba relations fully-restored
* Fast-track authority on the trade deals
* Executive order on overtime pay
* Executive order on paid leave for federal contractors
* US-UK-France-China-Russia-Germany-Iran nuclear deal, and getting it through Congress too
(and the related Supreme Court victories on Healthcare and Same-Sex Marriage)

And I know I'm missing even more that's happened just since the midterms.

What do you think is the next big focus?

(I'm thinking it will be finding a way to finally close the prison at Guantanamo, and then maybe a deal to get Assad out of power, after government funding is secured... as well as passing the trade deals, and maybe a climate change agreement)

[pikachu]

Maybe something comes out of the climate change conference in Paris in December, but I'll be surprised.

[🦀🎂🦀🎂]

Yes, I think the admin is pulling for a big move on Guantamano.

I also think there will probably be a bipartisan attempt at fixing criminal justice - the demand for reducing mandatory sentences, increasing body cameras, drug reform, ending racial profiling seems to be increasingly growing etc. (although Trump may have muddied the waters there, sadly). Perhaps Obama will order the dankest of drugs down a schedule or two.

One of Obama's main themes in 2008 was ending nuclear proliferation, so maybe we'll some fun on that issue, which has largely fallen by the wayside with the exception of Iran.

I expect China and cybersecurity will be a big theme in the coming months. I'm afraid I know jack about such computer stuff, but I expect some sort of big push in that respect.

And also he will want to cement his legacy by signing TPP and TTIP before he leaves office. That would be a huge step for his personal legacy, as those two trade bills are large enough to be unprecedented. (The former, of course, playing a major geostrategic role as well as economic).

The final thing he will do is canvass for his hobby horses to see about their future implemention: free Community college, voting rights etc.

[Lief 🗽]

Signing the TPP, which will bring spur further growth in the U.S. economy and lift millions around the world out of poverty.

[Amenhotep Bakari-Sellers]

Signing the TPP, which will bring spur further growth in the U.S. economy and lift millions around the world out of poverty.

Who would have thought that with the improving economy Fast Track would be a positive. Pass the bill.

[Simfan34]

Signing the TPP, which will bring spur further growth in the U.S. economy and lift millions around the world out of poverty.

Hopefully so!

[Pandaguineapig]

On a side note do you expect all these "accomplishments" to be pretty much voided if a republican wins in 2016?

[Orser67]

I think he'll focus on the TPP, averting shutdowns, and implementing the previous accomplishments. Closing Guantanamo and a climate change pact are also good guesses.

Some other possibilities:

TTIP: Not enough time. This might have happened during the Obama presidency if the TPP had passed sooner.

Criminal justice reform: I don't think we'll see a major bipartisan bill before 2017, but if such a bill happens Obama will have to not play an active role in pushing it (otherwise it would become polarized)

Deficit reduction: Possible, as part of a budget compromise with Republicans

Israeli-Palestine: Not with Netanyahu in charge.

North Korea: Seems unlikely during this point in Kim Jong-un's rule.

Russia: I don't think the US and Russia are going to negotiate any kind of deal anytime soon. I'll be happy if we avoid a crisis in Eastern Europe.

Syria/Iraq: Hard to see what he could do besides staying the course.

Minor tax reform: I.e. closing loopholes and lowering rates. I don't think the GOP is going to come to any agreement with Obama on tax issues.

Cybersecurity: I think this will be an administrative focus for the gov't, but I don't think there will be any big, concrete accomplishments

Gay and transgender discrimination (e.g. in the workplace): I think fighting this will be a significant part of the last couple years of Obama's term

Not happening due to a Republican Congress: gun control, universal pre-k, raising the min wage, carbon tax, comprehensive immigration reform, ratification of the CTBT, housing reform, increased investment in infrastructure, an update to the Voting Rights Act,

[Grumpier Than Uncle Joe]

Legacy building.

[🦀🎂🦀🎂]

On a side note do you expect all these "accomplishments" to be pretty much voided if a republican wins in 2016?

Another thing he will do is get all the boffins to find ways to make his new laws as hard to reverse as possible.

[RINO Tom]

Signing the TPP, which will bring spur further growth in the U.S. economy and lift millions around the world out of poverty.

Hopefully so!

[TDAS04]

Signing of TPP is most likely.

[Mr. Reactionary]

The thing about regulations is that they take years to become acceptable. The procedural requirements under the APA seem easy enough to abide by, but with legal challenges and required by law foot-dragging, it would be hard for Obama to rush out any new surprise regulations that are not already in the pipeline. Otherwise your just asking for Scalia to invalidate it.

[Blue3]

Well....

China to announce "Cap and Trade", as a result of a deal with Obama

China will announce Friday that it will launch a national carbon emissions trading market in 2017 as part of a joint climate change statement with the United States meant to boost prospects for a global climate pact, U.S. officials said.

The statement will be one of the few policy announcements the two countries are expected to make during Chinese President Xi Jinping's meetings with U.S. President Barack Obama Friday. The leaders will meet amid tensions over alleged Chinese cyber spying, Beijing's economic policies and China's regional territorial disputes.

The "joint presidential statement" will build on the breakthrough announcement Xi and Obama made last year where both countries pledged targets to cut greenhouse gas emissions beyond 2020.

On Friday they will outline new and existing domestic measures to show the world's two biggest emitters of greenhouse gasses are serious about reaching those targets and will "lead the world toward a durable global climate agreement," the U.S. official said.




http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/china-climate-change_56049218e4b0fde8b0d20a01?joytx1or

[Antonio the Sixth]

Wow!

[RFayette 🇻🇦]

Signing the TPP, which will bring spur further growth in the U.S. economy and lift millions around the world out of poverty.

Hopefully so!

Yep.  Partisanship aside, I'm for virtually any free-trade agreement.

[Rockefeller GOP]

Signing the TPP, which will bring spur further growth in the U.S. economy and lift millions around the world out of poverty.

Hopefully so!

Yep.  Partisanship aside, I'm for virtually any free-trade agreement.

The vast majority of Republicans are.  I literally think the Tea Party is opposing this just because Obama supports it.

[Blue3]

I'm still thinking
-Guantanamo
-Syria transition deal
-passing the trade deal

It seems like President Obama will just use executive action as a result of the climate change talks in Paris and never planned to go to Congress on it. Has it been said what exactly he'll do?

And when is the trade deal going to come to a vote? I thought it would have passed before Christmas.

[Lyin' Steve]

He's going to drop tanks full of US soldiers out of airplanes onto Syrian villages and plow ISIS into the dirt.  Then the treads will fire rockets and they'll jetpack all the way to Kuwait.
No boots on the ground.

[🦀🎂🦀🎂]

- arrest of supreme court
- droning of congress
- dismissal of all governors in favour of cronies
- abolishes democracy
- assumption of full control
- annexation of all of the Americas, the Pacific, Sub-Saharan Africa, the EU and Japan.
- lasers his face on the moon to look down upon earth forever and ever.
- bans all religion in favour of Obama worship
- becomes super saiyan