What has Obama done so far?

[ottermax]

It's been several months since inauguration and as a staunch liberal activist type, I was hoping to see a new era in American policy. However I have not seen much of the dramatic change that I was expecting. While I don't exactly know how I wanted the changes to occur, there are so many issues that I was hoping to see change in (environment, transportation, gay rights, economy, etc.) but I have not seen real change yet. Is it because my expectations are too high, or is it because Obama is just not a very good president? IMO it's a mix of both and other reasons, but I want to hear what everyone else has to say.

What's your view? What has Obama done so far? What does he need to do? And can we approve of him?

[Rowan]

He has been very good so far in my opinion. Could be better on the LGBT issues, but his foreign policy has been outstanding.

[??????????]

He has been very good so far in my opinion. Could be better on the LGBT issues, but his foreign policy has been outstanding.

What, is this opposite day or something?

[The Dowager Mod]

Been dissapointing so far.

[Padfoot]

Here's what's been signed thus far:

    * January 29, 2009: Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, Pub.L. 111-2
    * February 4, 2009: Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act, Pub.L. 111-3
    * February 11, 2009: DTV Delay Act, Pub.L. 111-4
    * February 17, 2009: American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, Pub.L. 111-5
    * March 11, 2009: Omnibus Appropriations Act, Pub.L. 111-8
    * March 30, 2009: Omnibus Public Land Management Act, Pub.L. 111-11
    * April 21, 2009: Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act, Pub.L. 111-13
    * May 20, 2009: Helping Families Save Their Homes Act, Pub.L. 111-22
    * May 22, 2009: Weapon Systems Acquisition Reform Act, Pub.L. 111-23
    * May 22, 2009: Credit CARD Act, Pub.L. 111-24

You can also add the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act to that list soon as it is currently headed for the president's desk.

There really has been a lot of action on the economy already with the stimulus, CARD, and bankruptcy/mortgage reform.  The major problem with the stimulus is that it seems to be moving slowly although Ohio just began work on our first stimulus funded project.

Energy reform, stem cell research, amending hate crime laws to include GLBT, and extending employment related benefits to same-sex partners of federal employees are all in various stages of committee review.

[Mechaman]

Has taken our foreign policy from "let's bomb the f&$k out of everyone who disagrees with us" to "let's talk first", a very great achievement in my book. He also signed the order to suspend the Guantanamo Bay military commission for 120 days and that Gitmo be shutdown within the end of the year. He also ended the Mexico City Policy which prohibited funds to international groups that provide abortion services and counseling and lifted the restrictions on Stem Cell Research.

However, he has also let Bush era officials off the hook, openly embraced the Patriot Act, is going ape on the war on drugs, went from wanting to get our troops out of Iraq in a year to almost three, is using the escalation of violence in Mexico to promote draconian gun control measures, cyber security (ie regulation of the internet) is popular amongst many in his circle, and let's not forget his batsh$t insane spending policies that are bound to lead to the further devaluation of our currency and encourage further nationalization of the private sector.

I guess you could say I have a very mixed opinion of him. Right now, after seeing how he handled foreign affairs, I probably would give him a 56% approval rating. He's not a total failure and let's face it, Bush did or supported all of the above bad things I listed (yes even gun control you blind Bushie freaks, check this out http://www.ontheissues.org/Celeb/George_W__Bush_Gun_Control.htm) except that he'd probably want us in Iraq indefinitely. Right now he's heads and shoulders above Bush, I still don't like him (overall policy wise), but he's a hell of a lot better than what we had the past 8 years.

[pbrower2a]

This is pretty much all you need to know:

Should tax revenues catch up with spending due to the usual multiplier effects upon income and cut into the need to bail out the unemployed from the threat of hunger and homeslessness, then we will do okay. Projections of budget surpluses and beyond the next four years are always suspect. If the economy picks up over the next couple of years we will surely see shrinking (if not disappearing) deficits. 

How can anyone make economic projections over five or more years into the future?

[??????????]

Has taken our foreign policy from "let's bomb the f&$k out of everyone who disagrees with us" to "let's talk first", a very great achievement in my book.

Well since N. Korea has unilaterally disarmed, you're right.

[CJK]

Most conservatives recognized that Obama was little more than a fraud and a tool of the Chicago machine before the election. He has shamelessly changed his position on so many issues that it is safe to say that either he has no principles other than accumulating power, Chicago style, or that he doesn't know what he's doing in the first place.

[Keystone Phil]

Well, if you ask people around here, he's already locked up a landslide re-election win against the "likely" GOP contenders. Impressive!

[5280]

Well, if you ask people around here, he's already locked up a landslide re-election win against the "likely" GOP contenders. Impressive!

You're not serious are you?  I hope there was some sarcasm in that statement.

[??????????]

Well, if you ask people around here, he's already locked up a landslide re-election win against the "likely" GOP contenders. Impressive!

You're not serious are you?  I hope there was some sarcasm in that statement.

Have you read the posts of any red avatars around here?

[5280]

Yeah I have, wasn't sure if he was serious though.

[Keystone Phil]

Well, if you ask people around here, he's already locked up a landslide re-election win against the "likely" GOP contenders. Impressive!

You're not serious are you?  I hope there was some sarcasm in that statement.

Yes, I am serious that plenty of people think he'll absolutely demolish many of the "likely" GOP contenders.

[YRABNNRM]

Well, if you ask people around here, he's already locked up a landslide re-election win against the "likely" GOP contenders. Impressive!

You're not serious are you?  I hope there was some sarcasm in that statement.

Yes, I am serious that plenty of people think he'll absolutely demolish many of the "likely" GOP contenders.

That's because of the weakness of the potential GOP field rather than the strength of Obama, for me at least. Of course anything can happen.

Should he win re-election, I doubt it will be as big as last time.

[Landslide Lyndon]

That's because of the weakness of the potential GOP field rather than the strength of Obama, for me at least. Of course anything can happen.

Should he win re-election, I doubt it will be as big as last time.

That.
Like Bill Maher said the other day: ''The party is doing everything it can to secure Obama's reelection. The Republican party".

[pbrower2a]

Well, if you ask people around here, he's already locked up a landslide re-election win against the "likely" GOP contenders. Impressive!

You're not serious are you?  I hope there was some sarcasm in that statement.

Yes, I am serious that plenty of people think he'll absolutely demolish many of the "likely" GOP contenders.

That's because of the weakness of the potential GOP field rather than the strength of Obama, for me at least. Of course anything can happen.

Should he win re-election, I doubt it will be as big as last time.

It all depends upon how seriously Obama campaigns in 2012.

[Keystone Phil]

Well, if you ask people around here, he's already locked up a landslide re-election win against the "likely" GOP contenders. Impressive!

You're not serious are you?  I hope there was some sarcasm in that statement.

Yes, I am serious that plenty of people think he'll absolutely demolish many of the "likely" GOP contenders.

That's because of the weakness of the potential GOP field rather than the strength of Obama, for me at least. Of course anything can happen.

Should he win re-election, I doubt it will be as big as last time.

That doesn't mean it's a guaranteed re-election win. Weak candidates can beat a weak President. I don't know if he'll be weak or not. Then again, I'm not the one posting arrogant predictions so far out (not saying you are either, for the record).

[pogo stick]

He's done nothing worth credit for. All he's done is go out on a few dates with his wife. Then  joined the "blame America" crowd. Smooched up to terrorists. you get the point

[bgwah]

(environment, transportation, gay rights, economy, etc.)

I tend to be interested in urban and transportation issues, and I'm very happy with the Obama administration so far. This stuff is great: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/17/us/politics/17train.html and that's also linked to the environment, in my opinion.

And on gay rights... He's said he opposed gay marriage for years now, so you should have known he wouldn't be some ardent supporter of gay rights... I of course would like him to be better in this area, but I've known since 2007 that he didn't support gay marriage and decided to support him despite that. At least I'm assuming your talking about marriage when you say gay rights, with the recent DOMA news, but perhaps I assume too much.

Additionally, I find his foreign policy to be refreshing.

You yourself said you didn't really know what you expected... just because you were naive doesn't mean Obama is a failure (and I don't mean that in an offensive or demeaning way).

[exopolitician]

If I had to rate his performance now Id give him a C. He's done enough reversing a lot of the old foreign policy disasters that Bush had in place. Plus he reversed the policy of Stem Cell Research which is awesome. But he still lags on everything else. Especially with the promises he made to the LGBT Community. Huge disappointment.

[aaaa2222]

That's because of the weakness of the potential GOP field rather than the strength of Obama, for me at least. Of course anything can happen.

Should he win re-election, I doubt it will be as big as last time.

That.
Like Bill Maher said the other day: ''The party is doing everything it can to secure Obama's reelection. The Republican party".

I agree. I really like Maher more and more now, and although I would classify myself as somewhat conservative, I really despise the Republican party. That's not really a good sign.

[??????????]

Maher is a moron. Seriously.

[JSojourner]

B- or C+ from me.

As a liberal, I would have liked Obama to go farther in advancing a truly liberal agenda. But like any astute politician, whether his name is Clinton or Reagan, he understands the nature of a razor-thin majority in both houses and an electorate that is basically centrist.  Some would even say center-right.

On foreign policy and military matters, I think he has managed quite well.  But that could be because I am used to eight years of "mission accomplished" and "oceans won't protect us". With remarkable alacrity, he saw to the rescue of an American citizen and the swift dispatch of the Somali pirates holding him.  So much for the "Obama will bend over for black muslims" crowd.  Still, conservatives are not without substance when they point to hand-wringing and a lack of decisive action regarding North Korea.  Liberals would like to see the pullout from Iraq stepped up.  Some would even suggest withdrawal from Afghanistan.  But if that was the change they wanted, Obama should never have been their guy.  From day one, he made clear that Afghanistan and Pakistan would be the first front in the war on terror.

On domestic policy, I am less anxious about rampant spending than some...but I would be lying to say it does not give me pause.  As bad as the economy was, however, I doubt a President McCain would have spent less.  In fact, he might have spent the same but allocated the monies very differently. If forced to choose, I prefer the spending choices Obama has made to the ones McCain likely would have made.  (Either way though, the improvement from the previous knucklehead in chief would have been palpable.)

I am not sure any comment from someone on this forum gave me more comfort and hope than Torie's characterization of candidate Obama as "a serious man".  The President has done nothing to persuade me that Torie was wrong.  And while the jury is certainly still out regarding his success (Carter and Hoover were serious men, too), I am guardedly hopeful.

I do wish to affirm and echo Keystone Phil's remark.  There does tend to be a cockyness among Democrats here that was quite characteristic of Republicans until recently.  Yes, I grant, I am the party pessimist when it comes to our electoral chances...preferring to be pleasantly surprised as opposed to be crushed  (See the 2004 Kerry loss or the 1994 House elections!).  But still, we do ourselves no service at all by presuming victory.  Obama's supporters need to work as hard now (perhaps harder) as they did in the primary and the general. 

Concede nothing to the opposition.  But presume nothing on the part of our party, either.

[??????????]

JS, Obama needs to come to the realization that the UN and tough talk aren't going to solve this Korean issue. I think at this point if we did something against N. Korea, China would probably turn their head. It's even gotten to the point where the Chinese are telling them to chill out.