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The many accomplishments of Barack Hussein Obama II
First, he brought eloquence, style, respect inspiration, character and class back to the White House. There were no scandals. This is not a small thing.
Second, he dodged a second Great Depression. Yes, there were many others involved, but the topic is the Obama legacy, which covers everything. There was no second Great Depression despite strong GOPer efforts to undermine the economic recovery at every possible step along the way.
As The Economist put it, “The bail-outs and stimulus implemented in his first, fraught months in office not only averted
economic catastrophe, saving the banks (eventually at a profit) and the car industry: the slant towards tax credits and welfare spending
arrested what might have been a gruesome rise in poverty.”
Third, he paved the way for tens of millions of people to get real healthcare, for the first time in their lives. In the words of Joe Biden, “This is a <rather> big thing.”
Fourth, he avoided the knee-jerk instinct to get involved in yet another Middle East war.
Fifth, he recognized the rapidly rising importance of the Asia-Pacific region – all of it -- like no one since Richard Nixon, and Nixon only saw China (not Japan or ASEAN) as a counterweight to the USSR. The pivot and TPP are the best known examples.
Sixth, his terms coincided with an increase in equity prices that is only matched by the collapse in unemployment and first claims.
As an afterthought, there the killing of Osama bin Laden, restoring relations with Cuba, curtailing Ebola, a dramatic drop in the black-white high school drop-out rate, an end to official tolerance of torture and the Paris climate-change deal.
one of the reasons why conservatives hate Obama with such a passion is because he was so -consequential-. his policies, especially in his first administration, was a distinct contrast from Clintonian centrist small-ball. and executive orders aside, those policies will be fiendishly hard to change.
you might disagree with his policies, but they're not "nothing".
There is a cult of ignorance in the United States, and there has always been. The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that "My ignorance is just as good as your knowledge."- Isaac Asimov
one of the reasons why conservatives hate Obama with such a passion is because he was so -consequential-. his policies, especially in his first administration, was a distinct contrast from Clintonian centrist small-ball. and executive orders aside, those policies will be fiendishly hard to change.
you might disagree with his policies, but they're not "nothing".
I think that in 50 years time people will still be talking about The Donald.
We're about to find out...The Saudi financed democratic Party is certainly using its funds to discredit him..hard to know who is pulling whose strings these days.
one of the reasons why conservatives hate Obama with such a passion is because he was so -consequential-. his policies, especially in his first administration, was a distinct contrast from Clintonian centrist small-ball. and executive orders aside, those policies will be fiendishly hard to change.
you might disagree with his policies, but they're not "nothing".
So, why is your democracy weaker now?
No such thing as a good tax - Churchill
To make mistakes is human. To blame someone else for your mistake, is strategic.
First, he brought eloquence, style, respect inspiration, character and class back to the White House. There were no scandals. This is not a small thing.
Second, he dodged a second Great Depression. Yes, there were many others involved, but the topic is the Obama legacy, which covers everything. There was no second Great Depression despite strong GOPer efforts to undermine the economic recovery at every possible step along the way.
As The Economist put it, “The bail-outs and stimulus implemented in his first, fraught months in office not only averted
economic catastrophe, saving the banks (eventually at a profit) and the car industry: the slant towards tax credits and welfare spending
arrested what might have been a gruesome rise in poverty.”
Third, he paved the way for tens of millions of people to get real healthcare, for the first time in their lives. In the words of Joe Biden, “This is a <rather> big thing.”
Fourth, he avoided the knee-jerk instinct to get involved in yet another Middle East war.
Fifth, he recognized the rapidly rising importance of the Asia-Pacific region – all of it -- like no one since Richard Nixon, and Nixon only saw China (not Japan or ASEAN) as a counterweight to the USSR. The pivot and TPP are the best known examples.
Sixth, his terms coincided with an increase in equity prices that is only matched by the collapse in unemployment and first claims.
Fair enough
As an afterthought, there the killing of Osama bin Laden .
Well done, Mr President.
I thought the killing of Osama was an opportunity missed. Should have been put on trial and humiliated.
restoring relations with Cuba
Long over due
curtailing Ebola
That was an international effort, hardly something Obama could claim his own
a dramatic drop in the black-white high school drop-out rate
Any figures on that?
an end to official tolerance of torture
Guantanamo is still holding untried prisoners, so much for the rule of law. Even Goering was given a trial.
it is not needed to be an American to see that US WILL miss Obama dearly. an autocrat is an autocrat no matter his nationality.
and
enter ochlocracy...
Love all, trust a few, do wrong to none; be able for thine enemy rather in power than use; and keep thy friend under thine own life's key; be checked for silence, but never taxed for speech.
In the end, I think the admin may have called the syrian situation more or less right (although I always seem to be changing my mind on this one). Impossible to know if early action would have helped or not. But its even more unreasonable to expect america to solve every problem. Maybe if the alawites had been more vocal in opposing Assad early on. Difficult to know if another admin would have done it differently with the backdrop of lessons learnt from Afghanistan and Iraq so readily accessible.
The man goes out and his Presidency can and will be measured in the coming years, be it on opening of new jobs, average salary, roads, environment, peace efforts, debt, racial issues, education, healthcare, military withdrawal, foreign policy...
I am curious how Trump is judged as mainly bad when he ain't even sat (to be frank on this one, I have some serious doubts what's he's gonna do that will turn good), he is also judged for wanting good relations with Russia, when Obama's administration was the one with the reset button...
No such thing as a good tax - Churchill
To make mistakes is human. To blame someone else for your mistake, is strategic.
There is a cult of ignorance in the United States, and there has always been. The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that "My ignorance is just as good as your knowledge."- Isaac Asimov
I am curious how Trump is judged as mainly bad when he ain't even sat (to be frank on this one, I have some serious doubts what's he's gonna do that will turn good),
at least from my POV, I'm not judging him for what his administration has done because as you say, he's not even President yet. I do judge him for his words/actions as President-Elect and as a Presidential nominee.
he is also judged for wanting good relations with Russia, when Obama's administration was the one with the reset button...
2016 Russia is not the same as 2008 Russia. the attempt to play Medvedev off Putin obviously failed but I think was still worth playing.
in any case, the phrase "fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice..." comes to mind. if Obama suddenly said in 2016 that he wanted to try yet another reset, I'd be dead set against that as well, let alone someone as...compromised...as Trump is on the subject.
There is a cult of ignorance in the United States, and there has always been. The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that "My ignorance is just as good as your knowledge."- Isaac Asimov
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