Evaluating Obama's Presidency (and Probably Doing it way too Early...)

[M.G.]

Last edited Fri Oct 11, 2013, 11:50 PM - Edit history (1)

I've been in a number of conversations evaluating Obama's Presidency in the last few weeks, which, now that I think of it, probably partly spurred me to join DU a few days ago.

I know its way too early to issue a final judgment, but how would you evaluate Obama's place in the Presidential pantheon?

Given the surreal temperament of our times, there's a fairly high likelihood that multitudes of unforeseeable events will shape how future generations will evaluate Obama's tenure, but so far I would rank Obama as somewhere between very good and near-great.

I would consider Obama's primary accomplishments enacting the ACA, saving the auto industry, spearheading progress on LGBT issues (the biggest Civil Rights advance in decades), preventing total collapse of the economy via TARP & stimulus (though economists will be debating the overall effects of that for a while), and assassinating Bin Laden.

All solid accomplishments, although I don't quite see them as sufficiently transformational for Obama to be ranked a great President like Roosevelt.

I would consider President Obama's main failure to have been underestimating how oppositional the GOP would be, leading him to be less assertive in negotations then he perhaps should have been. Also, he tends too much towards moderation when vigorous partisanship would be more effective (a pattern which may be changing now)

What do you think?

[Rosa Luxemburg]

1. He has achieved quite a lot considering the circumstances

my main problem is the futile war/nation building overseas while the country rots at home. That's not all his fault.

[M.G.]

3. You have a valid point

Last edited Fri Oct 11, 2013, 11:17 PM - Edit history (1)

To his credit, Obama did extract America from Iraq, although the details of that withdrawal were in place before he took office.

Despite some real blundering along the way, he did manage to avoid getting America into a conflict with Syria, which Romney or McCain probably would have walked into.

That said, his (basically successful but in my opinion unncecessary and probably unconstitutional) Libya war and hardline security policies and use of drone warfare are certainly valid points of criticism.

[PoliticAverse]

2. I think you are right...

it's way too early.

[Hekate]

4. Well, the GOP declared war on him the moment he was elected & haven't quit.

That's been a distinct drag on his progress.

All things considered, I think he's going to go down in history as one of the best of the lot.

[M.G.]

5. Unrelenting Trench Warfare

Yeah, I think the unrelenting trench warfare the GOP waged on Obama's presidency- during an economic collapse AND wartime - will probably be remembered almost as much as Obama's actual accomplishments.

[Plays In Traffic]

6. I think history will be kind to Obama. His first two years were

marked with significant and positive reform, which we haven't seen in decades - from healthcare reform, credit card reform, passage of the ARRA, financial reform, kicked banks out of federal student loans, increased fuel efficiency standards, saved the auto industry, increased funding for veterans, pass equal pay legislation, land and water conservation, decreased crack cocaine sentences, expanded hate crime legislation, lifted the federal ban on stem cell research, among many others.

Unfortunately, the 2010 Midterms happened and Democrats lost control of the House and Republicans kept the House in 2012 due to gerrymandering despite Democrats winning 1.4 million votes. It will be interesting to see how history interprets the 2010 midterms. Some say it was a "Tea Bagging Revolution."

However, I have a different take - a referendum on Medicare, a liberal program. If you look at the exit polling data, the elderly came on in droves and voted against Democrats. Not for some tea bagging revolution, but due to lies and misinformation about the ACA. Many thought there were going to be death panels and their Medicare benefits cuts - neither were true.

Obama's greatest failure was unable to overcome Republican obstructionism and even trying to compromise with radical Republicans to the point of cutting SS, Medicare, and Veteran benefits. However, I don't know how any human could have possible overcome Republican obstructionism. Not only did Republicans refuse to compromise on SS cuts, but refused to compromise when Obama offered to lower corporate tax rates.

There really is no debate among economist over the ARRA. The overwhelmingly majority of economist agree that it lowered the unemployment rate and increased growth. Not only that, all serious economist have given up on austerity measurements as a solution to our Aggregate Demand deficiency problems. The only people debating this are right wing pundits, but then again they are still debating evolution and global warming.

[M.G.]

7. Very interesting and informative post

I'll have to do more research on what economists say about the ARRA.

One thing you wrote which bears repeating is that no "human could have possibly overcome Republican obstructionism." I've heard a lot of voices from the barely-interested middle along the lines of "I guess Obama's OK, but why doesn't he LEAD the Congress his way?" (I suspect this attitude depresses his approval numbers.) Historians will probably be kinder to Obama on this point than many contemporary observers; no Democrat, and probably very few sane Republican presidents, could have overcome this Congress's truly lunatic obstructionism.

[pinto]

10. "cutting SS, Medicare, and Veteran benefits" ? What cuts?

[Plays In Traffic]

11. Obama was willing to cut those programs by switching over to

chained CPI as a compromise during the fiscal cliff. This method would reduce payment overtime, since the C-CPI calculates inflation at a slightly lower rate than the CPI, due to taking substitution bias into consideration. While substitution bias is real, it completely ignores the fact that the elderly spend a largely portion of their income on housing and healthcare, which are categories that once cannot easily substitute out of.

In fact, the elderly typically face higher inflation than the general population. From December 1982 through December 2011, the all-items CPI-E rose at an annual average rate of 3.1 percent, compared with increases of 2.9 percent for both the CPI-U and CPI-W. There are several reasons that older Americans faced slightly higher inflation rates over the past 29 years.
http://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2012/ted_20120302.htm

This is something that Republicans have long wanted, but part of that compromise was raising taxes on the rich. Ultimately, Republicans refused.

[pinto]

12. Ah got it. Misread your post as *enacted* changes / cuts. So far we're still good.

[blkmusclmachine]

8. Very mediocre, so far. 3 more years to go.

[M.G.]

9. I'd have to disagree

I'd have to disagree, for the reasons I gave in my original post.

[pinto]

13. Tend to agree with most of your assessments. It's a mixed bag. Not unusual for any presidency.

I think he and the Dem party overall underestimated the right wing extremists' stab at holding the government hostage via blatant obstruction. More "mainstream" Republicans, if that's still an accurate term, did so as well, imo.

They've overplayed their minority hand though. Big time.

[M.G.]

14. I think you're right.

Pretty much dead on, in my opinion. Future historians will scrutinize and debate the Republican extremism of this era.

[pinto]

15. It'll be seen as a fringe episode in US politics, imo. What lasting effects remain to be seen.

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

16. I think he will be one of the greatest president this nation has ever seen...

Underestimated and under-appreciated.

[M.G.]

17. I do think Obama has been a very good President, but...

I think Obama has been a very good President, but not quite great. I don't sense that his accomplishments will truly transform America in the way that Roosevelt's or Lincoln's did. I do think he's the best Democratic President since Truman. (LBJ accomplished more, but he had deeper flaws.)

One commentator (I forget which) referred to Obama as a transformational moderate, and I think that fits; in my opinion he's enacted positive changes which strengthened the country, but he hasn't quite moved the window or redefined what is possible in politics.

At least not yet.

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

18. Had he not had a recalcitrant, obstructionist Republican opposition, he would be even greater.

In addition, had he not faced the kind of economic catastrophe, not to mention, all the terrible foreign policy events, natural disasters and untold tragedies, he could have gotten even more done. The countless tragedies this president has faced and yet has boasted a very long list of accomplishments in only his first term means so much. It is such a shame that people don't even realize how much he has accomplished, how much he has done even in the midst of all that he has had to deal with--all the vitriol, hatred, disrespect, economic catastrophe, conflict all over the globe, incessant obstruction at home, etc. I stand by my statement: we don't see it now, as he is still in the first year of his second term. I believe that history will look back on this president with glowing reviews. He will be viewed as one of the greatest ever.

Just his Top 50 accomplishments during his first term:

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/magazine/march_april_2012/features/obamas_top_50_accomplishments035755.php

Should have, could have been more were it not for the unprecedented Republican obstruction. Gitmo closed comes immediately to mind.