Obama Has Been Busy

I know that the critics of our president will pick one or two instances below and hold them up as examples of everything they hate about him but those with the ability to see the whole picture and judge his first year for what it really was will not see a hell-bent socialist or a Nazi regime in the making but a rather methodical calculated approach to governing this country. Little by little Obama is forging his legacy while his critics lob bomb after bomb in order to destroy anything and everything that falls within their range of fire regardless of the repercussions for the people of this country. The hypercriticism long ago reached the ridiculous point and now borders on comedy if not tragic comedy. Fortunately the emotions that motivate these critics and the fear that drives them will abate and cooler heads will prevail. This list provides a reality check to those that have lived the past year in the alternative matrix-like world of the fringe Right wing characterization of the Obama presidency. Yes indeed, there is a world beyond the illusion provided by the machine of Right politics. Welcome to Zion and reality if you dare. Sorry, but it is a one-way trip.

While we may or may not agree with the actions of some things on the list, there are significant deeds here which we may not be aware of and may need to weigh before making a personal assessment.


The author is Professor Robert Watson of Lynn University who was once a writer for the New York Times.


Professor Watson writes:



Hi friends,


I am always being asked to grade Obama's presidency. In place of offering him a grade, I put together a list of his accomplishments thus far. I think you would agree that it is very impressive. His first six months have been even more active than FDRs or LBJs the two standards for such assessments. Yet, there is little media attention given to much of what he has done. Of late, the media is focusing almost exclusively on Obama's critics, without holding them responsible for the uncivil, unconstructive tone of their disagreements or without holding the previous administration responsible for getting us in such a deep hole. The misinformation and venom that now passes for political reporting and civic debate is beyond description.
As such, there is a need to set the record straight. What most impresses me is the fact that Obama has accomplished so much not from a heavy-handed or top-down approach but from a style that has institutionalized efforts to reach across the aisle, encourage vigorous debate, and utilize town halls and panels of experts in the policy-making process. Beyond the accomplishments, the process is good for democracy and our democratic processes have been battered and bruised in recent years.
Let me know if I missed anything in the list (surely I did).
Robert

1. Ordered all federal agencies to undertake a study and make recommendations for ways to cut spending
2. Ordered a review of all federal operations to identify and cut wasteful spending and practices
3. Instituted enforcement for equal pay for women
4. Beginning the withdrawal of US troops from Iraq
5. Families of fallen soldiers have expenses covered to be on hand when the body arrives at Dover AFB
6. Ended media blackout on war casualties; reporting full information
7. Ended media blackout on covering the return of fallen soldiers to Dover AFB; the media is now permitted to do so pending adherence to respectful rules and approval of fallen soldier's family
8. The White House and federal government are respecting the Freedom of Information Act
9. Instructed all federal agencies to promote openness and transparency as much as possible
10. Limits on lobbyist's access to the White House
11. Limits on White House aides working for lobbyists after their tenure in the administration
12. Ended the previous stop-loss policy that kept soldiers in Iraq/Afghanistan longer than their enlistment date
13. Phasing out the expensive F-22 war plane and other outdated weapons systems, which weren't even used or needed in Iraq/Afghanistan
14. Removed restrictions on embryonic stem-cell research
15. Federal support for stem-cell and new biomedical research
16. New federal funding for science and research labs
17. States are permitted to enact federal fuel efficiency standards above federal standards
18. Increased infrastructure spending (roads, bridges, power plants) after years of neglect
19. Funds for high-speed, broadband Internet access to K-12 schools
20. New funds for school construction
21. The prison at Guantanamo Bay is being phased out
22. US Auto industry rescue plan
23. Housing rescue plan
24. $789 billion economic stimulus plan
25. The public can meet with federal housing insurers to refinance (the new plan can be completed in one day) a mortgage if they are having trouble paying
26. US financial and banking rescue plan
27. The secret detention facilities in Eastern Europe and elsewhere are being closed
28. Ended the previous policy; the US now has a no torture policy and is in compliance with the Geneva Convention standards
29. Better body armor is now being provided to our troops
30. The missile defense program is being cut by $1.4 billion in 2010
31. Restarted the nuclear nonproliferation talks and building back up the nuclear inspection infrastructure/protocols
32. Reengaged in the treaties/agreements to protect the Antarctic
33. Reengaged in the agreements/talks on global warming and greenhouse gas emissions
34. Visited more countries and met with more world leaders than any president in his first six months in office
35. Successful release of US captain held by Somali pirates; authorized the SEALS to do their job
36. US Navy increasing patrols off Somali coast
37. Attractive tax write-offs for those who buy hybrid automobiles
38. Cash for clunkers program offers vouchers to trade in fuel inefficient, polluting old cars for new cars; stimulated auto sales
39. Announced plans to purchase fuel efficient American-made fleet for the federal government
40. Expanded the SCHIP program to cover health care for 4 million more children
41. Signed national service legislation; expanded national youth service program
42. Instituted a new policy on Cuba, allowing Cuban families to return home to visit loved ones
43. Ended the previous policy of not regulating and labeling carbon dioxide emissions
44. Expanding vaccination programs
45. Immediate and efficient response to the floods in North Dakota and other natural disasters
46. Closed offshore tax safe havens
47. Negotiated deal with Swiss banks to permit US government to gain access to records of tax evaders and criminals
48. Ended the previous policy of offering tax benefits to corporations who outsource American jobs; the new policy is to promote in-sourcing to bring jobs back
49. Ended the previous practice of protecting credit card companies; in place of it are new consumer protections from credit card industry's predatory practices

.....cont'ed second post.....ironically

 

cont'ed....

50. Energy producing plants must begin preparing to produce 15% of their energy from renewable sources
51. Lower drug costs for seniors
52. Ended the previous practice of forbidding Medicare from negotiating with drug manufacturers for cheaper drugs; the federal government is now realizing hundreds of millions in savings
53. Increasing pay and benefits for military personnel
54. Improved housing for military personnel
55. Initiating a new policy to promote federal hiring of military spouses
56. Improved conditions at Walter Reed Military Hospital and other military hospitals
57. Increasing student loans
58. Increasing opportunities in AmeriCorps program
59. Sent envoys to Middle East and other parts of the world that had been neglected for years; reengaging in multilateral and bilateral talks and diplomacy
60. Established a new cyber security office
61. Beginning the process of reforming and restructuring the military 20 years after the Cold War to a more modern fighting force; this includes new procurement policies, increasing size of military, new technology and cyber units and operations, etc.
62. Ended previous policy of awarding no-bid defense contracts
63. Ordered a review of hurricane and natural disaster preparedness
64. Established a National Performance Officer charged with saving the federal government money and making federal operations more efficient
65. Students struggling to make college loan payments can have their loans refinanced
66. Improving benefits for veterans
67. Many more press conferences and town halls and much more media access than previous administration
68. Instituted a new focus on mortgage fraud
69. The FDA is now regulating tobacco
70. Ended previous policy of cutting the FDA and circumventing FDA rules
71. Ended previous practice of having White House aides rewrite scientific and environmental rules, regulations, and reports
72. Authorized discussions with North Korea and private mission by Pres. Bill Clinton to secure the release of two Americans held in prisons
73. Authorized discussions with Myanmar and mission by Sen. Jim Web to secure the release of an American held captive
74. Making more loans available to small businesses
75. Established independent commission to make recommendations on slowing the costs of Medicare
76. Appointment of first Latina to the Supreme Court
77. Authorized construction/opening of additional health centers to care for veterans
78. Limited salaries of senior White House aides; cut to $100,000
79. Renewed loan guarantees for Israel
80. Changed the failing/status quo military command in Afghanistan
81. Deployed additional troops to Afghanistan
82. New Afghan War policy that limits aerial bombing and prioritizes aid, development of infrastructure, diplomacy, and good government practices by Afghans
83. Announced the long-term development of a national energy grid with renewable sources and cleaner, efficient energy production
84. Returned money authorized for refurbishment of White House offices and private living quarters
85. Paid for redecoration of White House living quarters out of his own pocket
86. Held first Seder in White House
87. Attempting to reform the nation's healthcare system which is the most expensive in the world yet leaves almost 50 million without health insurance and millions more under insured
88. Has put the ball in play for comprehensive immigration reform
89. Has announced his intention to push for energy reform
90. Has announced his intention to push for education reform

Oh, and he built a swing set for the girls outside the Oval Office!

b
Robert P. Watson, Ph.D.Coordinator of American Studies
Lynn University

 

OK But other than that what has he done for you (any python fans amongst us LOL)

 

I haven't heard a lot of people (in my circles anyway) say that he hasn't been doing things.

 

I think it has been more of a lack of media coverage because these things aren't as "sexy" as the inflamatory rhetoric of the Right. Granted, some of these list items wouldn't make page 7 on a slow news day but on the whole they are the true measure of the Obama first year as opposed to the imaginary track record the GOP paints of him. Nothing on the list is the entire measure of his first year but taken together, he seems to be governing as an open-minded middle of the road leader not a freakish radical with green eyes and baby blood dripping from his teeth the Right sees him as. Considering the withering fire he has been under from day one, I think hes done pretty well so far. Imagine what this country could accomplish if Obama had an opposition party that was willing to work with him for the interests of the middle class instead of a fringe group looking to move even further to the right. The Right has it's fear monging heads and the Left has it's laughing "can you believe these people" heads dividing this country more and more.

 

Moen,

Did you read the list. It is more of a "To Do" list than it is a list of accomplishments. Last time I checked, announcing an intention is not an accomplishment.

Anything else you would like to waste our time with?

 

Thanks! You just saved me the time of writing this.

No substance to over half of this. Undertook a 'study'? Ordered a 'review'? Authorized discussions? Announced plans? Announced his intentions? And you're really praising him for limiting lobbyists in the Whitehouse? Almost everybody there is from big business, lobbying for their former employers!

I didn't realize we were praising the stimulus bill. I thought it was a debacle and it all went to the banks? He IS going to outspend Bush if that's an accomplishment that can be added to the list.

Lower drug costs for seniors? I would like to know more details about this. How were they lowered, what was lowered and how is it being paid for?

This list is garbage.

 

"34. Visited more countries and met with more world leaders than any president in his first six months in office"


This could be expanded to, "has spent less time in the Whitehouse than any other president in history."

He seems to like jet-setting around the country and around the world on a regular basis. It's on the tax payers dime anyway.
I heard he spent last Christmas in Hawaii. Sometimes it's Chicago. Sometimes he thinks he's still on the campaign trail.

 

He's also in charge of the Society For Putting Things On Top Of Other Things.

 

I guess according to the left that IF you think of it, and you INTEND to do it, it is an accomplishment...it is part of the "if it feels right and think dream about it" mentality.

The majority of that "list of feel goods" is nothing more than a little kid getting a "participation" trophy so there are no winners and losers...even though the real world keeps score.

 

Glad to see that you think these are just feel good measures

7. Ended media blackout on covering the return of fallen soldiers to Dover AFB; the media is now permitted to do so pending adherence to respectful rules and approval of fallen soldier's family
12. Ended the previous stop-loss policy that kept soldiers in Iraq/Afghanistan longer than their enlistment date
13. Phasing out the expensive F-22 war plane and other outdated weapons systems, which weren't even used or needed in Iraq/Afghanistan
29. Better body armor is now being provided to our troops
35. Successful release of US captain held by Somali pirates; authorized the SEALS to do their job
36. US Navy increasing patrols off Somali coast
53. Increasing pay and benefits for military personnel
54. Improved housing for military personnel
55. Initiating a new policy to promote federal hiring of military spouses
56. Improved conditions at Walter Reed Military Hospital and other military hospitals
61. Beginning the process of reforming and restructuring the military 20 years after the Cold War to a more modern fighting force; this includes new procurement policies, increasing size of military, new technology and cyber units and operations, etc.
62. Ended previous policy of awarding no-bid defense contracts
63. Ordered a review of hurricane and natural disaster preparedness
66. Improving benefits for veterans
79. Renewed loan guarantees for Israel
80. Changed the failing/status quo military command in Afghanistan
81. Deployed additional troops to Afghanistan


1. Ordered all federal agencies to undertake a study and make recommendations for ways to cut spending
2. Ordered a review of all federal operations to identify and cut wasteful spending and practices
18. Increased infrastructure spending (roads, bridges, power plants) after years of neglect
19. Funds for high-speed, broadband Internet access to K-12 schools
20. New funds for school construction
31. Restarted the nuclear nonproliferation talks and building back up the nuclear inspection infrastructure/protocols
46. Closed offshore tax safe havens
47. Negotiated deal with Swiss banks to permit US government to gain access to records of tax evaders and criminals
48. Ended the previous policy of offering tax benefits to corporations who outsource American jobs; the new policy is to promote in-sourcing to bring jobs back
63. Ordered a review of hurricane and natural disaster preparedness
64. Established a National Performance Officer charged with saving the federal government money and making federal operations more efficient
74. Making more loans available to small businesses
78. Limited salaries of senior White House aides; cut to $100,000

Do you not think your service personel and there families deserve better care and that the soldiers dont deserve better body armour!!
You complain about him ordering reviews well any one care to tell me how goverment change the manner in which they opperate without 1st holding a review to see if the changes proposed are actualy what is required?

Now who would care to list what each of the (Shall we say) last 4 Presidents have achieved in there 1st year in office?

Now the items I picked out were just from a quick glance, sure the guy has done a lot of traveling, if he did not you would be complaining that he does nothing but sit in the white house.
Lets have some truth here no matter what President Obama does you wont like it, if he ended world poverty tomorrow you would call it a left wing plot!!

Now we wait for the calls that I am a leftie/Obama worshiper as those are after all your usual shouts when someone says something positive about him.

 

This is no more ridiculous that the inability of the Right to credit Obama with anything whatsoever. I've already said many of these items individually wouldn't make the news on a slow news day but taken as a whole, they add up to quite a busy first year.

Try to imagine taking on all these issues with the ferocity of the Republican attacks in your face day after day. As in all things, they must be considered in the context in which they occur.

The Republican attacks that began immediately as Obama took office still echo fresh in my memory, "Obama is trying to do too much". Now barely a year later these same people are saying he hasn't done anything. Again, just hypercriticism for no other reason than extreme partisanship. Kind of the Dick Cheney and the Dick Army philosophy....Just be a Dick!

 

Get real! The vast majority of the items listed can't be considered accomplishments, they are simply the everyday task of carrying out the job- kind of like an employee bragging that he showed up for work everyday and on on time.
I would ask that you provide a list of what BO has done that wouldn't or couldn't have been done without BO being in the White House, now those would be accomplishments. Heck, even list a few items he promised to deliver while he was on the campaign trail!
If you peruse the list closely you will see instances where BO actually came up short on a promise yet it still managed to make this list. Go figure.

 

But they were not done without him being in the Whitehouse now were they David? it's like saying the war on terror could have been done without President Bush (In theory it could have but again was not)

 

Yeah, I guess you're right- BO has trully transformed the world with this impressive list of accomplishments & mega-achievements.
But the part I don't get is how a campaign promise unfulfilled be considered an accomplishment?

 

That's a pretty disingenuous statement because you don't even want the things Obama promised in the first place. How can you be so upset that he didn’t deliver something that you didn’t even want? Just sounds like an excuse to whine in my opinion. I have no time today for a pretend argument so I'll move along.

 

Just found a amusing list for President GW Bush

1. Significantly eased field-testing controls of genetically engineered crops.
2. Cut federal spending on libraries by $39 million.
3. Cut $35 million in funding for doctors to get advanced pediatric training.
4. Cut funding for research into renewable energy sources by 50%.
5. Revoked rules that reduced the acceptable levels of arsenic in drinking water.

6. Blocked rules that would require federal agencies to offer bilingual assistance to non-English speaking persons. This, from a candidate who would readily fire-up his Spanish-speaking skills in front of would-be Hispanic voters.
7. Proposed to eliminate new marine protections for the Channel Islands and the coral reefs of northwest Hawaii (please see San Francisco Chronicle, April 6, 2001).
8. Cut funding for research into cleaner, more efficient cars and trucks by 28%
9. Suspended rules that would have strengthened the government's ability to deny contracts to companies that violated workplace safety, environmental and other federal laws.
10. Approved the sending of letters by Interior Department appointee Gale Norton to state officials soliciting suggestions for opening up national monuments for oil and gas drilling, coal mining, and foresting.

11. Appointed John Negroponte -- an unindicted high-level Iran Contra figure to the post of United Nations Ambassador.
12. Abandoned a campaign pledge to invest $100 million for rainforest conservation.
13. Reduced by 86% the Community Access Program for public hospitals, clinics and providers of care for people without insurance.
14. Rescinded a proposal to increase public access to information about the potential consequences resulting from chemical plant accidents.
15. Suspended rules that would require hardrock miners to clean up sites on public lands.

16. Cut $60 million from a Boy's and Girl's Clubs of America program for public housing.
17. Proposed to eliminate a federal program, designed and successfully used in Seattle, to help communities prepare for natural disasters.
18. Pulled out of the 1997 Kyoto Treaty global warming agreement. 19. Cut $200 million of work force training for dislocated workers.
20. Eliminated funding for the Wetlands Reserve Program, which encourages farmers to maintain wetlands habitat on their property.

21. Cut program to provide childcare to low-income families as they move from welfare to work.
22. Cut a program that provided prescription contraceptive coverage to federal employees (though it still pays for Viagra).
23. Cut $700 million in capital funds for repairs in public housing.
24. Appointed Otto Reich -- an un-indicted high-level Iran Contra figure -- to Assistant Secretary of State for Inter-American Affairs.
25. Cut the budget of the Environmental Protection Agency by $500 million.

26. Proposed to curtail the ability of groups to sue in order to get an animal placed on the Endangered Species List.
27. Rescinded the rule that mandated increased energy-saving efficiency regulations for central air conditioners and heat pumps.
28. Repealed workplace ergonomic rules designed to improve worker health and safety.
29. Abandoned campaign pledge to regulate carbon dioxide, the waste gas that contributes to global warming.
30. Banned federal aid to international family planning programs that offer abortion counseling with other independent funds.

31. Closed the White House Office for Women's Health Initiatives and Outreach.
32. Nominated David Lauriski -- an ex-mining company executive --- to post of Assistant Secretary of Labor for Mine Safety and Health.
33. Approved a controversial plan by Interior Secretary Gale Norton to auction oil and gas development tracts off the coast of eastern Florida.
34. Announced intention to open up Montana's Lewis and Clark National Forest to oil and drilling.
35. Proposes to re-draw boundaries of nation's monuments, which would technically allow oil and gas drilling "outside" of national monuments.

36. Gutted the White House AIDS Office.
37. Renegotiated a free trade agreement with Jordan to eliminate workers's rights and safeguards for the environment.
38. Will no longer seek guidance from The American Bar Association in recommendations for the federal judiciary appointments.
39. Appointed recycling foe Lynn Scarlett as Undersecretary of the Interior.
40. Took steps to abolish the White House Council on Environmental Quality.

41. Cut the Community Oriented Policing Services program.
42. Allowed Interior Secretary Gale Norton to shelve citizen-led grizzly bear re-introduction plan scheduled for Idaho and Montana wilderness.
43. Continues to hold up federal funding for stem cell research projects.
44. Makes sure convicted misdemeanor drug users cannot get financial aid for college, though convicted murderers can.
45. Refused to fund continued cleanup of uranium-slag heap in Utah.

46. Refused to fund continued litigation of the government's tobacco company lawsuit.
47. Proposed a $2 trillion tax cut, 43% of which will go to the wealthiest 1% of Americans.
48. Signed a bill making it harder for poor and middle-class Americans to file for bankruptcy, even in the case of daunting medical bills.
49. Appointed a Vice President quoted as saying "If you want to do something about carbon dioxide emissions, then you ought to build nuclear power plants." (Meet the Press.")
50. Appointed Diana Roth to the Council of Economic Advisers. ("There is no gender gap in pay", Boston Globe, March 28, 2001.)

 

51. Appointed Kay Cole James, an opponent of affirmative action, to direct the Office of Personnel Management.
52. Cut $15.7 million earmarked for states to investigate cases of child abuse and neglect.
53. Helped kill a law designed to make it tougher for teenagers to get credit cards.
54. Proposed elimination of the "Reading is Fundamental" program that gives free books to poor children.
55. Is pushing for development of small nuclear arms to attack deeply buried targets and weapons. This would violate the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty.

56. Proposes to nominate Jeffrey Sutton, the attorney responsible for a recent case weakening the Americans with Disabilities Act, to federal appeals court judgeship.
57. Proposes to reverse regulation protecting 60 million acres of national forest from logging and road building.
58. Eliminated funding for the "We the People" education program which taught school children about the Constitution, the Bill of Rights and citizenship.
59. Appointed John Bolton, who opposes nonproliferation treaties and the UN, to Undersecretary of State for Arms Control and International Security.
60. Nominated Linda Fisher, an executive with Monsanto, for the number-two job at the Environmental Protection Agency.

61. Nominated Michael McConnell, leading critic of the separation of church and state, to a federal judgeship.
62. Nominated Terrence Boyle, an ardent opponent of civil rights, to a federal judgeship.
63. Canceled 2004 deadline for automakers to develop prototype high mileage cars.
64. Nominated Harvey Pitts, a lawyer for a teen sex video distributor, to head SEC.
65. Nominated John Walters, a strong opponent of prison drug treatment programs, to be Drug Tsar. (Washington Post, May 16, 2001.)

66. Nominated J. Steven Giles, an oil and coal lobbyist, for Deputy Secretary of the Interior.
67. Nominated Bennett Raley, who advocates repealing the Endangered Species Act, for Assistant Secretary for Water and Science
68. Is seeking the dismissal of class-action lawsuit filed in the US against Japan by Asian women forced to work as sex slaves during WWII.
69. Earmarked $4 million in new federal grant money for HIV and drug abuse prevention programs to go only to religious groups and not secular equivalents.
70. Reduced the Low Income Home Assistance Program by 40%; it aided low-income individuals who need assistance paying energy bills.

71. Nominated Ted Olson, who has repeatedly lied about his involvement with the Scaiffe-funded "Arkansas Project" to bring down Bill Clinton, for Solicitor General.
72. Nominated Terrance Boyle, a foe of civil rights, to a federal judgeship.
73. Proposes to ease permit process, including environmental considerations, for refinery, nuclear and hydroelectric dam construction. (Washington Post, May 18, 2001.)
74. Proposes to give government the authority to take private property through eminent domain for power lines.
75. Proposes that $1.2 billion in funding for alternative renewable energy come from selling oil and gas lease tracts in the Alaska National Wildlife Reserve.
76. Plans on serving genetically engineered foods at all official government functions.
77. Forced out Forest Service chief Mike Dombeck and appointed a timber industry lobbyist.

 

1st year in office

VACATIONS
President Obama All or part of 26 days over 4 trips
President G W. Bush spent 69 days at his Texas ranch over 9 trips to his ranch

DOMESTIC TRAVEL
President Obama 46 out-of-town trips to 58 cities and towns in 30 states
President G W. Bush made appearances in 39 states
President Clinton visited 22 states

FOREIGN TRAVEL
President Obama 10 foreign trips to 21 nations (4 of them twice).
President G W. Bush 7 trips to 14 countries

VISITS TO CAMP DAVID
President Obama 11 visits totaling all or part of 27 days.
President G W. Bush made 26 visits spanning all or part of 81 days

POLITICAL FUNDRAISERS
President Obama 3 events attended
President G W. Bush 6 events attended

MEETINGS WITH FOREIGN LEADERS
President Obama 74 (several multiple times)
President G W. Bush 115 (several multiple times)

A few comparisons

 

I don't like the Yankees either but if they won the World Series it would still be an accomplishment, right?