kentuck
Is the country better or worse off now than you thought it would be when Barack Obama took office in January 2009?
Is the economy doing worse now than you thought it would do? Did you think there would be more jobs?
Or do you believe that the President is only one man going up against an army of special interests and that, under the circumstances, has done an excellent job?
Do you think John McCain and Sarah Palin would have done a better job?
How do we judge a President on such a relative scale? We are not doing great but it could have been a disaster? Is there another way to judge the job this President has done?
It is rather easy to judge from an ideal and say we should have done this or we should have done that but was the ideal realistic?
How do you judge this President??
http://www.democraticunderground.com/1002804621
The only correct answer is "much worse off." It was never a matter if he was going to make things worse, it was a matter of how much.
Now, let's see what the wild-eyed fools on Skin's island will say to excuse their messiah's poor performance.
no hypocracy
1. Depends on my criteria
Re. the Economy and Progressive Reform: Not where I want it but I also understand how the House and the Senate have made it their mission to prevent any presidential initiative from becoming law.
Re. Healthcare Reform. I appreciate the effort though it isn't Single Payor. I'm not enamoured by the mandatory stipend but I understand it and accept it.
Re. The Attorney General and the Judiciary. He chose well with Soto-Mayer but not so much with Kagan. For one thing, she has to recuse herself for several cases because of her involvement with them as Solicitor General. Next, Eric Holder and the Solicitor General (Kagan and her successor) advocated for the conviction of Governor Don Siegelman to be confirmed by the appellate courts and later, to be denied certoriari by the Supreme Court. I could understand this if this were still the * Administration. But Obama???? I don't understand.
You don't understand a lot of things, least of all how stupid you sound. Let's see: Blame Republicans, not Marxist enough, and not Marxist enough. Check.
MrTriumph
2. Worse. Accountability is dead.
In 2009 & 2010 our Democratic leaders had the opportunity to investigate and, when appropriate, prosecute crimes comitted during the previous 8 years. Instead, they chose to "look forward". The US squandered more blood & treasure in foreign wars where our initial goals were already realized. Our leadership failed.
The result of no accountabilty, prolonged wars and other significant missteps brought on the dismal election results of 2010.
Correct, but for the wrong reasons. Check.
JoePhilly
3. I take a multi faceted approach.
Imagine a bar chart.
The Y axis starts at zero and as it rises, that means "better".
The X axis is a list of factors. The first factor being the most important ... each successive factor reducing in importance.
For me, the first item on the x-axis is job security. Back in Jan 2009, everyone I know, and I mean everyone, was afraid that their job might evaporate any second. That is simply not the case today. Today, yes, there are still concerns, but the level of uncertainty is reduced significantly from Jan 2009.
Next, my 401k. I've been managing it for the last 20 years. And while I protected myself some prior to the collapse, my net worth for retirement dropped in the collapse. Its more than recovered.
Next, friends and family. During the collapse, my sister in law lost her (bad) job. She just got a new job that she loves. My sister had to ask me for a few thousand dollars during the collapse. I gave it to her (not a loan, never loan friends or family money, give to to them). Recently, she sent me a check to "give it back" because she no longer needs it. Another friend who wanted to quit his old job but could not, took a new job. Bottom line, the lives of those around me are getting better.
Overall UE. At the bottom of the collapse, it hit about 10.2%. Its now 8.2% in less then 3 years. Which Republican would have done better?
US Auto industry. Obama saved it.
Health care ... my niece who had cancer at 2, and who could only get basic coverage for illness and sports injuries due to that pre-existing condition, is now covered. Her brother, can stay on his parents HC.
Then Foreign policy. Ended Iraq. OBL dead. Effective management of multiple ME dictator removals.
A multi-faceted approach that all concludes that Dear Leader is my god. Check.
quinnox
4. worse off
I thought Obama and the Democrats would do a lot better, and get a hell of a lot more done in terms of progressive policies and accomplishments. The economy has been bad for a long time now, and as the president, Obama has to take responsibility. I know, I know, the GOP hasn't done crap and has opposed stuff at every turn, but that is the way the cookie crumbles, when you are the President of the United States you will get all the blame from most of the people in these matters.
I'm afraid that Obama's vulnerability is of his own making, but because Romney is such a bad candidate, he still has a good chance of winning another term.
Minus blaming the GOP and Romney being a bad candidate (things that must be said on the island to aviod being expelled), this one is correct.
villager
5. A lot worse off
...than I thought it would be.
or that I thought I would be...!
Because you weren't thinking, or you would have known.
woo me with science
6. Much, much worse, n/t
OK
kentuck
10. I must admit, I am a little surprised by some of the responses...
Under the circumstances, could he have gotten more in healthcare reform? Could he have broken up the banks or have let them go under? Would his own Party have broken from him if he had tried? I truly don't know but I believe Democrats' expectations were much higher than the realistic chances for reform. Just my opinion.
Backpedal! Backpedal! Not what you were saying in 2008, primitive. He was going to change (remember that word) the world.
SlimJimmy
17. Part of it is we were told by the President and his team that he would have it fixed by now.
I think a lot of us were expecting that to happen. It didn't, and now it looks like it will a damn long time before we see a significant turn around.
Yes, that's what you were told and what you believed.
kentuck
19. I don't recall anyone saying it would be "fixed" by now...
Although Christine Romer, an economic adviser, did predict that the stimulus would keep the unemployment rate below 8%. It went above that number almost by the time she finished her sentence...
Suuuuuuure you don't recall. The bluegrass primitive has selective memory after it doesn't happen. Surprise! Surprise! Surprise!
lunatica
11. I thought we would be going strongly in the right direction by now
I never anticipated the ****ing screeching brakes would be applied so thoroughly by the Republicans.
I really thought we would be making major inroads into alternate and renewable energy sources at the very least. And it took me by surprise to see the teabaggers get their hooks so thoroughly into our political lives.
It certainly never occurred to me that women would be fighting for their civil rights all over gain.
Our government structure is meant to work through co-operation of the different branches as well as checks and balances. Without co-operation nothing gets done. The President and Congress need to work together. And now the Republicans in Congress basically sits on their hands no matter what the issue is. All just to get rid of Obama. And that's disgusting because it's hurting the world, not just the US.
lunatica.... correctly self named.
Tierra y Liberad
13. Pretty much as I expected. "Change" was a nice slogan, though.
Correct, but for the wrong reason.
stevenlesser
14. Much better off than I thought we would be.
1. I thought there was a real chance of the economy collapsing to the point where we have 30-40% unemployment, employers unable to meet payroll, mass starvation, etc. Just having an economy that is relatively stable is a huge deal.
Just that is a significant improvement of where I thought we might be.
OK, that's 1, where's 2?
30-40% unemployment? Mass starvation? I know Cuvato made this dimwit out to look like a fool, but is he trying to double-down on purpose?
What a moron.
As is typical, the rest of the thread is made up of primitive excuses as to how things are really great or those who have to tip-toe while telling the truth about how bad things have become.
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