By far the worst president in my (59-year) lifetime. His ignorance, his mendacity and his narcissistic temperament have brought America to her knees and are exactly what we didn’t need after 8 terrible years of George Bush. But the worst damage Obama has done to our country has been to increase the national debt to astronomical levels. When he took office it was $10.6T and today it is $18.9T. By the time he skulks away he will have doubled it, pushing America to the brink of insolvency. Where is our hope and change now?
41
Whoa Nelly, I stopped in my tracks at this sentence: "Part of the ugliness seems a reaction to the straitjacket of political correctness, which preceded Obama, and got worse in some corridors, mainly academia." That familiar phrase, "political correctness" is a nasty way of denigrating "respect." It is an ugly euphemism for "don't make me respect others." It should not be deemed politically troublesome to be reasonable and respectful to women, to someone who does not look like you, pray to the same god as you, speak the same language as you. Respect for others is not a straitjacket. Mr. Egan. Is the fundamental premise of a vibrant and meaningful political exchange.
391
"On the mastery of changing hearts and minds, the 'ability to astonish and inspire,' he falls short."
Perhaps, just perhaps, it was the people who fell short, and who failed themselves.
Perhaps, just perhaps, it was the people who fell short, and who failed themselves.
232
How can Obama be held responsible for his inability to unite a party that cannot unite itself?
The Republican party appears to be in complete, utter chaos.
Is there any historic precedent for a political party with majorities in the House and Senate having so much internal discord?
The Republican party appears to be in complete, utter chaos.
Is there any historic precedent for a political party with majorities in the House and Senate having so much internal discord?
119
There is not a brown boy whose lives will be better forever because of Obama.
35
Obama has been a great healer. What more could you ask of any man or woman in our time?
97
I share your view of President Obama that "By any objective measurement, his presidency has been perhaps the most consequential since Franklin Roosevelt’s time." I diverge from you, however, in viewing him as not "transformational." President Obama represents a major shift in overcoming a major hurdle in the racism that he calls "America's original sin." Of course, he has been met with the open, entrenched bigotry that is now playing out in the non-PC vitriolic rancor that passes for debate among the Republican presidential candidates. That Mr. Obama was able to accomplish so much in the face of a united, rabid Tea Party-led Republican opposition is a testament to just how much he transformed the country. Let's hope that his presidency marks, to paraphrase Churchill, "not the end of the beginning, but the beginning of the end" of racism that has divided us for over two centuries. Let's have the "audacity of hope" that the bloody legacy of slavery, the Civil War, and Jim Crow racism is ending as a new generation completes the transformation that brought Mr. Obama to the oval office.
145
Timothy Egan is a "Transformational Personality". In our Land we need the candor and depth as continued grounding that can, at times, be seen and recognized in its significance for something simply Basic...its Truth. I believe that our present President is just that, at his Base...a good and gentle Servant, who has given of himself to a People whom he has chosen to he has chosen to Serve. He knows enough to care and cares enough to know our Country in its beauty and in its beastliness. This President has responded to the personal vindeta by Repulsive Republicans with a phenomenal Grace and even a glimmer of humor. Somehow an obstructive political crowd was able to, in our Congress, manifest what has publically been called "intransigent" activity over an extended period of time....stalling the Service of our American People and
Freezing our Government, simply to serve their personal selfishness. In my 79 years, I have never felt more embarrassed or ashamed to be an American citizen. I think of elected Servants like Hubert Humphry, Bob Dole, and George McGovern....who knew how to Serve in honor and dignity...and across the "aisle" and "together".
Freezing our Government, simply to serve their personal selfishness. In my 79 years, I have never felt more embarrassed or ashamed to be an American citizen. I think of elected Servants like Hubert Humphry, Bob Dole, and George McGovern....who knew how to Serve in honor and dignity...and across the "aisle" and "together".
70
"If the majority follows those [angriest] voices, the Obama presidency will shoulder a sizable amount of the blame." This is insanity, and an affront to any decent person, on either side of the political divide. Obama sets an admirable example, is met by a group of thugs who know no lower bound to their disgraceful comments and behavior (like Chris Christie vowing to "kick his behind out of the White House"), some percentage of the public follows them into the sewer...and it's the fault of the one who behaved better?
162
I'm not yet ready to offer a presidential farewell to Barack Obama. In this last year of his tenure, I hope he'll fight off the ropes & figuratively bloody the dirty, racist adversaries with whom, up to this point, he's offered cooperation at every turn. Like many good men, I feel he's been somewhat naive about the power of money & the power to corrupt. Centrism has its limits when the political shakes are off the Richter scale. Leave some scars on your adversaries before you leave, Mr. President.
92
Tim, this is a President who won't utter the words "Radical Islamic Terrorism." He refuses to do so out of misguided political correctness. I voted for him twice, but to see why his legacy is complex, look to his opposite -- the blunt, brutally honest style of Donald Trump. We're suddenly in an age where emerging threats like ISIS require something drastically different from the political correctness of the past. And Obama hasn't kept up with this change.
22
To judge by these comments, pretty much everybody on the Right hates this President for reasons that have zip to do with reality, and some on the Left hate him for his failure to deploy enough snappy comebacks, snap his fingers, and do what they tell him to do.
81
Thank you, Timothy Egan. With you, I continually applaud and appreciate our President Barack Obama __ forever.
65
A good (but incomplete) analysis peppered with some really strained metaphors.
There is no doubt in my mind that the Republicans in Congress set out from the get-go to obstruct Obama (for whom I voted twice) but it also must be said he came to office without the requisite tool kit. Larfgeky because his ambition outran his experience.
He had only two years of service in the Senate. None in the House. He was, if anything, the anti-LBJ. He did not know where the levers of power were. He had achieved everything with intellect and charm but lacked the skills of jaw-boning and arm-twisting.
He didn't really know his way around Congress and didn't bother to learn. Without those skills, he was handicapped from Day One.
There is no doubt in my mind that the Republicans in Congress set out from the get-go to obstruct Obama (for whom I voted twice) but it also must be said he came to office without the requisite tool kit. Larfgeky because his ambition outran his experience.
He had only two years of service in the Senate. None in the House. He was, if anything, the anti-LBJ. He did not know where the levers of power were. He had achieved everything with intellect and charm but lacked the skills of jaw-boning and arm-twisting.
He didn't really know his way around Congress and didn't bother to learn. Without those skills, he was handicapped from Day One.
33
Are these op-eds completely devoid of fact checking? Reagan saw a 32% growth of the GDP. Its 9.6% under Obama. Net job growth under Reagan was 2.69; under Obama 1.99. These facts are widely available. There is simply no comparison between Reagan's economy and Obama's. Furthermore, we have more Americans out if the job market than at any time in our history since the Carter years.
It would make sense for editors to fact check opeds before publishing them. Just a thought.
It would make sense for editors to fact check opeds before publishing them. Just a thought.
35
I'm not so sure that Barack Obama can take credit for the state of the economy right now. If he can, what did he do that helped?
If things were bad, I wouldn't blame him either. For better or for worse, politicians don't do much more than bloviate and bluster. They rarely have much impact for good or ill.
If things were bad, I wouldn't blame him either. For better or for worse, politicians don't do much more than bloviate and bluster. They rarely have much impact for good or ill.
4
This president will be just fine and he knows it too. Michelle is the best FLOTUS in my life time. Obama's accomplishment list is pretty decent even with the GOP obstructionists throwing sand into the gears.
the GOP are traitors IMO. They would Sabotage this country and it's people just to stop this president from doing his job. Sabotage all of us just to take back the White House and make Obama a 1 term president. Traitors I say!!!
the GOP are traitors IMO. They would Sabotage this country and it's people just to stop this president from doing his job. Sabotage all of us just to take back the White House and make Obama a 1 term president. Traitors I say!!!
137
When Obama was campaigning for president he called for a $1,000 middle class tax-cut. On the day he took office the correct amount to end the depression was probably close to $15,000. Congress passed an $800 middle class tax-cut as part of the stimulus package.
It is not just a coincidence that tax cuts for the rich have preceded both the 1929 and 2007 depressions. The Revenue acts of 1926 and 1928 worked exactly as the Republican Congresses that pushed them through promised. The dramatic reductions in taxes on the upper income brackets and estates of the wealthy did indeed result in increases in savings and investment. However, overinvestment (by 1929 there were over 600 automobile manufacturing companies in the USA) caused the depression that made the rich, and most everyone else, ultimately much poorer.
Since 1969 there has been a tremendous shift in the tax burdens away from the rich on onto the middle class. Corporate income tax receipts, whose incidence falls entirely on the owners of corporations, were 4% of GDP then and are now less than 1%. During that same period, payroll tax rates as percent of GDP have increased dramatically. The overinvestment problem caused by the reduction in taxes on the wealthy is exacerbated by the increased tax burden on the middle class. While overinvestment creates more factories, housing and shopping centers; higher payroll taxes reduces the purchasing power of middle-class consumers...."
http://seekingalpha.com/article/1543642
It is not just a coincidence that tax cuts for the rich have preceded both the 1929 and 2007 depressions. The Revenue acts of 1926 and 1928 worked exactly as the Republican Congresses that pushed them through promised. The dramatic reductions in taxes on the upper income brackets and estates of the wealthy did indeed result in increases in savings and investment. However, overinvestment (by 1929 there were over 600 automobile manufacturing companies in the USA) caused the depression that made the rich, and most everyone else, ultimately much poorer.
Since 1969 there has been a tremendous shift in the tax burdens away from the rich on onto the middle class. Corporate income tax receipts, whose incidence falls entirely on the owners of corporations, were 4% of GDP then and are now less than 1%. During that same period, payroll tax rates as percent of GDP have increased dramatically. The overinvestment problem caused by the reduction in taxes on the wealthy is exacerbated by the increased tax burden on the middle class. While overinvestment creates more factories, housing and shopping centers; higher payroll taxes reduces the purchasing power of middle-class consumers...."
http://seekingalpha.com/article/1543642
24
Finally someone at the NYT has the nerve to say it. Obama was a failure. At least in reality. As a symbol? Oh yes! Bring on the balloons and trumpets.
12
Let's face it america is still a racist country.
69
I reject the premise of this essay. On one hand you say that Obama's presidency has been "perhaps the most consequential since FDR." But then you conclude that his presidency hasn't been transformational because he hasn't succeeded in changing hearts and minds. Is it President Obama's fault that the country is now more openly intolerant and nasty? Is he the one who's unleashed the vitriol, the bigotry, the hatred? Please! He has had the unfortunate experience of being president while black. And the irony is that he is endlessly generous in his optimism. This country has only itself to blame for the sorry state of our union.
537
The lack of self-promotion was once considered a virtue.
311
Washington, Lincoln and Obama. The three greatest presidents, period.
63
I do not want to give him accolades nor just criticism. But putting everything into perspective, he will go down in History as one of our greatest President. Love him or hate him, history is going to extremely kind to him. Period.
101
Your column was, as always, right on. But it could have been condensed to one sentence---- the republican base and their political leaders never could abide the thought of a black family actually living in the White House!
74
Despite missteps and disappointments, as a nation we are far better off for having had him in office, and will certainly miss him when he's gone.
43
Perhaps the problem is a lack of hearts and minds amongst a large portion of our citizenry.
27
He gets my vote, again.
47
The NY Times has continued to superbly supply the public with facts, figures and reasonable interpretation of our current condition. Unfortunately, we live in the world Rupert Murdoch built. After decades of Fox News, the American public has been beaten into submission. Compromise is a four letter word, all liberals are below contempt and should be deported with the immigrant rapists and a President who simply wanted to supply every American with health care, is now being described as lower than pond scum.
Partisan politics has grown from partisan journalism. A part of the fourth estate that has done nothing but mindlessly beat the drum against progressive thought for much too long.
Partisan politics has grown from partisan journalism. A part of the fourth estate that has done nothing but mindlessly beat the drum against progressive thought for much too long.
32
Our politics and media are a joke. Media enables the rw liars, racists and bigots. There is no trust or honesty in American politics. American politics is in crisis. That is not the President's fault that is the people's fault. Only the people can fix American politics and they don't want to fix anything. It is a failed generation that killed the American dream. Time to stop blaming pols and start blaming the people.
22
The 2016 "Big Lie" is that Barack Obama is or has been a poor President. Nothing could be farther from the truth. The Obama administration saved the US economy, got us out Iraq and Afghanistan, provide health care for 17,000,000 Americans. The "Big Lie" will not prevail in regards to President Obama's Presidency.
40
I know I am supposed to follow the big numbers - employment, deficit, inflation, the DOW, etc etc. - but for a middle class guy selling trucks to businesses for the last 20 years, and who just had his best year ever for total earnings, I have to say, I just don't care where any of those markers are, or were, 10 years ago, or yesterday. I can say that I am better off now than I was ten years ago, though not where I predicted in 2005, and I won't play the what-if game based on my imperfect knowledge of How Things Work. It does seem as if the small government group may have proven it's point, if smaller means less actual governing - I think there are perhaps 300 or so (how many republicans are there?) politicians who have proven the country can get along without a single good idea from their culture in 8 years, and with the smallest amount of legislation ever, perhaps, reflecting "conservative" thought. As a conservative Liberal, I am just grateful that we had a President accustomed to mindless adversity, by virtue of his bi-racialism, but also one creative enough to get things done in spite of it. Not being able to reduce the rancor or meanspiritedness between the current crop of bi-public, homo-political misfits can not be laid at his feet. I truly hope Mr. Obama continues the good fight and stays active in getting things done in this country and abroad.
53
Obama isn't directly responsible for the desperation a significant portion of the population feels. But it's also true that income inequality continued on his 7+ year watch. And that not a single investment bank CEO was ever charged for the mortgage-backed securities fiasco that went on for years.
It's true that the DOJ brought civil suits against these white collar criminals. But as long as they personally aren't paying the fines. As long as they personally aren't doing the time, the fines mean nothing. Just a cost of doing business. But I digress.
Obama did the best he could under very difficult circumstances. He is a class act.
It showed.
We were lucky to have had him for two terms.
It's true that the DOJ brought civil suits against these white collar criminals. But as long as they personally aren't paying the fines. As long as they personally aren't doing the time, the fines mean nothing. Just a cost of doing business. But I digress.
Obama did the best he could under very difficult circumstances. He is a class act.
It showed.
We were lucky to have had him for two terms.
77
Hey! remember that the most important job of an executive is to keep the services going and manage disasters. We listen to the blather during election time, which is getting painfully a long and a permanent fixture in life. We don't actually get what the candidates positions are going to mean in 3 months and after the election, we don't actually know how well the executive does unless opponents drag up failed promises. I don't have much basis to judge the 11 presidents that I have lived through, but Obama got the trash collected and the snow plowed. He added some new programs and talked about what needs to change. Most of that will come to roost much later. But, he is right, the state of the union is strong. Obama didn't cause the recession, that was the shared responsibility of the previous 4 presidents going back to St. Reagan, and the inherent problems with a free market system, but he had to fix it for the last 8 years. While Obama was optimistic and he had his classmates organize a Boo Bird party for 8 years. I guess it was because he was black, but who knows. I keep thinking that If we keep an open mind we will eventually get to a better place. Boy, those guys were not very patriotic.
History will tell, and I am confident that he will be judged well.
History will tell, and I am confident that he will be judged well.
34
The stone wall of opposition, the river of venom and bile were there at the outset of his presidency. He did not create them - they were the core strategy of the Republican leadership and were bought and paid for by billionaires buying astroturf by the mile.
But I wrung my hands from the outset at the curious inability of a man noted for his oratory eloquence to be unable (or unwilling) to do anything to push back against the Republican narrative.
Indeed, his communication strategy was to reinforce the Republican messages, joining them in preaching austerity just weeks after having arrested the economic free-fall, a bizarre message he maintained for the first three-quarters of his first term.
I watched with alarm during those first two years as Pew Research showed the steady swing to the right in national politics. Nate Silver was able to call out the "Great Shellacking" of 2010 almost a year in advance, it was no surprise, but Obama said or did little to try to head off the disaster that is still with us and seemed surprised when the roof fell in.
I agree that he is the best President of my lifetime, and has done an admirable job. But we needed even more.
President Obama is not going to join the pantheon of Washington, Lincoln or FDR.
But I wrung my hands from the outset at the curious inability of a man noted for his oratory eloquence to be unable (or unwilling) to do anything to push back against the Republican narrative.
Indeed, his communication strategy was to reinforce the Republican messages, joining them in preaching austerity just weeks after having arrested the economic free-fall, a bizarre message he maintained for the first three-quarters of his first term.
I watched with alarm during those first two years as Pew Research showed the steady swing to the right in national politics. Nate Silver was able to call out the "Great Shellacking" of 2010 almost a year in advance, it was no surprise, but Obama said or did little to try to head off the disaster that is still with us and seemed surprised when the roof fell in.
I agree that he is the best President of my lifetime, and has done an admirable job. But we needed even more.
President Obama is not going to join the pantheon of Washington, Lincoln or FDR.
9
I watched his State of the Union speech. It moved me. My thoughts were in broad brush strokes: "What a decent, decent man." "I am ecstatic that I was able to watch the arc of his presidency."
This has not been perfect, but given his obstacles, he has helped me to be somewhat proud to be an American.
I hope what comes next is OK.
This has not been perfect, but given his obstacles, he has helped me to be somewhat proud to be an American.
I hope what comes next is OK.
53
Does a "decent" man oversee the extrajudicial killings of 2800 people by drone strikes, many hundreds of whom were innocent civilians, in countries with whom the U.S. is not at war? Of course not. The correct name for a man who willingly puts personal ambition and the expansion of empire for the sake of profit, ahead of the suffering of others, is "war criminal". People were hung at Nuremberg and Tokyo for less.
4
Barack Obama's presidency has indeed been "consequential", just not in the way the fawning, liberal apologist Timothy Egan would have us believe. If you happen to be wealthy and well-connected, this administration's continued, aggressive adherence to the Neo-liberal economic agenda, it's war on the environment and it's resolute support for the imperial project, has been great. Banksters get rewarded for crashing the economy while their victims are forced to pick up the tab. Public lands are left looted and polluted. Corporate giants in agribusiness, the arms industry, petro-chemicals, pharmaceuticals/hospitals/insurance, telecommunications etc enjoy record profits while the average working person sees their wages decline relative to the cost of living. Of course FOO will, reflexively, blame Republican haters, and claim the President "can't do everything" while refusing to accept the fact that their man is utterly committed to business-as-usual.
Here's a snapshot of 21st Century America for ya: Hundreds have billions while millions sleep in the street. I'd say that's quite a legacy.
Here's a snapshot of 21st Century America for ya: Hundreds have billions while millions sleep in the street. I'd say that's quite a legacy.
3
It's clearly a reaction to his race that has driven his political opponents, plus the oligarchy never likes a true Christian
. Starting as a green President, he has learned how to work the office. His remarkable ability to persevere in spite of the lockstep opposition without referring to race never makes it into the opinion pages. I am very proud of him as a president.
He's not perfect, but he has done very well.
. Starting as a green President, he has learned how to work the office. His remarkable ability to persevere in spite of the lockstep opposition without referring to race never makes it into the opinion pages. I am very proud of him as a president.
He's not perfect, but he has done very well.
34
No, no, no. It's not his race. It's his policies, his goals and his programs.
1
I will always remember Obama's election (twice). After the first, and the optics started to change, I marveled at how many news anchors,pundits, and commentators of color existed. I had no idea. I think it is great that ideas of who should be a commentator or news anchor have changed. Hopefully after the next election, we won't go back to primarily white, male faces. I continue to marvel at the current optics of same sex marriage. I loved the couples waiting at the offices of sour public servants trying not to do their jobs. I am fine with the Black Lives Matter movement. It's okay to care about black lives now! What a country we live in. I know Obama didn't create the BLM movement, but I bet it was easier since we had actually been watching smart biracial, or African American people doing stuff. That in itself is a triumph that I associate with Obama's presidency. I rarely now bother to listen to any Republican candidate, as it affects my blood pressure and general sanity too much. Hopefully Hillary will win, and life will go on. But I loved Obama's presidency.
36
When Obama won, I specifically remember thinking that now Black people will absolutely have to be part of the conversation on cable news shows.
It's been an incredible Presidency -- and I say that as someone who is biracial like him.
It's been an incredible Presidency -- and I say that as someone who is biracial like him.
11
Could we have asked for a better first black president? Everyone expected his playing the race card and he never did, everybody else did in veiled and anonymous ways in the language of discrimination and intolerance. His difficult and successful tenure as president exposed the underbelly of racism that is the culture of this country. The racists refuse to see it in themselves. As a person of color, I prayed for his safety every day and I watched and understood the hateful stares and angry rhetoric that followed him everywhere. What a role model he is as a parent, as a black man, as a man. What discipline and self-restraint he demonstrated every day. And, what a commitment to his vision of what is right and good. He is not your slave and that grates on our national delusion. He makes that old saw a little truer: any kid can grow up to be president in this country.
115
Thank you. I couldn't agree more.
18
By far, the best president in my (59-year) lifetime. His intelligence, his integrity and his temperament have been just what we needed during a very difficult period. And beyond saving us from a disastrous financial collapse, he has chalked up a remarkable number of legislative and policy achievements that represent the best of what we stand for as a nation. I look forward to what else he can do over the next year—even in the face a hostile opposition—because he does not abide by the idea of 'lame duck'.
The fact that he is 50% African American is just gravy. It exposed a dark side of the American psyche that we must now confront and overcome. The animosity he has inspired is only a sign of his remarkable success, and how many preconceived notions he's shattered.
Barack Obama has set the standard for future presidents. And I'll be hugely surprised if any of the current crop of candidates come close to living up to his example.
The fact that he is 50% African American is just gravy. It exposed a dark side of the American psyche that we must now confront and overcome. The animosity he has inspired is only a sign of his remarkable success, and how many preconceived notions he's shattered.
Barack Obama has set the standard for future presidents. And I'll be hugely surprised if any of the current crop of candidates come close to living up to his example.
121
Hear , hear!
14
History will judge Barack Obama as the most consequential (and the best) president of my 65 year life time. The Republicans have disregarded what is in the best interests of the people of this country and stridently opposed everything he proposed. Even though, the Obama economic record is stronger than Regan's, last night the Republican candidates blindly asserted, without reference to the actual facts, that he had caused us an economic disaster. It is President Obama who has repeatedly acted in the best interests of our country. The contrast between his State of the Union speech and the Republican candidates could not be more stark. I too would vote for him again, if I only could.
107
How can you possibly argue that Obama's economic record is better than Reagan's? GDP growth according to the world bank during the Reagan years was a low of a negative 1.9 in 82 (Carter and 70's issues) but from 83 to 88 had annual low of 3.5 and a high of 7.3. Also while during the Reagan years debt increased it did not almost double. We are now at $19 trillion. We cannot sustain deficit spending it is totally irresponsible. I blame Obama for his first 6 years and now, both parties - see the December budget agreement to spend more and tax less. Totall irresponsible.
8
Uh...youd better look up the debt "facts" you cite. Reagan indeed increased the debt under his watch. And by more than Obama.
Size of national debt when Reagan took office: $1 trillion
Size after six years: $2.3 trillion (130 percent increase)
Size at the end of his presidency: $2.9 trillion (190 percent increase).
Thats a triple. As far a % of GDP, read Krugman's column today!
Size of national debt when Reagan took office: $1 trillion
Size after six years: $2.3 trillion (130 percent increase)
Size at the end of his presidency: $2.9 trillion (190 percent increase).
Thats a triple. As far a % of GDP, read Krugman's column today!
28
Overall, I believe history will be generous to President Obama. However, though I would vote for him again, his remark in his State of the Union that, "One of the 'regrets of my presidency, was that the rancor and suspicion between the parties has gotten worse instead of better.” indicates that he still does not grasp that the other party, determined to win the White House from Day 1, would not give an inch on anything that would reflect well on him and his administration. And thus he, unlike FDR failed to outfox, outflank and out perform the Republicans so as to insure their attempts to thwart him came with such a heavy price, that they would have to grin and bare it. FDR, with that magnificent face and smile had the nation laughing and cheering particularly when he said "We had to struggle with the old enemies of peace—business and financial monopoly, speculation, reckless banking, class antagonism, sectionalism, war profiteering.
They had begun to consider the Government of the United States as a mere appendage to their own affairs. We know now that Government by organized money is just as dangerous as Government by organized mob.
Never before in all our history have these forces been so united against one candidate as they stand today. They are unanimous in their hate for me—and I welcome their hatred."
They had begun to consider the Government of the United States as a mere appendage to their own affairs. We know now that Government by organized money is just as dangerous as Government by organized mob.
Never before in all our history have these forces been so united against one candidate as they stand today. They are unanimous in their hate for me—and I welcome their hatred."
37
And saying somethng like that would be helpful how, again? My point being that my respect for this President derives, in part, from his being enough of a grownup to know when scoring points isn't the point.
12
Obama is one of the remarkable president of US history . period. first black president.
His presidency surely challenged one of the two most dormant feelings about American people.
Race, we saw how much of America was actually just getting by instead of getting used to racial equality. Obama's presidency shed a torch light , like a raccoon caught in the garage.
Now we are going to challenge second one , gender inequality. Hillary will be the next president and we are going to see that how much percentage of American getting by it, we already know that, Trump, Cruz, Rubio, Christie are sexist and contempt with women.
Hillary's presidency will expose that one two, then we may move forward to reach western European civility level.
His presidency surely challenged one of the two most dormant feelings about American people.
Race, we saw how much of America was actually just getting by instead of getting used to racial equality. Obama's presidency shed a torch light , like a raccoon caught in the garage.
Now we are going to challenge second one , gender inequality. Hillary will be the next president and we are going to see that how much percentage of American getting by it, we already know that, Trump, Cruz, Rubio, Christie are sexist and contempt with women.
Hillary's presidency will expose that one two, then we may move forward to reach western European civility level.
27
While I agree with this sentiment completely. I wish to point out that Europe still has far to go in terms of how women are treated by men, at least on a personal level. On the social/national level, an attainment of that status would still be a great improvement indeed.
2
No, he was our first half black president. Dr. Ben Carson will our nation's first black president.
1
A little too early to assess anything. No?
I was taught by eminent historians at the First Lady's alma mater that one needs the perspective of time to assess a Presidency.
Moreover, with respect to the Iran agreement in particular -- upon which the ink is barely dry -- we must wait to make an assessment of President Obama since that was his most significant foreign policy initiative.
But we live in an age of instant gratification.
Even so. Judging from the sillines one sees among non science academics today, Mr Obama probably doesn't need to worry too much --even after the passage of time.
I was taught by eminent historians at the First Lady's alma mater that one needs the perspective of time to assess a Presidency.
Moreover, with respect to the Iran agreement in particular -- upon which the ink is barely dry -- we must wait to make an assessment of President Obama since that was his most significant foreign policy initiative.
But we live in an age of instant gratification.
Even so. Judging from the sillines one sees among non science academics today, Mr Obama probably doesn't need to worry too much --even after the passage of time.
13
The thing I admire most about Obama - he set a list of goals and went about accomplishing them one by one. I dislike hagiography, this is an objective view of one with lofty ambitions and goals, but often gets bored at 75% of the way there and moves on to the next thing. I have always admired people who are "closers" and this man has been very successful at closing.
I've observed US Presidents since 1988, and lost any interest in "campaign promises" after realizing those are platitudes candidates offer to a public conditioned/trained to expect to be pandered to. Reporters get antsy when the candidate is not a panderer (Howard Dean, Ross Perot, Nader, etc... from very different places.) Candidates win, spend most of their time "delivering" to their donors, buddies, special interest groups, etc... then react to whatever else comes at them. Mr. Clinton's early, spectacular failures with "Hillarycare" and gays in the military are examples of trying and failing, by the most confident man I ever know of.
Along comes Obama with lofty promises (people always talk about his "rhetoric" instead) and then systematically goes about achieving them. I would've been surprised if he could've got 2 or 3 from his list, but he leaves with (good/bad/ugly? history will tell): ACA, Iraq pullout, Afghanistan pullout, Cuba, Iran, repeal DADT,etc, etc
Finally, Jesus was crucified in his time, with popular consent. yet, wasn't he "transformational"? Maybe you're looking in the wrong direction?
I've observed US Presidents since 1988, and lost any interest in "campaign promises" after realizing those are platitudes candidates offer to a public conditioned/trained to expect to be pandered to. Reporters get antsy when the candidate is not a panderer (Howard Dean, Ross Perot, Nader, etc... from very different places.) Candidates win, spend most of their time "delivering" to their donors, buddies, special interest groups, etc... then react to whatever else comes at them. Mr. Clinton's early, spectacular failures with "Hillarycare" and gays in the military are examples of trying and failing, by the most confident man I ever know of.
Along comes Obama with lofty promises (people always talk about his "rhetoric" instead) and then systematically goes about achieving them. I would've been surprised if he could've got 2 or 3 from his list, but he leaves with (good/bad/ugly? history will tell): ACA, Iraq pullout, Afghanistan pullout, Cuba, Iran, repeal DADT,etc, etc
Finally, Jesus was crucified in his time, with popular consent. yet, wasn't he "transformational"? Maybe you're looking in the wrong direction?
31
On Obama's watch, this country has clarified something about race. For about 30 or 40 years, liberals comforted themselves that things were getting better. Not so fast, it seems! Any serious attempt to actually dismantle the structures of white privilege -- financial equity, home ownership, employment, policing, prisons, education -- unleashes torrents of rage. I don't think we can blame Obama.
44
Had Obama 1) prosecuted the odious bank crimes, including the upper echelons of Goldman Sachs, Citibank, Magnatar, mortgage originators, and their Wall Street accomplices, 2) prosecuted (even if he later pardoned) neocons who violated our laws who tortured and destroyed evidence in total disregard of court orders threatening our constitutional order, 3) discontinued Bush's program of "regime change" in Libya and Syria....
Obama could have been a very good or great president. Instead, Obama is a "good" president who tried to address health care, helped some people get health care (although paying too much), and held the line with Republicans.
The Iran Deal may turn out to be so game-changing and so Nixonesque that Obama will, in time, be considered "very good".
Obama could have been a very good or great president. Instead, Obama is a "good" president who tried to address health care, helped some people get health care (although paying too much), and held the line with Republicans.
The Iran Deal may turn out to be so game-changing and so Nixonesque that Obama will, in time, be considered "very good".
5
I'd ask if you're aware that a) Presidents are not part of the judical branch of government, b) there aren't really a lot of laws against what Wall Street did, c) Quaddafi and Assad are not exactly people you'd bring home to tiffin, d) what the average costs for PPACA insurees are.
6
Obama has been a good president, may be even a great president. My opinion is based on how well he handled the mess he inherited from the Bush Administration. The president had absolutely nothing but obstruction from the Republicans and yet he was still able to move forward most of the agenda he was elected to fulfill. If I could, I would vote for him again in a heartbeat.
71
Hard to change hearts and minds of those that are closed to any such change. Obama accomplished a remarkable amount quietly without fanfare or much appreciation from many who benefited. His real impact won't be recognized until much later into the future.
53
Yes, his presidency has been "transformational", if that means making us into something we were not before. The ACA alone is ample evidence of a transformation, in the works. Ending the horrendous war in Iraq, and making it practically impossible for hawkish politicians in the US to do what Bush did and lie us into another war is transformational. Putting the brakes on tax cuts for the super rich and returning the total tax they pay to pre-Reagan levels, if not transformational, is at least a big step in that direction. Has he made over the Republican Party into a tolerant, inclusive force in our society? No, but his opposition to Republicans has led them to the brink of self-destruction. Now, that is certainly transformational, but into what we can't say.
21
Macy's, Walmart, Morgan Stanley all eliminating jobs...don't worry that unemployment rate is going up.
5
It would seem the greatest sin a columnist can commit is obvious predictability. If there is a better example....
3
A bit of blaming the victim here.
You are right about one thing--having a Black man in the White House unleashed all sorts of racial venom, even in places you might not expect it--like Northern New Hampshire, where weeks after the election we saw a banner on a lawn: "Somewhere in Kenya a village is missing its idiot."
Obama tried, but how do you have a civil conversation with someone who has hate dripping from his lips?
You are right about one thing--having a Black man in the White House unleashed all sorts of racial venom, even in places you might not expect it--like Northern New Hampshire, where weeks after the election we saw a banner on a lawn: "Somewhere in Kenya a village is missing its idiot."
Obama tried, but how do you have a civil conversation with someone who has hate dripping from his lips?
48
You expect too much. Look closely at the hearts and minds that you task him with changing. I expect you'll find a lot of cold stone.
47
Cold stone for sure! Mr. Egan is living in a dream world if he thinks the Republicans could have been swayed and hearts and minds changed. If they would not vote to save the economy, which was in free fall, what would they support?!
7
OK, folks, let's see how quickly all the identical talking points (thanks for surrounding them with quotation marks!) will be propagated in the comments here.
Seriously?
Seriously?
3
Ronald Reagan was a transformative president. Before Reagan, we still lived in the Roosevelt era where it was considered immoral to take from working folks to give to the wealthiest. Reagan changed that. He changed America's morality. Through tax policies and labor and trade policies, from 1981 on, we saw a steady increase in income inequality, which appears to be the number one policy goal of the GOP. Increasing income inequality seems to be the litmus test for GOP legislative goals for the last several decades. Bill Clinton triangulated and failed to transform the conversation, lest we should offend the "job creators." Obama read the same handbook that tells politicians you're not going to change anyone's mind. Hillary won't do it, and from what I've seen, I fear that Bernie lacks the charisma and oratory talents of Bill Clinton or Obama, for this large task. And so I agree with Timothy Egan that Obama has 370 days to get this done. I hope that the State of the Union speech was an indication that the President recognizes this is now his most important task.
15
Society is radically transforming. Those who are uncomfortable with change and cling to the status quo are raising their voices. Obama is not responsible for their reactions, but by virtue of who he is, he has incited certain reactions. I see Barack Obama as a magnificent human being. It has been my privilege to have him as my President. I will greatly miss his many admirable qualities.
85
Ditto.
6
He is absolutely the best president we have had in my lifetime and I go back to Eisenhower. The republican party is absolutely the worst I have seen in my lifetime. He could have done so much if half the congress had not set out to sabotage him at every turn. It is very hard to be a good leader when handed great people who want to see a person succeed. When half of a persons team is bent on seeing you fail and have pledged to see a person fail; wow I don't know how anyone could be successful. Yet President Obama has been very successful. We were lucky to have him. We may not know how lucky until he is gone.
14
This was a transformational presidency.
Gay people can get married in all 50 states.
Obama brought 2 women onto the Supreme Court bench.
The automobile industry has been saved and people are buying cars like crazy.
Osama Bin Laden is dead.
Americans are able to travel to Cuba.
A generation of children have come of age seeing a Black president.
There has been no personal scandal (e.g., sexual or otherwise) with this President.
We have an intelligent man in office who doesn't have to sound folksy to connect with the American people. He has Biden to do that.
I am biracial. I never DREAMED that someone like me would be sitting in the Oval Office. I love this man and wish he could grace the White House for another 40 years.
Gay people can get married in all 50 states.
Obama brought 2 women onto the Supreme Court bench.
The automobile industry has been saved and people are buying cars like crazy.
Osama Bin Laden is dead.
Americans are able to travel to Cuba.
A generation of children have come of age seeing a Black president.
There has been no personal scandal (e.g., sexual or otherwise) with this President.
We have an intelligent man in office who doesn't have to sound folksy to connect with the American people. He has Biden to do that.
I am biracial. I never DREAMED that someone like me would be sitting in the Oval Office. I love this man and wish he could grace the White House for another 40 years.
142
" I love this man and wish he could grace the White House for another 40 years."
Trevor Noah had a great joke about that a couple of nights ago on The Daily Show.
FWIW, 8 years are enough, look at the poor man's hair. The country has a lot of talent and will get on fine. Let him enjoy the rest of his life in peace.
Trevor Noah had a great joke about that a couple of nights ago on The Daily Show.
FWIW, 8 years are enough, look at the poor man's hair. The country has a lot of talent and will get on fine. Let him enjoy the rest of his life in peace.
3
Tell me again about the rabbits, Lenny.
2
I am so glad during my lifetime to have experienced one great president, and over ime, I am certain history will validate his greatness.
69
One of the phenomenon of the Obama presidency has been the refusal of many to credit him with anything positive. After all, even a broken clock is correct... In truth, the nation is better off in many areas than it was when Obama took office. You would never think so after reading many of these comments. One commentary here even stated that, "Obama called me a racist because I didn't agree with him." Really? I can only vaguely imagine the onslaught Obama would have faced if 9/11 occurred on his watch. I'm certain many here would have said that he personally endorsed it.
The US was and world was changed on 9/11/01. That was our most recent paradigm shift. The policies put in place at that time have caused real devastation that we cannot begin to surmise. Obama's presidency, very much like most other presidencies yet so many say that "he," is destroying the country and the American way of life. If you really believe that, you have to at least give him credit for doing what no other single human being has ever been able to do.
The US was and world was changed on 9/11/01. That was our most recent paradigm shift. The policies put in place at that time have caused real devastation that we cannot begin to surmise. Obama's presidency, very much like most other presidencies yet so many say that "he," is destroying the country and the American way of life. If you really believe that, you have to at least give him credit for doing what no other single human being has ever been able to do.
6
There will come a time this year or next, when the world will be shamed by the fact that ISIS was allowed to murder hundreds of thousands for two years. Once the cities they hold are freed, the full extent of the viciousness will become obvious to all, just like nazi concentration camps did. And Mr. Obama's willful inaction and earlier actions which helped ISIS flourish will become the biggest stain on his presidency. Bigger than Rwanda did on Clinton's. The civilized world is not so civilized if it looks the other way from such mass murder.
9
The universal response to this assertion is this: OK, what's your plan? I haven't seen a single proposal - from humanitarian intervention with hundreds of thousands of troops to carpet bombing - that wouldn't simply make things much worse. And you're going to lay that at Obama's feet? It wasn't he who cynically broke the mideast.
Don't forget, Reagan tried to fix the tragedy unfolding in Lebanon. All it took was the bombing of the marine barracks for Reagan to cut and run.
Don't forget, Reagan tried to fix the tragedy unfolding in Lebanon. All it took was the bombing of the marine barracks for Reagan to cut and run.
11
I am disappointed that Obama never employed the bully pulpit for which he could have gotten much more traction with a lot less friction. The behavior by the GOP on a range of issues was bordering on , if not treason and at the very least toxic for the country. Fighting the healthcare mafia has been an enormous job.This country has been at the mercy of virtual criminal syndicates that control, health , finance ,insurance,etc.With the spread of WALL STREET INFLUENCES and the rollups of industries that have been given a green light by so many emasculated government agencies, we are at Corporations mercy. Take 795 .00 for a 10 .00 pills as an example. I can find lawyers and lobbyist who will prove it is totally legal. Obama in the media , naming names and call out those who oppose the will and interest of the people could have had an effect.Instead, silence. When racist remakes are made, silence. He could have been a much bigger man than he was, none the less he stands miles above the worst President this country has ever endured, W.
3
I agree about the President failing to use the bully pulpit more effectively. If he could have mustered the emotion and power of his race speech or the address when announcing new gun control executive orders recently THROUGHOUT his presidency, he would have reached more Americans.
I too felt proud of our country on election night in 2008 and I still do. That doesn't mean I'm proud of the hate speech, racism and ignorance of some citizens, or of some current presidential nominee candidates.
The damnedest thing about democracy? Stupid people can vote too. But even stupid people can be swayed by the right appeal. Just check the GOP playbook.
I too felt proud of our country on election night in 2008 and I still do. That doesn't mean I'm proud of the hate speech, racism and ignorance of some citizens, or of some current presidential nominee candidates.
The damnedest thing about democracy? Stupid people can vote too. But even stupid people can be swayed by the right appeal. Just check the GOP playbook.
5
The inly thing wrong with this assessment is that Obama did NOT give 17 million people healthcare... Obamacare may have given a bunch of people " health insurance" but thst is not health care. Many of those policies have such high deductibles that it will not be used. The worse result is all those young healthy people now going without insurance who could once afford it.
Other than the debacle of the ACA and the permanent damage it is doing to our healthcare system i agree with the rest of the article.
Other than the debacle of the ACA and the permanent damage it is doing to our healthcare system i agree with the rest of the article.
9
As I recall, long before the ACA was even being debated, we had a health care/health insurance crisis in this country. The costs were skyrocketing, the deductibles were increasing yearly. If you got seriously sick you were dropped from insurance, and if you had ever been seriously sick you couldn't get insurance at all. We will never know how much the ACA actually mitigated the costs with all the calls to repeal it. We will never know exactly how much cheaper it might have been if half the states hadn't refused to participate. The problem is not so much the devilish details of the ACA as it is the insurance companies policy to extract as much premium from the insured in exchange for as little actual health care as possible. The ACA starts the long road of attempting to change that. I personally think that "health insurance" is an expensive high profiting middle man that we'd be better off without.
27
It is absolute nonsense to claim that there're a bunch of "young healthy people," who once could afford insurance but now cannot, given that a) they are covered by parents' plans to age 26, and b) they are entitled to the "catastrophic," plans--you know, the ones that the Right insisted were needed--and c) the caps on out-of-pocket costs at around 9% of annual income.
In fact, these claims are so out of touch with reality that one wonders how somebody who's seen fit to post her educational credentials could make them as anything other than a deliberate lie.
In fact, these claims are so out of touch with reality that one wonders how somebody who's seen fit to post her educational credentials could make them as anything other than a deliberate lie.
14
Dear Mary, It appears to some that ACA actually enabled insurance companies and big pharma efforts to plunder the economy. However, Republican and Democrat have worked together on occasion (ignored by the media of course) to correct a few really bad parts of the legislation. The fixes were easy because both sides benefitted. The hard fixes are yet to come and meanwhile many will suffer. There is no doubt that Obama had good intentions but with all that brainpower and single party domination resulted in a terribly crafted law. The law was written for corporate profit and the few benefits of it are purely due to happenstance. The idea was good but it got derailed by corporate access to Congress and the White House. Dollars talk!
2
I believe that President Obama has been the sacrificial lamb by having been the catalyst for revealing the hidden dysfunctions in our country. The biases...the injustices...the lazy American resignation and denials which too many of us have been too "busy" ...or too brain dead to tackle...
We've been lulled by ubiquitous self-appreciating claims of being exceptional. We've been geographically and economically and socially stratified and have been happy to not take ownership of the disjunctions. President Obama has been the sitting duck for the consequences of our inattention.
We not only owe him our gratitude for what he has achieved in the face of obstruction and bias...we have to thank him for finally waking us up. He was the bait to reveal the ugly GOP slate ...the skeletons in America's closet are now revealed.
We've been lulled by ubiquitous self-appreciating claims of being exceptional. We've been geographically and economically and socially stratified and have been happy to not take ownership of the disjunctions. President Obama has been the sitting duck for the consequences of our inattention.
We not only owe him our gratitude for what he has achieved in the face of obstruction and bias...we have to thank him for finally waking us up. He was the bait to reveal the ugly GOP slate ...the skeletons in America's closet are now revealed.
49
Mr. Egan, I appreciate your attempt to be balanced in your treatment of Obama's legacy. I fear, however, your need to deal with the issue in an evenhanded manner has blinded you to the reality of the GOP.
First of all, the Demonization of Mr. Obama has nothing to do with the reality of Mr. Obama or his policies. Recall, if you will, the "birther" campaign with The Donald at the forefront of the movement. Baseless allegations pulled from thin air. Even after the President released his birth certificate, the myth persists.
Immediately after Mr. Obama was elected in 2007, ammunition and gun sales went through the roof becuase the NRA promised average Amewricans that Obama would take their guns. What happened? Even after the massacre of children at Sandyhook, the President could not even get mild, common sense gun regulation through Congress. I believe Mr. Rubio referred to it last night in the debate as "Obama's assualt on the second ammendement."
You can change the democrat in the Whitehouse but the behavior of this rabble of hard right fringe GOPer's will demonize a democratic President. They did it to Bill Clinton, they did it to Obama, they will do it to the next democratic president.
THe GOP is out of answers.
To suggest somehow, then that Mr. Obama, did not sincerely desire to work with the GOP is preposterous. Remember his attempts to work with them on healthcare, the budget?
First of all, the Demonization of Mr. Obama has nothing to do with the reality of Mr. Obama or his policies. Recall, if you will, the "birther" campaign with The Donald at the forefront of the movement. Baseless allegations pulled from thin air. Even after the President released his birth certificate, the myth persists.
Immediately after Mr. Obama was elected in 2007, ammunition and gun sales went through the roof becuase the NRA promised average Amewricans that Obama would take their guns. What happened? Even after the massacre of children at Sandyhook, the President could not even get mild, common sense gun regulation through Congress. I believe Mr. Rubio referred to it last night in the debate as "Obama's assualt on the second ammendement."
You can change the democrat in the Whitehouse but the behavior of this rabble of hard right fringe GOPer's will demonize a democratic President. They did it to Bill Clinton, they did it to Obama, they will do it to the next democratic president.
THe GOP is out of answers.
To suggest somehow, then that Mr. Obama, did not sincerely desire to work with the GOP is preposterous. Remember his attempts to work with them on healthcare, the budget?
59
Changing hearts and minds is hard ... particularly those that have congealed into tar.
You can read Dicken's Christmas Carol -- and wonder what ghosts of past, present and future might change these nowaday Scrooge's?
Or you can imagine ala Dr. Seuss:
"And what happened then? Well...in Whoville they say,
That the Grinch's small heart Grew three sizes that day!"
Or you can hark to the stitched sampler it is said that G. Gordon Liddy had in frame, on the wall, in Nixon's Whitehouse:
"If you've got them by the balls, their hearts and minds will follow."
Tell me just HOW you think that Obama could have changed the minds of those opposed to him?
You can read Dicken's Christmas Carol -- and wonder what ghosts of past, present and future might change these nowaday Scrooge's?
Or you can imagine ala Dr. Seuss:
"And what happened then? Well...in Whoville they say,
That the Grinch's small heart Grew three sizes that day!"
Or you can hark to the stitched sampler it is said that G. Gordon Liddy had in frame, on the wall, in Nixon's Whitehouse:
"If you've got them by the balls, their hearts and minds will follow."
Tell me just HOW you think that Obama could have changed the minds of those opposed to him?
19
My point is : he couldn't have changed their minds, & therefore he should have spent his time working with those who were his natural allies, who would probably worked harder to get his agenda through, rather than wasting time attempting to gain the approval or even the respect of the implacable. I'm talking about politics, the art of the possible. I felt that he finally got it when he said something like - you have a drink with Mitch McConnal - . If only he had said it or at least thought it 5 years earlier.
4
Which would have helped how, again? Given who was in Congress?
2
Facts people. Facts:
http://www.pewglobal.org/2015/06/23/1-americas-global-image/
Approval of the United States, and of President Obama is around 69%, varying nation to nation. Some higher, a few lower. Notable are the changes in US favorability since Obama took office after George W Bush. Bush brought those numbers in to the teens in some places. So haters, get your facts straight before you make assertions that require facts to support them.
http://www.pewglobal.org/2015/06/23/1-americas-global-image/
Approval of the United States, and of President Obama is around 69%, varying nation to nation. Some higher, a few lower. Notable are the changes in US favorability since Obama took office after George W Bush. Bush brought those numbers in to the teens in some places. So haters, get your facts straight before you make assertions that require facts to support them.
23
The President seemed to take credit for $2 gas, (and cheap oil and gas) which has kept inflation low. The President didn't mention that innovation and hydraulic fracking has made America the world's top oil producer, surpassing Saudi Arabia and Russia
Didn't someone once say 'drill, baby,'drill'?
Didn't someone once say 'drill, baby,'drill'?
4
Dear Drill baby drill:
Actually, if you look you will find that the long road to fracking was assisted at many points by federal dollars.
Do you say "invest baby invest" or "We are going to science the hell out of this." or " I will pay my taxes so those pointy heads down at the NSF, DOE, NASA can figure out something that some politician can take credit for"?
Because when you pay for it, and we science the hell out of it, the country is happy to let a politician take credit for it. Even if, in case of Cruz et al., they do not believe Galileo, Newton, Darwin, Einstein or the National Academy of Science.
Actually, if you look you will find that the long road to fracking was assisted at many points by federal dollars.
Do you say "invest baby invest" or "We are going to science the hell out of this." or " I will pay my taxes so those pointy heads down at the NSF, DOE, NASA can figure out something that some politician can take credit for"?
Because when you pay for it, and we science the hell out of it, the country is happy to let a politician take credit for it. Even if, in case of Cruz et al., they do not believe Galileo, Newton, Darwin, Einstein or the National Academy of Science.
6
Talk to the people in Oklahoma about hydraulic fracking, right now. Count the earthquakes they have (starting with none before fracking) which are many hundreds per year now, and the numbers get larger every year. Just ask them how 'drill, baby, drill' is working out for them there.
"The President seemed to take credit for $2 gas, (and cheap oil and gas)" - well he sure would have gotten the blame for $4 gas.
6
It's the key question: could better political skills have enabled Mr. Obama to work more effectively with Republicans? I think the answer is an emphatic, No. Beginning with Bill Clinton, Republicans, especially those in the House, do not view a Democratic President as legitimate. Add to that Mr. Obama's race, and Republicans were never going to work with him. Never. Ever. That being the case, Mr. Obama did the best he could. A more skilled politician--he mentioned a Lincoln or Roosevelt in the SOTU speech--might have accomplished a bit more, but not a lot. Even our greatest president could not prevent an intransigent South from beginning the Civil War.
29
Everyone at some point encounters a person who, no matter what you do, refuses to like or even respect you. Minorities, and mixed race people in particular, encounter that all the time. That's deeply disappointing for a child that yearns for nothing more than to fit in, but for an adult it can be liberating.
At some point, you have to put aside being popular in favor of being effective. President Obama has shown us that getting things done, improving the lives even of those that hate you, can be the very definition of success.
I love my president, and I suspect that I'm not alone in that.
At some point, you have to put aside being popular in favor of being effective. President Obama has shown us that getting things done, improving the lives even of those that hate you, can be the very definition of success.
I love my president, and I suspect that I'm not alone in that.
36
Of course NO President is flawless, but this President's skin
un-earthed the deep bigotry in this country. The achievement of having elected him caused the loathing that has always been present and the fear
that some in white America had lost its sacred "entitled"status .....
Underneath all of that to see a black man succeed to the greatest office in the land, undermined the collective ego of those who based their sense of entitlement only on their skin color and not on their achievements.
I feel pride and shame at the same time......We need to find ourselves again.
We are less than we were on election night when some had hope
that the words "all men are created equal" actually mean something.
un-earthed the deep bigotry in this country. The achievement of having elected him caused the loathing that has always been present and the fear
that some in white America had lost its sacred "entitled"status .....
Underneath all of that to see a black man succeed to the greatest office in the land, undermined the collective ego of those who based their sense of entitlement only on their skin color and not on their achievements.
I feel pride and shame at the same time......We need to find ourselves again.
We are less than we were on election night when some had hope
that the words "all men are created equal" actually mean something.
14
My gratitude, CJ....for your your candor and your cogent Truth.
3
The media including the NY Times never gave Obama a chance. Mainstream media, after the Dan Rather episode, always sought "balance" allowing the conservative media to create their own fictional world where everything Obama did was wrong.
I have no doubt that someday there will be a shrine on the national mall celebrating his presidency. He was remarkable.
I have no doubt that someday there will be a shrine on the national mall celebrating his presidency. He was remarkable.
26
There's the Obama presidency... and then there's the perception of the Obama presidency. Egan's terrific piece raises the question of how responsible the President can be for the toxic atmosphere that produces a distorting lens on everything he says and does.
Voters, consider this question when you look at Hillary Clinton's candidacy. How much are your views based on Hillary's own words and actions -- and how much from a nakedly misogynist attack machine that's been trying to intentionally distort perception of her for nearly 25 years. I ask this as someone who would be happy with either a President Sanders or President Clinton.
I think Obama's got it right: When the world hands you a plate of unending disrespect and abuse, the best you can do is ignore it and do your job.
Now let's do our job as citizens and ignore the abuse and vote based on reasonable appraisal of the candidates' records, policies and public character. If we do this, not a single GOP candidate stands a chance.
Voters, consider this question when you look at Hillary Clinton's candidacy. How much are your views based on Hillary's own words and actions -- and how much from a nakedly misogynist attack machine that's been trying to intentionally distort perception of her for nearly 25 years. I ask this as someone who would be happy with either a President Sanders or President Clinton.
I think Obama's got it right: When the world hands you a plate of unending disrespect and abuse, the best you can do is ignore it and do your job.
Now let's do our job as citizens and ignore the abuse and vote based on reasonable appraisal of the candidates' records, policies and public character. If we do this, not a single GOP candidate stands a chance.
29
I agree completely. Obama has done more than anyone could have expected given the circumstances, including saving the economy. Yes, some Wall-streeters got off easy and even profitted. I have been afraid of liberals (including myself) going angry and way left for revenge of some kind like the tea party has gone on the right. My only hope is that there is no liberal radio egging on this kind of anger.
Hilary Clinton is an exceptional person, well-qualified for the job of president. The people putting her down, I don't understand, unless it is because she is a woman (many putting her down are women). A woman was complaining about universal sufferage at a luncheon today. I forgot to remind her that women didn't have the vote nationally until the early 1920's so be careful when you think voting should be limited by some criteria...
Hilary Clinton is an exceptional person, well-qualified for the job of president. The people putting her down, I don't understand, unless it is because she is a woman (many putting her down are women). A woman was complaining about universal sufferage at a luncheon today. I forgot to remind her that women didn't have the vote nationally until the early 1920's so be careful when you think voting should be limited by some criteria...
7
Obama's Presidency certainly has been tranformational for me. It certainly has, on several occasions, astonished and inspired me. And that holds true, I expect, for more Americans than he's currently given credit for.
Obama's has been a Presidency which has restored dignity to that office, even while triggering lunacy in the offices of so many beneath it.
Obama's has been a Presidency which has restored dignity to that office, even while triggering lunacy in the offices of so many beneath it.
40
I read this same sentiment everywhere: what more can Obama do to turn the tide of blindly partisan hatred? In my view, it's asinine - and blinder still - to even pose such a question. How could anyone possibly think that he is to blame for the malign, racist hatred of irrational Republicans? How, I ask you? What in the name of heaven could this decent, principled man possibly do (or have done) to reason with a pack of rabid, irrational, hate-filled and borderline treasonous dogs, who without exception bit his hand every single time he extended it? Even to pose this question is an insult to Obama. I wish pundits would stop asking.
61
Ah, do you remember how Obama did not invite Republicans to "the table" for well over a year after his tenure began. Now THAT is an example of "blindly partisan hatred" which you obviously forgot.
6
Not true! He tried time and time again to bring the Republicans to the table----remember the televised heath care forum? Where he fielded question after question, hoping to get input from the Republicans. They balked. In order to get votes for the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 he added tax cuts to appease the Republicans, but they balked, not even giving him one vote to save an economy in free fall.
11
Obama ran on "There's no Red State, Blue State, etc", then spent the rest of his tenure vilifying Republicans.
7
Show me how you would react to relentless, 24/7, nasty, vituperative, personal attack against your very being over nearly 8 years, and talk to me about the difference between a sincere idealism and the cold, hard, grey nastiness of the Republicans.
15
Wow, Kurt. "Vilifying" is strong language. I can't think of a single thing that I have heard President Obama say during his entire time in office that I would characterize as vilifying Republicans. Can you reference a quote from a credible source (not Fox News or its ilk) that you would call "vilifying"?
17
When ordinary people with ordinary jobs read Liberal hot air like this they know what bushwah it is and they get angry. And then the Liberals say OMG why are the common people so rude? Yeah right.
10
The party that has been enacting voter suppression measures is the party that doesn't trust the opinions of ordinary people.
19
Russian occupation of Ukraine, the annexation of Crimea, the 'dirty' war in Yemen, using NATO air power to overthrow of Qaddafi, his failed 'surge' in Afghanistan, Syrian 'red lines' and the President's 'slow boil' policy there...the list of foreign policy disasters continues under this President.
9
Uh, the Russians haven't occupied Ukraine.
2
Obama tried compromise for 6 years but each time he compromised the republicans moved the goal posts farther out. They made it their policy not to allow Obama any accomplishments. They failed but they never stopped trying. There is some condescension from Obama now but I didn't see it the first 6 years and it doesn't come anywhere near the disrepect and hate coming from the other side. I consider Samuel Alito a real lightweight but was still disappoined in him at a state of the union speech. The fact that he's black seems to have unleashed all the hate and racism in the country and the republicans pander to it.
15
How much cooperation and bipartisanship can we look forward to? The first thing the Republicans did in 2016 was to send another bill to president Obama repealing the ACA and cutting off funds to planned parenthood. Yeah, number one thing on the to do list is to kick people off healthcare and leave pregnant women with nowhere to go. Look out if one of those Republican chowder heads gets elected.
20
Why would anyone consider bipartisan compromise with the current unhinged Republican Party a good thing? When a party cares more about defeating your Presidency than doing what is right for the country, then what exactly would such a compromise even look like? If I want to have spaghetti with meat sauce for dinner and you want bolts and rusty screws, should we compromise and have rusty screws with meat sauce?
12
Ability to inspire, and inept self promotion---could this be result of lack of confidence in his own power, in the face of the huge right wing gop influence throughout the land?
Our norms have changed, and the unacceptable has become normalized by the rw dominance of congress, with little realism on our media.
With his own party also dependent on big money sponsors to run for office and hold their seats, how much strong support do his policies get? When will Egan tackle the topic of Citizens United and efforts to repeal?
As usual, the blame may fall on our whole political system---increasingly turning over our elections to billionaires and corporations. Other democracies don’t have this holding them back---their middle class/working citizens are more secure, even with budget cutting.
Their rw conservative parties accept the economic safety nets compared with our Gop. Many solutions common abroad are not even on the table to discuss in the 2016 campaign. So Americans can’t vote on them.
Maybe Obama does lack a certain confidence, despite his intellect and resoluteness. I'm not sure what his real beliefs are.
It would be good in his remaining time, if he’d repeat Roosevelt’s defiance of the elites trying to destroy his New Deal, even as today’s Right Wing Gop aims to do. FDR said---“yes they hate me, and I WELCOME their hatred.” No doubts or lack of confidence there.
Our norms have changed, and the unacceptable has become normalized by the rw dominance of congress, with little realism on our media.
With his own party also dependent on big money sponsors to run for office and hold their seats, how much strong support do his policies get? When will Egan tackle the topic of Citizens United and efforts to repeal?
As usual, the blame may fall on our whole political system---increasingly turning over our elections to billionaires and corporations. Other democracies don’t have this holding them back---their middle class/working citizens are more secure, even with budget cutting.
Their rw conservative parties accept the economic safety nets compared with our Gop. Many solutions common abroad are not even on the table to discuss in the 2016 campaign. So Americans can’t vote on them.
Maybe Obama does lack a certain confidence, despite his intellect and resoluteness. I'm not sure what his real beliefs are.
It would be good in his remaining time, if he’d repeat Roosevelt’s defiance of the elites trying to destroy his New Deal, even as today’s Right Wing Gop aims to do. FDR said---“yes they hate me, and I WELCOME their hatred.” No doubts or lack of confidence there.
2
Roosevelt grew up among the rich, being rich himself. Of course he had no lack of confidence! He was a strong, admirable, brilliant man, but he was born and bred to confidence among the rich. They called him "a traitor to his class." We have had some others. And we could certainly use some more.
1
I hold onto old newspapers, too. One is the New York Times published the day after Barack Obama's inauguration in January 2009. The front page shows a startlingly young president and his beautiful wife, hugging and beaming as they walk down Pennsylvania Avenue in the Inaugural Parade.
I kept the rest of the paper, too. In its pages are meticulously reported news stories detailing the enormous challenges Barack Obama faced on his first day in office. "Enormous challenges" is an understatement, because at that point in history the US economy was in very real danger of slipping into depression. Every other problem this country faced nearly paled in comparison. But the problems were real and they were numerous.
What wasn't reported was the fact that Republican leaders met that very night to plot how to bring down the Obama presidency. Still, the horrible anxiety and uncertainty of those weeks and months in early 2009 have largely slipped into memory.
When historians write the legacy of Barack Obama--historians, as opposed to pundits meeting a deadline--that's going to be the lead.
I kept the rest of the paper, too. In its pages are meticulously reported news stories detailing the enormous challenges Barack Obama faced on his first day in office. "Enormous challenges" is an understatement, because at that point in history the US economy was in very real danger of slipping into depression. Every other problem this country faced nearly paled in comparison. But the problems were real and they were numerous.
What wasn't reported was the fact that Republican leaders met that very night to plot how to bring down the Obama presidency. Still, the horrible anxiety and uncertainty of those weeks and months in early 2009 have largely slipped into memory.
When historians write the legacy of Barack Obama--historians, as opposed to pundits meeting a deadline--that's going to be the lead.
57
Egan: "Republicans who would not applaud the creation of 14 million jobs, an unemployment rate cut in half, 17 million people given health care, a global climate change pact, the strongest military in the world and a rousing call for a “moonshot” to cure cancer are incapable of taking a fair measure of Obama’s achievements."
Egan is spot-on with this op-ed piece, and the quote cited above captures the problem we have in America.
I am an old guy and have been following politics before I was eligible to vote -- the 1961 election with Kennedy v Nixon. Do not ever recall Republicans ever being so benighted in my 55-plus years of voting.
If they Republicans present at the recent State of the Union address had any grace or any authentic interest in the public/common good, they would have been cheering when all the items noted in the first paragraph were mentioned.
Anyone not rejoicing in the fact that so many more Americans now have health coverage and millions of the unemployed are now working is not only obtuse but heartless.
Egan is spot-on with this op-ed piece, and the quote cited above captures the problem we have in America.
I am an old guy and have been following politics before I was eligible to vote -- the 1961 election with Kennedy v Nixon. Do not ever recall Republicans ever being so benighted in my 55-plus years of voting.
If they Republicans present at the recent State of the Union address had any grace or any authentic interest in the public/common good, they would have been cheering when all the items noted in the first paragraph were mentioned.
Anyone not rejoicing in the fact that so many more Americans now have health coverage and millions of the unemployed are now working is not only obtuse but heartless.
58
What planet are you from? Health care care today is not what it was hawked. No one knows how many souls gave up looking for jobs and are no longer included with unemployment data. Of those working, many, many have lost benefits, are working shorter hours and often work 2-3 jobs to make ends meet.
Oh, may I suggest Squawk Box CNBC for review of economic clues.
Oh, may I suggest Squawk Box CNBC for review of economic clues.
3
I voted for President Obama twice. While he has disappointed on a couple of items, I am generally pleased with my vote. Certainly, on most fronts, most are better off today than they were eight years ago. Your characterization of him is dead-on, i.e. he is smart, level-headed and pragmatic. He has a good sense of humor and a general sense of humility. He appears to be a good husband and father. And, as an African-American man in today's America, it's no small feat just to be nominated, let alone elected twice.
While I acknowledge that he can come across as a bit aloof at times, maybe even condescending, I think it's his way of dealing with the hostility and disrespect he's been shown by the opposition party- which is way beyond the norm of politics. If I were in his shoes, I don't know if I'd be able to keep my cool the way he does. I suspect he has to expend a lot of energy maintaining that cool- and refuses to respond in kind for fear of being labelled as an 'angry black man.' I think he can retire in good conscience- and bask is some substantial achievements.
While I acknowledge that he can come across as a bit aloof at times, maybe even condescending, I think it's his way of dealing with the hostility and disrespect he's been shown by the opposition party- which is way beyond the norm of politics. If I were in his shoes, I don't know if I'd be able to keep my cool the way he does. I suspect he has to expend a lot of energy maintaining that cool- and refuses to respond in kind for fear of being labelled as an 'angry black man.' I think he can retire in good conscience- and bask is some substantial achievements.
50
Not transformational? He's the only one of the Dems to get health care through. Our entire society is more moral as a result. That's a pretty big transformation.
I have had occasion to read some newspapers from the 1970s recently. There is no doubt that rancor and antagonism are 100x more pervasive now than then, even during the Viet Nam war. I'm afraid this rancor has been carefully cultivated. Obama's policies are pretty milquetoast.
I have had occasion to read some newspapers from the 1970s recently. There is no doubt that rancor and antagonism are 100x more pervasive now than then, even during the Viet Nam war. I'm afraid this rancor has been carefully cultivated. Obama's policies are pretty milquetoast.
25
I find myself in disagreement with Mr. Egan for the first time. How can a president accomplish what Mr. Egan correctly characterizes as the most consequential presidency since Franklin Roosevelt's -- in spite of ceaseless resistance even more vicious than FDR faced -- and not be a 'transformational' president? I suppose we must differ over the meaning of that word 'transformational'. Must he win the hearts and minds of all? Even those many who have neither hearts nor minds? Even our Lord Himself was unable to do that, on His first visit. President Obama is our finest president since FDR; in view of the challenges he has faced, perhaps the finest since Lincoln!
But I give thanks for you, Mr. Egan. Keep up the excellent work of calling 'em as you see'em!
But I give thanks for you, Mr. Egan. Keep up the excellent work of calling 'em as you see'em!
28
I will miss him. I think America will miss him. This fine, intelligent man who came
from nowhere and inspired us with his words, his gift of communication. I will
remember his speech in Berlin to thousands who were inspired, his major speech on race that left me in tears, his many soaring moments of eloquence.
He turned his back on the hatred and racism that was voiced by a Republican
congress and permitted to linger without the decency of denial from any of them. They, in turn, will be remembered by the shame of it all, the disrespect.
Yes, racism is alive and well in America. Obama broke the bonds only to open
the pandora's box of racism. Now we know it's still there, open to be seen and
perhaps we'll finally put an end to it in the next generation.
from nowhere and inspired us with his words, his gift of communication. I will
remember his speech in Berlin to thousands who were inspired, his major speech on race that left me in tears, his many soaring moments of eloquence.
He turned his back on the hatred and racism that was voiced by a Republican
congress and permitted to linger without the decency of denial from any of them. They, in turn, will be remembered by the shame of it all, the disrespect.
Yes, racism is alive and well in America. Obama broke the bonds only to open
the pandora's box of racism. Now we know it's still there, open to be seen and
perhaps we'll finally put an end to it in the next generation.
48
Regretably, for all that he's accomplished, and for all the issues he has championed, Obama will never get his due as long as he's black.
22
A big part of the US problem is inherent in our political system of states rights and the power of congress vs federal govt. These are now allied and even tethered to big money corporate interests, recalling the gilded age, when there was little middle class.
So before we can correct this imbalance, we need to 1st reverse Citizens United. NYT columnists seem to be ignoring this, but there are many movements working on it.
Then instead of states allowed to decide, per whim of governors, crucial matters affecting the health, earning power, justice, and well being of millions of citizens, we need strong federal laws protecting the majority from the elite advantages now legal in our system.
We need equality under the law throughout the land. That means federal regulations, fair taxes, and more funding of federal govt agencies that have been underfunded to protect elites from rule of law.
Federal law ould guarantee equal protection our constitution promises, but we don’t achieve.
Working against this are powerful right wing organizations with huge resources of wealth, like the Koch’s ALEC, working in the state legislatures, shaping their laws and budgets, and financing their candidates. This is what’s been competing with our president and weakened national elected govt, in making policy affecting millions.
So before we can correct this imbalance, we need to 1st reverse Citizens United. NYT columnists seem to be ignoring this, but there are many movements working on it.
Then instead of states allowed to decide, per whim of governors, crucial matters affecting the health, earning power, justice, and well being of millions of citizens, we need strong federal laws protecting the majority from the elite advantages now legal in our system.
We need equality under the law throughout the land. That means federal regulations, fair taxes, and more funding of federal govt agencies that have been underfunded to protect elites from rule of law.
Federal law ould guarantee equal protection our constitution promises, but we don’t achieve.
Working against this are powerful right wing organizations with huge resources of wealth, like the Koch’s ALEC, working in the state legislatures, shaping their laws and budgets, and financing their candidates. This is what’s been competing with our president and weakened national elected govt, in making policy affecting millions.
11
This is one of the few times that I disagree with Mr. Egan. In my opinion Caleb from Portland, Oregon has assessed President Obama's failure to "inspire" much more accurately than Mr. Egan. When you have a press that is so keen on making money that they pander to people like the former governor from Alaska, Ted Cruz, Donald Trump, and so many others who have all forfeited any semblance of decency, how can the public be expected to hear a thoughtful, sincere, and respectful voice? It is worrisome that too many in the media fail to adequately research substantive issues and instead seem bent on creating the news rather than reporting the news.
11
We are a dysfunctional society, and no better evidence of that exists than the 7 year Republican conspiracy articulated by Mitch McConnell and his ilk to prevent Barack Obama from accomplishing anything, including being re-elected in 2012. I give credit to President Obama for his courage and persistence during the last 7 years of dealing with the buffoons and creeps who populate the Republican Party, many of whom have crawled out of their caves during the past year to run for the office President Obama will leave in a year.
28
Absurd article. It takes about 30 years of reflection before a president can be ranked. Truman was despised when he left office. Ike for years was looked upon as a do-nothing bumbler. Both are now considered two of our finest presidents. Total wishful thinking by Timothy Egan.
4
You don't have to give Obama his due, he's already done that himself. Over and over...
5
I saw no "Mission Accomplished" banners on aircraft carriers in the last 7 years. Just sayin'. Our own former governor runs circles around Obama in the Department of Groundless Braggadocio.
8
How does any analysis of Obama's legacy not include the obstructionist Congress he had to deal with starting with McConnell's immediate pledge that he be a one-term president? Can you imagine what Obama could have achieved if he had anything remotely resembling an ordinary opposition party? You dropped the ball on this one, Tim.
25
We know from the record that he could not have gotten more from the Republican opposition by cozying up more. Could he have gotten more by going his own way sooner, with more faith in the public's character and willingness to rally to his good works? Your thoughts please.
4
There's a lot of contradiction in this article, something I often hear in discussions of the Obama legacy. Mr. Egan admits that the Obama presidency "has been perhaps the most consequential since Franklin Roosevelt’s time," yet at the same time concludes Obama "falls short" and "has not been transformational." I don't understand how these are compatible statements, unless the words consequential and transformational mean very different things. Was the bar really set so high that Obama was expected to singlehandedly move American into a post-racial society in 8 years? Political consequence is treated very kindly in the eyes of history, and for that reason, I expect history to be very kind to Obama.
26
Yes, yes, yes. Everyone expected the impossible from President Obama. It is strange that the rest of the world holds him in the highest esteem and here we are knit-picking over words and whether or not he did all he could. Of course he did all he could - that is all anyone can do.
10
Presidencies begin with the fanfare of trumpets and end with the bleating of kazoos. Big promises made with the utmost sincerity are brought low, riddled with compromise and eventually forgotten. I am usually disappointed in the presidents I vote for by the end of their term in office. But I have not been disappointed by this president. I would vote for him again if I could.
Mr. Obama is man of tremendous integrity, strength and courage. He speaks eloquently, is capable of honest self appraisal and genuine humility which lesser men often process as weakness. Yet it was Mr. Obama who brought down our arch nemesis Osama Bin Laden. While Navy Seal Team 6 carried out the operation Obama roasted Trump at the White House Correspondent's dinner beaming that impossibly brilliant smile of his. Barrack is tough but he doesn't brag about it. Cool as a cucumber he plays his cards close to his chest.
It was Obama who picked up the pieces after George W. wrecking ball almost demolished our country. He fought headwinds from an intransigent, vindictive, obstructionist Congress throughout his presidency. The GOP refused to give him an inch. Ensuring that Obama got nothing done was their over riding goal no matter how much that hurt the rest of the country. But Mr. Obama went around them and got things accomplished anyway.
Mr. Obama put this country back on the right track against overwhelming odds. He has earned our gratitude, admiration and respect. He certainly has mine.
Mr. Obama is man of tremendous integrity, strength and courage. He speaks eloquently, is capable of honest self appraisal and genuine humility which lesser men often process as weakness. Yet it was Mr. Obama who brought down our arch nemesis Osama Bin Laden. While Navy Seal Team 6 carried out the operation Obama roasted Trump at the White House Correspondent's dinner beaming that impossibly brilliant smile of his. Barrack is tough but he doesn't brag about it. Cool as a cucumber he plays his cards close to his chest.
It was Obama who picked up the pieces after George W. wrecking ball almost demolished our country. He fought headwinds from an intransigent, vindictive, obstructionist Congress throughout his presidency. The GOP refused to give him an inch. Ensuring that Obama got nothing done was their over riding goal no matter how much that hurt the rest of the country. But Mr. Obama went around them and got things accomplished anyway.
Mr. Obama put this country back on the right track against overwhelming odds. He has earned our gratitude, admiration and respect. He certainly has mine.
71
Republicans blaming Obama for being divisive are like the young man who murdered his parents, then asked to court for leniency because he was an orphan. Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell declared early in Obama's first term that "The single most important thing we want to achieve is for President Obama to be a one-term president." Not security, not economic recovery, not jobs, not healthcare, not education. And they were true to his word, opposing the President at every turn.
79
There isn't a single Republican candidate for the office of President of the United States that I can in any measure respect, admire, or trust.
What is puzzling to me, saddening, is how many of my fellow Americans not only are not put off by these candidates, but actively race to choose the one I find most virulent and potentially destructive to our nation, our society, and our character.
What is puzzling to me, saddening, is how many of my fellow Americans not only are not put off by these candidates, but actively race to choose the one I find most virulent and potentially destructive to our nation, our society, and our character.
57
We have been so fortunate to have such a presidential human being as our President. I cannot say the same for those who are clawing and screeching to take his place. We are in definitely in trouble and I am so thankful for someone like President Obama.
75
But on the mastery of changing hearts and minds, the “ability to astonish and inspire,” he falls short. His presidency, as of now, has not been transformational.
It was not only Obama who failed to change hearts and minds. It was the entire Democratic leadership who abdicated their responsibilities as a voice for their electorate. They surrendered the conversation to Frank Luntz and company, as for talking to Republican office holders, forgetaboutit. Mind you that it was and is the press that parrots anything and everything Republicans release unchallenged. You know, those articles with two line paragraphs beginning and ending with quote marks where the press allows misinformation to pour forth like the Mississippi River.
So we have had years now with the Dems and the press giving the right wing agenda an unchallenged voice. Steny Hoyer, Pelosi, Schumer, and other top Dems simply disappeared. Then we had the Democrats cowardly behavior repudiating their own party in the 2014 midterms. Talk about stupid.
It was not only Obama who failed to change hearts and minds. It was the entire Democratic leadership who abdicated their responsibilities as a voice for their electorate. They surrendered the conversation to Frank Luntz and company, as for talking to Republican office holders, forgetaboutit. Mind you that it was and is the press that parrots anything and everything Republicans release unchallenged. You know, those articles with two line paragraphs beginning and ending with quote marks where the press allows misinformation to pour forth like the Mississippi River.
So we have had years now with the Dems and the press giving the right wing agenda an unchallenged voice. Steny Hoyer, Pelosi, Schumer, and other top Dems simply disappeared. Then we had the Democrats cowardly behavior repudiating their own party in the 2014 midterms. Talk about stupid.
27
The Hillary crowd held back?
1
Republicans who would not applaud the creation of 14 million jobs, an unemployment rate cut in half, 17 million people given health care, a global climate change pact, the strongest military in the world and a rousing call for a “moonshot” to cure cancer are incapable of taking a fair measure of Obama’s achievements.
______
Of course. To acknowledge his accomplishments is to admit the GOP's failure.
They are never going to do that.
Who cares? They will know they've failed when the lose election again later this year.
______
Of course. To acknowledge his accomplishments is to admit the GOP's failure.
They are never going to do that.
Who cares? They will know they've failed when the lose election again later this year.
27
Historians may well remember Obama mostly for the severe erosion of personal liberty on his watch. This has been the least transparent administration ever: Obama had more prosecutions of whistle-blowers than all the other post WWII administrations put together. This is the administration that put the NSA in our phones and computers. If not for Edward Snowden, we might not even know how our government spies on us. This is the administration that claims a right to assassinate American citizens on the President's word, without any judicial or legislative oversight or input. Due process? That's for suckers. If you feel less free today than you did six years, thank President Obama.
5
It is not even in the top ten for least transparent. It has prosecuted whistleblowers aggressively - sometimes deservedly othertimes not. It did not start the policy of NSA snooping. That preceded his administration. He is not the first to assassinate an American citizen during wartime. We did so during WWII. And the former American cleric Al-Awlaki had sufficiently abandoned his citizenship by his treasonous activity. His son, frankly, is a different story. Other Presidents such as FDR and Lincoln and Adams have done worse.
10
The numbers speak for themselves: there have been more whistleblower prosecutions in this administration than in all previous administrations since 1950 put together.
Snooping on Americans began before this administration, but has accelerated during the Obama years.
And the point isn't that Al-Awlaki deserved to die; the point is that the decision was made by one man without any help. That is not constitutional.
Snooping on Americans began before this administration, but has accelerated during the Obama years.
And the point isn't that Al-Awlaki deserved to die; the point is that the decision was made by one man without any help. That is not constitutional.
If you feel less free than you did six years [ago], make an appointment with a therapist. People without health care, military families, women still in the military, same-sex couples -- among those who feel more free.
9
The American economy has been in the doldrums for the last 7 years despite all that Obama & the Fed did to stimulate it--showing for all time that if government wants to stimulate the economy, it should get out of the way of entrepreneurs & leave them with more money to expand their businesses or start new ones. Plus, government should stop providing crony (bought & paid for) anti-competitive protections, financial benefits, & other perks. Cronyism is blatant unfair competition & a destroyer of small businessmen.
Plus, America's prestige & influence on the international stage is at an all-time low. America's enemies have become emboldened & its allies distrustful & suspicious of it.
Obama & Hillary completely misread the Sunni/Shia unease in the Middle East, calling it the Arab Spring. Their many missteps & miscues caused tensions to heighten & conflicts to break out all over the region.
Obama abilities & skills were not up to the problems he was confronted with. And our country could have done much better under more perspicacious & adroit leadership.
Plus, America's prestige & influence on the international stage is at an all-time low. America's enemies have become emboldened & its allies distrustful & suspicious of it.
Obama & Hillary completely misread the Sunni/Shia unease in the Middle East, calling it the Arab Spring. Their many missteps & miscues caused tensions to heighten & conflicts to break out all over the region.
Obama abilities & skills were not up to the problems he was confronted with. And our country could have done much better under more perspicacious & adroit leadership.
4
The claim that "America's prestige & influence on the international stage is at an all-time low" is an empirical claim. Has their been research that establishes this? A poll among all the world leaders (compared with similar polls since 1789)? I'm not sure how one would go about verifying such a claim, let alone how one would be justified in saying it.
16
Yes, there is empirical evidence, in the form of repeated polls of peoples in countries around the world. And the results are unequivocal: our prestige and image abroad, which suffered a devastating blow under W's disastrous presidency, has bounced back.
Blaming Obama for low prestige & influence is like blaming Obama for our high unemployment, high gas prices, and for ballooning the public debt. These are standard Republican themes for their fact-free world. "Failed presidency", indeed!
Blaming Obama for low prestige & influence is like blaming Obama for our high unemployment, high gas prices, and for ballooning the public debt. These are standard Republican themes for their fact-free world. "Failed presidency", indeed!
55
Ask Benjamin Netanyahu.
". . rather than sweep away the last racial barrier, his last years in office showed how deep seated the sentiment behind those barriers remain". I've often wondered if his election to the top office in the land served as a catalyst to draw out the worst of these angry, fearful, racists beliefs from under the rocks. Perhaps it's better to bring them all out to the daylight than have them seething underground for a few more decades.
26
You may be correct, but with a media that thinks only of the next $$, it is left to the personal internet to bring forth whatever truth can be found. Unfortunately, those seething people who have emerged from the underground now have a voice that is equal to those educated, thoughtful voices that we all cherish. Life is complicated now and alas, anyone who never knew the old days of Walter Cronkite and the Lehrer MacNeil Report simply have no point of reference. The US form of democracy is time-consuming, difficult, takes a lot of courage and study. Not enough Americans are capable or willing to do what is necessary to keep the US a respected and respectable country.
8
For a minute I thought I stumbled on to the DNC website.
6
Labor force participation has dropped in every year of Obama's Presidency. https://research.stlouisfed.org/fred2/series/CIVPART Employment percentages are skewed because people are leaving the work force. As far as Obama being "prone to honest self assessment", he slung zingers at Republicans and then mused that he contributed to our divided politics... Thank you for realizing, Mr. President, that you are a part of the problem. I came away with the feeling that he feels that if everyone just agreed with him that we'd have more bipartisanship in Washington.
5
Labor jobs could have been upped with advanced transport and infrastructure projects which the republicans consistently blocked. Here in MAcwe took advantage of stimulus money and repaired our bridges and roads.
4
I had no use for Ronald Reagan. And his role in Mr. Gorbachev's "tearing down that wall" was overrated. But if the measure, as you say, is how consequential his presidency was, the end of the Cold War was the most significant event in world affairs since 1945. Nothing in the last 8 years come close.
2
You seem to be giving Reagan 100% of the credit for ending the Cold War. He deserves some credit simply by occupying the White House, but the collapse of the Soviet Union came mostly from causes within the empire itself. If any one man deserves the lion's share of the credit, it would be Gorbachev.
11
How about the attack on voting rights?
What impressed me most by Obama was hit targeting the #1 issue in America, the attacks upon democracy. Ultimately our security is democracy, everyone says democracy is too messy to fight wars, but as Walter Millis pointed out for the past 2,000 years in every major war involving a democracy the democracy won, the only possible exception the 100 Years War proving the rule, yes England was more democratic than France, but France did not defeat England, Joan of Arc did.
Conservatives are attacking democracy on all fronts, limiting voting, limiting voting times, photo IDs, gerrymandering. Liberals don't trust democracy, gay marriage, abortion, they run to the courts rather than doing the hard, day by day, mobilizing to achieve their ends. The Supreme Court views precedents as solid waste, to be discarded when no longer useful to their prejudices, but do not even consider recycling.
America without democracy is not America. Hopefully Americans learn that.
Conservatives are attacking democracy on all fronts, limiting voting, limiting voting times, photo IDs, gerrymandering. Liberals don't trust democracy, gay marriage, abortion, they run to the courts rather than doing the hard, day by day, mobilizing to achieve their ends. The Supreme Court views precedents as solid waste, to be discarded when no longer useful to their prejudices, but do not even consider recycling.
America without democracy is not America. Hopefully Americans learn that.
7
Those who go first, who blaze the trail, must tread rough ground. Our first African American president has had to blaze this trail running an uphill obstacle course with leg weights and a 100 lb backpack (in the form of Republican obstructionism and America's now clearly exposed vein of racism). Regardless of how one views his accomplishments, he deserves credit for navigating this challenging and often hate-filled territory with dignity, grace and class.
82
exactly, and those who create change are never thanked for it at the time.
6
Right on!!!!
2
The immense hate and anger towards the President that we see today in the GOP's base is powerful evidence of the long-term effect of the stain of slavery. Leaders of the GOP cannot afford to admit how much they have depended on the racism of their party for their ability to hold onto power. Lee Atwater was truly unusual for his honesty. Sadly the man he helped get elected has been unable to show the same honesty. The only hope for the GOP's long term survival is to conduct an honest self appraisal that recognizes this reality and makes appropriate changes. I am not holding my breath in believing that this will ever happen in my lifetime.
20
obama's central "flaw", impacting national attitudes and perceptions of reality, is his disdain for continuing "the fight", politically.
republican-controlled talk radio, etc., has been engaged in a perpetual political campaign, with increasingly false and fear-mongering rhetoric. that all republican candidates can campaign by claiming the "failures" of our country and obama, and the rhetoric becomes increasingly nutty and false, is partly as a result of the absence of any "pushback" by obama's administration, or by the traditional press.
as a result, a significant percentage of the population lives in alternate universes, or echo chambers, and legitimate, necessary legislation is blocked. i hope our next president is a progressive who understands the need to continue the fight after the election: when attacked or challenged, push back and correct the record.
lies repeated often enough become believed.
republican-controlled talk radio, etc., has been engaged in a perpetual political campaign, with increasingly false and fear-mongering rhetoric. that all republican candidates can campaign by claiming the "failures" of our country and obama, and the rhetoric becomes increasingly nutty and false, is partly as a result of the absence of any "pushback" by obama's administration, or by the traditional press.
as a result, a significant percentage of the population lives in alternate universes, or echo chambers, and legitimate, necessary legislation is blocked. i hope our next president is a progressive who understands the need to continue the fight after the election: when attacked or challenged, push back and correct the record.
lies repeated often enough become believed.
10
I disagree with your claim that Barack Obama has not had a consequential presidency. Mr. Obama is the first-ever U.S. President to actually do something about climate change. He has set our economy on the course to shift away from fossil fuels. Even today, it is expected that he will shut down new coal leases on federal lands. Mr. Obama led the way to a big change in our health care system, an unprecedented effort to significantly expand the number of Americans covered by insurance. He appointed the first Hispanic Supreme Court justice, well over 300 federal judges (possibly the most of any President, ever, though I'm not sure of that), again led the way to something of a more rational system of regulating Wall Street and to the creation of a federal agency that protects consumers when dealing with the financial sharks. Mr. Obama has worked to make the federal government more efficient, too. On foreign affairs, he normalized relations with Cuba, which really closed the last thread of Cold War hostility, and has begun to re-build our ties with Iran. He got the country out of two very costly Middle East wars. His programs have hugely helped recover an economy that was in the worst recession since the Great Depression at the time of inauguration and return it to a recovering, growing situation in which the country is doing better than it ever did under Reagan.
Barack Obama has made a big difference.
Barack Obama has made a big difference.
66
Reading the comments on Mr. Egan's article is instructive. The far left is unhappy with him. The right is unhappy with him. Considering that he received at times less than full support from his own party and no support from the Republicans, I think he has done remarkably well. No President is perfect. Not Reagan, not Lincoln, not Jefferson, not Washington. We evaluate them by the difficulty of the issues they faced and the decisions they made.
While all of our greatest Presidents faced some opposition, I don't think that any President has faced the lack of civility, the unwavering refusal of Republicans to pursue bipartisan solutions, the growth and influence of an oligarchy of billionaires using PACs approved by the Supreme Court to buy elections, and the constant nit-picking on every matter that finds itself instantly on the Internet social media. Put into perspective, President Obama can be justly proud of the achievements of his presidency. He is not perfect, but looking at the candidates running to succeed him, I don't see anyone with his intelligence, character, temperament and judgment.
While all of our greatest Presidents faced some opposition, I don't think that any President has faced the lack of civility, the unwavering refusal of Republicans to pursue bipartisan solutions, the growth and influence of an oligarchy of billionaires using PACs approved by the Supreme Court to buy elections, and the constant nit-picking on every matter that finds itself instantly on the Internet social media. Put into perspective, President Obama can be justly proud of the achievements of his presidency. He is not perfect, but looking at the candidates running to succeed him, I don't see anyone with his intelligence, character, temperament and judgment.
85
Obama received little support from Democrats because he didn't really make a point of seeking it, of finding out what they wanted & wheeling & dealing with them. Instead, He pathetically sought the approval of implacably racist Republicans, who were obviously nor gonna change. In this way, he squandered much of the opportunity he was given in becoming our president.
1
This piece, as usual, misses the point.
The good things that happened during the last 7 years were, in
terms of political driving forces, almost entirely due to the paralysis
brought about by the "balance of power". The Democrats could
not seriously raise spending or do too much "stimulus" (the huge
continuing stimulus comes from the Fed's simply printing of money.)
Nor could they generate a large tax increase (though they got a small
one by letting a tax cut expire.)
And the Republicans could not get a disastrous un-compensated tax cut.
No, the good things that have happened did so because of the
natural good health of the American economic system during most
of his term.
The good things that happened during the last 7 years were, in
terms of political driving forces, almost entirely due to the paralysis
brought about by the "balance of power". The Democrats could
not seriously raise spending or do too much "stimulus" (the huge
continuing stimulus comes from the Fed's simply printing of money.)
Nor could they generate a large tax increase (though they got a small
one by letting a tax cut expire.)
And the Republicans could not get a disastrous un-compensated tax cut.
No, the good things that have happened did so because of the
natural good health of the American economic system during most
of his term.
1
After the 2007 Bush-era financial meltdown there were virtually no banksters prosecuted, let alone jailed. How many bank executives went to jail after the savings and loan crisis of the 1980s? Well, there were over 1,000 felony convictions in major cases by the Department of Justice, a 90 percent conviction rate on the FBI's criminal referrals.
Once Obama was elected I remember hearing "We have to look forward, not backward." as code for "we're not really going after our billionaire donors this time out". And where was Eric Holder an attorney before heading up Obama's Department of Justice? How was it that the financial institutions got bailed out but not 'we the people'?
Obama looks very good compared to what we have had since Jimmy Carter (who is looking very good these days) and I think the Affordable Care Act should be regarded overall as a worthy attempt, but I think he distanced himself too far from the workaday (and wanted-to-be workaday) folks who put him in office.
Once Obama was elected I remember hearing "We have to look forward, not backward." as code for "we're not really going after our billionaire donors this time out". And where was Eric Holder an attorney before heading up Obama's Department of Justice? How was it that the financial institutions got bailed out but not 'we the people'?
Obama looks very good compared to what we have had since Jimmy Carter (who is looking very good these days) and I think the Affordable Care Act should be regarded overall as a worthy attempt, but I think he distanced himself too far from the workaday (and wanted-to-be workaday) folks who put him in office.
4
You have got to be kidding. His policy decisions and actions have been horrible. You can see this in the economy and our international relationships.
Why do you thinking that his approval rating is at best 45%, on the economy it under 45%, foreign policy is 36%, heath care is 43.3%, and most important Direction of the country is 25.5 % with 65% disapproval.
So the American public in general finds him wanting. He has been a feckless leader and created more divisiveness than and modern president.
Dodd-Frank has resulted in over 19,000 pages of meaningless regulation that has cost the economy $24 billion and 61 million paperwork burden hours. ACA is imploding with fewer plans available, higher out of pockets, narrower networks, and premium increases this year from 11-30%.
So tell me again about how good is policies are.
He has been responsible for a climate deal with no teeth and no real action required by any country till 2025 to 2030. And a nuclear deal with Iran that guarantees they get a bomb.
We are now a country that is no longer fear by our enemies and no longer respected or trusted by our allies.
So tell me again about how good is policies are.
He deserves no respect for his actions.
Why do you thinking that his approval rating is at best 45%, on the economy it under 45%, foreign policy is 36%, heath care is 43.3%, and most important Direction of the country is 25.5 % with 65% disapproval.
So the American public in general finds him wanting. He has been a feckless leader and created more divisiveness than and modern president.
Dodd-Frank has resulted in over 19,000 pages of meaningless regulation that has cost the economy $24 billion and 61 million paperwork burden hours. ACA is imploding with fewer plans available, higher out of pockets, narrower networks, and premium increases this year from 11-30%.
So tell me again about how good is policies are.
He has been responsible for a climate deal with no teeth and no real action required by any country till 2025 to 2030. And a nuclear deal with Iran that guarantees they get a bomb.
We are now a country that is no longer fear by our enemies and no longer respected or trusted by our allies.
So tell me again about how good is policies are.
He deserves no respect for his actions.
9
Wow. Full of Chris Christie lies and Trump bloviating.
Regarding that climate deal....how does it feel to know that the President of the United States couldn't agree to a treaty that would inherently need ratifying and would necessarily have teeth, because this congress told him they would kill ANY action on climate change because they don't believe in it.
The ACA will get improved as time goes on, no thanks to anyone on the right. It was a great thing to get healthcare reform going to get more people insured. Now we just need Bernie Sanders to rid this country of the for-profit health insurance industry.
We are still the most respected and powerful nation on earth. All the bloviating otherwise isn't worthy of even a response really. Obama has a 70% approval rating internationally.
Dodd-Frank was a bi-partisan solution to fix crooked Wall Street from tearing down the economy again. It's fault is that it doesn't go far enough. Hopefully Bernie Sanders will restore Glass Steagall.
President Obama brought this country back from the brink of total disaster after 8 years of being in the hands of a reckless, intellectually-challenged and criminally negligent fool. It's a miracle President Obama was able to accomplish as much as he did, given the treasonous obstructionism coming from the Republicans. President Obama will go down as a truly great president. He deserves respect even if you don't agree with his policies.
Regarding that climate deal....how does it feel to know that the President of the United States couldn't agree to a treaty that would inherently need ratifying and would necessarily have teeth, because this congress told him they would kill ANY action on climate change because they don't believe in it.
The ACA will get improved as time goes on, no thanks to anyone on the right. It was a great thing to get healthcare reform going to get more people insured. Now we just need Bernie Sanders to rid this country of the for-profit health insurance industry.
We are still the most respected and powerful nation on earth. All the bloviating otherwise isn't worthy of even a response really. Obama has a 70% approval rating internationally.
Dodd-Frank was a bi-partisan solution to fix crooked Wall Street from tearing down the economy again. It's fault is that it doesn't go far enough. Hopefully Bernie Sanders will restore Glass Steagall.
President Obama brought this country back from the brink of total disaster after 8 years of being in the hands of a reckless, intellectually-challenged and criminally negligent fool. It's a miracle President Obama was able to accomplish as much as he did, given the treasonous obstructionism coming from the Republicans. President Obama will go down as a truly great president. He deserves respect even if you don't agree with his policies.
31
Ron,
You obviously read your script, but didn't read Mr. Egan's OP-ED.
You are set in your views like an ugly tattoo you cannot remove.
The hatred you hold for President Obama is all you have, and like you, the leaderless party you follow is basically responsible for what ever shortcomings his accomplishments contain. The weakness in ACA was created by the conservative leaning SCOTUS that allowed the Republican governors to deny or inhibit so badly the benefits of ACA to their people. The climate deal was weak primarily because congress is more in debt to the energy industry than to Americans. You may not like Obama, but at least take some responsibility for your misplaced anger. Or, lay down your script and do some research. You, sir, are a big balloon full of smelly hot air!
You obviously read your script, but didn't read Mr. Egan's OP-ED.
You are set in your views like an ugly tattoo you cannot remove.
The hatred you hold for President Obama is all you have, and like you, the leaderless party you follow is basically responsible for what ever shortcomings his accomplishments contain. The weakness in ACA was created by the conservative leaning SCOTUS that allowed the Republican governors to deny or inhibit so badly the benefits of ACA to their people. The climate deal was weak primarily because congress is more in debt to the energy industry than to Americans. You may not like Obama, but at least take some responsibility for your misplaced anger. Or, lay down your script and do some research. You, sir, are a big balloon full of smelly hot air!
7
Have you actually traveled outside the US? Have you actually talked to people outside US? Our reputation has been restored by mr Obama he is more admired abroad than his own country. Internationally people are scratching their heads at why mr Obama is not as popular in the US as he is abroad.
9
The hatred, vitriol and ugliness coming from Angrywhitemanistan needs to be fought at every turn. It's a cancer spreading across our country. The world is watching and shaking their heads. I can't wait to see this GOP split apart once Trump wins the nomination without a plurality of support from even his own party. Then he will actually have to convince all the voters that what we need is a good old fashioned demagogue.
President Obama will go down as one of the great ones, in the face of unprecedented and treasonous obstructionism.
President Obama will go down as one of the great ones, in the face of unprecedented and treasonous obstructionism.
54
But on the night of Reagan’s final State of the Union speech in 1988, when he boasted that “one of the best recoveries in decades” should “send away the hand-wringers and doubting Thomases,” the economic numbers were not as good as those on Obama’s watch.
___________
^ Reagan/Bush presided over the worst African American unemployment crisis of all time - at over 21%.
They ***NEVER*** reduced unemployment to less than 11%.
And....they generally blamed blacks for the high unemployment rate.
Reagan is the most overrated President in modern history - his recovery was worse than most recessions.
___________
^ Reagan/Bush presided over the worst African American unemployment crisis of all time - at over 21%.
They ***NEVER*** reduced unemployment to less than 11%.
And....they generally blamed blacks for the high unemployment rate.
Reagan is the most overrated President in modern history - his recovery was worse than most recessions.
679
Could we dispense with the hackneyed phrase "this president" when referring to President Obama? It came into use early the the Obama presidency, created by his opponents who refused to combine the two words "President" and "Obama," and was usually uttered with a self-righteous and angrily dismissive tone. But lately, even Democratic supporters of the president have begun to use it. I find it insulting both to President Obama and the office, and unworthy of American civil discourse.
51
Envy is a monster; Republican good ol' boys cannot handle the truth. And, the truth is that Barack Obama was ELECTED President of these United States (twice.)He kept his promises and remains a good & decent role model for the Oval Office and American youth. He cleaned up W's mess, fought & won access to affordable healthcare, sent Bin Laden to the bottom of the sea, ended the Cuban deep chill, issued an executive order re gun control, and the list goes on & on. I cannot think of a Republican president (certainly not Reagan or W!) who comes close.
That President Barack Obama is African American makes it particularly galling for the Republicans.
Envy, it truly is a monster.
That President Barack Obama is African American makes it particularly galling for the Republicans.
Envy, it truly is a monster.
53
If that was any doubt about this thesis, many of the comments in this thread certainly remove it. Of course, none of them refer to facts or events from the real world (unless you believe two New Black Panthers in Philadelphia were the epitome of vote intimidation), but they are illustrative nonetheless.
2
I agree with Tim Egan about the President's failure to communicate the principles of the Democratic Party. He has been a great success, but the spectacular defeats at the State and local level--especially the House debacle and the continuing scourge of gerrymandering--indicate that he has been a dreadful failure for the Down Ticket. The President never liked working the Down Ticket that much, and we are all paying for it now.
2
those politicians ran away from him! they deserved their losses.
2
What is astonishing is the complete lack of insight by the Republicans. Republicans would not have voted for Grandmother Appreciation Day on day one, let alone on day 3000. Yet, Obama is intransigent, Obama is to blame. The same with a rational discussion of actual economic conditions. If you listened to the apocalyptic six, you'd think the sky has fallen in. Ryan's refusal to smile let alone applaud the achievements of the country -- not Obama --but the country is disgraceful. He's from Wisconsin, no? He's the Making of a Murderer writ large.
28
One of the great presidents of all time. And he killed Osama bin Laden and he extracted us from two wars.
But the best part is that he was the Jackie Robinson of American politics. The abuse that he took and managed with grace and intelligence for 8 years is unprecedented. Because he is black.
Get over it. That is what it is all about.
But the best part is that he was the Jackie Robinson of American politics. The abuse that he took and managed with grace and intelligence for 8 years is unprecedented. Because he is black.
Get over it. That is what it is all about.
73
Yup, his greatest achievement was to set race relations back 50 years - the hate is now visceral.
2
yeah, it's president obama's fault that our country is racist and stupid!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=upvZdVK913I
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=upvZdVK913I
3
No,NHWonk, that distinction goes to you and all your best friends who refuse to accept: the world will never, ever go back to the fantasy days white America once knew. Never ever. No matter how angry, ridiculous, or even suicidal you become, intent on killing the society that has forever changed. Never. Ever. You and your colleagues caused the last 8 years by having a very public nervous breakdown at President Obama's election. Own it. It belongs to YOU. And the world knows it.
4
Given all the headwinds this president has faced, I think history will record Barack Obama as a great President. But I think history will also paint him as being naive.
He's called naive for offering a chance to opponents' better angels and being rebuffed. But would it have been better to never offer that chance at all? The failure of the Israeli/Palestinian peace negotiations is on the shoulders of the Israelis and Palestinians, not the guy who gave them the chance. He's called naive for trying to strike reasonable deals with a Republican congress that apparently had no intention of reaching a compromise solution. But until he tried, the depth of their intransigence was not as apparent.
Naive is a word that's thrown around by pessimistic people who would rather say "I told you so", than take a risk that the better angels might prevail.
He's called naive for offering a chance to opponents' better angels and being rebuffed. But would it have been better to never offer that chance at all? The failure of the Israeli/Palestinian peace negotiations is on the shoulders of the Israelis and Palestinians, not the guy who gave them the chance. He's called naive for trying to strike reasonable deals with a Republican congress that apparently had no intention of reaching a compromise solution. But until he tried, the depth of their intransigence was not as apparent.
Naive is a word that's thrown around by pessimistic people who would rather say "I told you so", than take a risk that the better angels might prevail.
41
No he will be branded as the worst president followed closely by your other hero, Jimmy Carter.
3
Thank you for giving me hope that other people recognize the class and dignity of our president. I will miss him terribly.
97
I will also miss him - he has done the best that could be done in the most unfortunate circumstances that a President could face upon taking office.
A wonderful man; presidential, intelligent, thoughtful, caring, great wife and family, a gentlemen, wonderful speaker, and as a bonus - a VERY cool man with a singing voice! Additionally, I would not have health insurance without the ACA. I am so proud of President Obama and of our country for electing him against all odds.
A wonderful man; presidential, intelligent, thoughtful, caring, great wife and family, a gentlemen, wonderful speaker, and as a bonus - a VERY cool man with a singing voice! Additionally, I would not have health insurance without the ACA. I am so proud of President Obama and of our country for electing him against all odds.
23
President Obama's last state of the union address has some great comic relief included, and it hurt to see speaker of the house Paul Ryan nearly bite his tongue bloody red rather than give the big guffaw that humor deserved and he knew it deserved. The republican party is so hidebound by fear it castrates itself of joy and happiness.
51
Tim: It's much too soon to conclude that Obama's presidency has not been transformational.
12
I think so too. Lets wait and see what happens in November. If the GOP self destructs, as I expect, it will be due to Obama.
4
Obama has done a pretty good job of embodying the serenity prayer:
God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
The courage to change the things I can,
And the wisdom to know the difference.
(note: from a tolerant atheist)
I came late to the lovefest that surrounded early election and the approval that pours over him every time he rises to the top, as in the recent State of the Union. It's easier to note his achievements if you are willing to acknowledge that the art of the possible sometimes trumps the ideal conditions we want and need. This is tragic, but it is not Obama's fault.
God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
The courage to change the things I can,
And the wisdom to know the difference.
(note: from a tolerant atheist)
I came late to the lovefest that surrounded early election and the approval that pours over him every time he rises to the top, as in the recent State of the Union. It's easier to note his achievements if you are willing to acknowledge that the art of the possible sometimes trumps the ideal conditions we want and need. This is tragic, but it is not Obama's fault.
25
The hope We, the People experienced at the election of Barack Obama came on many levels: he was young, he was educated, he was not from the upper echelons tax brackets, he is Black. We saw in him a new kind of president and hoped for a shift in politics.
What we got was sad, disheartening, and destructive. Racism is only the tip of this malformed iceberg of hate that has become politics du jour. Donld Trump's hated of "the other" members of this society coupled with Ted Cruz's hatred of all things non-male are terrifying. They represent the very worst our image of ourownselves. Their language, filled with venom and spite, reduce our national presence to pettiness, they diminish the stature of our government and reduce the office of POTUS to nothing more playground bullying.
To be sure, there were things President Obama could've and should've done differently, but I do not believe that the outcome would have been any different whatsoever. We, the People have proven ourselves to still be racist in the worst possible sense of the word. That we could elect President Obama not once, but twice, offers some hope, but unless we being by electing representatives who put the good and welfare of We, the People over the color of one's skin or the religion one practices, we will continue to be at the bottom of the human social barrel. We are only one step away from electing our own version of Pol Pot.
http://wifelyperson.blogspot.com/
What we got was sad, disheartening, and destructive. Racism is only the tip of this malformed iceberg of hate that has become politics du jour. Donld Trump's hated of "the other" members of this society coupled with Ted Cruz's hatred of all things non-male are terrifying. They represent the very worst our image of ourownselves. Their language, filled with venom and spite, reduce our national presence to pettiness, they diminish the stature of our government and reduce the office of POTUS to nothing more playground bullying.
To be sure, there were things President Obama could've and should've done differently, but I do not believe that the outcome would have been any different whatsoever. We, the People have proven ourselves to still be racist in the worst possible sense of the word. That we could elect President Obama not once, but twice, offers some hope, but unless we being by electing representatives who put the good and welfare of We, the People over the color of one's skin or the religion one practices, we will continue to be at the bottom of the human social barrel. We are only one step away from electing our own version of Pol Pot.
http://wifelyperson.blogspot.com/
15
Clearly, some people, many of them conservative Republicans, could not tolerate Obama because of his race and Muslim sounding name.
But Obama won each of his two presidential elections with a clear majority of the popular vote. So, the inability of Obama to achieve more in his terms than he did because of the supposed great numbers of irrational, bigoted haters doesn't ring true.
Obama's problem was that he viewed his main task as getting the cooperation of those irrational haters, rather than advancing the causes of the left leaning majorities which elected him. With the ACA, he gave up on universal coverage, cost effectiveness, and simplicity in providing health care, even as a 40 year successful model for providing such care, Medicare for seniors, stood right in front of him. With his $10.10 per hour minimum wage proposal, he gave up on a living wage for full time work. (Try living on $21,000 a year gross as a single person, never mind supporting dependents.) With his small tax increase and then only for those making more than $400,000, he gave up on having the wealthy pay their fair share.
Obama was more concerned with being the conciliator for all the various political groups -- some of which couldn't possibly be placated because of their irrational hatred for him -- than he was with being the leader of the liberal majorities which elected him. For me, a liberal, Obama was a failure as a leader of the Democrats, and thus a failure as president.
But Obama won each of his two presidential elections with a clear majority of the popular vote. So, the inability of Obama to achieve more in his terms than he did because of the supposed great numbers of irrational, bigoted haters doesn't ring true.
Obama's problem was that he viewed his main task as getting the cooperation of those irrational haters, rather than advancing the causes of the left leaning majorities which elected him. With the ACA, he gave up on universal coverage, cost effectiveness, and simplicity in providing health care, even as a 40 year successful model for providing such care, Medicare for seniors, stood right in front of him. With his $10.10 per hour minimum wage proposal, he gave up on a living wage for full time work. (Try living on $21,000 a year gross as a single person, never mind supporting dependents.) With his small tax increase and then only for those making more than $400,000, he gave up on having the wealthy pay their fair share.
Obama was more concerned with being the conciliator for all the various political groups -- some of which couldn't possibly be placated because of their irrational hatred for him -- than he was with being the leader of the liberal majorities which elected him. For me, a liberal, Obama was a failure as a leader of the Democrats, and thus a failure as president.
1
It would be impossible for me to disagree more strongly than I already do with your negativity about our intelligent, thoughtful, deliberative, honest, humane, ethical, anf compassionate current president.
10
The sad part is the Muslim sounding name is also a common Jewish name.
While it would be nice for Obama supporters like me to believe that Obama was responsible for the improved economy and lower unemployment, the fact is that outside of Obama's too small initial stimulus program, he has not been able to do anything that would improve the economy. Although elections are seemingly decided by how well the economy is doing at election time, the fact is that the President, whoever he is, is not that important in determining economic performance of the country.
3
Timothy Egan,
President Obama has achieved “PEACE IN OUR TIME?”
But only for the next ten years and then he has agreed that Iran can build as many nuclear weapons as it wants in accordance with this agreement!
Iran does not have intercontinental ballistic missile delivery systems, but they can afford to rent a van for a suicide bomber instead!
This treaty is a great diplomatic victory for the Obama Administration!
The USA, France, Germany, England, Etc., did all get together and then all agreed in essence to "Give away everything that Iran wants in return for a ten year pause before Iran is allowed to have nuclear weapons with the capability to destroy the USA and Europe!"
The US agrees to release Iran from Iran’s treaty obligations under the existing non-nuclear-proliferation treaty that Iran previously signed!
The US agrees to lift trade sanctions against Iran that were implemented against Iran for Iran’s capture of the US embassy in Iran and Iran's failure to comply with Iran’s obligations that Iran agreed to comply with as a part of the previous non-nuclear-proliferation agreement that Iran signed! This will give Iran the economic capability to arm and finance many more religious fanatics around the world. How will the USA ever deal with a bunch of nuclear armed religious fanatics?
The US agrees to allow Iran to have Nuclear Weapons ten years after this treaty is agreed and ratified by all of the governmental parties to this agreement!
President Obama has achieved “PEACE IN OUR TIME?”
But only for the next ten years and then he has agreed that Iran can build as many nuclear weapons as it wants in accordance with this agreement!
Iran does not have intercontinental ballistic missile delivery systems, but they can afford to rent a van for a suicide bomber instead!
This treaty is a great diplomatic victory for the Obama Administration!
The USA, France, Germany, England, Etc., did all get together and then all agreed in essence to "Give away everything that Iran wants in return for a ten year pause before Iran is allowed to have nuclear weapons with the capability to destroy the USA and Europe!"
The US agrees to release Iran from Iran’s treaty obligations under the existing non-nuclear-proliferation treaty that Iran previously signed!
The US agrees to lift trade sanctions against Iran that were implemented against Iran for Iran’s capture of the US embassy in Iran and Iran's failure to comply with Iran’s obligations that Iran agreed to comply with as a part of the previous non-nuclear-proliferation agreement that Iran signed! This will give Iran the economic capability to arm and finance many more religious fanatics around the world. How will the USA ever deal with a bunch of nuclear armed religious fanatics?
The US agrees to allow Iran to have Nuclear Weapons ten years after this treaty is agreed and ratified by all of the governmental parties to this agreement!
2
Obama is totally devoid of even the smallest success, so the left must invent "successes"
3
Obama may not be the greatest schmoozer but it's important to recall that the president often cited as the master schmoozer, Lyndon Johnson, only got legislation passed when he had an overwhelming majority in Congress and was by the end of his presidency unable to leave the White House to make public appearances because of the Vietnam war.
To paraphrase the quote from "The Untouchables" you get more with a kind word and an overwhelming majority in Congress than you do from a kind word alone.
To paraphrase the quote from "The Untouchables" you get more with a kind word and an overwhelming majority in Congress than you do from a kind word alone.
9
" He was a man. Take him for all in all. I shall not look upon his like again." (to coin a phrase"
The only truly inspirational president in my lifetime, and I'm old. A dedicated family man with not a breath of scandal to be found, and they've looked. (and made up ridiculous stuff) Intellectual, calm, humorous.
Whoever is elected next time around, unless someone not now on the scene pops up, will be a sad step down.
The only truly inspirational president in my lifetime, and I'm old. A dedicated family man with not a breath of scandal to be found, and they've looked. (and made up ridiculous stuff) Intellectual, calm, humorous.
Whoever is elected next time around, unless someone not now on the scene pops up, will be a sad step down.
22
Had a republican accomplished half as much we would see his or her face on Mt. Rushmore. President Obama has done a stunning job under unimaginably difficult circumstances and left the country in better shape for his efforts.
41
It's tiresome hearing liberal supporters of President Obama blame all of his problems on Republicans or Fox News or Mr. Netanyahu. We have a deal in this
country that says all Presidents get credit for everything good that happens on their watch along with blame for everything bad. So tomorrow if gold gets discovered in Florida and there is a flood on the
Yangtze, all of us will automatically know who to credit or blame. This is the way Americans have always judged their Presidents, and it's time for liberals to get back to accepting this bargain.
country that says all Presidents get credit for everything good that happens on their watch along with blame for everything bad. So tomorrow if gold gets discovered in Florida and there is a flood on the
Yangtze, all of us will automatically know who to credit or blame. This is the way Americans have always judged their Presidents, and it's time for liberals to get back to accepting this bargain.
2
Like Republicans haven't blamed Obama for everything they don't like, lied about his positions, and attacked him from day 1 (McConnell and the cabal who pledged to vote against him even if it was bad for the country).
If - I won't call modern Republicans conservatives, since they appear to have abandoned anything but magic thinking and exclusionary policies, while true conservatives have much to praise - Republicans want respect and moderation from those of us who care for all of us, not just a rootin' tootin' kind of unreal victory over all those "others", they could try a little less distortion and hatred and a whole lot more tolerance.
If - I won't call modern Republicans conservatives, since they appear to have abandoned anything but magic thinking and exclusionary policies, while true conservatives have much to praise - Republicans want respect and moderation from those of us who care for all of us, not just a rootin' tootin' kind of unreal victory over all those "others", they could try a little less distortion and hatred and a whole lot more tolerance.
13
“I wish it need not have happened in my time," said Frodo.
"So do I," said Gandalf, "and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.”
"So do I," said Gandalf, "and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.”
5
Any one who pontificates on how Obama will be viewed in the future is indulging in self-serving, egotistic fantasy. Like, you think you know! Like, you're the prescient one! The truth is no one does. We need to comment on what was and what is. In that case Obama was and is a highly intelligent president who was able to accomplish many important things like ACA and the Iran deal. Even if you don't like them, admire that he got them done in an environment so toxic that a lesser person would have quit. Admire that despite the hostility (racist or not) he remained calm thoughtful, rational, and good humored. I think he was a great president because of what I know now not because I see the effect of his policies in the future. He has the key attribute as Osler said: Aequanimitas
24
The best and hardest working President ever! Thank you President Obama for all you have done and will continue to do. History and time will do you more justice than the rubes commenting on this article.
39
If anyone doubts what has really been at work over the last 7 years, look no further than Mel Brooks' "Blazing Saddles". The scene where the new sheriff arrives to a town desperate for protection and on the brink of ruin is spot on. Contains offensive language that would never be openly used today. But the sentiment and reality that it portrays are spot on.
We had to know that 7 years of a handsome, intelligent and graceful black man in the White House would galvanize a group of haters and give rise to a demagogue like Trump and his angry followers.
NSFW!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=upvZdVK913I
We had to know that 7 years of a handsome, intelligent and graceful black man in the White House would galvanize a group of haters and give rise to a demagogue like Trump and his angry followers.
NSFW!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=upvZdVK913I
6
How about a little self reflection on your part Mr. Egan? Just because you assert that Mr. Obama's presidency has not been transformational doesn't make it so. Why do you and so many people so easily ignore that Barack Obama was not only re-elected, he enjoys the highest favorability ratings of any modern president at this juncture of his time in office? This reader refuses to buy in to the narrative of negativity being fed to us by the party of "No" and their no-nothing followers. Remember as well that were it not for gerrymandering we would not have a republican-controlled congress (more people voted for House democrats in 2012 than for republicans). What has been transformed by Barack Obama's presidency is the out-of-the-closet racism that is enabled by expressions of regret such as yours that political correctness is like a straight jacket. What passes for complaints about political correctness are really just excuses to be rude, to reduce civility and accept vulgarity, bigotry and xenophobia as some sort of frank and honest talk. We are better than that. Just look around. Who is one of the most admired people in the world? Barack Obama. Try a little more self reflection Timothy and you may change your view.
12
Many of us heard that at the very time of Obama''s first inauguration the
Republican leadership was meeting, elsewhere in Washington DC ,to prepare
and swear to an oath which would make it mandatory to those who signed-(nearly all nationally elected Republicans)-would oppose Obama on every possible front.
Notice how very few Judges have been confirmed, how Asst Secy's are running
Departments because the confirmation votes don't come up. Why is NO ONE
investigating this multi year concerted effort to thwart the President?
Republican leadership was meeting, elsewhere in Washington DC ,to prepare
and swear to an oath which would make it mandatory to those who signed-(nearly all nationally elected Republicans)-would oppose Obama on every possible front.
Notice how very few Judges have been confirmed, how Asst Secy's are running
Departments because the confirmation votes don't come up. Why is NO ONE
investigating this multi year concerted effort to thwart the President?
14
As an experiment I think Obama should propose a Grandmother Appreciation Day bill, as you humorously proposed. Have it written up formally and then go over to the halls and work the room. Negotiate with the leadership to get a roll call vote. Tell the press his plan. Shed tears about his own beloved gramma. See what happens. If you are right and it fails mightily Tim, maybe finally he can prove the animosity this gang of fools brought to the last 7 hears. I think it is to Hil and Bern to stop shadow boxing with each other and make a democratic presidency and sweep of all the halls of govt-- federal and most of all states-- their only goal. Get Obama to join this, and people like retired George Miller, and many other reasonable people. This GOP stranglehold MUST end.
4
Excuse me! "Grandmother Appreciation Day" is a poor example, next to twenty plus children gunned down and the Republican Congress doing absolutely nothing.
2
Wow, really. You get paid for this. We are not a nation that embraced slavery. If you knew history you would know that the bloodiest war in our history was fought to end slavery, in an era when the world embraced sllavery, especially the Moslem world. I skipped most of the drivel to get to the end and I would suggest it's not always easy to self-promote failure. I hope his due is to share some of the millions he will rake in for his estate and library in Hawaii and reduce the portion of $17 trillion my children and grandchildren will be responsible for.
1
Every nation practiced slavery. Some of the biggest slave profiteers were black
Your point. Surely you must have one.
3
Agree, give Republicans credit for their genius for promoting failure. Not easy to rustle up so many to run for President. Oh by the way, you left off Bush's contribution of another $1 trillion. Probably it's your glasses. Couldn't be your skewed perception of a nation that no longer respects your claim to privilege and advantage denied those Americans you think are beneath you.
1
“Part of the ugliness…may also be that the country was not ready for a transformational president.” History — if she is objective — is more likely to interpret things differently.
The President, who swept “away the last racial barrier in American politics with ease,” proceeded to mire himself in racial muck, jumping several times in his early years to conclusions that proved inaccurate (or outright false): Cambridge, Sanford, and later, Ferguson, among others.
He also allowed his AG and DOJ to apply the law selectively, often interpreted as racially: setting the tone within the earliest days of the Administration by excusing voter intimidation outside a Philadelphia polling station on Election Day in November 2008 that rightfully would have led to public outcry and demonstrations had the races been reversed.
This is not to say conditions were rosy or perfect before the President entered office. There were and still are inequities in society, particularly in our justice system. But while not everyone everywhere, even those who may have been drawn to racism recognized back then that it is unacceptable. Much of America had moved beyond the President on racism, striving for better relations. Sadly, his legacy suggests he’s still chasing us.
The President, who swept “away the last racial barrier in American politics with ease,” proceeded to mire himself in racial muck, jumping several times in his early years to conclusions that proved inaccurate (or outright false): Cambridge, Sanford, and later, Ferguson, among others.
He also allowed his AG and DOJ to apply the law selectively, often interpreted as racially: setting the tone within the earliest days of the Administration by excusing voter intimidation outside a Philadelphia polling station on Election Day in November 2008 that rightfully would have led to public outcry and demonstrations had the races been reversed.
This is not to say conditions were rosy or perfect before the President entered office. There were and still are inequities in society, particularly in our justice system. But while not everyone everywhere, even those who may have been drawn to racism recognized back then that it is unacceptable. Much of America had moved beyond the President on racism, striving for better relations. Sadly, his legacy suggests he’s still chasing us.
2
I have been very proud of President Obama and First Lady Michelle these past seven years. They are a very classy couple. I will miss them both very much.
30
Just a great article. It is sad what has happened to the country. I was a Republican virtually all my 60 years but personally cannot understand who votes for them anymore. Given all the things Obama has done, I truly think he will go down as a near great President but that is for the histry books
24
LOL - no matter how you pathetically try to spin it, Obummer is a failure and a corrupt liar. He has been giving us his do-do for far too long. Time to move on.
2
Oh Steamboat, you just don't know quality when you see it. There is not one Republican wannabe good enough to wipe his shoes.
21
Appropriate moniker. 'Steamboat'. Living in the past, cannot see the future.
11
instead of 'giving obama his due' and pretending every day that he needs to be promoted like a candidate, stop treating this like a cult of personality. Please admit that the guy is not about a citizen democracy but instead that he is focused on one thing, his own agenda. You may love that agenda but its dishonest to pretend that Obama does what the country wants. He does what he wants and country be damned. He does not even believe that we have three equal branches of power but that the exective branch is more equal. When he tell us all that unemployment is 5% then do you believe him or do you know that the rate of those not participating puts the level at 12%. Remain calm and carry on and by all means respond to my facts but don't deny that he acts independent of Americans. Don't deny that he is a ruler and far from a leader. Love him but give him the respect of being at least honest about his methods and results. He's not a great leader, he's a great liar and misleader. The stock market he loves to towt has mostly helped the wealthy.....and its not as rosy as he tells you either. I haven't seen one supporter yet that has been balanced about this tenure, its all glowing. Now instead of being independent thinkers you're just all acting like him and only showing one side, aren't you? I don't want him to be perfect but let's just start with him trying to be honest.....and don't tell me I can keep my doctor.
4
A Republican administration told us ketch-up is a vegetable and folks who aren't actively looking for jobs or who've given up aren't counted as part of the unemployment rate. Reagan did this. If you don't know this, don't embarrass yourself with a malformed rant you picked up listening to hate radio. Some Americans see an honorable, intelligent man who served his country with dignity and honor. Others see a Black man who's capable and confident and that enrages them as uppity and arrogant. They prefer non-white Americans to know their place, submissive and shuffling. Bit much to say he should be honest when you don't even try. If it makes you feel better, the next President will assuredly be white, maybe if we're really doomed, they might be Cuban. And it's not about keeping your doctor, sir. It's about paying your doctor. Otherwise your doctor isn't interested in keeping you.
8
Now, do you see that Trump would behave differently?
The Egan Axiom -
The Masses are Morons Who have to be Kept Strictly Under Control and Eventually Enslaved
The Supreme Libs' maxim as well. Not to mention The ObaMessiah.
The Masses are Morons Who have to be Kept Strictly Under Control and Eventually Enslaved
The Supreme Libs' maxim as well. Not to mention The ObaMessiah.
1
What more could we the people expect. We had eight years of dysfunction when Bill Clinton was in office. This is just what republicans do, they obstruct and it doesn't matter your color of skin (well ?). it matters that you are a democrat and they don't want to govern as they do not want community that fosters opportunity for everyone but they are so good at lying and playing the fear card. Reagan sold us "government is the enemy" and then they defunded all agencies so many are inefficient. They even can make a lie the truth. It is very disheartening.
10
"Not with a bang , but with a whimper". Seven years of uproar about very little accomplished.
1
14 million new jobs.
saving auto industry.
18 million have health care.
very little????
compared to what?
saving auto industry.
18 million have health care.
very little????
compared to what?
7
Compared to candidate 0bama's promises. A united United States, more middle class prosperity, lower health care costs for the middle class, not to mention lowering the level of the seas. The auto industry save is very questionable , bankruptcy proceedings would have functioned. It could have been worse is hardly a strong endorsement.
I fully agree that America was not ready for a transformational president; rather than sweep away the last racial barrier, his years in office showed just how deep-rooted the sentiment behind those barriers remains.
Sadly a common American is no better than the rest of the humanity in judging the inspirational leadership. During Obama Presidency, indeed the “rancor and suspicion between the parties has gotten worse instead of better”, such is the ugly color prejudice of large number of Americans that they could not stomach a black man dared to be their Commander In Chief.
The very same prejudice was on display praising the Regan as a greatest President, when the whole world was aware that he sowed seeds of intractable problems of Islamic militancy including the creation of Al-Qaida. Reagan was a mere leader, never a statesman with an amazing inability to see beyond his nose.
History will be very kind to Obama. Remarkable that a black President could leave a indelible mark at a time when Internet has turned leadership upside down by removing the monopoly over communications from the hands of those in positions of formal authority and by enabling radically new forms of collective action and complex social coordination.
Sadly a common American is no better than the rest of the humanity in judging the inspirational leadership. During Obama Presidency, indeed the “rancor and suspicion between the parties has gotten worse instead of better”, such is the ugly color prejudice of large number of Americans that they could not stomach a black man dared to be their Commander In Chief.
The very same prejudice was on display praising the Regan as a greatest President, when the whole world was aware that he sowed seeds of intractable problems of Islamic militancy including the creation of Al-Qaida. Reagan was a mere leader, never a statesman with an amazing inability to see beyond his nose.
History will be very kind to Obama. Remarkable that a black President could leave a indelible mark at a time when Internet has turned leadership upside down by removing the monopoly over communications from the hands of those in positions of formal authority and by enabling radically new forms of collective action and complex social coordination.
13
Obama made a political misstep when he passed the ACA without bi-partisan support. Such large and sweeping legislation needs some cover from the other side of the isle, otherwise, you get what we have right now, with Republicans constantly attempting to repeal it. And it galvanized the Republicans against him.
1
"Such large and sweeping legislation needs some cover from the other side of the isle......Which is precisely why he chose to implement a plan that was designed by Republicans and initiated by a Republican governor in Massachusetts. So now you need to explain why Republicans have so vehemently opposed a plan they invented? I wonder if it could possibly be that they saw a political advantage if they pandered to a portion of their base which was uphappy with a the idea of a black President? But of course since you have been living on Mars for the last 7 years that thought would never have occurred to you.
18
Mike, the ACA was written by the Heritage Foundation, a right wing think tank. The left wanted single payer, the right would not approve that...the result kept the insurance companies alive and well, and the ACA became a bowl half full. No question, it has saved many lives, but we can do better.
268
Reality called to remind you that ObamaCare was passed by a democratic congress and signed by a democrat president.
Furthermore, Obama promised us ObamaCare would be so popular that the GOP would stop calling it Obamacare, yet we have nuts on the left calling it RomneyCare or falsely claiming it was written by the Heritage Foundation. That tells you everything you need to know about how unpopular obamacare is.
Furthermore, Obama promised us ObamaCare would be so popular that the GOP would stop calling it Obamacare, yet we have nuts on the left calling it RomneyCare or falsely claiming it was written by the Heritage Foundation. That tells you everything you need to know about how unpopular obamacare is.
History will render it's judgement on Obama and his administration. Voters already have.....
4
You mean, by electing him twice?
12
All hail the great divider, hope and change went out the window. Our country demands leadership. Try and explain him all you want, the reality is real wages are down, the world is on fire and The Donald is starting to fill the shoes so desperately needed to the dismay of all the progressive ideologues.
3
Look right my friend, the blame sits firmly in their laps.
3
Right, and when your Republican leadership conspired on day one of his presidency to block him at every turn and make him a one term president, hope and change had little room to do much of anything. Like one man is supposed to mend the world and cover all the bases. Bush left us with a mess which Republicans seem to have amnesia over. Hate radio and the right wing blogosphere have done Trump a big favor, they've effectively created an outlet for the fears of angry older white men. Trump, a man with no experience in government, no detailed policy chops and constant platitudes for himself about how great he is. Make America great again...Dump the Republican party and let it divide into two parties, one angry and one for the rest of us...
12
Sure.
As in last nights debate when Rubio spouted off about Obama being a 'divider' and then went off about 5 seconds later about it being about 'us' against 'those' who would keep our country from 'being great again'.
Really, what soporific, juvenile drivel.
As in last nights debate when Rubio spouted off about Obama being a 'divider' and then went off about 5 seconds later about it being about 'us' against 'those' who would keep our country from 'being great again'.
Really, what soporific, juvenile drivel.
9
If he had played their nasty games we would never have been able to see the GOP Trogs out from under their rocks in the clear light of day with their annointed leader.
Let the fumigation begin!
Let the fumigation begin!
4
This was the funniest article I've read in sometime. The sarcasm was brilliant. The economy is doing good. The most consequential president since FDR. The best part was about the faded clippings and photographs. Stop it. You're killing me!
1
I disagree. I think that he HAS changed hearts and minds. There was never a chance that one person would end racsim or the attitudes of millions of people. But I see more white people than I ever have speaking up for the rights of black people. I see more white people emboldened to defend black lives matter, to call out the coded racism of our peers and to say that "No, this kind of attitude and speech is not acceptable!" than at any other time in my life. I think that his presidency has been important in that it's dragged a lot of racism out of our basements and closets and out into the light and many of us have recoiled in disgusts. We knew it was there all along but to see it's sickening form laying on the floor and how people feel that it's been ok to just spew coded rhetoric has made us realize that despite all the impressive strides we've made that we have so much further to go!
10
On policy, he has fallen well short of remarkable, we can go at that all day, it’s like a bad dream, I’ll leave that up to you and the Presidents illegal executive orders. Changing hearts and minds of this country he excelled in this area. 67% of Americans think we are moving in the wrong direction. The democratic party has lost since he has been elected : 11 Governorships, 13 US Senate Seats, 69 US House seats, and 900+ State Legislative Seats. Obama has changed the hearts of the American people, that’s for Sure.
Lastly I have to say the statistics are way off and the President has left out purposely certain majorities to make his skewing of percentages positive. For that dare he said on national TV “peddling fiction” I accept. You are lying to the American people Barack Hussein Obama. Here are the un skewed statistics if you care and have an open mind.
Median Household Income Adjusted for Inflation:
Jan 2009: 56,957
Nov 2015: 56,746
DOWN
Labor Participation Rate:
Jan 2009: 65.7%
Nov 2015: 62.5%
DOWN
Americans Dependent on Food Stamps:
Jan 2009: 31.90 Million
Nov 2015: 45.36 Million
That’s a 42% increase
Poverty Rate:
2009: 39.82 Million
2014: 46.65 Million
UP
Home Ownership:
4Q 2008: 67.5%
3Q 2015: 63.7%
DOWN
Finally The US National Debt:
Jan 2009: 10.62 Trillion
Jan 2015: 18.89 Trillion
And growing every day!
Lastly I have to say the statistics are way off and the President has left out purposely certain majorities to make his skewing of percentages positive. For that dare he said on national TV “peddling fiction” I accept. You are lying to the American people Barack Hussein Obama. Here are the un skewed statistics if you care and have an open mind.
Median Household Income Adjusted for Inflation:
Jan 2009: 56,957
Nov 2015: 56,746
DOWN
Labor Participation Rate:
Jan 2009: 65.7%
Nov 2015: 62.5%
DOWN
Americans Dependent on Food Stamps:
Jan 2009: 31.90 Million
Nov 2015: 45.36 Million
That’s a 42% increase
Poverty Rate:
2009: 39.82 Million
2014: 46.65 Million
UP
Home Ownership:
4Q 2008: 67.5%
3Q 2015: 63.7%
DOWN
Finally The US National Debt:
Jan 2009: 10.62 Trillion
Jan 2015: 18.89 Trillion
And growing every day!
3
Thank you for the numbers. I remain an Obama enthusiast and believe that he has been and will be judged by history to be the most consequential president since F. Roosevelt. But anyone making such claims must deal with these numbers.
Economists tell us that normally a president is subject to the business cycle, not in charge of it. In Obama's case, policy responses to the crash of 2008 went well beyond the normal FED stuff. So he deserves some credit for the recovery due to stimulus packages passed over the objections of the Republicans. If the Repubs had won that argument, this number would have looked much worse. International labor competition is damaging to this number.
Labor participation rate has demographics in it and has been declining for over a decade. Boomers retiring, fewer women working and more college students. This number needs more unpacking before Obama is blamed for a significant trend.
Housing ownership: Republicans and Democrats encouraged the sub-prime mortgages that exploded. Republicans blamed Democrats for the crash. Do these numbers reflect market-driven re-adjustments?
National Debt figures make no sense until ratioed to GDP. Your meaningless number shows twice the growth. The meaningful one that shows growth from 73% to 101%. And the debt to GDP ratio is falling not rising.
We learn that haters hate and cook the books.
The future view: Reagan protected ozone and Obama protected climate. That is all they will care about. The rest is noise.
Economists tell us that normally a president is subject to the business cycle, not in charge of it. In Obama's case, policy responses to the crash of 2008 went well beyond the normal FED stuff. So he deserves some credit for the recovery due to stimulus packages passed over the objections of the Republicans. If the Repubs had won that argument, this number would have looked much worse. International labor competition is damaging to this number.
Labor participation rate has demographics in it and has been declining for over a decade. Boomers retiring, fewer women working and more college students. This number needs more unpacking before Obama is blamed for a significant trend.
Housing ownership: Republicans and Democrats encouraged the sub-prime mortgages that exploded. Republicans blamed Democrats for the crash. Do these numbers reflect market-driven re-adjustments?
National Debt figures make no sense until ratioed to GDP. Your meaningless number shows twice the growth. The meaningful one that shows growth from 73% to 101%. And the debt to GDP ratio is falling not rising.
We learn that haters hate and cook the books.
The future view: Reagan protected ozone and Obama protected climate. That is all they will care about. The rest is noise.
2
Of course the left has no response to your facts, except to lamely yell, "Fox News! Fox News!"
1
Labor Participation Rate:
Jan 2009: 65.7%
^ Reflects growing% of retires and has no bearing or relevance to the 14 million jobs created.
Due to demographics LPR is scheduled to go down to 62% by 2025 - per the CBO report as of 2006! [IE 3 years before Obama took office)
Jan 2009: 65.7%
^ Reflects growing% of retires and has no bearing or relevance to the 14 million jobs created.
Due to demographics LPR is scheduled to go down to 62% by 2025 - per the CBO report as of 2006! [IE 3 years before Obama took office)
2
"His presidency, as of now, has not been transformational."
Yet.
It is way too soon to judge that issue -- and as Tim notes above that conclusion: "A big part of the 44th president’s place in the national narrative will depend on what happens to the forces of darkness that were unleashed in his time..."
Yet.
It is way too soon to judge that issue -- and as Tim notes above that conclusion: "A big part of the 44th president’s place in the national narrative will depend on what happens to the forces of darkness that were unleashed in his time..."
2
One wonders what could have been. What the Nation might have accomplished had the republican party not committed wholesale treason.
When they proposed to give the newly elected President no victories, when they promised to make him a one term President, when they turned their backs on their own proposals they turned their backs on America and on every American.
If the Nation does not get off its bum and vote these traitors out of congress, out of the governors mansions, out of the dog catcher business we will surely become the failed state republicans have been pushing for the last 40 years.
When they proposed to give the newly elected President no victories, when they promised to make him a one term President, when they turned their backs on their own proposals they turned their backs on America and on every American.
If the Nation does not get off its bum and vote these traitors out of congress, out of the governors mansions, out of the dog catcher business we will surely become the failed state republicans have been pushing for the last 40 years.
28
After reading Republican debate coverage all morning, this column was a much needed breath of fresh air. Thanks, Mr. Egan.
3
Kim Strassel summed up Obama brilliantly this morning in her piece in the WSJ: "He ran as a uniter, but he governed as a divisive ideologue..."
Obama's "leadership" gave birth to the Trump phenomenon.
Obama's "leadership" gave birth to the Trump phenomenon.
2
"Divisive ideologue" eh? What rubbish. One need look no farther than the Heritage Foundation-crafted Affordable Care Act, piloted successfully by Mitt Romney in Massachusetts, to expose that canard for the Big Lie it is. Obama said he'd take good ideas wherever he found them and, with the ACA, did exactly that. And the Republican response? Rigid, unproductive, demagoguery. Mores the pity for the country and the world that the GOP has totally abandoned its ability to generate the occasional good idea. "They are the Eeyore Party with a snarl," hits the nail, sadly, on the head. Am I trying to argue that President Obama is perfect or blameless? No. But to label him a divisive demagogue is the worst kind of hateful propaganda.
488
Obama is probably the least ideological/partisan President since Eisenhower.
Nice try, though.
Nice try, though.
25
Do you seriously believe that one person (even the POTUS) has the power to divide an electorate that was not already divided? Do you personally give credit to Obama for anything positive that has occurred on his watch? Was George W. Bush a more effective "leader?"
18
How does one change a heart of stone?
13
The republican party looks to Putin as the type of leader they admire. Fox echos that, or maybe set up that call. Interesting that the party of McCarthy, HUAC, John Birch, etc., are the biggest boosters of Russia. For that kind of behavior they would have been ruined a few years back. I guess they always hated black people more than Russians, communists and KGB.
There's no winning those hearts and minds. Egan is very unfair.
There's no winning those hearts and minds. Egan is very unfair.
12
I have nothing but respect for President Obama. The question, Mr. Egan, is how many times can you hit your head against a brick wall? At some point one recognizes both the blood and the inertia. Our president knew he could accomplish little with the help of the Congress, so this year executive actions will become the rule of the day, and he will use his veto power to protect the country. I cannot remember another time when a President faced such hostility from Congress, nor a time when a president was judged so harshly. The language used toward President Obama in the GOP debate last night demonstrates how low we have sunk, what a hateful, disrespectful horde we have become.
33
I well remember the last time.
The Clinton administration.
Conservative groups hired full-time investigators to dig up any and all dirt on the Clintons.
The absurd impeachment proceedings against Clinton for dissembling about an affair while Reagan, who subverted the Constitution and Congress by running a clandestine war in Central America and traded arms for hostages, is lauded by delusional members of the GOP.
The Clinton administration.
Conservative groups hired full-time investigators to dig up any and all dirt on the Clintons.
The absurd impeachment proceedings against Clinton for dissembling about an affair while Reagan, who subverted the Constitution and Congress by running a clandestine war in Central America and traded arms for hostages, is lauded by delusional members of the GOP.
4
Great photo of Obama accompanying this column.
5
I felt that Mr. Obama was the right person for the job when I cast my vote for him, in both elections. I still do. History will judge his tenure to be sure, a refreshing note in the age of instant gratification.
17
Lest we forget, the sagacious Republicans who now pronounce Obama a failure
also backed John McCain eight years ago. McCain had the brilliance, in his first tryout for the top job, to pick Sarah Palin as his running mate. Palin happily wandered off into the thickets of Reality TV, where Trump has long held court. What is it about Republican contenders that draws them to reality TV jobs? Maybe this: Reality TV is to reality what Republican Ideology is to sane governance.
also backed John McCain eight years ago. McCain had the brilliance, in his first tryout for the top job, to pick Sarah Palin as his running mate. Palin happily wandered off into the thickets of Reality TV, where Trump has long held court. What is it about Republican contenders that draws them to reality TV jobs? Maybe this: Reality TV is to reality what Republican Ideology is to sane governance.
17
... and what "professional wrestling" is to wrestling. Truthiness, not truth.
3
And, after choosing someone as ludicrous as Palin, McCain still hungers to be both credible and relevant.
Not.
Not.
2
Obama is the best president of my lifetime, and perhaps one of the best ever. The successes he achieved, given the determined opposition he faced, are remarkable. Health care, climate change, economy, education, wars, terrorism, nuclear proliferation, and more - he was handed all these thorny problems in their most aggravated state, and has made substantial progress in tackling each of them against all odds. The part in this article about more effectively schmoozing Republicans is nonsense, he could have spent all his time doing that, and made no progress whatsoever. He has my fullest gratitude and support. I think about 40% of the country thinks the same way, but this is likely to grow to more than 60% soon after he leaves office.
43
Obama was an excellent steward of the economy, taking us from the brink of disaster to stability. The endless back and forth that led to health reform proved that he was a skilled tactician, able to get things done within the limits of the possible. His more recent resort to executive orders reflect this same skill, though he has tried to accomplish too much at times, leading to a setback on immigration, in particular. The success of his foreign policy is difficult to assess, but unlike many of his predecessors he passed the basic test set by comedians and critics -- not insane. That is, most (not all) of what he did seemed reasonable at the time, whatever the final outcome. His competence in office inspired confidence, not so much that the future would be bright, more that his decisions would not lead us in the wrong direction. His inability to enact most of his domestic agenda is the key disappointment of his time in office. The intransigence of the Republicans is unforgivable. But Obama and the Democrats are not blameless. We were never going anywhere with guns or climate change or immigration. But there were other initiatives that were within reach. For example, while full-blown tax reform was not in the cards, simplifying the tax code and getting rid of some -- not all -- of the most abusive loopholes may well have been achievable.
8
The very thought of ever having a President Abraham Lincoln would not have been possible without the feckless administration of James Buchanan that came immediately before. The same holds true for a President Ronald Reagan and his hoplessly incompetent predecessor, Jimmy Carter.
So, giving our first constitutional scholar President his due, I woud say that Obama and his AA filled administration of political ne'er do wells is going to be singularly responsible for either a President Donald Trump or a President Ted Cruze. Ahhh history...such a beautiful teacher when the country begins to correct itself. Hurry January 2017.
So, giving our first constitutional scholar President his due, I woud say that Obama and his AA filled administration of political ne'er do wells is going to be singularly responsible for either a President Donald Trump or a President Ted Cruze. Ahhh history...such a beautiful teacher when the country begins to correct itself. Hurry January 2017.
1
By your logic, Mr. Egan, Jackie Robinson was a failure because white baseball fans booed him for most of his career. History will tell.
10
As soon as I heard Mitch McConnell say, with extraordinary bluntness, at the very first of President Obama's first term that Republicans would dedicate themselves to precluding a second term, I knew it would be awful. Since then everything I've read and heard has confirmed for me that Barack Obama was wasted on the American people.
11
Thank you for this interesting piece, especially the assesment that "the president’s place in the national narrative will depend on what happens to the forces of darkness that were unleashed in his time". History is written by the victors and it seems that in this case, a lot depends on where you stand politically. Obama is either a transformational figure who pulled America into the 21th century, or he is the symbol of an America that has lost its way.
In this age of partisanism, I strongly disagree with the idea that the PR dept of the White is a "Curiously inept self-promotional apparatus".
I've seen Obama through the lens of the mainstream media, and I've been following him though his own social networks. Obama has turned out to be one of the more influential vloggers out there, his videos rake in millions of views on the issues he puts out there. The 'community organizing' element of his presidency has largely gone online, circumventing the traditional channels.
In this way, I feel I've often gotten a more realistic view of this president than through the lens of the evening news or late night talk shows. Imagine how weird that is.
In this age of partisanism, I strongly disagree with the idea that the PR dept of the White is a "Curiously inept self-promotional apparatus".
I've seen Obama through the lens of the mainstream media, and I've been following him though his own social networks. Obama has turned out to be one of the more influential vloggers out there, his videos rake in millions of views on the issues he puts out there. The 'community organizing' element of his presidency has largely gone online, circumventing the traditional channels.
In this way, I feel I've often gotten a more realistic view of this president than through the lens of the evening news or late night talk shows. Imagine how weird that is.
2
The Republican Party in the USA and the Liberal Party in Canada have something in common. They believe that they have a divine right to power. The difference is that the Liberal Party are more subtle and cunning about it than the Republican.
Regardless of whatever individual political liberals might think, the Liberal Party won a clear majority in the recent election. Part of the reason they did that they presented a positive outlook for the future while the Conservatives mimicked the Us Republicans, "be afraid ,be afraid!" Conservatives everywhere, it seems, are trapped by their own rhetoric. RMC
Obama will be memorialized in the ISIS Hall of Fame
3
Obama's presidency has ripped the veil away from conservative America's racism. That wasn't his intention, but it may be his most important transformation.
29
Obama has been a magnificent president -- eat your heart out Mitch McConnell! We live in crazy times. It takes a certain level of intelligence to recognize the intellectual powers of this President. It takes someone who knows compassion to recognize it in another person. You've got to have a sense of humor to appreciate this President's marvelous sense of humor. You have to be able to love, deeply and passionately, in order to appreciate and admire the love in this man's heart. I could go on and on. Under the circumstances, Mr. Obama has accomplished a lot in his seven years as President -- as much as any human being could have done -- not only for our Country but also for the entire World. Of course what is said about the Lord could also be said of this President: "It's true that HE created the Universe in six days, but what has HE done since?" Like Lincoln and F.D.R. before him, Obama has been a gift from the heavens to this country -- only if his opponents in the know-nothing Party could appreciate and be grateful for this gift. I, for one, am immensely grateful for having had Barack Hussein Obama as my President.
26
"Petulant child" is how Obama was described last night and the sight of American sailors hands above their heads in surrender to the Iranians is a perfect metaphor for his entire Administration.
Whether he likes it or not, his "legacy" is the most Americans ever unemployed, in poverty and on welfare. That is what socialism does and is in this country or Europe or anywhere else.
Whether he likes it or not, his "legacy" is the most Americans ever unemployed, in poverty and on welfare. That is what socialism does and is in this country or Europe or anywhere else.
3
'scuse me-- Europe has a higher standard of living than US by any measurment.
Yeah, that scene in Iran is terrible. I mean who wouldn't rather have 230 dead Marines killed in a terrorist attack on their barracks in Lebanon that occurred under that great president Ronald Reagan than 12 live sailors returned after one night in captivity as we did with that weakling Obama.
6
yet when a cop asks a perfectly innocent black motorists to put their hands over their heads, you're fine with it. they were releases safe within hours, but oh, they had to put their hands over the heads! the horror!
1
Republicans drink the koolaid -- the rest of us get the bitter gall.
3
It has been noted by other writers over the years of the Obama presidency, but it bears repeating. The president has accomplished a great deal. He could have been a good deal bolder, imho. However, I must say that this decent, honest, intelligent man has been subjected to a non-stop onslaught of mudslinging, disrespect and character assassination. It is clear that one of the main sources of this calumny has been Fox News. It has been, again, non-stop. From the everyday issues of inaccuracies in news reporting to the blatant misrepresentations and outright lies, combined with this truly outrageous disrespect for Mr. Obama as president and private citizen. This type of mockery of the man has recently taken the form of accusing him of faking tears at the memory of the slaughter of the children in Newtown, Connecticut. Fox News has been central in fomenting the atmosphere of loathing and disrespect that many of its viewers and others have for President Obama. It is a truly despicable disservice to our country and to our democracy over these last 8 years. An imperfect president, nevertheless, Obama deserved better.
18
To which you should add that two navy patrol boats wander into Iranian territory; the sailors and boats are released in 16 hours, and the Republicans are over the airways claiming it was a disgrace. If you can convince people up is down and black is white, why not sell successful diplomacy as a disgrace.
6
Well said! I second the motion of appreciate President Obama, not only as a president who moved this beleaguered country forward (despite the organized opposition) and displayed grace under ugly fire, but as an intelligent, decent, and fine person.
You wouldn't catch a Republican politician shedding a tear over the gun deaths of innocent children.
The Republican Party's record in the 21st century speaks for itself:
Hear no good, speak no good, do no good!
You wouldn't catch a Republican politician shedding a tear over the gun deaths of innocent children.
The Republican Party's record in the 21st century speaks for itself:
Hear no good, speak no good, do no good!
15
We have to remember that Mitch McConnell said on the first day of his Presidency that he would do everything in his power to oppose anything that he would propose yet, this President has been guilty in the past and in his final SOTU address of condescending comments towards his opponents and he has to live with the consequences of that. Having said that I don't believe that the Republicans would have acted much different had he chosen a different path. History will be the judge but I think on most issues he has been a very good President.
14
I give Obama his due "Middle class decline looms over final years of Obama Presidency"* that is Obama's greatest economy achievement the Murder of the Middle Class-give Obama his due.
Obama DOUBLED the number of Billionaires and gave them $4 Trillion in wealth-give Obama his due.
Obama has created a healthcare system that DOESNT insure 33 million Americans-more people than watched Obama's state of the union-give Obama his due.
Millions of former Middle Class Americans are going broke paying for health insurance but can't get medical care because they can't afford the deductibles-give Obama his due.
Armed terrorist have seized Federal Government Property and threaten mass murder and have taken up arms against the United States and Obama is POWERLESS and does NOTHING won't even protect America--give Obama his due.
Children are murdered by cops at playgrounds and shot down in the streets of Obama's home town of Chicago and Obamas best friend and White House Chief of Staff, Rahm Emanuel, now the mayor covers up the child murders and the Obama people in Chicago have been running an actual TORTURE Chamber and are getting sued --give Obama his due.
On the front page of the New York Times Obamas education policies have dumbed down our kids so for the 1st time in 25 years child test scores drop-give Obama his due.
This is what Obama has done TO us NOT for us-give Obama his due.
*http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-obama-economy-idUSKBN0KR0HD20150118
Obama DOUBLED the number of Billionaires and gave them $4 Trillion in wealth-give Obama his due.
Obama has created a healthcare system that DOESNT insure 33 million Americans-more people than watched Obama's state of the union-give Obama his due.
Millions of former Middle Class Americans are going broke paying for health insurance but can't get medical care because they can't afford the deductibles-give Obama his due.
Armed terrorist have seized Federal Government Property and threaten mass murder and have taken up arms against the United States and Obama is POWERLESS and does NOTHING won't even protect America--give Obama his due.
Children are murdered by cops at playgrounds and shot down in the streets of Obama's home town of Chicago and Obamas best friend and White House Chief of Staff, Rahm Emanuel, now the mayor covers up the child murders and the Obama people in Chicago have been running an actual TORTURE Chamber and are getting sued --give Obama his due.
On the front page of the New York Times Obamas education policies have dumbed down our kids so for the 1st time in 25 years child test scores drop-give Obama his due.
This is what Obama has done TO us NOT for us-give Obama his due.
*http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-obama-economy-idUSKBN0KR0HD20150118
6
Oh, and everybody could afford health insurance before ObamaCare? Just ask all the uninsured with pre-existing conditions who had to pay thousands of dollars per month for insurance that is if they were able to get it at all.
And long before Obama became president one of the leading causes for declaring bankruptcy was debt for medical bills.
And long before Obama became president one of the leading causes for declaring bankruptcy was debt for medical bills.
3
Look to the Congress if you wish to assign blame, do not blame the guy who was on your side.
2
Anybody who claims that the economy isn't substantially better off than when he took office is trying to peddle a fairytale. Period.
4
The truth of the matter is that Obama has been a very poor president. He has been a disaster in foreign policy, he has exacerbated racial tensions, and has done nothing but harm the economy. It is foolish to bang on about bigotry etc etc. He was simply a very unsuccessful president. End of Story.
6
How can you accuse HIM of exacerbating racial tensions???? Please explain. And while you're at it, please substantiate with facts all of what you say. You mean just by being a different race from the people who don't like him he inflamed tensions among small minded and bigoted people? The economy was in total free fall when he took office. He literally saved this country from a full blown depression brought on by Bush. You are parroting the lies and demagoguery of Trump. End of story.
8
I notice that you haven't quoted a single fact to support your claim. Why not?
1
Could not have said it better.
Honest disagreements (and the right to express them) is what made America great. The State of the Union is a time for taking stock of America and reinvigorating our national dream. I can tell you, after watching Mr. Obama, what his dreams are for our nation. As far as the Republicans are concerned, other than getting elected, not so much.
A very bitter vein has been tapped in our national psyche, and there is certainly enough ignorance running all the way from the electorate to the highest reaches of our body politic to keep it flowing for a long time
Honest disagreements (and the right to express them) is what made America great. The State of the Union is a time for taking stock of America and reinvigorating our national dream. I can tell you, after watching Mr. Obama, what his dreams are for our nation. As far as the Republicans are concerned, other than getting elected, not so much.
A very bitter vein has been tapped in our national psyche, and there is certainly enough ignorance running all the way from the electorate to the highest reaches of our body politic to keep it flowing for a long time
2
I have no doubt whatsoever that he could have done nothing, Zip. Zilch. to change the divisiveness. Once the face giving the Inaugural Address was not white, it was fore-ordained. All the hate and poison simmering on the back burner had a very visible focus. To deny this is to deny the alternate experience of non-whites in this country, to deny police racial stereotyping, to deny segregation in our communities, to deny voter suppression in black communities, to deny our history. Just as it is a truism that war unifies a country against a common enemy, the election of President Obama gave a focus to and unified the elements of hate that existed already. To me, since I believe this is actually a powerful minority acting out, it is a symptom of how dangerous the forces of gerrymandering have become. In their concerted and determined -- and yes I am using this word -- conspiracy, to disrupt the electoral process in their favor, the moneyed class in this country have bought the Congress. As well as much of the ad time and sloganeering that the media seem only too glad to pass along. Until we can get back to fair representation in our elections, our federal government will be a frightening and unfair monolith. Even more than money in politics, I believe putting re-districting on top of our To-Do list is essential. Let's do some math, and let science get our districting process onto a more fair and even keel.
56
In the ACA and his foreign policy, Obama implemented ideas opposed by the majority of the American people. What does he expect will happen? He did not even attempt to disarm the opposition and win over waverers. It was my way or the highway. Evidently, it's the highway!
7
The problem is really the plethora of Americans who don't know anything and who, much worse, refuse to learn.
And for openers,the fact is that when asked, Americans overwhelmingly spport the provisions of the PPACA. Unfortunately, lke you they have no notion of what it says and does.
And for openers,the fact is that when asked, Americans overwhelmingly spport the provisions of the PPACA. Unfortunately, lke you they have no notion of what it says and does.
1
Actually he did, but was rebuffed in no uncertain terms.
He tried. He was viciously obstructed at every turn by a GOP that made it their stated goal to render him a failure. That was their goal, over the needs of the country. I think his decision to not engage in beating his head against a wall with the opposition ended up making him look like he wasn't trying to win over "waverers". Your comment implies that he's being "tossed out" of office or something for an error in judgement. He was able to get health care reform started, established and in place for the next Democrat to improve upon. He was able to open up relations with Cuba. He was able to bring Iran from the brink of war with the west. History will judge this guy one of the best presidents, ever.
1
Unfortunately, his election left us with a huge number of ignorant bigots who simply hated Obama from day one for no other reason than that he was a mixed race guy who identified as a black man. The substantial number of Americans who don't consider Americans who are Democrats as truly American went absolutely ballistic when confronted with a president who identified as an African American. Sure, his personality was not that of a middle American salesman who disdains anything more intellectual than his golf fame and his man tan but he needed all the self control he could muster to deal with all the haters in the Republican Party. I think history will treat him much differently than the bottom feeders now vying for the Republican presidency.
26
I am sure there are bigots in this country but "huge number" I don't agree with at all. I am so tired of the race card being played, I disagreed with President Obama on his policies as I disagreed with President Bush on his policies. So please lay the race card down, it has been played much to often.
2
Wow, a half-black , half-white, half-communist, half-socialist self identifies as a black to pick up the black vote and self-pitying progressive vote. I'm afraid history will reveal what our main stream media, who is responsible for his election, did not. That this was a failed presidency, failed administration, failed domestic and international policies from an inexperienced and petulant community organizer.
Time will tell whether history views Obama's presidency as transformational. To me, a transformational presidency is one that sets a new course for the country that rests on a fundamental change in our viewpoint. President Obama may well be viewed as transformational in at least three important areas. In health care, the Affordable Care Act introduced the principle that all Americans should have health care as a right, not a privilege. In foreign affairs, President Obama has moved beyond the old notion of the United States as the world's policeman toward a different concept of world leadership in which the U.S. is a leader among other nations that work together to solve the world's pressing problems. In environmental policy, President Obama has been the first to put efforts to prevent the worst impacts of global warming at the top of our national agenda, and now the world's agenda.
37
Obama himself compared change to steering a vast ocean liner and that his and our part is to steer toward the right course, the better part of humanity, knowing that some goals will be reached by others in the future. I am paraphrasing and simplifying, but this idea gives me great hope. I am confident that perspective and history will treat our president with the respect he deserves as a centrist who kept the course in our time of great change and division.
14
Faced with an ungovernable adversary, the GOP- a party in its death throes - it's astonishing that Obama has been able to take care as much of the nation's business as he has. The country is certainly better off for his efforts and if anyone is willing to observe, President Obama has set a very positive example for future occupants of the office.
46
It's impossible to know what, if anything, could have motivated Congressional Republicans to work with -- instead of against -- President Obama. But it's fair to say that he probably would have gotten more done had he gone along with a few nominally conservative objectives. Like endorse a "balanced budget" law -- with the typical loopholes big enough to drive a few thousand Army tanks through. Or agree to sign a Congressional resolution declaring a deferred "war" against Iran, to be triggered by any aggressive Iranian action. Of course, there are some risks with this. Republican presidential hopefuls were charging Iran with aggression because they picked up a couple small US military boats that had drifted into Iranian seas. Imagine what we would do if the Iranian navy drifted into our waters.
2
I believe that the stridency and ugliness we are seeing in today's America is like the burst of pain when healing is applied to the wound. It's the loud, desperate last gasp from sectors of our culture entrenched in a difficult past and being uprooted and swept away by history. That doesn't mean a great bright future is at hand -- that is ours to shape, but it won't be shaped by the voices of the past, loud, angry, and violent as they may be. It's a sign of the times that we'd call these angry voices "sirens' songs". The attractiveness of the sirens' songs lay in their beauty, sweetness, and seductiveness, If they had been angry ranters, sailors would have sailed right on by or plugged their ears for other reasons.
16
God bless you, Timothy, for the generous, moving description of a Good Man, who has endured so much vitriol, so many roadblocks, so many lies and distortions.
I wish I had a chance to shake Obama's hand and say a few brief words to him. I would thank him, from the bottom of my heart, for his resilience, hopefulness and hard work - in the face of so much undeserved vitriol, racism and outright deceptions leveled against him and other good people.
He has truly tried to heal this nation. I know for a fact that he consulted mental health professionals regarding that very goal. That he has not succeeded is a sad commentary on his detractors, not on him.
Given what he's had to deal with, the man should be sainted. But I comfort myself, knowing he has many years ahead of him. And, like Jimmy Carter, I suspect he will spend the rest of his life doing good, lifting up the least fortunate, giving hope to the hopeless, and inspiring all of us to our best selves.
Bravo, Mr. Egan! Bravo, Mr. President! I send you both a mental hug, my blessing, a warm smile, maybe even a tear in my eye.
I wish I had a chance to shake Obama's hand and say a few brief words to him. I would thank him, from the bottom of my heart, for his resilience, hopefulness and hard work - in the face of so much undeserved vitriol, racism and outright deceptions leveled against him and other good people.
He has truly tried to heal this nation. I know for a fact that he consulted mental health professionals regarding that very goal. That he has not succeeded is a sad commentary on his detractors, not on him.
Given what he's had to deal with, the man should be sainted. But I comfort myself, knowing he has many years ahead of him. And, like Jimmy Carter, I suspect he will spend the rest of his life doing good, lifting up the least fortunate, giving hope to the hopeless, and inspiring all of us to our best selves.
Bravo, Mr. Egan! Bravo, Mr. President! I send you both a mental hug, my blessing, a warm smile, maybe even a tear in my eye.
61
Time to get back on the meds and quit with the kool-aid. Is the tear in your eye because you haven't received your Obummerphone yet.
Thanks to Mr. Obama for teaching us what damage and upheavals await the people who select a leader based purely on qualities like skin color, fashion sense, ans willingness to just say whatever foolishness people want to hear.
I hope the lesson doesn't cost us our country, but Americans have had to set up a new country before. The Founders actually expected that we'd have to start over by now anyway.
I hope the lesson doesn't cost us our country, but Americans have had to set up a new country before. The Founders actually expected that we'd have to start over by now anyway.
2
Whether Obama's presidency is transformational depends entirely on who wins the 2016 election. If the Democrats win the presidency, then yes. If the Republicans, then no, because they will undo everything he has accomplished. They will re-establish the George W. Bush years and all of the disasters it brought us.
17
No Jeff -- I don't think they will, and the fact that they know they can't is why they are so angry.
They cannot really undo "Obamacare" and they know it.
Global warming is real, everybody knows it, they can't make people not know it
They aren't going to be able to defund social security
They aren't going to be able to deport 11 million people.
They aren't going to stop the demographics that will make WASPS less important politically than they are now
They cannot really undo "Obamacare" and they know it.
Global warming is real, everybody knows it, they can't make people not know it
They aren't going to be able to defund social security
They aren't going to be able to deport 11 million people.
They aren't going to stop the demographics that will make WASPS less important politically than they are now
Obama, a great president. I must have missed something, but I am sure all the people that are no longer counted in the unemployment numbers because they stopped looking for work or the people with 30 hour a week jobs at minimum wage are thrilled with the wonderful economy. I don't have enough room and I am not the editorialist here, but you get the point.
7
Labor force participation has been falling since 2000, largely a result of demographics, namely boomer retirements. Look at the LFPR number for 26-54 year olds, which helps eliminate the distortion of college enrollment and early retirement. You might also notice that the employed-to-population ratio has been recovering since 2010.
The increase is part-time work is a fiction peddled by interested pundits. If it's happening, it's not showing up in the numbers.
The increase is part-time work is a fiction peddled by interested pundits. If it's happening, it's not showing up in the numbers.
2
First, not counting the unemployed who have stopped looking was started long before this man became president. However, during this entire time and under Bush even (and after 9/11) it has been my job to find work for people. And me and my agency have been able to do it all along and for those that are the most discriminated against in this society.
And BTW I've been working for over 40 years and I've always had a job.
No president can solve all our problems.
When the sun comes up tomorrow, he'll be blamed for it.
Cut it out.
And BTW I've been working for over 40 years and I've always had a job.
No president can solve all our problems.
When the sun comes up tomorrow, he'll be blamed for it.
Cut it out.
3
I admire President Obama. He had a bum for a father and succeeded despite him. I'd like to shoot baskets, talk about women and eat Chinese with him. But he gave us the Iran deal that has left Israel dangerously exposed and won't prevent the Ayatollah from obtaining nuclear weapons; and the Assad red line that wasn't a red line; and the cave-ins to Putin; and the dilly-dallying over ISIS.
Historians of the future will be lamenting the fact that President Obama discovered too late in his administration that he really should have been a neocon from the start.
Historians of the future will be lamenting the fact that President Obama discovered too late in his administration that he really should have been a neocon from the start.
2
So wrong. Don't for a moment think Mr Obama will put Israel in jeopardy. its a sad misunderstanding propagated by hard liner Netanyahu.
5
Oh, please. You honestly have no idea how patronizing that is? Or how ignorant?
Wonderfully argued Robert and elegantly put.
1
I am not an American but i like and try to follow American politics. i adore some of its values. If you would ask me an opinion from an outsider, I find out President Barack Obama is the forefront figure of the American values and the least scandalous. I think he will later be transformed as a father figure to the country in his old ages.
27
"But on the mastery of changing hearts and minds, the “ability to astonish and inspire,” he falls short. His presidency, as of now, has not been transformational."
Are you kidding? How can this be his fault? If anything, he has won minds like no other - those minds that were open to hear him.
This is yet again a way to try putting some of the blame for the GOTP's treasonous, rage and fear filled demonizing fantasies on the President. No! If we are to finally begin to take back our nation from the hostage takers in Washington, we must first *hold them fully accoubtable* and put their deeds and actions on them: the lies they spread, and damage they have done, and continue to do.
It comes down to their denial of democracy, their repudiation of the election of 2008, and their singularly unAmerican beliefs, that they and only they have the right to rule in this country. Therefore, anyone else in the Whitehouse is falsely and illegally occupying their place, making Obama a traitor. They started their campaign even before the end of 2008, and their approach shows the depth of their hubris and anger. In December, they were already blaming Obama for *their debt* (the debt they claimed did not matter) - and *this was before Obama was even sworn in.* They sold this insanity, not many in the Press objected, and many people believed it!
Obama is not responsible for such cold iron hard hate so methodically and treasonously cultivated. Their actions denied the votes and will of us all.
Are you kidding? How can this be his fault? If anything, he has won minds like no other - those minds that were open to hear him.
This is yet again a way to try putting some of the blame for the GOTP's treasonous, rage and fear filled demonizing fantasies on the President. No! If we are to finally begin to take back our nation from the hostage takers in Washington, we must first *hold them fully accoubtable* and put their deeds and actions on them: the lies they spread, and damage they have done, and continue to do.
It comes down to their denial of democracy, their repudiation of the election of 2008, and their singularly unAmerican beliefs, that they and only they have the right to rule in this country. Therefore, anyone else in the Whitehouse is falsely and illegally occupying their place, making Obama a traitor. They started their campaign even before the end of 2008, and their approach shows the depth of their hubris and anger. In December, they were already blaming Obama for *their debt* (the debt they claimed did not matter) - and *this was before Obama was even sworn in.* They sold this insanity, not many in the Press objected, and many people believed it!
Obama is not responsible for such cold iron hard hate so methodically and treasonously cultivated. Their actions denied the votes and will of us all.
32
President Obama has most certainly been able to "astonish and inspire" me. While I crumble when faced with a bad boss, he has maintained his humor, his goals, his (unbelievable) patience, his willingness to "turn the other cheek," his clear-mindedness and his faith in the people of the U.S. All when faced with the most disrespectful and obstructionist Congress (and to those who reject the disrespectful label, when was the last time a Democrat accused their president of being a liar on national tv?).
No, he hasn't accomplished everything *I* would like and I disagree with a number of his administration's decisions. But his ability to "astonish and inspire?" I've never seen the like.
No, he hasn't accomplished everything *I* would like and I disagree with a number of his administration's decisions. But his ability to "astonish and inspire?" I've never seen the like.
30
I am so tired of the media presenting candidates as if they walked out of a movie.
The photo for this article is absurd. Did you pull it from a Terminator movie?
The photo for this article is absurd. Did you pull it from a Terminator movie?
2
Standing at the helm when the financial storm passes doesn't mean that you had anything to do with the subsequent improved environment. Time fixed that.
Not surprisingly, not a word about the President's miserable policies in Afghanistan (surge, withdraw, no partial withdrawal, who knows), Libya, Syria (don't cross that red line, well ok but don't go way over it) and Iraq (war is over, no boots on the ground, special ops guys don't wear boots).
Whether you agree with a policy or not, consistency in its application is what the world responds to. Putin, ISIL and others have all taken advantage of Obama's fear of having a war attached to his name. In this troubled times that is very dangerous.
And last, Mr. Egan, stop with the legacy nonsense. president's determine their legacy by their actions, not by their attempt to paint it as they would like it to be. Time also dramatically changes historians views, so give it up for a couple decades.
Not surprisingly, not a word about the President's miserable policies in Afghanistan (surge, withdraw, no partial withdrawal, who knows), Libya, Syria (don't cross that red line, well ok but don't go way over it) and Iraq (war is over, no boots on the ground, special ops guys don't wear boots).
Whether you agree with a policy or not, consistency in its application is what the world responds to. Putin, ISIL and others have all taken advantage of Obama's fear of having a war attached to his name. In this troubled times that is very dangerous.
And last, Mr. Egan, stop with the legacy nonsense. president's determine their legacy by their actions, not by their attempt to paint it as they would like it to be. Time also dramatically changes historians views, so give it up for a couple decades.
4
Miserable policies? Are you talking about Sen McCain?
1
compare England's far slower recovery when opposite policies were pursued. it could have been so much worse here - you should thank this great president!
If Jesus himself came back as President today, the GOP leadership would try to ban his entry into the US and jail him as a communist seditionist. What amazes me is how Mr. Obama endured the most disrespectful treatment of any public figure in my 60+years, while remaining a thoughtful, articulate gentleman.
53
"He was never very good at hiding his condescension for Republican leaders. But that party was united in a single goal — to defeat him at every turn."
Remember the 2000 Presidential debates, when Al Gore was also pilloried for his "condescension" when he sighed at W's nonsensical answers ("that's just fuzzy math"). The pattern persists: Democrats who call out Republicans for their ignorance and extremism -- even subtly, as through body language -- are attacked as elitist or as in Obama's case, "divisive."
What, really, is the case for Obama's role in the polarization of the past seven years? That he (belatedly) spoke of the persistence of racial injustice and inequality in America? That he wanted every American to have health insurance? That he acknowledged the U.S.' less-than-perfect record in dealings with other countries ("Apologizing for America!" screamed Fox News)? Or simply that he was an intelligent, confident black man in a position of great power?
Of course, in a democracy, no one expects the opposition party to lay down and die; and plenty of Obama's policies can be legitimately criticized. But he did nothing to deserve a level of abuse and ugliness (birtherism, "You lie!") not seen in our politics since the 19th century. And future historians will say as much.
Remember the 2000 Presidential debates, when Al Gore was also pilloried for his "condescension" when he sighed at W's nonsensical answers ("that's just fuzzy math"). The pattern persists: Democrats who call out Republicans for their ignorance and extremism -- even subtly, as through body language -- are attacked as elitist or as in Obama's case, "divisive."
What, really, is the case for Obama's role in the polarization of the past seven years? That he (belatedly) spoke of the persistence of racial injustice and inequality in America? That he wanted every American to have health insurance? That he acknowledged the U.S.' less-than-perfect record in dealings with other countries ("Apologizing for America!" screamed Fox News)? Or simply that he was an intelligent, confident black man in a position of great power?
Of course, in a democracy, no one expects the opposition party to lay down and die; and plenty of Obama's policies can be legitimately criticized. But he did nothing to deserve a level of abuse and ugliness (birtherism, "You lie!") not seen in our politics since the 19th century. And future historians will say as much.
24
Let's give Obama his "due".
Doubled the national deficit.
Lowest labor participation rate in 40 years.
Lower median household income.
Virtually no wage growth.
Middle class falling back.
Obama has done nothing to make my life better and plenty of things that made my life worse. It started with promising me that I could keep my health care plan and ended with Obama calling me a racist for objecting to his policies.
Now Timothy is doing the same thing. Calling people racists for objecting to destructive polices brought about by Obama is truly a "dark", "angry", and despicable tactic.
(btrw, let's not even get started with Obama's foreign policy failures, e.g. "red line" in Syria, "reset" with Putin, "leading from behind" in Libya, etc. etc. etc.
So when I assert that Obama is the worst president in my lifetime, that is Obama's "due".
Doubled the national deficit.
Lowest labor participation rate in 40 years.
Lower median household income.
Virtually no wage growth.
Middle class falling back.
Obama has done nothing to make my life better and plenty of things that made my life worse. It started with promising me that I could keep my health care plan and ended with Obama calling me a racist for objecting to his policies.
Now Timothy is doing the same thing. Calling people racists for objecting to destructive polices brought about by Obama is truly a "dark", "angry", and despicable tactic.
(btrw, let's not even get started with Obama's foreign policy failures, e.g. "red line" in Syria, "reset" with Putin, "leading from behind" in Libya, etc. etc. etc.
So when I assert that Obama is the worst president in my lifetime, that is Obama's "due".
36
I'm so glad the times chose to highlight your comment. I now know what the opposite of rose colored glasses is. A sleep mask with a pinhole on each side.
19
Such a partisan, by-the-numbers talk-radio attack sums up exactly why Obama's defenders defend him so vigorously. Your comment, respectfully, is ridiculous.
29
And here's yours: you don't know the actual numbers, and you don't care.
23
I disagree, Tim. We don't say President Lincoln was not a transformational president because the South seceded or because racism and Jim Crow persisted long after the Civil War. We don't say Jackie Robinson was not a transformational baseball player because racists spit on him. President Obama is a transformational president. The list of his accomplishments long and substantial. His opposition, for all its bitterness and hatred, has not succeeded in dismantling any of them. History will judge President Obama well.
29
When Obama took office, the economy had fallen off a precipice and Obama had a mandate in Congress, not only to fix the economy but to enact his campaign agenda. Now, as his years in office wane, the fear of of an imminent economic collapse is a thing of the past, while Obama has virtually no power to enact legislation. In short, we put an economic crisis behind us while a political crisis arose. You can debate credit and fault until the cows come home. And the same goes for analyzing the underlying political and economic reasons for this transformation. But as to where we were at the start of the Obama years and where we are now -- the facts to analyze and spin -- I would think that the starting point and the finish line, as summarized here, is pretty much beyond debate.
5
Obama can't shoulder the blame for being born black.
4
I predict that in time Obama will be given as much honor as Abraham Lincoln was many years after his demise.
13
I predict that a even-handed analysis will show a "middling" president whose only grace was that he was "1/2 black". His foreign policy severely weakened the U.S. and therefore the rest of the free world. His job creation barely kept up with the average job growth needed for status quo and the number of people leaving the work force is a crime and the left should excoriate him everyday for a job half done.
The country is more divided because rather then being a uniter he was the most partisan divisive president of the last 50 years.
I think I need to re-assess him, he was less then middling.
The country is more divided because rather then being a uniter he was the most partisan divisive president of the last 50 years.
I think I need to re-assess him, he was less then middling.
1
And the same thing, when it comes to "dividing" people, could be said about George W. Bush, whose presidency was an unqualified disaster (oh, and the Right should be excoriating him every day, too). By the way, it's Bush's horrible decision to invade Iraq that made the U.S. "weaker," but ideologues will never the decency or maturity to acknowledge that -- instead, they childishly blame the guy who was left to clean up the mess. Typical.
2
Hands down, I'll still take President Obama's "Yes we can" to the Republicans' "No we can't" and "No he can't."
17
To deny President Obama any legislative support at all, making that pledge the highest order, is and was a crippling move by both the racist Caucus Room group and ultimately, Congress itself. As a White voter, I was literally thrilled to see America elect a Black. It was a wonderful show of trust and what I thought of as a denial of racism. Ha! Little did I know.
". . . 370 days to make a dent in a hard history." will be difficult to achieve. His greatest challenge will be to find and present the proper retirement memorial library material. It is there as we speak, but . .
". . . 370 days to make a dent in a hard history." will be difficult to achieve. His greatest challenge will be to find and present the proper retirement memorial library material. It is there as we speak, but . .
4
"But on the mastery of changing hearts and minds, the “ability to astonish and inspire,” he falls short. His presidency, as of now, has not been transformational."
Mr. Egan, you've got to be joking! These are precisely what President Obama has continuously achieved.
Mr. Egan, you've got to be joking! These are precisely what President Obama has continuously achieved.
8
The issue is his coattails. As a Democrat, I believe the country, politicly, is far worse off then when Obama took office. When he came in there were slim majorities in both houses of congress. Now, that's just a distant unachievable memory. The mood of the country is reflected in the fact that there will just be more of the same if a Democrat is elected, and if it's a Republican, it's the Weimar Republic on the Potomac.
I don't have the answer, but I also believe there must have been something he could have done differently. He certainly did not use the bully pulpit as effectively as he could have. The roll out of the AHCA was inept. Fox News took over the talking points twenty four seven and most of the time there was no answer from the Democrats. Soaring speeches every year, and shaking your head mumbling, tsk, tsk, is not an answer.
He could have been tirelessly visiting every state calling out the Republicans by name for their misdeeds but he seemed to be ensconced in the White House insulated from the hoard of middle class men who didn't want to become a barista in the Starbucks down the street. His answer, should have been, "I feel your pain!" But, apparently, he didn't.
He should have at least risked being the angry black guy, instead of the, I'm so cool nothing bothers me, guy.
I don't have the answer, but I also believe there must have been something he could have done differently. He certainly did not use the bully pulpit as effectively as he could have. The roll out of the AHCA was inept. Fox News took over the talking points twenty four seven and most of the time there was no answer from the Democrats. Soaring speeches every year, and shaking your head mumbling, tsk, tsk, is not an answer.
He could have been tirelessly visiting every state calling out the Republicans by name for their misdeeds but he seemed to be ensconced in the White House insulated from the hoard of middle class men who didn't want to become a barista in the Starbucks down the street. His answer, should have been, "I feel your pain!" But, apparently, he didn't.
He should have at least risked being the angry black guy, instead of the, I'm so cool nothing bothers me, guy.
1
President Obama should have confronted and called out Republican obstructionism and lies sooner and harder. He started to with a Fox News boycott a few years ago but backed off.
Great picture...good article. Obama's natural tendency to understate his genius might work well in Finland (land of the introverts) and certainly with me, but for a nation with an excess of blowhards and bigot and billionaires...not so much.
2
Dems sure has selective memory and blind spots.
Nearly 1/3 of America is not working.
Record number of people on Food stamps, Disability, etc.
7 million MORE people in Poverty now than in 2008.
Public Debt is doubled.
Most new jobs are part time and the majority of hose have been Minimum wage.
Nearly 1/3 of America is not working.
Record number of people on Food stamps, Disability, etc.
7 million MORE people in Poverty now than in 2008.
Public Debt is doubled.
Most new jobs are part time and the majority of hose have been Minimum wage.
4
Please, you disparage poor, lovable Eeyore, a sweet and honorable, if a little dour, character. He was, after all, a Poet. In his one extant poem, he did have some advice that might be of use to the Republican front runners. Eeyore was writing on poetry, but his sentiment is equally applicable to politics: "The fact is this is more difficult than I thought, I ought --- (Very good indeed) I ought To begin again, But it is easier To stop."
4
Don't forget LGBT rights, considered by many as the civil rights issue of our time. From ending don't ask don't tell to stopping support of DOMA to openly supporting marriage equality this President did what none of his predecessors remotely attempted nor any of the current GOP contenders would ever do.
4
As a Black man, watching the destruction of the Black community during the incompetent, arrogant, dishonest 8 year con job known as the Obama presidency, Tim Egan's column represents the new racism.
In the 21st century, Obama liberals, especially White Obama liberals have taken to making Barack Obama their panacea. Forget reality. Forget the disaster he's been for the Black middle class. Forget his abysmal, historic foreign policy failures. Just look at the person across the street.
Across the street from the White House, there are homeless Black men, holding cups and cardboard placards, shivering in the cold. That's what I see. I also see children living in abject poverty in neighborhoods just miles from the Obama WH of opulence, liberal elite and VIP parties that go into the early morning hours.
I see a two bit con artist who exploited America's racial past, for future gain.
I have a degree in American History. No credible study of the Obama presidency, (after the media created, made for TV luster ginned up to get Obama into the spotlight finally fades) will recall Obama as anything more than less than mediocre. He didn't DO anything. His most loyal and ardent supporters, realizing this are starting to laud Obama for having skin. For being Black. If that's all it takes to be on Mt. Rushmore, I take my best pictures from the right side.
Stop this nonsense. Evaluate Obama on the merits of his actions, not the sacrifices of my forefathers.
In the 21st century, Obama liberals, especially White Obama liberals have taken to making Barack Obama their panacea. Forget reality. Forget the disaster he's been for the Black middle class. Forget his abysmal, historic foreign policy failures. Just look at the person across the street.
Across the street from the White House, there are homeless Black men, holding cups and cardboard placards, shivering in the cold. That's what I see. I also see children living in abject poverty in neighborhoods just miles from the Obama WH of opulence, liberal elite and VIP parties that go into the early morning hours.
I see a two bit con artist who exploited America's racial past, for future gain.
I have a degree in American History. No credible study of the Obama presidency, (after the media created, made for TV luster ginned up to get Obama into the spotlight finally fades) will recall Obama as anything more than less than mediocre. He didn't DO anything. His most loyal and ardent supporters, realizing this are starting to laud Obama for having skin. For being Black. If that's all it takes to be on Mt. Rushmore, I take my best pictures from the right side.
Stop this nonsense. Evaluate Obama on the merits of his actions, not the sacrifices of my forefathers.
5
And you think any action on his part to "uplift" black folks wasn't going to result in an uproar that this country has ever seen???
Get real, black man.
Get real, black man.
1
The presidents we consider "transformational" owe it to the circumstances of when they took office, like Lincoln with the Civil War, FDR with the Great Depression/WW2, and the early presidents like Washington and Jefferson.
Obama took over during dire economic times, and the election of our first black president is a huge milestone, but history will view him as a top 15 president who faced unreasonable opposition, not transformational like many headlines would like you to believe
Obama took over during dire economic times, and the election of our first black president is a huge milestone, but history will view him as a top 15 president who faced unreasonable opposition, not transformational like many headlines would like you to believe
As a Baby Boomer (i.e. older American), I plead with commenters to resist lumping all older Americans into a monolithic group which are considered bigoted, selfish and bothersome. I am the same age as Secretary Clinton and younger than Bernie Sanders. I voted for Obama, twice. I supported many of his policies, although I am skeptical of TPP. I have children and grandchildren and I want them and all of the next generations to live in a real democracy, to have clean air and water, better energy options, just laws and access to healthcare. No one has all the answers but xenophobia and ignorance are not the answers we need. Hold on to your hats NY Times readers. And don't forget to vote.
4
Barbara, thank you, from another Boomer who has been both appalled and frustrated at the generalizations attributed to our generation. It is especially unfair to those of us who worked so hard to change conditions for women that today's young women would not recognize. The work is not finished, of course, and many of us will be voting for a better life for families of all types, a goal that has gone badly off track.
1
Barack Obama has had a number of successes and failures during his two terms, with both those words likely colored by which side of the economic spectrum you sit. But for me, the singular failure of this man was that he seemed to openly despise the United States he was elected to lead and made it his first priority to tour the world apologizing for us. That was insulting to so many people, alive and dead, in so many ways. It set a tone, domestically and internationally, from which I feel he never recovered (assuming he wanted to recover) and the good will he would need to be the president of ALL the people of the United States was never to be his. A colossal blunder.
3
I suspect you were not involved in international business. When Obama took office, the US reputation abroad was in tatters. The Bush administration was despised. The President had to reestablish our credibility and respect. He succeeded in many ways - I know that from many conversations with colleagues in Europe and Asia - but the Republican party with their xenophobic militaristic rhetoric has undone much of the progress made internationally and perpetuated a tone domestically that is abhorrent.
2
The Republicans attacked Obama from Day 1 because they knew that on the issues the centrist Obama was with the majority of Americans. They could not defeat him intellectually so they decided to just completely obstruct his every move. This was a strategy supported by the design of the federal government. Partisanship on this level has never been taken to this extreme as the general intent was to do what was best for the country. But no more. Once the Republicans realized that the demographics and the education of the American people was working against them they became desperate. It started with Newt who turned politics into war in which the end would justify any means. So we got the closing down of the federal government even if it hurt the country. And we got the blocking of any reasonable gun control even if Americans continued to get slaughtered. Ask any gun lover if he cares about the safety of the non gun lovers. They don't really care.
So the country continues to move on in a progressive way supporting gay marriage, environmental issues and equal rights for women while Republican politicians try to turn the clock back to 1950. But you can't legislate the culture. Even if Republicans control all branches of government the people will continue to move forward socially. And the worst thing that can happen to conservatives is if the Republicans dominate our politics, as they are very bad at governing. Very good at tearing apart, tearing down. Bad at building up.
So the country continues to move on in a progressive way supporting gay marriage, environmental issues and equal rights for women while Republican politicians try to turn the clock back to 1950. But you can't legislate the culture. Even if Republicans control all branches of government the people will continue to move forward socially. And the worst thing that can happen to conservatives is if the Republicans dominate our politics, as they are very bad at governing. Very good at tearing apart, tearing down. Bad at building up.
Thank you Sir for another fine column. As this year winds down, there will be many valedictory columns and reviews of the President's record, his temperament, his character, perhaps even his worth as a human being – nothing is off the table in this internet, media-driven age. Everyone with a keyboard and an internet connection is now a pundit, a columnist, and a savvy observer of the social/political/economic scene. Like someone said, I “resemble” that remark, and in those “capacities” I have offered various highly insightful observations and sage advice for the President. I'm sure he has listened and learned. I mean, why wouldn't he?
Now, I feel I have run out of thoughts to offer. POTUS is on his own, but I trust he can manage. When I try to absorb the last 7 years, I see so much to respect and admire in Barack Obama. The identity I chose to give him – perhaps because I spent much of my own life aspiring directly and indirectly to be the same – is that of teacher. Like most teachers, there are no immediate successes. Progress is measured in small increments; success may take years to become manifest.
And the students? Most are tuned in only to their keyboards and screens, searching for the loudest and most strident voices. We seek caffeine for the mind and, sadly, ignore poetry for the soul.
Now, I feel I have run out of thoughts to offer. POTUS is on his own, but I trust he can manage. When I try to absorb the last 7 years, I see so much to respect and admire in Barack Obama. The identity I chose to give him – perhaps because I spent much of my own life aspiring directly and indirectly to be the same – is that of teacher. Like most teachers, there are no immediate successes. Progress is measured in small increments; success may take years to become manifest.
And the students? Most are tuned in only to their keyboards and screens, searching for the loudest and most strident voices. We seek caffeine for the mind and, sadly, ignore poetry for the soul.
2
By every objective measure, the president has done a good job of turning things around from what was handed to him. The republicans are so engulfed by the hate they have for him that they wil never accept that. I thought George II was daft and disagreed with his policies but I didnt hate him. I actually felt sorry for him in a way. He was in over his head. But half of the country simply hates the president for just being him. Their own criticisms dont make sense. He is not american, even though his mother is. He hates white people, even though he was raised by them. He is muslim but he hung aroung w Rev wright for years. He is weak but he is a tyrant. He is lost without his telepromter, How did he even get into columbia and harvard? what were his grades? etc Anything but to acknowledge that they just dont like the color of his skin.
6
You really captured it. To watch our Congress willfully diminish the accomplishments of America and this President at the SOTUS was ugly to the bone. Obama deserves a LOT of credit for pulling the car out of the ditch. The stuff under the scab of racism proved to be some seriously gross stuff - that isn't his fault, and it actually had to be done for us to get anywhere. The admonishment to quit being afraid and to unpack the optimism is classic, old school America.
Karl Rove's nasty brag for the GOP was "we create our own reality". Mission accomplished. Too bad it was a dystopian "reality" for the GOP as a party. Paul Ryan could not have looked any more like a high schooler. Trey Gowdy gnawing on his wad of gum- my god- I'm surprised he wasn't blowing his nose on his sleeve too. This confederacy of dunces isn't even embarrassed for itself but the rest of us are. They look mad: literally AND figuratively.
Karl Rove's nasty brag for the GOP was "we create our own reality". Mission accomplished. Too bad it was a dystopian "reality" for the GOP as a party. Paul Ryan could not have looked any more like a high schooler. Trey Gowdy gnawing on his wad of gum- my god- I'm surprised he wasn't blowing his nose on his sleeve too. This confederacy of dunces isn't even embarrassed for itself but the rest of us are. They look mad: literally AND figuratively.
6
Suppose someone said to you, "The United States will have its first black president. Yes, the United States — the country that just 150 years ago fought a cataclysmic civil war, in which 750,000 died, to settle the question of slavery. The country that created Jim Crow. The country in which it's still the case that very, very few social and political issues do not somehow touch on race. And guess what: you get to pick the man or woman who will become our first black president."
Suppose you were to be given that duty. In your wildest dreams, would you ever hope to find someone with more intelligence, eloquence, dignity, equanimity, optimism, competence, and fundamental decency than Barack Obama? Whatever you may think of his administration's failures and missed opportunities?
Yes, the mood of the country is sour. It's painful to look on as the poison is drawn from the body politic. But make no mistake: it's happening. Remember, the arc of the moral universe bends toward justice. So steady on, fellow citizens. Let's keep our eyes on the prize.
Suppose you were to be given that duty. In your wildest dreams, would you ever hope to find someone with more intelligence, eloquence, dignity, equanimity, optimism, competence, and fundamental decency than Barack Obama? Whatever you may think of his administration's failures and missed opportunities?
Yes, the mood of the country is sour. It's painful to look on as the poison is drawn from the body politic. But make no mistake: it's happening. Remember, the arc of the moral universe bends toward justice. So steady on, fellow citizens. Let's keep our eyes on the prize.
7
Brilliant. Thanks.
I have just one nit to pick: the analogy between "angry voices" and the "siren call" is inapt. The Sirens sang beautifully, so much so that they lured sailors to wreck their ships on the rocks. The angry voices of Donald Trump, Ted Cruz, and Chris Christie are anything but beautiful.
politicsbyeccehomo.wordpress.com
I have just one nit to pick: the analogy between "angry voices" and the "siren call" is inapt. The Sirens sang beautifully, so much so that they lured sailors to wreck their ships on the rocks. The angry voices of Donald Trump, Ted Cruz, and Chris Christie are anything but beautiful.
politicsbyeccehomo.wordpress.com
6
Don't forget that a "siren" is also a loud, shrill warning signal.
Perhaps the governor was thinking of modern day sirens, the horrible sounds coming from ambulances and police cars and fire engines.
Thank you for another thoughtful, beautifully written column. I agree wholeheartedly with your assessment of Obama's presidency, and would only add that if he has one failing as a politician it is that he has never been much of a self-promoter. He is too modest and decent, and is more about doing than posturing and bragging. The current crop of unaccomplished Republican candidates has no such scruples, however, and has rushed in to fill the void.
8
Obama's done. Most if not all that he really tried to do is make illegals coming and staying normal, forget the law. Import huge numbers of H1B workers to take Americans tech jobs away and the albatross that Obamacare is becoming due to cost will remain huge issues for years to come. It's easy to scramble and egg. Not so easy to unscramble it.
Obama has been a disaster, stick a fork in him, he's done.
Obama has been a disaster, stick a fork in him, he's done.
4
Obama had nothing to do with H1B workers. That's on Congress (and the laws they passed) and their kowtowing to businesses that want to cut costs to satisfy shareholders' demands for bigger profits. You do know that H1B was enacted in 1968? I'm guessing that you've got insurance through your work. Get laid off (because of all those H1B workers) and see if your tune changes when you need a doctor or hospital. As for illegals, how much do you plan on paying for grapes, oranges and tomatoes? Don't see a lot of Americans begging to be pickers and live in squalor.
1
Ugh. What a disrespectful note.
1
I give respect where I think it's due.
You have pretty accurately captured what I've been thinking for a while. He has achieved great things and I've wondered why they were not being shouted from the rooftops. I do not believe it is his strength, though he has many that make him a great leader, but I would have hoped .... continue to hope that he will surround himself with those who will do it for him.
4
Great policies, horrible salesmanship and a fundamental lack of understanding of how the game is played. I voted for Obama twice and I would vote for him a third time over Hillary, but he was too often the academic professor and too rarely the chief executive.
And seriously, who could blame Paul Ryan or anyone else staring blankly. Obama was as boring as dry white toast at a Waffle House.
And seriously, who could blame Paul Ryan or anyone else staring blankly. Obama was as boring as dry white toast at a Waffle House.
1
Paul Ryan is part of the group that will never ever show respect to this president.
President Obama's problem is America's problem.
America is increasingly stupid and you can not fix stupid.
America is increasingly stupid and you can not fix stupid.
7
Congress has blamed the President for not being a schmoozer, for being condescending, and that was a good enough reason to stop governing and to block any action which might improve the lives of millions of people. Sorry, I'll take the side of the smart guy, who is trying, over the idiots who are not.
I have always respected those who are brighter than I am. Why on earth would I want someone stupider in a position like the White House?
President Obama could never have turned Congress to his side. They were determined to defeat him, to defeat health care, to downsize social programs. To claim a mandate when in fact we are a nation split about 50/50 on every issue of importance. They set up a system - a terrible synergy of gerrymander and Citizens United - that allowed the most zealous and uncompromising a foot in the door. Then they blamed the President for the resulting disharmony.
The President maintained the status quo in a tidal wave trying to drown it. Indeed, give President Obama his due.
I have always respected those who are brighter than I am. Why on earth would I want someone stupider in a position like the White House?
President Obama could never have turned Congress to his side. They were determined to defeat him, to defeat health care, to downsize social programs. To claim a mandate when in fact we are a nation split about 50/50 on every issue of importance. They set up a system - a terrible synergy of gerrymander and Citizens United - that allowed the most zealous and uncompromising a foot in the door. Then they blamed the President for the resulting disharmony.
The President maintained the status quo in a tidal wave trying to drown it. Indeed, give President Obama his due.
10
From day 1 when McConnell and his lemmings declared war on Mr. Obama, he has been treated with more contempt and disrespect than any president.
From "You Lie!" forward, the Republicans opened the gates of darkness and let the haters out.
The President withstood these unconscionable attacks with dignity and grace. A lesser man, say Donald Trump, would have lashed out violently.
It's so sad to look back on these seven lost years and see what might have been. And this group of candidates in the clown bus have doubled down on the hatred and lies that sadly their followers believe, because they want to believe.
We can hope for a GOP nominee who is so extreme, Trump or Cruz, that American voters will come out to refute them in a landslide, showing that the loud followers of Trump and Cruz don't really represent what is in the hearts of Americans.....do they?
From "You Lie!" forward, the Republicans opened the gates of darkness and let the haters out.
The President withstood these unconscionable attacks with dignity and grace. A lesser man, say Donald Trump, would have lashed out violently.
It's so sad to look back on these seven lost years and see what might have been. And this group of candidates in the clown bus have doubled down on the hatred and lies that sadly their followers believe, because they want to believe.
We can hope for a GOP nominee who is so extreme, Trump or Cruz, that American voters will come out to refute them in a landslide, showing that the loud followers of Trump and Cruz don't really represent what is in the hearts of Americans.....do they?
10
1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 -10 - 11 - 12 - 13, Thirteen hours.
T- H - I - R - T - E - E - N H - O - U - R - S
Brave men, seeing their countrymen in danger, hurled themselves into the gap and stood for THIRTEEN HOURS against the raging savagery of the barbarians, KNOWING their countrys warriors were straining in the slip to come to their aid;
the planes were "spooling up as we speak".
All it took was the man at the top, Barack Hussein Obama, to say; "Go", and they would run to the spears.
And Obama said; "- - - - - - -".
A prediction;
In the years to come when people ask; "What on earth happened to the Democratic party in '16?" there will be a multitude of answers, excuses, rationalizations; but then someone will say; "Thirteen hours happened", and everyone will nod and shake their head and find no words.
My answer? - Barack Obama has spent his life fighting the powers that be; he hasn't a clue as to how to BE that power.
T- H - I - R - T - E - E - N H - O - U - R - S
Brave men, seeing their countrymen in danger, hurled themselves into the gap and stood for THIRTEEN HOURS against the raging savagery of the barbarians, KNOWING their countrys warriors were straining in the slip to come to their aid;
the planes were "spooling up as we speak".
All it took was the man at the top, Barack Hussein Obama, to say; "Go", and they would run to the spears.
And Obama said; "- - - - - - -".
A prediction;
In the years to come when people ask; "What on earth happened to the Democratic party in '16?" there will be a multitude of answers, excuses, rationalizations; but then someone will say; "Thirteen hours happened", and everyone will nod and shake their head and find no words.
My answer? - Barack Obama has spent his life fighting the powers that be; he hasn't a clue as to how to BE that power.
5
Oh for pity's sake, get beyond the movies. The Ambassador chose to stay overnight in Benghazi -- nobody ordered him to. The attack on the consulate there included people who came from various motives, and one of those motives was anger over a dumb Florida preacher's video defaming Mohammed. There was no possibility that, once the attack began, American forces could have rescued the four Americans who died. 232 Marines were killed in a similar attack when Ronald Reagan was President and very few Americans attacked Reagan's manhood as a consequence.
7
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/former-cia-chief-...
After having several committees look into it and reach similar conclusions, that the mere mention of 'Benghazi' still gets people itching is remarkable.
Chairman Rogers: "The bipartisan panel concluded that there was no stand down order issued by or to intelligence community personnel, and there was no denial of air support to intelligence community officers on the ground. The officers present testified to that effect."
http://intelligence.house.gov/sites/intelligence.house.gov/files/documen...
http://www.state.gov/documents/organization/202446.pdf
Et cetera.
After having several committees look into it and reach similar conclusions, that the mere mention of 'Benghazi' still gets people itching is remarkable.
Chairman Rogers: "The bipartisan panel concluded that there was no stand down order issued by or to intelligence community personnel, and there was no denial of air support to intelligence community officers on the ground. The officers present testified to that effect."
http://intelligence.house.gov/sites/intelligence.house.gov/files/documen...
http://www.state.gov/documents/organization/202446.pdf
Et cetera.
1
I have said many times that if Barack Obama was a republican, and had the same ideas, same policies, strategies, and same racial characteristics, he would be worshipped by the GOP. Republicans are petty and mean spirited and obsessed with power, control and wealth.
4
It's sad, because it's articles like this that truly disappoint. I am a very middle of the road Republican that abhors the Tea Party, but they exist in their current strength because of the President's hubris. Mr Egan, you comments on the economy are just plain wrong. Do you not read? We have the lowest labor participation rate since 1977. The unemployment rate is a mirage and economic growth at ab average of 1.5% for 8 years is laughable if not pathetic given the low base from where it started. You opine on Republican opposition, yet the first two years found a Democratic monopoly that the country rejected because the President shoved it in everyone's faces. The military? We have always had the numbers you quote. It has zero to do with Obama. Do you not remember the Romney debates where Obama wanted LESS troops because of a different military ~~ a different world and his pandering to our neighbors. We are weaker than we have been in the last century. That is not remotely a point of debate. Please, just some intellectual honestly. He is supposed to lead all of us and he severely and pompously disappointed. He leads no one.
2
I personally prefer thoughtful, calm, intellectual leaders who do not pretend to be sunny optimists versus actors like Reagen and Clinton.
4
138 Reaganauts went to federal prison.
The cabal of Viet Nam dodging cowards, Bush, Cheney, Rove, Libby, Wolfowitz, Kristol, Bolton, who disastrously led The Charge of The Fools Brigade into Iraq, made torture USG policy, subcontracted torture to, among others, Bashar al Assad of Syria, should be sent to Den Haag to the International Criminal Court for war crimes.
The Obama administration, by contrast, hasn't so much as awarded a single no bid cost plus war profiteering contract to one of it's own.
The cabal of Viet Nam dodging cowards, Bush, Cheney, Rove, Libby, Wolfowitz, Kristol, Bolton, who disastrously led The Charge of The Fools Brigade into Iraq, made torture USG policy, subcontracted torture to, among others, Bashar al Assad of Syria, should be sent to Den Haag to the International Criminal Court for war crimes.
The Obama administration, by contrast, hasn't so much as awarded a single no bid cost plus war profiteering contract to one of it's own.
10
President Obama's presidency has not been flawless. His early optimism regarding relations with the middle east was naive, as were his hopes for an Israeli-Palestinian peace accord. His interventions in support of the Arab Spring doesn't look so good in retrospect. He is often blamed for failing to work with members of his own party in congress.
During his last State of the Union speech, he gave an eloquent defense of his strategy against ISIS. It is rational and well considered. But why has he not explained his strategy more frequently? Sometimes this charismatic and powerful speaker fails to make the best use of his skills.
But this president is a remarkable success. He pulled us out of a near depression, saved the American automobile industry, brought us a step closer to universal health care, successfully negotiated with many of our enemies and began the changes needed to fight climate change. The Republicans have fought him every step of the way.
He has reason to feel proud of his accomplishments. I would vote for him again.
During his last State of the Union speech, he gave an eloquent defense of his strategy against ISIS. It is rational and well considered. But why has he not explained his strategy more frequently? Sometimes this charismatic and powerful speaker fails to make the best use of his skills.
But this president is a remarkable success. He pulled us out of a near depression, saved the American automobile industry, brought us a step closer to universal health care, successfully negotiated with many of our enemies and began the changes needed to fight climate change. The Republicans have fought him every step of the way.
He has reason to feel proud of his accomplishments. I would vote for him again.
826
But you forgot to mention that two U.S. patrol boats wander into Iranian waters; the country they have designated as the axis of evil releases the sailors and the boats within 16 hours, and the Republicans declare that it proves that Obama is a weak President. They have reached the point where they are selling up as down and black as white.
10
You seem to forget how the sailors were tortured in violation of the Geneva Convention, and the female sailor was forced to submit to Islamic dress
It seems that if anyone criticizes President Obama for anything, they are racist, as though it is impossible for him to have any faults. My fear is, if Hillary is elected president, any criticism of her will always be seen as misogyny.
3
Not at all. Many of the criticisms directed at Obama are ill-informed or willfully ignorant. Racism is only a part of it.
I think Tim is being a bit harsh on Obama. Imagine if in his first two years, Obama did not have to face a 60 vote super majority in the senate to pass legislation. Right now, we would have universal health care, we would had a larger stimulus and a better economy, and perhaps even campaign finance reform and who knows what else. In 2010, the Democrats would have won and states like Wisconsin and others would not have gerrymandered districts, where statewide Democrats win but district wide, Republicans win. I wish 2010 didn't happen. But it did, and any failures of Obama are not his failures but those of Republican legislatures and the congress who live in an alternate universe that has nothing to do with fixing problems and everything to do with pandering to the least informed among us, fomenting fear, and giving the wealthiest in this country everything they ask for.
9
In order to truly understand the Obama Administration, we have to simply look just at the positions that Obama as a leader took. It would be too easy to contrast President Obama to the insanity and racism of the GOP because he would be a saint!
Granted some concerns of the GOP of Obama were valid (as well as Democrats), but it was drowned out in the Republican crazy train. Social issues provide politicians with much needed material for rhetoric in the public sphere, while the real deals were made in private. Democrats may not admit it, but true liberals and progressives feel that President Obama, the supposed "outsider," lied to them. The most recent and telling example was his support of the TPP. The secrecy, under the table deals, and potential further destruction of the working class in the US shows that, aside from social issues, there is no difference between him, corporate Democrats and the GOP.
Americans don't deserve these half hearted wins that we got in the past 8 years. This next election, I hope we can a president who can lead with conviction and strong values: Bernie Sanders.
Granted some concerns of the GOP of Obama were valid (as well as Democrats), but it was drowned out in the Republican crazy train. Social issues provide politicians with much needed material for rhetoric in the public sphere, while the real deals were made in private. Democrats may not admit it, but true liberals and progressives feel that President Obama, the supposed "outsider," lied to them. The most recent and telling example was his support of the TPP. The secrecy, under the table deals, and potential further destruction of the working class in the US shows that, aside from social issues, there is no difference between him, corporate Democrats and the GOP.
Americans don't deserve these half hearted wins that we got in the past 8 years. This next election, I hope we can a president who can lead with conviction and strong values: Bernie Sanders.
5
Apart from guffawing at the left-wing version of voodoo economics, which Obama's apologists, dutiful soldiers that they are, recite by rote, I find myself agreeing with much of what was written. Egan, while deferring to the verdict of history, senses that something has gone very wrong and that it could be due to serious miscalculations by Obama and Democrat party elders.
Yes, Obama's presidency has been both consequential and transformational, and there is no need to mince words by adding the qualifier "perhaps" in describing it. The economy has been essentially moribund for 7 years despite the avalanche of specially ordered statistics to the contrary the government has been peddling. More able-bodied people are not working than ever before, the foreign policy of this country has become a joke around the world, and racial animosity nation-wide is approaching levels not seen since the 60s. Obama's vision of an exemplary system of immigration has been shaped by the former head of La Raza and the results show it. The government is producing volumes of new regulations to strangle our natural entrepreneurial instincts and what is referred to as the "signature achievement" of Obama's presidency, the PPACA, is in a death spiral.
So yes, it has been a very consequential presidency, one that demands the next Republican president and Congress to return to Washington NOT to "get things done" according to the political cliche, but rather to get things undone.
Yes, Obama's presidency has been both consequential and transformational, and there is no need to mince words by adding the qualifier "perhaps" in describing it. The economy has been essentially moribund for 7 years despite the avalanche of specially ordered statistics to the contrary the government has been peddling. More able-bodied people are not working than ever before, the foreign policy of this country has become a joke around the world, and racial animosity nation-wide is approaching levels not seen since the 60s. Obama's vision of an exemplary system of immigration has been shaped by the former head of La Raza and the results show it. The government is producing volumes of new regulations to strangle our natural entrepreneurial instincts and what is referred to as the "signature achievement" of Obama's presidency, the PPACA, is in a death spiral.
So yes, it has been a very consequential presidency, one that demands the next Republican president and Congress to return to Washington NOT to "get things done" according to the political cliche, but rather to get things undone.
3
I disagree, Mr. Egan. President Obama has inspired millions of us to get involved and vote to change the system. His words have inspired grassroots synergy to fight the cartels who oppose serious gun control, wealth inequality, low wages, job outsourcing, education and every other segment of our lives. His words made popular support for Senator Bernie Sanders possible - and for the supposed christian haters who support Donald Trump/Ted Cruz to come out where we can see them - and his presence as OUR fabulous President for the last seven years inspired the removal of civil war monuments and symbols to museums. The election on November 8 will show that the vast majority of us are tired of fear, anger, hate and war taking over OUR lives. OUR votes will be to continue and improve on President Obama's courageous actions to restore democracy in America.
12
I meant, "His (President Obama's) words have inspired grassroots synergy to fight the cartels who oppose serious gun control and promote wealth inequality, low wages, job outsourcing, dumbed-down education, unaffordable health care, privatization of social security, out-of-control communications and entertainment costs and the degradation of every other segment of our lives.
1
President Obama cannot be blamed for the 20-year decline in real income of America's working and middle classes while the rest of the world, including America's top 1% rose. http://wapo.st/1J6Syx0 Even so, the seething anger tapped by Trump (and largely created by his class of business and political leaders) is manipulated to target the President in every conceivable way.
Republicans were aware in early 2009 that the G.W. Bush presidency compounded one disaster with the next. They exploited the 2008 election as their best chance to put Bush behind them by making Obama the scapegoat of every evil they could imagine, which fit well with their already decades-long pursuit of what may be summarized as the Southern Strategy.
In the face of a ruinous recession, the consequences of two dumb wars, and an opposition devoted to flat out partisan warfare, what President Obama has given us is remarkable. Imagine what we might have had if the opposition had really been ''loyal.''
Republicans were aware in early 2009 that the G.W. Bush presidency compounded one disaster with the next. They exploited the 2008 election as their best chance to put Bush behind them by making Obama the scapegoat of every evil they could imagine, which fit well with their already decades-long pursuit of what may be summarized as the Southern Strategy.
In the face of a ruinous recession, the consequences of two dumb wars, and an opposition devoted to flat out partisan warfare, what President Obama has given us is remarkable. Imagine what we might have had if the opposition had really been ''loyal.''
10
We’re now hearing from liberal pundits seeking to “give Obama his due”. Good, because it suggests that we’re leaving real time for historical perspective and that our long national nightmare is ending.
The greatest aspect of President Obama’s tenure was its historic drawing of a racial line beyond which we might begin to heal as a people from our history of slavery and racism generally; and Tim rightfully extolls that aspect. But then, his panegyric degrades rapidly with regard to reality.
Other than its racial theme, it’s absurd to compare Mr. Obama’s tenure favorably to those that Tim mentions (and doesn’t). LBJ, a Democrat, was FAR more consequential in terms dear to progressives. Ike and Richard Nixon had hugely consequential presidencies, even when one considers Watergate. Reagan was instrumental in winning the Cold War, for heaven’s sake, while Mr. Obama has done what? Lent his name to a healthcare transformation that over 51% of the people want to repeal? Comparing Barack Obama to FDR is perhaps the most astonishing – FDR and Lincoln had by far our most consequential presidencies, regardless of one’s ideology, with Washington there largely because he invented the institution.
Despite all the hyperbolic comparisons, Tim ends with an admission that Mr. Obama has been less than transformational and an exhortation to do something positive to salvage a legacy. I join him in this, though proof of salvation to me likely would be very different than it would be to Tim.
The greatest aspect of President Obama’s tenure was its historic drawing of a racial line beyond which we might begin to heal as a people from our history of slavery and racism generally; and Tim rightfully extolls that aspect. But then, his panegyric degrades rapidly with regard to reality.
Other than its racial theme, it’s absurd to compare Mr. Obama’s tenure favorably to those that Tim mentions (and doesn’t). LBJ, a Democrat, was FAR more consequential in terms dear to progressives. Ike and Richard Nixon had hugely consequential presidencies, even when one considers Watergate. Reagan was instrumental in winning the Cold War, for heaven’s sake, while Mr. Obama has done what? Lent his name to a healthcare transformation that over 51% of the people want to repeal? Comparing Barack Obama to FDR is perhaps the most astonishing – FDR and Lincoln had by far our most consequential presidencies, regardless of one’s ideology, with Washington there largely because he invented the institution.
Despite all the hyperbolic comparisons, Tim ends with an admission that Mr. Obama has been less than transformational and an exhortation to do something positive to salvage a legacy. I join him in this, though proof of salvation to me likely would be very different than it would be to Tim.
6
I also hold onto those covers, celebrating a victory that I felt I was part of. Conservative as Georgia is, there were many of us who worked hard on President Obama's campaign.
But there is a certain blindness to the glowing economic statistics, such as the 14 million new jobs created - the majority low paying ones and not the equal of the jobs lost. There is also the problem of vast unemployment and underemployment for middle-aged and older workers, both men and women, many highly skilled and left behind and forgotten during the Obama administration.
The President is blind to the issue of age discrimination in the workplace; pay for women, banning the box - these issues engage him but age discrimination and the resulting mass of long term unemployed middle-aged Americans not at all.
Hard to change the hearts and minds of this group because they play no part in his agenda. One wonders if he and his economic advisers would like the baby boomers (I heard it described on PBS by the administration as "retirement" but it is a forced retirement) out of the workplace to make way for younger workers.
With all his efforts on the domestic front this blindness to the age issue is puzzling.
But there is a certain blindness to the glowing economic statistics, such as the 14 million new jobs created - the majority low paying ones and not the equal of the jobs lost. There is also the problem of vast unemployment and underemployment for middle-aged and older workers, both men and women, many highly skilled and left behind and forgotten during the Obama administration.
The President is blind to the issue of age discrimination in the workplace; pay for women, banning the box - these issues engage him but age discrimination and the resulting mass of long term unemployed middle-aged Americans not at all.
Hard to change the hearts and minds of this group because they play no part in his agenda. One wonders if he and his economic advisers would like the baby boomers (I heard it described on PBS by the administration as "retirement" but it is a forced retirement) out of the workplace to make way for younger workers.
With all his efforts on the domestic front this blindness to the age issue is puzzling.
The transformational quality of Obama's presidency will be clear enough in 30 years or so. "This Congress is done with him." This was true in January 2009.
As for today, with an approval rating in the single digits, America is done with Congress. One can only hope that the country will soon be done with the self-serving ciphers who populate it.
www.endthemadnessnow.org
As for today, with an approval rating in the single digits, America is done with Congress. One can only hope that the country will soon be done with the self-serving ciphers who populate it.
www.endthemadnessnow.org
12
John basically says that even though EVERY previous President that this country ever had - or any English Prime Minister, for that matter - had to deal with opposition and argument, sometimes every day of their time of service - that somehow Barack Hussein o should have been excused from such an everyday leadership task.
Now just tell us why he was to be excused. Is it part of Affirmative Action? Is was he just Too Cool to have to bargain and compromise? What makes Obama the one guy in our history who should never have had to deal with the opposition party?
Now just tell us why he was to be excused. Is it part of Affirmative Action? Is was he just Too Cool to have to bargain and compromise? What makes Obama the one guy in our history who should never have had to deal with the opposition party?
You do't think he's had to deal with an opposition party? Oy!
I remember watching TV in Mississippi at the home of an amiable white shipyard manager, his gracious family, and a few of his friends, including a lawyer, an actuary and a tax accountant, when a newsflash reported the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. Everyone quieted, leaned forward and then erupted in cheers as if their football team just scored a touchdown.
Their reaction stunned me as much as MLK's murder. Educated and well-off Southerners well before "politically correct" was cast as a pejorative for closeted bigots too shrewd to spew raw sewage in mixed company. When Obama was elected, I felt a wisp of hope that America's heart of darkness had been impaled with a wood stake and another step closer to a more perfect union of a vastly diverse people. Won't be fooled again but I was.
Just no rational explanation or justification for the blind, cavalier hate that pervades like the laugh track of a bad sitcom. Fair minded historians appreciate the stature of President Obama and his steady hand navigating a ship of state battered by a despised predecessor, a mutinous malevolent crew and a shrill chorus of citizens afflicted with self-serving amnesia and brazen denial inches from insanity. Seditious fat cats, the GOP thugs they own, and their trailing herd of bleating, terrorized sheep have remade us as a nation of Dr. Jekkyls and Mr. Hydes.
A good man, a greater President, Obama kept his dignity and honor while too many others flushed theirs away.
Their reaction stunned me as much as MLK's murder. Educated and well-off Southerners well before "politically correct" was cast as a pejorative for closeted bigots too shrewd to spew raw sewage in mixed company. When Obama was elected, I felt a wisp of hope that America's heart of darkness had been impaled with a wood stake and another step closer to a more perfect union of a vastly diverse people. Won't be fooled again but I was.
Just no rational explanation or justification for the blind, cavalier hate that pervades like the laugh track of a bad sitcom. Fair minded historians appreciate the stature of President Obama and his steady hand navigating a ship of state battered by a despised predecessor, a mutinous malevolent crew and a shrill chorus of citizens afflicted with self-serving amnesia and brazen denial inches from insanity. Seditious fat cats, the GOP thugs they own, and their trailing herd of bleating, terrorized sheep have remade us as a nation of Dr. Jekkyls and Mr. Hydes.
A good man, a greater President, Obama kept his dignity and honor while too many others flushed theirs away.
92
Yes, Obama's election to the presidency in 2008 did unleash hidden racist undertones, and an irrational hate of a change unexpected by the 'white' establishment. Obama, in spite of his honest and rational behavior, favoring innumerable worthy causes to advance the U.S.'s democratic values, and its improved standing in the world as a partner, cleaning the bully image left behind by the duo 'W' and Cheney, and restoring the thrashing of the economy by republicans (2008), he has been attacked on a daily basis, vicious and undeservingly so; this was topped last night by Christie's vulgar insult to Obama, hate coming out of all his pores, racist remarks from a coward, bullying his way to oblivion. I believe there is a strong whiff of envy emanating from frustrated know-nothing (willfully) republicans. They just can't come around and recognize Obama's standing, and his towering achievements in spite of persistent obstructionism from the right. Is Obama perfect? Not at all, but he sure is trying his best. At least he keeps trying, knowing that the only way not to fail is by doing nothing. And that is not an option.
15
President Obama has been absolutely Lincoln-like in his desire and actions to build a better union.
The Republican Party has done absolutely nothing but leach an infinite supply of poison, propaganda and prevarication to try to shatter the union.
The Republican Party is Jefferson Davis, a New Confederacy and an organized right-wing rebellion that is outraged that a black man runs the country who wants to provide affordable healthcare to people, including poor people and other black people.
Let it never be said that America is a Christian nation or that the Republican Party stands for Judeo-Christian values.
Tax cuts, guns, war, and the systematic denial of science were never part of Jesus' platform....and yet the Republican platform of endless physical and economic violence preaches the Lord and Savior to get elected.
America just can't get past its Civil War, in spite of the Lincoln-like presidential gifts periodically bestowed upon this nation.
Thank you for trying, President Obama, but some Americans are just not ready to let go of their carefully cultured right-wing demons of greed, hate, irrationality, stupidity and good-old fashioned racism.
Republicans seem to think that the son of God was really just an SOB....and they do a great job emulating that image.
The Republican Party has done absolutely nothing but leach an infinite supply of poison, propaganda and prevarication to try to shatter the union.
The Republican Party is Jefferson Davis, a New Confederacy and an organized right-wing rebellion that is outraged that a black man runs the country who wants to provide affordable healthcare to people, including poor people and other black people.
Let it never be said that America is a Christian nation or that the Republican Party stands for Judeo-Christian values.
Tax cuts, guns, war, and the systematic denial of science were never part of Jesus' platform....and yet the Republican platform of endless physical and economic violence preaches the Lord and Savior to get elected.
America just can't get past its Civil War, in spite of the Lincoln-like presidential gifts periodically bestowed upon this nation.
Thank you for trying, President Obama, but some Americans are just not ready to let go of their carefully cultured right-wing demons of greed, hate, irrationality, stupidity and good-old fashioned racism.
Republicans seem to think that the son of God was really just an SOB....and they do a great job emulating that image.
281
Couldn't have said it better. He had to contend with something Lincoln and FDR didn't: racism. Nonetheless, he has been a beautiful role model and has accomplished as much as humanly possible, given the negative, lying Republican opposition. They all -- Rush Limbaugh, Mitch McConnell, Paul Ryan, John Boehner, Jeb Bush, et al. --look like pygnies snapping at the heels of a person superior to them in every way. I hope you have a lively final year in office, Mr. President! Use the executive order right and left, as necessary. You already have a place in the history books as a great President.
1
On policy?
A republican health care policy with no public option.
Force to support gay rights because he had another election coming up.
Droning 32 more countries than Mr. Bush.
No leadership on Women's issues
No Leadership on Minority Issues
No prosecution of Wall Street for the financial crisis
Supported the executives over the union in the auto bailouts.
We are still in Afghanistan.
A republican health care policy with no public option.
Force to support gay rights because he had another election coming up.
Droning 32 more countries than Mr. Bush.
No leadership on Women's issues
No Leadership on Minority Issues
No prosecution of Wall Street for the financial crisis
Supported the executives over the union in the auto bailouts.
We are still in Afghanistan.
36
Please add that Guantanamo is still open for business.
I am not sure what it would have meant for Obama to be transformative? But, I do know 2 things.
1. Given the Republican commitment to making sure Obama did not succeed, I believe he has done a marvelous job. The country is in great shape compared to the rest of world. At some point, we need to quit measuring ourselves against some imaginary perfect world, and measure ourselves against the real world that has and does exist.
2. The country is vastly better off today than it would have been if either John McCain or Mitt Romney had been elected.
1. Given the Republican commitment to making sure Obama did not succeed, I believe he has done a marvelous job. The country is in great shape compared to the rest of world. At some point, we need to quit measuring ourselves against some imaginary perfect world, and measure ourselves against the real world that has and does exist.
2. The country is vastly better off today than it would have been if either John McCain or Mitt Romney had been elected.
20
We may never really know what caused the Republicans to essentially refuse to govern. Was it their preconceived notion of this President's intentions, or his inability to win them over? Was it his professorial, condescending demeanor, or the color of his skin?
We may get a hint as those who lived the history are freed to talk about it, but I'm afraid that too will be just partisan.
We may get a hint as those who lived the history are freed to talk about it, but I'm afraid that too will be just partisan.
2
I want to thank you Mr. Egan for your column and also for the comments written here. Let's be clear: Barack Obama is an extraordinary American president, not only because he was raised by a single white mother and had none of the familial and financial support that the other candidates take for granted, but also because he never complains or rises to the racist bait that has been thrown his way since he was elected in 2008. He has made taking care of America's business his priority, whether it is domestically or internationally, and he has brought his best mind and utmost care to the task, despite all the enemies surrounding him both in the Republican and Democratic parties, as well as in the news media. He has tried to appeal to our better angels and will continue to do so, but it is up to us to heed his call.
His job is by no means done. I believe he will go on to be a pioneer in global government, as he showed recently in his work with COP21. Barack Obama has done miracles considering the obstacles he has faced. Jealousy and racism--so present in all the Republican debates as well as in Congress-- have not and will not prevent him from being not just a great president but a true statesman.
His job is by no means done. I believe he will go on to be a pioneer in global government, as he showed recently in his work with COP21. Barack Obama has done miracles considering the obstacles he has faced. Jealousy and racism--so present in all the Republican debates as well as in Congress-- have not and will not prevent him from being not just a great president but a true statesman.
1221
Obama will be remembered as one of our greatest presidents. Congress squandered countless opportunities to help people in need in this country. I expected the opposing party to reject his proposals. But because the Dems did not support him either, I have changed my affiliation to Independent. The Dems should not count on my vote.
7
Why is that even those who support President Obama often find it difficult to acknowledge his accomplishments without adding the "blot" of increased political rancor under his presidency? Is that Obama's fault? I think not. Yes, he promised a change in political culture. But the man assumed that people would play in good faith, and would respond positively if he stretched out a hand of friendship. He did initially try to work with Republicans.
But the forces of darkness, bristling at the presence of a black man in "their" White House, were not going to succumb so easily. What they could not prevent at the electoral box they tried to sabotage afterwards. They couldn't prevent the emergence of a black man as president, but they were going to ensure it was never seen as a successful presidency - to perpetuate the illusion that blacks are ne'er-do-wells. Well, they failed there too. Obama has had a successful presidency!
Obama cannot be held responsible for the deteriorating political culture in America. He is only a president. He is not our priest, bishop, Imam, or psychiatrist. He has displayed an accommodating temperament. He is smart and has been a very hard working president. He is a good man. But the forces ranged against what he represents are dark and irrepressible.
We should be the change we are waiting for. We should be the ones working to change our political culture - and not blame our own failures on one man!
But the forces of darkness, bristling at the presence of a black man in "their" White House, were not going to succumb so easily. What they could not prevent at the electoral box they tried to sabotage afterwards. They couldn't prevent the emergence of a black man as president, but they were going to ensure it was never seen as a successful presidency - to perpetuate the illusion that blacks are ne'er-do-wells. Well, they failed there too. Obama has had a successful presidency!
Obama cannot be held responsible for the deteriorating political culture in America. He is only a president. He is not our priest, bishop, Imam, or psychiatrist. He has displayed an accommodating temperament. He is smart and has been a very hard working president. He is a good man. But the forces ranged against what he represents are dark and irrepressible.
We should be the change we are waiting for. We should be the ones working to change our political culture - and not blame our own failures on one man!
26
Today's Tea Party Reactionaries, having completely hijacked both conservatism and the Republican Party,have no answer to anything, except to appeal to the most ignorant among us- including Confederate-flag waving white supremacists, gun-waving illiterates, science deniers, and the Bible-thumpers who want to install Christian Sharia law to go along with our debased "money is speech" First Amendment. These reactionaries are at war, not only with Obama, but with every social reform of the twentieth century. Their entire bogus "movement" is based on deceiving the ignorant into supporting plantation economics and a reincarnated feudalism.
They will "give Obama his due" about the same time Fox News decides to endorse Bernie Sanders.
They will "give Obama his due" about the same time Fox News decides to endorse Bernie Sanders.
21
I think Republicans are quite happy with Obama despite their crocodile tears.
His administration bailed out the banks and financial industry, allowing the too big to fail banks to grow even larger. Not a single financial executive want to prison and the financial industry continues to gamble in dangerous financial instruments. (Go see "The Big Short" to understand the folks the administration bailed out and support.)
Bush and co. faced absolutely no investigations for lying us into war, torturing in violation of international law, setting up Gitmo, illegal surveillance, etc. They all continue to live as if nothing they did was the least bit unlawful. Surveillance has grown, becoming further institutionalized. Targeted killing by drone has grown and few talk about the 2,500 plus innocent civilians killed. Secrecy in special operations is growing. The entire security/military industrial complex receives bipartisan support.
The rich get richer and the poor get poorer--that's a fact.
The Republican Romneycare is now the law of the land. Single payer was never considered and the Obamacare regs. come straight from the Medical Industry.
Higher education debt has exploded the past 8 years.
Public service job creation--jobs that actually pay a living wage and benefits--was negative under Obama, until recently.
Our Country has moved so far right, a republican-lite Pres. like Obama is characterized as a socialist.
What's there not to like if you are a Republican?
His administration bailed out the banks and financial industry, allowing the too big to fail banks to grow even larger. Not a single financial executive want to prison and the financial industry continues to gamble in dangerous financial instruments. (Go see "The Big Short" to understand the folks the administration bailed out and support.)
Bush and co. faced absolutely no investigations for lying us into war, torturing in violation of international law, setting up Gitmo, illegal surveillance, etc. They all continue to live as if nothing they did was the least bit unlawful. Surveillance has grown, becoming further institutionalized. Targeted killing by drone has grown and few talk about the 2,500 plus innocent civilians killed. Secrecy in special operations is growing. The entire security/military industrial complex receives bipartisan support.
The rich get richer and the poor get poorer--that's a fact.
The Republican Romneycare is now the law of the land. Single payer was never considered and the Obamacare regs. come straight from the Medical Industry.
Higher education debt has exploded the past 8 years.
Public service job creation--jobs that actually pay a living wage and benefits--was negative under Obama, until recently.
Our Country has moved so far right, a republican-lite Pres. like Obama is characterized as a socialist.
What's there not to like if you are a Republican?
7
"His administration bailed out the banks and financial industry"....Better check your facts. Even though that was essential to save the economy, it actually happened under the Bush Administration.
3
If Obama and his supporters had gone for a single payor healthcare plan we would have had no reform at all. The ACA is flawed but it is an improvement over what we had, for most people. It could be refined if the Republicans would stop trying to completely gut it. The GOP would not even allow the public option that Obama proposed. Politics is the art of the possible and the ACA was possible (just barely).
All Presidents have to deal with the other two branches of government and with the realities of their time in office. Do I agree with Obama on everything? Not at all. But I still think he has done some good things and been head and shoulders above his opposition in attitude and honesty.
All Presidents have to deal with the other two branches of government and with the realities of their time in office. Do I agree with Obama on everything? Not at all. But I still think he has done some good things and been head and shoulders above his opposition in attitude and honesty.
1
It bothers me that people forget the Checks & Balances that the Constitution provided. It also bothers me the acute amnesia that comes over so many when a new president is sworn in. Yes, "the buck stops here" is a reality and no one wants a president to whine endlessly over his predecessor, but the fact is, what happened in prior administrations do have consequences for our present condition. I think the media should do a better job at analyzing and presenting such information so at least people won't go off the rails believing in absolute fairy tales and so that they can cater to their partisan views. I gave up on presidential elections after 2008. I did not vote for Obama in '08 and I'm black. I did in '12. Obama, his administration and the reaction of many in this country with regard to race was not a surprise to me.
Your comment: "Politics is the art of the possible" rings true with regard to how I perceive Obama's administration. He did lack the "mastery to change hearts and astonish and inspire." Those clowns in Congress for the last 7 years have been playing to their base in order to keep their jobs and pave the way for a Republican administration. It bothers me that Obama never kept the light on their intentions and instead let them dictate the playbook. That is not good leadership and it dwarfed what he has done during his tenure.
As far as minority issues, Obama gets from me a big fat F.
Your comment: "Politics is the art of the possible" rings true with regard to how I perceive Obama's administration. He did lack the "mastery to change hearts and astonish and inspire." Those clowns in Congress for the last 7 years have been playing to their base in order to keep their jobs and pave the way for a Republican administration. It bothers me that Obama never kept the light on their intentions and instead let them dictate the playbook. That is not good leadership and it dwarfed what he has done during his tenure.
As far as minority issues, Obama gets from me a big fat F.
I don't believe that the constant choreographed Republican demonization of Obama and fierce obstruction of his legislative agenda since day one is because he is black-skinned, but primarily because Obama is intelligent, has integrity is eloquent, and fair---and as a result a great threat to the Right's agenda.
The Republicans simply added bigotry to all the other wedge issues they cynically use to exploit angry, intolerant ignorant voters to distract, misinform and get them to vote against their own best interests.
Schmoozing, or wasting his time responding to Republican attacks, would have only diminished his ability to accomplish the many things he did, and will undoubtedly continue to try to do this year. If the president had been Ben Carson, you can be sure the Republicans would have had no problem working with him.
The Republicans simply added bigotry to all the other wedge issues they cynically use to exploit angry, intolerant ignorant voters to distract, misinform and get them to vote against their own best interests.
Schmoozing, or wasting his time responding to Republican attacks, would have only diminished his ability to accomplish the many things he did, and will undoubtedly continue to try to do this year. If the president had been Ben Carson, you can be sure the Republicans would have had no problem working with him.
13
"His [Obama's] presidency, as of now, has not been transformational. He has 370 more days, or thereabouts, to make a dent in a hard history."
Oh, he's made his dent--as the most feckless, divisive, dishonest, spendthrift in the history of the American Presidency. He set out to "fundamentally transform" America, and he achieved that goal: We're at each others' throats, our enemies laugh at us, our allies don't trust us, and we're in debt up well past our eyeballs.
Millions have lost good, full-time, jobs and can only find lousy, part-time, jobs to try to make ends meet. Millions have had their medical insurance costs go through the roof but can't afford to see a doc because their deductibles have also gone through the roof. Primary-care docs are leaving medicine in droves, having been chased out by Obamacare bureaucracy and a declining patient pool.
That's Obama's "dent."
Oh, he's made his dent--as the most feckless, divisive, dishonest, spendthrift in the history of the American Presidency. He set out to "fundamentally transform" America, and he achieved that goal: We're at each others' throats, our enemies laugh at us, our allies don't trust us, and we're in debt up well past our eyeballs.
Millions have lost good, full-time, jobs and can only find lousy, part-time, jobs to try to make ends meet. Millions have had their medical insurance costs go through the roof but can't afford to see a doc because their deductibles have also gone through the roof. Primary-care docs are leaving medicine in droves, having been chased out by Obamacare bureaucracy and a declining patient pool.
That's Obama's "dent."
3
A clear example of ODS with no quarters given. Millions lost full time jobs during the 2009 financial meltdown, that the US recovered from that catastrophe better than other countries is not all due to Obama (the Federal Reserve deserves some credit) but the fiscal stimulus at the start, ACA and extending unemployment also played a part. That it took so long to recover can be put directly at the feet of Republicans in Congress who consistently refused to pass any legislation that could have accelerated the recovery. The littany of complaints about ACA are not based on statistics but on personal anecdotes which can be countered by more personal anecdotes of praise. The rancor against this president is irrational and was never based on any facts. All presidents make mistakes and so did Obama, but overall he was better than most of his predecessors.
23
Comparisons are fun! We are following Roman collapse. The Steelers of past greatest team ever. Reagan vs. Obama. FDR vs. Reagan. Golden age of tv vs. internet. You get the idea. Basically then vs. now. A romantic notion of the good old days. My father a man of few words born in 1908 would say "the good old days weren't so good". In truth we live govern love hate in the ever present moment. The problems and opportunities are completely connected to the here and now. In this time and place President Obama has been an effective competent leader. I for one appreciate his ability to not sit by the fire or go for the perfect visual backdrop or be the schmoozed in chief. When looking for calming words or soothing images I google it.
9
The expectations for Obama to be a transformational President were always naive. The cultural forces awaiting him, an aging and increasingly divided population, a media that's ever more sensational and audience-led...and the inevitibility of a population not yet ready for the ages reacting to a black President (who won reelection, no less). As Egan and others are now surmising, Obama's done a remarkable job against all odds.
29
The median age of US citizens has gone up 1/2 year during BO's presidency. Probably less when non-citizens included. Hard to imagine that drove perceptions of the president.
1
I've lost faith in the idea of a "transformational" president. We've been polarized politically, which has grown since JFK took office, albeit slowly. Viet Nam ignited it, Watergate fanned the flames, Iranian Hostage Crisis, gas prices turned it into a forest fire and by the time Reagan took office, Americans were so exhausted that they suspended disbelief that bordered on mass hypnosis. By the time Bush took office, we were at the summit of free fall and it's been on since then, as the "dumbing down of America" has been in full throttle.
Now we are caught somewhere between Revolutionary and Civil War aggressive attitudes and behavior. It's scary to think that one catastrophic event could be a tipping point because people are so mean-spirited, angry, ignorant and phobic in every aspect of their personal views. And here we are again in the midst of another presidential election cycle in a race breeding such vitriolic contempt among candidates and their followers that it won't matter who gets elected, the end result is going to be more of the same in the journey to worse. If you don't believe me, just read the comments on this thread.
Now we are caught somewhere between Revolutionary and Civil War aggressive attitudes and behavior. It's scary to think that one catastrophic event could be a tipping point because people are so mean-spirited, angry, ignorant and phobic in every aspect of their personal views. And here we are again in the midst of another presidential election cycle in a race breeding such vitriolic contempt among candidates and their followers that it won't matter who gets elected, the end result is going to be more of the same in the journey to worse. If you don't believe me, just read the comments on this thread.
I've shared the annoyance that the Democrats have allowed the Republican PR machine to run roughshod over them. It's been going on for a very long time with growing sophistication.
It's unfortunate that this has happened concurrently with the decline of the news media. Journalists grasp at scandal and controversy for entertainment value and lack the resources to explain complexity to the masses.
Both of these realities are rooted in the power of big money. People who think that lobbyists contributing to politicians is the problem are missing the point.
President Obama is as much a victim of these trends as is our democracy. He was also constrained from "swagger" by the predictable response it would elicit.
I don't know if the excesses of Donald Trump will inspire some kind of backlash. We can hope, but, unfortunately, we saw how hope plays out in our politics.
It's unfortunate that this has happened concurrently with the decline of the news media. Journalists grasp at scandal and controversy for entertainment value and lack the resources to explain complexity to the masses.
Both of these realities are rooted in the power of big money. People who think that lobbyists contributing to politicians is the problem are missing the point.
President Obama is as much a victim of these trends as is our democracy. He was also constrained from "swagger" by the predictable response it would elicit.
I don't know if the excesses of Donald Trump will inspire some kind of backlash. We can hope, but, unfortunately, we saw how hope plays out in our politics.
7
"Republicans who would not applaud the creation of 14 million jobs, an unemployment rate cut in half, 17 million people given health care, a global climate change pact, the strongest military in the world..."
Concerning jobs, mostly what all that job creation has done is replace good full-time jobs with poor part-time jobs. Concerning unemployment, it' been "cut in half" only if you wilfully ignore the people who, after years of failure to find a job, have given up looking.
Concerning health care, Obamacare is entering its death spiral with premiums skyrocketing and enrolment at a fraction of its target, many of those "17 million people given health care" are getting it through Medicaid, thus adding to the tax burden of American taxpayers, and many more are being "subsidised," further adding to the burden borne by Americans.
"Climate change" is a hoax and the "pact" is a joke.
And most of "the strongest military in the world" is parked uselessly on its collective posterior because its Commander in Chief has no idea how to use it.
Concerning jobs, mostly what all that job creation has done is replace good full-time jobs with poor part-time jobs. Concerning unemployment, it' been "cut in half" only if you wilfully ignore the people who, after years of failure to find a job, have given up looking.
Concerning health care, Obamacare is entering its death spiral with premiums skyrocketing and enrolment at a fraction of its target, many of those "17 million people given health care" are getting it through Medicaid, thus adding to the tax burden of American taxpayers, and many more are being "subsidised," further adding to the burden borne by Americans.
"Climate change" is a hoax and the "pact" is a joke.
And most of "the strongest military in the world" is parked uselessly on its collective posterior because its Commander in Chief has no idea how to use it.
7
"Concerning jobs, mostly what all that job creation has done is replace good full-time jobs with poor part-time jobs."....The unemployment rate is calculated today the way it has always ben calculated.
Obamacare is entering a death spiral......Probably not, And don't forget even though Republicans invented it they are so filled with hate they have voted to eliminate it more than 50 times; and many Republican governors have refused to fully implement it.
"Climate change" is a hoax"....Make sure you don't ask a scientist.
"And most of "the strongest military in the world" is parked"... How tragic It is that we haven't started another foreign war that has nothing to do with our National Security.
Obamacare is entering a death spiral......Probably not, And don't forget even though Republicans invented it they are so filled with hate they have voted to eliminate it more than 50 times; and many Republican governors have refused to fully implement it.
"Climate change" is a hoax"....Make sure you don't ask a scientist.
"And most of "the strongest military in the world" is parked"... How tragic It is that we haven't started another foreign war that has nothing to do with our National Security.
1
I'm glad you have facts and figures to back up all of your assertions!
1
Remind me again how much was added to the national DEBT on Obama's watch Timmy. I know how you guys love to mislead by conflating that with the deficit.
3
Deficit has to be reduced in order to not add to the debt.
7
Not as much as under Saint Reagan.
Remind me again how much was added to the national DEBT on Reagan's watch RJ m'boy. I know how you guys love to mislead by conflating that with the deficit.
The other night on MSNBC, the conservative Jennifer Rubin said that she hated Obama's SOU because he kept insisting "everything is great, we have no problems". Obama never said that, on the contrary he said WE are great and as the most powerful problem solvers in the world we should not succumb to fear.
If that's not bad enough, the intentional misquote was not challenged by Chuck Todd. He allowed her to spew and didn't say, "Obama never said that".
The "news" media has mis-represented President Obama because it arouses cheap attempts at high ratings from people who seem to have a lot of time to watch TV. They were wrong about Iraq, tax cuts creating jobs, ISIS bringing Ebola across the Mexican border? When have they ever been right?
If that's not bad enough, the intentional misquote was not challenged by Chuck Todd. He allowed her to spew and didn't say, "Obama never said that".
The "news" media has mis-represented President Obama because it arouses cheap attempts at high ratings from people who seem to have a lot of time to watch TV. They were wrong about Iraq, tax cuts creating jobs, ISIS bringing Ebola across the Mexican border? When have they ever been right?
29
Mr. Egan, you've used a standard by which to judge Obama that no politician I'm familiar with has come close to meeting for at least the past fifty years. For me, the President is closer to Martin Luther King than to the vast array of ordinary people who've often add little luster to our public life. His forbearance and nobility in the face of relentless contumely is beyond remarkable.
45
Thank you. Mr Obama has also been more Christian than the self professed evangelical Christians like Cruz. "Mr Obama's tenure has been more Christian than his critics will ever admit" http://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-pavlovitz/president-obamas-tenure-chr...
2
The hate and bigotry directed at Obama through out his term in office revealed just how nasty and vicious some Americans can be. What is so sad and disheartening is how little it took to bring out those feelings to the surface.
974
Republicans have viewed pandering to racism as an opportunity to improve their political position. History will not treat them kindly.
The hatred of Obama was on view in the 08 election.It was so great that the Republicans,who maintain they love America,were willing to take a chance that Palin could become President.
38
"At no time in Reagan’s eight years was the unemployment rate lower than it is today, at 5 percent..."
This is dishonest and I suspect that the Times knows it. That 5 percent number, the U3 unemployment rate, utterly ignores that the U6 rate of "discouraged workers" who've completely given up looking for work is still above 10 percent and that the labour force participation rate is the lowest it's been in 40 years. It ignores that mostly what's happened over the last few years is that good full-time jobs have been replaced with far poorer part-time jobs. Not all jobs are created equal, but out-of-context trumpeting of the 5 percent U3 rate is a dishonest effort to hide that fact.
"Reagan lauded a federal deficit at 3.4 percent of gross national product. By last fall, Obama had done better than that, posting a deficit of 2.5 percent of G.D.P."
Again, this is dishonest because it ignores the fact that Obama has more than doubled the national debt. He's accumulated more debt in seven years than all of his predecessors built up in the previous two-plus centuries.
This is dishonest and I suspect that the Times knows it. That 5 percent number, the U3 unemployment rate, utterly ignores that the U6 rate of "discouraged workers" who've completely given up looking for work is still above 10 percent and that the labour force participation rate is the lowest it's been in 40 years. It ignores that mostly what's happened over the last few years is that good full-time jobs have been replaced with far poorer part-time jobs. Not all jobs are created equal, but out-of-context trumpeting of the 5 percent U3 rate is a dishonest effort to hide that fact.
"Reagan lauded a federal deficit at 3.4 percent of gross national product. By last fall, Obama had done better than that, posting a deficit of 2.5 percent of G.D.P."
Again, this is dishonest because it ignores the fact that Obama has more than doubled the national debt. He's accumulated more debt in seven years than all of his predecessors built up in the previous two-plus centuries.
4
The greed of business in search of ever cheaper labor is what cost us so called good jobs to be replaced by poorer jobs not any action by government. Congress forced cuts that shred hundreds of thousands of public employee jobs. Attempts to create infrastructure jobs or raise wages were squashed by the Republicans in Congress. Much of the labor participation rate has dropped because the large baby boom population is RETIRING. There were plenty of discouraged people not looking for work in 2009 and 2010 that were not counted in the high unemployed rate either. The DEBT is largely the result of the ridiculous Bush tax cuts that persisted into much of the Obama years while we were waging war. Cutting income (tax revenue) while at war (the most expensive cost endeavor the country can undertake) is a first class recipe for debt. Natural disaster relief contributed or should we let those who's lives are blown apart in floods, tornadoes, Super Storms, Fires just blow in the wind? And some of the debt was racked up putting the country back together after the financial collapse, or would you prefer ruin?
10
so what was the U6 number under Reagan? By the way, the total debt is a function of bailing out the economy from the Credit Crisis and the GOP lead wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. If we are going to be honest, this also needs to be put on the table.
2
So you take issue with the facts presented by Mr. Egan by selecting a few that more specifically fit your argument? Take your pick across the board, constant dollars or current dollars? Applied equally you would still be wrong.
Years ago members of your party liked to state that NYC was the murder capital of the world by selecting total murders rather than per capita murders. Pick your numbers and make them fit - should be a nursery rhyme.
Years ago members of your party liked to state that NYC was the murder capital of the world by selecting total murders rather than per capita murders. Pick your numbers and make them fit - should be a nursery rhyme.
3
I was bitterly disappointed that President Obama did not seize the moment when he was first elected in 2008 to assign responsibility to the people, ideas and policies that contributed to the economic disaster thrown at him upon taking office. As a nation, we needed a narrative to understand what had happened to us, where the mistakes were made and to hold people accountable. We needed that narrative to be repeated often. Because that did not happen, the Republicans were able to avoid taking responsibility, stay in their denial and pin the blame on him which they continue to do.
The Republican party and their supporters that talk of personal responsibility need to take some.
The Republican party and their supporters that talk of personal responsibility need to take some.
18
placing blame in stead of taking action? I don't think that would be a way to try to get people on board, as satisfying as it would have been to many liberals. course correction is the most effective rebuttal to misguided policy, and that is why President Obama has earned so much animus from his opponents.
12
I have always been conflicted by Obama. He is bright, arrogant, quick to preach, and a very decent man. Being president is an impossible job, and our culture of somehow believing that one person can do it all only makes it worse. He certainly has had a consequential presidency due to tha ACA. Time will tell if this was the correct path, but it is hard to make enormous changes. Thus, credit is due for getting the process rolling, wherever it goes. On the international side, like so many who have come before, the Middle East has been a very difficult mess to navigate. It would be hard to find many people who believe that his Syrian and Libyan policies have made any sense. Iran, we will have to wait and see. Iran may become a more decent place, or it could become a nuclear armed bully bringing a Middle a Eastern arms race. His Cuban policy will likely be positive. On balance, future events will determine how he ultimately is perceived.
2
Where did you get arrogant from? Growing up as a child of mixed in an era that did not take to it kindly, being bullied and ridiculed as the chubby kid, having no father to look up to, and being raised by a working mom, a step father figure and finally, grandparents, where on earth did you find arrogance?
4
Two minor quibbles. Lyndon Johnson's (not Reagan's) was by far the most consequential of the postwar presidencies. And political polarization is due to the balkanization of the media -- the echo-chamber effect -- letting the miseducation of half of America flourish. Let's not forget the rabid, foaming anti-Clintonites of twenty years ago. This didn't start with Obama, it simply returned with him because the right will not accept the legitimacy of any Democratic president. Don't fault Obama for not being a better salesman. The sad truth is that willed ignorance is incurable for it seeketh no cure.
91
great point! in the Reagan era, people mostly watched 3 network channels, rather than picking their own cable news sources. a lot of people have probably never listened to what Obama says - only Fox type paraphrases.
And what about the rabid, foaming anti-Bush of 10-15 years ago of the democrat's toward President Bush? I heard the most hateful statements from not just democrat's individuals, but from Democrat leaders in Washington.
When Mitch McConnel stated, "... the single most important thing we want to achieve is for President Obama to be a one term president.", it was pretty clear that a Black Man in our White House had shaken some of our citizens at the very roots of their American identity. Deep, subconscious fears and resentments bubbled to the surface, roiling the heretofore calm certainty of white privilege. That this president could prevail and succeed in the face of shocking vituperation and sabotage from so many of his fellow citizens, is a tribute to the man and a presidency that can take its place with the best of them.
122
It was sad - pathetic, really - to hear Paul Ryan blame Obama for dividing the nation. The Democrats did not openly call for Reagan to fail. They agreed to disagree and then set out to work with him on our nation's business. But the GOP did call for Obama to fail, at the expense of our nation, starting from before his first inauguration. They have become not just the party of no, but the party of bitterness bordering on hatred.
Some readers suggest that we will appreciate Obama only if a Republican is elected president. I fear that we will quickly come to appreciate the loss of our nation should that occur. I was struck by the claims and policy proposals by all of contenders at the GOP debate. Nothing is right with America, they agreed, but we could fix that with more guns here at home and abroad, with more corporate and personal profits at the expense of the world's environment and with more fear of and disgust for those in our society who are not white, Christian and straight. If having one of them as president is the way to appreciate Obama, I will be happy to do without.
Some readers suggest that we will appreciate Obama only if a Republican is elected president. I fear that we will quickly come to appreciate the loss of our nation should that occur. I was struck by the claims and policy proposals by all of contenders at the GOP debate. Nothing is right with America, they agreed, but we could fix that with more guns here at home and abroad, with more corporate and personal profits at the expense of the world's environment and with more fear of and disgust for those in our society who are not white, Christian and straight. If having one of them as president is the way to appreciate Obama, I will be happy to do without.
49
Obama inherited a dysfunctional two party system that reminds me of a couple headed towards divorce: where one party is far to anxious to spend the "communal egg" on their watch and on their favorite projects to make people happy and get an economic bump at the time they are in power. The US would have been better off if the crash of '07/'08 had happened a year or two earlier so that the blame could have been much more clearly and indisputably placed. More like the period between the crash of 1929 and FDR's assumption of the presidency.
4
Tim, it feels like this column is a response to a challenge issued after several drinks that you write a column critical of the President. Your heart wasn't really in it, and I understand why. It's unlikely that again in my lifetime will America be gifted with a chief executive as smart, funny, and morally decent as our current President. As Joni Mitchell sang,
Don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you've got
‘Til it's gone
Let us start the eulogies. Let us praise an America that twice chose character and intellect over ... what? Stop for a moment and run a pastiche of Republican calumnies from, "He palled around with terrorists" to "You lie!" Contemplate the crazy kaleidoscope of Republican beliefs from Jim Inhofe's denial of climate change to Ted Cruz's truly frightening Christianity, which he would gladly share with us should we lose our minds and elect him our President.
Can we compare 2008 America with the 2016 model? I remember early in 2009 when the dear souls on Fox News shrilly blamed the President every day for the tanking stock market. They became apoplectic over high gas prices, claiming that Obama's policies were solely responsible for same. We were fighting through a financial hangover that had been preceded by such an orgy of speculation that even Republican Alan Greenspan was shocked. Wait. No, he wasn't. I remember now that he denied that there was any bubble.
2008. Disaster at home and abroad. 2016. We're doing better. Thanks, Obama.
Don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you've got
‘Til it's gone
Let us start the eulogies. Let us praise an America that twice chose character and intellect over ... what? Stop for a moment and run a pastiche of Republican calumnies from, "He palled around with terrorists" to "You lie!" Contemplate the crazy kaleidoscope of Republican beliefs from Jim Inhofe's denial of climate change to Ted Cruz's truly frightening Christianity, which he would gladly share with us should we lose our minds and elect him our President.
Can we compare 2008 America with the 2016 model? I remember early in 2009 when the dear souls on Fox News shrilly blamed the President every day for the tanking stock market. They became apoplectic over high gas prices, claiming that Obama's policies were solely responsible for same. We were fighting through a financial hangover that had been preceded by such an orgy of speculation that even Republican Alan Greenspan was shocked. Wait. No, he wasn't. I remember now that he denied that there was any bubble.
2008. Disaster at home and abroad. 2016. We're doing better. Thanks, Obama.
110
President Obama has shared the burden of many past African Americans before him in doing things for the first time, Jackie Robinson, Jesse Owens, and many more scientists and teachers and congressmen than can be named mostly because history has hidden their names. The barest fact that an African American won and holds a position of authority and intelligence has been a threat to people throughout time and as each one steps up it is sadly necessary for a triumph to reveal the cesspool which is ever present but kept hidden in order to continue. President Obama has been the subject of horrible nastiness and dis respect, having nothing to do with his policies or the good of the American people and by the grace of his character and strength, he has done his best for us. If he achieved nothing else but opening the doorway to people of other colors or genders to attain the presidency, then his term in office would have been of exceeding value. As it is, he has done that and much more.
46
Obama's presidency may be one of the most consequential, but when the history is written in 20, 30, 50 years, the drone war, the lack of prosecution for Bush era war criminals and the lack of real consequences for the destroyers of the economy will be the narratives that dominate.
5
Amen to "the lack of prosecution for Bush era war criminals".
1
I think the drone war was a smart way to eliminate terrorists without a massive land invasion. look at what a real terrorist attack would do to our country - any other initiative to improve our lives would immediately be shelved, as happened in 2001.
1
The Presidents due is that he is consistent and a true believer in progressive policies. He also believes they will work despite evidence to the contrary. Incomes has become significantly more unequal during his Presidency. The US has lost respect in foreign affairs, our allies no longer trust us. There has been a significant drop in the median income and in the percentage of people employed. Race relations have gotten significantly worse, and minorities in specific have suffered significantly more under his administration. His policies have been a disaster, and his ability to get others to cooperate with him a complete failure.
6
"and his ability to get others to cooperate with him a complete failure."
You mean like Russia & China signing off on the Iran nuclear deal?
You mean like Russia & China signing off on the Iran nuclear deal?
2
You are just willfully ignoring facts here. And that is on you.
Our international standing is much better than with Bush. And if you think the GOP tax cuts have not created 2 classes in America, you are not watching your congressman's actions.
Accusing Obama of aggravating racism from red red Alabama: total cynicism here.
Our international standing is much better than with Bush. And if you think the GOP tax cuts have not created 2 classes in America, you are not watching your congressman's actions.
Accusing Obama of aggravating racism from red red Alabama: total cynicism here.
2
Henry, several comments, like yours have made the statement, "The US has lost respect in foreign affairs, our allies no longer trust us." Can you back up that assertion up with any proof? In the past several years I have traveled to about 5 European nations. Never have I seen any evidence that Obama is being disrespected. In fact the only disrespect I heard was from several of our traveling companions who all happened to be from the heartland of our country and obviously Republicans.
3
The Republican Conservative wrath and hatred against President Obama has only grown by leaps and bounds since we elected Barack Hussein Obama to the hardest job in the world in 2008. President Obama's legacy is just begnning to be born - it will be decades before he is counted as one of our greatest Presidents, akin to Lincoln and FDR. Disagreeing with you, Tim, Obama's Presidency has been transformational and his legacy will only grow during his last months in the White House. Obama's achievements are already legend and the Republicans have nothing to counter them as they leapfrog over one another in the nauseating GOP Tea Party Primary Caucus debates, such as last night's. Fortunately the bread and circus part of the debates will end soon, but the vitriol exposed between the unelectable and uncollegial Republican wannabe POTUSes is there for the world to watch. One smiles at Dr. Ben Carson's sweet interjection that people aren't nice to each other any longer. He wasn't just whistling Dixie. Our country is racist, bigoted and values mendacity and guns more than human kindness. The tragedy for America, which will only become apparent in the coming few years, is that Obama could not run for a third or fourth term.
109
A large part of the blame clearly falls to Obama for continuously playing the race card by being President while Black.
20
You should have used the irony font as I imagine that many will take you literally.
3
Yet why do I feel you won't be able to provide context or examples of that oft repeated talking point, DrBB?
This is nothing but a racist comment! If anything President Obama generally went out of his way to NOT play the race card. And what does "by being President while Black" mean? The man IS black and not much he can do about it, nor should there be.
To even ask the question if Pres. Obama is to blame shoes how far we still have to go to eliminate racism in this country.
Was he "asking for it?"
Was he "asking for it?"
7
"...Obama, with that first-class intellect to go with a first-class temperament, with that pitch-perfect sense of humor..."
A once in a generation President. I'd vote for him again and again. History will be kind to him, once time and objectivity set in.
A once in a generation President. I'd vote for him again and again. History will be kind to him, once time and objectivity set in.
416
Let's not forget:
- Ordered the murder of U.S. citizens without due process
- Waged an illegal drone campaign against countries (some our allies) against whom the Congress didn't authorize war
- Continued and accelerated the erosion of civil liberties begun on the hapless George W. Bush watch
Yep, you'd vote for him..again and again...Sad
- Ordered the murder of U.S. citizens without due process
- Waged an illegal drone campaign against countries (some our allies) against whom the Congress didn't authorize war
- Continued and accelerated the erosion of civil liberties begun on the hapless George W. Bush watch
Yep, you'd vote for him..again and again...Sad
2
and a first class moral code.
1
I was hoping on Tuesday night that the democrats in the hall would have started chanting "Four More Years! Four more years!"
Just to see the republicans heads explode.
He would handily get re-elected this year if it were possible.
Just to see the republicans heads explode.
He would handily get re-elected this year if it were possible.
4
The President could send his letter of resignation to Congress, and they would be against it because it came from him.
93
Best one ever..... about republican intransigence.
1
Nicholas Kristof tweets: Imagine if McCain was elected in 2000, and unemployment had plunged by half, deficits by 2/3, we had $2 gas. The candidates wld be thrilled.
Says it all.
And why did the republican senators think Geithner was wrong? Discuss.
Says it all.
And why did the republican senators think Geithner was wrong? Discuss.
7
How sad the GOP chose to obstruct rather than deal. Let's not forget that when they essentially refused to participate in health-care reform, the ACA was pretty much a market-based plan built on GOP-conceived ideas.
Imagine how much more could have been accomplished had the GOP even cautiously embraced the future, instead of resisting it. The irony is, the GOP would have been able to claim those accomplishments, and come up smelling like a proverbial rose instead of carrying the stench of extremist obstruction.
It's a shame that the GOP wants power without any desire to actually govern.
Imagine how much more could have been accomplished had the GOP even cautiously embraced the future, instead of resisting it. The irony is, the GOP would have been able to claim those accomplishments, and come up smelling like a proverbial rose instead of carrying the stench of extremist obstruction.
It's a shame that the GOP wants power without any desire to actually govern.
21
Chris Matthews nailed the antipathy and hatred of Obama
by people who want to deny his existence.
It's all about the pigmentation.
Chris Matthews.
by people who want to deny his existence.
It's all about the pigmentation.
Chris Matthews.
21
Right on the money as usual Tim. Imagine what could have been accomplished if the Republican's really had the best interests of the majority of American's at heart . And lets not forget that racism is alive and well in this country still.
I think Obama did an amazing job considering he had both hands tied behind his back. I was proud to have him as our leader. He has a conscious, empathy and intellect. Qualities that have been absent from republican offerings.
I think Obama did an amazing job considering he had both hands tied behind his back. I was proud to have him as our leader. He has a conscious, empathy and intellect. Qualities that have been absent from republican offerings.
29
I think Obama is much like Clinton, who was criticized by his own supporters for being too eager to please and concilliatory. Reagan was a true believer in American Exceptionalism and an ardent pitchman for it. Clinton and Obama both feel the greatness of our country, but they also see the many shades of grey in such a vast and complex picture. The faithful like a clearer picture and don't easily forgive a leader who confesses the difficult truths.
Reagan was ridiculed harshly by the far left and the radical youth demographic, i.e. Ronald "Raygun", yet he's often described as a great President by the mainstream media. George W. Bush invaded the cradle of civilisation and watched it unravel, yet he was re-elected. What do all these men have in common - unresolved issues with their fathers. It's just as tragic as a Shakespearian or mythic Greek fable, ad Maureen Dowd often reminded us. There's nothing new under the sun. Those who fail to learn from history - their own and ours collectively - are bound to repeat it. When wr deny the truth of our actions, we suffer. Obama and Clinton suffered as leaders for being honest about unpleasant realities. Bush and Reagan benefitted as leaders for rejecting and denying past failures. All men were elected to two terms. Who will we elect this time?
Reagan was ridiculed harshly by the far left and the radical youth demographic, i.e. Ronald "Raygun", yet he's often described as a great President by the mainstream media. George W. Bush invaded the cradle of civilisation and watched it unravel, yet he was re-elected. What do all these men have in common - unresolved issues with their fathers. It's just as tragic as a Shakespearian or mythic Greek fable, ad Maureen Dowd often reminded us. There's nothing new under the sun. Those who fail to learn from history - their own and ours collectively - are bound to repeat it. When wr deny the truth of our actions, we suffer. Obama and Clinton suffered as leaders for being honest about unpleasant realities. Bush and Reagan benefitted as leaders for rejecting and denying past failures. All men were elected to two terms. Who will we elect this time?
5
I agree with everything but Egan's conclusion. The "transformational" nature of Obama's presidency will only begin to emerge for the non-believers in the soft glow of reflection years hence, a la Harry Truman, especially if we are experiencing a Trump or a Cruz spraying bullets and spouting brimstone from inside a walled-off White House. Then, we will miss him.
13
My disappointment is reserved for politicians who appeal to the worst of human nature, who are complicit in racism and who put their political careers before the good of the nation. I've disagreed with certain of Mr. Obama's policy decisions, but I have never felt that he acted from self-interest. Rather, he has met us all as equal partners in the shared enterprise of maintaining our United States and challenged us all to do our best. That is not "condescension" -- it is respect.
245
America's condition in the final year of Mr. Obama's presidency reminds me of the oft-quoted opening line from Dickens' "A Tale of Two Cities." "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times...." Democrats depict the Obama years as a time of signal achievements, from the falling unemployment rate and enactment of the ACA, to America's improved relations with its allies and its agreement with Iran. Our first black president, from this perspective, has exhibited an intellectual capacity and commitment to integrity that elevates the office he occupies more than it exalts him.
Republicans, for their part, portray America in the sepia tones appropriate to a Great Power in decline. They focus on the falling labor force participation rate, the ballooning national debt and the inability of the U.S. to bend militarily weaker powers to our will. In Obama, they see a divider-in-chief, an aspirant to imperial powers who simultaneously strides the world stage as a weakling.
The Democrats, of course, may magnify Obama's achievements. But the GOP distorts the image of his administration in service to an agenda shaped by an exaggerated fear of terrorism and by hostility to a federal government occasionally committed to helping the most vulnerable Americans. The current era may not represent the best of times for this country, but in comparison to the future envisioned by a radicalized Republican party, the Obama years shine as a time of real progress.
Republicans, for their part, portray America in the sepia tones appropriate to a Great Power in decline. They focus on the falling labor force participation rate, the ballooning national debt and the inability of the U.S. to bend militarily weaker powers to our will. In Obama, they see a divider-in-chief, an aspirant to imperial powers who simultaneously strides the world stage as a weakling.
The Democrats, of course, may magnify Obama's achievements. But the GOP distorts the image of his administration in service to an agenda shaped by an exaggerated fear of terrorism and by hostility to a federal government occasionally committed to helping the most vulnerable Americans. The current era may not represent the best of times for this country, but in comparison to the future envisioned by a radicalized Republican party, the Obama years shine as a time of real progress.
544
The Obama Presidency has been transformational because of
1.Obama's disrespect and disdain for opposing views and bipartisanship
2. condemnation of the American justice system as unfair and racist
3.emboldening our opposition foreign nations and groups with empty rhetoric
4. use of excessive political spin and misleading statements that undermined the credibility of the Presidency
5. destruction of hope with his pronouncement that the opportunity for success no longer exists in America
1.Obama's disrespect and disdain for opposing views and bipartisanship
2. condemnation of the American justice system as unfair and racist
3.emboldening our opposition foreign nations and groups with empty rhetoric
4. use of excessive political spin and misleading statements that undermined the credibility of the Presidency
5. destruction of hope with his pronouncement that the opportunity for success no longer exists in America
11
Jck, I would have gladly recommended your comment if only you would have given some actual (not made up) examples for each of your points.
4
"But we don't want the smoking gun to be a mushroom cloud".
--Condoleezza Rice, October 8, 2002
"Excessive political spin" has to have some standard, right? I could make a long list of "mission accomplished" claims from the Bush administration. I defy you to cite a single one from Obama's that comes even close.
One of the refreshing things about this presidency has been its honesty and forthrightness. The claims of spin and deception from the right serve to remind us what's in store if they're elected.
--Condoleezza Rice, October 8, 2002
"Excessive political spin" has to have some standard, right? I could make a long list of "mission accomplished" claims from the Bush administration. I defy you to cite a single one from Obama's that comes even close.
One of the refreshing things about this presidency has been its honesty and forthrightness. The claims of spin and deception from the right serve to remind us what's in store if they're elected.
4
You hit most of the main points as to why he has been a failure. Democrat's are not looking at how the President treats those that disagree with him. That is my main beef with him. He belittles the Republicans in public and then expects them to work with him. He is not a leader as advertised, but a divide and conquer President. Democrat's want to blame it on race, but it the majority of the dislike of President Obama is his lack of leadership. He could have been good, but he chose not to be a statesman, but a demagogue.
1
I think that what history will judge harshly are the "forces of darkness" that were unleashed by the election of Barack Obama. Egan and others often cite examples of Mr Obama's quite insignificant flaws as a politician, not being a deal maker or something like that but the fact is that his presidency exposed the fact that the United States of America is in truth not a great nation. We the People are peopled by people who are quick to hate, scorn and despise. This is a racist country, a country that values violence above all us. Our most cherished right is the right to bear arms so we can walk around with guns on our hips to intimidate others.
The Republican debates are what they are because that sells in America, denigrating others and the perverse idea that some Americans are more American than others.
That is behind much of what went wrong during Mr. Obama's presidency. Not only do the Obama haters hate him, they hate so many of their fellow citizens.
You started off well Mr. Egan but its all on us. History will judge America and its traditions and culture. We were not worth of him.
The Republican debates are what they are because that sells in America, denigrating others and the perverse idea that some Americans are more American than others.
That is behind much of what went wrong during Mr. Obama's presidency. Not only do the Obama haters hate him, they hate so many of their fellow citizens.
You started off well Mr. Egan but its all on us. History will judge America and its traditions and culture. We were not worth of him.
190
I have read all the comments in the 'Readers' Picks' till yours. I believe your comment sums up my feelings most accurately. Thank you!
3
Thank you! I would agree, but it was my comment so that would be logical.
Who in their right minds would want to schmooze with the boors that are Republican politicians?
43
If you want to be a leader, you have to cultivate relationship, and not just with those whom you'd instinctively like. Governing effectively is about forging relationships. Besides, many can be surprised at how at a personal level they can get along very well, on a friendship basis, with people whose political views they think are totally out to lunch. Yet sometimes they will acquiesce to doing what you want just because they are your friend and they value the relationship.
1
especially as they would run in the other direction lest they be seen fraternizing with the "enemy."
1
James - you can claim the answer is to "cultivate relationship", however that's a 2-way road. When a controlling group of Republicans has a racial prejudice problem that's all they can see. Literally. And there's no "cultivating" around it while the prejudice remains.
4
Obama's election, drawing out people who believe that change is possible, Yes We Can, Hope, not Fear, proved that there is a significant percentage of population in the United States that is NOT trapped in fear, racism, misogyny, hatred, xenophobia, anti-communism, irrationality, blind prejudice.
Unfortunately, his election also summoned from the depths and exposed the maggots of fear, racism, misogyny, hatred, xenophobia and anti-communism who have always been here, and who have thought they were cleverly hidden with the code words of Lee Atwater and his ilk.
Unfortunately, those maggots control the Congress. Clearly. And they've been threatened enough the past eight years to strip off the poorly-constructed polyester mask and articulate, quite clearly and decisively, who they really are. And they've drawn out all the other pseudo-hidden maggots in support of them.
Along with all the positive legacy of massive good Obama has given us, from better CAFE standards, to Obamacare, to economic changes reducing our dependence on foreign oil, to recovery of an economy intentionally crashed by said maggots, he has also given us perhaps the greatest gift of all.
The exposure of the presence of the deepest evil our country, and the world, has ever known, right in our midst.
And its many faces were on ample display at the Republican "debate" last night.
Unfortunately, his election also summoned from the depths and exposed the maggots of fear, racism, misogyny, hatred, xenophobia and anti-communism who have always been here, and who have thought they were cleverly hidden with the code words of Lee Atwater and his ilk.
Unfortunately, those maggots control the Congress. Clearly. And they've been threatened enough the past eight years to strip off the poorly-constructed polyester mask and articulate, quite clearly and decisively, who they really are. And they've drawn out all the other pseudo-hidden maggots in support of them.
Along with all the positive legacy of massive good Obama has given us, from better CAFE standards, to Obamacare, to economic changes reducing our dependence on foreign oil, to recovery of an economy intentionally crashed by said maggots, he has also given us perhaps the greatest gift of all.
The exposure of the presence of the deepest evil our country, and the world, has ever known, right in our midst.
And its many faces were on ample display at the Republican "debate" last night.
137
Those "maggot" faces were quite clear when Obama ran in '08. I saw them. You saw them. We all heard them. And Obama heard them. He may have been angry and ready to fight, but he chose to take the high road and get busy trying to fix things. He's a better man than me. I'd be fixing for a fight (and that would probably make things worse). When you demonize your opposition, even when it seems they deserve it, it's very hard to get anything done. I share your frustration and contempt for the bullies and haters. But Obama knew the haters were going to hate and he did his best to fix what he thought he could instead of going on countet-attack. He did his job well, but many fixes are only partially complete because the problems are so large. Whose turn will it be next?
4
Curious how the excuse so often for failure is not the policy itself but the communication of the policy or the actions of others. In life its easier to go with the most obvious and easiest explanation for failure and not search for excuses like blaming others or poor messaging. Where I work I find myself held accountable for my results, and usually excuse making like this would accelerate my deserved early departure.
1
I hope if you were handed a failing company, doubled its "stock market" equivalent and fixed an intractable job loss number, with your colleagues hating on you and vowing to do everything they could to hinder your tenure that you too would get some credit. You would certainly deserve it.
4
I and 53% of Americans polled who say country is going in wrong direction disagree with your assessment
In many ways, this President has "astonished and inspired" merely by virtue of his dignity in the face of persistent indignity. His patience, good humor and intelligence should place him among America's great presidents.
On another note: Aside from the racist backlash that has inhibited his leadership, it is telling that he is referred to as the "black" President. He is, of course, bi-racial. The designation as "black" is a residual effect of the one drop concept. He is no more "black" than "white," but we insist that "whiteness" is reserved for those whose appearance and heritage carry no suggestion of difference. It would be equally valid for "black" folks to deny the President membership because of his mixed credentials. But that isn't how race works in America.
On another note: Aside from the racist backlash that has inhibited his leadership, it is telling that he is referred to as the "black" President. He is, of course, bi-racial. The designation as "black" is a residual effect of the one drop concept. He is no more "black" than "white," but we insist that "whiteness" is reserved for those whose appearance and heritage carry no suggestion of difference. It would be equally valid for "black" folks to deny the President membership because of his mixed credentials. But that isn't how race works in America.
65
The less "dark" you are, the bigger "pass" you get, right? We all know this by now. The fact that his father was a very dark Kenyan who left America to go back to Africa(!), and the fact that his name was Hussein Obama (sounds like Osama) was a big factor in setting some people off. It didn't help that he was a young, cocky liberal intellectual from Chicago. If Colin Powell had run and been elected in 2000 (and I think he could have), would he have seen the abuse that Obama received? I don't think so. Still, the tendency for humans to pick someone out as the object of attack for being "different" runs very deep in many of us, and it's a truly scary thing.
1
I think a young black inexperienced President who sincerely wanted to transform Washington combined with an entrenched class of Republicans out to do him in at every turn has served to undermine any sense of fair play, civility, and respect for one another that we had left after George W. Bush's failure as a leader. The disdain for and outright hatred directed at Obama churned up our social order in ways that no future President is going to be able to easily undo. I cannot see a Trump or Cruz or Clinton raising us up from our worst instincts. The meanness is unleashed. Historians will tell us about Barack Obama. And sociologists will tell us about a country that has turned mean, uncivil, fearful and uncertain. We are in deep trouble here.
173
Most of what the Republican candidates are saying is just more lying to their base. The individual who can tell the most convincing lie will win the nomination.
POTUS aptly understood things the day he told Eric Cantor ' I won '; since Jan. 20 2009, we've longed for the day Obama would declare that human life requires oxygen and water, so we could see who would be the first GOP'er to find a Faux Noise microphone, declaring POTUS hopelessly wrong and promising to replace oxygen and water with something else.
53
"If the majority follows those voices, the Obama presidency will shoulder a sizable amount of the blame."
And this is where we part, Mr. Egan. I, for one, cannot blame the president for that. The evil of racism is that there is no sense to it's madness. What we must understand is that Mr. Obama could cure cancer singlehandedly and still be abhorred by people who cannot and will not accept a man with dark skin in the White House. This is no reason to it. There is no reason in it. I know people who are used his policies to save their home, buy a car and get healthcare - and yet, they cannot accept him. To blame the president is, in some way, to insinuate that his blackness is a tarnished coat that he can put on and take off. And dang it, why he won't just take it off?
And this is where we part, Mr. Egan. I, for one, cannot blame the president for that. The evil of racism is that there is no sense to it's madness. What we must understand is that Mr. Obama could cure cancer singlehandedly and still be abhorred by people who cannot and will not accept a man with dark skin in the White House. This is no reason to it. There is no reason in it. I know people who are used his policies to save their home, buy a car and get healthcare - and yet, they cannot accept him. To blame the president is, in some way, to insinuate that his blackness is a tarnished coat that he can put on and take off. And dang it, why he won't just take it off?
301
"On policy, then, Obama has been a remarkable doer"
Isn't this how we ultimately evaluate a Presidency. Accomplishment. How does one go about changing the hearts and minds of people who hate the essence of who you are, a progressive liberal who happens to be a black man. Maybe Mr Egan could also explain how you change the hearts and minds of people whose bigotry is deeply rooted in their heritage and soul. Or how does one change a Republican Party who was intent from day one to ensure in a completely united way that you were a failure. To imagine that if only Obama had more friendly and persuasive contact with such people things would have been different is an absurdity. The only weakness I perceived in Obama was his early lack of recognition of the hard realities that faced him when dealing with such a cabal. Like most decent men he actually believed that reason and compromise would win out. His list of historic domestic and foreign policy accomplishments are long and will place him among the top tier of American Presidents. Period.
Isn't this how we ultimately evaluate a Presidency. Accomplishment. How does one go about changing the hearts and minds of people who hate the essence of who you are, a progressive liberal who happens to be a black man. Maybe Mr Egan could also explain how you change the hearts and minds of people whose bigotry is deeply rooted in their heritage and soul. Or how does one change a Republican Party who was intent from day one to ensure in a completely united way that you were a failure. To imagine that if only Obama had more friendly and persuasive contact with such people things would have been different is an absurdity. The only weakness I perceived in Obama was his early lack of recognition of the hard realities that faced him when dealing with such a cabal. Like most decent men he actually believed that reason and compromise would win out. His list of historic domestic and foreign policy accomplishments are long and will place him among the top tier of American Presidents. Period.
400
In part, but policy is not enough, though invaluable. Policy attainment is, largely a function of the times; it happens when it has to - or when the time comes to be ripe - and the polices that we have been able to enact are, for the most part, items that have been fomenting and coalescing within progressive circles for quite some time. They are not, as such, the unique fruit of the Obama administration itself but represent culmination of extended periods of deep thinking by diffuse cadres of academics and lower level public administrators. A President's leadership role entails building as great a consensus as possible on the issues most critically affecting all and to identify the least politically fraught way of getting things done in relation to shared vision. "Politics' need not be viewed as a dirty word. By his own admission, at start of term II, the President said that he was surprised at how much more difficult the politics was than the policy. Exactly, and ever so has it been. His relative inexperience had him go through the fire of a first term to realize this; had he to do it over again, even he would admit he'd know how to do it better, more efficiently and effectively, because he understands the inherent political and theatrical aspects of leadership now as he could not have 7 years ago as a 1st term senator.
1
Amen, President Obama is no more responsible for the shameless hypocritical angry ignorant racism his very being sparks in others, nor the callous cynical malevolence of Republicans in their willingness to destroy our country in order to put the n##$&r in his place.
His accomplishments certainly rise to FDR levels, particularly when viewed accurately as having come in the face of intransigent hateful racists arrayed against him. FDR certainly fought against the hatred of the 1%. Their political power was greatly diminished though as the vast majority of citizens supported him. Then there's that historical anomaly and now an anachronism that in times of war the republic rallies around the commander and chief. Viewed in this light one can only conclude that many Republican office holders are traitors or at a minimum seditious. Let's not even talk about the threat of racist and fundamentalist domestic terrorists.
His accomplishments certainly rise to FDR levels, particularly when viewed accurately as having come in the face of intransigent hateful racists arrayed against him. FDR certainly fought against the hatred of the 1%. Their political power was greatly diminished though as the vast majority of citizens supported him. Then there's that historical anomaly and now an anachronism that in times of war the republic rallies around the commander and chief. Viewed in this light one can only conclude that many Republican office holders are traitors or at a minimum seditious. Let's not even talk about the threat of racist and fundamentalist domestic terrorists.
6
I take your point on his "lack of recognition of the hard realities that faced him." But isn't that just a long way of saying "naive?" And, more importantly, there was no strategy for an effective response to the opposition. As a Democrat it was the height of frustration that every Republican was on Fox News twenty four hours a day lying their heads off and all I ever heard from the President was "crickets."
1
This is a saddening take on the Obama presidency, Mr. Egan. You speak of the "forces of darkness" that were unleashed by his election and say that if the majority listens to the "siren call of angriest voices," then "the Obama presidency will shoulder a sizable amount of the blame."
Why is that? Obama has done so many good things during his presidency--but no matter what he does, Republicans insist on saying his 2 terms have been a disaster, that they will dismantle and destroy all that he has accomplished. They have repeatedly insulted him and his family, calling him a liar, a tyrant, a dictator, and then again a cowering weakling and a poor leader. They have questioned his citizenship, questioned his intelligence and academic credentials, questioned his religion and patriotism. And they have refused to acknowledge any of his achievements.
You say that he falls short when it comes to "the mastery of changing hearts and minds." No, not true. The truth is that there were some hearts and minds that were so closed from the moment he was elected that he never had a chance. And the only reason for that, for their complete disrespect, is--admit it--the color of his skin. To blame him for that is more than unfair.
Why is that? Obama has done so many good things during his presidency--but no matter what he does, Republicans insist on saying his 2 terms have been a disaster, that they will dismantle and destroy all that he has accomplished. They have repeatedly insulted him and his family, calling him a liar, a tyrant, a dictator, and then again a cowering weakling and a poor leader. They have questioned his citizenship, questioned his intelligence and academic credentials, questioned his religion and patriotism. And they have refused to acknowledge any of his achievements.
You say that he falls short when it comes to "the mastery of changing hearts and minds." No, not true. The truth is that there were some hearts and minds that were so closed from the moment he was elected that he never had a chance. And the only reason for that, for their complete disrespect, is--admit it--the color of his skin. To blame him for that is more than unfair.
824
Agree 100%, Annie! And Obama is anything but a failure at changing hearts and minds - I have been an expat in Germany for nearly 35 years now. I campaigned for Obama both times as far as I was able to do so over here, and the change in the German attitude towards America was noticeable - Bush & camco. made a laughing stock and a war criminal out of America, and I used to have to tell everyone explicitly that I came from the opposite end of the political spectrum. When Obama was campaigning and after he was elected, and particularly when I was wearing my Obama t-shirts, I always got a smile and a thumbs-up from everyone!
13
I respect Mr. Egan but blaming President Obama for his inability to change hearts when in fact the greatest culprit has been the media in giving legitimacy to the hate and racism.
17
Right you are, Monique. That has also been my experience in over 30 years here. The Reagan - Thatcher era was bad, the Bush I years (with the Gulf War) were worse, but the Bush II-Cheney years were absolutely the worst (for an American living in Germany).
Obama has done so much to restore America's standing in the eyes of the world that it is all the more disheartening to see how the Republicans are continuously trying to tear him down.
And heaven help us if someone like Trump or Cruz should get elected. Already, many of my friends have expressed their concern to me that America is going crazy again...
Obama has done so much to restore America's standing in the eyes of the world that it is all the more disheartening to see how the Republicans are continuously trying to tear him down.
And heaven help us if someone like Trump or Cruz should get elected. Already, many of my friends have expressed their concern to me that America is going crazy again...
12
For me, my heart and mind has not changed about Obama or more specifically about his policies since before he was elected. I think that when I have tried to listen to his speeches, he tends to make statements indicating that he or his party knows more than anyone else in the room. He tends to make small jabs that I feel go unnoticed by those that adore him, mainly because the statement support their perspective. He also tends to take statistics and give only the ones that are convent for him, though I will argue that both sides do this. (On a side note, having been more conservative within academia, it is amazing to see how liberally biased much of the social science research is. The qualitative research tends to answer its own hypotheses based on the researchers bias and in quantitative research specific variables are added (i.e., race) to bolster results.)
Many people like to describe him as being pragmatic, but I do not think that they realize how biased his "sensible" solutions actually are. From my perspective there have only been a handful of times that I have felt that he, as the president, is taking into account my perspective as an American. He seems to really only listens to one half of the nation rather than the entire nation.
Many people like to describe him as being pragmatic, but I do not think that they realize how biased his "sensible" solutions actually are. From my perspective there have only been a handful of times that I have felt that he, as the president, is taking into account my perspective as an American. He seems to really only listens to one half of the nation rather than the entire nation.
6
But what isn't he listening to in your experience? What is actually happening you feel he isn't listening to?
As for condescension, that part irks me because of all the Presidents we've had in my adult life, this one condescended the least. Yes, he thinks he is smart, maybe smarter than I am. Well, he's President, I would hope so. But he treats me with more respect than the rest have for the simple fact that he talks to me like a grown up and not a child. Those other politicians who are trying to prove they are "just like me" talk to me as if I was a child. Sorry, that's not respect. That's an adult talking in baby language. Most children I know prefer me to talk as I do, sometimes with words they don't understand and have to ask, then down to them in that affected voice some adults use to be jolly with kids. Well, I have the same reaction to politicians, I"d rather they sometimes talk above me then down to me.
As for condescension, that part irks me because of all the Presidents we've had in my adult life, this one condescended the least. Yes, he thinks he is smart, maybe smarter than I am. Well, he's President, I would hope so. But he treats me with more respect than the rest have for the simple fact that he talks to me like a grown up and not a child. Those other politicians who are trying to prove they are "just like me" talk to me as if I was a child. Sorry, that's not respect. That's an adult talking in baby language. Most children I know prefer me to talk as I do, sometimes with words they don't understand and have to ask, then down to them in that affected voice some adults use to be jolly with kids. Well, I have the same reaction to politicians, I"d rather they sometimes talk above me then down to me.
310
I do not think that is true. The President has repeatedly proven that the half of the country who disagrees with him are his backbone by giving him an agenda to work against. He describes this in detail in the extensive New York Review Of Books interviews with Marilynne Robinson. For example, why do you think federal agents have not swarmed the Bundy crowd? The President sees the spirit of their protest and probably agrees with them partially in that the sentences for arson were too strict, I'll bet.
12
There is something to be said for this, and I am a Democrat and supporter of the President. It is true that at times the style of his administration has not done all that it should have to keep close collaboration with even the Democratic Caucus of Congress. The result has been that there was a lot less efficiency, more fishtailing in getting forward movement on critical items than there should have been, the price being part of the basis for mid-term smackdowns that cost the Dems their majorities in both houses. I think that things would have been quite different - yet more productive with less political backlash - had Ted Kennedy lived and continued to serve in the Senate. With his strong connection to and mutual respect with Obama, deep insight into process, and genuine ability to build bridges between his peers (across party lines even) and between policy camps, his brand of leadership would have enabled a less fraught presidency. It took the Pres., Sen. Reid and Rep. Pelosi too long to figure each other out and effectively use each other's strengths; each bears responsibility for that, the President included. A less insular administration would have helped. This has been a very centrally controlled administration, to fault. How many know who were its Labor or HHS leaders, OMB director, National Security Advisor, ...? These people have been relatively mute compared to Clinton or FDR or Johnson counterparts. Regrettably.
6
Evaluations of men and of eras is never a one time thing. As their stories develop so do their meanings. If things ended today, we might evaluate Obama as a man who tried, who accomplished a lot, but who faced circumstances out of his control. Not great, but not too bad. If Hillary or Sanders become president and expand on Obamacare, if Iran does end its nuclear program and join the civilized world in stabilizing the Middle East, and if alternative clean energy continues to take over for dirty energy, then Obama will be seen as transformational, as a real turning point towards a better sustainable future, setting the stage for a rational moral future. If Cruz or Trump become president and continue Bush's destruction of world order, increase animosity among peoples, encourage environmental destruction, and send the poor and sick to their own Guantanamos, then Obama will be seen as having failed to change things. In the end, it is up to us. There is nothing about Obama's legacy that is already set in stone.
29
If the Republicans change what Obama did he will not have failed. He can't control what follows him.
130
The very night Obama was sworn into office a cabal of about 15 top Republican leaders, including Jim DeMint, Jeff Sessions, Kevin McCarthy, Frank Luntz, and Newt Gingrich met at The Caucus Room restaurant in Washington, D.C., and there they pledged to deny Obama any legislative victory at all, even if their actions went against their own policy interest.
Obama's "failure to persuade" the Republicans should be laid directly and completely at the feet of this coven which has since been called "The Caucus Room Conspiracy."
Search for details of this cabal on Google and through Wikipedia.com. Read Robert Draper's book "When The Tea Party Came To Town" for details of this most cynical Republican group. It was this group that ensured there would be no agreement at all between any of the Republicans and Obama, no matter how important the issues. Gingrich proudly bragged about it two years ago on the Thom Hartmann show.
To blame Obama at all for the lack of agreement with the Republican leadership is to ignore this huge intransigent elephant in the room.
Clearly the press is well aware of this cynical and powerful group, but I have never heard in the mainstream press anyone give this group its due for the failure of the political system since Obama was placed in office by the American people. The fault is clearly not Obama's.
Obama's "failure to persuade" the Republicans should be laid directly and completely at the feet of this coven which has since been called "The Caucus Room Conspiracy."
Search for details of this cabal on Google and through Wikipedia.com. Read Robert Draper's book "When The Tea Party Came To Town" for details of this most cynical Republican group. It was this group that ensured there would be no agreement at all between any of the Republicans and Obama, no matter how important the issues. Gingrich proudly bragged about it two years ago on the Thom Hartmann show.
To blame Obama at all for the lack of agreement with the Republican leadership is to ignore this huge intransigent elephant in the room.
Clearly the press is well aware of this cynical and powerful group, but I have never heard in the mainstream press anyone give this group its due for the failure of the political system since Obama was placed in office by the American people. The fault is clearly not Obama's.
1142
History may record that Obama spent too much time waiting for the Republicans to act like they care about the country. The GOP fundamentally does not have any interest in the betterment of the USA, but only in gathering money and power to themselves and their rich supporters. Obama's mistake was to think Republicans would be interested in solving problems of ordinary people. The GOP clearly could not care less about the average person. And, really, what can we say of a party that still thinks Mr. Gingrich is a wise advisor? The GOP has spent 8 years obstructing progress and insulting, not just Obama, but the more than 50 million people who voted for him in 2008.
49
@Caleb: Egan's divorce metaphor is relevant to your comment. One side can't make a relationship work. That's particularly true if the other side doesn't want a relationship, insists on getting its way at all times, refuses to compromise and uses bullying and abuse relentlessly without regard to the risk and damage involved. Remember the Republicans' government shutdown brinksmanship and the debt ceiling fiasco? Those are just two examples of their lack of good faith.
Obama has been remarkably restrained in the face of daily attacks by the GOP thugs who have done everything possible to destroy him and make his presidency unproductive. After he leaves office, I hope he unleashes the most honest memoir ever written by a U.S. President. He needs to describe from his unique perspective exactly what he has seen these enemies of decency and democracy do, and he needs to say exactly what he thinks of them.
Obama has been remarkably restrained in the face of daily attacks by the GOP thugs who have done everything possible to destroy him and make his presidency unproductive. After he leaves office, I hope he unleashes the most honest memoir ever written by a U.S. President. He needs to describe from his unique perspective exactly what he has seen these enemies of decency and democracy do, and he needs to say exactly what he thinks of them.
17
Nevertheless, a great leader can persuade even the most recalcitrant. Pres Obama said as much in his SOTU speech this week. He did a lot, but did fall short of greatness on this point
2
I think that President Obama astonishes and inspires repeatedly. The problem is that too many people are so deafened by their ideology that they refuse to listen. All they are willing to hear from him is duplicity and "arrogance," when he is in fact not an arrogant man. He is a reasonable pragmatist, and he is, unlike George Bush the Younger, truly compassionate. And then of course there are multiple ideologies. There is the Republican ideology of hatred when Republicans are not in power, and there is the false equivalence ideology of the media, to name only two, neither of which does any good.
1187
Had the media been doing its job, Obama wouldn't have had to act as cheer leader, as well as nation's leader.
60% of voters did not know that the republicans were in control of congress before the election in 2014.
That is the fault of the 4th Estate.
60% of voters did not know that the republicans were in control of congress before the election in 2014.
That is the fault of the 4th Estate.
13
I will miss him and his family. And the Bidens. They are just good people.
12
Thank you.
Lest we forget his "extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples." It's well to remember his Nobel Peace Prize awarded in 2009. He lived up to it!
Lest we forget his "extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples." It's well to remember his Nobel Peace Prize awarded in 2009. He lived up to it!
3
The GOP has been guilty of treason since the election of Obama. They did not accept the vote of America's citizens especially given the fact the GOP had been used to their gerrymandered state districts. They publicly stated, via Sen. Mitch McConnell and actions in the House, that they will refuse to back the elected president, that they will actively oppose him and anything he tries to do, that they will make him a failure and America along with it, and if Obama succeeds at anything the GOP will work to destroy it by any means. The GOP has followed through. They boldly and flagrantly lie, refuse to accept facts and the desires and needs of the American electorate. The GOP only serve the wealthy and corporate class. And with the current acts of sedition, the GOP supports them against the legitimate electorate of the US and the existing laws of America. It matters not whether the actions and words of the GOP are based in racism. The GOP agenda is to take over all government. There are no facts, no logic, no rational base for what they are doing, just as long as they see a way they can win and depose that part of the government that they do not control. For replies to this, name-calling, lies and labeling will not suffice. You will need to have facts, logic and examples to make your case. As the president said, have at it.
509
Curious definition of treason.
2
Reply to JPE of Maine:
I believe you are correct to challenge this use of the word "treason" as it tends to be too extreme a denunciation of a political group act. I use the term "treason-able" to denote acts punishable in a court of law; and "treason-ous" to describe the poisonous litany of "one term presidency" by a losing party that is sadly out-of-touch with their nation and people as a whole.
I believe you are correct to challenge this use of the word "treason" as it tends to be too extreme a denunciation of a political group act. I use the term "treason-able" to denote acts punishable in a court of law; and "treason-ous" to describe the poisonous litany of "one term presidency" by a losing party that is sadly out-of-touch with their nation and people as a whole.
9
JBE, I have always thought that the vow by Republican leadership to obstruct anything President Obama proposes in order to try to make his presidency fail is treasonous. Working to make a presidency fail means working to make our country fail.
There's such a thing as the loyal opposition. Republican leadership has forgotten what that means.
There's such a thing as the loyal opposition. Republican leadership has forgotten what that means.
20
I am proud and grateful to have been able to vote for Mr Obama in 2008 and 2012. It was an opportunity I did not think I would see in my lifetime, and the only disappointment concerning his election centered around the hateful intransigence of the opposing party.
598
'Pragmatism' in a right wing dominated congress can't get much done for the masses. But more ideologically resolute candidates can't get nominated or elected. See Bernie Sanders.
Let's talk Citizens United.
Let's talk Citizens United.
1
The market is tanking. China's economy is wreaking havoc on the rest of the world. The price of oil has dropped below $30. Stable unemployment doesn't make up for lowly wages. Nobody understands why inflation has disappeared. The rich get richer, the poor get poorer, and the middle class shrinks. If there's another deep recession before Obama leaves office, anyone who is surprised must not be paying attention. Just because we don't have a subprime mortgage crisis doesn't mean the economy is hunky-dory.
9
Just because you don't understand something doesn't mean that nobody understands it.
21
We are all interconnected. We live in a global world. We can try to inoculate ourselves against outside market forces, only if we are strong and united together, not divisive and cynical against our own country men and women.
8
See, it's a matter of perspective. The price of oil being down means cheaper gas. The market is way higher than it was in 2007/2008, and day to day movements don't mean much - look at how hot it was summer of 2015. Corrections happen. You want the S&P 500 to go back to where it was in 2007/2008? Inflation not being high is a good thing also - the fact that you don't understand why doesn't mean others don't (Krugman has offered some reasons).
Low wages and inequality are issues but this is more structural and has been happening for a long time. Still, you can say Obama didn't fix these problems. So let's amend the Constitution and give him 8 more years.
The thing is that we're in better shape than we were 8 years ago, and better than we would've been had Romney or McCain been in charge. That's all that matters in terms of politics. I am not very optimistic about humanity and I think a lot of what we're seeing is the last gasps of civilisation itself (humanity will become extinct within the next 100-150 years in my view) but on a shorter scale, the current direction overall we're moving in is positive. It won't be enough but the damage was done 150 years ago when we decided to use stored energy in the form of fossil fuels to fuel our reproduction. We're like bacteria that have gorged on the agar plate and dying not because the nutrients have run out, but because of our own waste (that's what happens sometimes).
Low wages and inequality are issues but this is more structural and has been happening for a long time. Still, you can say Obama didn't fix these problems. So let's amend the Constitution and give him 8 more years.
The thing is that we're in better shape than we were 8 years ago, and better than we would've been had Romney or McCain been in charge. That's all that matters in terms of politics. I am not very optimistic about humanity and I think a lot of what we're seeing is the last gasps of civilisation itself (humanity will become extinct within the next 100-150 years in my view) but on a shorter scale, the current direction overall we're moving in is positive. It won't be enough but the damage was done 150 years ago when we decided to use stored energy in the form of fossil fuels to fuel our reproduction. We're like bacteria that have gorged on the agar plate and dying not because the nutrients have run out, but because of our own waste (that's what happens sometimes).
6
President Obama has shown a lot of poise and grace under fire. Ninety-nine percent of the vitriol aimed at him is unjustified. I believe Obama could do himself some good by showing up more often in enemy territory, places that voted eighty and ninety percent for Bush, McCain and Romney. Obama can be very persuasive in person, but I don't see him around much in Texas.
One thing about people in rural areas - they usually display good manners to an invited guest. Many conservative civic groups would be very happy to host President Obama. He could listen and make his case for his policies. He would get grudging respect for just showing up in hostile territory. After Obama left, more people would know that he is not the devil they see on Fox News. Hopefully, he could help a few good people avoid the snake-oil being peddled on the debate stage last night.
One thing about people in rural areas - they usually display good manners to an invited guest. Many conservative civic groups would be very happy to host President Obama. He could listen and make his case for his policies. He would get grudging respect for just showing up in hostile territory. After Obama left, more people would know that he is not the devil they see on Fox News. Hopefully, he could help a few good people avoid the snake-oil being peddled on the debate stage last night.
49
JFK's Texas greeting didn't exactly show a "display of good manners to an invited guest". "Hostile territory" is not where you want to put POTUS, especially in light of our increasingly weaponized citizenry.
15
With pressing issues of recession, economy, nation's security and tackling health care and a myriad of issues that was on his full platter, Mr Obama did not have sufficient time to visit rural areas and sit down with them to take their pulse and understand their angst. Wish he was more omnipresent. I do take objection to Tim's suggestion that Mr Obama should have schmoozed more, no he did not need to schmooze the congress (as suggested by Maureen Dowd), he had a full time job, also he is a full time father of two young daughters, he chose not to spend time in the pub with fellow congressmen and women. There are other ways to socialize. He tried to play golf with Boehner but instead John stabbed him in the back, turning redder in his face and crying more in the congress in front of the camera. To what avail?
11
fs: "Obama could do himself some good by showing up more often in enemy territory, places that voted eighty and ninety percent for Bush, McCain and Romney. Obama can be very persuasive in person,"
Mr. Obama went to Nebraska & Louisiana this month hoping to talk to those who disagreed with him. But like the Republicans at his final State of the Union, they weren't even there. As The Times reported, In Nebraska, "Mr. Obama ran into few people who disagreed with him, instead addressing a raucous crowd of supporters who cheered him on, some of them holding up letters that spelled OBAMAHA."
The same happened in Louisiana.
We have Republican acquaintances in Ohio, and when Mr. Obama visited there in 2012, we excitedly asked them if they were planning on going to see him. The extremely cold reply was "absolutely not!"
Yes, Mr. Obama can be very persuasive, as you pointed out; but only if one is willing to listen & hear.
Mr. Obama went to Nebraska & Louisiana this month hoping to talk to those who disagreed with him. But like the Republicans at his final State of the Union, they weren't even there. As The Times reported, In Nebraska, "Mr. Obama ran into few people who disagreed with him, instead addressing a raucous crowd of supporters who cheered him on, some of them holding up letters that spelled OBAMAHA."
The same happened in Louisiana.
We have Republican acquaintances in Ohio, and when Mr. Obama visited there in 2012, we excitedly asked them if they were planning on going to see him. The extremely cold reply was "absolutely not!"
Yes, Mr. Obama can be very persuasive, as you pointed out; but only if one is willing to listen & hear.
14
Obama's 'legacy' is clear: We elected him as our first African-American President for two terms.
He was. Now it is time to move on and move up.
He was. Now it is time to move on and move up.
8
Up ? To whom exactly?
10
Apparently, his legacy isn't clear to you. because by every measure, his election represented a significant "move up" from the legacy left by his predecessor.
7
When ordinary people with ordinary jobs read Liberal hot air like this column they know what bushwah it is because it has nothing to do with the reality they face. So they get angry. So then the Liberals say OMG why are the common people so rude and distasteful? Yeah right.
2
The elevation of Barack Obama to the presidency in 2008 forced the hand of Congress to make a deal with the devil. He won through the fires of doubt and scaled the walls of denial only to discover that his greatest task lay before him, one which he would never conquer. Dragon slayer he would be; but by defeating American history, he was, in turn, defeated by it. The American presidency is viable only with the consent of Congress, a necessary antagonism designed by the Founders to keep off the temptations of the rulers to usurp the wishes of the governed. The historical applications of slavery into American political, commercial, social and economic life were their own justification: white rule, based on the successful slave-trading nations of Europe. America never completely shook off the shackles of its race-centric being. Barack Obama was hoisted upon the shoulders as a victor on November 4, 2008. The torches-and-pitchforks Congressional leadership, with greater success than might have been thought possible, drove the divisive wedge of race into a vacuum muted by "polite conversation." Not so now, as the foul reek of the Republican party competes to succeed him, their summons to tribalism shockingly clear. Lost in the ugly cacophony are President Obama's achievements. America has succumbed to the Right's calls to division and hate. We are still separate and unequal.
142
Your well written comment reminds all of good conscience that the work did not end on November 4, 2008. It had only just begun. I only hope the pitchforks, the ugly reek, and the cacophony can be overcome someday. Deep in my heart, I do believe they can.
8
Why would they choose to focus on Mr Obama's blackness and call for a division and hate, is beyond me. He is as much white as he is black, if there is such a thing as race. Every kid gets close to 50% from each parent. Those who view Mr Obama as more black than white, and Mr Obama's own self identity as a black, further reinforced by his marrying a black woman, a descendant of slaves, do not understand basic genetics. Here's a basic lesson on genetics taught in schools, "A child inherits half their DNA from each parent, while each parent passes half their DNA to each child. This is achieved through sexual fertilization, requiring the meeting of the sperm with the egg, and the combining of the DNA from both (since the sperm and egg contain only half the genetic information in the parent). This ensures that families maintain some genetic identity, but also that a child must be genetically different from either parent, or from any of their four grandparents. They will also be genetically different from their brothers and sisters unless they have an identical twin. The exact halving of the DNA in a parent to produce sperm or egg is possible due to its packaging in each cell as the 23 pairs of chromosomes, such that the sperm or egg has only one copy of a chromosome from each pair. This is achieved through the cell division process of meiosis (see the next page) which occurs only in the germ line cells in the testis or ovary."
1
The US is still separate and unequal, and these are portrayed as upholding our Freedoms, our private for profit enterprise system, as the bulwark against Federal Big Govt Intrusion. They rw misrepresents our own country's history to work to their power advantage.
3
"But on the mastery of changing hearts and minds, the “ability to astonish and inspire,” he falls short."
Hearts and minds have to be willing to change. Those hearts and minds that were willing to change, did so. Otherwise, Mr. Obama would have never been elected, and re-elected, President. Those hearts and minds that unwilling to change, did not change.
When an entire party decides, with near unanimity, to make a President's failure their entire platform, can even the most astonishing and inspirational of individuals break through?
After seven years, 40% of Republicans continue to believe that President Obama is a Muslim. What magic could break through such adamant, willful ignorance?
Hearts and minds have to be willing to change. Those hearts and minds that were willing to change, did so. Otherwise, Mr. Obama would have never been elected, and re-elected, President. Those hearts and minds that unwilling to change, did not change.
When an entire party decides, with near unanimity, to make a President's failure their entire platform, can even the most astonishing and inspirational of individuals break through?
After seven years, 40% of Republicans continue to believe that President Obama is a Muslim. What magic could break through such adamant, willful ignorance?
954
Sadly, that is the state of American politics - the losing party of an election tries with all its might to pull down the winners to failure. The losing side also musters not just policy arguments, but fundamental good/evil, right/wrong polarization sharpening the ideological divide so any compromise is treason and apostasy. Step back - it is at the feet of Boehner AND Pelosi, Obama AND Bush, Bernie AND Donald. I don't know how to break the pattern - it looks like a prisoner's dilemma to me - but if we do not escape it, and with the incredible increase in Federal power, we risk falling into an almost Latin/African 'democracy' pattern of winner take all the spoils and damn the losers, instead of the participatory, balanced powers framed in our Constitution.
2
"When an entire party decides . . ." Exactly. It was clearly racism reawakened.
18
The dent Obama made in a hard history is the hard work, day by day, without a blaring self promotion apparatus, that has produced the strong and striving country he will hand over to his successor. There were no falsehoods in his SOTU account of our basic soundness. No, it was not his style to brag and self promote, but have no fear. If that's what you want, there's a loud typhoon of ego waiting just offstage and itching to make America great again.
136
How amazingly ignorant these Liberals are! It is because they are stuck in some kind of dichotomous worldview: Obama's enemies are horrible and therefore Obama must be good. They are too cowardly to accept the reality that both of them stink. In fact the difference between Obama and his enemies is mainly cosmetic. Both have been bought and paid for by oligarchy, as all presidents since Carter have been. Of all currently viable candidates, only Sanders and Trump have not sold out (yet).
So lets give the devil his due. So we have a low deficit and low unemployment. Yeah right. We have a low deficit because the Rs won't let him spend any money. We have low unemployment because the percentage of people in the labor market has gone down, because people have given up on looking for a job, and are living with their relatives or sleeping in their cars or in the street. And the lucky ones who are working are working harder for less pay, and often working two or three jobs.
So the economy is in great shape. Yeah right. The national debt is on track to double during Obama's tenure, from 10 to 20 trillion. This runup is what keeps things going to some extent and it is obviously unsustainable. The only thing that keeps the dollar afloat is that there is no viable alternative currency, but since the US no longer produces much of anything except financial chicanery and climate destroying natural gas, it is doomed to collapse once productive countries get their act together.
So lets give the devil his due. So we have a low deficit and low unemployment. Yeah right. We have a low deficit because the Rs won't let him spend any money. We have low unemployment because the percentage of people in the labor market has gone down, because people have given up on looking for a job, and are living with their relatives or sleeping in their cars or in the street. And the lucky ones who are working are working harder for less pay, and often working two or three jobs.
So the economy is in great shape. Yeah right. The national debt is on track to double during Obama's tenure, from 10 to 20 trillion. This runup is what keeps things going to some extent and it is obviously unsustainable. The only thing that keeps the dollar afloat is that there is no viable alternative currency, but since the US no longer produces much of anything except financial chicanery and climate destroying natural gas, it is doomed to collapse once productive countries get their act together.
5
When ordinary people with ordinary jobs read Liberal hot air like this they know what bushwah it is and they get angry. And then the Liberals say OMG why are the common people so rude and raucous? Yeah right.
4
@Paul Easton... Did you ever think that the reason people are working harder for less pay is the corporate greed? When Walmart employees have to go on welfare as the Walton family makes billions of dollars and the Walmart CEO is making millions of dollars a year, you tell me why people are sleeping in their cars!
14
Obama has disappointed his original ardent supporters. To see what was wrong, a good place to start is the book Confidence Men by a former Wall Street Journal reporter, Ron Suskind.
Bernie Sanders is a sincere man and will not disappoint. He may not win the battles but, unlike Obama, he will fight them.
To see what should be done go to YouTube and watch Comedy Party Platform (2 min 9 sec). Send a buck to Bernie Sanders and invite me to speak to your group. By the way, where is the Egan column about Sanders program?
Bernie Sanders is a sincere man and will not disappoint. He may not win the battles but, unlike Obama, he will fight them.
To see what should be done go to YouTube and watch Comedy Party Platform (2 min 9 sec). Send a buck to Bernie Sanders and invite me to speak to your group. By the way, where is the Egan column about Sanders program?
7
Really? A self-promotion for people to book you as a speaker? I'm not sure you're the proper person to speak for "his original ardent supporters". Your priorities seem out of line.
11
what fights has Bernie won in the senate that make you think he will conquer all?
10
What kind of Bernie Sanders' supporter would tear down Obama as a way to make Sanders look good? Maybe you should be speaking to Republican groups.
19