"Obama’s mistakes, like Syria, were serious"
Political autonomy--independence--is an ideal set by the USA.
Yet when things go against big money--Chile, Cuba, Banana Republics, Vietnam, Iraq--on and on--the USA tries to create colonies--puppet regimes, camouflaged under nonsense "freedom" rhetoric--sans specification of whose? from what" to do what?
Syria is certainly a debacle. On the surface a civil war. In reality a proxy war--Shiites and Sunnis--Iran and Saudi Arabia.
Could the US create and maintain a stable colony there? Unlikely.
The cost of trying would mean huge losses of US life and money--only to fail--and enriching the weapons industry.
And that's without risking a yet more onerous proxy war.
How many US casualties in Syria compared to Iraq?
Count-- then thank Obama.
Then blame Bush/Cheney for Syria too.
Political autonomy--independence--is an ideal set by the USA.
Yet when things go against big money--Chile, Cuba, Banana Republics, Vietnam, Iraq--on and on--the USA tries to create colonies--puppet regimes, camouflaged under nonsense "freedom" rhetoric--sans specification of whose? from what" to do what?
Syria is certainly a debacle. On the surface a civil war. In reality a proxy war--Shiites and Sunnis--Iran and Saudi Arabia.
Could the US create and maintain a stable colony there? Unlikely.
The cost of trying would mean huge losses of US life and money--only to fail--and enriching the weapons industry.
And that's without risking a yet more onerous proxy war.
How many US casualties in Syria compared to Iraq?
Count-- then thank Obama.
Then blame Bush/Cheney for Syria too.
8
Perhaps the greatest service Obama has done for us is giving us his example. A good and decent man fought valiantly and selflessly to serve the people. I believe history will contrast him sharply with the self regarding president who followed him. A great lesson for the ages. Imagine all the novels, operas and movies that will be written. Interesting times, these.
10
A good President, though I don't think he surpasses Johnson, even with Johnson's poor decision to escalate the Vietnam War. Still, I think overall he did a good job. Had he been allowed to run for a third term I believe he would've won and the country and indeed the world would have been better off for that.
However, as long as Obama was around the democrats and the left would have continued to ignore the problems facing their party, problems that must be addressed if the party is to avoid becoming relegated to become a regional, coastal party. No doubt the republican extremists in Congress would have ensured that no Obama initiative could have gotten off the ground for the next four years, and vice-versa. FDR and LBJ had solid majorities in Congress for their terms in office, which is why they were so successful.
Nevertheless, Obama was dealt a terrible hand, twice over, and both times he made the most of it. America is not without its problems but under his leadership we are better off now than we were than he took over. I'd even go so far as to argue that the country is better off now than it has been in decades, and that a large part of that has to do with the policies of the Obama administration. They weren't able to completely fix the United States, but while he was in office this country made real progress.
For that I think he should be commended.
However, as long as Obama was around the democrats and the left would have continued to ignore the problems facing their party, problems that must be addressed if the party is to avoid becoming relegated to become a regional, coastal party. No doubt the republican extremists in Congress would have ensured that no Obama initiative could have gotten off the ground for the next four years, and vice-versa. FDR and LBJ had solid majorities in Congress for their terms in office, which is why they were so successful.
Nevertheless, Obama was dealt a terrible hand, twice over, and both times he made the most of it. America is not without its problems but under his leadership we are better off now than we were than he took over. I'd even go so far as to argue that the country is better off now than it has been in decades, and that a large part of that has to do with the policies of the Obama administration. They weren't able to completely fix the United States, but while he was in office this country made real progress.
For that I think he should be commended.
95
Johnson could have run for a second term, but decided not to (for good reason, given his incompetence).
Barack Obama has been the best president in my lifetime (born when Eisenhower was president). I respect him as much if not more now than I did the day he was first inaugurated. I have never regretted voting for him. Given the extreme, partisan, racist-based opposition to his every proposal, his many achievements, detailed by Mr. Leonhardt, are extraordinary. On top of that he restored the world's respect of the office of POTUS and the country, an accomplishment that can and will be lost at noon on Jan 20. History will prove President Obama's detractors as wrong; his legacy will grow over time.
I greatly look forward to the first book President Obama writes after leaving office; his thoughtful perspective will be frank, coherent, and riveting.
I greatly look forward to the first book President Obama writes after leaving office; his thoughtful perspective will be frank, coherent, and riveting.
78
You must be kidding! OK. At least you mention LBJ, perhaps the only politician at the time that could have changed America forever by persuading Congress to pass the 1964 Civil Rights Bill & the 1965 Voting Rights Bill. Also, what about Harry Truman, who you do not mention, and his creation of the Marshall Plan, his implementation of the National Defense & Security Apparatus that got us through the Cold War, his recognition of Israel (against all advice), and, not least, his integration of the armed forces long before Congress enacted civil rights for the nation. Clearly, history will confirm that Truman & Johnson were the most consequential Democrats of our era.
29
Apparently hubris has come back into fashion.
16
Syria was no mistake. Volumes of magical thinking going around now, the sort of magical thinking that got us into the Vietnam and the Iraq debacles. Syria is now and has always been an ethnic/religious civil war, and you would think we had finally had our fill of those, but apparently not. Once Hezbollah intervened on Assad's behalf, early on, there was no prospect of pushing Assad out without a military victory over his army. Defeating Assad's army would have, would still leave the minority Alawites, along with assorted Christians, Druze, Yasidi minorities at the mercy of the Sunni majority, a truly scary prospect. Maybe if we hadn't lost so much in Iraq just to try and stabilize THAT mess, maybe if Iran and Russia weren't ready to step in at a moment's notice to protect THEIR interests, we might have had the stomach for a half million troops in Syria indefinitely to maintain a fragile truce there, but I doubt it. Americans overwhelmingly opposed ANY kind of military intervention, Congress wouldn't even take up a Use of Force resolution to fight ISIL, and president Obama rightly decided that without strong public and Congressional support, military intervention was doomed, was in fact insane.
39
The NYT's management should realize that Obama-isn't-really-a-failure articles are a waste of effort; Obama fans don't need the articles and others don't believe the articles.
34
Obama is more like Jimmy Carter than FDR.
31
In terms of public approval polls, Gallup goes furthest back, and here are the final % and lowest % approval for all presidents after FDR:
Obama: 57% / 40%
GW Bush: 34% / 25%
Clinton: 66% / 37%
GHW Bush: 56% / 29%
Reagan: 63% / 35%
Carter: 34% / 28%
Ford: 53% / 37%
Nixon: 24% / 24%
Johnson: 49% / 35%
Kennedy: 58% / 56%
Eisenhower: 59% / 48%
Truman: 32% / 22%
Obama: 57% / 40%
GW Bush: 34% / 25%
Clinton: 66% / 37%
GHW Bush: 56% / 29%
Reagan: 63% / 35%
Carter: 34% / 28%
Ford: 53% / 37%
Nixon: 24% / 24%
Johnson: 49% / 35%
Kennedy: 58% / 56%
Eisenhower: 59% / 48%
Truman: 32% / 22%
14
"After all, a vast majority of Americans born in the last few decades share Obama’s vision." And a majority of THESE people (the millennials) share another important characteristic as well: they are POORER than their parents were at this point in their lives. This is the true measure of Obama's failure.
19
lol. The author is suffering from delusion syndrome....unless its Chris Matthews using a pseudonym.
20
If Barack had really been successful, Hillary would have really won.
I mean won the whole nation ... not just NY and CA. The real America repudiated the Obama rule.
Oh, and btw ... the pope led Satanic Globalist are soon going to nuke NYCity. Why ? Cause the war on "sovereign" USA is going to go full tilt.
The Nationalist will lose to the Globalist ... as is ordained.
I mean won the whole nation ... not just NY and CA. The real America repudiated the Obama rule.
Oh, and btw ... the pope led Satanic Globalist are soon going to nuke NYCity. Why ? Cause the war on "sovereign" USA is going to go full tilt.
The Nationalist will lose to the Globalist ... as is ordained.
12
All that this column notes is true. Yet, was President Obama too late and too timid in resisting Putin's amoral ambitions for a resurgent Russia, not only in the Middle East, but through cyber-warfare and backing right-wing and populist candidates in Western Europe and the United States?
2
How can he be the most successful Democrat since FDR when, by any metric, the Democratic Party has become weaker than its been in a hundred years? FDR left a coalition that was able to remain the dominant political party for over twenty years after his death. President Obama was a good politician but horrible Democrat.
21
"It's the End of the world....as we know it" as the song says. I will deeply miss the Obamas and all that they brought to our American legacy. I will not watch the ascension of the decadent prez elect. I think his voters made a grave error in judgement and if they will be able to admit it when the time comes, (and it will surely come) they will severly regret it. If only President Obama hadn't been thwarted by a hateful republican cabal, we would all be in a better position and the deporable one would not be on the horizon. This is dreadful.
31
As the American people get to watch Mr. Obama's successor over the next four years, they will conclude that they undervalued Mr. Obama and his presidency. In a perverse sort of way, that might be a blessing. We as Americans cannot afford to be manipulated again into confusing the life or death business of governing with bluster, show biz, manipulation and deception. Governing well is "boring."
28
Eerily similar to MFDP in 1964.
1964
Though the MFDP failed to unseat the regulars at the convention, they did succeed in publicizing the violence and injustice by which the white power structure governed Mississippi and disenfranchised black citizens.
2016
Though the Progressives failed to nominate Sanders, they did succeed in publicizing the crookedness and injustice by which the Democratic Establishment governed the DNC and disenfranchised Progressives.
1964
Though the MFDP failed to unseat the regulars at the convention, they did succeed in publicizing the violence and injustice by which the white power structure governed Mississippi and disenfranchised black citizens.
2016
Though the Progressives failed to nominate Sanders, they did succeed in publicizing the crookedness and injustice by which the Democratic Establishment governed the DNC and disenfranchised Progressives.
7
Jimmy Carter lost re-election.
Carter wanted to ween us off fossil fuels the hard way, Reagan said we could still have it all. And Reagan had the hostages held until after the election. As Trump would say... no fair. Carter had a war free Presidency. And he became more popular after his Presidency. For a Navy man and a peanut farmer he was much better than most gave him credit for.
Carter wanted to ween us off fossil fuels the hard way, Reagan said we could still have it all. And Reagan had the hostages held until after the election. As Trump would say... no fair. Carter had a war free Presidency. And he became more popular after his Presidency. For a Navy man and a peanut farmer he was much better than most gave him credit for.
34
Hello, NYT? Hello, history? Please stop with the puff pieces on Obama when our country is in the middle of a full blown existential crisis. Ten puff pieces on Obama is enough! He had eight years to steer our country into prosperity and safety and it appears as though his stewardship was immensely short-sighted.
At the moment, the entire Western social and political structure has found itself upside down, brought low by a brilliant strategist, Putin, and his bought-and-paid-for stooge, President-elect Trump. Unless President-elect Trump is impeached in short order, I'm fairly certain that President Obama will be remembered for his part in laying the dark groundwork that led to the wholesale destruction of our exceptional way of life, our democracy.
At the moment, the entire Western social and political structure has found itself upside down, brought low by a brilliant strategist, Putin, and his bought-and-paid-for stooge, President-elect Trump. Unless President-elect Trump is impeached in short order, I'm fairly certain that President Obama will be remembered for his part in laying the dark groundwork that led to the wholesale destruction of our exceptional way of life, our democracy.
22
Existential crisis caused by Trump?
19
I'm an independent voter (no party affiliation), married 35 years, father of 2 adult sons. Having lived in the DC area 25 years, I've also studied of office of the Presidency quite a bit. Though I grade Obama a B- for his term in office, I'll also credit him as the best executive in my lifetime. Don't want to raise a fuss about my own judgement but I choose to quote Leonard Cohen here (in looking at Obama's term in office) - "There is a crack, a crack in everything. that's where the light comes in". My thanks and appreciation to the Obama family and administration for their service to our country.
50
I visited the White House and got a personal tour. The thing I noticed was that Obama’s study had an Edward Hopper painting hanging up. However, while most Hopper paintings are focused on individuals suggesting some sort of anomie, this painting was a total landscape devoid of people. It symbolized perhaps a Rorschach of Obama’s mindset.
Obama for all his civility seemed to lack a core religious spirituality, he has the practical mind of the true atheist. For me his comment "They get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren't like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations." summed up that attitude.
Thus like many lawyers he believed that signing a document is the achievement in and of itself. For all the talk of ACA there were no plans for massive increase in doctors and nurses to accommodate 20 million more patients. He didn’t trust the goodness of people to level with them about the costs.
In general he was all about passive aggressiveness. I appreciate his efforts but Clinton was a far better President and a much fairer President.
Obama for all his civility seemed to lack a core religious spirituality, he has the practical mind of the true atheist. For me his comment "They get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren't like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations." summed up that attitude.
Thus like many lawyers he believed that signing a document is the achievement in and of itself. For all the talk of ACA there were no plans for massive increase in doctors and nurses to accommodate 20 million more patients. He didn’t trust the goodness of people to level with them about the costs.
In general he was all about passive aggressiveness. I appreciate his efforts but Clinton was a far better President and a much fairer President.
27
Hagiography! Did Obama save the under water homeowners or the bankers? Punish the bankers or decide to look forward? Regime change Libya ?
Drone 7 Middle eastern counties ? Never presented a jobs program, in its stead an insurance company centric health.
On the horizon, compared to Trump , Obama is saintly. That's a low bar though
Drone 7 Middle eastern counties ? Never presented a jobs program, in its stead an insurance company centric health.
On the horizon, compared to Trump , Obama is saintly. That's a low bar though
16
His success certainly did not extend to decreasing the horrific killing of Black people by Blacks .Chicago currently has a higher murder rate than New York and Los Angeles combined. I never heard him criticize or condemn the Black Culture
which has such a high rate of unwed mothers and multiple children in single
parent households.He could have and should have at least try to make a difference.
which has such a high rate of unwed mothers and multiple children in single
parent households.He could have and should have at least try to make a difference.
17
By your "logic" Kennedy would be considered a failure for failing to reign in Irish hoodlums terrorizing Hell's Kitchen otherwise known as the "Westies".
15
Like just about every other fawning adulation of President Obama which has appeared post-election in the NYTimes, this isn't journalism or even a legitimate op-Ed piece.
It's hagiography. Simple as that.
It's hagiography. Simple as that.
24
"Hagiography" would seem to be a very big word for Trumpsters, yet we are seeing it here repeatedly. Golly gee whiz, I wonder what the real source is.
Maybe if many of our fellow citizens thought for themselves instead of parroting what they've been instructed to think, we would not be inaugurating a dimwitted fascist liar in three days.
Maybe if many of our fellow citizens thought for themselves instead of parroting what they've been instructed to think, we would not be inaugurating a dimwitted fascist liar in three days.
19
If I read another fawning column, article or anything about President Obama, I will just scream. Maybe he looks so darn good because, my God, look who is coming to take his place.
But really -- seriously? -- the MOST successful Democrat since FDR?
I voted for Barack Obama twice. Gladly, too. I believe him to be an honest and decent man who truly has the best interests of his countrymen at heart. I think his goals were great. But Obama wasn't aggressive enough in pressing for what Democrats want. He bailed out Wall Street, not Main Street, he caved in too much to whiney, cry-baby Republicans and he failed to see even once how the chronic overstepping of spying on our own citizens did more harm than good. Yes, Obama had a hellish time with an obstructionist congress with racist motivations, let's face it.
But to put LBJ's achievements beneath Obama's? You can't be living on the same planet.
Lyndon Baines Johnson was not born rich. He worked as a teacher, and gained his compassion for the poor from seeing first-hand what poverty does to the young.
He knew how and when to cajole, persuade and twist arms and when each, one or all was called for. LBJ got the job done. Measure for measure, you can't say the same for President Obama, who will be missed greatly by myself and, I think, more people than they know.
But really -- seriously? -- the MOST successful Democrat since FDR?
I voted for Barack Obama twice. Gladly, too. I believe him to be an honest and decent man who truly has the best interests of his countrymen at heart. I think his goals were great. But Obama wasn't aggressive enough in pressing for what Democrats want. He bailed out Wall Street, not Main Street, he caved in too much to whiney, cry-baby Republicans and he failed to see even once how the chronic overstepping of spying on our own citizens did more harm than good. Yes, Obama had a hellish time with an obstructionist congress with racist motivations, let's face it.
But to put LBJ's achievements beneath Obama's? You can't be living on the same planet.
Lyndon Baines Johnson was not born rich. He worked as a teacher, and gained his compassion for the poor from seeing first-hand what poverty does to the young.
He knew how and when to cajole, persuade and twist arms and when each, one or all was called for. LBJ got the job done. Measure for measure, you can't say the same for President Obama, who will be missed greatly by myself and, I think, more people than they know.
16
"Guns over butter" destroyed Johnson.
4
one has to wonder if the Times has any writers with any intellectual heft. Leonhardt surely doesn't fit the bill. This is about the most idiotic blather (other than columns by Kristof, Blow, Krugman, Bruni) I've read here.
Get some good writers, Times. It might help you financially.
Get some good writers, Times. It might help you financially.
22
...and the repetitiveness of the nonsense on these pages. I feel like I've read the same Blow, Krugman, etc. columns twenty or 30 times from each of them. Several times after reading a Blow(or Krugman) column the thought was "didn't Bruni just write this exact same thing last week?" And vice versa. It doesn't take much thought to re-word the same column over and over again. To your point about "intellectual heft".
19
Would you like to present an argument, or are you just screeching like an infant?
15
I realize that delusion runs rampant with the hope and change crowd but please isn't it time to come down to reality. I agree that President Obama seems like a very nice person,family man and caring. On the other hand being that there is most likely not enough room here to write all, but a few choice words. As a President I found him completely wanting,from the 20 years he spent listening to Rev. Wright's hate speeches that didn't affect him, to yes you can keep your doctor, to oh yea we lied to the world about Iran so we could pass the accord,to coming into office with the worst financial crisis that my 9 year old granddaughter spending $9 Trillion could have taken care of ,to bringing the unemployment rate under 5% again $9 Trillion spent, to lighting the world on fire,Libya, Syria, Lebanon, Turkey, Ukraine,Africa, 65 Million people displaced throughout the world,to the killings and abandonment of an entire generation of inner city Black youth,to the most technological administration not to make sure American computers are safe, to a month before his Presidency is done he remembered there is a Hill in Washington D.C. not only to tell the Party to protect his legacy but to make compromises for the good of all America.But its America and everyone has an opinion they can express.
17
Mr. Leonhardt links Obama to FDR when a more proper link is to George W. Bush. Obama surged into Afghanistan and he leaves us still there; he destroyed Kadafi and Libya and we're still there; he attacked Syria and we're still there. He kept on many of Bush's hawk people for long periods. Obama was a great pal to Wall Street billionaires and a gullible tool to the Pentagon. He's a nice guy and a great talker but a limp rag when it comes to fighting for anything. FDR was a fighter and a creator of democratic values. Obama comes and goes as if he has never existed, much like Cal Coolidge rather than FDR.
22
There will be much sadness amongst supporters of President Obama when he leaves office later this week, however that will not be supported by all, especially those who lost family members as a results of bombs dropped by the US in Obama's final year in office.
Earlier this month the Council on Foreign Relations reported that in President Obama’s last year in office, the United States dropped 26,172 bombs. It further reported that this estimate is undoubtedly low, considering reliable data is only available for airstrikes in Pakistan, Yemen, Somalia, and Libya, and a single "strike", according to the Pentagon’s definition, can involve multiple bombs or munitions. It represented an increase of 3,028 more bombs than in 2015.
One wonders if the Nobel Peace Prize committee would view Obama as a success.
Earlier this month the Council on Foreign Relations reported that in President Obama’s last year in office, the United States dropped 26,172 bombs. It further reported that this estimate is undoubtedly low, considering reliable data is only available for airstrikes in Pakistan, Yemen, Somalia, and Libya, and a single "strike", according to the Pentagon’s definition, can involve multiple bombs or munitions. It represented an increase of 3,028 more bombs than in 2015.
One wonders if the Nobel Peace Prize committee would view Obama as a success.
1
Obama's legacy on the domestic front is secure. However his overall legacy rests with the outcome of Russian adventurism in light of their successes in Syria, Crimea, and the Ukraine. if the movement of troops back into Europe, and efforts by republicans to prevent trump from giving away the family farm to putin are successful in preventing him from reinvading some or all of the old warsaw pact counties then Obama's over all legacy will be a grate one. but if his failure to stop the Russians in Syria proves to have given them a green light for further adventures in Europe then his legacy will be one of abject failure.
2
First, the mistake that Mr. Leonhardf refers to, his Syrian policy, is actually one of Mr. Obama's greatest successes. He kept us out of yet another war we had no business being in; and kept American lives, the ones he is responsible for, from being wasted.
Mr. Obama, like Mr. Carter, was too good a man to be a great president. His strong moral character prevented him from compromising on issues he felt strongly about, which is not compatible with the necessity of the give and take of the real political world. His belief that reason and facts would be sufficient to win the day was a sign of his respect for his opponents, but unfortunately, what it takes on occasion is threats and arm-twisting to win.
Just for one example, I wonder if the GOP's opposition to housing and trying the Guantanamo inmates on American soil would have continued had Mr. Obama stated that in one year, he was going to release any remaining prisoners held there. That is the kind of gutsy move an FDR or an LBJ might have pulled.
Mr. Obama, like Mr. Carter, was too good a man to be a great president. His strong moral character prevented him from compromising on issues he felt strongly about, which is not compatible with the necessity of the give and take of the real political world. His belief that reason and facts would be sufficient to win the day was a sign of his respect for his opponents, but unfortunately, what it takes on occasion is threats and arm-twisting to win.
Just for one example, I wonder if the GOP's opposition to housing and trying the Guantanamo inmates on American soil would have continued had Mr. Obama stated that in one year, he was going to release any remaining prisoners held there. That is the kind of gutsy move an FDR or an LBJ might have pulled.
1
An elegant, intelligent, graceful, thoughtful leader, yes. Some important legislation and executive action, yes. One of the most intelligent and deep thinkers ever to occupy the White House, yes.
But as for political skill once in office, I'm afraid Obama had several weaknesses that impaired his effectiveness. One example among many is healthcare: he disappeared while the ACA was being crafted, and allowed the opposition to define it with "death panels" and "pulling the plug on Grandma". Once the ACA passed, he failed to communicate its many benefits.
And one cannot ignore the massive losses that the Democrats have experienced at all levels over the last 8 years. As the leader of the Party, he has to take some responsibility for failing to define and communicate exactly what the Party stood for.
As Obama seemed not to understand, it's not enough for a President to be smart, well-read, highly educated and cultured. A political leader needs to be a superb communicator and salesman. Though he showed these skills when campaigning, he retreated into the White House when in office. He behaved as if the wonders he was doing were self-evident. He was wrong, as the results of the last election make clear.
But as for political skill once in office, I'm afraid Obama had several weaknesses that impaired his effectiveness. One example among many is healthcare: he disappeared while the ACA was being crafted, and allowed the opposition to define it with "death panels" and "pulling the plug on Grandma". Once the ACA passed, he failed to communicate its many benefits.
And one cannot ignore the massive losses that the Democrats have experienced at all levels over the last 8 years. As the leader of the Party, he has to take some responsibility for failing to define and communicate exactly what the Party stood for.
As Obama seemed not to understand, it's not enough for a President to be smart, well-read, highly educated and cultured. A political leader needs to be a superb communicator and salesman. Though he showed these skills when campaigning, he retreated into the White House when in office. He behaved as if the wonders he was doing were self-evident. He was wrong, as the results of the last election make clear.
6
Just what did Pres. Obama succeed in doing? With regard to the ACA he produced a system that raised rates disasterously for middle class people. It will take 10 to 20 years to straighten out the mess he created.
He combined the worst features of Government Incompetence (is that really two words?) and Corporate Misfeasance. This is the witch's brew that is Obama Care (so-called).
He combined the worst features of Government Incompetence (is that really two words?) and Corporate Misfeasance. This is the witch's brew that is Obama Care (so-called).
8
I do agree that history will smile upon the man. The numbers will bear it out. And especially if Trump is unable to "make america great again," whatever that actually means to his supporters. The rest of us still love it! Although we might want to check in again in a year. If Obama had a rational opposing party that would meet in the middle (at least a little), not block efforts because they didn't think of it, and on and on, he would be remembered as truly great. He's got incredible poise, even when some mouth-breathing senator shouts "Liar" during a state of the union speech, which let's admit, he would never have yelled had Obama been white. That he got some things done surrounded by the likes of them is a phenomenal accomplishment.
10
You list Syria as a failure. While it was clearly not a success, no one has explained what alternative course could have led to a better result for that unfortunate country. We tried greater involvement in Iraq -- that was a disaster. We tried arming rebels in Afganistan in the 80's -- that was a disaster. We tried limited involvement with airpower in Libya -- that was a disaster. As a foreign power, we are not always able to save a country that is headed towards a civil war.
6
What nonsense. Harry Truman is revered as one of the finest presidents in history. It was Truman who saw America through to victory in WW II, and it was Harry Truman who responded to the North Korean/Chinese invasion of South Korea, saving South Korea to become one of the most prosperous countries in the world today.
It was Harry Truman who stood up to a potential military dictator in General MacArthur, firing him for insubordination.
It was Truman who recognized Israel, the move that created that country.
Bill Clinton successfully ended, and without loss of American life, the war in the Balkans.
It was Bill Clinton who stared down the dictators in Haiti, getting them to leave the country, again without loss of life.
It was Bill Clinton who got semiautomatic assault weapons banned, at least until Bush undid that move.
It was Bill Clinton under whom America registered its longest stretch of strong economic growth with the lowest unemployment and lowest inflation since the 1920's.
I mean, how many successes can David Leonhardt overlook in order to make his ridiculous claim that every Democratic president since FDR had been a failure.
Come on!!
It was Harry Truman who stood up to a potential military dictator in General MacArthur, firing him for insubordination.
It was Truman who recognized Israel, the move that created that country.
Bill Clinton successfully ended, and without loss of American life, the war in the Balkans.
It was Bill Clinton who stared down the dictators in Haiti, getting them to leave the country, again without loss of life.
It was Bill Clinton who got semiautomatic assault weapons banned, at least until Bush undid that move.
It was Bill Clinton under whom America registered its longest stretch of strong economic growth with the lowest unemployment and lowest inflation since the 1920's.
I mean, how many successes can David Leonhardt overlook in order to make his ridiculous claim that every Democratic president since FDR had been a failure.
Come on!!
9
This exercise by Mr. Leonhardt is based on a false assumption: that you can compare presidents, who lived in different times, had different knowledge and skills, and faced different political environments and different problems.
9
Time is not on any of Obama's affordable health care legislation. The president didn't look at the underlying dynamic causing health care inequality. He saw only the charts of rising medical insurance. But surely one of the main underlying causes was health care education costs, which an insurance only analysis necessarily ignored. Actually, an idea that Dr. Ben Carson suggested in the Republican primary would have cut into the health care spiraling costs----the government's eliminating the educational debt for medical doctors and other health care workers with grants to medical schools to trim costs, and controlling the cost of most prescription medications with tax incentives and disincentives to industry.
Now the Republicans have a chance to offer better policies overall avoiding Obama's failure.
Now the Republicans have a chance to offer better policies overall avoiding Obama's failure.
7
"Reagan changed the trajectory of America..." And times sure have changed dramatically since the '80's. From President Obama, we've learned not to trust a well spoken "hope and change" leader. As a Nation we are noticeably decaying from within. 2017 promises to be very interesting - Will there be War; Depression? I don't see better times ahead.
4
This piece omits completely Harry Truman. Domestically, Truman's successes were modest. But what Truman did internationally was huge. He and his administration defined the west's response in the cold war. When one asks which president "won" the cold war, I think that Truman deserves most of the credit. He made America great in the truest sense of that word.
10
Obama leaves behind a legacy of death and destruction in Syria, Russian annexation of Crimea and threats to the Baltic States, terrorist-sponsoring Iran in the ascendency, virtual fascism on many college campuses as free speech and due process fall by the wayside, a record of interference in pending legal matters (Trayvon Martin and Hillary Clinton's emails) - and rapidly deteriorating race relations as the president fantastically claims progress in that area under his administration. And Obamacare is collapsing under its own weight as premiums and deductibles soar, insurances companies leave and exchanges fail.
The most successful Democrat since FDR? Winston Churchill's view was that Democrat Harry Truman saved civilization with his Marshall Plan. Truman regularly appears as "Near Great" in Presidential rankings by historians. Does anyone seriously think Obama will push him aside?
The most successful Democrat since FDR? Winston Churchill's view was that Democrat Harry Truman saved civilization with his Marshall Plan. Truman regularly appears as "Near Great" in Presidential rankings by historians. Does anyone seriously think Obama will push him aside?
14
There will be much sadness amongst supporters of President Obama when he leaves office later this week, however that sadness will not be shared by all.
Earlier this month the Council on Foreign Relations reported that in President Obama’s last year in office, the United States dropped 26,172 bombs. It further reported that this estimate is undoubtedly low, considering reliable data is only available for airstrikes in Pakistan, Yemen, Somalia, and Libya, and a single "strike", according to the Pentagon’s definition, can involve multiple bombs or munitions. It represented an increase of 3,028 more bombs than in 2015.
One wonders whether the Nobel Peace Prize committee will view the Obama Presidency as a success.
Earlier this month the Council on Foreign Relations reported that in President Obama’s last year in office, the United States dropped 26,172 bombs. It further reported that this estimate is undoubtedly low, considering reliable data is only available for airstrikes in Pakistan, Yemen, Somalia, and Libya, and a single "strike", according to the Pentagon’s definition, can involve multiple bombs or munitions. It represented an increase of 3,028 more bombs than in 2015.
One wonders whether the Nobel Peace Prize committee will view the Obama Presidency as a success.
10
What a president.
He has presided over the loss of all 3 branches of government at the Federal level and has lost governor ships at the State level. In his wake there is no clear vision for the Democratic Party. By the time of an 8 years successful Trump presidency what will our politics look like then?
He has presided over the loss of all 3 branches of government at the Federal level and has lost governor ships at the State level. In his wake there is no clear vision for the Democratic Party. By the time of an 8 years successful Trump presidency what will our politics look like then?
12
We must remember this. While Democrats, moderates, liberal and otherwise, look to government as a central instrument of social change and economic justice, in truth the nation and our fate belong to the people. It is wrong to invest the national govt. with a sense that it is what matters above all else. All of us make up a giant magnet that pulls the arch of history this way or that. We have the inherent power to change the course of the nation permanently both by our actions and our attitudes. Eventually, politicians are forced along.
Obama and this era might be equally important for the standards, the enhanced vision, his policies and initiatives. We now have, as a basic, growing belief, the idea that no one in need of health care in America should be denied, especially not denied to the point where they are dying from lack of treatment. This is new. The idea existed previously as a sub rosa understanding. We were paying billions for the treatment and the uninsured were "entitled" to care, but only when dumped into ERs at 4 AM.
Gay and lesbian rights, among others, have been secured. The issue of unwarranted police violence against minorities has exploded. Something will be done, sooner or later, about massive economic inequality and unfairness. Obama played a role on all of these issues, which is one reason millions, upset by rapid change, turned to Trump. The outline for the future, however, has been vividly drawn and, as noted, it belongs to the young.
Obama and this era might be equally important for the standards, the enhanced vision, his policies and initiatives. We now have, as a basic, growing belief, the idea that no one in need of health care in America should be denied, especially not denied to the point where they are dying from lack of treatment. This is new. The idea existed previously as a sub rosa understanding. We were paying billions for the treatment and the uninsured were "entitled" to care, but only when dumped into ERs at 4 AM.
Gay and lesbian rights, among others, have been secured. The issue of unwarranted police violence against minorities has exploded. Something will be done, sooner or later, about massive economic inequality and unfairness. Obama played a role on all of these issues, which is one reason millions, upset by rapid change, turned to Trump. The outline for the future, however, has been vividly drawn and, as noted, it belongs to the young.
8
Please do not compare Obama to FDR. Remember, Obama was the first president to put Social Security on the table. And he isn't called "the drone president" for nothing. Yes, I know, he's better than Trump.
8
I am amazed at the continied infatuation of Obama by the Press.
By what metric is Obama the best Democratic President?
Under Obama, the Democrats lost the House of Representatives, the Senate, 2/3 of the governors are Republican and in only four states do the Democrats have control of both the governor's seat and control both houses.
What more proof do people need to see that Obama's policies have almost ruined the Democrats? The party is on life support and columnist are talking about "greatness"? What an amazing fantasy echo chamber these "journalists" love in.
By what metric is Obama the best Democratic President?
Under Obama, the Democrats lost the House of Representatives, the Senate, 2/3 of the governors are Republican and in only four states do the Democrats have control of both the governor's seat and control both houses.
What more proof do people need to see that Obama's policies have almost ruined the Democrats? The party is on life support and columnist are talking about "greatness"? What an amazing fantasy echo chamber these "journalists" love in.
25
I think it's a bit too early to re-write the history of Obama. I'm fascinated by the revisionist efforts that aim to reevaluate the past in terms of the impact on the present and future. But perspective beats reality every time. Clinton, Reagan, Bush I and Bush II, are all either heroes or villains depending on who you ask or with regard to the specific issue or policies being evaluated. And Obama will be no different, because the truest measure of success in political terms is time. FDR gave us Social Security, and that alone is arguably the greatest social safety net created in the history of our nation. ACA and the bailout, among other Obama initiatives have been so divisive, it's hard to envision a future where they will be seen as being as successful as FDR's New Deal accomplishments. With that said, hindsight has a way of coloring the past with a roseate glow. FDR's policies faced strong opposition but with the Great Depression, the nation was desperate for change and mass unemployment forced people to abandon preferences of rugged individualism for policies that benefit the majority. In the late 1920's, the government really began to evaluate the issue of healthcare and health insurance. Ultimately, FDR was forced to decide between SS and healthcare as primary goals because of the opposition he faced both publicly and privately.
4
What Democrats haven’t yet come to grips with is that they’ve a full-scale insurgency in their party, an internal power struggle that started during the primary, which hasn’t yet been brought to conclusion. Progressives believe Sanders was robbed of the nomination by Clinton. After she secured the nomination, they believed that after various revelations (including some of their own production, now misleadingly attributed to “Russia”), delegates would replace her w/Sanders, who they believe would’ve defeated Trump, who they see as a godsend for leftist organization/consolidation, and therefore preferable to Clinton. In their minds, the Presidential election demonstrates that they’ve “won” the primary. They’d do whatever it takes, by any means necessary, fair or foul, to take over the Democratic Party. Obama’s Presidency was a demonstration project for liberal policy, as Bush’s Presidency was for conservative policy. In both cases, the results, as seen by most Americans, might be charitably described as mixed. Now, liberals, as did conservatives, have to evaluate what went right and, more important, what went wrong. (Once a President leaves office, questionable decisions will no longer be heralded as “courageous” by flatterers.) As some Republicans thought Bush was too conservative and some thought him not conservative enough, some Democrats believe Obama was too liberal while some believe he wasn’t liberal enough—and of the latter, progressives, don’t put anything past them.
2
The irony is that because no party can maintain a long-term hold on the White House, or on political power at the federal level generally, it will largely be up to the Trump presidency to determine just how successful President Obama was - just like the Eisenhower presidency solidified FDR's legacy, the Nixon presidency solidified LBJ's legacy and the Clinton presidency solidified Reagan's legacy. When a president from an opposing party leaves the bulk of your policy innovations alone, or acts in accordance with the main tenets of your guiding philosophy, then that is a testament to a successful presidency.
By that standard, David, you are selling LBJ's legacy woefully short. Yes, his escalation of the Vietnam War was a tragic mistake, and yes, he was in effect forced to not seek re-election in '68 because of it, but his domestic policy innovations have become entrenched in the 50+ years since their enactment, even as Republicans have held the White House for more years than Democrats since his presidency. (Trump made it a point to mention several times during the campaign that he did NOT want to cut Medicare benefits. No one thinks that he or his party will emerge politically unscathed if this promise is broken.)
By that standard, David, you are selling LBJ's legacy woefully short. Yes, his escalation of the Vietnam War was a tragic mistake, and yes, he was in effect forced to not seek re-election in '68 because of it, but his domestic policy innovations have become entrenched in the 50+ years since their enactment, even as Republicans have held the White House for more years than Democrats since his presidency. (Trump made it a point to mention several times during the campaign that he did NOT want to cut Medicare benefits. No one thinks that he or his party will emerge politically unscathed if this promise is broken.)
2
"After all, a vast majority of Americans born in the last few decades share Obama’s vision. And history is ultimately written by the young."
nope. if you are young and not liberal, you have no heart. if you are old and not conservative, you have no brain.
history is written by people with brains. people with their hearts on their sleeves get gigs on CNN.
nope. if you are young and not liberal, you have no heart. if you are old and not conservative, you have no brain.
history is written by people with brains. people with their hearts on their sleeves get gigs on CNN.
7
What is so smart about expensive, for-profit health care? What is so smart about denying our elderly a dignified life? What is so smart about ignoring climate change?
4
"if you are young and not liberal, you have no heart. if you are old and not conservative, you have no brain."
I've heard this truism for years, first quoted to me by family friends as a teenager. I'm proud to say that my brain is intact and so are my liberal beliefs.
I've heard this truism for years, first quoted to me by family friends as a teenager. I'm proud to say that my brain is intact and so are my liberal beliefs.
7
It is appropriate to make comparisons to both FDR and Reagan because they both did more than affect legislative changes; they molded the moral character and trajectory of America. FDR built on the momentum of the earlier reforms that returned power to the people from the Robber Barons of the Industrial Revolution. He cemented into place the moral standard that it was wrong for the government to enable the taking of wealth from the people and transfer it to the wealthiest. For 50 years we lived in the FDR era where a middle class thrived due to friendly tax policy, union protections, and a social safety net.
Ronald Reagan changed all that. He made it morally acceptable to take from the middle class, and through deliberate policies achieve Republican nirvana: transferring that wealth to the very richest. Sadly, we still live in the Reagan era where "greed is good", and we continue to slide into increasing income inequality. Bill Clinton and Barack Obama did many progressive things, but they failed to use their great oratory gifts to transform the moral foundations of this nation. Both are brilliant, gifted men, so I assume they calculated they could never convince enough Republican voters of a liberal vision. Instead, Clinton relied on triangulating; Obama on changing demographics. But the nation will never right itself until the moral arguments are made that if Donald Trump, Paul Ryan and Mitch McConnell are in charge, we are headed for disaster.
Ronald Reagan changed all that. He made it morally acceptable to take from the middle class, and through deliberate policies achieve Republican nirvana: transferring that wealth to the very richest. Sadly, we still live in the Reagan era where "greed is good", and we continue to slide into increasing income inequality. Bill Clinton and Barack Obama did many progressive things, but they failed to use their great oratory gifts to transform the moral foundations of this nation. Both are brilliant, gifted men, so I assume they calculated they could never convince enough Republican voters of a liberal vision. Instead, Clinton relied on triangulating; Obama on changing demographics. But the nation will never right itself until the moral arguments are made that if Donald Trump, Paul Ryan and Mitch McConnell are in charge, we are headed for disaster.
2
The best way to make sure Obama's reforms are secured is to make sure Trump is impeached. Surely, Trump's failure to comply with the emoluments ban in the Constitution and collusion during the campaign with Russian government contacts should be sufficient grounds for Congress to get busy drafting several articles of high crimes and misdemeanors.
3
That is really sad if Obama, the worst President in my lifetime, is the most successful Democrat since FDR. He achieved nothing but division and a collapse of the Democrat party. He had one legislative achievement and that's it, and it is already in the process of being repealed before he even leaves office. When will Democrats wake up and realize that dividing people is not a winning strategy? Bill Clinton was a horrible person, but he achieved far more than Obama, and that is because he worked with the GOP after losing Congress, unlike Obama who ignored Congress (literally) and ignored the Constitution. Let it go already Democrats. Obama was an abject failure, and you should learn from it - nominate candidates who bring people together, not divide them. Obama and Hillary divided people.
7
Shorter MrReasonable:
I'm Republican, I'm white, and Obama's not. Case closed.
I'm Republican, I'm white, and Obama's not. Case closed.
Like any presidency, Obama's will be ranked mostly by how it compares to succeeding ones. Obama's true legacy is the president who for better or worse gave birth to Trump. So how history remembers him largely depends on how it remembers Trump.
2
While fools try to tag Trump in a fruitless attempt to prove their disappearing relevance and stroke their bloated egos for his attempting to engage Russia, China waits. With moronic braying cries about hacking our election, if they even did it perhaps providing completly true information that should have been uncovered by NYT reporters, hyper partisan stooges try to derail an administration and cripple a president before he even takes office.China waits.An administration that allowed the most destructive data breach ever discovered that puts our nation and its' government and military in serious trouble with untold risk to our security for years to come ,is sanitized and whitewashed all the better to rewrite history so that partisan hacks can feel good about themselves for a fleeting moment. China waits. The mythmakers spin, distort and conflate to hide the truth of their spineless stupidity when their country is in mortal danger. FDR knew this and led his people through the danger. Obama never knew anything except politics and politicization of the executive and his selfish agenda....spin until you drop Mr. Leonhardt, Obama left the world a far more dangerous place and only a blind fool would mention him in the same breath as FDR. The only thing Obama led was a leftist PR campaign in conjunction with like minded propaganda outlets out to remake society in their own Bizarro world image. Too bad for the US and the world they nearly succeeded.China waits.
2
The emails hacked by the Russians were from the Democratic National Committee, not the federal government. Had nothing to do with Obama. Your post illustrates Obama's biggest obstacle: uninformed haters ginned up by the alt right to serve as willing tools for the 1%.
3
Parsons: "The only thing Obama led was a leftist PR campaign in conjunction with like minded propaganda outlets out to remake society in their own Bizarro world image."
Winston has already been detained so we know that it's you, Parsons. And sorry about this, ol' boy, but O'Brien is anxious to see you in Room 101. You can't mask your betrayal of the wingnut mind hive by making stuff up about Goldstein/Obama. The bottom line is you're just never going to get into the Inner Party, fella, no matter how much you boot-lick your mind masters.
2 and 2 is 5, isn't it, Parsons?
Winston has already been detained so we know that it's you, Parsons. And sorry about this, ol' boy, but O'Brien is anxious to see you in Room 101. You can't mask your betrayal of the wingnut mind hive by making stuff up about Goldstein/Obama. The bottom line is you're just never going to get into the Inner Party, fella, no matter how much you boot-lick your mind masters.
2 and 2 is 5, isn't it, Parsons?
One could reasonably argue that President Obama is the least successful Democrat since FDR: Harry Truman was responsible for the Marshall Plan, the creation of NATO, the integration of the armed forces, and the policy of containment towards the Soviet Union; in his truncated presidency, John F. Kennedy led us through the Cuban missile crisis, the nuclear non-proliferation treaty, and the beginnings of the government's efforts to pass civil rights legislation. President Lyndon Johnson, the greatest progressive president since FDR, passed the great civil rights laws of 1964, 1965, and 1968; Medicare and Medicaid; the Secondary School and College Education Act; the War on Poverty. President Jimmy Carter was responsible for the peace agreement between Egypt and Israel and for returning the Panama Canal to Panama. President Bill Clinton presided over a period of relative peace and prosperity. A common thread running through these presidencies is that there was a peaceful transfer of power and no right-wing authoritarian demagogue succeeded them. That is not the case with President Obama.
2
A common thread running through these presidencies is that there was a peaceful transfer of power and no right-wing authoritarian demagogue succeeded them. That is not the case with President Obama.
==================
I find it hilarious to contemplate that the so-called "right-wing authoritarian demagogue" was a mainstream Democrat in good standing until a couple of years ago. Bill and Hillary attended his latest wedding.
==================
I find it hilarious to contemplate that the so-called "right-wing authoritarian demagogue" was a mainstream Democrat in good standing until a couple of years ago. Bill and Hillary attended his latest wedding.
2
I look at the Presidents mentioned in this article and against which President Obama is compared and, like all "greatest ever" conversations, I have to say there's no "ranking" them in the manner we might like. However, there is a common thread amongst all of them that highlights the difference between leaders who push their countries towards greatness and those who ultimately lead their countries towards shame: how a leader conducts themselves in times of real or perceived peril.
The Great Depression, the Cold War, the War on Terror... the underlying theme is not really tragedy, but FEAR. Good leaders acknowledge dangers, look for solutions and MOST IMPORTANTLY do not nurture the understandable fear and panic people may feel in times of uncertainty. For a good leader, the path forward and the "locus of control" lies within our own actions and a country's greatness in its ability to face danger without abandoning its own ethical principles. Monstrous leader use fear of war, poverty, change, loss of identity, etc. for political gain. They encourage citizens to lash out without thought. They take a country that touts itself as brave and seek to have its citizens cowering behind walls and too scared to help the helpless. Bad leaders, like an abusive spouse, tell their people that "I and I alone" can fix things.
The Great Depression, the Cold War, the War on Terror... the underlying theme is not really tragedy, but FEAR. Good leaders acknowledge dangers, look for solutions and MOST IMPORTANTLY do not nurture the understandable fear and panic people may feel in times of uncertainty. For a good leader, the path forward and the "locus of control" lies within our own actions and a country's greatness in its ability to face danger without abandoning its own ethical principles. Monstrous leader use fear of war, poverty, change, loss of identity, etc. for political gain. They encourage citizens to lash out without thought. They take a country that touts itself as brave and seek to have its citizens cowering behind walls and too scared to help the helpless. Bad leaders, like an abusive spouse, tell their people that "I and I alone" can fix things.
5
Calling Obama's policies more successful than saving Europe through the Marshall Plan (Truman), preventing nuclear war with the Soviet Union (JFK), passing the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Medicare (LBJ), signing the Camp David Peace Treaty between Egypt and Israel (Carter), and mutual recognition between Israel and the PLO (Clinton) is nothing short of hallucination.
10
The soft bigotry of low expectations.
Heck, he won the Nobel Peace Prize a few months after being elected just for being elected.
Sort of a participation trophy, I guess.
Heck, he won the Nobel Peace Prize a few months after being elected just for being elected.
Sort of a participation trophy, I guess.
4
LBJ was certainly eliminated in a hurry, wasn't he.
2
The Tet Offensive gets him everytime.
I'm not saying the argument can't be made but this newspaper's effort to add Obama to Mount Rushmore is more evidence of the sharp divide between how progressive elites see the world and average Americans. If Obama was so great, why did the Democrats suffer massive defeats at every level of government during his eight years? Why has the percentage of Americans who believe the country is on the wrong track been stuck at around 65% for most of his presidency? Why did his favored successor lose the election ... to Donald Trump???
9
Obama is not a progressive.
Why did his favored successor lose the election ... to Donald Trump???
==================
Especially after Obama said his legacy was on the ballot
==================
Especially after Obama said his legacy was on the ballot
4
Compare President Obama to Jimmy Carter, not FDR. FDR may have saved this country from revolution, he presided over a victory over the axis, and he did not divide this nation. In contrast the current president expended his political capital on the ACA, which the majority did not want and it was passed by hook and crook. And, our foreign policy is a disaster: our country is not even leading from behind. China and Russia thumb their noses at us. Consider the feckless response to China in the South China Sea and no response to Russia's invasion of the Crimea and Eastern Ukraine. The Syrian non action is shameful. Then this president entered into the Iran deal that even Senator Shummer opposed. And, while at it, he vetoed Keystone and any other opportunity to make the US more self sufficient. He did engineer the recent condemning of Israel at the UN but first denied it. And, he rarely missed the opportunity to blame the police ( sadly he was blaming while police) for anything. This is true even when his own justice department cleared the police. His demeanor may seem mild, but he did his share of damage. Looks like we are in for even worse worth wit DT.
4
Yes, Obama's mistake "like Syria" was "serious," particularly from a humanitarian standpoint. In that regard, it was disastrous. At the same time, for many reasons, we don't want to be responsible for further nation building in the Middle East. For one, we are not very good at it. Let Russia and Iran test their resources for nation building in Syria.
4
Let Russia and Iran test their resources for nation building in Syria.
==================
They could care less about nation building - it's all about control
==================
They could care less about nation building - it's all about control
1
“That’s not enough,” Obama replied.
And...now enters a man for which everything For-The-People seems to be too much.
And...now enters a man for which everything For-The-People seems to be too much.
I agree! President Obama did not have the political experience of FDR but he faced incredible problems. We were facing a great depression (losing 800,000 jobs a month) plus dealing with and paying for 2 wars. FDR did not have to deal with wars at the same time.
Is he perfect. No. Does he love America and its people--YES HE DOES.
His administration was one of trying to pull Americans together for the good of our country. He tried to help us love one another and care.
Despite the cruel and unfounded attacks, he did not start an enemies list. He was always willing to speak to those who did not agree with his policies.
Especially relevant is how he managed to keep us out of more wars. He was constantly criticized for not sending troops to Libya and Syria. Perhaps by looking at Iraq and Afghanistan, he realized that we did not win anything and those wars cost us in lives and our deficit.
Is he perfect. No. Does he love America and its people--YES HE DOES.
His administration was one of trying to pull Americans together for the good of our country. He tried to help us love one another and care.
Despite the cruel and unfounded attacks, he did not start an enemies list. He was always willing to speak to those who did not agree with his policies.
Especially relevant is how he managed to keep us out of more wars. He was constantly criticized for not sending troops to Libya and Syria. Perhaps by looking at Iraq and Afghanistan, he realized that we did not win anything and those wars cost us in lives and our deficit.
4
Agreed. The best thing about him was that he resisted the temptation to lead us into more stupid nation building.
1
President Obama is great. Electing him was the best thing this country has done in my lifetime. My daughter grew up on his watch, which we take as a gift.
Not as great as FDR? Ok, but FDR was born on third base. Just sayin'. And the limits of Obama's achievements were virtually all due to craven Republican vampires who knowingly leveraged the racism of their halfwit constituents in their efforts to destroy the country. And now we're about to wheel this degenerate creep into his office. We really need be more angry. And stay that way.
Not as great as FDR? Ok, but FDR was born on third base. Just sayin'. And the limits of Obama's achievements were virtually all due to craven Republican vampires who knowingly leveraged the racism of their halfwit constituents in their efforts to destroy the country. And now we're about to wheel this degenerate creep into his office. We really need be more angry. And stay that way.
14
Ok, but FDR was born on third base. Just sayin'
=================
That poor Obama - raised by a family of bankers who sent him to the most exclusive private high school in Hawaii and to two Ivy League colleges. Poor guy didn't stand a chance.
=================
That poor Obama - raised by a family of bankers who sent him to the most exclusive private high school in Hawaii and to two Ivy League colleges. Poor guy didn't stand a chance.
4
President Obama has always taken the long view on policy matters. I have no doubt that in the long run his presidency will be judged to have been both successful and positively consequential for the country.
4
LBJ's leadership brought the Civil Rights Act, Voting Rights Act, Economic Opportunity Act (including Headstart), Elementary and Secondary Education Act, Higher Education Act, Gun Control Act, Medicare, Medicaid, PBS, NPR, immigration reform, Endowment for the Humanities, Endowment for the Arts, Food Stamps, Work Study, Model Cities, and the Gemini and Apollo Programs. So who was the most successful Democrat since FDR?
3
Don't forget that little issue of helping a friendly nation.
1
This is an excellent column by David Leonhardt, but he understates the success of President Obama in two respects.
First, Mr. Leonhardt (as does President Obama) overstates the success of President Ronald Reagan. The Republican orthodoxy of President Reagan cutting taxes and still managing to make America stronger, more prosperous and more hopeful is a myth. Reagan, not some spendthrift Congress, raised taxes, and they raised them by a lot. Moreover, thanks to a Defense Secretary Caspar Weinberger, we got a bloated – not better – military. Reagan’s legacy benefited, not just because his vice-president succeeded him, but because his wife, Nancy, protected and burnished his image until it bore no resemblance to reality.
Second, let us remember that President Obama came into office facing an unprecedented stonewall by Mitch McConnell and the Senate Republicans. The Obama success with holding or not holding the numerical position of Democrats on Capitol Hill and in statehouses around the country has to be measured from where things stood before he ran for office and where they ended when he became a lame duck. The numbers are pretty good.
First, Mr. Leonhardt (as does President Obama) overstates the success of President Ronald Reagan. The Republican orthodoxy of President Reagan cutting taxes and still managing to make America stronger, more prosperous and more hopeful is a myth. Reagan, not some spendthrift Congress, raised taxes, and they raised them by a lot. Moreover, thanks to a Defense Secretary Caspar Weinberger, we got a bloated – not better – military. Reagan’s legacy benefited, not just because his vice-president succeeded him, but because his wife, Nancy, protected and burnished his image until it bore no resemblance to reality.
Second, let us remember that President Obama came into office facing an unprecedented stonewall by Mitch McConnell and the Senate Republicans. The Obama success with holding or not holding the numerical position of Democrats on Capitol Hill and in statehouses around the country has to be measured from where things stood before he ran for office and where they ended when he became a lame duck. The numbers are pretty good.
54
Sorry, folks. Dignity, grace, thoughtfulness, intelligence, etc. doesn't cut it.
Effective, steadfast, and sometimes tough leadership does. Obama lacks these things.
Effective, steadfast, and sometimes tough leadership does. Obama lacks these things.
6
Only to war mongers and the lies-hate-anger-fear crowd, Andrew. Fortunately they are a tiny minority of Americans.
5
njglea -- effective, steadfast, sometimes tough leadership works. Being able to read a teleprompter, not so much.
4
As years go by Obama will be remembered for bringing health care to many in America. The next Administration has a high mark to hit there. Stabilize the economy when it was falling almost like the Great Depression. Reguardless of ones Political affiliation Obama will be regarded as a good decient man with no scandles in his administration. Whatever good Bill did the stain of the whole intern scandle will follow him. George W Premptive strike in Iraq with finding No WMD will also follow him.
1
And no matter what, Trumps elevation to office via rogue (and illegal) FBI meddling and russian influence will follow him. Tainted before he even starts.
1
Are you kidding me? More like he was our most successful democrat since Bill Clinton. Do not compare Obama or what he did to someone like FDR. It is an insult to that great man, and President. FDR would never have allowed the Wall Street crooks who bankrupted our country in 2008 to walk free and never prosecute even one of them for their crimes.
6
Who needs to read Jonathan Chait, one of the men who normalized neo-liberalism, when we have David Leonhardt. Seldom have I read a more ridiculous column in the New York Times, and that's saying something.
"Success" is a peculiar word in politics, better to say "had an impact." Harry Truman launched the Marshall Plan, the United Nations, the arms race and the Korean War, John Kennedy launched an era, Lyndon Johnson was a man too big for one or even two books, our own Shakespearean tragedy with a rock and roll soundtrack. Bill Clinton mainstreamed Reaganism and showed the the world how to do it. If Neo-liberalism has a father, it would be Clinton, not Reagan.
Which brings us to Obama. As Marx famously said, men make history but not as they choose. Obama is essentially a Clintonite—a Bill Clintonite—one of a generation of liberal Neo-liberals who had their political compasses reset in the Clinton era, just as a generation of Republicans were formed in and by the Reagan era.
But seldom has anyone come into the Presidency as empowered as Barack Obama. The world economy had effectively collapsed in September 2008. Obama was swept into office along with a functional super majority in both the House and the Senate, and what did he do with it?
He enacted the Heritage Foundation's health plan and a weak tea version of Financial regulation. And most crucially, he failed to secure his political base or his legacy legislation. If this is "success," I'd sure hate to see failure.
"Success" is a peculiar word in politics, better to say "had an impact." Harry Truman launched the Marshall Plan, the United Nations, the arms race and the Korean War, John Kennedy launched an era, Lyndon Johnson was a man too big for one or even two books, our own Shakespearean tragedy with a rock and roll soundtrack. Bill Clinton mainstreamed Reaganism and showed the the world how to do it. If Neo-liberalism has a father, it would be Clinton, not Reagan.
Which brings us to Obama. As Marx famously said, men make history but not as they choose. Obama is essentially a Clintonite—a Bill Clintonite—one of a generation of liberal Neo-liberals who had their political compasses reset in the Clinton era, just as a generation of Republicans were formed in and by the Reagan era.
But seldom has anyone come into the Presidency as empowered as Barack Obama. The world economy had effectively collapsed in September 2008. Obama was swept into office along with a functional super majority in both the House and the Senate, and what did he do with it?
He enacted the Heritage Foundation's health plan and a weak tea version of Financial regulation. And most crucially, he failed to secure his political base or his legacy legislation. If this is "success," I'd sure hate to see failure.
7
I think LBJ achieved more, mostly because Obama didn't accomplish a single lasting thing.
6
...But- why the rush (over the past month) to write a man's legacy who hasn't left office? Is this part of the consequence- of a world in need of Instant Feedback we've created? We aren't much interested in depth but cursory gratification; something to nibble on? Pity's sake; historians are still evaluating Lincoln.
3
As a Canadian living in Germany I can assure you everyone I talk to agrees that Obama was the best American president. Ever. But surely we knew from the moment of his election that he would not be able to accomplish much sitting on top of such a corrupt and dysfunctional system where money rules over common sense...
10
Successful? Only in his own mind and that of his accolades. LBJ, despite Vietnam, ushered in Civil Rights. That, in a nutshell, is what a successful Democrat looks like.
7
Only if lies-hate-fear-anger-war are what one sees as a solution, older and wiser. You must have missed the part about the near global economic meltdown that he and his administration stopped?
5
Civil Rights are trivial, njglea?
1
Obama's legacy (which, hopefully, will be gone shortly) is nothing to be proud of. The Middle East is a mess and we have developed a penchant for being conciliatory towards our enemies and nasty to our allies. In the end, Obama is trusted neither at home nor abroad. Still, if we can credit him for one thing, it's the fact that Republicans will now control all three branches of the federal government, along with a comfortable majority of most state governments. Obama was the Democrats' worst mistake in decades.
4
Obama was a failure.
His lack of executive experience, and the entrenched "my way or the highway" snobbery of his academic elitism, prevented him from developing the alliances and consensus he needed to make lasting change.
Obama didn't talk to people. And he didn't listen. So what if the Republicans said they would block you at every turn. That's what they do. He's the President. It's up to him to be the smartest guy in the room and figure out how to woo, cajole, sell, and seduce his opponents into changing their minds.
Clinton was brilliant at changing the hearts and minds of Republicans
Reagan was brilliant at changing hearts and minds of Democrats
And I expect that Trump, the charming dealmaker who talks to everyone ad nauseum will also be brilliant at it.
But Obama, he was the worst. As a result. The entire world walked all over him and blew up in his face. And domestically, his everything he built, created by unilateral fiat, will all be gone by this time next week.
Obama was no FDR. In fact, he wasn't anything at all. Just a worthless descent into irresponsible globalism, feckless foreign policy, and cynical "identity politics" that saw Democrats using race segregate the nation that harken back to the racist Democrats of 1861. Who woulda thunk that our first black President would have embraced dividing the nation by race in ways we haven't seen since the Civil War.
His lack of executive experience, and the entrenched "my way or the highway" snobbery of his academic elitism, prevented him from developing the alliances and consensus he needed to make lasting change.
Obama didn't talk to people. And he didn't listen. So what if the Republicans said they would block you at every turn. That's what they do. He's the President. It's up to him to be the smartest guy in the room and figure out how to woo, cajole, sell, and seduce his opponents into changing their minds.
Clinton was brilliant at changing the hearts and minds of Republicans
Reagan was brilliant at changing hearts and minds of Democrats
And I expect that Trump, the charming dealmaker who talks to everyone ad nauseum will also be brilliant at it.
But Obama, he was the worst. As a result. The entire world walked all over him and blew up in his face. And domestically, his everything he built, created by unilateral fiat, will all be gone by this time next week.
Obama was no FDR. In fact, he wasn't anything at all. Just a worthless descent into irresponsible globalism, feckless foreign policy, and cynical "identity politics" that saw Democrats using race segregate the nation that harken back to the racist Democrats of 1861. Who woulda thunk that our first black President would have embraced dividing the nation by race in ways we haven't seen since the Civil War.
12
Billboards of Obama with a noose were erected in rural areas. Missouri state fair featured a rodeo clown kicking around a blackface clown impersonating Obama. I think we all know exactly where the blame for racial division lies.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/11/obama-rodeo-clown_n_3741218.html
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/18/wisconsin-obama-sign-noose_n_19...
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/11/obama-rodeo-clown_n_3741218.html
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/18/wisconsin-obama-sign-noose_n_19...
1
Democrats were in total glee that a movie about the "Assassination of George Bush" was released. I live in lower Manhattan and spent the last 5 years of Bush administration having to look at "Bush Must Die" graffiti everywhere. So don't tell me that Obama was treated worse.
No President was ever treated as badly by the Press and the opposing party than Bush 43.
No President was ever treated as badly by the Press and the opposing party than Bush 43.
4
I love President Obama but he is responsible for positioning Hillary Clinton to follow him, despite having recognized her vulnerability 9 years ago.
This decision continues to baffle me. I can only say that had Ted Kennedy survived, he would have cautioned Obama against doing this. The Kennedys supported Obama despite his thin resume. In fact, they considered it an asset when compared to Hillary's baggage. They knew how to win.
This fatal decision is one of the most egregious parts of Obama's legacy, reinforced by Obama's recent statement that had he himself run, he would have won. The implication is that, despite the effusive support of Clinton by Obama, he is critical of the campaign she ran.
This decision continues to baffle me. I can only say that had Ted Kennedy survived, he would have cautioned Obama against doing this. The Kennedys supported Obama despite his thin resume. In fact, they considered it an asset when compared to Hillary's baggage. They knew how to win.
This fatal decision is one of the most egregious parts of Obama's legacy, reinforced by Obama's recent statement that had he himself run, he would have won. The implication is that, despite the effusive support of Clinton by Obama, he is critical of the campaign she ran.
6
There is a problem with this analysis. Although Obama survived 8 years scandal free, and he certainly provided cautious, steady leadership on many fronts, he was does not have many durable achievements to show for it.
The most successful Democrat after FDR is still LBJ, despite his Vietnam problems. LBJ tackled major issues that had been neglected for decades and put in place solutions, which although constantly attacked by the right, have endured and have remained popular. The ACA, although some of it may remain, is largely a failed effort both as healthcare reform and as a popular piece of legislation.
The most successful Democrat after FDR is still LBJ, despite his Vietnam problems. LBJ tackled major issues that had been neglected for decades and put in place solutions, which although constantly attacked by the right, have endured and have remained popular. The ACA, although some of it may remain, is largely a failed effort both as healthcare reform and as a popular piece of legislation.
3
After eight years Obama leaves office as the first president to fail to achieve 3% growth, a stagnate economy that cut unemployment by driving Americans out of the work force, the first real decline in the middle class, the largest wage gap in modern US history, a collapsed housing market, an education system that is failing America's youth, a foreign policy in tatters and the world a much more dangerous place, he is viewed by the majority of Americans as making race relations worse and his signature legislation is despised by over two-thirds of the American people, because it has make healthcare more expensive and harder to get. Obama is proof - failure is transformative.
7
Real incomes of the middle class began stagnating with Reagan and his deregulation. And really, do you think the American president can control the entire world?
I appreciated this article. However, the oft-repeated "failure" of Obama in Syria is at least questionable, if not flat out wrong. Obama never promised military action against Syria if the red line were crossed. He pledged a different calculus of the situation. As a result the poisonous gases were removed from Damascus. By not acting militarily, I think his re-calculus was correct. There was no way to know which of the resistance groups were ones which would further U.S. interests, nor that armaments provided them would not, in the end become appropriated by the Syrian regime. Further there is no way to calculate how many deaths would have resulted from the military attacks he was being urged to employ. In addition, do his critics not understand that a threat of war with Russia had to be part of the calculus?
4
I considered how well Obama did as President and compared him to other Presidents that I have considered voting for over the years. There was little additional research. I wanted to rely on how I voted and explain my rationale for doing so.
Lyndon Baines Johnson took office after Kennedy's assassination in 1963. He is best known for passing the Civil Rights Act of 1965 and the Vietnam War which resulted in a sharp decline in his popularity making him decide not to run for reelection in 1968. The war overshadowed everything else he did. He was a politician's politician. He knew how to work the system in Washington.
Hubert Humphrey was his running mate in 1968 and that cost Humphrey his future in politics. Humphrey was an early civil rights advocate, giving a speech before the 1948 Democratic convention causing the delegation from two southern states to walk out. He lost much of the credit he deserves because of being tied in with Johnson and Vietnam.
I suspect he had much more to do with the passage of the 1965 Civil Right Act than given credit. I was not eligible to vote in 1964.
1968 was the first time I voted. Nixon was a crook and if he was not President he would have served time in jail for breaking into the complex in Washington D.C.. Even before the break-in, his nickname was "Tricky Dick". I voted for him.
Nixon ended the Vietnam War and opened relations with China. He was very intelligent, but also very paranoid. .... http://lstrn.us/1hRsYPy
Lyndon Baines Johnson took office after Kennedy's assassination in 1963. He is best known for passing the Civil Rights Act of 1965 and the Vietnam War which resulted in a sharp decline in his popularity making him decide not to run for reelection in 1968. The war overshadowed everything else he did. He was a politician's politician. He knew how to work the system in Washington.
Hubert Humphrey was his running mate in 1968 and that cost Humphrey his future in politics. Humphrey was an early civil rights advocate, giving a speech before the 1948 Democratic convention causing the delegation from two southern states to walk out. He lost much of the credit he deserves because of being tied in with Johnson and Vietnam.
I suspect he had much more to do with the passage of the 1965 Civil Right Act than given credit. I was not eligible to vote in 1964.
1968 was the first time I voted. Nixon was a crook and if he was not President he would have served time in jail for breaking into the complex in Washington D.C.. Even before the break-in, his nickname was "Tricky Dick". I voted for him.
Nixon ended the Vietnam War and opened relations with China. He was very intelligent, but also very paranoid. .... http://lstrn.us/1hRsYPy
He did not end the war. North Vietnam crushed Saigon -- and they alone ended their war. We were "losing" it -- and had to withdraw.
Nixon pulled us out -- only after tens of thousands (90,000) of our boys died; and after many hundreds of thousands of my generation (i'm 63) demonstrated, marched, and made our voices heard.
No. Sorry. Nixon did not end that war.
Nixon pulled us out -- only after tens of thousands (90,000) of our boys died; and after many hundreds of thousands of my generation (i'm 63) demonstrated, marched, and made our voices heard.
No. Sorry. Nixon did not end that war.
4
Eva, 58,000 + "boys" and eight "girls" as well as untold Viet Namese died. You and hundreds of thousands of your generation demonstrated, marched and made your voices heard denouncing those "boys".
The war continued long after North Viet Nam crushed Saigon.
The war continued long after North Viet Nam crushed Saigon.
1
Given the obstacles he faced, Obama restored dignity and respect to the presidency and tried to be fair in the face of carping from all sides. He is intelligent and thoughtful and kind.
In the nightmares to come, we will remember him for doing the best he could with poor material, the obstruction and the racism that hindered him every step of the way, the lies sold as truth, and every procedural obstacle the bought and paid for Republicans and their supporters, like the Kochtopus, put in his way.
We suffer from a severe and worsening case of voter suppression, but it is sold as a remedy for cheating.
About Iran, this is important. Many people have been told, and don't know better, that the deal does the opposite of what it does. What it did and does, is remove nuclear material and prevent weapons development. Removing the deal will enable Iran to return to nuclear weapons development. It is beyond stupid to sell this as making Israel or anyone else more safe.
Bringing Iran's to the table and making a deal to prevent them from using nuclear development to stockpile weapons grade fissile material, and setting up inspections, was one of the wisest things our country has done in the region.
Bush's rootin' tootin' war, ill conceived and poorly designed, was one of the stupidest. Leaving weapons lying around all over and destroying people's lives and neighborhoods was bound to make enemies.
Obama learned that ideals aren't enough. Action is hard.
In the nightmares to come, we will remember him for doing the best he could with poor material, the obstruction and the racism that hindered him every step of the way, the lies sold as truth, and every procedural obstacle the bought and paid for Republicans and their supporters, like the Kochtopus, put in his way.
We suffer from a severe and worsening case of voter suppression, but it is sold as a remedy for cheating.
About Iran, this is important. Many people have been told, and don't know better, that the deal does the opposite of what it does. What it did and does, is remove nuclear material and prevent weapons development. Removing the deal will enable Iran to return to nuclear weapons development. It is beyond stupid to sell this as making Israel or anyone else more safe.
Bringing Iran's to the table and making a deal to prevent them from using nuclear development to stockpile weapons grade fissile material, and setting up inspections, was one of the wisest things our country has done in the region.
Bush's rootin' tootin' war, ill conceived and poorly designed, was one of the stupidest. Leaving weapons lying around all over and destroying people's lives and neighborhoods was bound to make enemies.
Obama learned that ideals aren't enough. Action is hard.
11
All the Iran Nuclear Deal did was temporarily halt Iran's overt development of nuclear weapons. The Deal also lifted certain economic sanctions and delivered at least $1.7 Billion in cash delivered in a cargo plane - it was not a ransom.
1
As someone who majored in history, I found it very interesting that in the modern era, people's opinions of ex-president tended to improve with time. Given that Obama has exceptionally high approval ratings for a departing president in his second term, I expect Obama to be remembered as a very good president. And I wonder if that feeling will be intensified by the contrast that Donald Trump provides, at least in terms of grace, honor, and sense of duty.
7
Harding died while enormously popular.
1
The Times continues the charade. Perhaps this liberal writer thinks the President is successful, but 50% of the people thinks he's set the country back culturally and financially for decades.
12
Culturally? Really? And then voted for Trump?
2
I agree that President Obama was transformational, a reality that is soon to be clarified, especially following the predictable debacle of American health care, as partisan spleen destroys the imperfect (isn't it all imperfect?) progress in advancing health security for a vast majority of Americans.
Republicans will spin and crow about their culminating "victory" as the apex of the thousand cuts they have made to Obama's signature achievement on behalf of national security: the country's health. The security of military strength is scant comfort for a nation of sick -- or fearful of becoming sick -- citizens. If there is any doubt about this, look at today's Russia with its steadily declining average life-span, headed by its über leader, Vladimir Putin.
Comparisons with FDR are meaningless. Roosevelt presided for four terms, not two, during much of which he enjoyed a sympathetic Congress and a national spirit of collective unity. Given the odds confronted by President Obama during the last six years of his administration, his tenure has been remarkable indeed.
Now, out of little more than bilious spite, his achievements are about to be ripped to shreds. And for what?
www.endthemadnessnow.org
Republicans will spin and crow about their culminating "victory" as the apex of the thousand cuts they have made to Obama's signature achievement on behalf of national security: the country's health. The security of military strength is scant comfort for a nation of sick -- or fearful of becoming sick -- citizens. If there is any doubt about this, look at today's Russia with its steadily declining average life-span, headed by its über leader, Vladimir Putin.
Comparisons with FDR are meaningless. Roosevelt presided for four terms, not two, during much of which he enjoyed a sympathetic Congress and a national spirit of collective unity. Given the odds confronted by President Obama during the last six years of his administration, his tenure has been remarkable indeed.
Now, out of little more than bilious spite, his achievements are about to be ripped to shreds. And for what?
www.endthemadnessnow.org
11
You might want to reflect on FDR's sympathetic Congress and that national spirit of collective unity. The Depression and WWII were desperate times. There was uncertainty about the future of the US, if it even had a future and what that future might look like.
Obama may very well be the best president on the Democrat side since FDR, but it is a LOW standard, is it not? (Not that Repubs are much better, but their love affair with Reagan will probably never end...).
To me, Obama’s undoing, and his legacy, was his ‘talking down’, even to Democrats, his "telling us what’s what”, i.e., his supreme arrogance, that paved the way for the emergence of Trump.
His failure in Syria, and the emergence of (the need for) Trump will be Obama’s LASTING legacy…
--Jeff
To me, Obama’s undoing, and his legacy, was his ‘talking down’, even to Democrats, his "telling us what’s what”, i.e., his supreme arrogance, that paved the way for the emergence of Trump.
His failure in Syria, and the emergence of (the need for) Trump will be Obama’s LASTING legacy…
--Jeff
8
As one who voted for Obama once and was immensely proud that the US could finally elect a black president, he proved to be without any executive or negotiating skills that could have saved the Democratic party from implosion. He was no street fighter, nor did he stand up to the forces that deserved real justice. He even vetoed the 9/11 bill using fake excuses invented by the Saudis, his weapons customers. He was Bush 2.0 in almost every sense. His legacy? Donald Trump.
7
You blame him for Republican obstruction?
Time to wake up.
Time to wake up.
4
He didn't know how to channel Lyndon Johnson and caved in again and again. I wish someone could have stopped him from intervention in Libya, Ukraine, Honduras, Syria and who knows where else. His bankster friends kept his campaign coffers full and he rewarded them handsomely. This 'Democratic' president was clueless about foreign policy and surrounded himself with yes men and women. We was weak and now we have a despot.
Talk about fake news. Mr. Obama has presided over the decimation of Democratic Party ranks in the last eight years. More successful than Harry Truman--the Marshall Plan, the Truman Doctrine? Than JFK ? The Cuban missile crisis, the tax cuts that created so much wealth ?
Mr. Obama is great at electing himself---nothing more. His legacy will be ashes and dust----and ego.
Mr. Obama is great at electing himself---nothing more. His legacy will be ashes and dust----and ego.
10
1) Underestimates Truman.
2) Syria was sacrificed to making a deal with Iran. A tough but probably correct choice in the long run.
2) Syria was sacrificed to making a deal with Iran. A tough but probably correct choice in the long run.
1
President 0bama's methods of attempting to achieve change through non-constitutional methods will result in removal of most of the attempted changes. The ephemeral, if cool, legacy of President 0bama will as First Black President. Any comparisons to FDR are ridiculous considering that FDR left a working coalition that controlled the direction of the national government for several generations, unlike the decimation of the national influence of the Democratic Party under 0bama.
8
He only used that after every effort to work with Republicans met their wall of obstruction.
McConnell and his bought and paid for buddies vowed on day one to obstruction.
Merrick Garland? Honestly, was choosing a Republican moderate an example of what you are talking about? Disgusting!
McConnell and his bought and paid for buddies vowed on day one to obstruction.
Merrick Garland? Honestly, was choosing a Republican moderate an example of what you are talking about? Disgusting!
5
After the bank denied him a loan, was it okay for him to rob it? Non-constitutional was impermanent and ephemeral. Build on sand and fear the tide.
1
You are kidding right? The most successful Democrat since FDR? The talent pool for the Democrates then was very shallow or the bar set very low. As far as journalists being loath to call a politiican successful, that is basically all that main stream "journalists" have done for Obama, simply turned into shills for him. Obama did not try and broker bipartisan deals. Do you not recall "elections have consequences" and "we won". He started out partisan and never moved off that mark.
10
This column is a perfect example of much that is wrong with todays Democratic Party.
The only way Obama's presidency should be compared to FDR's is as an example of one that naively and needlessly squandered the opportunity for much needed change in this country, especially during it's first two years, that FDR boldly took advantage of.
Obama gave us a costly and complicated Republican private sector medical plan and weak banking regulation. FDR gave us Social Security and Glass-Steagall. Obama gave us banks and Wall Street first and FDR gave us Main Street first.
When it comes to success Obama isn't even close to FDR. That the tepid Republican lite economic policies of Obama are celebrated as great victories by establishment Democrats is a telling comment on why they are on the outside in Washington powerlessly looking in at the Republicans wielding power.
The only way Obama's presidency should be compared to FDR's is as an example of one that naively and needlessly squandered the opportunity for much needed change in this country, especially during it's first two years, that FDR boldly took advantage of.
Obama gave us a costly and complicated Republican private sector medical plan and weak banking regulation. FDR gave us Social Security and Glass-Steagall. Obama gave us banks and Wall Street first and FDR gave us Main Street first.
When it comes to success Obama isn't even close to FDR. That the tepid Republican lite economic policies of Obama are celebrated as great victories by establishment Democrats is a telling comment on why they are on the outside in Washington powerlessly looking in at the Republicans wielding power.
6
Obama leaves the country in better shape, economically and environmentally. But he has failed politically in one devastating, terrifying duty of his office: to instill his reforms on a more permanent basis to live beyond his own presidency. He failed to strengthen the Democratic Party to carry on his goals. The penalty for this shortcoming among so many successes is horrible: On January 20th, he will transfer the enormous power of his office and the care of our beloved nation to a bunch of hoodlums and miscreants who think it is smart to make money by stacking the deck in their favor. These terrorist takers don't care about equality under the law, worker protections, science, and making the distribution of wealth and heathcare fair and equitable. They happily buy votes by imposing religious restrictions on women. The Supreme Court remains dangerously right wing, Donald Trump and his fellow money-loving cheaters and military traitors - from the self-serving 1/10th of 1% - are arrogant dictators and wannabe fascists. In mathematical terms, Mr. Obama's accomplishments have been necessary (to avoid a great depression, to increase access to health care for many more people, to protect swaths of the environment); but insufficient: Democratic losses in the House and Senate precluded permanent reforms. Unlike Roosevelt who was popular universally except for the wealthy, Obama failed to connect with many working people. That leaves the country and us in terrifying shambles.
21
FDR was NOT universally popular.
Leonhardt shouldn't give Obama a pass yet. On Nov. 8, the Republicans won, but it's just as true that the Democrats lost! Obama played a major role. Clearly Hillary was the wrong candidate for this election. She is very much in the past. She didn't handle Trump well and her lackluster campaign was based on continuing Obama's legacy, with shades of Bill Clinton's. She was not the candidate of the future or of change.
Obama personally drove her career starting in 2009. Could Hillary have even run in 2016 if he hadn't made her Secretary of State? Barely qualified in foreign affairs, she wasn't an obvious choice. But she would have had no credentials to run in 8 years without that appointment. Was he already looking in 2009 for a successor in 2016 and a future role for himself at age 55? Was that why he did everything possible to edge out Sanders, the clear favorite among rank and file dems, and someone with ideas (and even integrity)? (endorsing Hillary in the Spring long before the convention was a calculated blow at Sanders.)
Obama is a politician and we know he loves power. Why did he align himself with the Clinton machine and give up leadership of the party? What was in it for him? Why did he campaign vigorously, and start transition plans (inappropriately) with Hillary's team months before the election? And, what we may never know, what job was he looking for in a Hillary administration? Appointment to the Supreme Court? Until we have answers Obama does not get a pass.
Obama personally drove her career starting in 2009. Could Hillary have even run in 2016 if he hadn't made her Secretary of State? Barely qualified in foreign affairs, she wasn't an obvious choice. But she would have had no credentials to run in 8 years without that appointment. Was he already looking in 2009 for a successor in 2016 and a future role for himself at age 55? Was that why he did everything possible to edge out Sanders, the clear favorite among rank and file dems, and someone with ideas (and even integrity)? (endorsing Hillary in the Spring long before the convention was a calculated blow at Sanders.)
Obama is a politician and we know he loves power. Why did he align himself with the Clinton machine and give up leadership of the party? What was in it for him? Why did he campaign vigorously, and start transition plans (inappropriately) with Hillary's team months before the election? And, what we may never know, what job was he looking for in a Hillary administration? Appointment to the Supreme Court? Until we have answers Obama does not get a pass.
4
Malarkey! You ignore Benghazi (Chaffetz and Republicans voted to defund embassy security and spent millions and years pushing the blame on to Hillary) and Hillary's excellent record as Secretary of State. You ignore Comey and Republican witchhunts. You ignore the malevolent and constant attacks of a quarter century. You ignore the excellent work the Clinton Foundation does to help hundreds of millions. You ignore Assange's shallow Russian assisted one-sided vendetta. You ignore voter suppression, ably assisted by Koch ALEC legislation and Republican cheating. You ignore that Clinton was never given a chance to talk about her excellent plans. You ignore Bernie's continuing self-righteous ignorance of the difficulties of getting things done, blaming victims instead of perps.
Here's a more honest analysis of what happened.
"The Myths Democrats Swallowed That Cost Them the Presidential Election"
http://www.newsweek.com/myths-cost-democrats-presidential-election-521044
That said, I'd agree that Clinton was never a natural public speaker, and her team should have addressed the problems head-on instead of ignoring trolls. But feeding trolls or arguing with them is part of our dilemma in a world where fake news is treated as real.
There are real villains in charge. Stop attacking those who are trying to help, please. We're better than that.
Here's a more honest analysis of what happened.
"The Myths Democrats Swallowed That Cost Them the Presidential Election"
http://www.newsweek.com/myths-cost-democrats-presidential-election-521044
That said, I'd agree that Clinton was never a natural public speaker, and her team should have addressed the problems head-on instead of ignoring trolls. But feeding trolls or arguing with them is part of our dilemma in a world where fake news is treated as real.
There are real villains in charge. Stop attacking those who are trying to help, please. We're better than that.
4
Yes, Susan and along with sexism lies-hate-fear-anger-war propaganda, along with Bernie Sanders attacks on her, were the culprits in derailing Ms. Hillary Rodham Clinton. How could so many be so ill-informed? Here's how at the link below. Please read the whole thing if you haven't already, Good People of America. It's about subliminal advertising and how corrosive it's been to OUR democracy and lies. America has been conned from within and without. It is NOT acceptable.
http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2017/01/tabloid-newspapers-trump-...
http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2017/01/tabloid-newspapers-trump-...
3
Well said in every way. It's as if there's a different reality surrounding those people. It's really quite incredible to behold.
President Obama always gave me the impression that a thoughtful and responsible man was, for once, occupying America's highest office.
Unfortunately, the majority of Americans are neither thoughtful nor responsible. But on the other hand, neither were all of King Arthur's knights. It's far too early to pass judgement on this President.
Unfortunately, the majority of Americans are neither thoughtful nor responsible. But on the other hand, neither were all of King Arthur's knights. It's far too early to pass judgement on this President.
1
The GOP should consider, if only for a moment, that the man they are looking to to roll back Obama's legacy is the least liked, least qualified, least trusted, most erratic person to ever assume the Presidency.
Not much of a recommendation for their policies.
Not much of a recommendation for their policies.
1
John F. Kennedy inspired more worldwide adulation than every U.S. President since Roosevelt. Miles of colorful old newsreel footage back up my point. His deft maturing leadership especially during the Cuban Missile Crisis prevented a searing nuclear horror show.
2
The NYT is truly losing it and delusional. This is the same newspaper that said Trump could never win. One of the reasons that Mr. Obama had a failed presidency was due to his lack of any experience. Being a community organizer does not get you ready to run a country or deal on a world stage. His foreign policy was pathetic and he drove race relations to the worst in 50 years. Since he had no negotiating experience when he took office, Mr. Obama resorted to executive actions. His legacy will last about a week.
13
An amazingly delusional view of a failed presidency. President Obama and his regulatory state are responsible for the weakest economic recovery in US history. His feckless foreign policy has left the world a more violent and unstable place than it was when he took office. Our inner cities are increasingly violent and race relations have hit the lowest point since the 1960's! He had 2 years of a filibuster proof majority to do whatever he wanted and so he completely ignored Republicans and forced through his only true legacy, Obamacare. In setting a non-negotiable tone he virtually assured an obstructionist opposition throughout the remainder of his administration. He set a new standard in passing virtually everything with his convenient "phone and pen" and ignoring the legislative process, assuming wrongly that his successor would be a democrat who would cement his legacy. Instead he oversaw the complete destruction of the Democratic Party over the past six years, culminating in the election of Trump. Ironically, Trump will be Obama's real legacy!
34
I am 71 years old and in my lifetime, I have never seen a President treated with the contempt and disrespect that I saw Republicans render to Barack Obama. Anything was OK, as long as it demeaned him. Even a little thing like factual evidence was no barrier, as the man who is now President-Elect went on his birther-campaign. So, while the country was on the mat and bleeding and we needed to work to restore the economy, perhaps you would inform us of what the Republicans not only did, but what they tolerated in the cascade of racism, slander, and libel directed at a man who led a competent, scandal-free administration and exits with high approval ratings, while the President-Elect is on the downward slope of the lowest approval ratings in the history of this polling, before he even sets foot in office. I pity my country.
5
I regret that you were in a coma during the George W Bush administration and missed the venom and spite directed towards him, including widely acclaimed fantasies about his assassination.
1
Warning: fact-free, Kremlin party line comment above.
Funny, considering what a train wreck the Democratic Party (of which he was head) is today. Its smoldering in ashes in case you haven't noticed. If that's success, then hey, what good is winning? But I think this article is more likely just another marker in the post truth society we find ourselves in.
8
I love President Obama and everything he accomplished or tried to accomplish in the face of hate and obstruction.
But remember --- JFK nationalized Alabama's National Guard to allow one black woman and one black man to enroll in university. He then gave an impassioned televised speech on this biggest moral question of the time.
His actions paved the way for barriers to fall. No it did not eliminate racism, but by facing down George Wallace he forever changed the future for southern blacks.
But remember --- JFK nationalized Alabama's National Guard to allow one black woman and one black man to enroll in university. He then gave an impassioned televised speech on this biggest moral question of the time.
His actions paved the way for barriers to fall. No it did not eliminate racism, but by facing down George Wallace he forever changed the future for southern blacks.
1
As a person Obama is one of the great Presidents; for accomplishment Lyndon Johnson did far more, Obamacare is just an extension of Medicare and Medicaid. Gay rights is just a branch of Civil Rights.
Johnson quit reelection because he did not want to be the first President to be a loser, in a hopeless war.
In Obama's Presidency the Republicans have increased their leads in Congress and state governments. The Democrats dominated Congress for 60 years after the Depression.
Trump and the Republicans are guaranteed to have another recession, which will mainly affect the middle class again.
Johnson quit reelection because he did not want to be the first President to be a loser, in a hopeless war.
In Obama's Presidency the Republicans have increased their leads in Congress and state governments. The Democrats dominated Congress for 60 years after the Depression.
Trump and the Republicans are guaranteed to have another recession, which will mainly affect the middle class again.
This is pretty demeaning to Truman, JFK, LBJ and Bill Clinton, all of whom have major legacies that most Democrats view with pride.
Given the sharp electoral reverses for Democrats during the last 8 years, coupled with the poor prognosis for most of Obama's signature policies, it's hard to understand why he would be considered a success.
Given the sharp electoral reverses for Democrats during the last 8 years, coupled with the poor prognosis for most of Obama's signature policies, it's hard to understand why he would be considered a success.
7
David, Lyndon Johnson was STILL the most successful Democratic president since FDR. We still have Medicare, Medicaid and a host of other programs designed to help ordinary Americans that would not be there if Johnson had not been president. The South would probably still have Jim Crow segregation if not for Johnson.
We now know that the Vietnam War would have ended much earlier and Hubert Humphrey would have succeeded Johnson if not for Richard Nixon's treasonous sabotage of the Paris Peace Talks. Johnson, like the Democrats who followed him, should have cracked down on his GOP enemies.
We now know that the Vietnam War would have ended much earlier and Hubert Humphrey would have succeeded Johnson if not for Richard Nixon's treasonous sabotage of the Paris Peace Talks. Johnson, like the Democrats who followed him, should have cracked down on his GOP enemies.
5
I do agree with much in this commentary. We will miss Obama greatly. However, I do think David is selling Johnson short. What are remarkable change Lyndon made. I remember the pundits talking, before Johnson's first speech to Congress after returning from Dallas, pointing out that Kennedy had been unable to move the Civil Rights agenda and that, as a southerner, Johnson would have a more realistic view of what little could be done. Then Johnson thundered that the greatest memorial to the slain president was the passage of Civil Rights legislation. And he got it done. Then Medicare and other anti-poverty programs. Yes, he screwed up on Vietnam but his accomplishments were spectacular.
2
This is ridiculous. Just go back to Bill Clinton and you'll find a democratic president that crushed Obama's performance with regards to all significant economic metrics. From a social perspective Obama nurtured the divisive environment that paved the way for Trump to be elected. That puts him in last place, not first.
6
I don't particularly care which President or party gets the credit for the imminent American renaissance. Maybe Obama set the table. If the outcome is that everyone participates in a booming economy and resurgent national identity, everyone will realize that the vultures squabbling over the carrion of credit and blame are largely irrelevant.
2
Let's not forget where our nation was when President Obama took office. The economy in free fall. Two wars that had turned into losing operations (remember those body bags arriving at Dover Air Force Base day after day, and the thousands of severely injured soldiers in our VA hospitals). Medical insurance rates going through the roof. Skyrocketing national debt. George W. Bush and the Republican Party put us into that horrible mess, and President Obama has brought us back — despite total Republican obstruction. On top of all this, he has all the accomplishments Mr. Leonhardt lists. Yes, he has been one of our great Presidents. Cool, calm and successful.
2
Correction. I should have said "skyrocketing annual national deficit" during the GWB years. The national debt has grown during the Obama years, of course. Much of it because of unemployment compensation and interest payments on old debt. Let's not forget, though, that well over half of our national debt is owed to our government or Americans themselves in various forms. Only about 34% is owed to foreign countries, and that is in U. S. currency.
"And Lyndon Johnson, despite grand domestic achievements, was driven from office. The chant “Hey, hey, L.B.J., how many kids did you kill today?” doesn’t exactly suggest progressive heroism."
despite the war lbj was far more successful in many more things than obama; don't forget that obama will be chiefly remembered as the "drone assassin" as his flimsy achievements are easily dismantled. he sure could get a crowd going though with a good speech.
despite the war lbj was far more successful in many more things than obama; don't forget that obama will be chiefly remembered as the "drone assassin" as his flimsy achievements are easily dismantled. he sure could get a crowd going though with a good speech.
3
Yes Vietnam was a stupid war and will forever taint LBJ's legacy. One part of the legacy is the election of Barack Obama. Without LBJ there would never be a President Obama. Only historians looking back some distance can really make these evaluations.
3
It's ludicrous on the face of things to assert that Obama was the most successful democrat since FDR. Soaring inequality has soared even higher. The economy is hyper-regulated and its resulting under-performance will create lasting shortfalls that will be difficult to overcome. Schools have not improved and democrats have worked overtime to protect the teachers' unions and deny school choice. Millions have health insurance now but only because it was mandatory and subsidized. The ACA has been a jobs killer and it will be repealed. He's done nothing about climate change that will have an impact on actual climate, although he's talked about it incessantly. Add to that a doubling of the national debt and a world ironically less safe that the one the Nobel laureate began with, and the absurdity of the proposition kind of grabs you.
Unlike Truman, Kennedy, and Johnson, there will be no lasting legacy of this president. As for Carter, he was a terrible president but a decent man and a wonderful ex-president. I hardly see Obama being as selfless. Bill Clinton's legacy, outside of his impeachment, was a turn to smaller government and centrism. That's been abandoned by the democrats led by Obama, and may be the legacy of Donald Trump...assuming he doesn't suffer the same fate as Clinton.
Unlike Truman, Kennedy, and Johnson, there will be no lasting legacy of this president. As for Carter, he was a terrible president but a decent man and a wonderful ex-president. I hardly see Obama being as selfless. Bill Clinton's legacy, outside of his impeachment, was a turn to smaller government and centrism. That's been abandoned by the democrats led by Obama, and may be the legacy of Donald Trump...assuming he doesn't suffer the same fate as Clinton.
5
Could a man like FDR have been as successful in Obama's shoes? Is it truly the man, the circumstances, or a combination of the two that makes a person legendary?
If FDR had to work with a Congress that was not merely critical, but as combatant as the one we've had for the past eight years, would he still have been able to achieve everything he did? If the Republicans during his administration met in a "War Room" to work each other into a lather over denying him even the slightest of victories and any semblance of respect - could he have been as impactful?
If FDR couldn't hide behind a radio, but had to go on television where the public could see him read his notes and sit in his wheelchair, could he have provided the same amount of comfort? If both he and Reagan had to feed the beast of the 24-hour news cycle, with journalists hunting for the next sensational story, or had to deal with social media, where their words and actions would be constantly dissected and criticized by anonymous trolls, would their words have carried the same amount of weight?
President Obama may not have accomplished everything he set out to do, but he lived up to the greatness of The Office, despite constant attack and disrespect. He's a good and admirable man, who wholeheartedly believes in treating even his loudest dissenters with respect and dignity.
I hope he'll finally receive the credit he's due when History has a chance to weigh in. Until then, he'll be sorely missed.
If FDR had to work with a Congress that was not merely critical, but as combatant as the one we've had for the past eight years, would he still have been able to achieve everything he did? If the Republicans during his administration met in a "War Room" to work each other into a lather over denying him even the slightest of victories and any semblance of respect - could he have been as impactful?
If FDR couldn't hide behind a radio, but had to go on television where the public could see him read his notes and sit in his wheelchair, could he have provided the same amount of comfort? If both he and Reagan had to feed the beast of the 24-hour news cycle, with journalists hunting for the next sensational story, or had to deal with social media, where their words and actions would be constantly dissected and criticized by anonymous trolls, would their words have carried the same amount of weight?
President Obama may not have accomplished everything he set out to do, but he lived up to the greatness of The Office, despite constant attack and disrespect. He's a good and admirable man, who wholeheartedly believes in treating even his loudest dissenters with respect and dignity.
I hope he'll finally receive the credit he's due when History has a chance to weigh in. Until then, he'll be sorely missed.
143
It takes time to see if the accomplishments are durable. I think when we look back four years from now not much will be left.
2
Rubbish. The Obama Presidency was a disaster relieved only by his replacement in office. He foreign policy was feckless and diffident. His deal with Iran simply kicked the nuclear can down the road for 10 years. His domestic policy was mediocre. The failure to insist upon a public option has made Obamacare unwieldy and premiums too costly. Worst of all, his response to the 2008 financial crisis rescued the banks to big to fail and left the rest of Americas to crash and burn.
Between George W. Bush and Obama, the American Dream became a casualty. His successor is a result, a vain political effort to repar the damage by electing a caudillo.
Between George W. Bush and Obama, the American Dream became a casualty. His successor is a result, a vain political effort to repar the damage by electing a caudillo.
6
Come now, Clinton was not a Democrat, but "Republican light", and LBJ and Carter were denigrated daily by Republican controlled media. Carter established peace between Egypt and Israel.
Lyndon Johnson's presidency was obviously overtaken by his decision to more deeply involve the U.S. in Vietnam, but to dismiss this Johnson's legislative achievements is wrongheaded. The Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Voting Rights Act of 1965, Medicare, Medicaid, Head Start, fair housing, among many other laws and programs, were (and are) tremendously influential. As important as the Affordable Healthcare Act is, that legislative victory is singular in Obama's presidency, and may be repealed within days of his successors inauguration.
2
I love Obama but upset that he is leaving us with Trump in white house, Republican majority in House, Senate, Supreme Court and state houses with Republican majority and governors.
Just My Opinion
I wish I could show you my graphic ... alas ...
I attempted to assess the presidents in my lifetime on a 10-point scale on the basis of (1) their "qualifications" to be president at the first time they were elected (Obama and Kennedy were low; Nixon was high) and their performance on the job (Nixon and G.W. Bush were low; Truman was high).
Keep in mind that I was not ranking them vis-à-vis each other. I was merely putting them on the scale at a point which I thought matched their combined "qualifications to be president" and their "performance as president." I honestly did not think of them on liberal-conservative or Democrat-Republican scales; I merely asked myself, “Where do you think they belong on this scale?"
Here' how it turned out
0.0 = Incompetent
1.0 = Herbert Hoover
1.8 = George W. Bush
2.0 = Mediocre
2.0 = Richard Nixon
3 = Gerald Ford, George H.W. Bush
3.1 = John F. Kennedy, Jimmy Carter
3.2 = Ronald Reagan
3.4 = Bill Clinton
4.0 = Barely Adequate
4.3 = Dwight D. Eisenhower
5.0 = Barack Obama, Harry S. Truman
6.0 = Competent
6.0 = Lyndon Baines Johnson
7.7 = Franklin Delano Roosevelt
8.0 = Very Good
10.0 = Exceptional
By the way, I am well aware of the fact that 38% of Republicans believe Ronald Reagan was the country's best president. George Washington followed with 14%; Lincoln with 13%. Whew!
http://www.gallup.com/poll/146183/americans-say-reagan-greatest-presiden...
I wish I could show you my graphic ... alas ...
I attempted to assess the presidents in my lifetime on a 10-point scale on the basis of (1) their "qualifications" to be president at the first time they were elected (Obama and Kennedy were low; Nixon was high) and their performance on the job (Nixon and G.W. Bush were low; Truman was high).
Keep in mind that I was not ranking them vis-à-vis each other. I was merely putting them on the scale at a point which I thought matched their combined "qualifications to be president" and their "performance as president." I honestly did not think of them on liberal-conservative or Democrat-Republican scales; I merely asked myself, “Where do you think they belong on this scale?"
Here' how it turned out
0.0 = Incompetent
1.0 = Herbert Hoover
1.8 = George W. Bush
2.0 = Mediocre
2.0 = Richard Nixon
3 = Gerald Ford, George H.W. Bush
3.1 = John F. Kennedy, Jimmy Carter
3.2 = Ronald Reagan
3.4 = Bill Clinton
4.0 = Barely Adequate
4.3 = Dwight D. Eisenhower
5.0 = Barack Obama, Harry S. Truman
6.0 = Competent
6.0 = Lyndon Baines Johnson
7.7 = Franklin Delano Roosevelt
8.0 = Very Good
10.0 = Exceptional
By the way, I am well aware of the fact that 38% of Republicans believe Ronald Reagan was the country's best president. George Washington followed with 14%; Lincoln with 13%. Whew!
http://www.gallup.com/poll/146183/americans-say-reagan-greatest-presiden...
1
David,
You cited the country's problems as, "Soaring inequality. Unregulated Wall Street. Underperforming schools. Millions lacking health insurance. Climate change."
I agree with your title conclusion. However, I want to call your attention to the problems you highlighted by suggesting that these problems are related in the underperformance of the US economy.
Our economic potential is being squandered by a resistance of the established centers of power/wealth to the realities of technology & global warming. Soaring concentration of wealth in the US and the World has created a more conservative investment environment that is failing to take advantage of technologies that can and should replace fossil fuels, on a global scale, to avoid a collapse of civilization.
New technologies such a increasing our logistics and energy efficiency by developing and introducing to the World market the freight carrying superconducting Maglev transport that can carry both trucks, in roll-on, roll-off carriers and passengers at 300 mph at much lower cost is being ignored. Especially as an option to complement our aging surface transport system. See www.magneticglide.com for the concept.
Second, when one considers the scale of providing the World with electricity, there is only one technology choice that appears feasible & that is an international space solar satellite system to beam power to Earth to provide electricity at 2 cents per kwhr requires a Maglev launch system.
You cited the country's problems as, "Soaring inequality. Unregulated Wall Street. Underperforming schools. Millions lacking health insurance. Climate change."
I agree with your title conclusion. However, I want to call your attention to the problems you highlighted by suggesting that these problems are related in the underperformance of the US economy.
Our economic potential is being squandered by a resistance of the established centers of power/wealth to the realities of technology & global warming. Soaring concentration of wealth in the US and the World has created a more conservative investment environment that is failing to take advantage of technologies that can and should replace fossil fuels, on a global scale, to avoid a collapse of civilization.
New technologies such a increasing our logistics and energy efficiency by developing and introducing to the World market the freight carrying superconducting Maglev transport that can carry both trucks, in roll-on, roll-off carriers and passengers at 300 mph at much lower cost is being ignored. Especially as an option to complement our aging surface transport system. See www.magneticglide.com for the concept.
Second, when one considers the scale of providing the World with electricity, there is only one technology choice that appears feasible & that is an international space solar satellite system to beam power to Earth to provide electricity at 2 cents per kwhr requires a Maglev launch system.
Syria was NOT a mistake for President Obama. He chose the least-bad of a pile of terrible options.
And getting rid of Assad's WMDs -- real ones, actually used -- without a drop of blood spilled was a triumph. Humiliated Bush-supporters' spin of it notwithstanding.
And getting rid of Assad's WMDs -- real ones, actually used -- without a drop of blood spilled was a triumph. Humiliated Bush-supporters' spin of it notwithstanding.
4
I am White African-American. I know that sounds strange, but for someone born in Africa and now an American citizen, it is a reasonable thing to say. In my native country, one man gave hope to the future of South Africa: Nelson Mandela. For African-Americans and Americans alike, one man gave that same hope here: Obama. Both men were successful, though the future here looks bleak, with a swamp-man coming in to enlarge, not drain, the swamp. In South Africa, the presidents that followed Mandela - especially the current president, Zuma - have been corrupt, foolish and lacking knowledge, relying on demagoguery and hatred for power, and filling the ranks not with competent but with many silly people, ill-equipped for their task, like is happening here. Consider Perry and a Neuroscurgeon. Yes, Leonhardt is right, we will not have anyone as good, as calm, thoughtful and knowledgeable a president for a long time, and certainly quite the opposite with the new one. Those who downplay Obama's success are the same ones that worked so hard to try to make him fail. And what did they get as their reward: Trump. They have failed themselves and the country
4
Your analysis that "those who downplay Obama's success are the same ones that worked so hard to make him fail" is off the mark. There are millions of good and (not racist) people throughout our country who felt Obama squandered his opportunities and left the country in worst shape. Read Susan Chira's column in the Times: "Women who voted for Trump in their own words". Many had, like myself, had even worked to elect Obama twice. He was the first Black President here only, but in no way did he come close to the legacy of Nelson Mandela. Obama did nothing to improve race relations here, in fact, made them worse.
Obama laid bare the racism, anti-socialism, anti-intellectualism, and corporatism of America and its politics.
Obama spoke of the ideals to transcend that predation and small thinking, but the real America shut him down and now has now elected its true spokesman.
Was he a great president? Not by American standards.
Obama spoke of the ideals to transcend that predation and small thinking, but the real America shut him down and now has now elected its true spokesman.
Was he a great president? Not by American standards.
5
It's not enough to provide a template for progressive policies while failing to recognize and counter a systematic and well funded conservative, racist opposition. The latter won media, won the attention of voters, and destroyed the Democratic party.
An article of this kind is self-soothing, delusional and bereft of advice. Until Democrats create the policies and rhetoric that persuade the populace, they are, like the greeting card of the little kid with a baseball glove, standing alone near the left bleachers, "Out standing in their Field".
An article of this kind is self-soothing, delusional and bereft of advice. Until Democrats create the policies and rhetoric that persuade the populace, they are, like the greeting card of the little kid with a baseball glove, standing alone near the left bleachers, "Out standing in their Field".
23
I feel your despair but the dems brought a butter knife to a tank fight. SAD!
Nowhere in the article or in the comments I have read mention the Iran deal. Perhaps that doesn't register because its effects will take place over the long term. Still Obama put together an impressive international coalition that included Russia and China among its members to achieve an agreement that most of us would never have imagined possible. Along with thwarting Iran's drive toward nuclear weapons, the agreement also helped empower more secular reformist forces in the Iranian regime. Years from now I suspect the Iran deal will be viewed as an important accomplishment in international diplomacy.
2
Eulogy - he promised soo much, he inspired the entire world and he delivered NOTHING - apart from the largest deficit and 8 years of war
Good riddance of probably the most inept POTUS since Hoover - ladies and gentlemen let us accept that this presidency was a disaster and NEVER should we allow a person with so little experience occupy the WH. Whatever we sat Trump and his cabinet of billionaire and warriors are serious grown-up men and women who will get things done
Good riddance of probably the most inept POTUS since Hoover - ladies and gentlemen let us accept that this presidency was a disaster and NEVER should we allow a person with so little experience occupy the WH. Whatever we sat Trump and his cabinet of billionaire and warriors are serious grown-up men and women who will get things done
5
I already miss Oabama and dread 4 miserable years living with trump and the Republicans. It is going to be heart breaking.
1
Good heavens...LBJ, Clinton and Truman were all far more successful in the office of President of the United States than Obama will ever be.
History will consider him to be equal or more successful than Jimmy Carter as being our most incompetent Executive Branch leader EVER.
History will consider him to be equal or more successful than Jimmy Carter as being our most incompetent Executive Branch leader EVER.
4
In some senses, I would agree. He accomplished a lot he wanted to do, particularly in health care and in reducing our power in exchange for a feeling of humility. He increased gov't debt and slowed growth. I'm not suggesting these are good things. If you are a true moderate or conservative they are not good things. Democrats are now centered around the far left of their party, not in the middle of the spectrum (whereas Reps can run from John Birch types to fiscal conservative/socially liberal). Bernie Sanders, an avowed socialist, is now the darling of much of the party and people like Jim Webb and Joe Lieberman, actual moderates, were basically thrown out or ignored. It is the party of centralized gov't power and little to no state sovereignty or individual freedoms. And as far as foreign policy goes, successes, if any, were very few, all of our enemies being much stronger and our allies very unsure of us. Although Roosevelt made some very costly foreign affairs mistakes too, he has the war to his credit.
Although many on the left saw him as a great president from day one, it is pretty clear that is about his genetics, and the racial unrest he leaves behind is another sad mark on him.
Obviously, I'm not a supporter, but I thought Bush was also a terrible president too and I think conservatives have tremendous faults as well. We have now elected 3 inexperienced presidents in a row (you could argue 4 with Clinton, but I'd disagree).
Although many on the left saw him as a great president from day one, it is pretty clear that is about his genetics, and the racial unrest he leaves behind is another sad mark on him.
Obviously, I'm not a supporter, but I thought Bush was also a terrible president too and I think conservatives have tremendous faults as well. We have now elected 3 inexperienced presidents in a row (you could argue 4 with Clinton, but I'd disagree).
1
Democrats lost bigtime this election, at every level of government. Doesn't exactly prove your point.
5
When Obama took office in 2009, the problems facing this country, particularly the economy, appeared insurmountable. I feared that even with a Democratic Congress and 56 to 41 advantage in the Senate, that Obama would not be able to turn the country around--and would be blamed for it. The extent of Republican opposition exceeded even my worst expectations, but he did turn the economy around, with only 3 Republican votes in the Senate for the Recovery Act.
For the most part, he has been a very successful President, with accomplishments as you note.
But like previous Democratic Presidents, there were some flaws that many point to. With Truman, it was Korea; with LBJ it was Vietnam; with Carter it was the hostage crisis, undermined by Reagan's treasonous obstruction. With Bill Clinton, it was a number of errors, including the repeal of Glass-Steagle and NAFTA. For Obama, I feel compelled to point some out: the extensive use of drones to attack targets in countries that we are not at war with; the relentless pursuit of whistle blowers; and of course the Trans-Pacific trade negotiations. I have to wonder with the latter, whether the fact that it was done entirely in secret, without input of those who might be harmed by the deal, doomed it.
For the most part, he has been a very successful President, with accomplishments as you note.
But like previous Democratic Presidents, there were some flaws that many point to. With Truman, it was Korea; with LBJ it was Vietnam; with Carter it was the hostage crisis, undermined by Reagan's treasonous obstruction. With Bill Clinton, it was a number of errors, including the repeal of Glass-Steagle and NAFTA. For Obama, I feel compelled to point some out: the extensive use of drones to attack targets in countries that we are not at war with; the relentless pursuit of whistle blowers; and of course the Trans-Pacific trade negotiations. I have to wonder with the latter, whether the fact that it was done entirely in secret, without input of those who might be harmed by the deal, doomed it.
This is a "fake news" op-ed piece, right? A joke? Obama's accomplishments are so exponentially dwarfed by LBJ's civil rights legislation and social programs.
In fact the ultra-right Republicans are dismantling LBJ's legacy, in part because Obama did not use his bully pulpit to hammer agaisnt voter suppression and fight agaisnt the GOP's failed "austerity" agenda.
In fact the ultra-right Republicans are dismantling LBJ's legacy, in part because Obama did not use his bully pulpit to hammer agaisnt voter suppression and fight agaisnt the GOP's failed "austerity" agenda.
6
Your definition of success is skewed. Obama never managed to sell his signature accomplishment to the American people. He had the worst communication team in recent memory and his passivity directly lead to the election of Trump. And I am an Obama supporter.
Bill Clinton was the best democratic president by far. He communicated with the American people, he got along with the crazy Gingrich congress and got stuff done (that needed doing, whatever people think now).
Bill Clinton gets my vote by far. And, I seriously like Obama. But he and his team screwed the ACA messaging greatly.
Bill Clinton was the best democratic president by far. He communicated with the American people, he got along with the crazy Gingrich congress and got stuff done (that needed doing, whatever people think now).
Bill Clinton gets my vote by far. And, I seriously like Obama. But he and his team screwed the ACA messaging greatly.
1
Rating Obama ahead of Lyndon Johnson? Odd, I remember Lyndon Johnson pushing through legislation for the Civil Rights Act, Voting Rights Act and Medicare, plus many more. Obama's one legislative achievement, the misnamed Affordable Care Act, will be gone along with all those Obama executive actions by 2018. The key ingredient of a Legacy is Legislation. They go hand in hand. Obama is a failed president as evidenced by his party to losing branch of government and more state offices than can be counted. Nice try, but in the future try and learn some history before putting pen to paper, instead of ready some off-beat book.
4
If only President Obama could have a third term! The dignity, grace, intelligence, thoughtfulness, inclusiveness, and competence that he brought to the White House are unparalleled and will be sorely missed. What we are now facing is diametrically opposed to all this administration has stood for and accomplished, and we can only hope that we will hold firm - and that hope, fairness, and truth will triumph.
2
Biden would have beaten Trump handily, Russian interference or not.
And makes this whole fiasco even sadder.
And makes this whole fiasco even sadder.
2
I certainly believe the gracious First Lady was the most successful.
Not so nice to compare president Obama to President Reagan: Reagan may have contributed to the breakdown of the Soviet Union, though he was lucky to have Gorbacev on the opposite side, he may have done some nice things but was he not the one who in one of his first speeches said "whoever has no money will not study" and went ahead to eliminate many forms of student aid? Was he not the one who created a few tax loopholes for big business while hitting the middle and low class? A NYT reader enumerated in a letter responding to a Reagan praising commentary by the NYT in 2012 all the negative actions Reagan took.Let's stop elevating someone more than what he deserves.
As an Obama fan, I was about to take issue with your comparison to FDR. But then it suddenly dawned on me while writing this. FDR’s presidency led to an uninterrupted five consecutive terms for a Democrat in the White House (1932-1952).
Now if it weren’t for the Supreme Court’s interference and Florida’s confusing butterfly ballot in 2000, Gore would have likely served two terms 2001-2009? And with Obama’s two terms 2009-2017, we would have had a Democrat in the White House for 24 years! The glory for the most successful Democrat since FDR would then most certainly belong to Bill Clinton.
In fact, if Hillary’s 2.86 million popular vote advantage over Trump had translated to similar gains on the Electoral College side, we would be witnessing a nearly three decades old Democratic monopoly in the White House! Food for thought, as Republicans continue to crow about their victory in 2016.
Now if it weren’t for the Supreme Court’s interference and Florida’s confusing butterfly ballot in 2000, Gore would have likely served two terms 2001-2009? And with Obama’s two terms 2009-2017, we would have had a Democrat in the White House for 24 years! The glory for the most successful Democrat since FDR would then most certainly belong to Bill Clinton.
In fact, if Hillary’s 2.86 million popular vote advantage over Trump had translated to similar gains on the Electoral College side, we would be witnessing a nearly three decades old Democratic monopoly in the White House! Food for thought, as Republicans continue to crow about their victory in 2016.
It's been often noted that Americans have notoriously short memories, which is certainly evident in many of these comments evaluating Obama's presidency. It was only 8 short years ago that Obama took the reins for a country mired in the worst economic hole since the Great Depression, one made worse by a degraded international standing for the inept invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan. That Obama, in the face of unprecedented opposition, accomplished what he did - stabilizing the economy and lowering unemployment, taking the first steps toward a single-payer healthcare system, setting the needle right on climate change, negotiating a deal to halt Iran's nuclear ambitions, recognizing marriage rights for all Americans, ending the senseless estrangement from Cuba and, not least, sustaining a scandal-free, high-minded administration of a decency not seen in many years - add up to an extraordinary record. Much remains undone and Obama was unnecessarily aloof from ordinary Americans. But regardless of the damage Trump's Republicans will surely inflict on individual initiatives, these achievements will stand as examples of uncommon presidential leadership that cannot be erased.
1
Solid conclusions stated concisely and accurately by Mr. Leonhardt and Mr. Chait. “The fatalistic conclusion that Trump can erase Obama’s achievements is overstated — perhaps even completely false,” - Chait
Thank you Mr. Leonhardt for making my reading this morning not only palatable, but reminding me that this man is a shining star in the universe of political leaders, not only nationally, but globally. I have been disheartened these last weeks as each new boorish tweet by DJT was revealed and each new action announced (despite what David Brooks says, there is little to celebrate in either). And have cried great gallons of tears with each TV reminiscence of Obama. Your column brought back my feeling of pride that in 3 score years and 10, that I have witnessed and lived in a country blessed by, not only a brilliant reasonable man, but one who has set the bar so high that even the best of opponents cannot reach it at their full extension. The wonderful part of our future is that no matter how dark the next presidential term may get, Barack Hussein Obama (AND Bernie Sanders) will be visible standards in the fog of battle to remind us who we are.
History will record him as one of the great ones.
1
Obama is one of the most disappointing presidents of modern times. His emphasis on conciliation for most of his term was ill conceived and self-defeating. Rather than using his office as a bully pulpit to address inequality, the destruction of the environment, the rise of the mass incarceration state, and a host of other issues, he simply caved in to the right wing trolls in congress. But of course it is not just about the uselessness of is Harvard bred emphasis on civility that did him in. His record on education is worse than what Bush implemented. He confused education with training and put in place educational polices that favored teaching to the tests and an obsession with metrics. This was a policy that made young people dumb, assaulted their imagination, and favored an attack on public schools as a public good. Then there is the issue of his refusal to prosecute the CIA torture squad. Surely, no one wants to live in a country in which those who engage in state sanctioned torture are not held responsible for their crimes. Obama is a Wall Street man and the financial elite most be delighted that he decided to bail them out instead of the thousands of victims they exploited and subjected to heartless forms of misery and suffering. Obama also has the honor of exporting more immigrants than any other president, setting aside a trillion dollars to further the death dealing nuclear arsenal, and punishing whistle blowers with a severity that must have made Putin smile.
3
His message of conciliation on international matters never translated to conciliation on domestic matters which lead to meaningful legislation from Congress.
He will be known more for this failure than any "success" that he might try to claim.
He will be known more for this failure than any "success" that he might try to claim.
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Most of the comments are of the form, Obama wasn't successful because he didn't do X, even tho he had a majority in both houses of congress.
Well, the list of stuff that a president doesn't get done is always long.
Take FDR - at the time, "liberals" were pretty critical of FDR for not doing more.
For instance, the young lawyer who actually wrote the first draft of the OASDI law says in his autobiography that most of FDR's young advisors wanted to put health care in with pensions (social security) - they saw gov't health care as the right thing.
Yet FDR's senior advisors said no, we will have hard enough tine getting congress to pass OASDI
and they were right: Southern Dems, critical to passage of Soc Security, viewed it almost with horror, as communism run rampant
I urge all progressives to read this book, to get an idea of what is and what is not doable
Recollections Of The New Deal: When the People Mattered
by Thomas H. Eliot (Author), John Kenneth Galbraith (Editor, Contributor)
Well, the list of stuff that a president doesn't get done is always long.
Take FDR - at the time, "liberals" were pretty critical of FDR for not doing more.
For instance, the young lawyer who actually wrote the first draft of the OASDI law says in his autobiography that most of FDR's young advisors wanted to put health care in with pensions (social security) - they saw gov't health care as the right thing.
Yet FDR's senior advisors said no, we will have hard enough tine getting congress to pass OASDI
and they were right: Southern Dems, critical to passage of Soc Security, viewed it almost with horror, as communism run rampant
I urge all progressives to read this book, to get an idea of what is and what is not doable
Recollections Of The New Deal: When the People Mattered
by Thomas H. Eliot (Author), John Kenneth Galbraith (Editor, Contributor)
Ah, yes...But FDR DID do things.
Obama didn't. And he shares responsibility for not doing so.
Obama didn't. And he shares responsibility for not doing so.
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Obama's "success" needs to be measured in light of the 1500 local, state and national elected positions now filled by Republicans.
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The last sentence says it all,"...After all, a vast majority of Americans born in the last few decades share Obama’s vision. And history is ultimately written by the young."
Neither Obama nor the young understand that vision is easy, implementation is not. Time and again Obama failed to commit to the vision he put forward.
Neither Obama nor the young understand that vision is easy, implementation is not. Time and again Obama failed to commit to the vision he put forward.
For 75 years, it was said that Roosevelt's New Deal saved capitalism. By softening the rough edges of the free market capitalism with reforms such as social security and unemployment insurance, FDR may have prevented adoption of much more radical changes.
75 years from today it is unlikely that anyone will think Obama saved market-priced medical care. Rather, he only prolonged it, and that will not be thought of as a good thing. In the developed world, market-priced medical care still exists only in the USA. The USA is the last holdout with market-priced medical care not only because of any inherent conservative or free market ideology. Rather, as the wealthiest nation that ever existed we are the last ones who can afford it.
The reason that no nation, including the wealthiest can allow markets to set the prices of medical care indefinitely is that demand for medical care is inelastic. Demand for a good or service is inelastic if a percentage increase in price results in a smaller percentage decrease in the quantity demanded. Basic economics tells us that sellers facing inelastic demand will continuously raise prices until prices reach the elastic portion of the demand curve. Consequently in every developed country in the world, all goods or services with inelastic demand have their prices regulated by government. Medical care in the USA being the only exception.
Health care is one of the very few things for which the sellers fa...."
http://seekingalpha.com/article/1647632
75 years from today it is unlikely that anyone will think Obama saved market-priced medical care. Rather, he only prolonged it, and that will not be thought of as a good thing. In the developed world, market-priced medical care still exists only in the USA. The USA is the last holdout with market-priced medical care not only because of any inherent conservative or free market ideology. Rather, as the wealthiest nation that ever existed we are the last ones who can afford it.
The reason that no nation, including the wealthiest can allow markets to set the prices of medical care indefinitely is that demand for medical care is inelastic. Demand for a good or service is inelastic if a percentage increase in price results in a smaller percentage decrease in the quantity demanded. Basic economics tells us that sellers facing inelastic demand will continuously raise prices until prices reach the elastic portion of the demand curve. Consequently in every developed country in the world, all goods or services with inelastic demand have their prices regulated by government. Medical care in the USA being the only exception.
Health care is one of the very few things for which the sellers fa...."
http://seekingalpha.com/article/1647632
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Obama arrived as a lifeboat captain on the desolate North Atlantic to save the many who were drowning or facing it as a harrowingly close reality. We scrambled aboard. He gave us work to do. He brought us to larger vessel that shielded us from utter vicissitude. He brought us into safe harbor, avoiding the upending tide, the pulling vortex, the hidden shoals, and the looming white towers of grandiose deceit. On land, our walking became sturdier, but many hearts and minds turned against him as the great forgetting set in. They wanted more and so they chose a new captain who would sail them again into the north for another try at mastering doom, one who told them that he rather than they would be the master of the ship, that there would be no need for lifeboats because it would be amazing journey and that his telegraphic leadership alone would be enough avoid all dangers ahead. They will soon learn the meaning of the word nostalgic.
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He will be lauded as a great president by his supporters, and dismissed as ineffectual and divisive by the rest. The national mood well reflects this lack of unity and that is his legacy.
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His legacy will be written by historians, not by contemporary Republicans.
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After reading this I might put away the razor I was going to use to slit my wrists.
Obama was indeed a very successful Democratic President. He will be seen by historians as the best and the brightest of the last half century from either party. However I am going to continue to beat the drum loud and often about the need for a more vigorous 4th Estate. I am tired of a lame media reporting on Obama's successes and McConnell's lies as: Democrats and Republicans disagree again. Had we seen that the last 25 years we would not be about to witness the nightmare of the orange hair ball.
Another note should be made; Bill Clinton was the most successful republican president in the last 50 years, as well.
Obama was indeed a very successful Democratic President. He will be seen by historians as the best and the brightest of the last half century from either party. However I am going to continue to beat the drum loud and often about the need for a more vigorous 4th Estate. I am tired of a lame media reporting on Obama's successes and McConnell's lies as: Democrats and Republicans disagree again. Had we seen that the last 25 years we would not be about to witness the nightmare of the orange hair ball.
Another note should be made; Bill Clinton was the most successful republican president in the last 50 years, as well.
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500 years from now, if humanity survives, one issue will loom over all others in the story of our time: climate change, and how we did or did not act to stop it.
President Obama recognized the magnitude of the threat and acted to stop it, in the teeth of intractable opposition. For that alone, the long view of history will judge him great.
Whether his global leadership on climate change was the first act in a triumph or a late act in a tragedy now depends on us.
President Obama recognized the magnitude of the threat and acted to stop it, in the teeth of intractable opposition. For that alone, the long view of history will judge him great.
Whether his global leadership on climate change was the first act in a triumph or a late act in a tragedy now depends on us.
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Pres Obama wrecked the brand...FDR was able to build a coalition that held the party together and kept them in the White House until 1953. Reagan was also able to carry his legacy through to GHW Bush. The Democratic Party is arguably in weaker shape today than it ever was during the "Reagan era" or perhaps any era since the 1920s.
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Well, that's one version of history. Kennedy put a man on the moon. LBJ brought much needed civil rights. Clinton left office with a surplus, without much loss of services. Even Truman left us with the knowledge that the buck stopped with him. Contrast that with Watergate, Irangate, and the Bush quagmires. I'll take the lofty Dems over the sneaky leaky Republicans any day.
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FDR had the New Deal. Obama had the Solyndra deal.
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This exercise in idolatry understandably omits one very salient and melancholy fact: Mr. Obama set the table for the election of Donald Trump.
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When I went to the table the place cards were written in Cyrillic and James Comey was putting out the plates.
Yes indeed! What he accomplished (no need in going down the list again) in the face of unprecedented political (and racial!) opposition is truly amazing. We were truly blessed to have him at the helm on this turbulent sea. A great President, a great American!
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Thanks for the concise synopsis of President Obama's leadership for these last eight years.I'm sure the current GOP will use all their media resources and they are enormous to contradict and/or re-interpret the evidence.
The invective expressed here is so blatant I thought I was reading Trump's twitter feed. One comment blamed Trump on Obama! Who are you going to blame after Friday January 20, 2017 for the nation's ills?
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I am a successful white male in my fifties. I consider President Obama to be a great president. I look at what he walked into and what he is leaving behind. I am sickened by the GOP's behavior during his two terms in office.
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Not sure I agree with "Greatest since..." but when comparing Obama to the last 2 Dems in office he did manage to do something many would have thought was impossible. He was more incompetent than Jimmy Carter and a bigger liar then Bill Clinton.
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Paul Ryan said that the Care Act was in a death spiral which is patently wrong -- a lie.
The Republican Party mouthpieces -- the dozens of think tanks and policy shops have issued a remarkably broad attack on President Obama's achievements. They belittle him them. Make America Great Again is a dog whistle intended to denote that it all bad and because this black man did it.
These misrepresentations are trademark GOP nonsense. Yet it's believed by half the nation through now a decades old propaganda war otherwise know as the GOP alternate universe.
What damage it has done to the American Psyche. Now we have Donald Trump who is one of the believers in all of the GOP's hapless talking points and all of FOX News' guests.
You are supposed to net it out that so far he does not deserves respect. Kellyanne Conway knows that but she has to spin it. What else can she do. He showed her "the money." But look at the destruction that she is a part of.
The Republican Party mouthpieces -- the dozens of think tanks and policy shops have issued a remarkably broad attack on President Obama's achievements. They belittle him them. Make America Great Again is a dog whistle intended to denote that it all bad and because this black man did it.
These misrepresentations are trademark GOP nonsense. Yet it's believed by half the nation through now a decades old propaganda war otherwise know as the GOP alternate universe.
What damage it has done to the American Psyche. Now we have Donald Trump who is one of the believers in all of the GOP's hapless talking points and all of FOX News' guests.
You are supposed to net it out that so far he does not deserves respect. Kellyanne Conway knows that but she has to spin it. What else can she do. He showed her "the money." But look at the destruction that she is a part of.
A major difference in the accomplishments of Obama and reagan is that most of reagan's were bad for the people and most of Obama's were good for the people.
If Obama marks the beginning of the end of the unDemocratic party I will judge him an unwitting success. Democrats are Republicans lite domestically, essentially the same in their criminal foreign policy. Both parties need to die.
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Yes, for sure, both parties are alike. The Democrats gave us the Voting Rights Act, the Civil Rights Act, Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, and the Affordable Care Act. The Republicans gave us the abysmal failure of No Child Left Behind, the war in Iraq, William Rehnquist, and John Roberts. I'm sure there's an equivalence in there somewhere but I missed it.
You may want to do some research. Lyndon Johnson has on his list of accomplishments Medicare, Civil Rights act, Voting Rights, the "great society" legislation, Established the National Endowment for the Humanities and the National Endowment for the Arts,Created programs to tackle poverty such as Head Start, food stamps, Work Study, and Medicaid. He oversaw the appallo space mission iincluding landing on the moon. Signed the Immigration Act of 1965, which substantially liberalized US immigration policy towards non-Europeans. He did have the war in viet nam. Our fighting in Viet nam started under Eisenhower. He also had a peace treaty negotiated in 68 that was sabotaged by Nixon (admitted to in his famous tapes) and Kissenger sabatoged the deal. Obama does have the heritage foundation ACA, Cuba and the Iran deal. He has done an amazing job with the Repub hatred for him. But the greatest dem since FDR is stretching it.
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Richard Nixon was president when Neil Armstrong set foot on the moon in July, 1969. He'd won the election in 1968, was inaugurated in Jan '69. It is Nixon's name on the plaque left by our astronauts.
Obama is one of the most likable but least effective president in modern times. He lacked the leadership skills that enabled president Johnson to pass civil rights legislation despite a very divided congress. His vision was eloquent but small compared to president Kennedy's dream of reaching the moon. His foreign policy was marked by the stain of continuous war and lacked the boldest that Nixon showed by going to China. Ultimately, president Obama reminds me of the Cheshire cat in "Alice in wonderland", slowly fading away until all you can see is his smile.
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He did lack the leadership, based solely on his lack of experience in the workforce and government. However, he was truly hobbled by both houses of congress whose mission it was to "Just say no" every time he wanted to get something done.
So, to the (dis)credit of the Republicans, Obama could have been more effective had they been less selfish, more decent, and humane.
So, to the (dis)credit of the Republicans, Obama could have been more effective had they been less selfish, more decent, and humane.
True, but President Johnson had a divided Congress and many in is own party, the Dixiecrats, were against civil rights reform. That's part of the job. Some might have had it easier but most presidents faced the difficult task of bringing together both congress and the American people on issues that were deeply divisive.
granting the burden of the mconnell congress' attempt to nullify BHO's presidency, still...
trying to sugar o'er his failure by sticking him the line headed by roosevelt, is maybe the weakest of the salvage operations for this well-meaning talk but no-walk walk administration.
history will tell which of BHO's achievements will survive its tides the way the roosevelt programs,
(still visible, chisled in stone) have: social security, conservation, construction, the training and employment and, perhaps most important, the moral lift they gave a struggling country demonstrated both a practical grasp of the problems facing us and a belief in the capability of its citizens, no matter how battered they were by circumstance...BHO's record (written in sand like his red line) shows neither and will likely be washed by those same tides.
where his failure is most evident and, eventually, costly, is in the divisiveness fostered by his own olympian (rather than inclusive) attitude and confirmed by the of the H(R)C campaign when the party of the people clearly opted for elites, making basket cases of the rest of us, including old lefties who were skeptical of party leadership from the start.
JFK's brief presidency, replete with its own imperfections, still wrote a lasting affirmative chapter, one that echoed roosevelt's faith in can-do america...the moon landing project unified many voices, got us to the moon and (BHO take note) reminded us that if we actually DO we actually CAN.
trying to sugar o'er his failure by sticking him the line headed by roosevelt, is maybe the weakest of the salvage operations for this well-meaning talk but no-walk walk administration.
history will tell which of BHO's achievements will survive its tides the way the roosevelt programs,
(still visible, chisled in stone) have: social security, conservation, construction, the training and employment and, perhaps most important, the moral lift they gave a struggling country demonstrated both a practical grasp of the problems facing us and a belief in the capability of its citizens, no matter how battered they were by circumstance...BHO's record (written in sand like his red line) shows neither and will likely be washed by those same tides.
where his failure is most evident and, eventually, costly, is in the divisiveness fostered by his own olympian (rather than inclusive) attitude and confirmed by the of the H(R)C campaign when the party of the people clearly opted for elites, making basket cases of the rest of us, including old lefties who were skeptical of party leadership from the start.
JFK's brief presidency, replete with its own imperfections, still wrote a lasting affirmative chapter, one that echoed roosevelt's faith in can-do america...the moon landing project unified many voices, got us to the moon and (BHO take note) reminded us that if we actually DO we actually CAN.
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LBJ's "grand domestic achievements" have made life so much better for millions of Americans, republicans and democrats, and,in my opinion, should go down as one of the greats. FDR, whom I also admire greatly, made mistakes too. While Johnson may have prolonged a war,based on false information, FDR delayed getting into one that cost millions of lives. Let the good live after these men who wanted social justice and equality for all. They are my heroes, along with Lincoln and Obama,
The 2 wars Obama inherited would have been a challenge even for FDR, given that the country was unlikely to accept a draft. In domestic issues, Obama's main weakness was that he lacked LBJ's comfort with the use of power and his ability to make Congress fear him. Overall, Obama is a better person for that, but a less powerful president. The GOP Obama had to deal with is of course, unprecedented in its lack of integrity and its commitment to blocking the president at every turn.
Let's see. He had two years with comfortable majorities in both house of congress. What did he achieve? He saved the banks and let them foreclose on homeowners and award big bonuses to their executives. Not one banker went to jail. His single biggest achievement can more realistically be called "the Unaffordable Care Act". It favored insurance and drug companies over patients. He wouldn't even bring a discussion of the public option to the floor of congress. Workers now have a new burden: if you don't get employer paid health insurance you have to buy your own even if it is unaffordable. His solution to the twin forces of globalization and automation is "job retraining". He did nothing to make the rich pay their fair share in taxes. His and Clinton's "New Liberalism" is just the old Rockefeller Republicanism and Obama cemented Clinton's achievements as the most successful moderate republican since Eisenhower.
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What was that two-year congressional majority giving him? As I recall it gave him a day by day slugfest on the ACA. He couldn't get enough Democrats to vote for the public option because the threats from insurance companies were bouncing off the walls of both chambers. The other six years were governed by the party of "no" and "our goal is not to do anything good for the American people that we can articulate, but we do have one overriding goal, which is to make him a one-term president." The ACA is in fact working. It is not what Clinton proposed — single-paer. Oh, it wasn't just Clinton who proposed single-payer, it was also Harry Truman and Richard Nixon. But if we're not shortly living under martial law in a fascist dictatorship, and if the American people reject the destruction of the ACA, the ACA would evolve to do even better when it's already doing now: lowering costs and giving more people good medical care. However, since a significant minority of the American people seem set on a course of certain self-destruction, none of that is likely to happen.
If you think about it a little bit, we will have a relatively young, successful, and popular former two-term President who faced problems of historic proportions and who also led a scandal-free administration. We haven't had anything like that in this country for at least a century, maybe ever. Bill Clinton was relatively accomplished and about the same age when he was leaving office in 2000, but his stature was diminished by his idiotic behavior in the White House. If we must have Donald Trump in the White House, I'm very happy we will have Barack Obama watching everything Mr. Trump does as the thing Obama is urging us all to be: a citizen.
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Obama had many scandals, more than any President since Nixon.
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Mr. Reasonable? Do you get your news from fox or hate radio? Sure sounds like it. Or maybe the NRA? Heritage Foundation? international chamber of (lies) commerce? Breitbart? Please let us know so we can steer clear and put them out of business.
Would problems of historic proportions be something like the Great Depression, WWII, the rebuilding of Europe, the Cold War and nuclear annihilation, etc? Please exit the bubble and become informed.
We can only hope that somewhere in the Democratic party there is a person who will rise up, and scrape the country back off the floor again after this next Republican catastrophe has run it's course.
The world has caught up to us by using our ideas, and our technology. There is not a lot of room to be celebrating and eating 'exceptionalist' cake.
Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me.
The world has caught up to us by using our ideas, and our technology. There is not a lot of room to be celebrating and eating 'exceptionalist' cake.
Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me.
FDR, Kennedy, Johnson, Clinton, and even Carter left their party in much better shape than Obama. They also made most of their changes working with Congress rather than easily changed regulation. Obama's work on climate change is likely to vanish overnight with regulation change. The ACA is going away because there was no buy in. Obama was successful, but his success is going to disappear overnight. Much of it may disappear by the end of the 21st, and a lot of the rest by the end of 2017.
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Definitely not. Obama doesn't come close to Johnson in terms of what he did domestically. And the party didn't lose control of state governments as it did under Obama. Mainly I think Obama did very very well, because of the low expectations set by Bush. The health care was a big deal but nothing was done by anyone to sell it to the country.
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Perhaps the author could ask one of the thousands of blacks killed in Chicago on Obama's watch what they think. Or maybe he cold ask one of the countless blacks suffering under record-high black unemployment for his opinion. Or he could ask one of the police officers that have been slaughtered by the bushel during Obama's War on Police
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LBJ was the single most legislatively successful president of the last 50 years. Clinton and Carter kept us out of war. Obama's drone war and failure to address the refuge crisis, partiicularly the plight of children and other vulnerable migrants, will be harshlly judged. It's for historians to judge. Perhaps the'll forget Obama's long goodbye which has been self-serving and divisive. Will we ever again have a president who focuses on the job at hand, not his legacy? Please check the hubris at the door.
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Mr. Leonhardt is absolutely right that "Obama’s vision of America was far superior to Trump’s", but he's just as wrong about comparing Obama to Reagan. Reagan was able to promote his agenda by getting enough Democrats in Congress to support him, Obama, on the other hand, failed to get any Republicans to support him, and as a result, practically everything Obama had done will be erased by Trump.
As long as liberals like Mr. Leonhardt continue to refuse to face the truth and draw the necessary conclusions, the Democratic party will continue its slide to irrelevance and this will be a disaster.
As long as liberals like Mr. Leonhardt continue to refuse to face the truth and draw the necessary conclusions, the Democratic party will continue its slide to irrelevance and this will be a disaster.
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Is this before or after his whole second term agenda gets reversed with the stroke of a pen. Is this before or after the bulk of the ACA is repealed by a simple majority, the same way it was enacted, though in broad daylight rather than after midnight on Chrsitmas.
There are consequences in refusing to get buy-in or even solicit the opinion of the opposition.
There are consequences in refusing to get buy-in or even solicit the opinion of the opposition.
President Obama ensured that any President after him could lie to the world in order to start a war of choice and order that war crimes be committed and there would be no accountability. He made sure intelligence operatives who torture can do so without fear of punishment. He cemented the principle of too big to fail and too big to jail, thus destroying forever the idea of justice for all.
Bush could only dream of that kind of success.
Bush could only dream of that kind of success.
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If you define success as the number of golf games played, or the number of vacations taken on the public dime, or by the number of time Obama referred to himself during speeches, then Obama is the most successful president ever
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Any one who pins the conservative insurgence of the late 1970s and 1980s solely on the person of Ronald Reagan hasn't studied the Carter Presidency very well.
1
Obama's successes and his presidency came at a very high come at the cost for the Democratic Party, which during his Presidency lost the house, senate and control of most state legislatures and governments. The Democrats have not been in this weak a position since the late 1920's.
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Thank you for this reasonable and heartening defense of Barack Obama.
At the same time, let's not forget ... aren't we all really really happy that Donald Trump has announced he's written his own health-insurance plan, which will cover EVERYBODY in the US without raising their deductibles or fees?
What a relief. Everybody was scared he had no plan. Silly us.
Servants in the Tower report Donald composed the two or three pages of his Trumpcare program between Tweets, while surfing the Web for Youtubes of CNN and Alec Baldwin. He's a man with many simultaneous interests and a wide-roaming curiosity. And he likes big margins in government documents. And big print.
(Snark.)
At the same time, let's not forget ... aren't we all really really happy that Donald Trump has announced he's written his own health-insurance plan, which will cover EVERYBODY in the US without raising their deductibles or fees?
What a relief. Everybody was scared he had no plan. Silly us.
Servants in the Tower report Donald composed the two or three pages of his Trumpcare program between Tweets, while surfing the Web for Youtubes of CNN and Alec Baldwin. He's a man with many simultaneous interests and a wide-roaming curiosity. And he likes big margins in government documents. And big print.
(Snark.)
1
I do think LBJ has his place. To name a president who kept his integrity and dignity is an accomplishment but Obama rarely consulted his own democratic party to get legislation past. The worst of this is that the GOP are always in lock step together and punish anyone who is not. The deems need to learn this lesson-yes, the deems are not paying attention. Obama was only modernly successful. He should have stood up to the GOP and used a recess appointment with Merick Garland. "Be bold and strong forces will come to your aid!"
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If I were a younger man and Obama was a woman I would propose to him/her!
That being said I have an issue with the last sentence: " And history is ultimately written by the young." Sounds great, very catchy....but it's not true. War, the most glaring example to disprove the sentiment, is written exclusively by the old, too old to hold a rifle, but still agile enough to hold the pen that sends the youths to their deaths under one pretext or another.
Other than that I knda agree; Obama is a great man.
That being said I have an issue with the last sentence: " And history is ultimately written by the young." Sounds great, very catchy....but it's not true. War, the most glaring example to disprove the sentiment, is written exclusively by the old, too old to hold a rifle, but still agile enough to hold the pen that sends the youths to their deaths under one pretext or another.
Other than that I knda agree; Obama is a great man.
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Wow, what is that stuff the NYT hands out to their workers in order for them to come up with this bizarre scenario about obama.
I must admit, I don't know obama personally but he appears to be a good family man. But so are several of my friends and numerous other folks in this country. Consequently his high approval rating. But that doesn't equate to the job accomplishments he was hired to do. If he was a CEO of any major corporation, he would have been $hit canned long ago by the board of directors.
You call the crises he created with his Arab Spring tour a success. The chaos in Syria, Libya, Egypt etc. The discourse with our ally Israel the animosity with Russia, the territory expansion by China, the Iran getting a nuclear weapons program, N Korea expansion on their Nuclear program, and on and on a successful presidency.
Oh, let's not forget the disaster called Obamacare, the thousands of executive actions killing jobs across this once great country, the Dodd Frank banking disaster killing small businesses all over, the massive jobs killing executive actions, Illegal immigration fiascos and on and on.
If that's what you liberals tout as success, it's no wonder that you have been losing elections from dog catcher to the presidency during Obama's tenure in the WH.
FDR Jimmy Carter etc all feel relieved that Obama came along to usurp the low standing they had hanging around their necks for years
I must admit, I don't know obama personally but he appears to be a good family man. But so are several of my friends and numerous other folks in this country. Consequently his high approval rating. But that doesn't equate to the job accomplishments he was hired to do. If he was a CEO of any major corporation, he would have been $hit canned long ago by the board of directors.
You call the crises he created with his Arab Spring tour a success. The chaos in Syria, Libya, Egypt etc. The discourse with our ally Israel the animosity with Russia, the territory expansion by China, the Iran getting a nuclear weapons program, N Korea expansion on their Nuclear program, and on and on a successful presidency.
Oh, let's not forget the disaster called Obamacare, the thousands of executive actions killing jobs across this once great country, the Dodd Frank banking disaster killing small businesses all over, the massive jobs killing executive actions, Illegal immigration fiascos and on and on.
If that's what you liberals tout as success, it's no wonder that you have been losing elections from dog catcher to the presidency during Obama's tenure in the WH.
FDR Jimmy Carter etc all feel relieved that Obama came along to usurp the low standing they had hanging around their necks for years
FDR had a low standing? What country are you talking about?
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In the future, when health care for all, with good coverage that doesn't cost a fortune, when people can get their care without having to worry about their finances, I hope they still call it Obamacare.
"Obama’s mistakes, like Syria, were serious, but no president yet has avoided serious errors."
Like turning Syria and Libya into smoking rubble and continuing George Bush's wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, like persecuting whistleblowers, like expanding universal surveillance, like not asking for a big enough stimulus in 2009, like taking the public option off the table, like refusing to prosecute banksters or torturers, like not campaigning for a jobs bill that would have helped those people whom he knew were clinging to guns and religion in the rust belt, like not getting out and reminding everyone in Michigan that he saved the auto industry over Republican opposition, like appointont GOP partisan James Comey to head the FBI, like not pardoning non-violent drug offenders so that they could get their voting rights back, like not rescheduling marijuana, like giving cops military-grade weapons.
Like presiding over a continued decline in employment, with fewer people working (yes, look it up) at the end of his term than when he started. Did all those millions of people inherit trust funds before they dropped out of the labor force?
Like not taking a stand against increasing income and wealth inequality.
If that's success at all for a Democrat, I'd hate to see what failure looks like. Not bad for a Republican, though.
Like turning Syria and Libya into smoking rubble and continuing George Bush's wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, like persecuting whistleblowers, like expanding universal surveillance, like not asking for a big enough stimulus in 2009, like taking the public option off the table, like refusing to prosecute banksters or torturers, like not campaigning for a jobs bill that would have helped those people whom he knew were clinging to guns and religion in the rust belt, like not getting out and reminding everyone in Michigan that he saved the auto industry over Republican opposition, like appointont GOP partisan James Comey to head the FBI, like not pardoning non-violent drug offenders so that they could get their voting rights back, like not rescheduling marijuana, like giving cops military-grade weapons.
Like presiding over a continued decline in employment, with fewer people working (yes, look it up) at the end of his term than when he started. Did all those millions of people inherit trust funds before they dropped out of the labor force?
Like not taking a stand against increasing income and wealth inequality.
If that's success at all for a Democrat, I'd hate to see what failure looks like. Not bad for a Republican, though.
1
It all depends upon how you define success. Obama's mission was not to do anything stupid. By that measure, he was the most successful president since FDR.
However, if you define success by domestic achievements, LBJ beats him hands down. If you define success by foreign policy, it's Truman by a landslide. If you define success by the ability to express a vision and motivate the public, then JFK. But on balance, it's Truman. Obama is the best since JFK.
However, if you define success by domestic achievements, LBJ beats him hands down. If you define success by foreign policy, it's Truman by a landslide. If you define success by the ability to express a vision and motivate the public, then JFK. But on balance, it's Truman. Obama is the best since JFK.
He entered office with a mandate for change and reform. He made bipartisanship and compromise ends in themselves, more important than fighting for what was best for the country. He focused on the deficit when he should have been focusing on jobs; he tried to cut Social Security; he never held the banksters accountable; he decided that the American people did not deserve the public option; and he promoted the lethal TPP. So much opportunity squandered.
1
Obama's legacy: $20 Trillion in debt and a destroyed Democratic Party. Obama is the worst president ever
3
Regarding the shellacking Dems have taken in down ballot races across the country---don't forget the insidious effect of Fox News. I live in a small town in PA and it's as plain as the nose on O'Reilly's face.
Nationally, I don't think Fox has that much of an influence, except as a counter-narrative machine and a place for people who already agree with the Fox worldview to get their news. If you're topping out at about three million viewers, your national impact is negligible.
The local impact, however, is, to borrow a word, Yuge. Fox has galvanized senior citizens, who are accustomed to lot of govt benefits, and who think it's a scam that the next generation might enjoy the same goodies. They're now on school boards, borough councils, zoning commissions, you name it.
And they get their marching orders, however inadvertently, from Fox, whose ultimate legacy is the delegitimization of all other new sources.
Nationally, I don't think Fox has that much of an influence, except as a counter-narrative machine and a place for people who already agree with the Fox worldview to get their news. If you're topping out at about three million viewers, your national impact is negligible.
The local impact, however, is, to borrow a word, Yuge. Fox has galvanized senior citizens, who are accustomed to lot of govt benefits, and who think it's a scam that the next generation might enjoy the same goodies. They're now on school boards, borough councils, zoning commissions, you name it.
And they get their marching orders, however inadvertently, from Fox, whose ultimate legacy is the delegitimization of all other new sources.
Obama is by every measure the worst president in world history. It'll take President Trump about 5 minutes to completely dismantle the "legacy" of Emperor Obama. All the mindless, costly, job-killing regulations he ordered out of spite for capitalism and commerce will be gone. Once Obama leaves, the lawlessness that characterized his reign of terror will be gone. ObamaCare, the biggest trainwreck of all, will soon be gone. Unfortunately, the foreign policy disasters Obama leaves behind will be harder to erase. Obama created ISIS and gave Iran nuclear weapons. Obama started wars with 7 (seven!) nations
3
I admire Obama. His calmness and dignity are not signs of weakness, as many Republicans seem to think, but are marks of his intelligence and ability to look at situations from many different perspectives. He led with us and the future of our country in mind, not for his own ego-boost and enrichment.
And now we have Trump. It's quite possible that his own party is secretly planning his ouster and replacement with a rigid Christian soldier more to their liking, but in the meantime we're stuck. There are already a hundred things to hate and fear about the man, but I suspect things will get much worse when the public becomes openly nostalgic about his predecessor.
And now we have Trump. It's quite possible that his own party is secretly planning his ouster and replacement with a rigid Christian soldier more to their liking, but in the meantime we're stuck. There are already a hundred things to hate and fear about the man, but I suspect things will get much worse when the public becomes openly nostalgic about his predecessor.
3
One statistic that stands out for me is the national
debt. Obama almost doubled it, and the second Bush was also responsible for a huge increase. Clinton was the only good economic steward in recent years in that regard.
debt. Obama almost doubled it, and the second Bush was also responsible for a huge increase. Clinton was the only good economic steward in recent years in that regard.
1
Lyndon Johnson was by the far the most successful Democratic president since Roosevelt, in spite of Vietnam. Barack Obama is not even a true Democrat. What sort of spin is being attempted here?
4
this is such a great great example of the vivid progressive imagination. Facts on the ground don't matter to progs, they just say what they want the world to be and somehow, magically so, it is (in their heads anyway). With all the gushing re Obama coming from the Times and readers over several articles in the last few days, what is amazing is the dearth of accomplishments for O. People talk about his charm, his grace, his intelligence, etc., but very little mention of solid accomplishments. Wonder why?
4
If the author was going to be honest he would have written that Obama was a better President than Pierce, Buchanon and Millard Fillmore.
He left us a country more divided than at any time since the Civil War. Even though we are flooded with illegal immigrants Obama went around Congress to make it so they could stay.
Iran will have an atomic bomb in 10 years and Libya, which Obama wholly owns, will be like Mad Max on steroids for at least another twenty years.
Great Acommplishments!
He left us a country more divided than at any time since the Civil War. Even though we are flooded with illegal immigrants Obama went around Congress to make it so they could stay.
Iran will have an atomic bomb in 10 years and Libya, which Obama wholly owns, will be like Mad Max on steroids for at least another twenty years.
Great Acommplishments!
3
Obama deported more than ANY previous president. Facts matter. Except to republicans like Trump.
1
He also did DACA.
I agree that he has been very successful in damaging America. Mr. Leonhardt, I suggest that you stop drinking the Obama Moonshine because in a few years historians will designate Obama as a Jimmy Carter Lite type of leader.
To paraphrase Michelle Obama, on Jan. 20th I will be proud of my country for the first time in 8 years.
To paraphrase Michelle Obama, on Jan. 20th I will be proud of my country for the first time in 8 years.
2
Sorry but this is nonsense. President Obama's economic policies have been more in line with the past four Presidents - on the side of bankers and corporations. A few are richer and the rest are poorer. You would have to be blind to not see that.
4
Sure, President Obama served with significance compared to other Democratic presidents in recent history. It is however, premature to close the book and have a verdict on his presidency without knowing what will happen to his legacy after he steps down and what will be the consequences of his decisions in this country and the world while he was "President".
1
When it comes to domestic policy Obama was indeed more successful than previous Democratic presidents excepting Roosevelt and Johnson, and that in the teeth of probably the most ferocious opposition ever faced by a Democratic president. On foreign policy however, he cannot escape some blame for the Syrian catastrophe, not as bad as Johnson's Vietnam fiasco in terms of American lives but it will be debated for ever whether a more muscular policy concerning Syria could have mitigated the present situation.
Critics who assert he did not know how to govern ignore the poisonous atmosphere he had to deal with at home and overestimate the power of the US to influence what happens beyond the US shores.
Critics who assert he did not know how to govern ignore the poisonous atmosphere he had to deal with at home and overestimate the power of the US to influence what happens beyond the US shores.
2
I have voted in every election since 1962 and from that time forward Barack Obama has been our classiest, most principled and morally centered President. I will miss him and his lovely wife, Michelle.
11
Obama will be remembered as a great president. Not just for his success in achieving great steps towards improving life for Americans who happen not to be comfortably wealthy. But also as a force for stability and calm as the economy recovered from the greatest banking failure in almost a century.
8
Any large and complicated job will end up with both pluses and minuses.
1
What we should all be thankful to President Obama is that he revealed and exposed to the whole world, how bigoted and hypocritical we as a nation are. All those racist bigots came out of the woodwork like worms. From Trump's birthers to Republicans obstructionists, naysayers and deniers. The whole world watched how this half black - half white man became the President of all Americans, embracing their warts and all, with dignity, respect, and decency, all that he accomplished scandal free.
199
Yes, we are so bigoted and hypocritical that white middle class America elected him twice. Most of the racial animus over the last 8 years came not from the "basket of deplorables" but from Obama, Holder, Lynch et. al.
1
Who is we, Tim. Tonto? Hate Radio? Russia? So-called fox news? Breitbart? White male clubs like the nazis? The NRA? Inquiring minds want to know so we can put them out of business.
And the racist bigots are still coming out of the woodwork. I read them every day, in comments here. It shocked me in 2009. Now it makes me furious.
For the past eight years I have woken up each morning knowing that our finest leader in generations was in the White House.
Thank you, President Obama for a job well done.
Thank you, President Obama for a job well done.
9
So much to hope for. So many promises. All rhetoric, feel good stuff, but so little accomplished. I wonder how the school girls kidnapped by terrorists in Africa feel about the "big brother" in America. He seems to have turned his back on that continent. Is the middle east now calmer thanks to Obama's interventions or lack of. Have we improved in our dealings with Russia, China, or North Korea. Is Chicago a safer place to live? What about a Baltimore? Has education improved? Especially in the inner city and for people of color. Are more people receiving government handouts? How is the progress for helping with the family, the education, the jobs for the youth in the inner city? Doesn't it seem like what has been accomplished is that the rich got richer and the poor got poorer. Was that what was hoped for? If so, then there was success.
4
Thank people like Paul Ryan and Mitch M. for most of that.
Leonhardt -- where do you get your medicinal/recreational herbs? I suppose you could make the case that Obama was the most successful dem since FDR but that just points out how truly bad the dems have been.
Let's look at the list of Obama "achievements."
ACA -- passed without bipartisan support, largely because O refused to work with repubs. The roll out was a disaster and it's collapsing of its own weight. It did nothing to control health care costs -- insurance premiums soared -- which makes no sense as we've covered maybe 7% more of the population but premiums have at least doubled.
The great recession -- basically O followed W's game plan. And it's impossible to say, as this wasn't a controlled experiment, whether O made things better or worse.
Income inequality -- really? The gap has gotten wider hasn't it?
Climate Change -- that's like saying you beat an invisible bully. There's nothing to fight there except the fevered imagination of progressives. Solyndra anyone?
Schools -- any proof that things have improved under O's watch.
Foreign Policy -- a complete disaster from the Russian reset to the Iran deal to the lack of action in Syria to the rise of ISIS.
And despite claims to the contrary -- lot of scandals in his admin -- HRC's server, the lie about the why of the Benghazi attack which was simply to preserve the false narrative that extremists were on the run before the 2012 election, IRS, fast and furious.
Let's look at the list of Obama "achievements."
ACA -- passed without bipartisan support, largely because O refused to work with repubs. The roll out was a disaster and it's collapsing of its own weight. It did nothing to control health care costs -- insurance premiums soared -- which makes no sense as we've covered maybe 7% more of the population but premiums have at least doubled.
The great recession -- basically O followed W's game plan. And it's impossible to say, as this wasn't a controlled experiment, whether O made things better or worse.
Income inequality -- really? The gap has gotten wider hasn't it?
Climate Change -- that's like saying you beat an invisible bully. There's nothing to fight there except the fevered imagination of progressives. Solyndra anyone?
Schools -- any proof that things have improved under O's watch.
Foreign Policy -- a complete disaster from the Russian reset to the Iran deal to the lack of action in Syria to the rise of ISIS.
And despite claims to the contrary -- lot of scandals in his admin -- HRC's server, the lie about the why of the Benghazi attack which was simply to preserve the false narrative that extremists were on the run before the 2012 election, IRS, fast and furious.
5
The Lesson: Obstruction is a good political strategy. I hope the Dems use it.
Syria was not as serious as you make it to be. The "red line" comment set the stage for the politically motivated removal of poisonous gas without the need for military action-a Madame Secretary approach to resolving international conflict. The American people did not support further military intervention. We were tired and overextended in the ME following an unregulated Wall Street meltdown leaving our infrastructure and other national business to wither.
2
Completely delusional. Obamacare is in meltdown as costs are skyrocketing and insurers are bailing on the exchanges. One foreign policy disaster after another. Race relations the worst in decades. A lawless and unquarded southern border. Unprecedented loss of Democratic Party office holders on the state and local level. Obama's legacy will be one of failure.
4
Let's not shortchange LBJ, despite his disastrous stance on Vietnam. Civil rights, voting rights, immigration law reform, not to mention Medicare and Medicaid ... All passed because of LBJ's leadership.
Obama has been a wonderful president, and most certainly the most distinguished and eloquent in modern times. But let's not start infighting among Democrats about who was the greatest - this is meaningless.
Obama has been a wonderful president, and most certainly the most distinguished and eloquent in modern times. But let's not start infighting among Democrats about who was the greatest - this is meaningless.
3
Unsupported assertions a case does not make. David missed the Sanders supporters and his arguments.
Again we find an establishment writer thrilled by legislative indifference to $400 billion wasted on another military boys toy. Obama never noticed. Trump has.
Obama was a moderate Republican; they are not dead just relabeled.
Not one banker chastised, bravo. Was it Bush that jailed Martha Stewart? Obama did not do as much.
It only took him two years to award leadership to the GOP.
Under achiever, under achiever, under achiever.
Again we find an establishment writer thrilled by legislative indifference to $400 billion wasted on another military boys toy. Obama never noticed. Trump has.
Obama was a moderate Republican; they are not dead just relabeled.
Not one banker chastised, bravo. Was it Bush that jailed Martha Stewart? Obama did not do as much.
It only took him two years to award leadership to the GOP.
Under achiever, under achiever, under achiever.
3
We have to remember that the Syria's government and its allies do not have any respect for the lives of human beings. President Obama could not be in the same frame of mind. We will never forget Aleppo.
1
Wow, I haven't read anything recently that tops this one. It is a masterpiece of putting everything into a positive light. Congratulations, had I not read such misdirection, I would not have believed it possible.
1
Leonhardt -- not many commenters agree with you. Your progressive bias is so obvious you can't make sound judgments. Obama -- good campaigner, but not much of a leader. Doubled the debt -- which will haunt us forever. You failed to mention that.
1
Time to wake up Ralphie. The incoming Pretender and his Robber Baron Party plan to put US in further debt by spending $1 TRILLION on infrastructure spending on CORPORATE WELFARE. Why do you think businesses are miraculously deciding to stay or expand in America?
Because he is going to pay them and stick we actual taxpayers with the bill. Wake up and get some facts.
Because he is going to pay them and stick we actual taxpayers with the bill. Wake up and get some facts.
6
"Many states have become less tolerant of poorly performing schools."
I'm calling your bluff on that one, Mr. Leonhardt. The truth is that politicians of all stripes have sold our students down the river, including and especially President Obama. We need to understand this, loud and clear: until and unless ALL students and their schools receive EQUITABLE funding and access to opportunity, poor children will continue to perform poorly.
School choice is like taking a slice from the middle of the pie: it leaves less for everyone else. Fewer wrap-around services, fewer advanced classes, fewer after-school sports, less money for tutors and literacy specialists. Take a good long look in the mirror, right now. Do you send your child to a "public" charter school? Then you are contributing to the exacerbation of the problem of inequitable funding.
Mr. Leonhardt and Mr. Obama: F for failure to support ALL students.
I'm calling your bluff on that one, Mr. Leonhardt. The truth is that politicians of all stripes have sold our students down the river, including and especially President Obama. We need to understand this, loud and clear: until and unless ALL students and their schools receive EQUITABLE funding and access to opportunity, poor children will continue to perform poorly.
School choice is like taking a slice from the middle of the pie: it leaves less for everyone else. Fewer wrap-around services, fewer advanced classes, fewer after-school sports, less money for tutors and literacy specialists. Take a good long look in the mirror, right now. Do you send your child to a "public" charter school? Then you are contributing to the exacerbation of the problem of inequitable funding.
Mr. Leonhardt and Mr. Obama: F for failure to support ALL students.
1
Obama is both smart and honest. That's an elegant ribbon around his achievements. You have to look a long way back to match that combination.
4
The most successful democrat since FDR is without a doubt LBJ. Medicaid, Medicare, The Civil Rights Act, The Voting Rights Act. LBJ shone a light on our country's shameful level of poverty in a way only someone who had lived it could. Few people in this country realized there was illiteracy by design in Miss; that the Appalachians were stuffed with people with no education, no sense of a larger world, nothing to hope for. LBJ took a leadership position on Civil Rights, even as he knew what it would cost the Democratic Party. The democratic party continues to pay that price with low-info voters in the Confederacy and the rust belt bringing us first Reagan (and his anti-government guru Grover Norquist) and tragically Trump. History will (and already should) honor LBJ's bravery, because IT WAS THE RIGHT THING TO DO. Sorry-- Obama's achievements of any "Democratic Party goals" pale in comparison.
2
And... LBJ based himself in The New Deal, and wasn't afraid of citing FDR, who has been carefully omitted from the Democratic Party's campaign strategies -- a strange fact given Roosevelt's achievements.
1
Minus 550,000 troops, 27,000 lost wasted lives in Vietnam, countless millions of invisible Vietnamese--no poignant portraits of grief from 60's NYT--Johnson could have been the greatest.
1
What was Obama's equivalent of Truman's Marshall Plan?JFK's Moon Program? LBJ's Civil Rights Act? Bill Clinton's Welfare Reform (and general prosperity)?
Leonhardt's column is another example of Obama-blindness, which helps only to explain Hillary's loss and Trump's takeover.
Leonhardt's column is another example of Obama-blindness, which helps only to explain Hillary's loss and Trump's takeover.
1
Barack Obama's achievements include the Affordable Care Act, the benefits of which you and 12 to 15 percent of previously uncovered Americans now are using. Let's be honest, too, and admit bin Ladin is no longer on the scene and Al Qaeda has faded. And let's be even more honest and admit that Republicans have been so obsessed with bringing down his presidency that they have have twice shut down the federal government. That's a negative sort of achievement, no?
1
We are saying goodbye to the most HUMAN President since Franklin and Elanor Roosevelt graced the White House and saved America from the Robber Barons. As they article says, the incoming Pretender and his Top 1% Global Financial Elite Robber Baron/ Radical Religion Party are going to try to destroy every single good thing that FDR, Lyndon Johnson, Bill Clinton and President Obama and the democrats have done FOR us since the Robber Barons tried to destroy America in 1929/30 with their greed.
The President said preventing another depression "wasn’t enough because of the depth of the country’s problems. Soaring inequality. Unregulated Wall Street. Underperforming schools. Millions lacking health insurance. Climate change." He worked as hard as he could to change the trajectory of those issues and other HUMAN issues that affect us all.
The Pretender wants to gut the progress WE have made to further enrich himself and his supporters. WE must not allow it. WE must get out and obstruct, challenge, protest, forbid their actions with synergistic action at every level of government and WE must get out the vote to throw them out of government in every election - starting NOW! It's OUR democracy and it only works if WE act to demand that it runs the way WE want.
The President said preventing another depression "wasn’t enough because of the depth of the country’s problems. Soaring inequality. Unregulated Wall Street. Underperforming schools. Millions lacking health insurance. Climate change." He worked as hard as he could to change the trajectory of those issues and other HUMAN issues that affect us all.
The Pretender wants to gut the progress WE have made to further enrich himself and his supporters. WE must not allow it. WE must get out and obstruct, challenge, protest, forbid their actions with synergistic action at every level of government and WE must get out the vote to throw them out of government in every election - starting NOW! It's OUR democracy and it only works if WE act to demand that it runs the way WE want.
8
When one thinks of LBJ and his greatest achievement it would be the Civil Rights bill which guaranteed the right to vote which was directed at African Americans. When he signed it, the Democratic Party lost the Southern Dixiecrats.
One of the achievements of Obama was the signing of the Iranian Nuclear Deal, & with that signing the Democrats lost a large segment of the Jewish vote.Unlike Johnson Obama steered away from war, which made him look weak & ineffective when it came to facing Russian Aggression.Johnson stayed too long in Vietnam & it caused him his Presidency.Sometimes you just can’t win for losing.
One of the achievements of Obama was the signing of the Iranian Nuclear Deal, & with that signing the Democrats lost a large segment of the Jewish vote.Unlike Johnson Obama steered away from war, which made him look weak & ineffective when it came to facing Russian Aggression.Johnson stayed too long in Vietnam & it caused him his Presidency.Sometimes you just can’t win for losing.
1
Obama was a master of the set-piece speech, campaigning, and fundraising. Maybe the best ever.
He was terrible at governing. IMO it was because he was...by temperament....not really a politician. He was more of an intellectual...a professor. He would not (or could not) roll up his sleeves. horse-bargain, cajole, and get..things..done. All talk from the 30,000 foot level and very little effective action.
And then there's the fact that he's black which puts liberals in a terrible bind. They simply cannot admit the man's weaknesses without fear of being accused of racism. Thus we get endless puff pieces that simply ignore huge chunks of his presidency.
He was terrible at governing. IMO it was because he was...by temperament....not really a politician. He was more of an intellectual...a professor. He would not (or could not) roll up his sleeves. horse-bargain, cajole, and get..things..done. All talk from the 30,000 foot level and very little effective action.
And then there's the fact that he's black which puts liberals in a terrible bind. They simply cannot admit the man's weaknesses without fear of being accused of racism. Thus we get endless puff pieces that simply ignore huge chunks of his presidency.
5
Seems like everyone forgot Lehman Brothers, 2008.
3
An amazing man Barack Obama : decent, elegant, smart, sophisticated , eloquent speaker, never speaks harshly. Weighs his words, no prejudices, a beautiful man full of humanity and sense of humor. He was a great president America did well re employment , economics and much more. We will miss him and his amazing wife Michelle. Never have we had a couple like this in the White House. Both what we call "A Mensch".
9
This time the WHOLE WORLD, except putin, is worried about this in coming menace. The most successful democrat will be missed on a global scale even more than we know while we hold our breaths and wait for more unintelligible garbage tweets to spew out upon us. The contrast could not be clearer.
Thank goodness this time we have the whole world as our witness.
We should be ashamed already.
Thank goodness this time we have the whole world as our witness.
We should be ashamed already.
8
The National Debt!! You forgot the national debt! 19 Trillion!!
Let me take a break while I wipe the foam off my mouth ...
The National Debt !!
Let me take a break while I wipe the foam off my mouth ...
The National Debt !!
4
Successful Presidents don't lose the House, the Senate, Governors and legislatures. The Republicans gained more power during Obama since the1920's. It was a Presidency squandered, beginning with a total capitulation on health care where he was negotiating with himself. To think that Obama's achievements will match LBJ's-Medicare, Head Start, Civil and Voting right acts, etc- is absurd
14
This was not an election, EsPeterC. It was a 40+ year financial coup by the
Top 1% Global Financial Elite Robber Baron/ Radical Religion Party to destroy all governments around the world. Hope you like bear meat for dinner - you'll need it if WE allow The Con Don and his band of robbers to get a foothold in OUR governments at all levels.
Top 1% Global Financial Elite Robber Baron/ Radical Religion Party to destroy all governments around the world. Hope you like bear meat for dinner - you'll need it if WE allow The Con Don and his band of robbers to get a foothold in OUR governments at all levels.
This attempt to assess President Obama's legacy is premature, although the Obama administration has compiled a record of accomplishment in a number of important areas.
The Affordable Care Act, if strengthened rather than repealed, is likely to be recorded as a signal achievement. The economy has healed substantially, albeit at a very slow pace and with significant income inequality. The President's climate change rules, which I welcome, remain largely unimplemented and will likely be dismantled by the incoming administration.
What we can say is that President Obama governed honorably and sensibly in the face of unremitting opposition. In this age of partisan discord, that is an achievement.
The Affordable Care Act, if strengthened rather than repealed, is likely to be recorded as a signal achievement. The economy has healed substantially, albeit at a very slow pace and with significant income inequality. The President's climate change rules, which I welcome, remain largely unimplemented and will likely be dismantled by the incoming administration.
What we can say is that President Obama governed honorably and sensibly in the face of unremitting opposition. In this age of partisan discord, that is an achievement.
6
Under President Obama, income inequality increased and the war zones multiplied. Supporters of gay rights were force to extort his support by denying funding for his second campaign. Women lost more rights to their own bodies. Minorities suffered from vastly increased police violence. Unions have had no support from him.
If you think that's a successful democrat, you're in the wrong party.
If you think that's a successful democrat, you're in the wrong party.
10
Minorities did not suffer increased police violence, police violence was merely lifted to the surface.
"The Most Successful Democrat Since FDR"
And I thought only high schools graded on a curve.
And I thought only high schools graded on a curve.
11
"Obama leaves office as the most successful Democrat since Franklin Roosevelt."
I thought that was a typo, but apparently not. Mr.Leonhardt seems very sure about his assessment, claiming that when "future historians look back on today, they’re likely to come to a similar conclusion."
Sorry, David, all your patting yourself on the back won't be able to rewrite history.
Barack Obama failed to lead. So many points in time when he could and should have stood up and led, be he didn't.
During his first 2 years in office, the Democrats controlled majorities in BOTH the Senate and the House of Representatives. They could have easily accomplished a reversal of the prior 8 years, including rescinding the famous Bush taxcuts. But they CHOSE not to, under Obama's direction, because their allegiance to Wall Street, corporations and 1% outweighed their allegiance to average Americans.
Obama, having expanded the imperialist and repressive powers of the presidency while setting a precedent for disastrously loose oversight of capitalist excess, now hands over the presidency to a bona fide confederacy of thieves. Ironic that the American media obsessed over Vladimir Putin while days away from inaugurating a kleptocrat to lead them.
Mr.Obama's legacy is already seriously tarnished through illegal drone wars, military interventions and the give-away to BigPharma and insurance companies in his failed signature policy known as Obamacare.
etc. etc.
He was articulate and he was charming. That's it.
I thought that was a typo, but apparently not. Mr.Leonhardt seems very sure about his assessment, claiming that when "future historians look back on today, they’re likely to come to a similar conclusion."
Sorry, David, all your patting yourself on the back won't be able to rewrite history.
Barack Obama failed to lead. So many points in time when he could and should have stood up and led, be he didn't.
During his first 2 years in office, the Democrats controlled majorities in BOTH the Senate and the House of Representatives. They could have easily accomplished a reversal of the prior 8 years, including rescinding the famous Bush taxcuts. But they CHOSE not to, under Obama's direction, because their allegiance to Wall Street, corporations and 1% outweighed their allegiance to average Americans.
Obama, having expanded the imperialist and repressive powers of the presidency while setting a precedent for disastrously loose oversight of capitalist excess, now hands over the presidency to a bona fide confederacy of thieves. Ironic that the American media obsessed over Vladimir Putin while days away from inaugurating a kleptocrat to lead them.
Mr.Obama's legacy is already seriously tarnished through illegal drone wars, military interventions and the give-away to BigPharma and insurance companies in his failed signature policy known as Obamacare.
etc. etc.
He was articulate and he was charming. That's it.
20
I'm sorry, but you don't actually refute the point: even if what you say is true, were clinton or carter or jfk more successful ?
LBJ, maybe
LBJ, maybe
You're so quick to express title-shock that you never realized you're rebutting a claim the author never made. This article isn't entitled "Obama Was A Great President" -- it instead states that he's the most successful Democratic president since FDR.
Your disagreement doesn't include a counter claim, in fact it doesn't even reference another president. If you don't think the statement applies to Obama, who is the most successful Democratic president since FDR?
Your disagreement doesn't include a counter claim, in fact it doesn't even reference another president. If you don't think the statement applies to Obama, who is the most successful Democratic president since FDR?
This analysis is such a bunch of Fantasy. Obama is a nice man and: the first Black president who operated as a celebrity within the media from then on. End of story. They even gave the Nobel Peace Prize early on for his doing absolutely nothing, but being elected and showing up. Wow.
I respect Obamacare, but he was hapless on so much more on the domestic and world stage. Let's look at what could be accomplished now with a Republican Congress and President.
I respect Obamacare, but he was hapless on so much more on the domestic and world stage. Let's look at what could be accomplished now with a Republican Congress and President.
9
Throw around the adjectives "better" and "more successful" and my immediate knee-jerk is "with respect to whom?" The elites? The middle class? The impoverished? Comparing any neoliberal with FDR is an apples-and-oranges type futility. And once tough little Harry succeeded Roosevelt, rather than Henry Wallace, the course of the US role in international affairs was changed irreparably. Then, there was 1968 — and 2016. This column strikes me as an attempt to justify the rightward drift of the Democratic party as manifested in its presidencies, its contested conventions, and the disaffection of so many former Democrats who have drifted away from this entity that no longer serves.
9
Obama certainly will be judged by comparing him to the mystery man replacing him. Before elected Obama had sterling credentials and those credentials resulted in the successes he achieved. But the mystery man--what do we know?
Very little: his health is a mystery, attested to by an unknown New York doctor,
his business, his wealth, his debts all a mystery. Obama was an open book before election and that successful open book attested to his achievements. The mystery man could still remain a mystery even after 4 or 8 years.
Very little: his health is a mystery, attested to by an unknown New York doctor,
his business, his wealth, his debts all a mystery. Obama was an open book before election and that successful open book attested to his achievements. The mystery man could still remain a mystery even after 4 or 8 years.
3
So, "sterling credentials" nowadays is a description for someone who failed in all of his community organizing?
1
Obama had what credentials before being elected? A term or to in the Illinois Senate where most of the time he voted "present". Part of a term in the US Senate, again where he voted "present" much of the time? A community organizer in a neighborhood where his best friend Valarie Jarrett was making millions selling real estate to people who were just going to get their houses foreclosed on?
Come on, man...
Come on, man...
1
If you're smart enough, and greedy enough, you don't need "credentials". Just ask Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos and Mark Zuckerberg - three of the 8 men - college dropouts all - who own more wealth than the poorest half of humanity in the world.
Maybe Obama is, in fact, the "most successful Democrat" since FDR. But that must be a pretty low bar since in approximately 100 days almost all of Obama's legislative "accomplishments", executive actions, and initiatives are going to be washed away.
Historical note: FDR had huge leads in Congress that he kept. Obama came into office with a majority and lost control of both houses. (Let's not even talk about Dem losses in the states)
So all we are left with are Obama's foreign policy blunders and disasters ranged from Easter Europe to the ME.
If this is the "most successful" Democratic Party administration one can only imagine what a failure would look like.
Historical note: FDR had huge leads in Congress that he kept. Obama came into office with a majority and lost control of both houses. (Let's not even talk about Dem losses in the states)
So all we are left with are Obama's foreign policy blunders and disasters ranged from Easter Europe to the ME.
If this is the "most successful" Democratic Party administration one can only imagine what a failure would look like.
8
Obama was a failure in his most important job, his role as a political and party leader. Only hyper-partisan Democrats are still in denial about this. The full consequences of the failure cannot be understood until we are able to also assess the Presidency of Donald Trump. One thing is for sure, the lack of will, vision and imagination in the response to the Great Recession, by Obama and the entire leadership of the Democratic Party, helped prepare the way for Trump.
18
The unemployment rate has gone from a Bush 11% to 4% today. What are you talking about, SD?
This is how you define gifted? In his 8 years in office he destroyed the Democrate Party. In his wake we are left with , a failed Middle East policy, increased racial tension, a muddled and costly healthcare product, rising crime in inner cities fueled by drugs and gang violence,workers with fewer opportunities to seek better employment, and of course the worst possible result: Donald Trump.
He depended upon an inner circle of advisors and very rarely worked with members of his own party, and his cabinet members were window dressing.
I will say he did make very eloquent speeches which I am sure stroked his ego.
History maybe kind because of the racial barrier he hurdled, but most since FDR? Never.
He depended upon an inner circle of advisors and very rarely worked with members of his own party, and his cabinet members were window dressing.
I will say he did make very eloquent speeches which I am sure stroked his ego.
History maybe kind because of the racial barrier he hurdled, but most since FDR? Never.
65
Forgot to add - was complicit in HRC email setup which has now created a potential constitutional crisis. BHO will rate in the same league as Carter - good people but inept
1
?? unemployement is around 4.5% and jobs can be had if you are willing to move and adapt. Statistically I believe crime is down despite a few notable hotspots. And if racial tension was inflamed because he was black, the fault probably lies elsewhere.
Asserting or implying greatness in Ronald Reagan’s performance as President is in conflict with facts. He almost tripled the federal budget deficit. During his presidency, unemployment soared to 10.8 percent. The federal government grew enormously and federal spending ballooned, with costs for defense alone increasing by over $100 billion a year, more than during the Vietnam War. In 1983, President Reagan attempted to privatize Social Security. He promised to cut government agencies including the Department of Energy and Education but he added, instead, one of the largest — the Department of Veterans’ Affairs. He did little to fight for a woman’s right to choose. He gave amnesty to three million undocumented immigrants. He illegally funneled weapons to Iran, with money from these arms sales funding anti-Communist rebels in Nicaragua. He vetoed a comprehensive anti-Apartheid act which imposed sanctions on South Africa and cut off all American trade with that country. He fought a proxy war with the Soviet Union by training, arming, equipping, and funding Islamist fighters in Afghanistan. Republican claims that President Reagan was an anti-tax zealot are mythology.
10
Ronald Reagan did not "give" amnesty to 3 million illegals. Congress passed a law doing so and Reagan signed it into law.
1
Reagan also went eight years without uttering the word AIDS. Only near the end of his second term did he get around to addressing this national health crisis which by then had killed nearly 21,000 Americans.
Oh, and let's not forget Nancy's amazing war on drugs: Just Say No.
Oh, and let's not forget Nancy's amazing war on drugs: Just Say No.
Our current political mess is enabled by this type of aggrandizement. By lowering the bar and expectations of what is expected from our elected officials we have started hoping to maintain the status quo rather than demanding the great achievements that both FDR and LBJ pushed through. For this reason Obama's presidency cannot be considered a success for anyone other than the rich. FDR improved the lives of every citizen of the United States and if his policy would have been continued the world would be a much better place than it is now. Both Clinton and Obama sold out the middle class and catered to Wall Street, sacrificing their democratic roots and the middle class. Income inequality, voter suppression, out of control defense industry and endless war were all enabled because first Clinton and then Obama were more Reagan Republican than FDR democrats. Praising Obama presidency because he is better than Trump enables mediocrity. While damning LBJ's legacy even though Nixon sabotaged the Vietnam peace talks (https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/02/us/politics/nixon-tried-to-spoil-john..., lessens the accomplishment of the “great society” and how LBJ has helped millions of Americans. America in its current state is only good for the 1%, let’s not be afraid of change, rather demand it and vote in the people who will not forget the legacies of our great American presidents.
14
Obama is an admirable human being who did reasonably well when dealt a terrible hand -- the world in near economic collapse and two wars, all the product one of the worst presidents in American history, George W. Bush.
Given that, he also had many failures. As a politician, he failed in allowing the Republicans to make it seem that he was responsible for gridlock, the lack of civility, and some economic problems (see many of the comments blaming Obama), when of course these were Republican disgraces. Indeed, he was too trusting and willing to reach out to Republicans. The foolish appointment of Republican James Comey at the FBI failed to grasp that the Republicans were determined to fight him at every point. A better FBI director would have finished the email probe in a few weeks, and either removed Hillary Clinton from the stage or given her a clean bill of health. After the prolonged investigation and outrageous press conference, Comey should have been fired or at least severely reprimanded. A better President would never have allowed Comey to derail the election in late October.
Given that, he also had many failures. As a politician, he failed in allowing the Republicans to make it seem that he was responsible for gridlock, the lack of civility, and some economic problems (see many of the comments blaming Obama), when of course these were Republican disgraces. Indeed, he was too trusting and willing to reach out to Republicans. The foolish appointment of Republican James Comey at the FBI failed to grasp that the Republicans were determined to fight him at every point. A better FBI director would have finished the email probe in a few weeks, and either removed Hillary Clinton from the stage or given her a clean bill of health. After the prolonged investigation and outrageous press conference, Comey should have been fired or at least severely reprimanded. A better President would never have allowed Comey to derail the election in late October.
4
"Obama’s glaring failure on that last count leaves his allies needing to fight, hard, to defend their successes, rather than to make further progress on problems that badly need it, like climate and inequality."
I would argue that the failure lies largely with the Democratic party and their unwillingness to pursue the fifty-state strategy envisioned by Howard Dean. Had they done so, the gerrymandering that so compromised their vision might have been at least ameliorated, if not quashed.
I would argue that the failure lies largely with the Democratic party and their unwillingness to pursue the fifty-state strategy envisioned by Howard Dean. Had they done so, the gerrymandering that so compromised their vision might have been at least ameliorated, if not quashed.
2
This opinion makes me want to cancel my subscription to the NYT. How can a candid pundit qualify President Obama as the most successful since F.D.R.? He has failed on just about everything: foreign policy (a disastrous retreat from Irak that is directly responsible for the rise of ISIS, no progress in the Palestinian conflict just to name a few), a worsening of living conditions for the middle class that is so severe that US birth rate has decrease from 2.12 child per woman in 2008 to 1.8 in 2014, a complete failure to reign in special interests resulting in revenue inequalities far worse than even during the George W Bush era and finally a botched-up if well intentioned reform of the health care system resulting in exploding costs and much more restricted access to quality medicine. There is only one explanation for this lack of objectivity: the author of this opinion lives in an ivory tower perfectly isolated from the incredible hardships middle class America has had to endure since the 2008 financial crisis. If the author of this opinion was right and Mr Obama had been such a great president, for crying out loud, how do you explain the fact that a moronic demagogue like Donald Trump could have been elected president last November??? Even with a so-so Obama's presidency the election of Hillary Clinton should have been a shoe-in.
11
I mean really. Aren't you playing with the same ground rules that our president-elect is? If you don't agree with it, you don't want to be involved.
Obama is a leader of uncharacteristic grace, intelligence, and hopefulness. I, too, believe history will judge him to have been one of our greatest presidents. He changed the course of a staggering economic situation, and established the first step in correcting one of America’s greatest shames – the lack of universal health care.
Remember the fact that he accomplished as much as he did in the face of a deconstructionist Congress whose main (maybe ONLY) goal for eight years was not to advance the well being of the US and our citizens, but to bring about the annihilation of our first black President – and all he represented.
Well, the conservatives got what they worked for – a Republican Congress and a (white – wait, orange) Republican President. I have given up any hope whatsoever that they will, when it comes down to it, grow a conscience, do “the right thing,” and keep Americans’ best interests in mind as they legislate.
I have, however, fostered a new hope – and a new-found energy to become more active politically – that the mid-term elections will bring about a sea change in our representatives and senators in both national and state elections.
Now is not the time to just sit back, smoke a toke, and mellow out. Each of us is responsible for protecting, preserving, and improving the whole. Let’s do this!
Remember the fact that he accomplished as much as he did in the face of a deconstructionist Congress whose main (maybe ONLY) goal for eight years was not to advance the well being of the US and our citizens, but to bring about the annihilation of our first black President – and all he represented.
Well, the conservatives got what they worked for – a Republican Congress and a (white – wait, orange) Republican President. I have given up any hope whatsoever that they will, when it comes down to it, grow a conscience, do “the right thing,” and keep Americans’ best interests in mind as they legislate.
I have, however, fostered a new hope – and a new-found energy to become more active politically – that the mid-term elections will bring about a sea change in our representatives and senators in both national and state elections.
Now is not the time to just sit back, smoke a toke, and mellow out. Each of us is responsible for protecting, preserving, and improving the whole. Let’s do this!
10
Wow, it's interesting how you see "a leader of uncharacteristic grace, intelligence, and hopefulness", while I see an inexperienced partisan who is arrogant, shallow, and not up to the task of leading this country.
My view is based upon Obama's inability to work across the aisle to get LASTING things done (and please don't start with the whole "congress was intransigent" thing - same issue happened with Bush - Bottom line is good leaders know how to bargain and cajole to get the other side in line - see Clinton or see Reagan).
Cheers.
My view is based upon Obama's inability to work across the aisle to get LASTING things done (and please don't start with the whole "congress was intransigent" thing - same issue happened with Bush - Bottom line is good leaders know how to bargain and cajole to get the other side in line - see Clinton or see Reagan).
Cheers.
1
Absolutely, he failed less in the eyes of his supporters than those that came after FDR. But did he leave a legacy? No. He left a stain on the flag that will require much effort to remove.
What can't be erased are all the deaths, misery and destruction he sowed in the Middle East like Johnny Appleseed
But with hard work by all, we can reverse the tragic erosion in race relations; stamp out the perverse politicalization of our government institutions; reverse the destruction of the working class; elivate responsibility over victimhood; repair our weakened and politicalized military; and in general . . .
arrest the Enlightened Progressive Elite Intellectual slide toward a society ruled by "Know Nothing Do Gooders" as the country clamors for handouts and higher honours of victimhood.
What can't be erased are all the deaths, misery and destruction he sowed in the Middle East like Johnny Appleseed
But with hard work by all, we can reverse the tragic erosion in race relations; stamp out the perverse politicalization of our government institutions; reverse the destruction of the working class; elivate responsibility over victimhood; repair our weakened and politicalized military; and in general . . .
arrest the Enlightened Progressive Elite Intellectual slide toward a society ruled by "Know Nothing Do Gooders" as the country clamors for handouts and higher honours of victimhood.
5
I heartily agree with balanced perspective. I had already thought Barack Obama would go down in history as a great president -- if only for his remarkable successes in service to the majority of our citizens against a historically intransigent opposing party. The new president would be well advised to learn from him how to calculate a set of priorities based on both the possible and the practical. I cannot shake the picture of him in his meeting with Obama in the Oval Office shortly after his victory -- the one where he looks like a lost boy in the presence of a formidable adult. He must lead from the head, not just from the gut -- to employ collaboration, not fiat -- or his presidency will be merely a shadow of Obama's. Given his alarming behavior and positions on many issues I can't help hoping it's a non-starter.
4
So. Democrats have lost more seats in more states and houses ever. Under your genius Obama. Cognitive dissonance might best describe Obama's fans at this point.
1
The most successful Democratic president since FDR was LBJ. He accomplished a significant agenda, and we are still largely living with LBJ's domestic legislation legacy. Sure, he was ultimately tarred with an inherited war (Vietnam), but it does not impact the short and long-term results of his domestic accomplishments. Apart from Vietnam, LBJ foreign policy was successful. We maintained and improved long-standing relationships with our major foreign allies, Great Britain, Israel, and Japan.
This clinging to the nebulous ideal of Obama in the press has gone beyond ridiculous. His single notable, domestic accomplishment (Obamacare) has been and will continue to be fraught with problems until its forthcoming replacement or repeal. Obama has left our foreign policy and our national standing in shambles. Domestically, he leaves a far more divided country with racial tension at an all-time high, thanks to his shameful use of the race card to further his various policies (i.e., if you do not like my policies, you must dislike them because of my race--not just because you disagree with policies). He used race much like many politicians have used foreign threats to deflect attention from his policy failures. Machiavelli would be proud of his creative use of the race card.
This clinging to the nebulous ideal of Obama in the press has gone beyond ridiculous. His single notable, domestic accomplishment (Obamacare) has been and will continue to be fraught with problems until its forthcoming replacement or repeal. Obama has left our foreign policy and our national standing in shambles. Domestically, he leaves a far more divided country with racial tension at an all-time high, thanks to his shameful use of the race card to further his various policies (i.e., if you do not like my policies, you must dislike them because of my race--not just because you disagree with policies). He used race much like many politicians have used foreign threats to deflect attention from his policy failures. Machiavelli would be proud of his creative use of the race card.
5
I supported Obama, and recognize that his Affordable Care Act is his signature achievement. There are two very popular aspects to Obamacare, insurance until age 26 and no preexisting condition refusal. Mr. Obama also has presided over a decidedly improved economic and job position.
However, during his presidency, the infrastructure of the United States has crumbled. He has done not nearly enough to address this problem. We, indeed, do have third world airports. And while one could say that he faced extreme Republican opposition, that is an excuse, not a reason. Indeed, if the proper investment in our own country had been ongoing, perhaps the job picture, and the state of health care coverage would be better than it is now.
However, during his presidency, the infrastructure of the United States has crumbled. He has done not nearly enough to address this problem. We, indeed, do have third world airports. And while one could say that he faced extreme Republican opposition, that is an excuse, not a reason. Indeed, if the proper investment in our own country had been ongoing, perhaps the job picture, and the state of health care coverage would be better than it is now.
4
Ridiculous column. LBJ was a far more accomplished President - the best since FDR. If Mr. Leonhardt's criteria is based on transformational acts I have to question his knowledge or at least his judgement of history. Inasmuch as Obama and the fate of the Democratic Party is concerned it's important to understand that the damage to the party can be laid at the feet of both Clinton, Obama and perhaps Carter. All three were more like Republicans than Democrats. All failed to understand the historic process and all three failed to understand the nation's needs. Carter and Obama should be judged by the damage to both the nation and the Democratic Party left in their wake. I'll give Clinton the nod. His neoliberal policies from trade to deregulation have done severe sociological damage. Obama had opportunity, when Democrats had significant numerical advantage in Congress, to right some wrongs but worked to retain those neoliberal policies that have so damaged the nation. The 2016 election demonstrated just how badly damaged the nation's essential party has become under Obama and the Clintons. In a sense this nation has suffered through five successive neoliberal/conservative Presidencies from Reagan through Obama. Little separates the five.
6
President Obama was a better man than he was a politician. For all of his intelligence, decency, grace and eloquence, he was not the compelling force as president that he was as a candidate. He was a much, much better leader than Fox News would have us believe but not as successful as this article proposes. He was a moderate at a time when extremism was desired; too liberal for conservatives and too conservative for liberals. He was in the no man's land of public opinion on most issues, even when his position was well thought out and arguably, the right one. He never found the voice that gave people the hope that he had promised.
Yes, his presidency was divisive but mostly because many, many whites could just not accept a black man as president. Not sure he could've done much about that. He will be missed, especially in light of what's to come.
Yes, his presidency was divisive but mostly because many, many whites could just not accept a black man as president. Not sure he could've done much about that. He will be missed, especially in light of what's to come.
4
Wow, the most successful since FDR? Since FDR created 2 programs that will bankrupt the country, and was a war criminal, that's a pretty low bar to cross. Scools failing more under Obama, infrastructure crumbling, despite being given a trillion dollars to help fix it. 43 million living in poverty. Reall wages down 3500 dollars a week. 50 million on food stamps. Banks bigger than ever, rich are richer than ever, poor are poorer than ever. Faith in government is at an all time low. 3 more failed states in the mid east, with Russia and Iran influence strong and growing in the region. 10 trillion added to the debt, with nothing to show for it. Military weakened, and still in Afghanistan, and back in Iraq. China building military bases in the south China Sea, threatening the entire region with war. N korea on the edge on being able to hit the U.S. with nuclear weapons. Obama said the oceans would stop rising when he was President, they're still rising. I could go on, but if this record is a democrats dream of success, then no wonder they've lost 1,000 legeslative seats in the last 6 years, including the presidency.
1
Exactly correct.
Much done right, but much also done wrong in the Obama years. Democrats as the party of elitists grew tremendously during the Obama years. Democrats didn't lose because of James Comey or Wikileaks; they lost because of "basket of deplorables" and an overemphasis upon LGBT issues. Just that lame put-down about those with whom she didn't agree surely cost Hillary Clinton at least 100,000 votes in Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania, and the relatively large Catholic population in those states was no doubt alienated by the in-your-face LGBT agenda, and Democrats' embracing of same, costing several hundred thousand more.
Democrats simply did nothing to help the white working class during the Obama years. Currently, long-term unemployment among men aged 40-55 (prime earning years) is 17 percent; it has never been over 5 percent before. And 40 percent of them are addicted to pain pills. I repeat, Democrats did nothing for these people.
We must help these people, not get hipper-than-thou, write them off as racist and homophobic and laugh at them. Technological change is going to steamroll this population in the next 20 years. Did you know experts predict there will be no truck drivers in 10 years? That is just the beginning. What do we do with those people? We must help them, not judge them, that's what. Democrats must come up with a plan. Currently there is no energy in the Democratic Party going into how to prepare the working class for vast technological/economic change.
Democrats simply did nothing to help the white working class during the Obama years. Currently, long-term unemployment among men aged 40-55 (prime earning years) is 17 percent; it has never been over 5 percent before. And 40 percent of them are addicted to pain pills. I repeat, Democrats did nothing for these people.
We must help these people, not get hipper-than-thou, write them off as racist and homophobic and laugh at them. Technological change is going to steamroll this population in the next 20 years. Did you know experts predict there will be no truck drivers in 10 years? That is just the beginning. What do we do with those people? We must help them, not judge them, that's what. Democrats must come up with a plan. Currently there is no energy in the Democratic Party going into how to prepare the working class for vast technological/economic change.
9
"Democrats simply did nothing to help the white working class during the Obama years." Correction: Democrats did nothing to help the working class -- regardless of race --unless of course you consider a 36% increase in food stamp recipients a "help".
2
I am a half-fan of our president because he did about half as well as he could have done had he been more a "man of the people" than a man who conflated wonderful rhetoric with accomplishment. In some policy areas, he and his staff equated achievement with glowing press releases. The White House is not alone in this. Governance by PR is now commonplace. The same is true for our capital institutions.
Some of the many tributes to our president and, by inference, himself in the many farewell interviews he has offered, are low bar. He is a moral man with a good family. He reduced participation in foreign war, as the electorate wanted, but could not fully withdraw. Instead, he created a vacuum which Russia has filled. He improved our relations with our allies without also returning to pre-9/11 confidence in our judgment and strength.
Domestically, against racist and partisan barriers, he did his best where he could. But even here, he fell into the Clinton trap of homage to Wall Street, jailed no one for the financial crisis except small fry, refused to even demand investigation of the lies leading to Iraq, and failed to move away from vague rhetoric to fight his implacable domestic opponents with "give 'em Hell" Trumanesque speech putting responsibility for economic inequality where it belonged.
Oh, yes. And he failed miserably to tend to his own party machinery.
Yes, our President is a nice man. But the best since FDR? Nonsense.
Some of the many tributes to our president and, by inference, himself in the many farewell interviews he has offered, are low bar. He is a moral man with a good family. He reduced participation in foreign war, as the electorate wanted, but could not fully withdraw. Instead, he created a vacuum which Russia has filled. He improved our relations with our allies without also returning to pre-9/11 confidence in our judgment and strength.
Domestically, against racist and partisan barriers, he did his best where he could. But even here, he fell into the Clinton trap of homage to Wall Street, jailed no one for the financial crisis except small fry, refused to even demand investigation of the lies leading to Iraq, and failed to move away from vague rhetoric to fight his implacable domestic opponents with "give 'em Hell" Trumanesque speech putting responsibility for economic inequality where it belonged.
Oh, yes. And he failed miserably to tend to his own party machinery.
Yes, our President is a nice man. But the best since FDR? Nonsense.
3
What depresses me most about this column, and many of the comments, is how many Americans express simplistic ideas about the presidency. Some fawn and credit a president for all wonderful events during his tenure; others crow and blame him for all the world's failings. Both seem to consider the president a magical leader with infinite powers, not a component in a government structure designed to share and check power (and not just between branches at the federal level, but between the feds and states). And of course, much of what happens during any term has nothing to do with presidential, or any governmental, actions.
Please! This is childish thinking that sounds more appropriate for a third-world personality-cult dictatorship. Jouranlists, stop using the presidency as short hand for more complex government policy and programs. People, stop thinking about the president as monarch (or father figure), lest we slide further towards an imperial presidency. Our government is supposed to be complicated and even contradictory. If you can't handle this, or if you deliberately wish for a more powerful and unchecked presidency, you might be unhappy when the "wrong" party wins the office.
Please! This is childish thinking that sounds more appropriate for a third-world personality-cult dictatorship. Jouranlists, stop using the presidency as short hand for more complex government policy and programs. People, stop thinking about the president as monarch (or father figure), lest we slide further towards an imperial presidency. Our government is supposed to be complicated and even contradictory. If you can't handle this, or if you deliberately wish for a more powerful and unchecked presidency, you might be unhappy when the "wrong" party wins the office.
94
Absolutely, the ignorance of the citizenry wanting immediate and simple results is just that, ignorant. Perfection belongs to no one, but values of decency are necessary. To lack the critical thinking to understand the progress made since the disastrous W administration, and the election of a temperamental authoritarian, can only be based on racism, overt and covert.
2
Just look at the shock and concern Europe is feeling now about Trump's twitter rants about the EU and NATO (even if he does often get the two confused). China is threatening "to take the gloves off" economically and militarily - just from the tweets of a man who isn't even President yet. So I think you are wrong. The President probably has more sway in the economics and mood of the country, and in the stability of the world than would be guessed at first glance by his title and enumerated powers..
1
I love and revere Barack Obama, but I don't agree with your evaluation of him or LBJ.
For some reason, people are dismissing his presidency because of that stupid war, started by JFK, whom no one blames at all. We can thank LBJ for the Voting Rights Act, Medicare (I'm especially grateful for that) and the wits to bow out of the 1968 election when the war became such a divisive issue. Like Obama, he couldn't be succeeded by his logical successor, because of the chicanery of the odious Nixon, who is exceeded in such qualities by the even more odious Trump. May he be impeached and removed from office, preferably after the resignation of that ghastly VP. And Paul Ryan should be shown to have ties with Putin, too. I looked down and see that Daniel Hudson is also making a case for LBJ. I bet he even knew FDR. Bill Clinton is charming, but he is responsible for "Welfare Reform," a bad thing. Reagan desereves, in my view, none of the elaborate praise that is heaped upon him. Nancy Reagan was probably more influential than he.
For some reason, people are dismissing his presidency because of that stupid war, started by JFK, whom no one blames at all. We can thank LBJ for the Voting Rights Act, Medicare (I'm especially grateful for that) and the wits to bow out of the 1968 election when the war became such a divisive issue. Like Obama, he couldn't be succeeded by his logical successor, because of the chicanery of the odious Nixon, who is exceeded in such qualities by the even more odious Trump. May he be impeached and removed from office, preferably after the resignation of that ghastly VP. And Paul Ryan should be shown to have ties with Putin, too. I looked down and see that Daniel Hudson is also making a case for LBJ. I bet he even knew FDR. Bill Clinton is charming, but he is responsible for "Welfare Reform," a bad thing. Reagan desereves, in my view, none of the elaborate praise that is heaped upon him. Nancy Reagan was probably more influential than he.
2
Many in my generation share the vision, if not the same perspective, of today's youth. Not all septuagenarians and octogenarians vote en bloc for conservative values as they're presented today. President Obama was a breath of fresh air in the White House after decades of moral confusion there, and what's coming seems a horror show by comparison. President Obama, historically, will be sandwiched between an administration that reduced the Middle East to chaos and one that seems to lack any moral compass at all.
Despite a run at congressional supremacy not seen since the 19th century, the "loyal opposition" accomplished absolutely nothing. But President Obama fought through it all. It wasn't the kind of bare knuckles brawl of an FDR - something that many liberals hoped for - but rather a calm, thoughtful and steady voice beneath the cacophony and dissonance of a confused opposition dedicated to nothing but holding its ground at a time when our society screamed for change at so many levels.
He will leave office with the country in immeasurably better shape than when he took the oath in 2009. History will sort it out, and President Obama will emerge as one of the best.
Despite a run at congressional supremacy not seen since the 19th century, the "loyal opposition" accomplished absolutely nothing. But President Obama fought through it all. It wasn't the kind of bare knuckles brawl of an FDR - something that many liberals hoped for - but rather a calm, thoughtful and steady voice beneath the cacophony and dissonance of a confused opposition dedicated to nothing but holding its ground at a time when our society screamed for change at so many levels.
He will leave office with the country in immeasurably better shape than when he took the oath in 2009. History will sort it out, and President Obama will emerge as one of the best.
356
Obama was far more patient, and far more intelligent than the previous nitwit and by far will surpass in stature his predecessor. But he was no Roosevelt.
There is always a lag effect in judging a presidency and its legacy.
I am sure Obama will be remembered even more positively out of office. (Keep in mind Obama now has a 58% favorable rating; Trump 39%). Ironically, it will be the all-Republican government that spent all of its efforts demeaning and disrespecting Obama that will boost Obama's stature and place in history.
Yes, it will be Trump, Trumpism, and a thoroughly nasty GOP that takes from the poor and middle class to give to the rich that will provide a very sharp contrast to Obama's decency, intelligence, maturity, and grace under pressure.
Trump's narcissism and instability and the GOP's systematic dismantling of what is good about government will make us yearn for the good old days when we had Obama as president—an empathetic man of sound judgment, with a good heart, who loves his family and did the best he could for this country against a Republican party that openly lied and tried to block every positive action for the people and the planet. A Republican Party fully in control that now strives to make America and its citizenry meaner, sicker, poorer, and more ignorant.
So, if we are talking about political national legacies here, it is today's GOP and its do-harm actions that will go down in history as one of the most highly destructive forces for our democratic government, country, and its people.
“The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice.” (Martin Luther King, Jr.)
I am sure Obama will be remembered even more positively out of office. (Keep in mind Obama now has a 58% favorable rating; Trump 39%). Ironically, it will be the all-Republican government that spent all of its efforts demeaning and disrespecting Obama that will boost Obama's stature and place in history.
Yes, it will be Trump, Trumpism, and a thoroughly nasty GOP that takes from the poor and middle class to give to the rich that will provide a very sharp contrast to Obama's decency, intelligence, maturity, and grace under pressure.
Trump's narcissism and instability and the GOP's systematic dismantling of what is good about government will make us yearn for the good old days when we had Obama as president—an empathetic man of sound judgment, with a good heart, who loves his family and did the best he could for this country against a Republican party that openly lied and tried to block every positive action for the people and the planet. A Republican Party fully in control that now strives to make America and its citizenry meaner, sicker, poorer, and more ignorant.
So, if we are talking about political national legacies here, it is today's GOP and its do-harm actions that will go down in history as one of the most highly destructive forces for our democratic government, country, and its people.
“The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice.” (Martin Luther King, Jr.)
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After reading your comment, I wanted to thank you for summing up the facts and presenting them as you have. Many people will, of course, disagree with these facts, but you have expressed them honestly and truthfully. Unfortunately, only time will prove these facts. Trump's promise to dismantle Obama's accomplishments will place most people in our country on the losing end, especially those in greatest need. Those who need help most have taken a stand against improvements made by the Obama administration (e.g. the Affordable Care Act) by voting for Trump and bringing about his election. I try to understand their reasoning, but can't rationalize it. Possibly, because I keep looking ahead rather than at just the here and now. The people struggling the hardest came by their increased hardships through the disastrous presidency of George W. Bush. But it's hard for people hurting the most to see anything but the "now." In a few years it will be all too clear for them...for all of us.
1
I have been asking associates at every level of the economic spectrum if they know any of these supposed "angry white men". None of them do. It's a fabrication ramped up by the hate-anger-fear-war-lies cabal to try to sow chaos.
There are men who are angry, loud and belligerent all right- especially when they are drunk and drugged up.
Right now it's the Women - over one-half the population of America and the world - who are angry as hell but you won't hear them ranting and raving. Women take action and they are doing it right now to stop this travesty to democracy.
There are men who are angry, loud and belligerent all right- especially when they are drunk and drugged up.
Right now it's the Women - over one-half the population of America and the world - who are angry as hell but you won't hear them ranting and raving. Women take action and they are doing it right now to stop this travesty to democracy.
'A Republican Party fully in control that now strives to make America and its citizenry meaner, sicker, poorer, and more ignorant. '
Hyperbole - the best thing ever!
Hyperbole - the best thing ever!
The difficulties and disappointments Obama faced were, I think, the result of many who started out as Democrats realizing that the Democratic Party was as much a part of the uncaring elite as the worst Republicans, that what we have seen over the past eight years is the wealthiest and most powerful fighting over exploitation rights to the rest of us.
To me that explains why Hillary Clinton faced an uphill battle and why Bernie Sanders almost made it. It also explains Trump who, though he is the candidate of the Republican Party, has presented himself as fundamentally not a member of the party or the ruling elite.
People want change and a return to economic fairness. Obama offered that hope but thanks as much to his party as the opposition, came across as being part of the problem, unable to deliver what he promised.
The fact that Republicans now control so much of the government shows -- like it or not -- that many voters have been convinced that government is the problem, especially where the government seems to serve only the special interest of the elites.
To me that explains why Hillary Clinton faced an uphill battle and why Bernie Sanders almost made it. It also explains Trump who, though he is the candidate of the Republican Party, has presented himself as fundamentally not a member of the party or the ruling elite.
People want change and a return to economic fairness. Obama offered that hope but thanks as much to his party as the opposition, came across as being part of the problem, unable to deliver what he promised.
The fact that Republicans now control so much of the government shows -- like it or not -- that many voters have been convinced that government is the problem, especially where the government seems to serve only the special interest of the elites.
2
Unfortunately, Leonhardt is somewhat correct. Obama did push this country much further toward European socialism than any Democrat since FDR. But he certainly wasn't more successful than Bill Clinton who created 22 million jobs (most of any President), balanced the budget and reformed welfare.
But that push left is one of the main reasons that Hillary lost - especially in the mid-west whose vision for the country is a bit more fiscally conservative than liberals would prefer. Consider that Republicans came within 1% of winning MN - home of Hubert Humphrey.
As to whether the changes that Obama pushed will prove durable, time will tell. His push on climate change and immigration are probably the most tenuous because they were implemented via regulation and Executive Orders. And on education, his ideas for reform were pretty consistent with Republicans anyway.
The big one is clearly Obamacare - and Leonhardt is somewhat right that it's tough to take something away from someone after they have it. On the other hand, the average Exchange beneficiary has an income about 160% of the poverty limit - about $25,000. Most Medicaid recipients are in blue states. Not sure too many people who fit this description were going to vote for Republicans anyway. In any event, you'll likely get something that gives people something with more options and less regulation than Obamacare.
But that push left is one of the main reasons that Hillary lost - especially in the mid-west whose vision for the country is a bit more fiscally conservative than liberals would prefer. Consider that Republicans came within 1% of winning MN - home of Hubert Humphrey.
As to whether the changes that Obama pushed will prove durable, time will tell. His push on climate change and immigration are probably the most tenuous because they were implemented via regulation and Executive Orders. And on education, his ideas for reform were pretty consistent with Republicans anyway.
The big one is clearly Obamacare - and Leonhardt is somewhat right that it's tough to take something away from someone after they have it. On the other hand, the average Exchange beneficiary has an income about 160% of the poverty limit - about $25,000. Most Medicaid recipients are in blue states. Not sure too many people who fit this description were going to vote for Republicans anyway. In any event, you'll likely get something that gives people something with more options and less regulation than Obamacare.
13
" especially in the mid-west whose vision for the country is a bit more fiscally conservative than liberals would prefer..."
Fiscally conservative?! They live off the largesse of the coastal elites. Their economies devastated by their "fiscal conservatism" that steals from government and gives to the rich, while leaving the poor barefoot and not pregnant enough.
Laughable, if not for the fact that we still have to support them and their fiscal conservatism that doesn't pay the bills and runs up our national debt.
Fiscally conservative?! They live off the largesse of the coastal elites. Their economies devastated by their "fiscal conservatism" that steals from government and gives to the rich, while leaving the poor barefoot and not pregnant enough.
Laughable, if not for the fact that we still have to support them and their fiscal conservatism that doesn't pay the bills and runs up our national debt.
"Something that gives people something." Not for you to worry about, apparently. It must be nice to be able to afford cadillac health insurance at U.S. prices. Who gives a blank about "options" in health insurance? Only one kind of health insurance is needed: Insurance that keeps people well and allows them to live out their natural lives, and that's what Obamacare and "single payer" Medicare enable. Even the VA provides excellent care and access when it's adequately funded.
This is why the GOP is unable to come up with "something" better than Obamacare (and everyone knows they have absolutely no more intention of doing so). There isn't anything, except European-style single payer or regulated insurance as in Switzerland.
Unfortunately, that is the extent of Obama's "socialism." Health and college costs are still soaring through the roof and housing costs often require more than 50 percent of a worker's income. Wall Street is still unregulated and the wealthiest have the lowest tax burden since WWII. Free Plunder has caused more environmental damage than all of human history prior to 1990. Greenhouse gases are still unregulated, and we're building yet more pipelines for oil and gas companies (what's wrong with the existing ones?). Who didn't get bailed out after Obama took office?
The only thing that would fix America is a lot more socialism for the people who actually need it.
This is why the GOP is unable to come up with "something" better than Obamacare (and everyone knows they have absolutely no more intention of doing so). There isn't anything, except European-style single payer or regulated insurance as in Switzerland.
Unfortunately, that is the extent of Obama's "socialism." Health and college costs are still soaring through the roof and housing costs often require more than 50 percent of a worker's income. Wall Street is still unregulated and the wealthiest have the lowest tax burden since WWII. Free Plunder has caused more environmental damage than all of human history prior to 1990. Greenhouse gases are still unregulated, and we're building yet more pipelines for oil and gas companies (what's wrong with the existing ones?). Who didn't get bailed out after Obama took office?
The only thing that would fix America is a lot more socialism for the people who actually need it.
1
Your statement that most medicaid recipients are in blue states contradicts what I have read. Do you have a source that documents this statement?
I think there are two overriding criteria for presidential performance:
1) Were material conditions for most Americans better or worse at the end of a presidency than at its outset?
2) Through exertion of power and personal/national example, how well did the country emulate and propagate its highest ideals during a presidency?
Obama scores very highly on both points, short of FDR but comparable to TR, Truman, Eisenhower and Reagan--probably the four next most effective presidents since Lincoln.
In a less divided time, his attributes and accomplishments would be more widely understood and celebrated. As it is, I suspect the frenzied opposition to him will fade over the years--much as Democrats (myself included) now have a fuller appreciation for Reagan's performance, and even many conservatives claim admiration for and solidarity with Dr. King.
Obama's advisor and confidante David Axelrod has observed that victorious presidential candidates tend to emerge as the opposite of their predecessor. We're about to see that borne out in the most vivid and, unfortunately, consequential sense.
1) Were material conditions for most Americans better or worse at the end of a presidency than at its outset?
2) Through exertion of power and personal/national example, how well did the country emulate and propagate its highest ideals during a presidency?
Obama scores very highly on both points, short of FDR but comparable to TR, Truman, Eisenhower and Reagan--probably the four next most effective presidents since Lincoln.
In a less divided time, his attributes and accomplishments would be more widely understood and celebrated. As it is, I suspect the frenzied opposition to him will fade over the years--much as Democrats (myself included) now have a fuller appreciation for Reagan's performance, and even many conservatives claim admiration for and solidarity with Dr. King.
Obama's advisor and confidante David Axelrod has observed that victorious presidential candidates tend to emerge as the opposite of their predecessor. We're about to see that borne out in the most vivid and, unfortunately, consequential sense.
4
In terms of legacy, setting the standard at F.D.R. is a pretty high benchmark. The man served 12 years in Office, appointed 8 Supreme Court justices, pushed The New Deal through Congress, fought two global wars to total victory at the same time, and effectively named his successor. Even to advocates, Ronald Reagan looks like a sad wilted flower by comparison. The man got shot and took credit for Gorbachev ending the Cold War. Those are the most positive things I can say.
All the same, I'm struggling to find a unified definition for President Obama's vision. The best I could come up with is:
1) Prevent economic catastrophe.
2) End massive U.S. military intervention.
3) Implement such policies in a holistic, inclusive, and humanistic way.
By that measure, I suppose you could register Obama's Presidency as a partial success. Our military intervention is no longer massive but also not ended. The economy has recovered but also passed many people over. Obamacare approaches universal coverage but also left income gaps and market disparities. The bailout saved banks and auto industries but also left homeowners on the street. There's a pattern in here somewhere. I'm not sure it qualifies as trajectory altering though.
I'm concerned G.W.B. had a more lasting legacy by mistake than Obama did through willful intention.
All the same, I'm struggling to find a unified definition for President Obama's vision. The best I could come up with is:
1) Prevent economic catastrophe.
2) End massive U.S. military intervention.
3) Implement such policies in a holistic, inclusive, and humanistic way.
By that measure, I suppose you could register Obama's Presidency as a partial success. Our military intervention is no longer massive but also not ended. The economy has recovered but also passed many people over. Obamacare approaches universal coverage but also left income gaps and market disparities. The bailout saved banks and auto industries but also left homeowners on the street. There's a pattern in here somewhere. I'm not sure it qualifies as trajectory altering though.
I'm concerned G.W.B. had a more lasting legacy by mistake than Obama did through willful intention.
77
I agree with you up to Obama's accomplishments. I struggle to find any at all.
1
Well, as a homeowner who was able to refinance with good terms twice under Obama's HARP program, I'm not sure I would say he entirely left homeowners on the street.
1
Barack Obama is indeed he most "successful" president of the left since FDR.
Obama established the precedent of presidential rule by decree through a bureaucracy freely rewriting the laws of Congress to impose record setting regulation, while granting thousands of dispensations from having to follow the law to political supporters.
Obama directly took over the health insurance industry and indirectly the fifth of the economy that industry pays for. Obamacare has made individual health insurance unaffordable for all by the most taxpayer subsidized and has plunged what is left of the market into a death spiral.
Like FDR, Obama turned the recession ending in the beginning of his first year into a long term economic depression (a recession without a recovery) or, as progressive economists like to call it - secular stagnation. Post-recession GDP growth is about 1/3 of a normal recovery and lower than post-recession GDP growth during the Great Depression. As a result, job growth has fallen behind population growth and the percentage of Americans with any work has fallen relentlessly to levels unseen since women worked at home. The percentage of men with full time work is the lowest since they started keeping stats. Only a little over a third of Millennials have full time work and, as a group, they make 20% less than their parents at the same age.
In sum, Obama created a progressive paradise.
Obama established the precedent of presidential rule by decree through a bureaucracy freely rewriting the laws of Congress to impose record setting regulation, while granting thousands of dispensations from having to follow the law to political supporters.
Obama directly took over the health insurance industry and indirectly the fifth of the economy that industry pays for. Obamacare has made individual health insurance unaffordable for all by the most taxpayer subsidized and has plunged what is left of the market into a death spiral.
Like FDR, Obama turned the recession ending in the beginning of his first year into a long term economic depression (a recession without a recovery) or, as progressive economists like to call it - secular stagnation. Post-recession GDP growth is about 1/3 of a normal recovery and lower than post-recession GDP growth during the Great Depression. As a result, job growth has fallen behind population growth and the percentage of Americans with any work has fallen relentlessly to levels unseen since women worked at home. The percentage of men with full time work is the lowest since they started keeping stats. Only a little over a third of Millennials have full time work and, as a group, they make 20% less than their parents at the same age.
In sum, Obama created a progressive paradise.
1
We were unable to get rid of conservatism in America. We are still a low tax low spend nation no matter how much denial comes from the right.
There a re many positives and negatives in any presidency based on where one's political sway is. But to deny that Obama helped the country through a very difficult economic period, one of the worst since the depression is not to give due credit. With 8.5 million jobs created, no new wars, domestic energy production at an all time high, the ACA, a start to address climate change, and not to mention a class by both the President and the First Lady. Trump doesn't even come close. We have a narcissistic buffoon who has no class, despite Americans infatuation with the wealthy, who I find in my many years on this planet has nothing to do with class. Class comes form character and understanding and taking the time to understand the world around you. Trump is none of this. He still hasn't released his tax forms and it doesn't look like he every will. His cabinet looks like the actors from the movie "A Country For Old Men". There is no future with Trump. Only the present, without vision for the whole country, but only for the elite class, the class that so many average Americans supposedly loathe. What a hypocratic time we live in.
3
As George Will said a few years back"Pres. Obama talks a lot but says little"
That has not changed with time. Also ask former Pres.Bill Clinton what he thinks of Pres. Obama.
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That has not changed with time. Also ask former Pres.Bill Clinton what he thinks of Pres. Obama.
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4
The 'most successful' Democrat that has overseen the loss of over 1,000 seats nationally......
I doubt Pelosi and Schumer are saying thankyou....
I doubt Pelosi and Schumer are saying thankyou....
6
I reckon if the NYT wants to lie they might as well make it a whopper.
Barack Obama was a complete incompetent. All of his various mistakes, errors, and Unconstitutional acts are going to be undone and speedily.
Barry was a total failure. Lying about it won't bring a dem House, a dem Senate, or a dem President. You sycophants in the propaganda media can lie to yourselves all you want. But the proof is in the pudding and the pudding says repub House, repub Senate, repub President, and back to a repub Supreme Court. If that is what constitutes democrat party success keep it coming.
Barack Obama was a complete incompetent. All of his various mistakes, errors, and Unconstitutional acts are going to be undone and speedily.
Barry was a total failure. Lying about it won't bring a dem House, a dem Senate, or a dem President. You sycophants in the propaganda media can lie to yourselves all you want. But the proof is in the pudding and the pudding says repub House, repub Senate, repub President, and back to a repub Supreme Court. If that is what constitutes democrat party success keep it coming.
4
Please do not refer to our outgoing president as "Barry." It makes your points lose any punch they may have had. There is very little this president did that history will judge as "unconstitutional"-- unless your experts are the Hannitys of the world. Finally, the Trump presidency is rightfully questioned by smart citizens of both parties, and even if it goes forward, it will always have an asterisk next to it. (I am not an Obama fan and feel this article was an exaggeration of his presidency, but facts are facts.)
Obama was the most divisive president in history. Of course that has nothing to do with how racist WE are, HE was divisive. Obama was the cause of Trump. Of course that has nothing to do with who WE voted in as president HE caused it.
3
In the beginning, Obama tried to work with Republicans. He reached out, called meetings--even famously once brought cookies to Capitol Hill! The response? Mitch McConnell and other Republican leaders vowing that he would be a one-term president, and refusing to work with him in any way, shape or form. As time went on, Obama accepted this status quo and implemented his agenda in the ways he could, including by executive order.
How, exactly, does any of this make Obama divisive? And I'm not the one who brought up racism.
How, exactly, does any of this make Obama divisive? And I'm not the one who brought up racism.
With all due respect to Mr. Leonhardt, it is way too early to judge how, or even if, Barack Obama's presidency will change the trajectory of American politics. Quite frankly, except for the fact that as a Democratic president he rammed through a Republican health care plan, I doubt that it will.
Mr. Obama's foreign policy was muddled at best, but the biggest blot on his record for me is his choice to allow the Wall Street criminals whose criminal acts wrecked the economy in 2008 to simply continue as if nothing had happened, even issuing obscenely large bonuses from bailout money. Eric Holder's Justice Department was a joke when it came to white-collar crime.
As a lifelong liberal Democrat, I would never mention Barack Obama and F.D.R. in the same breath. The comparisons simply doesn't stand up to even a little scrutiny.
Mr. Obama's foreign policy was muddled at best, but the biggest blot on his record for me is his choice to allow the Wall Street criminals whose criminal acts wrecked the economy in 2008 to simply continue as if nothing had happened, even issuing obscenely large bonuses from bailout money. Eric Holder's Justice Department was a joke when it came to white-collar crime.
As a lifelong liberal Democrat, I would never mention Barack Obama and F.D.R. in the same breath. The comparisons simply doesn't stand up to even a little scrutiny.
3
Mr. Leonhardt forgets that Pres. Obama was forced into supporting gay right before his second campaign. Thank heavens the American people told him " no gay rights, no election funds".
2
In 50 years, I think that Obama will be fondly remembered for being the first non-white president but probably not much else. George W. Bush handed Obama an absolute mess of a situation, and Obama handled the two biggest problems -- the economy and the wars -- adequately but not superbly. Obama avoided economic disaster, but his progressive mindset lead to over 600 "major" regulations (defined as costing over $100m each), which helped tax the economy into a slow growth rut. And, on Middle East policy, mistakes were made regarding ISIS, Syria, and Libya. On social issues, Obama overplayed his hand in implementing progressive policies and caused a backlash that is likely to undo many of those policies. All-in-all, calling Obama the "most successful president since FDR" is a bit of a reach, especially since Obama is leaving his party in as weak a position as it's been in many decades. Bill Clinton was easily a more impactful president.
1
Yet, despite those regulations, most corporate profits were fairly robust once the economy turned around in 2010. Could the oil glut and its effect on that sector have had something to do with that slower growth? Could the continuing wage stagnation, distribution of wealth upwards and the GOP refusal to up the minimum wage have dampened stronger growth? Are we supposed to scrap environmental regulations so the buggy whip coal industry can limp along for awhile longer, especially since natural gas and alternative energies are the future? Please to illuminate regarding those "major regulations".
Wishful thinking. Somehow you ignore the 95 million Americans out of the work force and the record number of Americans on food stamps. His ACA "accomplishment" was built on falsehoods and as Gruber pointed out the "stupidity" of the American voter. Further it's never disclosed how many of the 23 million are people who lost their plans due to ACA are are not "net" new insureds. Finally, for my money, the most relevant measure should be the position of your party post election. This is the only measure which indicates broad based support of your programs and policies. On this measure, Mr O is a weak president.
3
Let's see... Killed Osama, cut the unemployment by half, saved us from the Bush depression, got 20 million more people health care. I'd call that a success.
History will reflect favorably on the Obama Presidency and in particular his leadership. It will not reflect well on the opposition. If President Obama, the first American of color elected to the office had been the failure his opposition critics say he has been, they would have lined up to wish him a fond farewell at the end of his first term. But instead of caving in the face of extraordinary challenges, a deeply wounded economy, an out of control health care crisis threatening to absorb half of GDP by mid-century, a destabilized Middle East chewing up America's soldiers and wealth and the expanding threat of an organized terrorism, he demonstrated character, intelligence, the capacity to learn, take advice and make cogent well considered decisions. Nothing has infuriated his opponents more than his success. In terms of legacy his successor, a man of willful ignorance and hubris, will do more to burnish and insure that legacy than anything the 115th congress can do to damage it.
12
Finally, someone who recognizes the enormous challenges Obama faced and dealt with, while the GOP sat on their hands taking a salary and doing NOTHING. This will be seen as America's best racist group in congress.
Those accomplishments that will survive to highlight Mr. Obama's legacy hardly, if at all, reach the threshold for consideration as the "Greatest Democrat" since... When they are all added together, they amount to the grand total of one. He was a first.
The first black to have been elected to that office. The first to neglect the power derived from using the bully-pulpit. The first to right the capsized ship-of-state to the benefit of those responsible for it being upside down and then launching lifeboats on the side of the ship opposite of that where all its passengers ended up. The first to leave office with the middle-East in worse and worsening shape than when he took office. The first to be elected on such high hopes for so many possibilities and to end his tenure with so many disappointments.
His list of firsts I haven't until now tried to compile but must certainly extend far beyond these! This poorly disguised attempt through citations of another's work to create an iconic legacy and guidepost for future Democratic administrations is both premature and a product of revisionism.
Mr. Obama was and presided over an impressive number of firsts, but that hardly meets the qualifications for inclusion in the catagory of those like FDR. It's this kind of misrepresentation that eventually gets labeled fake news. At least this one is correctly labeled: Opinion.
The first black to have been elected to that office. The first to neglect the power derived from using the bully-pulpit. The first to right the capsized ship-of-state to the benefit of those responsible for it being upside down and then launching lifeboats on the side of the ship opposite of that where all its passengers ended up. The first to leave office with the middle-East in worse and worsening shape than when he took office. The first to be elected on such high hopes for so many possibilities and to end his tenure with so many disappointments.
His list of firsts I haven't until now tried to compile but must certainly extend far beyond these! This poorly disguised attempt through citations of another's work to create an iconic legacy and guidepost for future Democratic administrations is both premature and a product of revisionism.
Mr. Obama was and presided over an impressive number of firsts, but that hardly meets the qualifications for inclusion in the catagory of those like FDR. It's this kind of misrepresentation that eventually gets labeled fake news. At least this one is correctly labeled: Opinion.
4
President Obama's achievements become herculean in the face of systemic obstruction by the Republicans of virtually everything he initiated. The "other side of the aisle" obstructed Obama legislation even when it was their idea for the legislation in the first place. For eight years, they preferred to sit back in their seats and yell, "You lie!" A rose is a rose is a rose. And that's putting it as nicely as it can be put.
13
The Left's denial continues. It's quite sad to see. Democrats lost to, literally, a clown. Yet we are told the fella that set it all up was a massive success. Human psychology is fascinating. What the mind can bend itself to believe - in direct contrast to reality - has no limits.
7
JR, that clown beat, soundly, the entire spectrum of Republican candidates from libertarian, ideological conservative, evangelical social conservative, and mainstream country club Republican. Republican voters favored Trumpian mendacity over any alternative Republican vision. What does that suggest about the dry well of Republican policies?
1
The writer is a little off on a few things.
Republicans have not accepted the terms of the debate on the ACA; they've accepted that even coal miners in West Virginia will vote Democratic if they lose the health care insurance the plan provides.
States are less tolerant of poorly performing schools, which translated from the conservative means less tolerant of teachers unions whom they blame for the poorly performing schools.
Syria was not a mistake. It is never a mistake when we do not have "boots on the ground" in the middle of a religious civil war.
Republicans have not accepted the terms of the debate on the ACA; they've accepted that even coal miners in West Virginia will vote Democratic if they lose the health care insurance the plan provides.
States are less tolerant of poorly performing schools, which translated from the conservative means less tolerant of teachers unions whom they blame for the poorly performing schools.
Syria was not a mistake. It is never a mistake when we do not have "boots on the ground" in the middle of a religious civil war.
5
If you really want to know how successful Obama has been, try to imagine what he could have accomplished if the GOP didn't truly, madly, deeply loathe the 99'9% and directed their energies to making the country safer, healthier and more secure all citizens.
Instead, they GOP during the Obama years will go down in history as the Republicans that set the stage for the US to fall into permanent decline and potentially collapse.
Instead, they GOP during the Obama years will go down in history as the Republicans that set the stage for the US to fall into permanent decline and potentially collapse.
36
If about 45% of the 99.9% appears to be somewhat conservative how is it you believe the Republican Party loathes it?
President Obama is a good man. But his tenure will be viewed as leading to the election of the first right-wing authoritarian president in American history. He made some cardinal mistakes, the most important of which was to privilege health-care reform over repairing the economy. If he had mustered the resources and political capital he had in the first year to put through a true Keynesian stimulus of three billion dollars to create good-paying jobs and infra-structure repair, he would have gotten businesses to invest and create many new jobs.
Instead, although the official employment rate has been halved since 2010, the labor participation rate has fallen from about 65 per cent to about 62.6 per cent in November 2016! This has been caused primarily by working-age people leaving the labor force.
The disappearance of millions of good-paying jobs has led people to overwork as they struggle to make ends meet on low hourly pay rates. The legitimacy of the existing order has been undermined by increasing inequality, by a government bailout of the largest banks at taxpayer expense, and by a recovery that failed to create new jobs.
Although President Obama leaves office as a popular president, the future looks grim.
Instead, although the official employment rate has been halved since 2010, the labor participation rate has fallen from about 65 per cent to about 62.6 per cent in November 2016! This has been caused primarily by working-age people leaving the labor force.
The disappearance of millions of good-paying jobs has led people to overwork as they struggle to make ends meet on low hourly pay rates. The legitimacy of the existing order has been undermined by increasing inequality, by a government bailout of the largest banks at taxpayer expense, and by a recovery that failed to create new jobs.
Although President Obama leaves office as a popular president, the future looks grim.
7
"He made some cardinal mistakes, the most important of which was to privilege health-care reform over repairing the economy."
Actually, expanding healthcare to more people WAS part of repairing the economy. It is amazing to me that people don't seem to recall that before Obamacare, individuals were going bankrupt or losing their houses because they got sick between jobs. Knowing that you have a safety net on healthcare allows job mobility, allows people to get retained for new jobs etc.
I agree with some other people that if the GOP had actually shown any interest in helping their constituents rather than refusing Obama any victories, the already substantial economic gains under Obama would have been even greater. I also think that if his policies had been allowed to continue, the inequality gap would have continued to shrink. It is a sad truth that the people who voted for Trump and a GOP congress would have benefited more economically from Clinton. But, many voted to stop cultural change (immigration, LGBT rights etc) and it will cost them economically.
Actually, expanding healthcare to more people WAS part of repairing the economy. It is amazing to me that people don't seem to recall that before Obamacare, individuals were going bankrupt or losing their houses because they got sick between jobs. Knowing that you have a safety net on healthcare allows job mobility, allows people to get retained for new jobs etc.
I agree with some other people that if the GOP had actually shown any interest in helping their constituents rather than refusing Obama any victories, the already substantial economic gains under Obama would have been even greater. I also think that if his policies had been allowed to continue, the inequality gap would have continued to shrink. It is a sad truth that the people who voted for Trump and a GOP congress would have benefited more economically from Clinton. But, many voted to stop cultural change (immigration, LGBT rights etc) and it will cost them economically.
3
President Obama will be remembered as a man who had good intentions...
Please do not pretend that President Obama's administration did not push forward a stimulus package. We know what happened.
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I hate to be too big of an Obama apologist, but Syria was not a complete mistake. There are many paths that he could have taken that would have been worse than the one he took. We could have troops on the ground and no apparent way out of what is a full blown civil war. I have yet to hear any politician put out a plan that would help the situation and that would be signed on by any of the combatants. No fly zones and safe harbors for dislocated people sound great, but the only way they work is if most of the parties agree the respect them.
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No, but Libya was a complete mistake. At least Obama has regrets about deposing Qaddafi, which is more than one can say about Hillary Clinton.
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In making a case for LBJ, I do not intend to diminish President Obama who will remain "my President" for some time. The Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Voting Rights Act of 1965, Medicare, even the War on Poverty put him up with FDR on domestic affairs. LBJ did not create the Vietnam War. He became entrapped by it courtesy of cold war hardliners inherited from JFK. Even before JFK, Ike and HST have complicity in the origins of the Vietnam War. The question is how far will Trump and the Republican Congress set us back. Will Social Security, Medicare, the civil rights legislation, Obamacare, even NATO and the European Union have to be recreated - not to mention environmental protection, product safety, safety in the workplace, etc. Clinton was a phony, though I think Hillary would have been better on policy if not on public relations. Bill Clinton did try hard on the two state solution for Israel and the Palestinians. I'll give him that. Reagan was a major president because he served two terms, furthered the trashing of liberalism - all those "welfare Queens" he stigmatized. In real life I think there was one. He gave an "aw shucks what a nice guy" cover to the bigotry of the Republican southern strategy. Reagan did not - Joshua-like cause the wall to come tumbling down. Germans and others behind the Iron Curtain (mixed metaphor) did.
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First,with due respect to Mr. Hudson's well researched comment,it must be realized that no one forced LBJ's hand on VN, it was his choice, which he later came to regret, to widen the war in s.e.Asia in order not to be blamed as first c-in-c to lose the region to communism. He had the choice to listen to the counsel of George Ball and others not to be become mired in an unwinnable war, or to the hawkish views of the BUNDY BROS.,ROSTOWS and Gen.Westmoreland who convinced LBJ war was winnable. He chose the latter. When Ike was asked to succeed the French in Indochina following defeat at Dien Bien Phu in 1954 and tempted to do so, his sec. of state , Foster Dulles, advised him wisely and well, "negative."Ike complied. Leonhardt is guilty of wishful thinking. "Loin des yeux, loin du coeur,"goes an old Sylvie Vartan song. Once out of public spotlight, O will become a relic, like other ex presidents. Ford, barely months after his defeat in 1976, held a press conference, but not one reporter showed up."As late Gen Salan would say if he were here today --Salan was once c-in-c of French Forces in Indochina--"c 'est ainsi!"
What a bizarre column. Obama had laudable goals, and even a laudable achievement in the ACA, but otherwise was able to do little in the face of partisan Republican opposition. The ACA is likely to be destroyed. Big banks are bigger and stronger than ever and inequality continues to increase.
If liberals and Democrats do want to return to power and actually change the course of the country in a positive direction they need to face reality instead of living in a delusional world where everything their candidates do is right and successful. This will take rethinking of party goals and organization.
If liberals and Democrats do want to return to power and actually change the course of the country in a positive direction they need to face reality instead of living in a delusional world where everything their candidates do is right and successful. This will take rethinking of party goals and organization.
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Agreed. In the final analysis, President Barack Obama was an inexperienced centrist not equipped to play the hard politics of standing up to corporate influence, neo-con militarists, or the organized resistance of the extreme right, too often preferring the path of least resistance. His policies, more often than not, are superficial bandaids that make better publicity than they do progress. His staff choices, people like Rahm Emmanuel, David Petraeus, Janet Yellen, John Kerry, and Hillary Clinton reveal his conservative corporatist leanings as does his vocal defense of American exceptionalism – of empire. Though he is likeable and quick on his feet, an ideal talk show host, he has been a weak often indecisive leader in tough times. His legacy of codifying drone assassination, of expanding the powers of the Presidencey, of solidifying corporate power, the growth of an intrusive National Security State and the poisoned earth left by fracking will continue to haunt us for the foreseeable future.
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Dear skepto:
Democrats do not to "rethink" their goals. That is code for changing their views for the temporary achievement of winning power. What Democrats should do is stay the course. People who voted against Hillary or did not come out to vote for her did so because they bought the snake oil. They are on the wrong side of history, which is commonplace. Many of the most progressive pieces of legislation was passed with the majority being against. Our leaders are suppose to be forward thinking and must lead, that is their job. Eventually the people catch on because for the most part they are ignorant prejudice and filled with superstition. Democrats need to remain at the vanguard of change and will have to wait for the people to catch up to them.
DD
Manhattan
Democrats do not to "rethink" their goals. That is code for changing their views for the temporary achievement of winning power. What Democrats should do is stay the course. People who voted against Hillary or did not come out to vote for her did so because they bought the snake oil. They are on the wrong side of history, which is commonplace. Many of the most progressive pieces of legislation was passed with the majority being against. Our leaders are suppose to be forward thinking and must lead, that is their job. Eventually the people catch on because for the most part they are ignorant prejudice and filled with superstition. Democrats need to remain at the vanguard of change and will have to wait for the people to catch up to them.
DD
Manhattan
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I do not think the democrats can be strong again any time soon. The racism of whites against everyone else in the states of the Confederacy and now revealed in the midwest, is just too strong. Foolish people in these regions have voted in a trifecta of GOP who will destroy FDR and LBJ's legacy, and will overturn the ACA- which while not "legacy" worthy, was at least a start. These people are too dumb to realize that it is the democratic party that at least aspires to serve We the (real) People. We who will be left with nothing, when the GOP finishes the years ahead.
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Just like in my US history class back in high school, these questions are meaningless because the criteria haven't been spelled out. What's a "successful" president? One who was politically popular when he left office (the criterion used to exclude Truman)? One who did consequential things (so not Clinton)? One who didn't pursue policies Democrats find morally repugnant (so not Johnson, withe the Vietnam war, or Clinton, with welfare reform)? Note that FDR would fail the last of these.
Does a successful president have to create a lasting legacy? What if the president's legacy would have been lasting, except for political events outside of his control? Many of Obama's policies will be reversed, but they might not have been had Clinton not lost to a world-historically bad candidate. He also can't be faulted for not giving sufficient support in campaigning for her.
Also, how much should we sweat the small stuff, or how should we decide what's small? All these people claiming that Obama was a genuinely morally decent president probably don't mean to defend giving up on Guantanamo or large-scale drone strikes, sometimes in circumvention of due process against American citizens. Maybe those were just imperfections on Obama's otherwise decent presidency. But why think that? I mean, these are pretty serious moral failings, Guantanamo of our nation and targeted civilian killings of the men like Obama who order them.
Does a successful president have to create a lasting legacy? What if the president's legacy would have been lasting, except for political events outside of his control? Many of Obama's policies will be reversed, but they might not have been had Clinton not lost to a world-historically bad candidate. He also can't be faulted for not giving sufficient support in campaigning for her.
Also, how much should we sweat the small stuff, or how should we decide what's small? All these people claiming that Obama was a genuinely morally decent president probably don't mean to defend giving up on Guantanamo or large-scale drone strikes, sometimes in circumvention of due process against American citizens. Maybe those were just imperfections on Obama's otherwise decent presidency. But why think that? I mean, these are pretty serious moral failings, Guantanamo of our nation and targeted civilian killings of the men like Obama who order them.
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I suggest that the jury should still be out on targeted killings. I don't like them either, but then I'm not in favor of non-targeted killings--that is, large scale open combat. I prefer assassination of Bad Guys at any level, including presidents and prime ministers, over mass combats in which whole societies and job lots of generally innocent people are killed. That includes the uniformed troops on any/all sides, who march into the meat grinder at the bidding of VIPs.
David clearly spent his MLK Day in CO, sampling the new products.
The most successful Dem since FDR was Bill Clinton, because he was the most accomplished and natural pure politician of the 20th Century – even better than LBJ. Now, I’ll admit that Obama wasn’t the LEAST successful Dem since FDR – that honor is reserved for Jimmy Carter – but he comes close. And the reason was that he was the LEAST accomplished and natural pure politician of the 20th Century (even less one than Carter, not an easy lift).
Yet whose fault was this? If you want a competent nose job, you don’t hire a podiatrist to do it. We did. Twice.
Americans applaud audacity because we love winners who dare greatly. But you’d better win. While we love our underdogs, it’s really underdogs who WIN whom we love. There are none for whom we hold greater contempt than those whose reach exceeded their grasp, yet they reached anyway … and lost.
It’s true that erasing the ACA and Dodd-Frank will not be trivial exercises, but nobody seriously suggests that it won’t happen but knee-jerk apologists for the notion eight years ago that we had priorities worth polarizing us so, destroying our political civility so, and so distracting Obama from his REAL historical challenge (other than the obvious one): rebuilding our economy quickly and solidly, instead of consuming ALL his political capital on other priorities … and ultimately losing.
It’s not so much how you define the word “is” as how you define having a clue.
The most successful Dem since FDR was Bill Clinton, because he was the most accomplished and natural pure politician of the 20th Century – even better than LBJ. Now, I’ll admit that Obama wasn’t the LEAST successful Dem since FDR – that honor is reserved for Jimmy Carter – but he comes close. And the reason was that he was the LEAST accomplished and natural pure politician of the 20th Century (even less one than Carter, not an easy lift).
Yet whose fault was this? If you want a competent nose job, you don’t hire a podiatrist to do it. We did. Twice.
Americans applaud audacity because we love winners who dare greatly. But you’d better win. While we love our underdogs, it’s really underdogs who WIN whom we love. There are none for whom we hold greater contempt than those whose reach exceeded their grasp, yet they reached anyway … and lost.
It’s true that erasing the ACA and Dodd-Frank will not be trivial exercises, but nobody seriously suggests that it won’t happen but knee-jerk apologists for the notion eight years ago that we had priorities worth polarizing us so, destroying our political civility so, and so distracting Obama from his REAL historical challenge (other than the obvious one): rebuilding our economy quickly and solidly, instead of consuming ALL his political capital on other priorities … and ultimately losing.
It’s not so much how you define the word “is” as how you define having a clue.
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"If you want a competent nose job, you don’t hire a podiatrist to do it. We did. Twice."
You just undermined your months-long case for hiring trump.
You just undermined your months-long case for hiring trump.
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Given your track record as a defender of Donald Trump, Richard, it requires considerable gall for you to label someone else as 'clueless.' You dismiss the substantial achievements of President Obama but project a successful term for a man who won the Oval Office by waging the most divisive campaign in modern political history.
Skilled dealmakers don't bargain by insulting and alienating people and groups whose support, or at least acquiescence, they will need to ensure the success of their negotiations. Trump, on a daily basis, slanders anyone who does not praise or genuflect before him. He relishes the reaction of his opponents to the selection of advisers who represent interests and values abhorred by them.
In this country, a successful politician does not achieve his goals by trying to crush his opponents. Even FDR, in his second term, suffered a major defeat when he attempted to override opposition to the New Deal by plotting to pack the Supreme Court. Trump will soon enough learn that governing this country differs dramatically from running his company.
Skilled dealmakers don't bargain by insulting and alienating people and groups whose support, or at least acquiescence, they will need to ensure the success of their negotiations. Trump, on a daily basis, slanders anyone who does not praise or genuflect before him. He relishes the reaction of his opponents to the selection of advisers who represent interests and values abhorred by them.
In this country, a successful politician does not achieve his goals by trying to crush his opponents. Even FDR, in his second term, suffered a major defeat when he attempted to override opposition to the New Deal by plotting to pack the Supreme Court. Trump will soon enough learn that governing this country differs dramatically from running his company.
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Trump wins on lack of experience. His cabinet as well. Any other criteria?
Kinda like saying "most lethal disease since the plague".
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One of the benefits of Democratic identity politics is that it gives us numerous market segments against which to measure success.
Even when judging his legacy, Liberal writers will grade Obama on the curve.
JFK was the first Catholic. No Jewish POTUS yet.
Who was the first POTUS with a beard? What about the first POTUS with a Body Mass Index above 30?
Even when judging his legacy, Liberal writers will grade Obama on the curve.
JFK was the first Catholic. No Jewish POTUS yet.
Who was the first POTUS with a beard? What about the first POTUS with a Body Mass Index above 30?
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Another delusional lib journalist. Obama completely destroyed Democrats. Maybe you should check the numbers.
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The numbers show Obama and his policies receive high support from the public. They show unemployment down and wages up, and we are no longer dependent on foreign oil. Troops deployed overseas are way down, and he started no new wars. The numbers are on his side.
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You mean the numbers like the 3 million votes by which voters chose Hillary Clinton over Donald Trump?
There's a philosophy among people who work for progressive social change:"It's not about each individual battle; it's asbout the war."
Progress is never linear. It's one step forward, two steps back thre steps forward, one step back, etc. MLK understood this.
Yes, we "delusional libs" have suffered a setback, but only if you just look at the raw numbers of elected officials. But there are other parameters that are indicators of success/failure, which perhaps you are too simplistic to understand.
(It's hard to take you seriously as disparage us a "delusional libs"; not all democrats are liberals, and calling us "libs" is juvenile (and not conducive to meaningful discourse).
Have you been reading the news? (The real stuff, not Faux News.) The Republicans in Congress are now realizing that the ACA won't be so easy to "repeal," and the fact that they've never had a viable replacement has been exposed. People who hated it but never understood it are now realizing that they need it to survive.
Gay marriage? Yeah try repealing that.
Racial divisiveness: The fomenting hatred and bigotry of so many people on "your side" has been laid bare; it may be temporarily "acceptable" under Trump, but there will be a backlash against the Whitelash.
Trump has already undermined America's standing around the world; those chickens will soon come home to roost.
Many thoughtful people will come to appreciate Pres Obama only in retrospect. But close-minded people will be shunted aside.
Progress is never linear. It's one step forward, two steps back thre steps forward, one step back, etc. MLK understood this.
Yes, we "delusional libs" have suffered a setback, but only if you just look at the raw numbers of elected officials. But there are other parameters that are indicators of success/failure, which perhaps you are too simplistic to understand.
(It's hard to take you seriously as disparage us a "delusional libs"; not all democrats are liberals, and calling us "libs" is juvenile (and not conducive to meaningful discourse).
Have you been reading the news? (The real stuff, not Faux News.) The Republicans in Congress are now realizing that the ACA won't be so easy to "repeal," and the fact that they've never had a viable replacement has been exposed. People who hated it but never understood it are now realizing that they need it to survive.
Gay marriage? Yeah try repealing that.
Racial divisiveness: The fomenting hatred and bigotry of so many people on "your side" has been laid bare; it may be temporarily "acceptable" under Trump, but there will be a backlash against the Whitelash.
Trump has already undermined America's standing around the world; those chickens will soon come home to roost.
Many thoughtful people will come to appreciate Pres Obama only in retrospect. But close-minded people will be shunted aside.
How refreshing to have an actual grown up in the white house for the last 8 years. I don't think anyone came into office under more dire circumstances since FDR; and his burden was economic void of military conflict until later in his presidency. AT times Obama appeared to progressive for my particular test but this has been tempered by his sensible approach to issues such as health care that built on existing systems unlike the unrealistic total overhaul proposed by HRC in the early 90's. Obama egregiously misspoke by advocating regime change in the mid-east as opposed to just protecting american interests. However the grownup in him didnt allow himself to be boxed in by his misspoken words as he has limited our involvement; and probably has done far more to combat terrorism than he is given credit for. HE WILL BE MISSED.
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Clemencies down, deportations up, arms sales up, active military bases/spec.ops over 70% of the world, up, globes largest fossil fuel exporter 2013, healthcare costs up, poverty up 20% from 2007 to 2014, big gains in wealth disparity, fiascos Ukraine, Libya, and Syria; David, in what world do you live in?
His biggest thing, though,by choosing his successor and denying an honest Democratic primary: "sixteen years of progressive rule" (Obama), he helped Trump take the White House.
Almost forgot: His resupplying the IDF, midway through Israel's 2014 criminal collective punishment of the people of Gaza.
His biggest thing, though,by choosing his successor and denying an honest Democratic primary: "sixteen years of progressive rule" (Obama), he helped Trump take the White House.
Almost forgot: His resupplying the IDF, midway through Israel's 2014 criminal collective punishment of the people of Gaza.
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Do you remember what happened at the end of 2008? do you remember what followed in 2009? I do a runaway train, with republicans pushing it forward as our first black President struggled to stop it. Stop it he did with their help.
addendum,
His support of the Honduran Coup, simply shameful.
His support of the Honduran Coup, simply shameful.
Everything that happens in the world is Pres.Obama's fault. Did you just forget the Iraq war and the American/Iraqi lives lost in spreading democracy. Sure, we can go and remove Assad but then what happens after that ? ISIS takes over or do you want America to be the occupier just like what happened in Iraq. It is very easy to blame someone but just for a second take a breath and put yourself in his/her shoes and see what you would have done. More often than not you will realize that the path taken was actually the best one.
Best president of my lifetime. And I don't see the election of Trump - which came in on the tidal wave of racist backlash that he faced for eight years - as his failure.
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and also in my 68 year lifetime ...God Bless him and his family and God help this world without his leadership.
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Hi, JGaughran -
Looking back, I'd have to say Eisenhower was the best president of my lifetime, and I'm a Democrat. Also, I was eight when he left office. JFK might have amounted to something, but he was murdered. LBJ at least had a vision. After that, it was all downhill from my standpoint, including Mr. Obama.
Looking back, I'd have to say Eisenhower was the best president of my lifetime, and I'm a Democrat. Also, I was eight when he left office. JFK might have amounted to something, but he was murdered. LBJ at least had a vision. After that, it was all downhill from my standpoint, including Mr. Obama.
Bulls eye! Honesty, integrity, humility, focus, vision, determination, energy, compassion, a truly great president.
amen.
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Barack Obama's greatest legacy will be his unrivaled humanity, grace, and intelligence. His metaphorical elegance compared to the sordid, solipsistic penumbra of the Donald Trump, and the porcine political cynicism of Mitch McConnell is absolutely surreal
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His legacy will be how some on the left didn't see his snide and snarky comments, or simply ignored them, or loved those comments.
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Excellent point of view - thank you
really? He may be graceful on the golf course and he wears a good suit. Intelligence? What evidence do we have that he was above average for a president? But you are right -- his admin was mostly a metaphor. I'd rather have a prez that gets things done, who doesn't draw metaphorical red lines in the sand.
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Only in America would we have to FIGHT! for things that are so obviously desirable, such as universal healthcare. Mr. Obama put through ACA because it is the nearest best in the face of Republican obstructionism and a GOP that has come to stand for nothing other than greed, as represented by their President-elect. Mr. Obama has been a great president.
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The Most Successful Republican Since FDR. There, fixed the headline for you.
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Not even close. Eisenhower and Reagan were far more successful. And both were to the left of Obama.
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Sadly, I agree with you on both counts, and I'm a Democrat. Hence my extreme demoralization with/by Obama. That Eisenhower was to the left of Obama (to say nothing of Hillary) is IMO why we are where we are today. Trump won because he ran to the left of Hillary on many issues. The Democratic Party's obliviousness to this fact portends a long time in the political wilderness for them, and richly deserved.
1
One quibble - since FDR? What about Johnson? The Civil Rights Act, Voting Rights Act, the Great Society program? Medicare, Medicaid?? National Foundation on the Arts and Humanities? Public Broadcasting? Clean Air Act?
LBJ achieved all of those - the author ignores them all.
LBJ achieved all of those - the author ignores them all.
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Rather, he addresses Johnson briefly in the op-ed.
He also built high density public housing in major cities all across the country. Which segregated two generations of poor mostly African American and Hispanics, killed about a million Vietnamese and 50,000 Americans many of them poor and African American who weren't able to get deferments over a fabricated lie.
Johnson sent me to Vietnam, but aside from that stupid war, he was the most accomplished president of the century. Sure, FDR was president during WWII and his domestic accomplishments were huge, but primarily economic. Johnson transformed the country by envisioning equality through promoting minority rights with the Voting and Civil Rights Acts and the protection of the poor and the elderly with Medicare and Medicaid. All those made America great because together they recognized the dignity and rights of poor and oppressed citizens.
"The Most Successful Democrat Since F.D.R."
Perhaps not.
FDR freed the world from wars started by Germany and Japan. Obama could not resolve the wars in Afghanistan and The Middle East, could not resolve the immigrant issues into Western Europe, could not resolve the conflicts with Russia, lost the support of key NATO ally Turkey who preferred Russia instead, could not stop the UK from separating from the EU, could not stop China from showing its superiority in Asia, and could no resolve Obamacare conflicts here in the US. His new relationship with Iran is very dangerous and destroyed the friendship with Israel; his US flag raising in Cuba is great for Tourism and the Castro Regime but bad for anybody else there.
All-in-all, Obama's 8 years weakened America from all angles.
Perhaps not.
FDR freed the world from wars started by Germany and Japan. Obama could not resolve the wars in Afghanistan and The Middle East, could not resolve the immigrant issues into Western Europe, could not resolve the conflicts with Russia, lost the support of key NATO ally Turkey who preferred Russia instead, could not stop the UK from separating from the EU, could not stop China from showing its superiority in Asia, and could no resolve Obamacare conflicts here in the US. His new relationship with Iran is very dangerous and destroyed the friendship with Israel; his US flag raising in Cuba is great for Tourism and the Castro Regime but bad for anybody else there.
All-in-all, Obama's 8 years weakened America from all angles.
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While FDR prolonged the depression by at least 6 years through his socialistic policies. Yes that is a thing for leftists like Leonhardt to be very proud of.
1
This damning with faint praise, especially since by today's standards Clinton might just as well have been a Republican.
2
President Clinton was to the left of President Obama.
1
Who should Americans believe,the positive spin of Leonhardt or their own eyes that have witnessed the stagnant economy,foreign policy failures, and historic divisiveness of the Obama years?
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Indeed. If only Obama hadn't ruined a soaring economy when he took office, took seriously the post-2010 Congress's offer's of bipartisan compromise, and admitted that he was a Kenyan-born Muslim Marxist, things would have been different.
2
The economy has grown for 76 months consecutively. We have better relatio With our allies and are not invading anywhere. A reality-based reality doesn't square with your assessment.
Yes the situation in the Middle East is messy, but it's not clear what policy Obama might have pursued to prevent the chaos in Syria. The Iran deal is a definite win; it's only too bad Republicans couldn't support it and ratify it as a treaty. (Instead they wrote a treasonous letter warning Iran the next president would disavow it.)
Could the economy be better? Could inequality be reduced? Sure. Infrastructure spending, high-speed rail, and more progressive taxation would accomplish those things. But Republican policy these last 6 years has been to thwart any progress, no matter the harm to the people. And now they're posed to effect yet more harm. That, I suppose is a different kind of success.
Yes the situation in the Middle East is messy, but it's not clear what policy Obama might have pursued to prevent the chaos in Syria. The Iran deal is a definite win; it's only too bad Republicans couldn't support it and ratify it as a treaty. (Instead they wrote a treasonous letter warning Iran the next president would disavow it.)
Could the economy be better? Could inequality be reduced? Sure. Infrastructure spending, high-speed rail, and more progressive taxation would accomplish those things. But Republican policy these last 6 years has been to thwart any progress, no matter the harm to the people. And now they're posed to effect yet more harm. That, I suppose is a different kind of success.
1
Obama is the worst President - ever. When the reader gets to the part about Obama trying to work a bi-partisan deal, well that never happened. The NYT is the lowest of the low of today's 4th estate.
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Actually, LBJ had far more success. ObamaCare = to be repealed and replaced. Russian Reset = yikes! Syria, Libya, Egypt, Israel, Iraq, Iran = disastrous!
He did incur the largest deficits in world history. As large as all other US presidents combined. But, I don't think that is a success. Obama's deficits were why US credit was downgraded for the first time in history.
Unfortunately, a failed presidency. Even worse than Jimmy Carter.
He did incur the largest deficits in world history. As large as all other US presidents combined. But, I don't think that is a success. Obama's deficits were why US credit was downgraded for the first time in history.
Unfortunately, a failed presidency. Even worse than Jimmy Carter.
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The US was downhgraded because the Republicans in Congress played 'chicken' with the Debt Limit and blithely threatened a US default- so you are wrong as a matter of fact.
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@M A Jefferson: "Obama's deficits were why US credit was downgraded for the first time in history."
No. US credit was downgraded when the GOP refused to allow any raising in revenues to fix the deficits, and was actively threatening to shut down the government rather than raise the debt ceiling, which would have resulted in a catastrophic default on funds already approved for payment.
"S&P added that it expects that the upper income Bush-era tax cuts will continue, despite vows from Obama to end the breaks next year.
The majority of Republicans in Congress continue to resist any measure that would raise revenues,” the firm said" https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/sandp-considering-first-...
No. US credit was downgraded when the GOP refused to allow any raising in revenues to fix the deficits, and was actively threatening to shut down the government rather than raise the debt ceiling, which would have resulted in a catastrophic default on funds already approved for payment.
"S&P added that it expects that the upper income Bush-era tax cuts will continue, despite vows from Obama to end the breaks next year.
The majority of Republicans in Congress continue to resist any measure that would raise revenues,” the firm said" https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/sandp-considering-first-...
Democrats could learn much from Trump. He is popular despite his many flaws because he is willing, at least in words, to take on trade deals, corporations moving their manufacturing out of the US, pharmaceutical prices, and his own party in congress.
These are no small things because people see him as their champion. The democrats have not been the people's champion in a very long time. They have been too busy trying to win elections rather than trying to win over people; hearts and minds so to speak.
The middle class needs a champion. Donald Trump was the only person who stood up and said some things that needed to be said; other than Bernie. Unfortunately, Trump says much more than needs to be said and is a ludicrous president
The Democrats had a winner in Berny Sanders, instead, they decided it was wise to run a candidate with an open FBI investigation; duh. That in itself shows the arrogance of the democratic party in trying to win elections rather than hearts and minds.
These are no small things because people see him as their champion. The democrats have not been the people's champion in a very long time. They have been too busy trying to win elections rather than trying to win over people; hearts and minds so to speak.
The middle class needs a champion. Donald Trump was the only person who stood up and said some things that needed to be said; other than Bernie. Unfortunately, Trump says much more than needs to be said and is a ludicrous president
The Democrats had a winner in Berny Sanders, instead, they decided it was wise to run a candidate with an open FBI investigation; duh. That in itself shows the arrogance of the democratic party in trying to win elections rather than hearts and minds.
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Yes, thy have much to learn. I sincerely want them all to know how to cost their party 1000 seats due to their arrogance and insistence that they know what is best for the American people. That will help all of us by keeping the Democrats out of power for the rest of my life. That would be a great thing.
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Um, Trump is not "popular." He lost the popular vote by 3,000,000. His current aproval rating is around 37%, the lowest of any modern incoming president.
It doesn't matter that Trump "said some things that needed to be said." Words are meaningless without backing them up with actions. As Kellyanne Conway told us: "You shouldn't take what Trump says literally."
I agree with you that Democrats messed up with Clinton over Sanders. But if you're a Democrat or Progressive or Liberal, then looking to Trump as a role model (no matter how egregious his flaws are) is not a good good strategy, and will not help our cause.
The trope that Democrats (as a party) have cared more about winning elections than helping people is a lie. Yes, it might apply to some Dems at the highest levels of govt. But one can hardly lay that claim against the Dems like John Lewis, Keith Ellison, Maxine Waters, and dare I say even Chuck Shumer (if you actually look at the legislation that he supports, instead of just buying into the fake tropes).
Americans (at least the ones capable of thinking) are realizing that they've elected an Emperor with No Clothes. The deluge of fake news which obfuscated the real issues of the past election will will soon lose its sway, as the truths become apparent. And with any luck, moderate Republicans with any scrap of ethics (if there are any) will join the coalition of Dems, Progressives, and Liberals, and take America back from the precipice we've reached.
It doesn't matter that Trump "said some things that needed to be said." Words are meaningless without backing them up with actions. As Kellyanne Conway told us: "You shouldn't take what Trump says literally."
I agree with you that Democrats messed up with Clinton over Sanders. But if you're a Democrat or Progressive or Liberal, then looking to Trump as a role model (no matter how egregious his flaws are) is not a good good strategy, and will not help our cause.
The trope that Democrats (as a party) have cared more about winning elections than helping people is a lie. Yes, it might apply to some Dems at the highest levels of govt. But one can hardly lay that claim against the Dems like John Lewis, Keith Ellison, Maxine Waters, and dare I say even Chuck Shumer (if you actually look at the legislation that he supports, instead of just buying into the fake tropes).
Americans (at least the ones capable of thinking) are realizing that they've elected an Emperor with No Clothes. The deluge of fake news which obfuscated the real issues of the past election will will soon lose its sway, as the truths become apparent. And with any luck, moderate Republicans with any scrap of ethics (if there are any) will join the coalition of Dems, Progressives, and Liberals, and take America back from the precipice we've reached.
No, he has been the most successful Republican since Eisenhower.
We have not had a Liberal since LBJ. Carter was a conservative and Clinton was a Republican Lite.
We have not had a Liberal since LBJ. Carter was a conservative and Clinton was a Republican Lite.
25
I look at Obama as a president in a bubble. He had a great agenda and managed to pass the ACA and start the ball rolling on universal health care. He saved the country from a brutal recession, expanded the rights of women, gays etc. Championed climate change, ended the war etc. However while this was going on the DEM's lost more and more power in DC and the states and the GOP blocked almost everything he tried to do. Many in American had no idea what he was doing and relied on fake news, hence we have "president" trump.
5
I disagree. The ACA is important but it a single achievement compared to several dozens by FDR. In fact. LBJ would better a comparison to FDR as his Great Society rivaled the New Deal. For that matter I consider JFK and Clinton better than Obama. In terms of foreign policy, Obama ranks at the bottom with Jimmy Carter, as both were foiled by events in the Middle East. If FDR had approached WWII with the same perspective and attitude as Obama approached ISIS and Syria, who knows where the world be today. With FDR, American had a leader who was about action not just talk. Finally, the fact this op-ed gets any traction at all is because most Americans have no idea about their own history and I imagine many now are asking themselves who is FDR? Thank you.
8
This is so heartening. And remember that FDR had the benefit of three terms, not two, to accomplish all he did. And that had Obama had the opportunity, he might very well have been elected to a third term.
12
Obama's vision of the presidency and the country is much better than Trump's. But it's dismaying you could write such a glowing tribute without acknowledging how often Obama capitulated first, negotiated later; how he expanded the war into Afghanistan; brought widespread drone use to the world; how he bailed out the big banks and did NOT prosecute any of those behind the housing and economic collapse; how he led a misguided effort in school reform centered on neoliberal ideas, mass testing, charter schools, and Big Data; etc.
Even his health care initiative is deeply flawed. You wrote:
"Look at Obamacare. Republicans promise to repeal it, but have accepted Obama’s terms of the debate: They claim that they won’t take health insurance away. The baseline has been reset."
But his plan, in its design, left tens of millions uninsured; tens of millions of other underinsured. The Republican leadership has NOT promised universal health insurance-- nor at an affordable cost!
Obama never held the public hearings on health care he promised; he never pushed for the public option; and he even adopted Hillary and Romney's individual mandate which he had rightfully scorned during the 2008 campaign.
His healthcare plan was also a boon to Big Pharm-- and centralized profit-making health insurers.
No, Mr. Leonhardt, Obama is not the progressive icon you hold him out to be; nor is he the most progressive Democrat since FDR. That's clearly LBJ!
Even his health care initiative is deeply flawed. You wrote:
"Look at Obamacare. Republicans promise to repeal it, but have accepted Obama’s terms of the debate: They claim that they won’t take health insurance away. The baseline has been reset."
But his plan, in its design, left tens of millions uninsured; tens of millions of other underinsured. The Republican leadership has NOT promised universal health insurance-- nor at an affordable cost!
Obama never held the public hearings on health care he promised; he never pushed for the public option; and he even adopted Hillary and Romney's individual mandate which he had rightfully scorned during the 2008 campaign.
His healthcare plan was also a boon to Big Pharm-- and centralized profit-making health insurers.
No, Mr. Leonhardt, Obama is not the progressive icon you hold him out to be; nor is he the most progressive Democrat since FDR. That's clearly LBJ!
3
Obama represents the direction America is going. Trump is an aberrant blip. Republican conservatism is a staggering corpse. Otherwise, an antic fool with no philosophy whatsoever would not have beaten their best and brightest in the primaries. In the general election, the Russian/alt-right/GOP Congressional/Fake News 20-year scandal creation machine, smear campaign and witch hunt against Hilary Clinton only needed to tip the scales 1% across the board to tip the election. Does anyone seriously think it didn't? What does "legitimate" mean to you?
14
Cue the Obama haters!
The ones whose history begins in Jan. 2009, ignoring the Bush disasters in the economy and Iraq, and pretending the GOP "give Obama nothing" congress had nothing to do with anything.
Here's their last chance to declare they weren't racists. and to take a parting shot at the man they loathed.
The ones whose history begins in Jan. 2009, ignoring the Bush disasters in the economy and Iraq, and pretending the GOP "give Obama nothing" congress had nothing to do with anything.
Here's their last chance to declare they weren't racists. and to take a parting shot at the man they loathed.
25
Obama enacted some great policies but he failed to sell them and because of his failure as a salesman we now have the most most shameful and what will prove to be the most corrupt and post-civil-war treasonous government in American history.
5
What a liberal triumph! Trump will "face some obstacles" to reversing every remotely progressive policy Obama pursued.
Merely "some'? In that adjective resides the impotence and shocking complacency of the "center left".
With saviors like Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, and the supportive "center-left" commentariat typified by this columnist and his colleague Jonathan Chait, is it any wonder the Democratic party is in shambles?
Merely "some'? In that adjective resides the impotence and shocking complacency of the "center left".
With saviors like Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, and the supportive "center-left" commentariat typified by this columnist and his colleague Jonathan Chait, is it any wonder the Democratic party is in shambles?
8
I already miss the gentleman and dread the con-man. I've never met the con-man I liked.
This is America? Home of the skeptic?
The Chumpist Generation.
This is America? Home of the skeptic?
The Chumpist Generation.
11
Yes, he's a delightful man. But really? He brought us the worst income inequality ever and with it Donald Trump. A terrifying legacy.
19
and before 2008 there was no inequality ? Maybe you should look at what happened after Reagan and then decide for yourself who should be blamed for the inequality.
Yes LBJ was driven from office by the Vietnam War. I was one of those out there protesting. But let's never forget that the man's legislative achievements might have been the greatest accomplished by any American President. I will not burden you with the list of his accomplishment, but if you are too young to appreciate them simply Google ""LBJ's legislative achievements" and spend a few hours reading.
81
This is true I only wish he had the grace and elegance of B. Obama. Also he didn't have the entrenchment of a Republican Party who did nothing for 8 years but block anything B. Obama tried to do for all Americans.
wouldn't disagree with a single word.
FDR put the USA onto the path of ruin by creating big government programs and massive debt. Obama appears to have tried to put the last nail in the coffin by doubling the debt in just 8 years that had accrued since the USA was founded. Democratism is the new communism and Americans are sick of it. Wilson, FDR, Carter and Obama were the worst of the worst POTUSes.
9
Hmm, 75 years of "ruin", and counting. If that's failure, I wonder what success would look like?
If you're worried about the debt, vote for a tax increase. No? Then stop pretending it's "the debt" you don't like and admit it's actually spending you have a problem with. Then you'll discover that cutting spending means cutting popular programs, which I bet even you like, because cutting "waste" is just as hard in government as in the private sector.
The rise in the the debt was the product of counter cyclical spending in the wake of the Great Recession. Be glad for it, because it saved capitalism for another day.
If you're worried about the debt, vote for a tax increase. No? Then stop pretending it's "the debt" you don't like and admit it's actually spending you have a problem with. Then you'll discover that cutting spending means cutting popular programs, which I bet even you like, because cutting "waste" is just as hard in government as in the private sector.
The rise in the the debt was the product of counter cyclical spending in the wake of the Great Recession. Be glad for it, because it saved capitalism for another day.
I count myself as a member of the choir singing the praises of BHO. But I am struck by how quiet this choir has been over his two terms, making more appearances in the past few months than it has for the past eight years. It seems that we struggled through all the tedious rehearsals but found joy only in the final performances.
33
Agree, William. The democratic failure to educate the citizenry on the value of democratic problems, inclusive for the majority, has been a huge disappointment. Obama, too, assumed we "got it", and didn't. The message needed to simplify the accomplishments and hopes. History will be very kind, none the less, to this brilliant empathic respectful man.
The reason Obama's approach to Syria is considered a failure is there wasn't and still isn't a way to succeed there. No one has been able to offer a solution to what would have happened if Assad had been removed from power. In our past experiences in regime change in the Middle East what followed was chaos. Occupying forces cause collateral damage in the best of circumstances. Could anyone be more hated by Iraqis than Bush and Cheney? The biggest mistake the Obama Administration made was not prosecuting those responsible for the financial collapse. Tim Geitner was a poor choice as Treasury Secretary. He was part of the problem. The unresolved anger caused by the loss of jobs, homes, 401K's, and pensions gave rise to the Tea Party which Republicans exploited and reaped the rewards of the 2010 election.
15
Clinton was much more successful. The polarization of the US has come under Obama's watch, along with stagnant economic growth, a Mideast in flames, and a general attack on cops. Clinton was the best, by far. Not even close.
10
Obama tackled difficult problems, which breeds opposition. Clinton always tried to be a crowd pleaser at the expense of taking risks.
"The polarization of the US has come under Obama's watch...."
It would be more accurate to say it increased under Obama. And there is enough blame to go round for that.
It would be more accurate to say it increased under Obama. And there is enough blame to go round for that.
The success in the Obama years belongs to the Republicans, not to the Democrats, not to the citizens, not to the poor, not to the sick, not to the working class,(white, brown, or black.) And especially not to Obama. The Republicans were very successful with the voters; their obstructionist, hyper partisanship worked like a charm. They are in power now and will do nothing to help anyone but their donor base by giving them tax breaks. The idea is to run the government in such a way as to induce the already rich to "invest" in Republican victories at the ballot box.
President Obama brought dignity, grace, and vision to the White House. He also brought a soaring love for his family that was a joy to watch. I could not help but feel that the intense hatred of him by the Republicans was sheer unabashed racism. The election of Trump indicates I was right. Yet, President Obama has continued to act dignified during the transition to Trump, an inept, crude, vulgar and vile man. I will miss the Obamas and feel honored to have bore witness to the past eight amazing years.
5
Obama ranks in the bottom 10th percentile as a President. He is in the same category as Hoover, Grant, Johnson, Caeter et al. The only thing he did well and got right was ordering the execution of Bin Laden. (And that took him 5 days of agonizing) Beyond that he was a dismal failure. To mention him in the same sentence as Clinton, Truman, LBJ, or JFK is a joke. Look at the record. We are mocked around the world. The real unemployment number is over 10%. Healthcare is a disaster. He gave us Trump, a legacy buster for him no doubt. In about 50 hours we will be done with him. Good riddance.
9
I agree with you Mr. Leonhardt as to President Obama's successes & I think he will be regarded as one of the great Presidents.
I disagree with you about Syria, & I think that his decisions there will be seen as part of his greatness. Our first duty is to protect American citizens, & ISIL is a major threat. But boots & tanks on the ground in Syria amid a chaotic group of anti-Assad combatants along with strong pro Assad forces would mire us in circumstances that likely would have us spending billions for years & losing masses of our young. He stopped Assad from using chemicals. Sometimes the most tragic circumstances cannot be bombed away. It wasn't weak of him, it was heartbreaking but wise of him.
Drones? Better than bombs. Diplomacy to push Assad aside? Wise. Going up against Putin's latest moves there? What could have stopped Putin? Nukes?
Reagan protected his policies but many were to wipe out social programs--even legal aid for the poorest. Reagan did not stop the Cold War, he was part of it, but basically the time was ripe -- surrounding world events were the main reason for that success.
But the Paris Agreement is huge- the HFC gases to be eliminated are some of the worst pollutants on the planet, & the PA identified a replacement, instead of making vague promises about lowering carbon.
Most of the white voters for Trump were above median income.
The more you dig into his achievements the more you will appreciate our President Obama. Look into the facts, details.
I disagree with you about Syria, & I think that his decisions there will be seen as part of his greatness. Our first duty is to protect American citizens, & ISIL is a major threat. But boots & tanks on the ground in Syria amid a chaotic group of anti-Assad combatants along with strong pro Assad forces would mire us in circumstances that likely would have us spending billions for years & losing masses of our young. He stopped Assad from using chemicals. Sometimes the most tragic circumstances cannot be bombed away. It wasn't weak of him, it was heartbreaking but wise of him.
Drones? Better than bombs. Diplomacy to push Assad aside? Wise. Going up against Putin's latest moves there? What could have stopped Putin? Nukes?
Reagan protected his policies but many were to wipe out social programs--even legal aid for the poorest. Reagan did not stop the Cold War, he was part of it, but basically the time was ripe -- surrounding world events were the main reason for that success.
But the Paris Agreement is huge- the HFC gases to be eliminated are some of the worst pollutants on the planet, & the PA identified a replacement, instead of making vague promises about lowering carbon.
Most of the white voters for Trump were above median income.
The more you dig into his achievements the more you will appreciate our President Obama. Look into the facts, details.
4
Good, but not as good as LBJ. Yes, the war brought LBJ low, but Obama has Afghanistan. More importantly, LBJ's multiple signature accomplishments, part of the Great Society (e.g., Voting Rights Act, Civil Rights Act, Medicare), have survived, whereas Obama's signature accomplishment (ACA) is about to be repealed.
3
Though had I been old enough at the time I surely would have joined in on the chant of Hey Hey LBJ......The Vietnam War killed his legacy but in retrospect on president since Roosevelt has been able to sign such legislation as the Voting Rights Act, The Civil Rights Act, and create Medicare along with a host of other important laws and programs that still help this country today.
My elderly mother died in hospice care last May. When we were told that Medicare would cover the entire cost I said a quiet thank you to LBJ.
My elderly mother died in hospice care last May. When we were told that Medicare would cover the entire cost I said a quiet thank you to LBJ.
10
It's hard to look at the face of Donald Trump and think Barack Obama was successful. But the nation made great strides in healthcare and the environment, strengthening our economy and cutting our military footprint, voting and human rights.
Yes, the GOP will be working hard to reverse these...and will have some success. But they are possessed of an ever-more unpopular President-elect, a lack of plans along with funding for their promises, and both fiscal and social priorities that promise to be largely unpopular.
The gap between their promises and reality is creating fissures within the party...and the underlying dysfunction is growing ever more obvious. There is no easy "Replace!" for the ACA. The "Better and Cheaper" promise is hot air unless they wish to look seriously at European-style solutions.
In all likelihood, what lies ahead will be neither pretty nor easy. But the GOP has captured neither the heart nor soul of the nation.
The job for Democrats is to make sure they never do - that the public gets a clear vision of who they and the Republicans really are.
Yes, the GOP will be working hard to reverse these...and will have some success. But they are possessed of an ever-more unpopular President-elect, a lack of plans along with funding for their promises, and both fiscal and social priorities that promise to be largely unpopular.
The gap between their promises and reality is creating fissures within the party...and the underlying dysfunction is growing ever more obvious. There is no easy "Replace!" for the ACA. The "Better and Cheaper" promise is hot air unless they wish to look seriously at European-style solutions.
In all likelihood, what lies ahead will be neither pretty nor easy. But the GOP has captured neither the heart nor soul of the nation.
The job for Democrats is to make sure they never do - that the public gets a clear vision of who they and the Republicans really are.
4
Even with his flaws, LBJ was the most effective (legislatively progressive) Democratic president since FDR. Like Obama, he inherited a nasty war.
12
He also succeeded because the Republican Party dissolved into a sodden mess of racist, women hating, aristocracy loving, haters.
It might be useful to point out that democracy, small "d", is about the rule of the majority and wariness of the aristocracy. Republicans are no longer democrats, and don't deserve anything but our fear.
Hugh Massengill, Eugene Oregon
It might be useful to point out that democracy, small "d", is about the rule of the majority and wariness of the aristocracy. Republicans are no longer democrats, and don't deserve anything but our fear.
Hugh Massengill, Eugene Oregon
5
The day after Assad "crossed" the "red line", US forces should have destroyed his only military airfield, and installed a no-fly zone.
That single act of appeasement caused tens of thousands of lives, and orphaned thousands of children. Millions of refugees pouring into Europe will cause problems, many years after this President is gone.
Obama never understood his role in the world, nor did he foresee the outcome of his appeasement.
From there Russia and Iran became the aggressors in the Middle East, Crimea, and the Ukraine.
And that is how history will view this President, by what he didn't do.
That single act of appeasement caused tens of thousands of lives, and orphaned thousands of children. Millions of refugees pouring into Europe will cause problems, many years after this President is gone.
Obama never understood his role in the world, nor did he foresee the outcome of his appeasement.
From there Russia and Iran became the aggressors in the Middle East, Crimea, and the Ukraine.
And that is how history will view this President, by what he didn't do.
6
"The day after Assad "crossed" the "red line", US forces should have destroyed his only military airfield, and installed a no-fly zone."
In the world that Americans are living, invading a sovereign country which has not perpetrated any hostile acts nor is threatening to do so against the US or its allies is just a matter of "should we? or shouldn't we? do I feel like it? hmmm
Nevermind that bombing Syria without provocation and without a UN mandate would be crossing every line of legality in international law terms...
In the world that Americans are living, invading a sovereign country which has not perpetrated any hostile acts nor is threatening to do so against the US or its allies is just a matter of "should we? or shouldn't we? do I feel like it? hmmm
Nevermind that bombing Syria without provocation and without a UN mandate would be crossing every line of legality in international law terms...
When the $11,000,000,000 debt that Obama added (equivalent to a new 400% mortgage on all federal assets comes due) Obamas positive "legacy" will disappear. Truth is, he added nothing of value to America worth that $350,000 per person debt.
7
I will anxiously await the dramatic reduction in the national debt now that the Republicans are in total power. The Republicans don't want that debt to become a burden on their "children and grandchildren," or at least that's what I've heard many of them say over and over. Are they not familiar with Grover Norquist and the pledge 95 % of them have made to "never raise taxes?" How can it be a "burden " if no taxes are to be raised to pay it down? Also, won't their future children and grandchildren be raised to be good tax avoiding Republicans?
1
So you feel the desegregation of the South, the disappearance of "for whites only" signs on drinking fountains and restrooms, the complete overturning of segregated public education virtually overnight, and the addition of millions of African-American voters to the rolls was a mere bagatelle, to be dismissed in a line or two. The establishment of Medicare was a minor policy shift.
There would be no President Obama without President Johnson. The first makes speeches; the second made revolutionary changes in our country.
Shame on you, for your ignorance.
There would be no President Obama without President Johnson. The first makes speeches; the second made revolutionary changes in our country.
Shame on you, for your ignorance.
30
Obama is a mensch, and I hope we have he privilege of listening to him and reading him in years to come. But one legacy has been left out -- the persecution of the press. This glaringly illiberal strand of the Obama legacy will come back to bite us now, with a president more inclined to punish his adversaries.
4
I have great respect for the President. I am glade he has been my President. He has helped right the ship regarding the economy. Some say the worst downward turn since the 1930's. Unfortunately, with what is going on in the world I am concerned we are entering the 1940's. I hope I am wrong, but it does not look well for the future. I am not sure anyone can prevent it...not the President, not Trump, not anybody.
3
"Obama leaves office as the most successful Democrat since Franklin Roosevelt."
Please tell that to the millions who lost their homes to Wall St. and banks that provided incomplete or forged paperwork to foreclose on them, and kick them out of their homes. Neither the AG, nor Obama cared or upheld the laws.
Please tell that to the veterans who returned from Bush's wars, AND Obama's new wars to die, waiting for care at the VA.
Please tell that to the millions of people unsatisfied with economic opportunities, stuck working two jobs, while Obama pushed the TPP and other American job killing trade deals.
Please tell that to the American taxpayers who are told that illegal aliens are "law abiding" and worthy of reward and benefits, when they are struggling to make ends meet. And they expect that the enforcement of our laws is for everybody, even non-citizens.
Please tell that to the victims of the multiple Islamic Extremist Terrorists, who have attacked and killed all too often on US soil.
Please tell that to our nation's friends, who have been bullied, while our nation's enemies have been rewarded.
Please tell that to a public that is fed up being scolded and lectured by ethically compromised race-baiter AG's and Obama himself on our conduct.
The American people have already looked back on today, and they came to a much different conclusion. We need to change the policies of Obama. And we voted for change and got it, and are thankful.
Please tell that to the millions who lost their homes to Wall St. and banks that provided incomplete or forged paperwork to foreclose on them, and kick them out of their homes. Neither the AG, nor Obama cared or upheld the laws.
Please tell that to the veterans who returned from Bush's wars, AND Obama's new wars to die, waiting for care at the VA.
Please tell that to the millions of people unsatisfied with economic opportunities, stuck working two jobs, while Obama pushed the TPP and other American job killing trade deals.
Please tell that to the American taxpayers who are told that illegal aliens are "law abiding" and worthy of reward and benefits, when they are struggling to make ends meet. And they expect that the enforcement of our laws is for everybody, even non-citizens.
Please tell that to the victims of the multiple Islamic Extremist Terrorists, who have attacked and killed all too often on US soil.
Please tell that to our nation's friends, who have been bullied, while our nation's enemies have been rewarded.
Please tell that to a public that is fed up being scolded and lectured by ethically compromised race-baiter AG's and Obama himself on our conduct.
The American people have already looked back on today, and they came to a much different conclusion. We need to change the policies of Obama. And we voted for change and got it, and are thankful.
14
FDR Presidency ushered in Liberal Democracy across the globe. The greatest wealth and peace machine the world has ever seen. The Obama administration ends with center left, liberal democracy barely on life support.
11
Sorry, but its tough to square Pres. Obama's performance as president with the assessment by Mr. Leonhardt.
Overall, America seems a pretty unhappy place right now, and it feels like its not going to get better soon.
Mr. Leonhardt's assessment of Pres. Obama is based more on his personal ideal of what he wants in a president regardless how that president actually performed.
But the history is clear: Pres. Obama was in ineffective and divisive president; who presided over an uneven economy and setbacks in foreign policy.
It's hard to see how time is going to change that assessment.
Overall, America seems a pretty unhappy place right now, and it feels like its not going to get better soon.
Mr. Leonhardt's assessment of Pres. Obama is based more on his personal ideal of what he wants in a president regardless how that president actually performed.
But the history is clear: Pres. Obama was in ineffective and divisive president; who presided over an uneven economy and setbacks in foreign policy.
It's hard to see how time is going to change that assessment.
7
We have a small number of great presidents and smaller number of very unsuccessful ones- the rest are in the vast middle of mixed results. History will put Obama in that last group, and there's no shame in being there. The economy recovered, as it always has; his policies would have been made under any other reasonable president, but it was the right policy and Obama deserves credit. GM was his. A health car bill would have passed in any instance when the Democrats controlled both houses and the White House, but he signed so there's more credit, but it was a deeply flawed bill and the system is falling apart.
On foreign policy the results are even more mixed. The Iran deal is his- his alone really, and it's a fine effort. As to the rest? North Korea is an utter and very dangerous failure.
He came to power with some great cards- a crisis to rally around, a mandate for change, an adoring press, a fircely loyal base because he was the first black, and both houses of congress.-sixty votes in the senate! But he lost the house in two short years and was completely ineffective in dealing with opposition, not only those in DC, but the people who elected them. He is an elegant , thoughtful, likable and very impressive man. He and his family carried the mantel of being the first African Americans in the White House with distinction. But his accomplishments are very mixed.
On foreign policy the results are even more mixed. The Iran deal is his- his alone really, and it's a fine effort. As to the rest? North Korea is an utter and very dangerous failure.
He came to power with some great cards- a crisis to rally around, a mandate for change, an adoring press, a fircely loyal base because he was the first black, and both houses of congress.-sixty votes in the senate! But he lost the house in two short years and was completely ineffective in dealing with opposition, not only those in DC, but the people who elected them. He is an elegant , thoughtful, likable and very impressive man. He and his family carried the mantel of being the first African Americans in the White House with distinction. But his accomplishments are very mixed.
8
Don't mistake appreciation with success, President Obama was not successful in increasing the Democratic Party’s representative strength among the working class and in rural America, He should have realized early on that the Republican Party would refuse to give him any support no matter how sensible it might be to do so. Once the Republicans were able to hold the country’s budget hostage without any apparent political repercussions, the message was clear. His personal approval rating did not translate into political power. His inability to have the Senate act on his Supreme Court nominee was the ultimate proof of that. Very early on, this new political landscape required extraordinary action. He should have used his eloquence to spell out to the American people his political agenda and the legislative roadblocks it was facing. He never understood that, unlike the Republicans, the heart of the Democratic Party Platform has always been its domestic agenda and, as such, requires a legislative majority for enactment. President Obama and the Democratic Party never developed an effective joint strategy to exploit the historically low public ratings of the legislature. A domestic agenda that requires impacting people’s lives economically can neither be accomplished nor sustained by executive order. No Democratic president that cannot convince the American electorate that the Democratic Party has its best interests at heart can be called a successful Democratic President.
4
I have truly admired President Obama, and will miss his intelligence and demeanor, and his soaring rhetoric, more than I can say.
But when I think of his place in history, I believe he will be seen as the President who recognized the course of America's future and tried to steer a recalcitrant nation towards dealing with it. President Obama may have lofty ideals, but the man is a hardcore pragmatist.
No matter how much we dislike the changes in the modern world, we are still going to experience the post-postwar world, with global economies driving change as fast as automation and technology have. And whether we like it or not, we live in a multicultural world, and will have to adapt.
We can take the low road for now, with the nationalists dreaming of glory days and our Congress working to dismantle everything they can get their hands on, but President Obama is the first President of a new modern era. And that era is going to advance whether we want to deal with it or not. President Obama took the path of facing the future -eventually the nation will have to get on board, too.
But when I think of his place in history, I believe he will be seen as the President who recognized the course of America's future and tried to steer a recalcitrant nation towards dealing with it. President Obama may have lofty ideals, but the man is a hardcore pragmatist.
No matter how much we dislike the changes in the modern world, we are still going to experience the post-postwar world, with global economies driving change as fast as automation and technology have. And whether we like it or not, we live in a multicultural world, and will have to adapt.
We can take the low road for now, with the nationalists dreaming of glory days and our Congress working to dismantle everything they can get their hands on, but President Obama is the first President of a new modern era. And that era is going to advance whether we want to deal with it or not. President Obama took the path of facing the future -eventually the nation will have to get on board, too.
9
Anyone who needs proof that the Democrat Party has finally fallen off the edge, here it is--prominently featured in the NY Times. It is one thing to suffer from delusions--and quite another for those delusions to be given legitimacy by a national publication.
Republicans now own the House, Senate, Presidency--and soon, the Supreme Court. Republicans own 2/3rds of all state houses, and governorships--with Progressives losing the ability to design voting districts--making it unlikely that they will everl be able to wrest back power. Unions, once significant sources of Democrat voters--are in decline, and member support is waning. A look of the county-by county map, shows a sea of red from sea to sea--speckled blue, only by large cities.
And the mid-term elections won't provide much hope. It is unlikely the House will change hands, and Senate liberals will forced to defend too many doubtful seats, in conservative states. And with the success of Republican governors around the country (knee-jerk mention of Kansas required here), expect no significant changes at the state level.
The question is why this national repudiation of Liberalism? The answers seem obvious. Americans are sick and tired of Progressive ideals--of anti-
business, anti-religious, anti-military, anti-2nd Amendment, politically correct--open border, deficit spending policies. Their #1 issue is climate change--really?
Silly, extreme, elitist, intolerant, brooding cry-babies. 'Nuff said?
Republicans now own the House, Senate, Presidency--and soon, the Supreme Court. Republicans own 2/3rds of all state houses, and governorships--with Progressives losing the ability to design voting districts--making it unlikely that they will everl be able to wrest back power. Unions, once significant sources of Democrat voters--are in decline, and member support is waning. A look of the county-by county map, shows a sea of red from sea to sea--speckled blue, only by large cities.
And the mid-term elections won't provide much hope. It is unlikely the House will change hands, and Senate liberals will forced to defend too many doubtful seats, in conservative states. And with the success of Republican governors around the country (knee-jerk mention of Kansas required here), expect no significant changes at the state level.
The question is why this national repudiation of Liberalism? The answers seem obvious. Americans are sick and tired of Progressive ideals--of anti-
business, anti-religious, anti-military, anti-2nd Amendment, politically correct--open border, deficit spending policies. Their #1 issue is climate change--really?
Silly, extreme, elitist, intolerant, brooding cry-babies. 'Nuff said?
8
Obama decimated his socialistic democratic party. I fail to see how that makes him successful. Public schools need an overhaul and that is why charter schools everywhere are accelerating and children are finally learning. Obamacare is a total mess and does not work. Forty nine states had ice two days ago and much of the jury is out on climate change. The socialistic democrats want credit for the first black president. A community organizer who was more of a social worker (or tired to be); he had/has no business acumen. By the way, we never did see his college transcript. And we do not wonder why.
6
There's the germ of historical truth here. There are many Obama policies which cannot merely be flipped by the Trump administration and his Congressional Republican cronies.
I do take exception to his characterization of Obama's effects on education policies. I think at least 20 years before Obama there was serious recognition of the problem of underperforming schools and how to deal with them. I would characterize Obama's choices for Secretaries of Education as antithetical to public education and actually set the philosophical stage for Trump's nominee. In probably the most segregated portion of the USA there was little said or done by those in leadership positions to break the patterns of school zoning that help perpetuate underperforming school situations. The research proves the educational benefits of integrated school environments, for ALL children, for the benefit of the USA. The promotion of charter schools only reinforced the negative image of public education and helped continue segregated public schools. Now we hear from Trump's nominee that school choice vouchers for private schools will further improve public education. With such oxymoronic logic we shall see the demise of public education and the demise of the common community settings which create a unified nation.
I do take exception to his characterization of Obama's effects on education policies. I think at least 20 years before Obama there was serious recognition of the problem of underperforming schools and how to deal with them. I would characterize Obama's choices for Secretaries of Education as antithetical to public education and actually set the philosophical stage for Trump's nominee. In probably the most segregated portion of the USA there was little said or done by those in leadership positions to break the patterns of school zoning that help perpetuate underperforming school situations. The research proves the educational benefits of integrated school environments, for ALL children, for the benefit of the USA. The promotion of charter schools only reinforced the negative image of public education and helped continue segregated public schools. Now we hear from Trump's nominee that school choice vouchers for private schools will further improve public education. With such oxymoronic logic we shall see the demise of public education and the demise of the common community settings which create a unified nation.
3
Progressives are usually on the right side of history. We need to keep moving forward. We need to stay vigilant and be part of the change.
Yes, we will have a new president in a few days. But this too shall pass. The older generation has one last chance, and then it will be time for the younger generation to take over.
I am an aging boomer, but I do not agree with many of my generation. We had a lot of idealism and fortunately, many of us have kept that vision of a better America. There are those that want to go back. We must continue to insist on moving our country into the 21st century, as there are those that want to return to the "good old days."
The next four years will be only as bad as we allow it to be. Stay active and keeping looking forward. Addressing issues such as income inequality, providing health care for all and insuring equal rights for everyone regardless of color, gender, sexual orientation or religion, are only a few of the challenges we must face in the future.
Yes, we will have a new president in a few days. But this too shall pass. The older generation has one last chance, and then it will be time for the younger generation to take over.
I am an aging boomer, but I do not agree with many of my generation. We had a lot of idealism and fortunately, many of us have kept that vision of a better America. There are those that want to go back. We must continue to insist on moving our country into the 21st century, as there are those that want to return to the "good old days."
The next four years will be only as bad as we allow it to be. Stay active and keeping looking forward. Addressing issues such as income inequality, providing health care for all and insuring equal rights for everyone regardless of color, gender, sexual orientation or religion, are only a few of the challenges we must face in the future.
1
Ah, Mr. Obama's legacy. The legacy of a Nobel Peace Prize winner who went on to hold weekly meetings on Tuesdays to decide which people in the world to kill by drone, including American citizens who were constitutionally entitled to due process. Ah, Mr. Obama, whose background as a constitutional lawyer would protect us from the sorts of excesses of mayhem of his predecessor. The President who expanded wars to multiply new countries without any pretense of legal justification, who promised to close Gitmo, but didn't, who pushed through a law unraveling an 800 year tradition of the human right to habeas corpus. A President who spoke as a liberal and governed as a neoliberal. Who bailed out the corrupt bankers and protected them from prosecution. Who normalized what seemed bizarrely unAmerican when done by his predecessor. Whose policies and practices that mocked those who lost employment and hope while Mr. Obama aided Wall Street. A President who orchestrated the violent crushing of Occupy Wall Street. A President who made Mr. Trump look preferable to millions who elected a narcissistic man we all fear will bring us true fascism in the style of a Mussolini or a Francisco Franco. Yes, Mr. Leonhardt, Mr. Trump surely is a man for us to praise as the best American exceptionalism has to offer.
4
I think that Obama will be remembered as the best president of either party since FDR. For some I realize that might be a bridge too far. But to my mind when you consider all that he accomplished given the problems he faced coming in plua the almost complete lack of support and at times intractable opposition from the Republicans, not to mention the widespread craziness and occasional racism of the right wing media in all its manifestations, then to me at least such a conclusion seems almost intuitively obvious to any well-informed observer. Specifically, he fixed the Great Recession, ended two wars, killed Bin Laden, established via the ACA the principle of universal health care as a right for Americans, took a great step toward Mideast peace in the Iran deal, and put in place environmental progress through the Paris agreement. Also, he re-established through his obvious intelligence that leaders must understand complicated situations, set a new standard for both humorous and moving public communication by a leader, set an example of domestic success and tranquility with his lovely family, and reestablished America's reputation in the eyes, and in some quarters the envy, of the world. And no, repeat no, scandals.
We have been very, very lucky to have had him as our president. Sometimes I recall the apt description of his critics as people who if he demonstrated the ability to walk on water would accuse him of not being able to swim.
We have been very, very lucky to have had him as our president. Sometimes I recall the apt description of his critics as people who if he demonstrated the ability to walk on water would accuse him of not being able to swim.
5
When you win a Nobel Prize based on what you might do in the future and have eight years of often fawning press coverage behind you (and are succeeded by a loon) it is not difficult to guess we will see a lot more such reviews of the Obama presidency.
The Clinton administration may have been our last successful presidency for a long while. The unforeseen consequence of the impeachment proceedings, which coincided with the early stages of cable news, has been an era of hyper partisanship which makes it difficult for any president to do what the best have done, develop a unifying narrative leading to positive actions.
This president often had the right goals but seldom achieved them. He was the most singularly insular president we have had, and neglected the interests of his own party. He idealistic foreign policy collided with realistic problems and lost. Domestically, for better and worse, he made bureaucracy and not ideas the bedrock of his policies. And while no one person is responsible for the deep political divide we face he did little or nothing to bridge these gaps.
During the Bush years progressives watched "The West Wing" and longed for a real life version of the Bartlett administration. We have seen it and it didn't work.
The Clinton administration may have been our last successful presidency for a long while. The unforeseen consequence of the impeachment proceedings, which coincided with the early stages of cable news, has been an era of hyper partisanship which makes it difficult for any president to do what the best have done, develop a unifying narrative leading to positive actions.
This president often had the right goals but seldom achieved them. He was the most singularly insular president we have had, and neglected the interests of his own party. He idealistic foreign policy collided with realistic problems and lost. Domestically, for better and worse, he made bureaucracy and not ideas the bedrock of his policies. And while no one person is responsible for the deep political divide we face he did little or nothing to bridge these gaps.
During the Bush years progressives watched "The West Wing" and longed for a real life version of the Bartlett administration. We have seen it and it didn't work.
3
I heartily agree with the positive assessment of President Obama's legacy. Barack Obama's values-driven, respectful, and consistent style will be especially appealing to historians, given the faulty, clownish character of his successor.
However, I disagree with Mr. Leonhardt's assessment that Syria was the President's biggest mistake. The idea that the tragedy of Syria is something that the U. S. could have prevented is rooted in the fantasy of an all-powerful America. There simply were no better policy options for the U. S. in terms of Syria. Obama's biggest mistake, actually, was intervention in Libya. Sometimes the philosophy of "just do something with that big military" leads to even greater tragedy. The President learned from his mistake in Libya and properly did not repeat the mistake in Syria.
However, I disagree with Mr. Leonhardt's assessment that Syria was the President's biggest mistake. The idea that the tragedy of Syria is something that the U. S. could have prevented is rooted in the fantasy of an all-powerful America. There simply were no better policy options for the U. S. in terms of Syria. Obama's biggest mistake, actually, was intervention in Libya. Sometimes the philosophy of "just do something with that big military" leads to even greater tragedy. The President learned from his mistake in Libya and properly did not repeat the mistake in Syria.
5
I wrote a letter to President Obama regarding my appreciation for the Affordable Care Act and amazingly, received a personal response.
As a nurse, I witnessed the before the ACA and the after. The real effects - the healing vs suffering were part of my everyday as an RN Case Manager in the depths of hospitals filled with real people, real patients.
And maybe that has been the downfall, including the fault of the press. Where have people been until now, when millions are terrified? Full of data, figures, numbers of dollars, numbers that are varied, scattered and misunderstood.
Where the personal gratitude?
One of the President's sentences in his letter was about his fight for the law.
Isn't it interesting: the Democrats, led by Barack Obama, fight for the rights of those in need. The Republicans fight to take away the rights of those in need.
What really terrifies me - Tom Price at the head of Health and Human Services.
And I'm sure it terrifies Barack Obama. Price stands for the opposite of healing and suffering. He stands for the greed in the healthcare "business" of today.
Patients, read about this man. Learn what he represents. And trust me, he's not about you, he's about money.
Ah, the difference in the vote of the American people. It's like we want to say, "What were you thinking?"
I will probably not live to ever see a return to the integrity of Barack Obama. So therefore, I'll cling tightly to that letter. It was from a good man's heart.
As a nurse, I witnessed the before the ACA and the after. The real effects - the healing vs suffering were part of my everyday as an RN Case Manager in the depths of hospitals filled with real people, real patients.
And maybe that has been the downfall, including the fault of the press. Where have people been until now, when millions are terrified? Full of data, figures, numbers of dollars, numbers that are varied, scattered and misunderstood.
Where the personal gratitude?
One of the President's sentences in his letter was about his fight for the law.
Isn't it interesting: the Democrats, led by Barack Obama, fight for the rights of those in need. The Republicans fight to take away the rights of those in need.
What really terrifies me - Tom Price at the head of Health and Human Services.
And I'm sure it terrifies Barack Obama. Price stands for the opposite of healing and suffering. He stands for the greed in the healthcare "business" of today.
Patients, read about this man. Learn what he represents. And trust me, he's not about you, he's about money.
Ah, the difference in the vote of the American people. It's like we want to say, "What were you thinking?"
I will probably not live to ever see a return to the integrity of Barack Obama. So therefore, I'll cling tightly to that letter. It was from a good man's heart.
5
It may be that the real hope for the future is that people like progressive policies when they are presented with some objectivity. Even Trump supporters repudiate the doctrines of individual responsibility, free markets and small government while being wooed by appeals to fear, hate and prejudice.
Trump's election should be a wake-up call to the world. There's a lot of worry out there that can be used to advance autocracy. The unscrupulous are busily trying to undermine the foundations of democracy.
Trump's election should be a wake-up call to the world. There's a lot of worry out there that can be used to advance autocracy. The unscrupulous are busily trying to undermine the foundations of democracy.
1
This column is as wrong as it could possibly be. Future generations will rightly look back at Obama as the last and worst of all American presidents. The one so weak that through the election of 2016, he surrendered our America and conditions of future life on Earth to the Rats: to Russia, Comey, McConnell and Trump, the repuglican deniers of science in favor of money.
When he took office facing financial collapse, he took the side of the bankers, the enemies of The People. Eight years later he was still on the wrong side, supporting the nomination of Hillary, Queen of the Money-Insider Establishment, uniquely qualified to lose to even madman Trump.
In Obama's first year when McConnell committed himself to Obama's failure, Obama should have driven that treasonous rat from politics. Instead, eight years later when rat McConnell threatened to call Obama partisan if he acted, Obama silently let Russia and Comey control our 2016 election.
Now, with Scalias added, our Supreme Court will support control of America by money instead of People, and out in the states the likes of Kochs will use their $$$ to buy repuglican gerrymandering and voter suppression. We'll never get our country back.
Now, the forces to which Obama has surrendered America and our planet will (a) torpedo international cooperation to protect future conditions of human life on Earth, and (b) shut down the NASA satellites to blind us to what we are doing. Our human civilization and species will not survive.
When he took office facing financial collapse, he took the side of the bankers, the enemies of The People. Eight years later he was still on the wrong side, supporting the nomination of Hillary, Queen of the Money-Insider Establishment, uniquely qualified to lose to even madman Trump.
In Obama's first year when McConnell committed himself to Obama's failure, Obama should have driven that treasonous rat from politics. Instead, eight years later when rat McConnell threatened to call Obama partisan if he acted, Obama silently let Russia and Comey control our 2016 election.
Now, with Scalias added, our Supreme Court will support control of America by money instead of People, and out in the states the likes of Kochs will use their $$$ to buy repuglican gerrymandering and voter suppression. We'll never get our country back.
Now, the forces to which Obama has surrendered America and our planet will (a) torpedo international cooperation to protect future conditions of human life on Earth, and (b) shut down the NASA satellites to blind us to what we are doing. Our human civilization and species will not survive.
5
Despite Trump seizing the presidency, and what that says about America, President Obama's legacy also includes elevating the decency, grace, respect of the Presidency. Obama the man, has set the bar high for the Oval Office. This will continue, in the years to come, to reflect upon President Obama as he is seen in stark contrast to the crude, lout that will occupy the White House when he is not cavorting in his tower of shame.
1
I find it interesting that support for many of President Obama's policies is higher now than when it was proposed. Many Democratic legislators had no spine when it came to fighting for legislation. And as to most of the opposition to President Obama's policies: how come you never hear any alternatives proposed when voicing that opposition. The Republicans are just getting around to a health plan (a plan we have yet to see), were Americans willing to invade Iran to eradicate their nuclear program, or invade Syria so we would have to occupy that country, are Americans willing to let the financial sector have free reign ( look at what Wells Fargo has done even with regulation), are Americans willing to accept becoming an isolated racist country, and are Americans willing to sit back and allow the epidemic use of guns in gang killings, suicide, police attacks without any attempt to stop it? Criticize the President all you want, but unless what you aspire to is a heavy handed militarized foreign policy (like Russia) coupled with a domestic society that values guns over life, feels basic health care isn't a right, and wants to increase inequality even further, I am all ears for any and all alternatives.
3
Obama was much more progressive on social issues than any Democrat President ever, partly because the nation took him there.
On economic issues I feel Obama was too moderate. His signature legislation, Obamacare, was a conservative policy plan that disappointed progressives. Economic inequality was not improved. The wages of poor and middle class have begun to rise; but, that may not be sustained under the new President; and, can not be considered any kind of permanent advancement in the lives of the masses. Obama is a good man and was a great President. But, we still await a progressive revolution.
On economic issues I feel Obama was too moderate. His signature legislation, Obamacare, was a conservative policy plan that disappointed progressives. Economic inequality was not improved. The wages of poor and middle class have begun to rise; but, that may not be sustained under the new President; and, can not be considered any kind of permanent advancement in the lives of the masses. Obama is a good man and was a great President. But, we still await a progressive revolution.
I find Mr. Leonhardt's conclusions almost bizarre. If you're going to give Obama a pass on Syria, then likely you should also be giving Johnson a pass on Vietnam. Certainly by any practical measurement, Obama's accomplishments pale in comparison to the Great Society programs.
I'm on the side that finds Obama to have been a terrific disappointment. Not conservative enough for the right, not liberal enough for the left, he consistently seemed to find the 'sweet spot' that would leave all too many unhappy. I voted for Mr. Obama twice, but was never able to locate the Progressive politician I thought I was helping to elect. His willingness to 'compromise' on health care by dropping single payer and accepting the Romney-esque ACA serves to underscore that point. Can it be seriously argued we found 'hope and change' in the hands of what ultimately turned out to be a mediocre but well-spoken centrist?
With Trump at our door it is a somewhat understandable reaction that many want to put Obama on a pedestal. However, it was Obama's push for Clinton, and his profound ability to get the African American community in lockstep with his opinion, that were key in handing Hillary Clinton the nomination for President. Let us not so easily forget, in large measure that's what led to the remarkable conclusion this week of a President Trump.
I'm on the side that finds Obama to have been a terrific disappointment. Not conservative enough for the right, not liberal enough for the left, he consistently seemed to find the 'sweet spot' that would leave all too many unhappy. I voted for Mr. Obama twice, but was never able to locate the Progressive politician I thought I was helping to elect. His willingness to 'compromise' on health care by dropping single payer and accepting the Romney-esque ACA serves to underscore that point. Can it be seriously argued we found 'hope and change' in the hands of what ultimately turned out to be a mediocre but well-spoken centrist?
With Trump at our door it is a somewhat understandable reaction that many want to put Obama on a pedestal. However, it was Obama's push for Clinton, and his profound ability to get the African American community in lockstep with his opinion, that were key in handing Hillary Clinton the nomination for President. Let us not so easily forget, in large measure that's what led to the remarkable conclusion this week of a President Trump.
5
The success of FDR:
- rising unemployment for 10 years
- patronage redistribution of wealth
- support of the DNC via WPA garnishing workers wages
- racist support of unions hiring only white males with the support of the NRA ("Negro Run-Around")
- anti-trust lawsuits against businesses trying to sell products and services below government-dictated prices
- rampant destruction of over-supply of food while people starved
- rampant business uncertainty due to random/arbitrary diktats
- denying entry into America of Jews fleeing Hitler
- internment of Japanese-Americans into concentration camps (but not German-Americans)
I'm not sure what Mr Leonhardt's definition of "success" is, but I'm sure it's different from mine.
- rising unemployment for 10 years
- patronage redistribution of wealth
- support of the DNC via WPA garnishing workers wages
- racist support of unions hiring only white males with the support of the NRA ("Negro Run-Around")
- anti-trust lawsuits against businesses trying to sell products and services below government-dictated prices
- rampant destruction of over-supply of food while people starved
- rampant business uncertainty due to random/arbitrary diktats
- denying entry into America of Jews fleeing Hitler
- internment of Japanese-Americans into concentration camps (but not German-Americans)
I'm not sure what Mr Leonhardt's definition of "success" is, but I'm sure it's different from mine.
3
"But it’s a testament to the last eight years that progressives have so much to defend."
They are defending a house of cards, and it can all be easily brought down. Especially when there may be a 2018 Republican super majority in the Senate, and two or three conservative Supreme Court Justices appointed. The only boats Obama's policies have floated over the last eight years are the one percenters and sorry, there is no public consensus that agrees with climate change as being the greatest threat to mankind. Time to clean out the academics from the cabinet and replace them with highly successful people from the real world.
They are defending a house of cards, and it can all be easily brought down. Especially when there may be a 2018 Republican super majority in the Senate, and two or three conservative Supreme Court Justices appointed. The only boats Obama's policies have floated over the last eight years are the one percenters and sorry, there is no public consensus that agrees with climate change as being the greatest threat to mankind. Time to clean out the academics from the cabinet and replace them with highly successful people from the real world.
5
Obama was elected and re-elected because his opponent Romney and Republicans advocated letting the auto industry die rather than receive Federal loans.
It is worth noting that the loans were repaid with a profit and millions of US workers have good jobs today.
Now those auto industry states have elected the King of Bankruptcy as President, who has appointed the most anti-labor Labor Secretaries since Reagan, elected by the famous Reagan Democrats, appointed Ray Donovan.
We'll see how it works out. We might not end up with more auto jobs but I'm expecting to see alot more Carl's Jr employment.
It is worth noting that the loans were repaid with a profit and millions of US workers have good jobs today.
Now those auto industry states have elected the King of Bankruptcy as President, who has appointed the most anti-labor Labor Secretaries since Reagan, elected by the famous Reagan Democrats, appointed Ray Donovan.
We'll see how it works out. We might not end up with more auto jobs but I'm expecting to see alot more Carl's Jr employment.
17
Obama was elected and re-elected because his opponent Romney and Republicans advocated letting the auto industry die rather than receive Federal loans.
It is worth noting that the loans were repaid with a profit and millions of US workers have good jobs today.
=====================
Actually what Obama did was completely violate US bankruptcy law in his actions with the auto industry. He completely stiffed both investors and people who owned auto industry debt - which means virtually anyone at the time who had investments in mutual funds or equities in personal accounts, pension accounts or 401ks or IRAs. Which is you and me the taxpayer. Those losses went billions and billions and billions past any money paid back to the Treasury
Then he handed ownership of GM to his political supporters the UAW. And then sold Chrysler to a foreign company, Fiat, for free.
Heckava job
It is worth noting that the loans were repaid with a profit and millions of US workers have good jobs today.
=====================
Actually what Obama did was completely violate US bankruptcy law in his actions with the auto industry. He completely stiffed both investors and people who owned auto industry debt - which means virtually anyone at the time who had investments in mutual funds or equities in personal accounts, pension accounts or 401ks or IRAs. Which is you and me the taxpayer. Those losses went billions and billions and billions past any money paid back to the Treasury
Then he handed ownership of GM to his political supporters the UAW. And then sold Chrysler to a foreign company, Fiat, for free.
Heckava job
1
President Obama delivered on most of the promises he made. Accomplishments include (a partial list):
1. Prevented a major depression, kept the nation intact economically, and coordinated an international response to the global financial crisis.
2. Ended the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.
3. Fought for an economic stimulus package that protected American jobs and saved the auto industry.
4. Added more than 15+ million jobs under his watch.
5. Passed health care reform and gave Americans access to affordable insurance (23+million today) and expanded Medicaid's safety net.
6. Led the Paris Climate Change agreement signed by a record 177 nations.
7. Oversaw the U.S. becoming a net exporter of energy and invested in renewable energy as sustainable alternatives to oil and coal.
8. Negotiated Syria's removal of chemical weapons.
9. Negotiated an agreement with Iran to stop its nuclear weapons program.
10. Oversaw the decapitation of organized terror cells and the killing of bin Laden.
11. Substantially increased support for injured vets and signed a new $78 billion GI bill, and moved beyond Don't Ask, Don't Tell.
12. Kicked banks out of the federal student loan program, cracked down on bad, pay-for-profit colleges, and expanded Pell grants.
13. Passed Wall Street reforms and imposed and collected record fines from banks like JP Morgan Chase and Citigroup, and sent 35 bankers to prison with dozens of more cases pending.
1. Prevented a major depression, kept the nation intact economically, and coordinated an international response to the global financial crisis.
2. Ended the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.
3. Fought for an economic stimulus package that protected American jobs and saved the auto industry.
4. Added more than 15+ million jobs under his watch.
5. Passed health care reform and gave Americans access to affordable insurance (23+million today) and expanded Medicaid's safety net.
6. Led the Paris Climate Change agreement signed by a record 177 nations.
7. Oversaw the U.S. becoming a net exporter of energy and invested in renewable energy as sustainable alternatives to oil and coal.
8. Negotiated Syria's removal of chemical weapons.
9. Negotiated an agreement with Iran to stop its nuclear weapons program.
10. Oversaw the decapitation of organized terror cells and the killing of bin Laden.
11. Substantially increased support for injured vets and signed a new $78 billion GI bill, and moved beyond Don't Ask, Don't Tell.
12. Kicked banks out of the federal student loan program, cracked down on bad, pay-for-profit colleges, and expanded Pell grants.
13. Passed Wall Street reforms and imposed and collected record fines from banks like JP Morgan Chase and Citigroup, and sent 35 bankers to prison with dozens of more cases pending.
325
Under Obama's leadership:
14. Achieved a new START Treaty with Russia.
15. Cut taxes through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act for 95% of working families.
16. Passed stimulus to extend unemployment insurance and to cut payroll taxes to help families hurt by the recession
17. Eliminated catch-22 pay inequality, signing the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act.
18. Created Race to the Top, a $4.35 billion program of competitive grants to encourage and reward states for education reform.
19. Expanded CHIP healthcare coverage to cover 4 million more children, paid for by a tax increase on tobacco products.
20. Provided payments to wronged minority farmers who the government had cheated out of loans and natural resource royalties.
21. Brokered an agreement with BP oil to fund $20 billion to compensate Gulf oil spill victims of the Deepwater Horizon spill.
22. Passed the Fair Sentencing Act.
23. Expanded Hate Crimes protection.
24. Improved the nation’s food safety system and school nutrition.
25. Gave the FDA authority to regulate tobacco.
26. Expanded national service tripling the size of AmeriCorps.
27. Restricted mercury and toxic pollution as well as reduced carbon emissions.
28. Updated and modernized overtime regulations under the Fair Labor Standards Act.
29. Expanded wilderness and water protection areas.
Just some of President Obama's accomplishments while facing an obstructionist Congress. For more see: http://pleasecutthecrap.com/obama-accomplishments/
14. Achieved a new START Treaty with Russia.
15. Cut taxes through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act for 95% of working families.
16. Passed stimulus to extend unemployment insurance and to cut payroll taxes to help families hurt by the recession
17. Eliminated catch-22 pay inequality, signing the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act.
18. Created Race to the Top, a $4.35 billion program of competitive grants to encourage and reward states for education reform.
19. Expanded CHIP healthcare coverage to cover 4 million more children, paid for by a tax increase on tobacco products.
20. Provided payments to wronged minority farmers who the government had cheated out of loans and natural resource royalties.
21. Brokered an agreement with BP oil to fund $20 billion to compensate Gulf oil spill victims of the Deepwater Horizon spill.
22. Passed the Fair Sentencing Act.
23. Expanded Hate Crimes protection.
24. Improved the nation’s food safety system and school nutrition.
25. Gave the FDA authority to regulate tobacco.
26. Expanded national service tripling the size of AmeriCorps.
27. Restricted mercury and toxic pollution as well as reduced carbon emissions.
28. Updated and modernized overtime regulations under the Fair Labor Standards Act.
29. Expanded wilderness and water protection areas.
Just some of President Obama's accomplishments while facing an obstructionist Congress. For more see: http://pleasecutthecrap.com/obama-accomplishments/
8
I still believe if Obama had not just succumbed to the nasty McConnell he could have got things passed. What they wanted they got and easily, he could have taken to the Bully Pulpit and spoke to the people over the networks and told us just how much was being wasted and lost by this McConnell edict. Instead he just let it go and so much suffered. Too late now, 4 years that could have been productive gone!!
1
He gave us two excellent Supreme Court justices and put away Bin Laden.
1
One has only to look at what Obama had to fix when he was elected to see his accomplishments over the subsequent 8 years. It is a miracle that he was able to accomplish anything considering the opposition and the hatred against him from the very start.
212
".... from the very start." That would be the night of Jan. 20, 2009, when the Republicans Mitch McConnell, Kevin McCarthy, Newt Gingrich, and their "word and phrase doctor" Frank Luntz and others met in a Washington D.C. steakhouse and vowed to oppose all of Obama's initiatives. As a Republican Senator from Ohio said, "If he was for it, we had to be against it."
All the Republicans want to do is win elections through their propaganda and fear based misinformation and then dismantle the New Deal, Civil rights, and voting rights. Oh, I almost forgot, make sure their donors get big tax breaks.
All the Republicans want to do is win elections through their propaganda and fear based misinformation and then dismantle the New Deal, Civil rights, and voting rights. Oh, I almost forgot, make sure their donors get big tax breaks.
While I completely agree with your column, I also point to the absurd op-ed pieces in Sunday's NYT by Peter Wehner and Eric Cantor, presented as they were without reader comments no doubt because the editorial board knew that NYT readers would excoriate them. The fact is, as those history-revisionist pieces exquisitely demonstrated, the extreme polarization now existent in this country is utterly unbridgeable. And although as you describe much of Obama's accomplishments will prove difficult to undo, progress will now become virtually impossible. Meanwhile, the rest of the world is leaving the US behind, as evidenced by China's recent announcement of its massive investment in renewable energy - at a time when the US is about to install a retrograde administration bent on taking the country back to the nineteenth century. Miss Obama? We don't yet have a clue how much. But we soon will - hugely.
417
@Michael
It is so hard when Progressives and Liberals are forced to hear what other Americans believe.
The NYT is trying, but not too hard, to remain relevant. Run your way, it becomes another Fox News. With the 20-part puff piece on Obama this weekend, it's well on the way.
It is so hard when Progressives and Liberals are forced to hear what other Americans believe.
The NYT is trying, but not too hard, to remain relevant. Run your way, it becomes another Fox News. With the 20-part puff piece on Obama this weekend, it's well on the way.
4
Thank you, Michael, for bringing up that op-ed! I, too, noticed that comments were not being allowed. These two were beyond disingenuous - their leadership had met on the day Obama was inaugurated and vowed to NEVER work with him and obstruct everything he proposed! They were the ones responsible for gridlock. Obama did reach out his hand - unfortunately, he drew back a stump!
1
The last man to walk on the moon just died, at 82 years of age. That no one has walked there since is a crime. We have made no progress; a few of us on earth have made a ton of money, the top eight possessing more money than the bottom half. We have been going backwards for two generations, since that greatest of Republicans, St Ronnie.
2
So clearly true. I find it ironic that the ACA may be the most distinguishing achievement of President Obama given that President Clinton tried during his first term to achieve health care reform. Of course that failed under the leadership of unelected, no cabinet post, first lady Hillary Clinton. The audacity of this leadership choice and her imperious and secretive style set the tone for failure. President Obama left the leadership to his cabinet, congressmen and senators to get the ACA done even though Michele Obama vis her experience in health care administration could have qualified. Now here we are in 2017, with Hillary Clinton at least partly through her secretive and arrogant leadership having failed to succeed Obama and thereby putting important health care reform at risk. Oh the irony which I am sure Bill and Barack will enjoy.
4
Hillary Clinton secretive? Where are her tax returns? Oh wait ....
Hillary Clinton secretive? Where are her tax returns? Oh wait ....
+++++++++++++++++++++
Hillary Clinton secretive? Where are those 33,000 deleted government business emails? Oh wait ....
+++++++++++++++++++++
Hillary Clinton secretive? Where are those 33,000 deleted government business emails? Oh wait ....
1
What evidence have republicans shown that they will leave the filibuster intact? They will end it for everything, spin it as undemocratic and needing to go, and ram through every piece of legislation they can with 51 votes.
6
God willing.
1
You mean like the ACA was?
4
No, I don't. That passed with 60 democratic votes.
American history is cyclical. Slavery led to the Civil War, the Emancipation Declaration, Reconstruction, the KKK Jim Crow, the Civil Rights Act, the Fair Housing Act and the five decades of GOP effort to subvert and dismantle them.
Obama had to undo the damage done by one of the worst Presidents in history, winding down $4 trillion wars that plunged the Middle East into chaos, and pulling the US back from the Second Depression. Obama also reversed the disastrous Bush tax cuts and reined in the worst abuses in the financial sector with Dodd-Frank.
Obama and the Democrats also waded into the swamp that is American health care and established the principle that all Americans have insurance. The Reagan Administration made Medicare sustainable by creating price controls (DRGs) and either some future Administration will do the same or the states will take over.
Clean energy incentives in the ARRA expanded wind turbines, solar arrays, new batteries, LEDs, more fuel efficient cars and other advances that will replace collapsing coal power and flatten oil demand.
Much of the progress in protection of air, water and land will now fall to the states and many will continue the trend established by Obama.
Trump may try to reverse student loan reforms but the next generation is now smarter about for-profit colleges.
The majority that represents 64% of the economy, that voted for progress, will take control of much of the agenda in the chaos of the Trump teardown.
Obama had to undo the damage done by one of the worst Presidents in history, winding down $4 trillion wars that plunged the Middle East into chaos, and pulling the US back from the Second Depression. Obama also reversed the disastrous Bush tax cuts and reined in the worst abuses in the financial sector with Dodd-Frank.
Obama and the Democrats also waded into the swamp that is American health care and established the principle that all Americans have insurance. The Reagan Administration made Medicare sustainable by creating price controls (DRGs) and either some future Administration will do the same or the states will take over.
Clean energy incentives in the ARRA expanded wind turbines, solar arrays, new batteries, LEDs, more fuel efficient cars and other advances that will replace collapsing coal power and flatten oil demand.
Much of the progress in protection of air, water and land will now fall to the states and many will continue the trend established by Obama.
Trump may try to reverse student loan reforms but the next generation is now smarter about for-profit colleges.
The majority that represents 64% of the economy, that voted for progress, will take control of much of the agenda in the chaos of the Trump teardown.
51
Wrong! He was not even close to JFK, LBJ and Clinton. The country has never been more divided. The country has never had a weaker image outside our borders. Obama and his friends don't miss a moment to tell you how great a job he did...if he did, then the results would speak on their own.
One more thing...Obama claimed over and over that Hillary Clinton was the most qualified person to ever run for President. Clearly he has a a very short measuring stick of qualifications.
One more thing...Obama claimed over and over that Hillary Clinton was the most qualified person to ever run for President. Clearly he has a a very short measuring stick of qualifications.
23
Independent DC, Only Republicans would claim that national strength is measured most accurately by image. Are you really going to try to claim that the country was more divided under Obama than under JFK and LBJ in the 1960s (Vietnam, Civil Rights)? Good luck trying to make that argument hold water.....
1
Wrong!
"The country has never been more divided." As if Obama is the cause of it, and as if it were true.
I can't remember a time when the country wasn't "divided."
"The country has never been more divided." As if Obama is the cause of it, and as if it were true.
I can't remember a time when the country wasn't "divided."
1
"Wrong! He was not even close to JFK, LBJ and Clinton. The country has never been more divided."
Quite the contrary. The division you talk about was created by all the reactionaries opposed to the presence of a Mr. Obama in the office of President of the United States. Mr. Obama didn't cause that division you talk about.
"The country has never had a weaker image outside our borders."
Again quite the contrary. People who (like I do) spend a lot of time outside of the United States' borders actually observe the prevalence of a higher opinion of the United States because of Mr. Obama, in stark contrast to his immediate predecessor, in particular. To be more specific, there is a front-page article on NYT today about a 'Sense of Uncertainty in a Trump World'. I can tell you with full confidence that it isn't a 'sense of uncertainty', it is a sense of FOREBODING. in a Trump world.
That does speak on its own.
Quite the contrary. The division you talk about was created by all the reactionaries opposed to the presence of a Mr. Obama in the office of President of the United States. Mr. Obama didn't cause that division you talk about.
"The country has never had a weaker image outside our borders."
Again quite the contrary. People who (like I do) spend a lot of time outside of the United States' borders actually observe the prevalence of a higher opinion of the United States because of Mr. Obama, in stark contrast to his immediate predecessor, in particular. To be more specific, there is a front-page article on NYT today about a 'Sense of Uncertainty in a Trump World'. I can tell you with full confidence that it isn't a 'sense of uncertainty', it is a sense of FOREBODING. in a Trump world.
That does speak on its own.
1
In terms of historical judgements, it's just too soon to tell. The biggest plus on the Obama ledger is that we did come out of the worst recession since the 1930's. Growth was not as strong as following the double-dip recession of the early 1980's, but our financial mess in 2008 was far worse. Obama has a strong record on environmental issues, though we don't know if all of his initiatives will survive. Likewise the DACA program helped millions of people who were in limbo here through no fault of their own. International issues have been hyped by Republicans - the world is not on fire and we have mostly extricated ourselves from the costly and futile missteps of the Bush years. The "scandals" so beloved by Republicans (Benghazi!, Fast and Furious! Exective Overreach!) will not loom large in historical perspective. Though Republicans have been hugely successful in winning elections, public opinion on many issues is shifting liberal (for instance, the environment and gay rights). Someone like Ronald Reagan grew in stature because of things that happened after he left office (the collapse of the Soviet Union). The same positive fate could help Obama (with a swift military defeat of ISIL).
The weirdest idea I see expressed is that Obama is a failure because of something Trump might do in the next four years. I have never known anyone in any job who thinks it fair to be judged by the actions of their successors.
The weirdest idea I see expressed is that Obama is a failure because of something Trump might do in the next four years. I have never known anyone in any job who thinks it fair to be judged by the actions of their successors.
26
I predict that every piece of Obama progressive legislation the republicans attempt to overturn will be met with a backlash they never expected, resulting in Obama's achievements being more widely known, understood and appreciated. If republicans mess with the Paris Accord the world will condemn them. Republicans turned Reagan into a saint based on just about nothing and he set the stage for corporate/banking America to rob you blind, destroy the middle class, and introduce money/ malignant propaganda into your politics. With Obama, given the near complete dysfunction of your politics and government, the fact that anything was accomplished (like saving the economy, saving 1.2 million auto jobs, creating 16 million jobs, record high stock market, housing recovery, climate change research/legislation, healthcare) at least his supporters have something to work with. I read all these complaints, some so vicious. It seems every time you elect a president you think you're electing someone with control over everything and everybody, and if the country isn't perfect after four/eight years, well, what a failure he was! I'm never one to ask anybody to lower their expectations but my goodness the president isn't an all-powerful wizard king with a magic wand (despite what trump might think). And what President before Obama had to deal with the extremism of the Tea Party/Freedom Caucus. If Jesus does show up again I think even he would be afraid to land in Washington.
139
I will put in a good word for Ronald Reagan, even if he was an over rated Republican President and I am a liberal Democrat. Ronald Reagan , Tip O'Neill, and Alan Greenspan saved Social Security when it was about to go under. Some in the country didn't like the small increase in the payroll tax, but I bet those same people are cashing their Social Security checks today.
Trump must have some heavy tidbits on some people on both sides of the isle in the House and Congress.
Whoever goes along with this incoming so called president will insight the masses when he and his so-called cabinet go too far.
It will be the American Revolution all over again.
Pity the souls who follow this demagogue.
Whoever goes along with this incoming so called president will insight the masses when he and his so-called cabinet go too far.
It will be the American Revolution all over again.
Pity the souls who follow this demagogue.
Very well said. I think people sometimes forget the intransigence of the Republicans in 2009/2010. Everything that Obama proposed was met with nastiness - Stimulus bill, Debt Ceiling, ACA etc...etc.. History will judge Pres.Obama to be one of the finest this country has ever had.
1
If Leonhardt reduces the Johnson presidency to the chant “Hey, hey, L.B.J., how many kids did you kill today?” and uses that chant to measure of Johnson's minuscule "progressive heroism," then Leonhardt rests his own analysis of history to a tweet-sized slogan that hardly captures LBJ's tumultuous years in office.
Not saying LBJ was the greatest but he was heroic, flawed and thereby tragic, as so many heroes are.
LBJ's dogged allegiance to a war he feared losing but ultimately knew he could not win will forever stain his reputation and keep the tragic arc of his life firmly in place. He screwed up big time.
However, he passed the Voting Rights Act -- which called on America to live out its creed, and he passed Medicare, a program that has had unsurpassed staying power.
The Voting Rights Act handed the South to the Republicans, which LBJ knew would happen, yet he took a principled stand. That was heroic and hugely progressive. Without LBJ's signature or his legendary ability to manipulate and cajole congress, we don't have a President Obama.
Not saying LBJ was the greatest but he was heroic, flawed and thereby tragic, as so many heroes are.
LBJ's dogged allegiance to a war he feared losing but ultimately knew he could not win will forever stain his reputation and keep the tragic arc of his life firmly in place. He screwed up big time.
However, he passed the Voting Rights Act -- which called on America to live out its creed, and he passed Medicare, a program that has had unsurpassed staying power.
The Voting Rights Act handed the South to the Republicans, which LBJ knew would happen, yet he took a principled stand. That was heroic and hugely progressive. Without LBJ's signature or his legendary ability to manipulate and cajole congress, we don't have a President Obama.
104
LBJ is a Shakespeare worthy tragic hero. Flawed-- perhaps fatally, but deeply humane and unashamedly human. "To be or not to be." Thank you for your comment on LBJ; and also for your critique of the columnist using a sound-bite to describe a legendary man and president. We on the left must never stoop to the depths of tweeting that Trump has taken us, even before he begins his term.
3
The backlash will be worse than we think. Those young folks had better be prepared to get to the barricades. You can't do it on Facebook.
20
They had better be prepared to vote in 2018 and 2020.
3
Young people were prepared in 2016. They were solidly behind Bernie Sanders. They got slapped down by the jaded DNC for their trouble. A gracious welcome to new voters. Then they were blamed--among dozens of other reasons--for the stunning Dem loss.
Do you honestly think they'll be back for more of the same treatment in 2018?
Do you honestly think they'll be back for more of the same treatment in 2018?
5
There is no doubt that Mr. Obama is the most successful President since FDR. He will be remembered forever, in the history books and by future generations, as the man who institutionalized healthcare as a basic right just like FDR is remembered for social security. The rules and systems may change on the margins but the core concept has been institutionalized. Thank you President Obama!
80
this is an absurd contribution to the mounting, desperate culture of Obama-worship that has entrained terrified liberals confronted by the threat of Trump. The threat is very real-for every American, including those unwise enough to have voted for him. But the veneration is crummy mythology although its role as psychotherapy to the depressed is a positive. The reality is that Obama is as much a failure as Carter or any of the most dismal Republican White House occupants save Nixon. The ACA is a destructive mess. The economy was crashing on his arrival and had to improve in future, but the rate and magnitude of improvement has been less than any recovery from recession since WW II. He has exacerbated the disasters of the Middle East, alienating our friends and allowing vile enemies to run rampant. The stories in Afghanistan and looming in Southeast Asia are little better. The beneficiaries of his foreign policy are mainly Putin, Assad, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, Kim Jong-Un and Xi Jinping. Is Trump far worse? For sure, but a lack of reality testing will lead to bad outcomes when the presidential pendulum swings back toward the Democrats.
12
If you are measuring success as simply how much of a societal difference a President could make, then I would be inclined to agree that Obama was the most "successful Democrat since FDR." However, simply investigating the author's claims brings the entire premise of the piece to jeopardy.
Firstly, Mr. Obama was not a bipartisan dealmaker, as is claimed. The ACA was "passed so the Congress could see what was in it." Secondly, climate policy did not spur alternative energy innovation, it destroyed carbon-based competition (see: coal). One also cannot objectively argue that the country or world is anything closer to a safer place, using either foreign threats or citizen-based disruptive demonstration as a benchmark.
Mr. Obama undoubtedly spurred a lasting discourse on race, inequality, healthcare and other important social issues that our Founders labeled as "inalienable rights," and I wonder if it was the message and not so much the legislation that was the goal all along. I did not vote for him but am deeply grateful to have had him.
Firstly, Mr. Obama was not a bipartisan dealmaker, as is claimed. The ACA was "passed so the Congress could see what was in it." Secondly, climate policy did not spur alternative energy innovation, it destroyed carbon-based competition (see: coal). One also cannot objectively argue that the country or world is anything closer to a safer place, using either foreign threats or citizen-based disruptive demonstration as a benchmark.
Mr. Obama undoubtedly spurred a lasting discourse on race, inequality, healthcare and other important social issues that our Founders labeled as "inalienable rights," and I wonder if it was the message and not so much the legislation that was the goal all along. I did not vote for him but am deeply grateful to have had him.
Andrew, coal certainly is not a victim of climate-change policy. It is simply no longer a viable option. Cheaper, more readily available energy sources have eclipsed it altogether. It isn't coming back any time soon.
5
Secondly, climate policy did not spur alternative energy innovation, it destroyed carbon-based competition (see: coal).
==============
Climate policy had pretty much nothing to do with the fall of coal. The price of natural gas fell in the market and did in coal. Carbon based competition is alive and well in natural gas.
==============
Climate policy had pretty much nothing to do with the fall of coal. The price of natural gas fell in the market and did in coal. Carbon based competition is alive and well in natural gas.
I love your last paragraph, Mr. Leonhard. History will see this President in
those terms, and more. The contrast with Trump is profound and has shocked
us and the world. How can America go from the decency and optimism of
President Obama to the twisted views and inconsistent pronouncements of
Trump? It is a puzzlement that will be played out on the world scene - it scares
everyone as we enter the unknown tweet-ridden transient ideas of this new
President. We elected him - Trump - Shame on you America!
those terms, and more. The contrast with Trump is profound and has shocked
us and the world. How can America go from the decency and optimism of
President Obama to the twisted views and inconsistent pronouncements of
Trump? It is a puzzlement that will be played out on the world scene - it scares
everyone as we enter the unknown tweet-ridden transient ideas of this new
President. We elected him - Trump - Shame on you America!
46
Thank you Mr. President. The world, the country will miss you and your family.
134
Nicely said. Obama raised on the unfulfilled wishes of american society, 'race' pushed aside temporarily; many accomplishments, and the dignity of the office (the White House) restored. But failures as well. And Trump rose in a vacuum left by the republican establishment, as racist and obnoxious as himself but without being vocal about their hypocrisy, as loud-mouth Trump's demagoguery came into full view. It has been said that we may not appreciate what we have...until we lose it. Case in point. And we lost it.
13
GOP'ers cannot pretend Obama was rejected, after an election cycle when they lost seats in a gerry-mandered House, and GOP'ers lost seats in the Senate, following a two-term Dem POTUS, and the GOP'er candidate won the White House with an electoral college majority ranking 46th out of 58 elections:
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/12/18/us/elections/donald-trump-...
never minding their candidate will take office having lost the popular vote by more than any other POTUS - ever. He's almost a lame duck at the outset.
As GOP'ers set about trying to erase the Obama years same as they tried to erase the Clinton years when Dubya ascended, they should not mistake the misogyny of 2-3 Rust Belt states (the same type misogyny we see when comparing Martha Stewart's S.E.C. case to recommendations to the Justice Dept. for prosecution of Wall Streeters from the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission:
http://money.cnn.com/2016/09/15/news/economy/elizabeth-warren-fbi-wall-s...
as being a rejection of what Obama was able to accomplish despite 8 years of intransigent GOP'er sedition, plotted from Inauguration Day 2009, excused as normal politics.
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/12/18/us/elections/donald-trump-...
never minding their candidate will take office having lost the popular vote by more than any other POTUS - ever. He's almost a lame duck at the outset.
As GOP'ers set about trying to erase the Obama years same as they tried to erase the Clinton years when Dubya ascended, they should not mistake the misogyny of 2-3 Rust Belt states (the same type misogyny we see when comparing Martha Stewart's S.E.C. case to recommendations to the Justice Dept. for prosecution of Wall Streeters from the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission:
http://money.cnn.com/2016/09/15/news/economy/elizabeth-warren-fbi-wall-s...
as being a rejection of what Obama was able to accomplish despite 8 years of intransigent GOP'er sedition, plotted from Inauguration Day 2009, excused as normal politics.
71
I noticed you conveniently omitted the massive Republican gains at the State level. Until the Democrats abandon the practice identity politics, they will continue to wander the desert.
5
gary - Thanks for commenting; you'll note that we mentioned gerrymandering, which affects state legislatures the same as in D.C. Watch for more suits before 2020, like were successful in Arizona:
https://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/21/us/politics/supreme-court-upholds-ari...
to reverse gerrymandering by GOP'ers following 2010's census.
https://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/21/us/politics/supreme-court-upholds-ari...
to reverse gerrymandering by GOP'ers following 2010's census.
2
gary - Leonhardt has just posted a link from someone more learned than me, making our exact point, with real data, facts, numbers:
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/16/opinion/a-new-take-on-democrats-obama...
Those who miss the actual facts/numbers/trend, often also miss that O. was elected, then re-elected, with yuuuuge majorities, and leaves office with yuuuuge popularity he will be leveraging :)
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/16/opinion/a-new-take-on-democrats-obama...
Those who miss the actual facts/numbers/trend, often also miss that O. was elected, then re-elected, with yuuuuge majorities, and leaves office with yuuuuge popularity he will be leveraging :)
2
Like asking who was the most successful boy band. A lightweight inquiry that prompts no bated breath.
13
David Leonhardt's dismissive attitude toward Democratic presidents between FDR and Obama is unfair. Truman became president under tragic circumstances--the death of FDR. It was Truman who ended World War II by ordering the dropping of two untried atomic bombs on two Japanese cities. Truman saved the lives of thousands of soldiers and sailors who would have had to invade Japan which could have extended the war for another year or two. Anyhow there was no way Truman could have competed with a wildly popular Dwight Eisenhower. JFK was assassinated before he could accomplish any of his goals. Lyndon Johnson picked up where JFK left off by signing civil rights legislation into law. Johnson became unpopular thanks to escalating a very unpopular war in Viet Nam by sending in more and more troops, a decision that forced him not to seek re-election. Jimmy Carter's presidency was ruined by the Iranian hostage crisis.
However Obama is also part of the Democratic hall of shame. Obama became president because of his opposition to the Iraq war. Unfortunately Obama never quite understood the difference between winning an election and having to do the hard job of governing. Obama disdained the wheeling and dealing that every president has to do in order to get his agenda through. He never campaigned for Democratic candidates and ignored Republicans who weren't enlightened enough to get with his program.
However Obama is also part of the Democratic hall of shame. Obama became president because of his opposition to the Iraq war. Unfortunately Obama never quite understood the difference between winning an election and having to do the hard job of governing. Obama disdained the wheeling and dealing that every president has to do in order to get his agenda through. He never campaigned for Democratic candidates and ignored Republicans who weren't enlightened enough to get with his program.
14
The republicans would have accepted wheeling and dealing from President Obama if he had inherited his mother's skin color instead of his father's. Why anyone would think there was any other reason is denying that racism is alive and thriving in this country.
1
Obama's problem was not clearly articulating his progress. The GOP media machine is brilliant and effective, propaganda and all. The democrats need to copy the GOP, only with the truth.
1
Never surpass Bill Clinton!
6
As a Democrat I want to think the best of Obama. But I have very mixed feelings about him
His signature issue was ACA and I think on that basis alone he has made his mark - it is almost inconceivable for the Republicans to simply end it. They will alter things but medical care seems to now be a right.
The economy is certainly better than he inherited it.
But the mood of the country, the new leadership, Trump and the alt right speak to a nation that was torn up unimaginably from what we all thought where we would be in a post Obama world.
We can blame the Republicans, but a strong leader would have found a way to defeat them.
His signature issue was ACA and I think on that basis alone he has made his mark - it is almost inconceivable for the Republicans to simply end it. They will alter things but medical care seems to now be a right.
The economy is certainly better than he inherited it.
But the mood of the country, the new leadership, Trump and the alt right speak to a nation that was torn up unimaginably from what we all thought where we would be in a post Obama world.
We can blame the Republicans, but a strong leader would have found a way to defeat them.
10
The ACA is a joke - even Bill Clinton said that Obamacare is "the craziest thing in the world".
8
The way Obama (against Republicans) made the US a better economy than any other in the advanced world after 2008 would be enough to make him special.
And as for Syria. How that would have turned out had the hawks done what they wanted -- as they did in Iraq -- we'll never know. Syria is horrible but who knows what the US could have done.
And then there's ACA. The best the Republicans could do now is to tweak it as it should have been done in a bipartisan manner in the six years since 2010 -- and call it their own.
Even I would be wiling to call it TrumpCare just so my younger friends (I'm 75) would benefit.
And as for Syria. How that would have turned out had the hawks done what they wanted -- as they did in Iraq -- we'll never know. Syria is horrible but who knows what the US could have done.
And then there's ACA. The best the Republicans could do now is to tweak it as it should have been done in a bipartisan manner in the six years since 2010 -- and call it their own.
Even I would be wiling to call it TrumpCare just so my younger friends (I'm 75) would benefit.
Bill Clinton said that because it was written for Mitt Romney by his BIG money masters when he was governor of Massachusetts. Bill and Hillary Clinton want Universal Health Care and that is why they were attacked so violently for the past 30+ years. The Robber Barons make an absolutely criminal profit from the sickness and dying of others.
You can't write a column or a book with a 2050 copyright until 2050. I firmly believe Obama is a historically consequential president, but the book on this assertion will be written in 30 or so years. Much will happen in the intervening years, not least the full and complete presidency of Donald J. Trump.
17
This reads as a backhanded slap in the face to Bill Clinton, I imagine it's your sneaky way of trying to convince us that she legitimately lost.
It didn't work. The Silenced Plurality is not stupid.
Reagan was a complete nightmare: double the crime, tripled the debt, let 8 million illegal aliens loose to commit thousands of crimes including rapes and murders. Gave weapons to Iran and Osama Bin Laden. Lets AIDS run rampant. Slept at the wheel while crack destroyed urban and rural America.
By any rational measure, Clinton was a better President than Obama or Reagan.
It didn't work. The Silenced Plurality is not stupid.
Reagan was a complete nightmare: double the crime, tripled the debt, let 8 million illegal aliens loose to commit thousands of crimes including rapes and murders. Gave weapons to Iran and Osama Bin Laden. Lets AIDS run rampant. Slept at the wheel while crack destroyed urban and rural America.
By any rational measure, Clinton was a better President than Obama or Reagan.
11
Give me a break - Clinton's repeal of Glass-Steagall and government subsidy of sub-prime mortgages made the economy look good for a while but ultimately caused the Great Recession.
11
While I agree fully with your assessment of the Reagan Administration, (and would go further as touching the crack infection playing a covert participating role) I must set the record straight.
Hillary Clinton's loss was indeed legitimate. As the closing remarks of this article point out, it was the subpar choice to be his successor made by President Obama that's likely to define his legacy (as much as anything else) and bears responsibility for the lost (in more ways than one) election.
Those remarks comprise the sum total of those made in the article with which I'm in agreement, but so much is commentary on a book I haven't read, it would be a betrayal of my own standard of ethics to journey down that rabbit trail any further.
Hillary Clinton's loss was indeed legitimate. As the closing remarks of this article point out, it was the subpar choice to be his successor made by President Obama that's likely to define his legacy (as much as anything else) and bears responsibility for the lost (in more ways than one) election.
Those remarks comprise the sum total of those made in the article with which I'm in agreement, but so much is commentary on a book I haven't read, it would be a betrayal of my own standard of ethics to journey down that rabbit trail any further.
2
The repeal of Glass-Steagall did not cause the Great Recession, and government did not subsidize sub-prime loans.
2
While there were great gains in freedom during the Obama administration, you can't ignore the fact that:
1. approximately 1000 Democrats were unseated during his administration, and
2. the Democratic party left behind a constituency that has almost always voted for Democrats... leading to the not so surprising defeat of Hillary Clinton (Bernie let us know about that in no uncertain terms.)
Perhaps the only consolation from these failures are that the Democrats now have a goal of representing and serving all Americans, again... and in contrast to what the NYT wants us to believe, it isn't just about rural people in Iowa. NYT needs to look in its own backyard, and realize that the plurality of people north of the Tapanzee Br voted for Donald. Instead of pointing fingers at rural America, truthful reporting by the NYT would really help all Americans.
Old JImma from the Old Country
1. approximately 1000 Democrats were unseated during his administration, and
2. the Democratic party left behind a constituency that has almost always voted for Democrats... leading to the not so surprising defeat of Hillary Clinton (Bernie let us know about that in no uncertain terms.)
Perhaps the only consolation from these failures are that the Democrats now have a goal of representing and serving all Americans, again... and in contrast to what the NYT wants us to believe, it isn't just about rural people in Iowa. NYT needs to look in its own backyard, and realize that the plurality of people north of the Tapanzee Br voted for Donald. Instead of pointing fingers at rural America, truthful reporting by the NYT would really help all Americans.
Old JImma from the Old Country
14
Nonsense. That's like blaming Lincoln for the Klan.
21
The GOP gained seats through a systematic campaign to disenfranchise millions of voters and suppress the vote. Gerrymandering was only one of their successful tactics to take over state houses leading to more Senate/House wins, White House and the Supreme Court control. See Operation Redmap: “Understanding Congressional Gerrymandering: It's Moneyball Applied To Politics” – http://www.npr.org/2016/06/15/482150951/understanding-congressional-gerr...
22
Was it really all gerrymandering?
Did they gerrymander the entire Midwest, southwest, southeast, northwest, and much of the northeast?
Did they gerrymander the entire Midwest, southwest, southeast, northwest, and much of the northeast?
8
I agree, Obama accomplished more than we might at first acknowledge, but now with the election of Trump America has regressed to its political mean (mean in soooo many ways).
In this, the US is like a dog that is trying to learn something new but can't, so it goes back to licking it's butt because it feels good.
In this, the US is like a dog that is trying to learn something new but can't, so it goes back to licking it's butt because it feels good.
17
Good analogy except for one thing. That's not the reason dogs lick their butts, if they do indeed lick them at all.
I know that many will disagree because of Vietnam, but it might be more accurate to praise LBJ's "grand domestic achievements" despite that war. No president, other than Roosevelt, has presided over so many progressive legislative measures, and no president, including Roosevelt, has ever played such a truly active and effective role in the passage of such legislation. People who fault presidents today for failing to work with Congress, or who pretend that presidents will somehow single-handedly drive measures through, are simply citing LBJ as a standard without knowing it. He told Congress that they would pass his legislation, and they obediently did it.
90
Yes, of course. However, it's more complicated than LBJ "telling" Congress what to do. Apparently his greatest efforts--what he spent his days doing--were learning how to get congressional majorities, and he used any tactic that could work. There are those who have shrugged and said that Obama couldn't have used the same methods that LBJ did--times have changed. Certainly. What they forget is that LBJ would have changed his tactics to suit the times.
7
You forgot to mention that President Johnson was white. President Obama, of mixed race, did not have the same support that Johnson had, simply because of the color of his skin.
1
The Obama years were marked by countless squandered opportunities caused by gridlock. The sequester set a record for partisan hatred -- we passed the worst budget possible as an incentive for sensible reform. And then we went forward on the sequester budget because the worst agreement was better than no agreement at all. The most damaging failure was Obama's inability to appoint a Supreme Court justice. That may have been the greatest failure in Presidential history. Other victims of gridlock included immigration reform and climate change standards -- probably the most important matters on the federal agenda. The Supreme Court called for voting rights reform to revive the 1965 law. Instead of reform, we got an onslaught of partisan legislation from the states.
After 2010, Obama was a lame duck on women's rights. And his civil rights accomplishments were meager. For workers, he was unable to raise the minimum wage and offer much of any protection. Unions took a major step backward during the Obama years.
Obama's failures are virtually all the fault of gridlock. But the question of success does not depend on good intentions. It depends on results. I will remember the Obama years as a time of high hopes and great disappointments.
After 2010, Obama was a lame duck on women's rights. And his civil rights accomplishments were meager. For workers, he was unable to raise the minimum wage and offer much of any protection. Unions took a major step backward during the Obama years.
Obama's failures are virtually all the fault of gridlock. But the question of success does not depend on good intentions. It depends on results. I will remember the Obama years as a time of high hopes and great disappointments.
25
Barack Obama did his constitutional duty by nominating Merrick Garland to the Supreme Court to replace the late Antonin Scalia. However, that's as far as it went. Obama naturally assumed that the Republican controlled Senate would just rubberstamp his nominee through without a whimper. Obama never counted on how strong the opposition would be. There was no way the Republicans were going to give up their 5-4 majority on the Court, especially during a presidential election year. Mitch McConnell may be an obstructionist but he successfully marshalled the Republicans into a united front to make sure Garland would never have a Senate Confirmation hearing. Obama didn't bother visiting Capitol Hill to demand why the Republicans were stalling on his Supreme Court nominee. Obama dislikes messy scenes and Merrick Garland was left to twist in the wind.
Long story short--Mitch McConnell outmaneuvered Barack Obama and now Donald Trump will be appointing the next Supreme Court Justice.
Long story
Long story short--Mitch McConnell outmaneuvered Barack Obama and now Donald Trump will be appointing the next Supreme Court Justice.
Long story
4
The sequester set a record for partisan hatred -- we passed the worst budget possible as an incentive for sensible reform. And then we went forward on the sequester budget because the worst agreement was better than no agreement at all.
====================
And remember, the sequester was Obama's idea
====================
And remember, the sequester was Obama's idea
If Obama is the best Democratic President in decades, it tells you how abysmal the others must have been.
22
And, we know that FDR prolonged the Great Depression, put Japanese Americans into camps, and sold out both East Europe and North Korea to Stalin.
7
Without FDR, Germany and Japan would have won WWII.
13
Obama was extremely terrible president. One need understand, that there is no worse evil for an average man today, then globalization. Mr Obama was strongest globalization agent I may ever remember. All his achievements fade in the shadow of the sorrow, which globalization brings.
22
Jonathan - "no worse evil than globalization"? Ummm, I think you need to study more about the two world wars and how another world war seems inconceivable in the age of globalization.
33
Globalization, actually, is a war, against all the sovereign nations around the world. Looks what happens right now in Ukraine. Is a pure war between Russia and "global steering committee".
3
Jonathan - close to 100 million people died in the two world wars, so not at all a valid comparison
9
I'm afraid that I must respectfully disagree with Mr. Leonhardt today.
Mr. Obama's accomplishments were middle-of-the-road at best. Yes, some were set on the right trajectory, but they will lack longevity. They will ultimately be dismantled and likely de-legitimized in the near future.
Here's what Obama failed to do: Right from the start, Mr. Obama should have eviscerated his political enemies instead of trying to resolve things amicably. I have read many critiques of his presidency pointing out that he "lacked political skill" in getting things done. I think critics would be singing a different tune if he had acted swiftly and ruthlessly to push against the republicans (and the cowards on the democrat side). Mr. Obama was a statesman. What America needed was a political disciplinarian with a really big stick.
Ultimately, his largest failure, which will have the longest-lasting negative consequences for the U.S., is the fact that local and state governments have swung to the republicans. America is poised to become more isolationist, xenophobic and Darwinian. Mr. Obama failed to convince people that the Democratic party or that progressive government works for the people.
Mr. Obama's accomplishments were middle-of-the-road at best. Yes, some were set on the right trajectory, but they will lack longevity. They will ultimately be dismantled and likely de-legitimized in the near future.
Here's what Obama failed to do: Right from the start, Mr. Obama should have eviscerated his political enemies instead of trying to resolve things amicably. I have read many critiques of his presidency pointing out that he "lacked political skill" in getting things done. I think critics would be singing a different tune if he had acted swiftly and ruthlessly to push against the republicans (and the cowards on the democrat side). Mr. Obama was a statesman. What America needed was a political disciplinarian with a really big stick.
Ultimately, his largest failure, which will have the longest-lasting negative consequences for the U.S., is the fact that local and state governments have swung to the republicans. America is poised to become more isolationist, xenophobic and Darwinian. Mr. Obama failed to convince people that the Democratic party or that progressive government works for the people.
52
After Obama was elected, the strategy of GOP operatives and friends (A.L.E.C., RNC, the national business chamber of commerce, deep pocket supporters like the Koch Brothers, etc.) was to go after State houses aggressively; in 2010 the Republicans flooded millions into the states netting 660 seats. This ensured more Republican U.S. Senate/Rep "seat wins”. They followed that with Operation Redmap, an aggressive gerrymandering plan. Then moved to consolidate power further by gutting key provisions of the Voting Rights act and re-making laws in key states (A.L.E.C. style) even targeting independent judges and watchdogs! They “field tesedt” strategies in Kansas, Indiana, North/South Carolina, Georgia, Louisiana, Florida, Texas, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, etc. In 2015, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker EVEN sought to scrap the state’s independent Government Accountability Board that enforces campaign finance, elections, ethics, and lobbying laws! By design, the 2016 election went largely as Republican operatives planned. By focusing on and flipping a few key districts in a few key states, Republican control of the White House + Senate + House + Supreme Court is assured! They just have to figure out how to move Pence into position.
19
"Mr. Obama failed to convince people that the Democratic party or that progressive government works for the people."
I agree with your conclusion regarding the Democratic Party but disagree with your laying it at the door of President Obama. Responsibility lies wholly with the Democratic National Committee and the stodgy unimaginative politicians and operatives who run it. The worst part is: they appear to have learned little or nothing about the election that just humiliated them.
I agree with your conclusion regarding the Democratic Party but disagree with your laying it at the door of President Obama. Responsibility lies wholly with the Democratic National Committee and the stodgy unimaginative politicians and operatives who run it. The worst part is: they appear to have learned little or nothing about the election that just humiliated them.
7
Of the capacity to express agreement to a greater degree, my deficit is deeply in the red!
Reagan (and Gorbachev) changed the world by ending the Cold War - and eventually the Soviet Union. For those who were around back then (I was a young man) he brought optimism and confidence back to America - which had been sorely lacking since Kennedy was assassinated. It was no wonder he won almost every state in 1980 and 1984 (and the first Bush in 1988 won on Reagan's coattails).
Obama will be remembered as the first black president of the United States. I don't want to minimize that because it's a great achievement; and not just by Obama, but by all of us in America.
Obama was cool, smart, level headed and responsible - and scandal free (a rarity). But I am not sure what else he will be remembered for. Obamacare is unpopular and will apparently be undone. The jury is out on the Iran nuclear deal. The economy is certainly better than it was when he took office, but nothing like the huge growth during the Reagan and Clinton years. On the other hand, Russia, the Middle East and Europe are a mess, none of which is really his fault. But he did little or nothing to help the situation.
All in all, a competent, well-spoken, likable steward, but other than being "a first," not a monumental Presidency.
Obama will be remembered as the first black president of the United States. I don't want to minimize that because it's a great achievement; and not just by Obama, but by all of us in America.
Obama was cool, smart, level headed and responsible - and scandal free (a rarity). But I am not sure what else he will be remembered for. Obamacare is unpopular and will apparently be undone. The jury is out on the Iran nuclear deal. The economy is certainly better than it was when he took office, but nothing like the huge growth during the Reagan and Clinton years. On the other hand, Russia, the Middle East and Europe are a mess, none of which is really his fault. But he did little or nothing to help the situation.
All in all, a competent, well-spoken, likable steward, but other than being "a first," not a monumental Presidency.
10
Ronald Reagan didn't end the Cold War.
22
News flash. The cold war never ended.
15
And, of course, the GOP Congress was more than willing to assist with Obama's initiatives.
7
Funny, I was under the impression that President Obama left the Democratic party in shambles.
22
He did. Thanks to Obama Democrats lost the House and the Senate and, ultimately, the presidency. There was still a lot of unresolved issues between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama during the last election. Obama could care less if Hillary Clinton became president. The only reason Obama did any campaigning was to preserve his legacy as president.
14
Obama did not get to pick his successor. The column was about the state of the nation and not the state of a political party.
Get back to us in 2 years.
10 years ago, the GOP was in shambles.
Get back to us in 2 years.
10 years ago, the GOP was in shambles.
15
The racism, that is still very much embedded in the republican party, was front and center in everything the republicans did to derail our government. While displaying their racism and voting constantly against him, they kept our country from advancing in many areas. That President Obama accomplished as much as he did, is a blessing that those of us who are not racists truly appreciate and are thankful for.
5
I greatly admired his ability to overcome the handicaps of an absent father and a mother who traveled too much.
I feared from the start that Obamacare was beset by too many economic problems and too much racial hostility to last very long, but still hope that I will turn out to be mistaken.
The Iran nuclear deal and his imposing of the awful U.N. resolution on Israel and his multiple failures to adequately confront Mr. Putin were grave mistakes.
The important thing is that he has survived the eight years, seems to be content and is still laughing.
I would have liked to shoot baskets, eat Chinese and discuss women with him.
I feared from the start that Obamacare was beset by too many economic problems and too much racial hostility to last very long, but still hope that I will turn out to be mistaken.
The Iran nuclear deal and his imposing of the awful U.N. resolution on Israel and his multiple failures to adequately confront Mr. Putin were grave mistakes.
The important thing is that he has survived the eight years, seems to be content and is still laughing.
I would have liked to shoot baskets, eat Chinese and discuss women with him.
6
The resolution on Israel merely allowed the un to state what has been American policy for decades.
Mr. Leonhardt, I am in total agreement with you. President Obama's legacy, sneered at by the Right and the unforgiving partisan, will survive its first and truest test--his Affordable Care Act.
Republicans are gleeful and giddy at the prospect of diminishing him, much like a sailor on shore leave. They are unashamed by their unseemly behavior to effect...what? They don't think they know; they are intoxicated by what they think is the complete license to deconstruct the past eight years. The flaw in their plan is that, while opposing the president at every turn since 2009, they never presented a viable alternative. Never did John Boehner nor Paul Ryan (nor, need it be said, Mitch McConnell) stand behind a microphone and spell out, in detail, how his (or their) plans were superior to the (incompetent) president's. They had nothing. Their opposition was based solely on corrosive resentment. The public watched the back-and-forth like spectators at a tennis match as wasted time went by. The president struck out on his own and the GOP whined about "executive overreach."
Mr. Obama's achievements will not rival FDR's monumental strokes which scaled the heights. But the 44th president leaves office with a handsome endowment to the American people (and the world). His quiet, dignified and determined purpose to change America will be appreciated, in the broad strokes and in the details. His successor has no intellectual or historical purchase from which to begin.
He walks in sand.
Republicans are gleeful and giddy at the prospect of diminishing him, much like a sailor on shore leave. They are unashamed by their unseemly behavior to effect...what? They don't think they know; they are intoxicated by what they think is the complete license to deconstruct the past eight years. The flaw in their plan is that, while opposing the president at every turn since 2009, they never presented a viable alternative. Never did John Boehner nor Paul Ryan (nor, need it be said, Mitch McConnell) stand behind a microphone and spell out, in detail, how his (or their) plans were superior to the (incompetent) president's. They had nothing. Their opposition was based solely on corrosive resentment. The public watched the back-and-forth like spectators at a tennis match as wasted time went by. The president struck out on his own and the GOP whined about "executive overreach."
Mr. Obama's achievements will not rival FDR's monumental strokes which scaled the heights. But the 44th president leaves office with a handsome endowment to the American people (and the world). His quiet, dignified and determined purpose to change America will be appreciated, in the broad strokes and in the details. His successor has no intellectual or historical purchase from which to begin.
He walks in sand.
525
soxared,
"They had a great Doctor, the operation was a success, but the patient died"! "Success" is often difficult to define, failure is sometimes easer because it tends to be more spectacular. In the "real world" the answer is usually some of each, a result of the "law" of untended consequences.
President-elect Obama promised "Hope and Change" for America. He promised "to end our involvement in Foreign Wars" and He promised "Transparent Government". President Obama came into office in a sea of "Blue" and left awash in "Red". Was He a successful President for Democrats? Did He "end our involvement in foreign wars"? Was His Administration "the most transparent "?
The more than doubling of the deficit is Obama's largest single accomplishment. He reduced the number of Americans in Iraq and Afghanistan, but not the size of the wars. More importantly, both the number of countries with Nukes and the number of Nukes they point at each other has increased on his watch.
For Democrats He reduced the number of elected Democrats by 1000 nation wide and HRC's defeat while running as Obama 3.0 cost Democrats the Supreme Court for a generation.
If that is "Successful" in your "book" you must be a Republican!
"They had a great Doctor, the operation was a success, but the patient died"! "Success" is often difficult to define, failure is sometimes easer because it tends to be more spectacular. In the "real world" the answer is usually some of each, a result of the "law" of untended consequences.
President-elect Obama promised "Hope and Change" for America. He promised "to end our involvement in Foreign Wars" and He promised "Transparent Government". President Obama came into office in a sea of "Blue" and left awash in "Red". Was He a successful President for Democrats? Did He "end our involvement in foreign wars"? Was His Administration "the most transparent "?
The more than doubling of the deficit is Obama's largest single accomplishment. He reduced the number of Americans in Iraq and Afghanistan, but not the size of the wars. More importantly, both the number of countries with Nukes and the number of Nukes they point at each other has increased on his watch.
For Democrats He reduced the number of elected Democrats by 1000 nation wide and HRC's defeat while running as Obama 3.0 cost Democrats the Supreme Court for a generation.
If that is "Successful" in your "book" you must be a Republican!
11
@soaxred, thank you for your comment. I would like to add that Roosevelt had 4 TERMS aka 12 years as president, 8 more than president Obama. Had Obama had 2 more terms imagine, despite the gridlock of GOP obstruction, what he could have accomplished!
His successor doesn't walk in sand, he walks in slimy mud.
His successor doesn't walk in sand, he walks in slimy mud.
5
@Manderine
No, Manderine, his successor crawls in the slimy swamp that he promises to drain. His red state nation has crowned his evil, not with good or brotherhood, but with racism from red sea to stormy red sea.
No, Manderine, his successor crawls in the slimy swamp that he promises to drain. His red state nation has crowned his evil, not with good or brotherhood, but with racism from red sea to stormy red sea.
3
Then, Mr. Leonhardt, why is President Obama practically being run out of the White House on a rail with a few days left in his presidency? Surely, you must realize that your argument and Mr. Chait's book will make the incoming president and the Republican party see absolutely red. To hear the GOP tell it, the 44th president accomplished absolutely nothing during his eight years in office. Didn't they bid good riddance to President Obama on election night and immediately plan to dismantle the ACA and his global initiatives? Didn't they pretend that his tenure in the Oval Office was nothing more than an accident of democracy, a freak of nature that blemished American government in general and the office of the presidency in particular?
President Obama leaves office with a high approval rating. He had his missteps and failures, to be sure, but what president did not? In spite of the obstruction and opposition he faced during his presidency, his accomplishments will stand the test of time. The cloud of scandal, personal malfeasance or conflict of interest issues never hovered over his administration, something that can't be said for his successor even before he takes the oath of office. President Obama will be missed much more than many people realize, they just don't know it yet.
President Obama leaves office with a high approval rating. He had his missteps and failures, to be sure, but what president did not? In spite of the obstruction and opposition he faced during his presidency, his accomplishments will stand the test of time. The cloud of scandal, personal malfeasance or conflict of interest issues never hovered over his administration, something that can't be said for his successor even before he takes the oath of office. President Obama will be missed much more than many people realize, they just don't know it yet.
380
"Run out on a rail" well that's your impression. I see genuine regret that we are replacing a thoughtful, caring, moral president with a carnival barker. But let's stick to facts: Not every president has high approval ratings upon departure -- think "W".
8
Yeah I'll certainly miss not having to pay more for health insurance because lazy, obese, unhealthy people couldn't afford it.
1
I appreciate your sentimentality and respect for the wonderful president Obama, but feel as if your praise comes at the unjust expense of presidents Johnson and Clinton. President Johnsons legislative achievements are quite possibly the most important of the past 50 years. Because he got blamed for a war he did not get us into does not diminish his achievement. Nor is it just for historians to judge him by popular sentiment in the late 60s - that's the benefit of perspective that time gives. Clinton was also a remarkable president - especially for those of us who remember what this country was like after 12 years of the then most stunningly conservative republican regimes. The GOP smear campaigns led against the Clintons do not diminish my respect and admiration for their achievements. This country owes all democratic presidents of the past 100 years a debt of gratitude for the thankless progress they have legislated for an at times ungrateful nation
190
@ Dana of Santa Monica
Are you familiar with the Domino Theory? Here's a quote from your beloved Lyndon Johnson- "If we quit Vietnam tomorrow, we'll be fighting in Hawaii & next week we'll have to be fighting in San Francisco."
How is waiting to escalate troop involvement until after an upcoming election in 1964 any different than his successor failing to take advantage of an opportunity for peaceful conclusion of the war?
I'm sure you weren't around to experience "popular sentiment" in the 1960s.
Are you familiar with the Domino Theory? Here's a quote from your beloved Lyndon Johnson- "If we quit Vietnam tomorrow, we'll be fighting in Hawaii & next week we'll have to be fighting in San Francisco."
How is waiting to escalate troop involvement until after an upcoming election in 1964 any different than his successor failing to take advantage of an opportunity for peaceful conclusion of the war?
I'm sure you weren't around to experience "popular sentiment" in the 1960s.
5
Clinton was the best and most successful Republican president of the 20th Century. He will be regarded as such by history I will bet, and I don't really mean this as a rebuke. He pushed US to center right which is far better than the far right the current republican/fascist party wants to do.
If we have a history to look back on after the next few years those historians will be kind to both Clinton and Obama. Much kinder, I think, than they will be to Reagan and the rest of the incompetent boobs they have elected since.
If we have a history to look back on after the next few years those historians will be kind to both Clinton and Obama. Much kinder, I think, than they will be to Reagan and the rest of the incompetent boobs they have elected since.
3
Baloney.
And the election record of the last eight years proves that definitively.