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What grade would you give O for his first term?

Obama's first term grade

  • Total voters
    99
  • Poll closed .
Sgt Hulka said:
I see you post this time and again, and it is just wrong. I don't know where you are getting your figures, but by any measurable metric, govenment is much bigger under President Obama. (not blaming him, just pointing out the fact).

1) The federal budget has ballooned, i.e. spending more on government
2) The number of federal employees has increased 6.2% since he was inaugurated, i.e. more federal employees
3) More citizens are on public assistance than in the history of the republic, and government regulation and oversight has ballooned. i.e. government intrusion into our lives has increased.

I just don't get where you say government is smaller.
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evidence of ballooning regulation?
 
DeacHawk said:
Could you clarify what you mean in #3? More people are going to be on public assistance during a recession, how is that an increase of government intrusion or is there something else you're referring to here that I'm missing or not thinking about.
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Poorly worded on my part. However, just a side note, we are not in a recession and have not been for two years, yet the number of people on the dole has continued to increase.

I don't want this to intrude on the grade thread, maybe we could start one about the scope of the federal govenment and what posters think of its role.
 
Dodd Frank? hahahaha oh yeah Wall Street is like a stuck pig now, can't do nuthin'

most of Obamacare hasn't kicked in yet, and it was a gift to private enterprise anyway.
 
I'm inclined to think Dodd-Frank actually benefits the TBTF banks, though there are some worthwhile consumer protections in the act.
 
THE DEUCE said:
C+ for the 2 years he COULD do something
Congress gets a F-
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True. Would be interesting to see if there was a corresponding poll about Congress. Me thinks Obama would fair better. I was going to give him a C, then thought about the stonewalling Congress, so bumped it up to a B.
 
I gave him a B, but probably should be considered a B-. Healthcare is huge for me, and I'm glad universal healthcare has a place in our country now, even if the form of it needs changing in some aspects. He also gets huge props from me on his foreign affairs strategy, aka don't start new wars (apparently this is hard for presidents). Things I dont like: epic failing at getting serious on debt reduction, pushing through stimulus bills that were half-assed, and demonizing successful people in order to pander for votes.
 
B, to this point.


Needs to be a better persuader-in-chief.


Congress gets a D overall. Republicans, an F. But we get what we vote for.
 
Sgt Hulka said:
I see you post this time and again, and it is just wrong. I don't know where you are getting your figures, but by any measurable metric, govenment is much bigger under President Obama. (not blaming him, just pointing out the fact).

1) The federal budget has ballooned, i.e. spending more on government
2) The number of federal employees has increased 6.2% since he was inaugurated, i.e. more federal employees
3) More citizens are on public assistance than in the history of the republic, and government regulation and oversight has ballooned. i.e. government intrusion into our lives has increased.

I just don't get where you say government is smaller.
Click to expand...


http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/09/11/exploding-government/
 
C
Foreign policy has been mostly solid. Cautious, pragmatic, and non-reactionary. At the same time, I'm troubled by the way drones are being used to summarily execute people, including american citizens, including civilian casualties that are unreported.
Domestic policy has been a decidedly mixed bag with more negative than positive. On the one hand the various bailouts were necessary on some level, but in other ways mismanaged and giveaways to unions. The stimulus was allowed to be a big redistribution of cash instead of an investment in infrastructure. Obamacare is the wrong approach to health reform, and he should have spent that political capital getting our economy back on track instead of ramming it through. I like the attention to public education reform and I think the Department of Energy's approach to alternative energy has been constructive. The inability to get a deficit deal done is a problem. I appreciate that the Republicans have been historically obstructionist and unreasonable, but at the same time it's the President's job to figure out how to work within the system and deal with his political opponents.
 
Sgt Hulka said:
I see you post this time and again, and it is just wrong. I don't know where you are getting your figures, but by any measurable metric, govenment is much bigger under President Obama. (not blaming him, just pointing out the fact).

1) The federal budget has ballooned, i.e. spending more on government
2) The number of federal employees has increased 6.2% since he was inaugurated, i.e. more federal employees"Much of the hiring increases came in the departments of homeland security, justice, veterans and defense."
3) More citizens are on public assistance than in the history of the republic, and government regulation and oversight has ballooned. i.e. government intrusion into our lives has increased.

As to #1 and #3 "Much of that increase has come from mandatory spending, including Medicare, Social Security and Medicaid. Those programs have expanded mostly because of the recession, which has prompted more people to apply for Medicaid and Social Security, as well as the growth in people hitting retirement age."

I just don't get where you say government is smaller.
Click to expand...

.....
 
ConnorEl said:
B, to this point.


Needs to be a better persuader-in-chief.


Congress gets a D overall. Republicans, an F. But we get what we vote for.
Click to expand...

There was no opportunity to be a "persuader" The ACA was a GOP bill. It was what the HERITAGE FOUNDATION and ROMNEY created.

He gave the GOP 1/3 of the stimulus bill in tax cuts they asked for and still got no votes.

Congress gets an F- for putting party ahead of the nation for the entire first term.
 
Milhouse said:
hard, but not impossible. a good leader would have found a way.
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46771522.jpg
 
Had the GOP in the House cared about America, we'd have under 8% unemployment and an improving infrastructure.
 
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