• Welcome to OGBoards 10.0, keep in mind that we will be making LOTS of changes to smooth out the experience here and make it as close as possible functionally to the old software, but feel free to drop suggestions or requests in the Tech Support subforum!

Obama's Legacy

When adjusted for 2015 dollars, the real median income in the United States has dropped from $59,756 in 2000 to $55,775 today. I'm not laying this at Obama's feet. I'm pointing out the fact that the GDP growth has not resulted in better economic opportunity for most people. I am saying that crediting Obama with a recovery is misinformed.
 
JuiceCrewAllStar said:
LOL. I simply chose the data sets available to me via the US Census Bureau. The earliest and most recent ACS surveys. Would you prefer I use the 2006-2010 averages for Bush?

My comments aren't even pointed toward Obama, just the idea that the economy has recovered.
Click to expand...

You don't take averages when a significant event happens. you have to take of from where it was at the bottom. that's where he entered. You can't have long gone good years included.
 
RJKarl said:
You don't take averages when a significant event happens. you have to take of from where it was at the bottom. that's where he entered. You can't have long gone good years included.
Click to expand...

Then pick the year you'd like me to use.
 
JuiceCrewAllStar said:
When adjusted for 2015 dollars, the real median income in the United States has dropped from $59,756 in 2000 to $55,775 today. I'm not laying this at Obama's feet. I'm pointing out the fact that the GDP growth has not resulted in better economic opportunity for most people. I am saying that crediting Obama with a recovery is misinformed.
Click to expand...

Spot on... but the Obama fanboys don't care too much for this narrative even though Obama has not had one single year under his entire term with an annual GDP growth rate of 3%.
 
Last edited:
knowell said:
Personally he set a fine example as a president.

Foreign policy was a disaster with almost no positives.

ACA was a disaster and needs to be undone as soon as possible.

Economy recovered but it took a very long time to do so. Could a more Reagan like approach have been much quicker? I think so. An incredible amount of small businesses went out of business over the 5-6 years of economic downturn. Had this been reduced to only 1-2 years, a vast amount of wealth would have been saved. Underemployment is still an issue.

Stock market was a definite positive for Obama. Cuba is a positive. I also see loosening of anti-drug laws as a positive and some slight movement against mass incarceration as a positive.

Overall, the greatest achievement is breaking the color barrier at the highest possible level. Otherwise, achievements will be considered modest.
Click to expand...

you even use the adjective 'disaster' to describe everything. You are so Trump, man. It's weird
 
RJKarl said:
There are so many things more than a single number. I know think things are that simple but they aren't in the real world.

Why don't you compare GDP of when Obama took office:

https://www.bea.gov/newsreleases/national/gdp/2009/pdf/gdp408f.pdf

Bad and getting worse.

Or unemployment.
Click to expand...

Exactly my point. GDP has improved while income has not. Unemployment has improved because people are working fewer hours for less per hour and many have dropped out of the workforce. The recovery has not benefited the masses.

Again, I don't blame Obama. I just don't think it's a feather in his cap either.
 
knowell said:
Personally he set a fine example as a president.

Foreign policy was a disaster with almost no positives.

ACA was a disaster and needs to be undone as soon as possible.

Economy recovered but it took a very long time to do so. Could a more Reagan like approach have been much quicker? I think so. An incredible amount of small businesses went out of business over the 5-6 years of economic downturn. Had this been reduced to only 1-2 years, a vast amount of wealth would have been saved. Underemployment is still an issue.

Stock market was a definite positive for Obama. Cuba is a positive. I also see loosening of anti-drug laws as a positive and some slight movement against mass incarceration as a positive.

Overall, the greatest achievement is breaking the color barrier at the highest possible level. Otherwise, achievements will be considered modest.
Click to expand...

Reagan had every lever a president could pull at his disposal, Obama had none. Reagan pushed for lower interest rates, lower taxes, deficit spending. My golly what a genius!

Obama had a much tougher row to hoe since Ronnie-boy pulled all those levers and they were left where he left them. low interest rates, low taxes, high deficit/debt
 
Last edited:
WakeandBake said:
Reagan had every lever a president could pull at his disposal, Obama had none. Reagan pushed for lower interest rates, lower taxes, deficit spending. My golly what a genius!

Obama had a much tougher row to hoe since Ronnie-boy pulled all those levers and they were left where he left them. low interest rates, low taxes, high deficit/debt
Click to expand...

Unless you count both Houses of Congress. Other than that, sure.
 
JuiceCrewAllStar said:
Exactly my point. GDP has improved while income has not. Unemployment has improved because people are working fewer hours for less per hour and many have dropped out of the workforce. The recovery has not benefited the masses.

Again, I don't blame Obama. I just don't think it's a feather in his cap either.
Click to expand...

The economy is much stronger now than it was when he took over. Many of those who have "dropped out of the workforce" are the first groups of boomers who decided to retire.
 
It's also worth pointing out that a president's legacy is rarely a bipartisan issue, even 50+ years out

I'd be interested to see the percentage of people who view FDR as a top five president. There are probably even a few confederate flag wearing lurkers on here that don't think Lincoln was a top 3 president.

As a human being he's the best since ... Lincoln probably. As a president he will be viewed among partisan lines for a long time, with Dems viewing him as above average but not in the Pantheon.
 
JuiceCrewAllStar said:
Re: the economy, the GDP has recovered. However, when comparing the ACS 2005-2009 five-year averages and the 2011-2015 five-year averages:

- The real median household income has decreased.
- The percentage of households with earnings has decreased.
- The percentage of families in poverty has increased.
- Housing costs have increased as a percentage of income
- Etc.

For whom has the economy "recovered"?
Click to expand...

The big banks that he bailed out and their equally large debt recipients. Smaller banks and businesses got crushed and have not, and probably will never, recover aside from the cyclical froyo, cupcake, or craft beer fad du jour. Walmart is doing just fine and took the opportunity to crush their smaller competitors. Maybe that is best in the long run, but it feeds directly into the wealth concentration and disparity. And the ACA has had similar effects on healthcare consolidation.
 
simosfrostyone said:
But Clinton knew how to throw the other side an olive branch and that made him seem less partisan to his opponents, which helped cut his losses in Congress. Obama just doubled down after he got "shellacked", which is his term IIRC.
Click to expand...

I guess you could give Clinton credit for the "olive branch," which was really just GOP welfare reform that WJC signed off on because he had to be reelected in 96 and the issue was bogging him down. I consider that to be more political survival/necessity than anything else. Nowadays it looks like incredible cooperation. It was viewed as an insincere outflanking of the GOP at the time.
 
So people are blaming Obama because their boss didn't give them a raise?
 
RChildress107 said:
It's also worth pointing out that a president's legacy is rarely a bipartisan issue, even 50+ years out

I'd be interested to see the percentage of people who view FDR as a top five president. There are probably even a few confederate flag wearing lurkers on here that don't think Lincoln was a top 3 president.

As a human being he's the best since ... Lincoln probably. As a president he will be viewed among partisan lines for a long time, with Dems viewing him as above average but not in the Pantheon.
Click to expand...

Not sure since Lincoln. Carter and Truman are pretty great human beings. I don't know enough about Eisenhower, but he might be on that list too. And in terms of great and productive careers, Bush the Elder has had quite the interesting life.
 
WakeandBake said:
Reagan had every lever a president could pull at his disposal, Obama had none. Reagan pushed for lower interest rates, lower taxes, deficit spending. My golly what a genius!

Obama had a much tougher row to hoe since Ronnie-boy pulled all those levers and they were left where he left them. low interest rates, low taxes, high deficit/debt
Click to expand...

WTF? Obama had majorities in the House and Senate. And if lowering interest rates, inflation and unemployment was so easy why didn't Carter do it?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top