List of Obama accomplishments: 90!?!?

[c1ue]

I think everyone knows my opinion, but rather than rely on that perhaps you in the community can comment on this list of accomplishments:

Suggested format:

1) Is the accomplishment real (as opposed to proposed)

2) Is the accomplishment unique to Obama?

3) Is the accomplishment the fulfillment of a promise Obama made during his Presidential campaign?

4) Did the accomplishment achieve a benefit to the American people?

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2009/1...ails-to-Report

1. Ordered all federal agencies to undertake a study and make recommendations for ways to cut spending

1. Ordered a review of all federal operations to identify and cut wasteful spending and practices

1. Instituted enforcement for equal pay for women

1. Beginning the withdrawal of US troops from Iraq

1. Families of fallen soldiers have expenses covered to be on hand when the body arrives at Dover AFB

1. Ended media blackout on war casualties; reporting full information

1. Ended media blackout on covering the return of fallen soldiers to Dover AFB; the media is now permitted to do so pending adherence to respectful rules and approval of fallen soldier's family

1. The White House and federal government are respecting the Freedom of Information Act

1. Instructed all federal agencies to promote openness and transparency as much as possible

1. Limits on lobbyist's access to the White House

1. Limits on White House aides working for lobbyists after their tenure in the administration

1. Ended the previous stop-loss policy that kept soldiers in Iraq/Afghanistan longer than their enlistment date

1. Phasing out the expensive F-22 war plane and other outdated weapons systems, which weren't even used or needed in Iraq/Afghanistan

1. Removed restrictions on embryonic stem-cell research

1. Federal support for stem-cell and new biomedical research

1. New federal funding for science and research labs

1. States are permitted to enact federal fuel efficiency standards above federal standards

1. Increased infrastructure spending (roads, bridges, power plants) after years of neglect

1. Funds for high-speed, broadband Internet access to K-12 schools

1. New funds for school construction

1. The prison at Guantanamo Bay is being phased out

1. US Auto industry rescue plan

1. Housing rescue plan

1. $789 billion economic stimulus plan

1. The public can meet with federal housing insurers to refinance (the new plan can be completed in one day) a mortgage if they are having trouble paying

1. US financial and banking rescue plan

1. The secret detention facilities in Eastern Europe and elsewhere are being closed

1. Ended the previous policy; the US now has a no torture policy and is in compliance with the Geneva Convention standards

1. Better body armor is now being provided to our troops

1. The missile defense program is being cut by $1.4 billion in 2010

1. Restarted the nuclear nonproliferation talks and building back up the nuclear inspection infrastructure/protocols

1. Reengaged in the treaties/agreements to protect the Antarctic

1. Reengaged in the agreements/talks on global warming and greenhouse gas emissions

1. Visited more countries and met with more world leaders than any president in his first six months in office

1. Successful release of US captain held by Somali pirates; authorized the SEALS to do their job

1. US Navy increasing patrols off Somali coast

1. Attractive tax write-offs for those who buy hybrid automobiles

1. Cash for clunkers program offers vouchers to trade in fuel inefficient, polluting old cars for new cars; stimulated auto sales

1. Announced plans to purchase fuel efficient American-made fleet for the federal government

1. Expanded the SCHIP program to cover health care for 4 million more children

1. Signed national service legislation; expanded national youth service program

1. Instituted a new policy on Cuba, allowing Cuban families to return home to visit loved ones

1. Ended the previous policy of not regulating and labeling carbon dioxide emissions

1. Expanding vaccination programs

1. Immediate and efficient response to the floods in North Dakota and other natural disasters

1. Closed offshore tax safe havens

1. Negotiated deal with Swiss banks to permit US government to gain access to records of tax evaders and criminals

1. Ended the previous policy of offering tax benefits to corporations who outsource American jobs; the new policy is to promote in-sourcing to bring jobs back

1. Ended the previous practice of protecting credit card companies; in place of it are new consumer protections from credit card industry's predatory practices

1. Energy producing plants must begin preparing to produce 15% of their energy from renewable sources

1. Lower drug costs for seniors

1. Ended the previous practice of forbidding Medicare from negotiating with drug manufacturers for cheaper drugs; the federal government is now realizing hundreds of millions in savings

1. Increasing pay and benefits for military personnel

1. Improved housing for military personnel

1. Initiating a new policy to promote federal hiring of military spouses

1. Improved conditions at Walter Reed Military Hospital and other military hospitals

1. Increasing student loans

1. Increasing opportunities in AmeriCorps program

1. Sent envoys to Middle East and other parts of the world that had been neglected for years; reengaging in multilateral and bilateral talks and diplomacy

1. Established a new cyber security office

1. Beginning the process of reforming and restructuring the military 20 years after the Cold War to a more modern fighting force; this includes new procurement policies, increasing size of military, new technology and cyber units and operations, etc.

1. Ended previous policy of awarding no-bid defense contracts

1. Ordered a review of hurricane and natural disaster preparedness

1. Established a National Performance Officer charged with saving the federal government money and making federal operations more efficient

1. Students struggling to make college loan payments can have their loans refinanced

1. Improving benefits for veterans

1. Many more press conferences and town halls and much more media access than previous administration

1. Instituted a new focus on mortgage fraud

1. The FDA is now regulating tobacco

1. Ended previous policy of cutting the FDA and circumventing FDA rules

1. Ended previous practice of having White House aides rewrite scientific and environmental rules, regulations, and reports

1. Authorized discussions with North Korea and private mission by Pres. Bill Clinton to secure the release of two Americans held in prisons

1. Authorized discussions with Myanmar and mission by Sen. Jim Web to secure the release of an American held captive

1. Making more loans available to small businesses

1. Established independent commission to make recommendations on slowing the costs of Medicare

1. Appointment of first Latina to the Supreme Court

1. Authorized construction/opening of additional health centers to care for veterans

1. Limited salaries of senior White House aides; cut to $100,000

1. Renewed loan guarantees for Israel

1. Changed the failing/status quo military command in Afghanistan

1. Deployed additional troops to Afghanistan

1. New Afghan War policy that limits aerial bombing and prioritizes aid, development of infrastructure, diplomacy, and good government practices by Afghans

1. Announced the long-term development of a national energy grid with renewable sources and cleaner, efficient energy production

1. Returned money authorized for refurbishment of White House offices and private living quarters

1. Paid for redecoration of White House living quarters out of his own pocket

1. Held first Seder in White House

1. Attempting to reform the nation's healthcare system which is the most expensive in the world yet leaves almost 50 million without health insurance and millions more under insured

1. Has put the ball in play for comprehensive immigration reform

1. Has announced his intention to push for energy reform

1. Has announced his intention to push for education reform

Oh, and he built a swing set for the girls outside the Oval Office!

[don]

Re: List of Obama accomplishments: 90!?!?

Seems like a short list. Aren't we at 13,000,000,000,000 and counting? :rolleyes:

[Slimprofits]

Re: List of Obama accomplishments: 90!?!?

I thought this was a joke. Not your post, c1ue, but the thread at Kos.

Too bad it's not. Dumb. Ass. Liberals.

Robert P. Watson, Ph.D.Coordinator of American Studies

Get a real job, Bob.

[Spartacus]

I'm wondering if Mish is making any sense

for those familiar with US military protocol -

Mish claims that if the Iraq and Afghanistan missions end tomorrow the returning soldiers will raise unemployment significantly

>>
Moreover, one cannot help but wonder if Obama simply does not want the rising unemployment that would undoubtedly accompany the return of all the troops in Afghanistan and Iraq
<<<<<

Would all returning soldiers be put back in the workforce
1. immediately
2. previous employers NOT forced to take them back in significant numbers
3. so they're counted unemployed in a way that could not be hidden from the statistics

each of those seem questionable to me, and that's just off the top of my head

Just saying ... It's fine by me if Mish thinks Obama has screwed up - I thought he would screw up long before he was elected. But his screw ups should be tallied fairly, and this accusation makes Obama out to be quite an evil - ly calculating bastard.

[Ghent12]

Re: I'm wondering if Mish is making any sense

for those familiar with US military protocol -

Mish claims that if the Iraq and Afghanistan missions end tomorrow the returning soldiers will raise unemployment significantly

>>
Moreover, one cannot help but wonder if Obama simply does not want the rising unemployment that would undoubtedly accompany the return of all the troops in Afghanistan and Iraq
<<<<<

Would all returning soldiers be put back in the workforce
1. immediately
2. previous employers NOT forced to take them back in significant numbers
3. so they're counted unemployed in a way that could not be hidden from the statistics

each of those seem questionable to me, and that's just off the top of my head

Just saying ... It's fine by me if Mish thinks Obama has screwed up - I thought he would screw up long before he was elected. But his screw ups should be tallied fairly, and this accusation makes Obama out to be quite an evil - ly calculating bastard.

Um, they would only raise the unemployment if they were discharged regardless of their location. If they were returned to the US and not discharged, they would take their deployment savings and do whatever they want with it, but it would likely involve buying high-ticket items.

[Starving Steve]

Re: List of Obama accomplishments: 90!?!?

Obama Administration Report Card for 2009:

intentions: wonderful
approach: feeeeeeeeeeeeel good
communication: wonderful
accomplishments: almost zero, or zero:rolleyes:

Obama's energy plan is a good example of almost zero--- as in, almost zero new energy provided. Obama's war plans are an example of almost zero--- as in, almost zero change from the Bush plans. Obama's budget plan--- little-changed from the Bush deficit-spending plan.

Obama's education plan has not been defined yet, but it probably would be a re-play of the Bush plan. The strategy of the Obama Administration heretofore has been to put a happy-face on the old and failed-Republican approaches.

[BK]

Re: List of Obama accomplishments: 90!?!?

You forgot to add the Obama family Victory Garden - No More fat kids by 2012.....
Every kid in America will choose brussels sprouts, collard greens, or broccoli over hamburgers and french fries!

God Bless America!

[doom&gloom]

Re: List of Obama accomplishments: 90!?!?

Liberal-loving Obamunists confuse policy actions with results. Anyone can make a new policy, but the results are often slow or non-existent. The original list is mostly a list of policy actions that have accomplished nothing of substance.

[don]

Re: List of Obama accomplishments: 90!?!?

I'm confused. Haven't we seen a continuance of the greatest transfer of wealth in our history during his time "at the tiller"?

That's not an accomplishment?

Goldman would disagree

[Orforded]

Re: List of Obama accomplishments: 90!?!?

Havn't been here for a while. Must say I was used to a higher level of discourse on this site. Typically the criticisms had teeth and the comments were well reasoned. None of this: yoou're a dumb ass liberal, no you're a greedy conservative type trivializing of the conversation. Too bad. There are plenty of other places on the web for that shit.

Keep in mind that once we marginalize the other than the opportunity for productive communication disappears.

Just my two cents.

[ASH]

Re: List of Obama accomplishments: 90!?!?

I'm confused. Haven't we seen a continuance of the greatest transfer of wealth in our history during his time "at the tiller"?

That's not an accomplishment?

Goldman would disagree

Obama is accomplishing something that is very necessary for the resuscitation of America. He is demonstrating that real change cannot come from inside the system. Obama never could have been a source of "change" because he is a Democrat, and that makes him a creature of the system, just as any Republican would be. A President who relies upon the system for political and financial support cannot possibly reform it, because he has not the power. How can he go to a Congress packed with incumbents and ask them to cease gerrymandering congressional districts and give up earmarks? How can he assemble an economic policy team that doesn't call on the mainstream economic "luminaries" who created this mess and hope to have his appointees approved? By being charismatic and raising people's hopes for change, and by failing, Obama is discrediting the idea that change will come from inside one of the major political parties. As I have said before, the system has to fall apart -- and the current elite has to be completely discredited through failure of basic institutions and jarring hardship upon the American people -- before it can be reformed and repaired. Until the system fails so dramatically that none can ignore it -- and none can pretend that either the Republicans or Democrats have the answers -- the voters required to effect REAL change will not be stirred out of their narrow partisan ruts. Obama is doing America a great service by demonstrating how little difference there is between the Democrats who serve special interests and the Republicans who serve those interests. If he had fought harder to change things, just imagine how much more slowly we'd hit the wall, and how much longer voters would entertain the illusion that change is possible from within the two major parties.

[doom&gloom]

Re: List of Obama accomplishments: 90!?!?

Havn't been here for a while. Must say I was used to a higher level of discourse on this site. Typically the criticisms had teeth and the comments were well reasoned. None of this: yoou're a dumb ass liberal, no you're a greedy conservative type trivializing of the conversation. Too bad. There are plenty of other places on the web for that shit.

Keep in mind that once we marginalize the other than the opportunity for productive communication disappears.

Just my two cents.

if that was a shot at my comment, i'll still stand by it. The professed
"hope and change" of this Prez has morphed into a "hope we have
change left" when they are all done in DC. With a rather nebulous
platform when he ran, he has morphed into the Bush III term, with a
specific favoritism for vampire squid banksters. Amazingly, many of the
hardcore left still thing this is some improvement over Bush, who also
sucked. But it took Bush two whole terms to financially suck as much
as Obama has now sucked in less than 20% of his first term.

I don't just dislike Obama and his minions and messianic followers, I
pretty much dislike ALL politicians from both parties at present. We
have the best government money can buy, only you and I cannot afford
to buy it. And the CON-gress is completely and as thoroughly out of
control now as it was under the Replicants.

When people wakeup and start tossing out all the incumbents from both
parties and actually examine voting records and accomplishments is
when the people of the US may finally reclaim theor goobermint. I am
not holding my breath so long as we keep up this party foolishness.

[Chomsky]

Re: List of Obama accomplishments: 90!?!?

Obama is accomplishing something that is very necessary for the resuscitation of America. He is demonstrating that real change cannot come from inside the system. Obama never could have been a source of "change" because he is a Democrat, and that makes him a creature of the system, just as any Republican would be. A President who relies upon the system for political and financial support cannot possibly reform it, because he has not the power. How can he go to a Congress packed with incumbents and ask them to cease gerrymandering congressional districts and give up earmarks? How can he assemble an economic policy team that doesn't call on the mainstream economic "luminaries" who created this mess and hope to have his appointees approved? By being charismatic and raising people's hopes for change, and by failing, Obama is discrediting the idea that change will come from inside one of the major political parties. As I have said before, the system has to fall apart -- and the current elite has to be completely discredited through failure of basic institutions and jarring hardship upon the American people -- before it can be reformed and repaired. Until the system fails so dramatically that none can ignore it -- and none can pretend that either the Republicans or Democrats have the answers -- the voters required to effect REAL change will not be stirred out of their narrow partisan ruts. Obama is doing America a great service by demonstrating how little difference there is between the Democrats who serve special interests and the Republicans who serve those interests. If he had fought harder to change things, just imagine how much more slowly we'd hit the wall, and how much longer voters would entertain the illusion that change is possible from within the two major parties.

As usual, well put and I agree almost 100%. Surely neither party is capable of meaningful reform. The one potential problem with a full discrediting of the system is.... the new system is worse. ("We need a strong leader" etc.)

[doom&gloom]

Re: List of Obama accomplishments: 90!?!?

As usual, well put and I agree almost 100%. Surely neither party is capable of meaningful reform. The one potential problem with a full discrediting of the system is.... the new system is worse. ("We need a strong leader" etc.)

ALWAYS have an exit strategy. ;)

[ASH]

Re: List of Obama accomplishments: 90!?!?

As usual, well put and I agree almost 100%. Surely neither party is capable of meaningful reform. The one potential problem with a full discrediting of the system is.... the new system is worse. ("We need a strong leader" etc.)

*Ahem* Yes. That is so. I suggest we find someone tolerable to back, so we can out-shout the brown shirts when the time comes.