Obama's first 6 months?

Black Swan

How would you grade Obama on his first 6 months of the US presidency?

No matter whom had won the presidency in 2008, they would have been handed a terrible mess with two wars ongoing for years, an historic federal deficit, and the worst recession since the Great Depression.

I recognize it's still a bit early, but are there signs of improvement (that could be linked to the presidency), or just useless political spin without factual results? What's your read?

Overheal

It would have been a mess, but how it was executed may have been far different. Im thinking these days, that if McCain had made it to Oval, we'd have seen the stim packages veto'd, and a lot more necessary time spent planning these things out. As it is, we've so far rushed into bailouts, and buying out a Car Company. Answer me this: Why did why try to buy out a whole Car Company, for tens/hundreds of billions of dollars, before we ever attempted a cash for clunkers program, which cost pocket change by comparison? What did we put in that - $4 billion?

Black Swan

Overheal wrote: »

Answer me this: Why did why try to buy out a whole Car Company, for tens/hundreds of billions of dollars,

Obama received the support of the failing car corporations, as well as the automotive unions, and he was paying off a campaign debt? This is typical of US American politics, where powerful special interest lobbies, corporations, and unions expect a return on their campaign investments, no matter which party wins, Democrat or Republican? Campaign finance reform is a smoke-filled backroom joke when it takes millions USD to win national office.

Overheal wrote: »

before we ever attempted a cash for clunkers program, which cost pocket change by comparison? What did we put in that - $4 billion?

And a programme that seems to be working on first blush? It would appear that the US economy is undergoing the trial-and-error approach to solving the Great Recession? Not sure how the feds will handle the deficit. It reached an historic high under Bush, and now continues to go higher with bailouts under Obama, while the value of the dollar declines opposite that of gold.

Yesterday the news media was a-buzz about early signs that the US economy might be turning about, but I think it's terribly premature to make that call. Credit card debt continues to climb past one trillion USD, and so does the threat that there's a credit card bubble ready to burst?

Unemployment continues to climb, and that's the reported level of unemployment. What happens to the people who exhaust their unemployment benefits? Do they drop off the rolls, and by doing so, drop off the unemployment stats? If so, US unemployment is an under reported figure, meaning it's a lot worse than the stats show?

Overheal wrote: »

if McCain had made it to Oval, we'd have seen the stim packages veto'd

With regards to what McCain might have done pertaining to bailouts and other stimulus packages, who knows? That's all speculation, because he lost the election. If he continued with his 90 percent approval rating of the Bush policies, would he too have pushed for more bailout monies? Bush started the massive bailouts in his final year, and Obama continued them.

Further, if McCain had won the presidency, he would have had to work with a Democratic controlled House and Senate, and you cannot legislate by presidential veto alone. Just saying "no... no... no!" does not stimulate the failing US economy, which the Party of No has yet to learn?

jank

Much too early to tell at this stage. He got a pile of $hit to deal with and has kept himself very very busy the last 6 months. Time will tell what he did right and wrong but one thing is clear. He is not afraid to change some sacred cows in america. Health care for example.

It is a changing country alright. He has come back to earth a bit though.

Manic Moran

Further, if McCain had won the presidency, he would have had to work with a Democratic controlled House and Senate, and you cannot legislate by presidential veto alone. Just saying "no... no... no!" does not stimulate the failing US economy, which the Party of No has yet to learn?

Not sure how that differs much from Arnie's position in California. The legislature in CA seems very willing to say 'tax, tax, tax', but there's little support there for 'cut, cut, cut' as well. Someone has to keep them into a negotiating stance, and if that's done by veto, so be it.

On the one hand, I think Obama's done about as well as one would normally expect. No major disasters (though I strongly query his car company policies) and a number of executive orders to do one thing or another, usually nothing too major. Also appointed a whole crapload of Czars, and for the life of me I can't think of a single thing those guys have done. And he's gotten his choice to the Supreme Court.

On the other hand, his honeymoon period is over, and there is definitely some question over whether he can get his projects through now. What makes this particularly surprising is the supposed massive majority he also has in Congress. Of course, with the Blue Dogs and other such types, it's a massive majority in name only, not in votes, but the perception right now is that he should be able to do what he wants, and he's not getting it done. I mean, what major legislation has been passed outside of the Stimulus bill early in his Presidency?

NTM

Black Swan

Manic Moran wrote: »

Of course, with the Blue Dogs and other such types, it's a massive majority in name only, not in votes

Good point!

Trail_Blazer

Seems to me that Obama has done more for this country in 7 months, then the previous douchebag did in 8 years. Which wouldn't be hard to do, because he pretty much did nothing good at all.

Manic Moran

Like what? Force GM to disband its High Performance Motors Division? I'm rather irked about that one, hopefully the -Vs will still be in production when I get back.

NTM

Overheal

Yeah I notice every servicemen we've dont business with in the last few weeks: they all have shiney new 09's :pac:

y'earned it

worldrepublic

unless he brings unemployment under control... people won't care how many speeches are made. Results are what counts and all the excuses in the world are no good if you can't get a job.

Manic Moran

Well, we've got nothing better to do most of the time than drool over car magazines and debate the cars we'll all buy when we get home.

Three months after we got home, our containers arrived from Iraq so we all drove down to pick up our stuff. First thing we did was threw each other our car keys and we test drove all the cars we bought as soon as we got home.

With the exception of two people in my platoon. One chap, obviously slightly off in the head, who bought a motorcycle, and another whose wife got to the money before he did, and bought a car instead of the pick-up he was looking for.

NTM

Overheal

Chevy Volt is on the way: $40k and rumoured 230MPG. True Electric with Gas Generator (Not Hybrid Transmission)

Manic Moran

Far too practical. I want a somewhat luxurious gas-guzzler, and am willing to pay the fuel prices to have it.

[Edit] OK. The gas-guzzling bit isn't a requirement, HP and torque are, but it's hard to have a practical way of getting the first two without high fuel consumption.

NTM

imported_guy

if americans woted ron paul, we would have been long out of this mess

why bother with bank bailouts when the government will never see any money back, they could have used the money to make new banks etc etc, and fed has no right to make money out of thin air, this needs to stop, there is no gold there and the world needs to go back to the original gold standard

Trail_Blazer

Imported, don't you know the US is a 2 party system/country? I think it'll be a long time (if ever) that a 3rd party were to even come remotely close to winning, much less actually winning.

I'm not saying it's a good thing at all, just the truth unfortunately.

Fr Tod Umptious

The people who supported Obama will say 'it's only 6 months, give him time'

the people who did not will say 'he has failed'

transylman

He has reprioritised the military to make Afghanistan the primary battleffront in the middle east, a country which is in danger of becoming out of control.
Cancelled expensive weapons programs designed to take on a cold war enemy with similar capabilities in favor of equipment more suitable to the wars currently being fought.
Acted to stabilise the economy, with signs now that the worst is over.
Cash for clunkers.

Mishandled closure of quantanamo.
Has bitten off more than he can chew with healthcare.

My attitude is still wait and see.

imported_guy

Trail_Blazer wrote: »

Imported, don't you know the US is a 2 party system/country? I think it'll be a long time (if ever) that a 3rd party were to even come remotely close to winning, much less actually winning.

I'm not saying it's a good thing at all, just the truth unfortunately.

ron paul is a republican congressman from texas :P

Manic Moran

transylman wrote: »

He has reprioritised the military to make Afghanistan the primary battleffront in the middle east, a country which is in danger of becoming out of control.

With Iraq settling down before he entered office, this was going to happen anyway.

Cancelled expensive weapons programs designed to take on a cold war enemy with similar capabilities in favor of equipment more suitable to the wars currently being fought.

A decision which was not universally approved of. With the removal of the F-22 purchases for the Air Guard, which operates most of the US Air Defence missions and whose F-16s and F-15s are clapped out, the most recent instructions (As of yesterday) are to the level of 'At this point, get whatever's going. To include old US Navy Aircraft.' On the other hand, the FCS system, which was supposed to be a lightweight, airmobile replacement for the 70ton cold-war bohemoths and accompanyng vehicles like Bradleys, has also been nixed under the Obama administration, in favour of upgrading those same cold-war bohemoths. (Not that I mind, either. Sometimes you just need a 70 ton steel monster to say "I care." I'd be happier with an entirely new tank, though. Other countries are still coming out with them.)

Cash for clunkers.

I'm trying to figure out how my 9-year-old, 3.8l V6 Chevy with 130,000 miles doesn't qualify for the program.

NTM

Overheal

On the bright side, we havent got rid of all our renewal programs (yet)

We still have the Gerald R. Ford class Supercarrier to look forward to.

jank

They now have the first Latino Justice.

Manic Moran

Also a point of contention. Some of us think that it's more important to find a good judge than a judge of any certain race or gender.

NTM

jank

Manic Moran wrote: »

Also a point of contention. Some of us think that it's more important to find a good judge than a judge of any certain race or gender.

NTM

Oh I agree but she was the most experienced judge to be nominated in over 100 years. How is she unqualified?

Bush nominated his fecking secetary....

Black Swan

His summer push for health care reform legislation will either be a grand success if it passes, or a political albatross about his neck for the remainder of his first term if it fails. If I had been him, I would have worked harder to move the economy in a positive direction, as well as withdraw from two very expensive wars, before starting to change major factors of the US infrastructure (health care, education, energy alternatives, etc.). After all, in 2012 "It's the economy stupid!" will decide the election, not health care reform.

jank

2012 is a long way off yet, best do it now than wait. It is obvious why he wants to do it now. He cant wait till next year because of the mid term elections and then after that its 2012... Now is the best time to do it.

Manic Moran

Saturday Night Live squashes the arguments by some Conservatives that Obama's turning the US into a communist nation...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sC_yktBvb7c

NTM

SteveS

jank wrote: »

Oh I agree but she was the most experienced judge to be nominated in over 100 years. How is she unqualified?

Bush nominated his fecking secetary....

Most experienced? How do you figure that?

Her judicial experience is certainly comparable to several other current Justices (Alito and Breyer) and her overall experience is comparable to most on the current court. If you look back in the last 100 years, I'd say that Oliver W. Holmes, Benjamin Cardozo, and Earl Warren, among others, are just as experienced as Sotomayor. I would also argue that experience is not always the best predictor of a keen judicial mind. Louis Brandeis did not have a great deal of experience and he was a brilliant Justice.

Overall, while I think Sotomayor was certainly qualified, I don't think she was the best choice. Some of the opinions she authored on the Court of Appeals were, in my opinion, incorrectly decided, especially the ones dealing with the Takings Clause.

speedboatchase

Completely spineless