How is Obama doing so far?

[Maureen]

I’ve been kinda lazy and not really paying too much attention to Obama and what he’s been up to as President of the US; I watch some News coverage but I don’t really pay specific attention. I have a Facebook friend who (from what I’ve read) seems to believe that Obama is the anti-Christ or someone of that character. She is very over the top with her negative view of him. I think she sees him as “all” evil, not one good bone in his body. I was hoping I could get a variety of opinions on how you all feel about Obama, the good and the bad. And if you have the time and/or desire, be specific as to what he’s done well, mediocre or poorly. Thanks everyone!

[Dravin]

This ain't gonna be pretty.

[Mahone]

This ain't gonna be pretty.

You got there before me

[pam]

Haven't we had numerous threads on this same subject already? No offense intended Maureen.

[Mahone]

Haven't we had numerous threads on this same subject already? No offense intended Maureen.

Yes, 5,250 instances of it to be exact.

[prospectmom]

most of it isn't very supportive either Maureen. We have some very judgemental folks here. I think President Obama is trying and not doing a bad job. I watched his news conference yesterday and he made some very good points. I know my opinion isn't the popular one here but I think you have to give the guy a chance. The Senate and The House need to quit posturing and get to work. Forget the party garbage. Oh yes and we need to get rid of lobbyists..,...:}

[pam]

We have some very judgemental folks here

Isn't that also a form of being judgmental?

[Maureen]

Haven't we had numerous threads on this same subject already? No offense intended Maureen.

I'm sure you have, but that would mean I would have to do some "needle in a haystack" searching. Don't think I'm up for the task.

[FunkyTown]

The LDS church is based out of some very conservative states, Maureen. You have about as much likelihood of getting a good review of Obama on here as you do of walking in to inner-city Florida and having someone give a positive review of any Republican.

[Mahone]

I'm sure you have, but that would mean I would have to do some "needle in a haystack" searching. Don't think I'm up for the task.

Or you could just click the link I provided and you'll find it's more like a needle in a needle stack

[bytor2112]

President Obama is performing as expected and predicted. His economic policies are abysmal at best and disastrous at worst. He (as with most politicians) struggles with the truth and we will likely feel the repercussions of his Presidency many years after he leaves office. His foreign policy has thus far been lacking....but I will give him some time on that front. His appeal and charisma seem to finally be overshadowed by the lack of results from the non-stimulative "emergency" spending bill and he certainly hasn't been helped by his Democratic comrades in congress. I won't cry "socialism", but he is a big government liberal for sure and for some that is quite okay....just not for me. It does look like the Health Care abomination that he was pushing will be shelved for a while and also Cap and Tax will have to wait also.

He has a cool dog though........

[Maureen]

Mahone, thanks for the link. I've been snooping on it. It's definitely handy and seems to be packed with goodies. :)

[prospectmom]

__________________

Edited July 23, 2009 by prospectmom

[prospectmom]

Isn't that also a form of being judgmental?

OOPs .... may I please rephrase......

HHHHHHHMMMM Many dear folks on this site are very opinionated including myself, some do not find much favor in our current president.

How's that Pam?????:D

[Moksha]

Maureen, follow the current events forum here and you can see the many wrongdoings of President Obama

many times over, from being born to continuing to be President instead of turning the reigns of government

over to the rightful heir Mitt Romney.

:)

[Wingnut]

I think you had probably look elsewhere if you're looking for a good variety of opinions on President Obama.

[Just_A_Guy]

If you rate the President's success by the percentage of his stated objectives that he has attained, I think the answer would be "fair to good".

The loaded question is if you rate his success by how well his actions are benefiting the country (as opposed to his party or his own political interests).

[rameumptom]

Here is my take.

On a personal level, I like President Obama. He is affable, intelligent, and seems to have a good television presence.

As for qualifications, I do not think he truly grasps the gravitas needed for the job, especially during the crises we are facing.

We need someone who understands economics and business; what we have is a community organizer.

So far, besides being a very good television personality, he has left much of the work to the liberals in Congress. His initial program for the stimulus package was decent (though I could have done better), but when he took it to Nancy Pelosi, she said she was doing her own thing. Instead of using his position and power to push a real stimulus through, he quickly caved in. We now have a spendulous package that really does not stimulate anything, except the national deficit.

Now, he's doing the same things with health care. He wanted to fix the system, and have a lot of the cost savings work toward paying for a new, better system. Instead, he again turned it over entirely to Congress, which is not touching Medicaid or Medicare, and are just looking at throwing more good money after bad programs. Rather than fixing things, they are just interested in socializing things.

So, while he could have worked as a realist and pragmatist, and used his popularity and power to push forward some real "change you can believe in", he caved to the old guard, which is doing more of the stuff they've been doing for decades.

** How could I have stimulated the economy better? Rather than wasting the $12+ Trillion they've already done, I would have used about $3 trillion and given everybody holding a mortgage up to $100,000 to pay off/down their mortgage. This would be done with the understanding of a 12 month mortgage holiday for most (a $50 million dollar mortgage obviously would not apply). Since most mortgages would be paid off, or halved, most would not lose their homes. Most could renegotiate their mortgages for a better deal and keep their homes. This would instantly have reinfused ALL the banks (not just the stupid ones) with money. This would infuse the population with money (not just the stupid ones who overspent), which they would then use to invest, buy cars, clothing, etc.

The instant infusion of money into everyone's lives would have given the economy an instant kickstart, and it would continue, as few would have a mortgage payment for the following year, and could use that extra hundreds of dollars for other things.

This would have fueled the economy instantly, opening up new jobs, and providing tax dollars for the coffers of state and fed government.

Instead, we've socialized on banks, car companies, and mortgages. Obama recently said that those who lose their homes to the Fed will be able to rent them. What a perfect way to lead us into a socialistic and unfree government! And they want to do the same thing with another 1/6th of the economy in health care.

News for you, Medicare/Medicaid are scheduled to go belly up in 2017, unless we fix them. And we're talking $50 trillion if we don't fix it now. We will have everyone without health care, as no one will be able to afford it anymore.

So, while I like the man, and think he's an okay guy, he's way out of his league. And he's not tough enough to push pragmatic ideas through a Pelosi-run Congress. While Clinton learned to dictate from the center, and became an effective president when he did so, Obama has a tougher problem before him. Pelosi isn't going to go away, and is in his party, and is extremely liberal. And she likes pushing her weight around. Unless he grows some big stones, she's going to continue walking all over him and we'll end up with a socialist nation.

[glow_inthe_dark_girl]

nothing is going to change in US until a true opposition takes part on the elections, republican and democrats , no offense but dont have sustantial diferences, one probably is more conservative than the other one ,but in esence they are the same..capitalism.

anyways anyone is better than bush...

Edited July 24, 2009 by glow_inthe_dark_girl

[RadioactiveWolfboy]

President Obama is human just like the rest of us, and therefore has his own opinions and ideas. None of us are going to agree will all of them, which is just human nature. I think he is doing a good job considering all that he has inherited with the job. I will not judge him, just like I would not want to be judged. I was one of the people who judged President Bush 2 and learned from my mistake that I shouldn't judge people. Being President is a hard job. I'm sure Romney would have been judged and rated even more since he is a member. Health care and our economy are a mess and Obama is pushing to fix them. Are all the ideas good?? Well that is why he is not pushing his ideas and asking congress to come together and present a package. He will make mistakes while in the role as president, but we should support him. I give him credit for taking on things that sat on the sideburner during other presidents. He truly cares about the American people and their needs and suffering. He said in his address that he was pushing for the health care reform because of the letters he gets every day. I believe that he is a man for the people, and without his own agenda. We should respect him for trying. Our government has serious problems and Obama is trying to work through those. We could be worse off and have a government like Iran. Like him or not, we should support him. The majority of votes did speak. This is all I can really say. I'm not heavy into polictics. Let's just pray for the man and our country.

Rich

[glow_inthe_dark_girl]

President Obama is human just like the rest of us, and therefore has his own opinions and ideas. None of us are going to agree will all of them, which is just human nature. I think he is doing a good job considering all that he has inherited with the job.

Rich

I dont really agree with this, because in order to make a decision we must judge, not in the meaning of bad and empty criticism but to consider the pros and cons of something. when we vote we judge the candidate,,. let's put it this way all judgements are based upon opinion. However, not all opinions are judgemental :

In my opinion, homosexuality is wrong, however, I would only be making a judgement if I decided not to associate with homosexuals. (this is just an example not that im expressing my opinion on the subject of homosexuality)

To make a judgment requires one to carefully evaluate the evidence, to me judging a president is not bad, it can turn bad if you are just saying stuff with the only intention of critisizing this person..

I think he is doing a good job considering all that he has inherited with the job. I will not judge him,Rich

this is judgement but i dont think is wrong thouhgh.

I agree with the learn- from -mistakes part, oh and dont get me wrong i aint trying to be argumentative just expressing some thoughts

[Dravin]

anyways anyone is better than bush...

I'm sure we can scrounge up somebody who would have done worse (Conservative or Liberal). Though if one really didn't like Bush (whichever one), saying, "At least he doesn't suck as bad as that guy!" doesn't really grab the hearts and minds of most folks. I'd argue Obama is a better president than I would be, such an admission doesn't mean he's any good at it.

Edited July 24, 2009 by Dravin

[rameumptom]

If Pres Obama is going to be judged (eventually in the future) for how he ran his presidency (and he needs to be, otherwise we cannot learn from our mistakes), then he needs to run things and not defer to Nancy Pelosi.

Otherwise, whatever is given him by Congress is all on him. He has the power to steer this large ship, but is choosing to be hands off with Congress.

He promised to reach out to the right, but then told them that "he won" and so is doing things his way. That is his right and choice, but he will have to face the victory or failure of the programs and problems that pop up during his administration.

I do not judge him as to whether he is good or evil. I do judge him according to whether he is being an effective president. So far, he's been an effective television personality, but has left the rest to Pelosi. I just don't get it. He's leaving himself wide open for all the blame of her radical agenda - unless of course it is also his agenda.