(ThyBlackMan.com) Since Barack Obama became our president, he has saved the auto industry, brought this country out of a recession, decreased the national unemployment rate, pulled the United States out of Iraq, aided in the bank bailout recovery, located and killed Bin Laden, helped the housing/real estate market to rebound and launched the Affordable Care Act which provided healthcare (or made it possible) for over 16 million people. President Obama rightfully spoke out against police brutality and racism. He spoke out about the Trayvon Martin incident and established a commission to tackle the discrimination and police brutality practices within law enforcement.
I feel compelled to tell you these things in the interest of fairness, honesty, objectivity and balance. And all of us, regardless of color or political party, should be willing to give credit where credit is due. I must say I voted for Obama because he was the better choice over McCain and over Romney. There was no other candidate to vote for in the general election and like many of you, I believed having a man of color in the highest office in the land would open doors for our children. President Obama represented hope, change and fresh new ideas. Or did he?
Every coin has two sides and it seems many Caucasian people looked only at the bad sad while most of our people looked only at the good. Unlike either side, my only agenda is the truth. But now it’s time for the bad news which has become obvious to any of our people who have any sense, do any research or honestly face the facts. Under President Obama, there are more African Americans on government entitlement programs (like food stamps) than ever before. Under President Obama, the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) was signed and implemented in 2011, interfering with the constitutional rights of American citizens.
Under President Obama unemployment rates in the African American community have risen. And a little research will prove to you that the heath care plan was originally Hillary’s plan – not President Obama’s. That makes for an interesting mix with Michelle Obama reportedly on the Board of Directors for various hospitals. But while we are the topic of the first lady, I should also address a rumor floating around the web about the disbarring of both Michelle and Barack Obama as attorneys. According to sources (see link following), they both voluntarily inactivated their licenses so they would not have to take continuing education classes and pay annual fees for licenses they were not using and either can reactivate their license and practice. Click the link to see the facts. http://www.factcheck.org/2012/06/the-obamas-law-licenses/ However, according to other sources, that is not exactly how things played out. Click the following link to see the other side for yourself. http://www.thelastgreatstand.com/michelle-obama-both-disbarred-anyone-shocked/
Then there is Frank Marshall Davis, the socialist who appeared to be involved with President Obama’s mother and heavily influenced our president’s thinking. Clearly our president’s talk of redistribution of wealth and punishing the rich are socialist principles. Ask any socialist and he/she will tell you that. Then there are the drone aircraft used to “exterminate” people from other countries with no trial at all, taking flight on President Obama’s watch. Then there are the tax cuts that President Obama said were targeted towards the rich, only for us to find the taxes he spoke of would start at the middle class. There is also President Obama’s strange rise to power – unseating a veteran African American politician for the state senate seat in Illinois and seemingly coming almost out of nowhere.
Then there is the president’s birth certificate, the nurse who oddly enough remembered him being born in Hawaii over 50 years ago (what a memory) and the slips of the tongue which appear to admit Obama was born in Kenya. But for most of you, these things were ignored, overlooked or disbelieved. Yet I cannot overlook these things because our people are important to me, our prosperity, our safety and those we trust to be the catalysts of change, the right kind of change.
Today we know President Obama claims to be Christian and his father was Muslim. Ironically, Barack Obama does not represent the moral or spiritual value system of either belief system. Pushing the homosexual agenda, pushing the intrusion of bigger and bigger government into your lives, pushing the Pro Choice agenda so millions of unborn African American children will not be allowed to live and that’s not all. Have our people traded our spirituality and morality for the color of a president who looks like us? YOU NEED TO RESEARCH THE RECORD FOR YOURSELF and realize that color unfortunately does not mean loyalty or allegiance.
Self-proclaimed “Christian’ President Obama recently told the American people with spiritual beliefs against homosexuality that you need to change your thinking. In essence, this is to say forget the Bible, your religious or spiritual beliefs are wrong and need to be changed. Here is the quote and you can click the link thereafter to read his shocking statements for yourself. Keep in mind our population is dropping from crime, incarceration, disease, abortion and homosexuality. Will there be any of us left?
According to the site below, President Obama states “Those who disagree with the idea of gay marriage based, for example, on their religious views, must change to be more like progressives who accept gay marriage.” So I ask you, how can these words be uttered by a Christian when the Bible clearly speaks against homosexuality? And this time there is no explaining his position away or hiding it behind color. Click the link below. http://www.jewsnews.co.il/2015/06/28/obama-americans-need-to-shift-religious-views-to-accept-gay-marriage/
Now before you said Bush did not do any better as president, know that I would agree with you except on issues of family and morality. But this article is not about George Bush. Nor is it about a comparison between President Obama and any other president – Reagan, Clinton, Lincoln etc. Too many people have used those comparisons to misdirect the issue here so let’s stay on point. Here is maybe the hardest pill to swallow. They gave us a president who looks like us and talks like many of us so most of our people assumed he is one of us in both color and value system. Not exactly true and we are seeing that more and more day by day. President Obama is a team player – the question is for what team? Or were we given a wolf in sheep’s clothing simply to pacify, quiet down and control the African American community in this country? Time does not need to tell because actions have already answered these questions.
Our people must learn to vote for a president who will represent our beliefs and those courses of action that will prosper our people in every way possible. We cannot afford to vote a man in based on color while sacrificing our spirituality and our morality. And maybe most importantly, our people must realize that our future is largely up to us, not a president. The president is neither a king nor a savior nor a magician. If you want change, YOU make it happen.
Staff Writer; Marque-Anthony
To Zerusha,
According to the info Roger provided, Bernie Sanders is not the moral person needed for the African American community. Maybe Bernie should try picking up a Bible on the issue of homosexuality
Wow great information Roger
http://www.ontheissues.org/senate/bernie_sanders.htm
Bernie Sanders on Civil Rights:
Voted NO on Constitutionally defining marriage as one-man-one-woman. (Jul 2006)
Voted NO on Constitutional Amendment banning same-sex marriage. (Sep 2004)
Voted NO on protecting the Pledge of Allegiance. (Sep 2004)
Voted NO on constitutional amendment prohibiting flag desecration. (Jun 2003)
Voted NO on banning gay adoptions in DC. (Jul 1999)
Voted NO on ending preferential treatment by race in college admissions. (May 1998)
Constitutional Amendment for equal rights by gender. (Mar 2001)
Rated 100% by the HRC, indicating a pro-gay-rights stance. (Dec 2006)
ENDA: prohibit employment discrimination for gays. (Jun 2009)
Prohibit sexual-identity discrimination at schools. (Mar 2011)
Enforce against anti-gay discrimination in public schools. (Jun 2013)
To Cicero,
Interesting and likely accurate points of view.
Unfortunately many of our people see/saw President Obama as a savior of sorts, a magician and maybe even more like a King who could change and fix everything. I say repeatedly in my articles, WE ARE OUR OWN SOLUTION.
Great comment Cicero
To Zerusha,
I agree with a lot of what you are saying but unfortunately Hillary is the chosen one. I do not say that to be pessimistic, but because I believe that deal was cut when she ran against President Obama. The powers that be think and plan years ahead, just as President Obama was slated to become president probably before he even knew it – back when he was at Columbia University and being mentored by Henry Kissinger,
It is likely that Hillary knew the year Obama ran that she would not be the democratic party candidate. But I believe, in order to throw her support and supporters his way, a deal had to be cut. It is likely that deal included Hillary in a key position at that time which would allow her (and Bill) to go all around the world, the pushing through of HER healthcare plan (it was HillaryCare, never Obamacare) and the next democratic nomination for president.
Obama did not grow up in “our” culture, so why should/would he feel inclined to “helping” out the black community. He told you all that the blacks will have to “Pull themselves up by the Boot straps”. Obama is just the recent manchurian candidate in a long list. His views reflect his “handlers” opinions/narratives.
Philosophical point of view…. The Future in our community lies beyound the hands of One Man. It is the Philosophy of the Messiah that has perverted our leadership and the politics ppl of color face. When King and Malcom X died, seems there philosophy died with them.
THE PEOPLE FOLLOWED THE MAN…. AND NOT THEIR PHILOSOPHY, can’t happen like that again…
To truly make the change we must attach to a sound Philosophy and “way” & away from a a singular individual born to save black people in America.
Its gonna be a while before Jesus gets back so we need to establish a “Thought” and not a “THOT” …. lol Men can be currupted and when all the power lies in one or two representatives of the community, its not a good structure…
Marque, thank you for your response. I am enjoying our short discourse, I hope you are also. I think we can agree that the deck is stacked against Bernie, but 8 years ago that was being said about Obama, that he was virtually unelectable, yet he still won. Our people DO need to find out more about him, which in this day and age means more cyber traffic, and is why I post on as many blogs as possible to raise awareness. Just because he has a slim chance doesn’t mean we should give up. If that was how our community operated all along we wouldn’t have the right to vote today and the freedoms that we do have. The deck was stacked against US, but we still managed victories, even though the battles are still going on.
Our former generation(s) fought and struggled to get liberated from slavery, recognized as real people, to get the right to vote, and for desegregation of our country. While there is still more work to do in some of these regards, it is our duty and obligation to honor those who came before and get off our butts and vote. Too many of our folks don’t exercise that right that was so hard in getting.
While I also agree the black vote alone isn’t enough to elect Bernie, it doesn’t mean we should just give up and not try. It MAY be enough to tip the scales when the other votes are counted together with ours, and even if he doesn’t get the nomination or the presidency, at the least will send a message that we agreed with Bernie’s message and that it says what we want: fair wages, better health care coverage, easier access to higher education, more equality, and the issues of police abuse and human suffering addressed and dealt with. If we don’t vote for someone who is our ally and can actually help, then perhaps we are just wasting our votes altogether after all.
Do we want changes? Do we want our issues heard? Do we want someone to try to enact solutions? Do we want to move ahead or stay where we are and maybe even slide backwards? As a people, a community, we need to unify our voice for what is best for all of us, not a select few, and stand up for the one who is the closest to delivering on that.
“Brothers and sisters: Now is not the time for thinking small. Now is not the time for the same-old, same-old establishment politics and stale inside-the-Beltway ideas… Finally, let’s understand that when we stand together, we will always win. When men and women stand together for justice, we win. When black, white and Hispanic people stand together for justice, we win.” — Bernie. 2016.
To Zerusha,
Its good that the “black” community supports Bernie Sanders but (1) many of our people still have no idea who he is, (2) they shy away from older people as President and (3) the “black” vote cannot put him in the white house. Finally, Hillary is connected and she will likely take the nomination. These things being said, I doubt Bernie could beat the Republican Nominee
To Zerusha,
Thank you for providing actual evidence that is verifiable. Unfortunately, there are a few things you need to know about selection of the President. First of all, presidents are not elected, they are selected by the strength of their bloodlines and who the Illuminati wants in place. Why do you really think Bush beat Gore?
Secondly, being a mayor of a city is not a strong enough reason to elect Bernie as President. Governor, maybe. Thirdly, Bernie Sanders is not charismatic and the public responds to charismatic people who present well more than they respond to track records (unfortunately). That was the problem with McCain and Romney. Even Ron Paul had a strong presentation.
You know, a certain portion, perhaps even a large portion, of the black community, even the black progressives, don’t seem to even take the courtesy of looking at Bernie’s record and don’t recognize how much Bernie actually HAS done. “NO real experience”? Really?
Reality check time. This old white man has done MORE for racial justice – IN REAL TERMS – than our black president has done during both his terms. So Bernie is dismissed as being “just an old white guy so how could he GET it?” First, there is his long standing record, his sterling reputation, the fact that he has a 100% purity rating with the NAACP, the fact that he has spoken about police abuse, economic policies, school policies, and poverty issues that impact the black community more THAN ANY OTHER CANDIDATE (they haven’t even hardly acknowledged these issues, much less raise them). Let’s not forget that Bernie was also a quite accomplished and well-respected mayor for 8 years before going to Washington, so he has experience being the head of a (city) government and making policy, reforming its economy, and making fiscal decisions. He also fought for what was moral and right for his citizens during his time as mayor. His actions are all on public record. I would say he has more experience than some of our past presidents. JFK and Eisenhower had ZERO executive experience when they were elected. So how could he not be considered a qualified candidate? What do YOU feel qualifies a person to be a candidate?
Still, I do think Bernie needs to figure out HOW our black brothers and sisters want him to speak of the horrors in which we find ourselves. I hope ?Bernie?, whose heart, intentions, and mind are clear and good, who throughout his whole career has always always fought for equality, reaches out to show that he understands realizing that he cannot possibly know everything, understand everything, or approach everyone just exactly right. Likewise, we need to do our part and reach out the rest of the way and show that we can respect and accept him, warts and all, and recognize that he is the best chance our people have of finding true justice right now in America. We must learn to embrace our allies, even when they are awkward, might not say exactly the right thing at the right moment, when they may not be completely up to speed on ALL of our issues, and judge them by the content of their character not their appearance. Bernie’s character and intentions are pure and moral. His record proves it. It’s easy to stretch the truth in a speech (like Clinton has done). It’s easy to say in a speech that you’ll do something but then back out of it, forget, or run out of time (Clinton doesn’t even have any plans on how to tackle most of the issues). But, you can’t change 50 years of history in a speech, and Bernie’s positions today are essentially the same they’ve been for half a century. His record backs it up.
Bernie has proven that he has a lot of sensitivity toward issues that concern black people and has plans and solutions to correct them. Why is it that, as a community, we’re largely endorsing candidates that have repeatedly shown that they don’t give a damn about our community or our issues? I follow Bernie on FB and Twitter, where he often speaks about racial injustice, unemployment among minorities (particularly black youth), and our prison system that is rigged against blacks. I have seen him speak live in March 2015 at a town meeting in California where he spoke at length against institutionalized racism. Remember, it was Bernie that was arrested for protesting segregation in college dorms in the 60s. Bernie marched with King and has been a civil rights advocate and activist for over 50 years, and importantly to note that he did so at the time in our past when it was DANGEROUS for a white man to do so. He put his life at risk for civil rights and racial justice for decades. I am appalled that our people either ignore or forget about all he has done, or those who don’t recognize his name can’t be bothered to do their own research to find out.
BERNIE 2016, for all the right reasons.
To Zerusha,
Are you kidding? You did not tell us why we should support Bernie Sanders, another man with yet NO real experience. Fighting for us does not make Bernie qualified. What has he accomplished? Why do his accomplishments make him qualified to handle the most powerful position in this country?
Ben Carson is not qualified either.
The Black Community in America needs to stand up and stand behind BERNIE for president. Yes, he is white. Yes, he is a Jew. But, do you know what else he is? A democratic socialist, and also our advocate; not only the Black community but ALL lower and middle-class Americans. He has been fighting on OUR SIDE of civil rights issues since the 1960s. It’s time that WE stand with HIM for once. Tell your friends and families to vote for BERNIE in 2016. We thought we would get change with Obama. We did get change, but it wasn’t the change we needed. BERNIE will do for us what Obama didn’t and couldn’t do. Hillary won’t (and can’t). Let us ALL stand together and vote for BERNIE and tell America that WE ARE TIRED of being run over. We are TIRED of being trod upon. We are TIRED of being POOR and BROKE and SICK because we can’t go to the doctor. We are TIRED of being UNEMPLOYED or working minimum wage jobs because we can’t afford to go to college.
VOTE FOR BERNIE, make a DIFFERENCE. Let’s finally reach the American Dream.
The “Christian” President Obama?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pq4Qq3NuXtk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNbtSPVWOuM
THE OTHER SIDE OF THE COIN
Info Compiled By Peter Ferrara in December 2013
At the end of 2013, after serving five years, Barack Obama is a complete failure as President, by his own standards, as reflected in his own words.
How many times has President Obama told us that he is “fighting for the middle class”? But real median family income has been in a continuous downward spiral since he became President, actually falling more since the recession ended in the summer of 2009 according to the National Bureau of Economic Research than during the recession. That has added up by now to the middle class losing a month’s pay a year under President Obama’s economic policies.
If President Obama is “fighting for the middle class,” why doesn’t he approve the Keystone Pipeline? Building and maintaining the pipeline would provide thousands of good paying jobs. So would refining and selling the oil and gas from the Gulf Coast refineries where the pipeline would deliver the Canadian crude. Moreover, that plentiful supply of low cost energy from a long time, reliable ally would support hundreds of thousands if not millions of additional good paying jobs in the American economy.
President Obama is constantly calling for raising taxes to increase government spending to build further infrastructure, with millions of “shovel ready” jobs supposedly waiting for that government rescue. We borrowed hundreds of billions for that in Obama’s 2009 so-called Stimulus bill, but the shovel ready jobs turned out not to be so “shovel ready” he later joked, while the economic suffering continued for millions of Americans.
But with Keystone, we have private investors fully capable of financing the more than ready to go infrastructure project, with their own private investment funds rather than taxpayer dollars. That should be a “no-brainer,” for anyone who is truly “fighting for the middle class.”
Meanwhile, electricity prices are skyrocketing to all-time highs, according to the government’s own official statistics. The Electricity Price Index of the Bureau of Labor Statistics hit an all-time record in November, 20% higher than 6 years ago. That is another loss for the middle class, further reducing real incomes.
That is due to Obama’s runaway overregulation, pursuing the President’s War on Coal, and other manipulative, fairy tale delusions. New EPA regulations will take out 10% of all electricity produced by plentiful, low cost American coal, according to the Institute for Energy Research. As for the dishonest global warming fantasy, relatively soon the period of no global warming, which started 17 years ago, will be longer then the period of actual global warming, which was a natural cycle that lasted only 20 years, from the late 1970s to the late 1980s. That was preceded by about 30 years of global temperature decline, or global cooling.
Those skyrocketing electricity prices are another loss for the poor too. Under the ultraliberal Barack Obama, and his “progressive” Democrats, poverty has soared while he has been President to nearly 50 million Americans, more than at any other time in the more than 50 years that the Census Bureau has been tracking poverty. The poverty rate has also jumped by over 30% to 16.1%, about the same as when the War on Poverty started $5 trillion and almost 50 years ago. We need “progressive” liberal Democrats for this?
Obama has also been the food stamp President, with the number on food stamps increasing during his Administration to an all-time record high of 47.7 million, up 80% over the past 5 years. Contrast that with the Clinton-Gingrich 1996 reform of the old, New Deal, Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) program. Under those reforms, the number dependent on the old AFDC program declined by two-thirds. Their incomes from going to work instead were documented to increase by 25%, while saving taxpayers 50% of the cost of old AFDC, compared to prior trends. But today’s “progressive,” Obama/Che Guevara Democrats are not the Kennedy/Clinton Democrats of yore.
Most recently, we have heard President Obama giving speeches bemoaning rising inequality. On December 4, President Obama told the nation that this rising inequality was “the defining challenge of our time.”
Inequality is measured by a statistic called the “Gini Index,” named after an Italian statistician who first wrote about measuring inequality in 1912. The Gini Index for the U.S. is officially published by the Census Bureau. The Index as published by the Census shows inequality sharply accelerating under President Obama, in contrast to greater stability under President Bush.
This follows automatically from the discussion above, with real incomes of the middle class and the poor declining under Obama. In fact, real incomes of the entire bottom 80% have been declining consistently under Obama, because of his poor record of generating economic growth, and any normal recovery from the 2008-2009 recession. Only the incomes of the top 20% have been rising under Obama, as the Fed’s loose monetary policies have juiced the stock market and corporate profits.
This has to be considered a disgrace, that Obama carries on publicly about rising inequality and how that is so important, yet inequality has been precisely accelerating under his own, consistently anti-growth, economic policies, which are precisely crippling the poor and the middle class. But no more of a disgrace than his record on unemployment, which reflects that it has been precisely his own, strongest supporters, particularly blacks, Hispanics, the young, and women, who have suffered the most under Obama’s failed policies.
For President Obama’s entire time in office, over 5 years now, blacks have suffered unemployment well into double digits. With “Latino unemployment close behind,” as Obama himself also lamented in his Martin Luther King 50th Anniversary speech last August. Yes, the economy was in recession when President Obama entered office. But under every other President in U.S. history, for well over a century at least, the economy was in a booming recovery within 5 years, even under Franklin Roosevelt during the Great Depression!
To Robert Once Again,
Where are your solutions? Where is your candidate? Where do you refute ANY of thee evidence? Nada
To Robert,
Yes Obama was the lesser of 3 evils and it’s sad that in his first election we had no qualified people. The standards for running for President of the most powerful country in thee world need to be increased – a lot. But being what they are, we are getting what we are getting.
A governor, on the other hand, should be able to handle 50 states if he/she can successfully handle one – one would think or hope. But there is no job like the presidency.
Stop putting words in mouth. You did not hear me say people are naïve nor stupid. Nice try. However, people do not vote wisely. Most vote uninformed and vote partisan or based on who they like. If you call that naïve or stupid, then that is your opinion. But facts are facts, polls are polls and stats are stats. And yet again you missed the boat.
If you don’t believe me, do your own survey. Ask 100 people why they voted for Obama. Ask them what his record was in the U.S. senate. Or McCain for that matter. Ask them about Romney in corporate business and see what they say. Being uninformed is not automatically being stupid and you need to stop putting words in my mouth.
Obama did not fool me at all and apparently you did not understand why I said I voted for him. Yet he still accomplished a great many things. Look at the mountain of evidence I cited.
You are a noise maker. You still just talk without proving not disproving anything. You address me and make small minded insults instead of addressing the evidence. People like you avoid the real issues. Grow up. I neither see maturity nor intellect nor evidence nor balance in your arguments. All I see you doing is being disagreeable for the sake of controversy. That is neither wise nor productive and OBAMA IS PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES elected twice by the voting majority. Respect that or it shows that you are not respectful. Maybe you should hang out with Herman Sambo Cain.
I do not agree with many things the president has done. However I give him credit for what he has done. Learn to gain balance in your life – not just insult skills and animosity.
To Steve,
Minds change every day. Some don’t but others do. Then there are many people on the fence who will atleast listen. I specialize in objectively presenting both sides, deprogramming others from negative influences and helping people find balance. That is why I am so impacting as a counselor and life coach. For me, realism and optimism must always be one and the same. That can spread to counteract the negative.
President Obama is not Jesus and does not have the capacity to walk on water. He is also not Lucifer embodied. I look at it like this, if Serena Williams, arguably the greatest athlete of our modern day, male or female, is criticized and marginalized for being a powerful and dominant Black athlete, then President Obama doesn’t stand a chance. He could see to it that every American around the world receives a monthly check of $1000 and people would still complain that he’s the worst president ever (as if there is ONE litmus test for such a claim.)
You have provided facts that back up your claims. For those people who still want to hate the President, they’re gonna hate. For those who want to love him for everything he does, they’re gonna do that. There’s very little crossover.
@MARQUE ANTHONY
SO you’re saying since OBAMA was a lessor of 3 evils, your no longer responsible for voting for him and you are now free to criticize him.
IF you think people are that naive and stupid , you have a lot to learn.
SOME of would know that what you’re doing is creating distance between yourself and OBAMA’S policies to save your future credibility , in other words [a rat deserting a sinking ship].
THE reason why some of us would know this is because we did do our homework on OBAMA and knew he had the JEWS money in his pocket and the arms of BREZENSKI and KISSINGER around him and would not dare vote for him.
SO CALLED intellectuals like yourself are having a hard time explaining how OBAMA fooled the shit out of you.
THE answer is simple, your not as intelligent as you think you are!
The 10 Obama Policies and Failures That Make Us Angriest
In his 5th State of the Union speech, Obama needs to address these topics—then actually follow through, for a change.
By AlterNet Editorial Staff / AlterNet
January 26, 2014
Print
366 COMMENTS
US President Barack Obama speaks in Washington, DC on January 17, 2014
President Barack Obama is getting ready for his 5th State of the Union Address tomorrow night. Typically, presidents use the occasion to sketch out their agenda and vision for the next year while subtly putting tons of positive spin on their accomplishments. Here, as a good talker, Obama has been is in his element. But now, Obama’s sweet talk has begun to turn sour—he has a long pattern of soaring rhetoric and empty promises followed by some fundamental failures to deliver. It is the lack of action, the hypocrisy, the talking the talk without walking the walk, that have made many progressives and liberals frustrated and angry.
This is not a bright moment for Mr. Obama. His popularity is in the dumpster—currently at a measly 46 percent from an all-time low of 42 percent in November, it is certainly no help for the Democrats in the 2014 Congressional races. Some of Obama’s low popularity is due to the relentless, often irrational attacks by the conservatives on the Affordable Care Act, which—while having many positive elements—is still fraught with many problems that frustrate people across the spectrum.
In fact, Obama’s popularity has dropped among liberals and independents. And there are plenty of reasons why, as you’ll see below.
So, on the eve of his SOTU, the editorial staff at AlterNet brings you a list of Obama “bads”— a list of 10 areas where Mr. Obama has made us most mad, frustrated and disgusted. We wish he would both address these topics head on in his SOTU, and then do everything in his power to mobilize people to get things done. There is still time for our 44th president to show some mettle. There is time to get beyond the talk, stop catering to the corporate interests who still believe in cutting budgets, stop shrinking Social Security, and stop screwing the large majority of Americans in the name of dividends and profits—and become a true populist.
Mr. President, how about following up your recent stirring rhetoric on the question of inequality with a fierce determination that will inspire many millions. How about crack some eggs, kick some butts and make a bunch of billionaires and bankers unhappy with you. That is a legacy to which you should be aspiring. Don’t worry, you will make plenty of millions after you leave the White House.
1. Obama’s caver-in-chief leadership style
When Obama ran for president in 2008, some thought a refreshing aspect of his candidacy was his potential management style. Unlike the Bush administration, which ruled by dictates—like its war of choice in Iraq—Obama was a mediator who would bridge the gap between liberals and conservatives. Obama offered a mediator’s promise. It was not, “We won, we rule.” Instead it was a pledge to find common ground.
Sadly, this management style has mostly failed in Washington. During Obama’s first five years, many of his biggest domestic disappointments have come from negotiating with Republicans and with private interests who never had any intention of compromising or working in good faith. Perhaps the only memorable thing that former Sen. John Edwards said in his 2008 campaign was his critique of Obama’s style: “You cannot negotiate with political thugs.”
But Obama’s inclination to try to satisfy all factions has lead to the key disasters of his presidency. The budget battles with the House GOP—and the tactical error he made about GOP thinking—lead to the cruel federal sequester and subsequent government shutdown. His decision not to push for a public option in Obamacare and his failure to insist on cost controls for private health plans are two others. It’s sad that being a reasonable person in today’s Washington often doesn’t work. A less charitable interpretation is that Obama just wimped out. The hard truth is that a president has to be feared and respected by his opponents, not seen as a person who is more willing to compromise than draw lines.
2. Obama’s deportation of nearly 2 million undocumented immigrants
During his 2013 inaugural speech, Obama addressed immigration reform specifically, saying: “Our journey is not complete until we find a better way to welcome the striving, hopeful immigrants who still see America as a land of opportunity — until bright young students and engineers are enlisted in our workforce rather than expelled from our country.”
However, Obama has deported nearly two million undocumented immigrants — more than any president in history. And a 2013 report found that Immigrations Custom Enforcement detained nearly 90 percent of undocumented immigrants in 2012 and the beginning of 2013 for non-serious offenses. Deportations have become so rampant that 61 percent of immigrant Hispanics said that deportation relief is more important than a pathway to citizenship. This past year alone, in an attempt to resist the craze, undocumented activists have chained themselves to the White House demanding “Not One More.” They’ve blocked deportation buses, interrupted Obama’s speeches and 30 even crossed the border, which resulted in five of them getting deported. Last month, 29 House Democrats sent a letter to Obama, urging him to halt deportations. And five of these lawmakers will bring immigration activists as their guests to the SOTU address.
3. Obama’s coziness with, and failure to regulate or punish, the big banks
The devastating financial crisis of 2007-08 was an opportunity for a transformative leader to take on the out-of-control banking industry, which has become a dangerous oligopoly that threatens the economy and preys upon American citizens. FDR did this during the Great Depression, ensuring a thorough investigation of wrongdoing and setting up rules and regulations that kept banks in line for many decades until the deregulatory fever of the 1980s once again unleashed them.
Unfortunately, rather than bringing change, Obama has consistently surrounded himself with bank-friendly policy advisors who tend to believe that what is good for the banks is good for everyone. He has not made bringing criminal bankers to justice a priority, and his administration is clearly a revolving door for Wall Street. The biggest and most dangerous banks—JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America, Citigroup, and Wells Fargo—are even bigger than they were before the crisis. Scarcely a week passes without news of some new abuse committed by these institutions. Obama has failed to support obvious measures to rein in Wall Street, such as the financial transaction tax, and Dodd-Frank has been mostly defanged. Banks have enjoyed special treatment and record-breaking profits during Obama’s tenure, while ordinary Americans have struggled.
4. Obama’s education “reformers” are corporate privatizers
Looking for further proof of Obama’s neoliberal, anti-progressive bona fides? Then look no further than how his administration has approached public education over these past five years.
From the moment the president chose Arne Duncan—who famously closed dozens of public schools and pushed privatization of the rest during his tenure as Chicago schools CEO—to head the Department of Education, it was clear that corporate interests would play a central role in the shaping of education policy. The administration’s signature education initiative, unveiled in late 2009, was nothing less than a chip off the old, failed policy block that defined George W. Bush’s “No Child Left Behind” agenda.
The Obama/Duncan “Race to the Top” initiative uses both carrots and sticks to lure schools to compete for $4.35 billion in federal funding; required is a willingness to commit to increasingly controversial testing and assessment—linking teacher evaluation to student performance—and an enthusiasm for shuttering low-performing schools and turning them over to charter operators to spur private investments wherever possible.
These are not small concerns. As education historian Diane Ravitch noted in 2010, with Race to the Top,
“[President Obama and Secretary Duncan] are heading in the wrong direction. On their present course, they will end up demoralizing teachers, closing schools that are struggling to improve, dismantling the teaching profession, destabilizing communities, and harming public education.”
Who pays the price for these policies, none of which have actually been proven to work? The children and families of America. The neediest among us, of course, most of all.
5. Obama’s call to ramp-up and embrace of our now pervasive surveillance state
In his first run for president, Obama repeatedly criticized George Bush for using post-9/11 programs to spy on American citizens. But after entering office, Obama has done nothing but ramp up all forms of surveillance, from metadata capture to wiretapping to recording phone log information of American citizens. Edward Snowden’s revelations about the NSA’s surveillance programs and capabilities shoot deep into the territory of science fiction and George Orwell’s 1984. Obama’s speech on the NSA and surveillance this January provided little in the way of peace of mind for any citizen concerned with maintaining a shred of privacy. Robert Scheer got to the heart of the matter:
“Barack Obama’s speech on surveillance was his worst performance… in its stark betrayal of his oft-proclaimed respect for constitutional safeguards and civil liberty. His unbridled defense of the surveillance state opened the door to the new McCarthyism of Mike Rogers and Dianne Feinstein, the leaders of the House and Senate intelligence committees, who on Sunday talk shows were branding Edward Snowden as a possible Russian spy.
“Somewhere in law school, Obama must have learned that the whole point of our Bill of Rights, inspired by American revolutionaries like Sam Adams, a Sons of Liberty co-conspirator, was to curtail government power as the main threat to freedom. Thus was Adams’ insistence on the Bill of Rights, including the Fourth Amendment, banning the warrantless searches that Obama now seeks to justify.”
6. Obama’s dedication to secrecy and his hypocrisy about drones
Barack Obama owes a chunk of his election success to anti-war voters who turned out during the Democratic primaries in 2008, disgusted by Hillary Clinton’s vote to authorize force on Iraq. But the man who became president has sorely disappointed many of the same anti-war voters with his expansion of the deadly drone war.
Since he was elected, President Obama has launched more 390 drone strikes—eight times the number George W. Bush oversaw. Obama has escalated the drone war in Pakistan—where the majority of attacks take place—and in Somalia and Yemen. The drone strikes, meant to target Al Qaeda and the Taliban, have killed scores of civilians, disrupted tribal life, brought about huge suffering and trauma and inflamed anger at the U.S. Four Americans have been killed in drone attacks, and the whole program remains shrouded in secrecy.
In response to a growing wave of criticism, Obama gave a landmark speech last year where he vowed that transparency would increase and that drone strikes would only occur when there was a “near-certainty” civilians would not be killed. Those promises have gone unfulfilled. The U.S. has yet to release a count of the civilians and militants it has killed or offer up the full legal rationale to Congress justifying these missile strikes. Meanwhile, civilians continue to die in Pakistan and Yemen, “collateral damage” from these drone attacks. The latest example came on December 12, 2013, when a drone attack in Yemen, said to be aimed at an Al Qaeda leader, killed 12 civilians driving as part of a wedding convoy.
7. Obama’s attempt to ram through the corporation-loving, people-harming Trans-Pacific Partnership in secret
The Trans-Pacific Partnership, a super-secret multinational corporate scheme sometimes described as “NAFTA on steroids,” is one of Obama’s worst initiatives. As secretive as it is, information about the TPP has been leaking out, and the more people hear about it, the worse it sounds. Fortunately, the light of day may also help to scuttle the deal.
Wikileaks leaked the TPP Environmental Chapter [in mid-January]. The bottom line—there is no enforcement to protect the environment. The TPP is worse than President George W. Bush’s trade deals. Mainstream environmental groups are saying the TPP is unacceptable. Similarly, the leak of the Intellectual Property Chapter revealed that it created a path to patent everything imaginable, including plants and animals, to turn everything into a commodity for profit. The Obama administration was pushing it way beyond normal intellectual property law in order to increase profits for everything from pharmaceuticals to textbooks.
As Margaret Flowers and Kevin Zeese recently wrote for AlterNet: “After four years of secret negotiations with more than 600 corporate advisers, the once seemingly invincible largest trade bill in history, covering 40% of the world’s economy, looks very much like it can be defeated.”
Why is the TPP looking like it can be stopped? According to Flowers and Zeese:
“One reason is its secrecy. Leaks are sinking the TPP like the Titanic. … The refrain is always the same: profits come first. The necessities of the people and protection of the planet come last.”
Ron Kirk, the former U.S. trade rep, said they were keeping it secret because the more people knew, the less they would like the TPP and it would become so unpopular it could never become law. Each leak has proven him right.
8. Obama’s failure to do much about the racist drug war and discriminatory sentencing
President Obama, a former heavy pot smoker in his youth, has very slowly and finally admitted a few painful realities about the drug war, which were just as true 5 years ago when he took office as now.
Obama recently told the New Yorker he thinks marijuana isn’t any more harmful than alcohol (actually, it’s proven that cannabis is far less harmful the booze…but this is what we call progress). He also said it is important for the new cannabis laws in Colorado and Washington to go forward “because it’s important for society not to have a situation in which a large portion of people have at one time or another broken the law and only a select few get punished.”
But here, hypocrisy reigns supreme. Obama does not walk the walk of his talk. In 2011, drug offenders accounted for 48 percent of the federal prisoner population and 16 percent of the state prisoner population—and half of all of those people are incarcerated for marijuana-related crimes, according to the Sentencing Project.
Last year the U.S. Department of Justice revised the law so that mandatory minimum sentences no longer applied to the majority of nonviolent drug offenders. However, Obama has only granted clemency to 8 of the more than 100,000 prisoners still serving time for drug related crimes in the country. And he still holds the record for granting the fewest pardons of any U.S. president.
And in a truly shocking move, according to Linda Greenhouse in the New York Times, Obama’s Justice Department fought a Court recommendation to release thousands of federal inmates still serving time under the racist crack standards of pre-2010. So the full court overruled its panel, and those thousands continue to rot in jail with a law that in essence, due to its discriminatory effect, was illegal. Obama’s words are empty until he actually takes the actions that are well within his power, to end the corrupt and racist war on drugs, and curb its devastating effects.
9. Obama’s counter productive energy policy
Calling someone “anti-science” is usually an epithet reserved for those clinging to creationism and climate denialism, and yet Obama’s embrace of an energy strategy using “all of the above” flies in the face of everything the world’s top scientists have been saying about the threats we face as a result of climate change. The scale of the accelerating climate catastrophe requires an energy policy grounded in the best science, prioritizing clean energy, and severely limiting the use and extraction of fossil fuels—not a namby-pamby “all of the above.” Not even close.
Inexcusable are the Obama administration’s embrace of hydraulic fracturing for oil and gas, and the continual propping up of a dying coal industry that’s killing us along with itself. A great example, as Jeff Biggers outlines on AlterNet recently, was Obama’s Department of Energy gifting Big Coal $1 billion for a ‘clean coal’ boondoggle.
Also baffling and unacceptable is Obama’s green-lighting of the southern leg of the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline, while hypocritically calling for more review of climate change impacts of the northern section. In light of the best science from the international community, the Obama administration should be figuring out how to move us away from dependence on tar sands, coal, oil and fracked gas as quickly as possible – not making them the centerpiece of his energy policy.
“An ‘all of the above’ strategy is a compromise that future generations can’t afford,” read a letter to Obamasigned by a coalition of the country’s major environmental organizations. “It fails to prioritize clean energy … it locks in the extraction of fossil fuels that will inevitably lead to a catastrophic climate future. It threatens our health, our homes, our most sensitive public lands, our oceans and our most precious wild places.”
10. Obama’s huge expansion of the number of countries where we are fighting secret wars with Special Ops
Bush was a real war monger, with his “Shock and Awe,” “Mission Accomplished,” and wars of choice. But Obama, once seen as the anti-war candidate, has him soundly beat in the number of secret wars with unconventional forces spread across the globe. After a thorough investigation, Nick Turse of Tom Dispatch recently reported the staggering fact that there are currently U.S. Special Ops in 70% of the world’s nations. “All over the planet, the Obama administration is waging a secret war whose full extent has never been fully revealed,” Turse wrote.
Turse then offers an accounting of the exponential growth in Special Ops, which include Green Berets and Rangers, Navy SEALs and Delta Force commandos, specialized helicopter crews, boat teams, and civil affairs personnel, and much more.
“In the waning days of the Bush presidency, Special Operations forces were reportedly deployed in about 60 countries around the world . . . In 2013, elite U.S. forces were deployed in 134 countries around the globe . . . This 123% increase during the Obama years demonstrates how, in addition to conventional wars and a CIA drone campaign, public diplomacy and extensive electronic spying, the U.S. has engaged in still another significant and growing form of overseas power projection. Conducted largely in the shadows by America’s most elite troops, the vast majority of these missions take place far from prying eyes, media scrutiny, or any type of outside oversight, increasing the chances of unforeseen blowback and catastrophic consequences.” Like 9/11. That’s an example of blowback.
.
Obama’s Top 50 Accomplishments
1. Passed Health Care Reform: After five presidents over a century failed to create universal health insurance, signed the Affordable Care Act (2010). It will cover 32 million uninsured Americans beginning in 2014 and mandates a suite of experimental measures to cut health care cost growth, the number one cause of America’s long-term fiscal problems.
2. Passed the Stimulus: Signed $787 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act in 2009 to spur economic growth amid greatest recession since the Great Depression. Weeks after stimulus went into effect, unemployment claims began to subside. Twelve months later, the private sector began producing more jobs than it was losing, and it has continued to do so for twenty-three straight months, creating a total of nearly 3.7 million new private-sector jobs.
3. Passed Wall Street Reform: Signed the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (2010) to re-regulate the financial sector after its practices caused the Great Recession. The new law tightens capital requirements on large banks and other financial institutions, requires derivatives to be sold on clearinghouses and exchanges, mandates that large banks provide “living wills” to avoid chaotic bankruptcies, limits their ability to trade with customers’ money for their own profit, and creates the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (now headed by Richard Cordray) to crack down on abusive lending products and companies.
4. Ended the War in Iraq: Ordered all U.S. military forces out of the country. Last troops left on December 18, 2011.
5. Began Drawdown of War in Afghanistan: From a peak of 101,000 troops in June 2011, U.S. forces are now down to 91,000, with 23,000 slated to leave by the end of summer 2012. According to Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta, the combat mission there will be over by next year.
6. Eliminated Osama bin laden: In 2011, ordered special forces raid of secret compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, in which the terrorist leader was killed and a trove of al-Qaeda documents was discovered.
7. Turned Around U.S. Auto Industry: In 2009, injected $62 billion in federal money (on top of $13.4 billion in loans from the Bush administration) into ailing GM and Chrysler in return for equity stakes and agreements for massive restructuring. Since bottoming out in 2009, the auto industry has added more than 100,000 jobs. In 2011, the Big Three automakers all gained market share for the first time in two decades. The government expects to lose $16 billion of its investment, less if the price of the GM stock it still owns increases.
8. Recapitalized Banks: In the midst of financial crisis, approved controversial Treasury Department plan to lure private capital into the country’s largest banks via “stress tests” of their balance sheets and a public-private fund to buy their “toxic” assets. Got banks back on their feet at essentially zero cost to the government.
9. Repealed “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”: Ended 1990s-era restriction and formalized new policy allowing gays and lesbians to serve openly in the military for the first time.
10. Toppled Moammar Gaddafi: In March 2011, joined a coalition of European and Arab governments in military action, including air power and naval blockade, against Gaddafi regime to defend Libyan civilians and support rebel troops. Gaddafi’s forty-two-year rule ended when the dictator was overthrown and killed by rebels on October 20, 2011. No American lives were lost.
11. Told Mubarak to Go: On February 1, 2011, publicly called on Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak to accept reform or step down, thus weakening the dictator’s position and putting America on the right side of the Arab Spring. Mubarak ended thirty-year rule when overthrown on February 11.
12. Reversed Bush Torture Policies: Two days after taking office, nullified Bush-era rulings that had allowed detainees in U.S. custody to undergo certain “enhanced” interrogation techniques considered inhumane under the Geneva Conventions. Also released the secret Bush legal rulings supporting the use of these techniques.
13. Improved America’s Image Abroad: With new policies, diplomacy, and rhetoric, reversed a sharp decline in world opinion toward the U.S. (and the corresponding loss of “soft power”) during the Bush years. From 2008 to 2011, favorable opinion toward the United States rose in ten of fifteen countries surveyed by the Pew Global Attitudes Project, with an average increase of 26 percent.
14. Kicked Banks Out of Federal Student Loan Program, Expanded Pell Grant Spending: As part of the 2010 health care reform bill, signed measure ending the wasteful decades-old practice of subsidizing banks to provide college loans. Starting July 2010 all students began getting their federal student loans directly from the federal government. Treasury will save $67 billion over ten years, $36 billion of which will go to expanding Pell Grants to lower-income students.
15. Created Race to the Top: With funds from stimulus, started $4.35 billion program of competitive grants to encourage and reward states for education reform.
16. Boosted Fuel Efficiency Standards: Released new fuel efficiency standards in 2011 that will nearly double the fuel economy for cars and trucks by 2025.
17. Coordinated International Response to Financial Crisis: To keep world economy out of recession in 2009 and 2010, helped secure from G-20 nations more than $500 billion for the IMF to provide lines of credit and other support to emerging market countries, which kept them liquid and avoided crises with their currencies.
18. Passed Mini Stimuli: To help families hurt by the recession and spur the economy as stimulus spending declined, signed series of measures (July 22, 2010; December 17, 2010; December 23, 2011) to extend unemployment insurance and cut payroll taxes.
19. Began Asia “Pivot”: In 2011, reoriented American military and diplomatic priorities and focus from the Middle East and Europe to the Asian-Pacific region. Executed multipronged strategy of positively engaging China while reasserting U.S. leadership in the region by increasing American military presence and crafting new commercial, diplomatic, and military alliances with neighboring countries made uncomfortable by recent Chinese behavior.
20. Increased Support for Veterans: With so many soldiers coming home from Iraq and Iran with serious physical and mental health problems, yet facing long waits for services, increased 2010 Department of Veterans Affairs budget by 16 percent and 2011 budget by 10 percent. Also signed new GI bill offering $78 billion in tuition assistance over a decade, and provided multiple tax credits to encourage businesses to hire veterans.
21. Tightened Sanctions on Iran: In effort to deter Iran’s nuclear program, signed Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, Accountability, and Divestment Act (2010) to punish firms and individuals who aid Iran’s petroleum sector. In late 2011 and early 2012, coordinated with other major Western powers to impose sanctions aimed at Iran’s banks and with Japan, South Korea, and China to shift their oil purchases away from Iran.
22. Created Conditions to Begin Closing Dirtiest Power Plants: New EPA restrictions on mercury and toxic pollution, issued in December 2011, likely to lead to the closing of between sixty-eight and 231 of the nation’s oldest and dirtiest coal-fired power plants. Estimated cost to utilities: at least $11 billion by 2016. Estimated health benefits: $59 billion to $140 billion. Will also significantly reduce carbon emissions and, with other regulations, comprises what’s been called Obama’s “stealth climate policy.”
23. Passed Credit Card Reforms: Signed the Credit Card Accountability, Responsibility, and Disclosure Act (2009), which prohibits credit card companies from raising rates without advance notification, mandates a grace period on interest rate increases, and strictly limits overdraft and other fees.
24. Eliminated Catch-22 in Pay Equality Laws: Signed Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act in 2009, giving women who are paid less than men for the same work the right to sue their employers after they find out about the discrimination, even if that discrimination happened years ago. Under previous law, as interpreted by the Supreme Court in Ledbetter v. Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., the statute of limitations on such suits ran out 180 days after the alleged discrimination occurred, even if the victims never knew about it.
25. Protected Two Liberal Seats on the U.S. Supreme Court: Nominated and obtained confirmation for Sonia Sotomayor, the first Hispanic and third woman to serve, in 2009; and Elena Kagan, the fourth woman to serve, in 2010. They replaced David Souter and John Paul Stevens, respectively.
26. Improved Food Safety System: In 2011, signed FDA Food Safety Modernization Act, which boosts the Food and Drug Administration’s budget by $1.4 billion and expands its regulatory responsibilities to include increasing number of food inspections, issuing direct food recalls, and reviewing the current food safety practices of countries importing products into America.
27. Achieved New START Treaty: Signed with Russia (2010) and won ratification in Congress (2011) of treaty that limits each country to 1,550 strategic warheads (down from 2,200) and 700 launchers (down from more than 1,400), and reestablished and strengthened a monitoring and transparency program that had lapsed in 2009, through which each country can monitor the other.
28. Expanded National Service: Signed Serve America Act in 2009, which authorized a tripling of the size of AmeriCorps. Program grew 13 percent to 85,000 members across the country by 2012, when new House GOP majority refused to appropriate more funds for further expansion.
29. Expanded Wilderness and Watershed Protection: Signed Omnibus Public Lands Management Act (2009), which designated more than 2 million acres as wilderness, created thousands of miles of recreational and historic trails, and protected more than 1,000 miles of rivers.
30. Gave the FDA Power to Regulate Tobacco: Signed the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act (2009). Nine years in the making and long resisted by the tobacco industry, the law mandates that tobacco manufacturers disclose all ingredients, obtain FDA approval for new tobacco products, and expand the size and prominence of cigarette warning labels, and bans the sale of misleadingly labeled “light” cigarette brands and tobacco sponsorship of entertainment events.
31. Pushed Federal Agencies to Be Green Leaders: Issued executive order in 2009 requiring all federal agencies to make plans to soften their environmental impacts by 2020. Goals include 30 percent reduction in fleet gasoline use, 26 percent boost in water efficiency, and sustainability requirements for 95 percent of all federal contracts. Because federal government is the country’s single biggest purchaser of goods and services, likely to have ripple effects throughout the economy for years to come.
32. Passed Fair Sentencing Act: Signed 2010 legislation that reduces sentencing disparity between crack versus powder cocaine possessionfrom100 to1 to 18 to1.
33. Trimmed and Reoriented Missile Defense: Cut the Reagan-era “Star Wars” missile defense budget, saving $1.4 billion in 2010, and canceled plans to station antiballistic missile systems in Poland and the Czech Republic in favor of sea-based defense plan focused on Iran and North Korea.
34. Began Post-Post-9/11 Military Builddown: After winning agreement from congressional Republicans and Democrats in summer 2011 budget deal to reduce projected defense spending by $450 billion, proposed new DoD budget this year with cuts of that size and a new national defense strategy that would shrink ground forces from 570,000 to 490,000 over the next ten years while increasing programs in intelligence gathering and cyberwarfare.
35. Let Space Shuttle Die and Killed Planned Moon Mission: Allowed the expensive ($1 billion per launch), badly designed, dangerous shuttle program to make its final launch on July 8, 2011. Cut off funding for even more bloated and problem-plagued Bush-era Constellation program to build moon base in favor of support for private-sector low-earth orbit ventures, research on new rocket technologies for long-distance manned flight missions, and unmanned space exploration, including the largest interplanetary rover ever launched, which will investigate Mars’s potential to support life.
36. Invested Heavily in Renewable Technology: As part of the 2009 stimulus, invested $90 billion, more than any previous administration, in research on smart grids, energy efficiency, electric cars, renewable electricity generation, cleaner coal, and biofuels.
37. Crafting Next-Generation School Tests: Devoted $330 million in stimulus money to pay two consortia of states and universities to create competing versions of new K-12 student performance tests based on latest psychometric research. New tests could transform the learning environment in vast majority of public school classrooms beginning in 2014.
38. Cracked Down on Bad For-Profit Colleges: In effort to fight predatory practices of some for-profit colleges, Department of Education issued “gainful employment” regulations in 2011 cutting off commercially focused schools from federal student aid funding if more than 35 percent of former students aren’t paying off their loans and/or if the average former student spends more than 12 percent of his or her total earnings servicing student loans.
39. Improved School Nutrition: In coordination with Michelle Obama, signed Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act in 2010 mandating $4.5 billion spending boost and higher nutritional and health standards for school lunches. New rules based on the law, released in January, double the amount of fruits and vegetables and require only whole grains in food served to students.
40. Expanded Hate Crimes Protections: Signed Hate Crimes Prevention Act (2009), which expands existing hate crime protections to include crimes based on a victim’s sexual orientation, gender, or disability, in addition to race, color, religion, or national origin.
41. Avoided Scandal: As of November 2011, served longer than any president in decades without a scandal, as measured by the appearance of the word “scandal” (or lack thereof) on the front page of the Washington Post.
42. Brokered Agreement for Speedy Compensation to Victims of Gulf Oil Spill: Though lacking statutory power to compel British Petroleum to act, used moral authority of his office to convince oil company to agree in 2010 to a $20 billion fund to compensate victims of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico; $6.5 billion already paid out without lawsuits. By comparison, it took nearly two decades for plaintiffs in the Exxon Valdez Alaska oil spill case to receive $1.3 billion.
43. Created Recovery.gov: Web site run by independent board of inspectors general looking for fraud and abuse in stimulus spending, provides public with detailed information on every contract funded by $787 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Thanks partly to this transparency, board has uncovered very little fraud, and Web site has become national model: “The stimulus has done more to promote transparency at almost all levels of government than any piece of legislation in recent memory,” reports Governing magazine.
44. Pushed Broadband Coverage: Proposed and obtained in 2011 Federal Communications Commission approval for a shift of $8 billion in subsidies away from landlines and toward broadband Internet for lower-income rural families.
45. Expanded Health Coverage for Children: Signed 2009 Children’s Health Insurance Authorization Act, which allows the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) to cover health care for 4 million more children, paid for by a tax increase on tobacco products.
46. Recognized the Dangers of Carbon Dioxide: In 2009, EPA declared carbon dioxide a pollutant, allowing the agency to regulate its production.
47. Expanded Stem Cell Research: In 2009, eliminated the Bush-era restrictions on embryonic stem cell research, which shows promise in treating spinal injuries, among many other areas.
48. Provided Payment to Wronged Minority Farmers: In 2009, signed Claims Resolution Act, which provided $4.6 billion in funding for a legal settlement with black and Native American farmers who the government cheated out of loans and natural resource royalties in years past.
49. Helped South Sudan Declare Independence: Helped South Sudan Declare Independence: Appointed two envoys to Sudan and personally attended a special UN meeting on the area. Through U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Ambassador Susan Rice, helped negotiate a peaceful split in 2011.
50. Killed the F-22: In 2009, ended further purchases of Lockheed Martin single-seat, twin-engine, fighter aircraft, which cost $358 million apiece. Though the military had 187 built, the plane has never flown a single combat mission. Eliminating it saved $4 billion.
Paul Glastris, Ryan Cooper, and Siyu Hu collaborated on this article. Glastris is the editor in chief of the Washington Monthly. Cooper and Hu are interns at the magazine.
http://pleasecutthecrap.com/obama-accomplishments/
A List of 305 Accomplishments by President Obama so far… With Citations
Republish Reprint
Many have done nothing but complain since the day President Obama was inaugurated in 2009. Basically, they scream because he’s not perfect, and sound like petulant children; adults don’t expect perfection. But when they claim he’s no progressive, well, that’s just an outright lie. What do these folks think “progressive” means? The root word is “progress,” and there has been a lot of progress since January 20, 2009. Admittedly, most progress happened during his first two years, but as I recall, one reason Republicans took back the House was because many progressives thought Obama was a “disappointment,” and Democrats were “spineless.”
This year, we repeated our incredible screw-up, and many progressives still prefer to complain about the imperfection of Democrats than to work to get rid of the right wing GOP.
Here is a list of many of President Obama’s accomplishments as President. Every one of them has a citation, so no one can dismiss them as lies. Every time someone complains that Obama’s not progressive, send them the link, or print it out and hand it to them. This list is growing constantly, even with an obstructionist Republican Congress trying to stop everything he does.
Being progressive is not about having the correct positions on issues. Even with the obstacles, this President will leave a legacy. If we want to win elections – and in a democracy, that has to be our main goal – we have to make people want to vote for us. That means accentuating the positive, and talking about how great we are, especially compared to the alternative.
Here’s What He’s Done
Returned The Executive Branch To Fiscal Responsibility
Within his first week, he signed an Executive Order ordering an audit of government contracts, and combating waste and abuse. http://1.usa.gov/dUvbu5
Created the post of Chief Performance Officer, whose job it is to make operations more efficient to save the federal government money. http://n.pr/hcgBn1
On his first full day, he froze White House salaries. http://on.msnbc.com/ewJUIx
He appointed the first Federal Chief Information Officer to oversee federal IT spending.http://www.cio.gov
He committed to phasing out unnecessary and outdated weapons systems. To that end, he also signed the Democratic-sponsored Weapons Systems Acquisition Reform Act, which attempted to put a stop to waste, fraud and abuse in the defense procurement and contracting system. http://bit.ly/hOw1t1http://bit.ly/fz8GAd
Through an executive order, he created the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform. http://bit.ly/hwKhKa
Prevented a Bush Depression and Improved the Economy
Pushed through and signed the Democratic-sponsored American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, otherwise known as “the stimulus package.” The bill passed, even though only three Republicans voted for it. In a major departure from the previous administration, he launched recovery.gov, a website that allows taxpayers to track spending from the Act. http://1.usa.gov/ibiFSshttp://1.usa.gov/e3BJMk
The Bush-led Great Recession was costing the economy nearly 800,000 jobs per month by the time President Obama took office. But by the end of his first year, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act created and sustained 2.1 million jobs and stimulated the economy by 3.5%. http://reut.rs/i46CEE
Not only did he completed the massive TARP financial and banking rescue plan, he also leaned on the banks and others, and recovered virtually all of the bail-out money. http://1.usa.gov/eA5jVShttp://bit.ly/eCNrD6
He created the Making Home Affordable home refinancing plan. http://1.usa.gov/goy6zl
Oversaw the creation of more jobs in 2010 alone than Bush did in eight years. http://bit.ly/hrrnjY
Along with Democrats, and almost no Republicans, implemented an auto industry rescue plan, and saved as many as 1 million jobs. http://bit.ly/ibhpxr Many are of the opinion that he saved the entire auto industry, and even the economy of the entire Midwest. http://bit.ly/gj7mt5This resulted in GM returning to its place as the top car company in the world. http://lat.ms/zIJuQx
Doubled funding for the Manufacturing Extension Partnership, which is designed to improve manufacturing efficiency. http://bit.ly/eYD4nf
Signed the Democratic-sponsored Fraud Enforcement and Recovery Act giving the federal government more tools to investigate and prosecute fraud in every corner of the financial system, and create a bipartisan Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission to investigate the financial fraud that led to the economic meltdown. http://abcn.ws/g18Fe7
Signed the Democratic-sponsored Credit Card Accountability, Responsibility and Disclosure (CARD) Act, which was designed to to protect consumers from unfair and deceptive credit card practices. http://1.usa.gov/gIaNcS
Increased infrastructure spending after years of neglect. http://bit.ly/f77aOw
Signed the Democratic-sponsored and passed Helping Families Save Their Homes Act, expanding on the Making Home Affordable Program to help millions of Americans avoid preventable foreclosures. The bill also provided $2.2 billion to help combat homelessness, and to stabilize the housing market. http://bit.ly/eEpLFn
Through the Worker, Homeownership, and Business Assistance Act of 2009, he and Congressional Democrats provided tax credits to first-time home buyers, which helped the U.S. housing market recovery. http://bit.ly/dZgXXwhttp://bit.ly/gORYfL
Initiated a $15 billion plan designed to encourage increased lending to small businesses. http://1.usa.gov/eu0u0b
Created business.gov, which allows for online collaboration between small businesses and experts re managing a business. (The program has since merged with SBA.gov.) http://www.business.gov
Played a lead role in getting the G-20 Summit to commit to a $1.1 trillion deal to combat the global financial crisis. http://nyti.ms/gHlgp5
Took steps to improve minority access to capital. http://bit.ly/f9xVE7
Signed an Executive Order instructing federal agencies to review all federal regulations and remove any unnecessary and/or burdensome regulations from the books. http://1.usa.gov/Lpo5bd
Through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, saved at least 300,000 education jobs, such as teachers, principals, librarians, and counselors that would have otherwise been lost. http://1.usa.gov/ez30D
Dismantled the Minerals Management Service, thereby cutting ties between energy companies and the government. http://nyti.ms/bw1MLu
Along with Congressional Democrats, provided funding to states and the Department of Homeland Security to save thousands of police and firefighter jobs from being cut during the recession. http://bit.ly/g0IKWR
Used recovered TARP money to fund programs at local housing finance agencies in California, Florida, Nevada, Arizona and Michigan. http://on.msnbc.com/i1i8eV
Crafted and signed an executive order establishing the President’s Advisory Council on Financial Capability to assist in financial education for all Americans. http://bit.ly/eyqsNE
China’s largest manufacturer, Foxconn, is building a large plant in Pennsylvania http://cnnmon.ie/1k7LT4S
Worked with Apple Computer to get them to build more product here, and thecompany is building two large plants to manufacture products here; one in Texas http://zd.net/1nkpt2O and one in Arizona http://bit.ly/1mXY5Vg
Oversaw increase of manufacturing jobs by more than 500,000 since 2010, and created an institute to invest in more manufacturing jobs in the technology fields of the future. http://nyti.ms/1egyXrV
Ordered all federal contractors to pay a minimum wage of $10.10 per hour, leading the way to a national increase. http://wapo.st/1iaU5kd
Ordered the completion of the International Trade Data System, a digital trade record book, by 2016. This move will streamline and simplify the process through which small- and medium-sized businesses set up the export of US goods. http://bit.ly/1nwSRF4
Created a climate in which there have been 55 consecutive months of job growth, totaling more than 10 million jobs, which is roughly 10,000,000 more jobs than Bush created in eight years. http://1.usa.gov/1vBDeyCThis is also the longest stretch of private-sector job growth in US history. http://wapo.st/1w3J8Zy
Led the country to 64 consecutive months of economic expansion, eclipsing Saint Reagan’s record, by far. http://onforb.es/1sxJ2by
Oversaw a reduction in the dollar amount of the federal budget deficit by two-thirds since taking office. http://bit.ly/1xKMmjY
Reduced the federal budget deficit from 9.8% of GDP in Fiscal Year 2009 under Bush, to 2.9% of GDP in FY 2014. http://www.cbo.gov/publication/45653
Under Obama, the stock market has reached record highs, restoring most of the economic losses felt during the Bush Recession, when it reached record lows, adjusted for inflation. http://bit.ly/1z4FAtL
Brought Much-Improved Transparency and Better Government
Signed an order banning gifts from lobbyists to anyone in the Executive Branch. http://bit.ly/fsBACN
Signed an order banning anyone from working in an agency they had lobbied in previous years, and put strict limits on lobbyists’ access to the White House. http://nyti.ms/gOrznV
Held the first-ever first online town hall from the White House, and took questions from the public. http://bit.ly/gVNSgX
Became the first to stream every White House event, live. http://1.usa.gov/kAgOP5
Established a central portal for Americans to find service opportunities. http://www.serve.gov
Issued an Executive Order on Presidential Records, which restored the 30-day time frame for former presidents to review records, and eliminated the right for the vice president or family members of former presidents to do the reviews. Provides the public with greater access to historic White House documents, and severely curtails the ability to use executive privilege to shield them. http://1.usa.gov/gUetLb
Improved aspects of the Freedom of Information Act, and issued new guidelines to make FOIA more open and transparent when processing FOIA requests. http://1.usa.gov/gjrnp2
Proposed rules that would streamline the Department of Education’s procurement policies and make them more transparent. http://bit.ly/1r9oQvh
Provided the first voluntary disclosure of the White House Visitors Log in history. http://1.usa.gov/hQ7
Signed a law to completely reform NSA Data Collection program and keep phone records in the hands of the phone company. http://bit.ly/1dG34vD
Wall Street Reforms and Consumer Protection
Ordered 65 executives who took bailout money to cut their own pay until they paid back all bailout money. http://huff.to/eAi9Qq
Along with Congressional Democrats, pushed through and got passed Dodd-Frank, one of the largest and most comprehensive Wall Street reforms since the Great Depression. http://bit.ly/hWCPg0http://bit.ly/geHpcD
By signing Dodd-Frank legislation, created the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau http://1.usa.gov/j5onG
Created rules that reduce the influence of speculators in the oil market. http://bit.ly/MDnA1t
Fashioned rules so that banks can no longer use YOUR money to invest in high-risk financial instruments that work against their own customers’ interests. http://bit.ly/fnTayj
Supported the concept of allowing stockholders to vote on executive compensation. http://bit.ly/fnTayj
Endorsed and supported the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act of 2009 that would close offshore tax avoidance loopholes. http://bit.ly/esOdfBhttp://bit.ly/eG4DPM
Negotiated a deal with Swiss banks that now permits the US government to gain access to the records of criminals and tax evaders. http://bit.ly/htfDgw
Signed the American Jobs and Closing Tax Loopholes Act, which closed many of the loopholes that allowed companies to send jobs overseas, and avoid paying US taxes by moving money offshore.http://1.usa.gov/bd1RTq
Established a Consumer Protection Financial Bureau designed to protect consumers from financial sector excesses. http://bit.ly/fnTayj
Oversaw and then signed a Democratic bill constituting the most sweeping food safety legislation since the Great Depression. http://thedc.com/gxkCtP
Through the Fraud Enforcement and Recovery Act, extended the False Claims Act to combat fraud by companies and individuals using money from the TARP and Stimulus programs. http://bit.ly/SLTcSa
Set up rules for banks in handling legal marijuana money. http://nyti.ms/1b80o2K
Signed Executive Order to add a number of further protections to consumer financial transactions, to further limit instances of identity theft. http://1.usa.gov/1pjfUFq
Took steps to prevent pirate fishing and protect fish populations, and ordered stricter labeling requirements on labeling of seafood products in stores. http://1.usa.gov/1BYhTUn
Enhanced Civil Rights and Anti-Discrimination
Along with Congressional Democrats, advocated for and signed the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, which made it a federal crime to assault anyone based on his or her sexual orientation or gender identity. http://bit.ly/gsMSJ7
Pushed through, signed and demanded the Pentagon enact a repeal of the discriminatory “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” policy that forced soldiers to lie in order to be eligible to fight for their country, and put our troops at risk by disqualifying many qualified soldiers from helping. http://bit.ly/fdahuHhttp://bit.ly/mZV4Pz
Extended benefits to same-sex partners of federal employees. http://1.usa.gov/g2RLCj
Appointed more openly gay officials than anyone in history. http://bit.ly/g1lA7D
Appointed first openly transgender Cabinet Official in History. http://bit.ly/58zUp7
Changed HUD rules to prohibit gender and sexual orientation-based discrimination in housing bit.ly/9RxEnP
Changed his mind and publicly expressed support for same-sex marriage. http://bit.ly/JsiFKp
Issued a Presidential Memorandum reaffirming the rights of gay couples to make medical decisions for each other. http://1.usa.gov/aUueGT
Wrote and signed an Executive Order establishing a White House Council on Women and Girls to ensure that all Cabinet and Cabinet-level agencies evaluate the effect of their policies and programs on women and families. http://bit.ly/e1puTkhttp://1.usa.gov/rFfqMM
Signed the Democratic-sponsored Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which restored basic protections against pay discrimination for women and other workers. This was after the GOP blocked the bill in 2007. Only 5 Republican Senators voted for the bill. http://bit.ly/fT3Cxg
Signed two executive orders that mirror provisions of the Paycheck Fairness Act, because the GOP Congress refuses to pass it. It makes is possible for employees to talk about their salaries without retaliation, and orders salary data collection. These measures will make it harder for employers to pay women less. http://huff.to/1nwVOWf
Expanded funding for the Violence Against Women Act. http://1.usa.gov/dSbI0x
Under his guidance, National Labor Relations Board issued final rules that require all employers to prominently post employees’ rights where all employees or prospective employees can see it, including all websites and intranets. http://1.usa.gov/qu2EhQ
Advocated that United Nations adopt a policy supporting gay rights worldwide. http://lat.ms/pQe1RS
Issued an order requiring hospitals to allow visitation by same-sex couples. http://reut.rs/llNJek
Appointed Kareem Dale as the first ever Special Assistant to the President for Disability Policy. http://1.usa.gov/fi5IY0
Helped Democrats in Congress pass and signed the Civil Rights History Act. http://bit.ly/th0JC8
Established the White House Council of Native American Affairs, to improve government-to-government relations with Native American nations. http://1.usa.gov/1cIEeEv
Formed a commission to examine and make recommendations for fixing the broken voting system. http://wapo.st/16K0D
As soon as the Supreme Court invalidated the Defense of Marriage Act, he moved to extend federal benefits to same-sex couples. http://wapo.st/1avDjue
At a press conference August 9, 2013, gave up a small measure of executive power, promising to create adversarial process in FISA regarding NSA surveillance. http://1.usa.gov/1dQmnyQ
Proposed new HUD rules that would enhance Fair Housing Laws, to give HUD and other enforcement agencies more teeth in enforcing them. http://bit.ly/1qkz4uQ
Shattered another glass ceiling by naming Janet Yellen chair of the Federal Reserve beginning Feb. 1, 2014. http://usat.ly/1gqMBfk
Appointed several prominent gay athletes and others, and plans to show US government’s commitment to gay rights to anti-gay Russia. http://on.cpsj.com/1fckN9h
Ordered a review of capital punishment policies after several botched executions. http://nyti.ms/RDJp58
Obama’s Department of Agriculture propagated new rules designed to better enforce nondiscrimination when it comes to USDA investigations. These rules also extended nondiscrimination to gender identity. http://bit.ly/1yChJhi
Obama’s Equal Employment Opportunity Commission clarified and strengthened rules prohibiting discrimination against pregnant workers. http://alj.am/1mo0kjV
Banned all federal contractors from discriminating against gay workers. http://1.usa.gov/1ok1gfH
Created a requirement in which companies who bid on federal contracts of more than $500,000 must publicly disclose all previous violations of labor law, including unpaid claims for back wages. http://1.usa.gov/V54qY3
Made it illegal for federal contractors with more than $1 million in contracts to force employees into arbitration to settle workplace discrimination accusations. http://1.usa.gov/V54qY3
The Obama Department of Justice made significant reductions in drug sentencing guidelines for current prisoners, thus releasing thousands from US prisons. This is the first step in 30 years toward reducing the US prison population, which is the highest in the world. http://n.pr/1mWBLkM
Thanks to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, inflation in the healthcare sector dropped to its lowest point in 50 years. http://on.wsj.com/1E6cYjF
Through a Presidential Memorandum, changed the rules to concentrate immigration enforcement on those who commit crimes, and voed to stop breaking up families. http://1.usa.gov/1uTZ8gV
Through another Presidential memorandum, President Obama streamlined the visa process, to make it more responsive and humane for those who want to be here legally. http://1.usa.gov/1tgDRti
Took steps to tighten the reins when it comes to providing local law enforcement agencies with military-style equipment and exercising more control over the equipment they receive. http://1.usa.gov/1ATWV3K
Oversaw the first drop in the federal prison population in 32 years. http://bit.ly/1B5h8rW
Vetoed Republican bill that would have blocked new NLRB rules that were designed to speed up the time it takes workers to unionize. http://reut.rs/1agujMO He also added a Memorandum of Disagreement to make his reasons for the veto clear and made a major statement in support of unions. http://1.usa.gov/1NG7RuA
Persevered with his campaign to turn “gay marriage” into “marriage” and won in the Supreme Court. http://cbsloc.al/1M4qLKb
Plans to broaden his use of clemency to release thousands of non-violent drug offenders from prison. http://nyti.ms/1KE8DJG
Created new rules to improve fair housing rules and make more affordable housing available to more people. http://cnn.it/1JcR3qB
Major Improvements in Foreign Relations, American Status around the World
Visited more countries and met with more world leaders than any previous president during his first six months in office. http://bit.ly/hZycda
As he promised, he gave a speech at a major Islamic forum in Cairo early in his administration. http://nyti.ms/dKvY4g
Helped to restore America’s reputation around the world as a global leader that does the “right thing” in world affairs, at least according to the rest of the world. http://bit.ly/h743y7http://bit.ly/ho4TCr
Re-established and reinforced our partnership with NATO and other allies on strategic international issues. http://1.usa.gov/e7QuDj
Closed a number of secret detention facilities. http://nyti.ms/rpUc9l
Improved relations with Middle East countries by appointing special envoys. http://1.usa.gov/tiGAGe
Pushed forward the first realistic Middle East peace strategy in more than a decade, without abandoning the two-state solution. http://wapo.st/1avyste
Pushed for military to emphasize devlopment of foreign language skills. http://bit.ly/AxUCLV
Offered $400 million to the people living in Gaza, called on both Israel and the Palestinians to stop inciting violence. http://bit.ly/9axfWh
Refused to give Israel the green light to attack Iran over their possible nuclear program, and thus avoid another war that Republicans wanted. http://bit.ly/xVmSZK
Ordered the closure of the prison at Guantanamo Bay. It was Republicans (and, unfortunately, progressive Democrats) who prevented follow through. http://bit.ly/eW6CVF
Ordered a review of our detention and interrogation policy, and prohibited the use of torture, or what Bush called “enhanced interrogation.” He ordered interrogators to limit their actions to the Army Field manual. http://bit.ly/g6MTuC
Ordered all secret detention facilities in Eastern Europe and elsewhere to be closed. http://bbc.in/h6N9ax
Released the Bush torture memos. http://bit.ly/hWJ5z0
On his second day in office, he signed a detailed Executive Order that banned torture, reversed all Bush torture policies, and put the United States in compliance with the Geneva Convention. http://1.usa.gov/dL6Zvehttp://nyti.ms/hzWWys
In response to the emerging “Arab Spring,” he created a Rapid Response fund, to assist emerging democracies with foreign aid, debt relief, technical assistance and investment packages in order to show that the United States stands with them. http://bit.ly/zfmGv9
Ended the F-22 program, saving $4 billion. Though the single-seat, twin-engine, fighter aircraft cost $358 million each, and the military had 187 built, the F-22 never flew a combat mission. http://slate.me/PYzmzT
Passed the Iran Sanctions Act, to prevent war and encourage the Iranian government to give up their nuclear program. http://1.usa.gov/wLtNjb
Ended the Iraq War. http://tgr.ph/ru0tyS
Worked to keep our withdrawal from Afghanistan on track, despite GOP opposition.http://reut.rs/1cIOsF1Reiterated that commitment in 2014. http://nyti.ms/1exnmRF
Authorized and oversaw a secret mission by SEAL Team Six to rescue two hostages held by Somali pirates. http://bit.ly/y8c9Fz
Through United Nations Ambassador Susan Rice, helped negotiate a peaceful split of Sudan into two countries, this allowing for the creation of an independent South Sudan. http://reut.rs/qzE0Tj
Worked with Democratic Congress to make donations to Haiti tax deductible in 2009. http://huff.to/6YkAVY
Established a new U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue. http://1.usa.gov/eX28DP
Issued Executive Order blocking interference and helping to stabilize Somalia. http://1.usa.gov/hxdf8U
Established new, more reasonable policies in our relations with Cuba, such as allowing Cuban-Americans to visit their families and send money to support them. http://n.pr/hY3Kwa http://nyti.ms/emQBde
Negotiated the framework for an agreement with Iran that would end their nuclear weapons program. http://bit.ly/1y5aD97
Became the first US President to visit Jamaica in more than 30 years and worked to restore relations with the country, and signed a natural gas distribution agreement with the country. http://bit.ly/1JtpFqi
Opened the first Embassy in Cuba in more than 55 years. http://abcn.ws/1ghLrEs
Negotiated a deal with Iran that will prevent them from getting a nuclear weapon anytime soon, without firing a shot or invading the country. http://cnn.it/1M3Hpvv
A More Realistic Approach to “Defense” and National Security
Created a comprehensive new strategy for dealing with the international nuclear threat. http://1.usa.gov/gDX1nE
Authorized a $1.4 billion reduction in Star Wars program in 2010. http://1.usa.gov/gLFZl2
Restarted nuclear nonproliferation talks and built up the nuclear inspection infrastructure/protocols to where they had been before Bush. http://lat.ms/gkcl3i
Signed and pushed through ratification a new SALT Treaty. http://bit.ly/f3JVtw
Negotiated and signed a new START Treaty that will lst until at least 2021. http://1.usa.gov/cI1bC4
Through the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), reversed the Bush Administration and committed to no permanent military bases in Iraq. http://bit.ly/hk73OJ
Developed first comprehensive strategy with regard to Afghanistan and Pakistan designed to facilitate the defeat of al Qaeda and the withdrawal of most troops, as well as the rebuilding of Afghanistan. http://wapo.st/ee4Xcs
Returned our focus to Afghanistan, stabilized the country, and began the process of withdrawing our troops from the country. http://bit.ly/lNXUna
Negotiated a deal with Afghan govenment, to withdraw troops and military support, while assisting in rebuilding and modernizing of the country. http://bit.ly/K362an
Took steps to severely weaken al Qaeda and limited their ability to terrorize the world. http://yhoo.it/n5lXs6
Negotiated and signed a nuclear nonproliferation treaty with India. http://1.usa.gov/aHp0Cn
Took decisive action to use NATO to limit the slaughter of innocents in Libya, so that the Libyan people could topple the despotic Khadaffy government and determine their own fate. http://aje.me/qAh4Sj
Got Egyptian President/dictator Mubarak to leave the Egyptian government to the people, to determine their own fate. http://f24.my/efvgNZ
In 2011, reoriented American focus from the Middle East to the Asian-Pacific region by simultaneouly engaging China and crafting new alliances with Asian countries uncomfortable with Chinese behavior. http://bit.ly/RGlMDi
Restored federal agencies such as FEMA to the point that they have been able to manage a huge number of natural disasters successfully. http://bit.ly/h8Xj7z
Authorized Navy SEALS to successfully secure the release of a US captain held by Somali pirates and increased patrols off the Somali coast. http://nyti.ms/efBO7B
Increased border security http://bit.ly/1JQDGz9
Ordered and oversaw the Navy SEALS operation that killed Osama bin Laden. http://bit.ly/jChpgw
Established the Homeland Security Partnership Council, which will attempt to enhance the nation’s ability to “address homeland security priorities, from responding to natural disasters to preventing terrorism, by utilizing diverse perspectives, skills, tools, and resources.” http://1.usa.gov/VJjLXO
Signed agreement with Afghanistan to end war, turn security over to Afghans. http://nyti.ms/1xSjgBd
Breaking with presidential tradition, especially recent tradition, instead of just attacking Syria in the wake of chemical weapons attacks on Syrians, Obama ordered a full report on the decision-making process, should he decide to order one. http://cbsn.ws/184RFgu
Instead of holding hearings and trying to create a political football, quietly captured a suspect who actually committed the Benghazi terrorist attack. http://wapo.st/1jFlmzv He is also getting a lot of useful information from the suspect. http://nyti.ms/UfE2Ka
Signed an executive order allowing sanctions against individuals and groups that threaten national cybersecurity. http://1.usa.gov/1HWcGMG
Limited local police acquisitions of military-style equipment, to reduce the likelihood of overkill. http://n.pr/1NGkBjT
Signed Blue Alert Law, which provides police officers with more information when they are threatened. http://bit.ly/1NGksga
Returned Government to Treating Soldiers and Veterans with Dignity and Respect
Provided active combat troops with better body armor. http://bit.ly/hzSv2h
Created Joint Virtual Lifetime Electronic Record program for military personnel, in order http://abcn.ws/1ghLrEshttp://abcn.ws/1ghLrEsto improve the quality of their medical care. http://1.usa.gov/f4yaxW
Put an end to the Bush-era stop-loss policy that kept soldiers in Iraq/Afghanistan beyond their enlistment date. http://nyti.ms/e2YQ7Q
Along with Congressional Democrats, supported and signed Veterans Health Care Budget Reform and Transparency Act, which made more money available to enable better medical care for veterans. http://1.usa.gov/fN4ur1
Along with Congressional Democrats, ushered through largest spending increase in 30 years for Department of Veterans Affairs, with money to go to improved medical facilities, and to assist states in acquiring or constructing state nursing homes and extended care facilities. http://1.usa.gov/gY8O3x
Created the Green Vet Initiative, which provided special funding to the Labor Department to provide veterans with training in green jobs. http://bit.ly/epwUQY
Initiated and signed a recruitment and employment plan to get more veterans into government jobs. http://bit.ly/b48coi
Oversaw a $4.6 billion expansion of the Veterans Administration budget to pay for more mental health professionals. http://bit.ly/gjzTxX
Signed the Military Spouses Residency Relief Act, which ensures that spouses of military personnel who are forced to move because their spouse is posted for military duty will be able to avoid state taxes in their temporary residence. http://bit.ly/1Gh0NX
Issued an Executive Order to improve access to mental health care for veterans, military personnel and their families. http://1.usa.gov/TP7PVZ
was able to get Syria to dismantle its chemical weapons without military firing a single shot or dropping a single bomb. http://nyti.ms/1lVEkU7
Along with Congressional Democrats, not only reauthorized families of fallen soldiers to be able to visit when the body arrives at Dover AFB, but also provided funding for it. Ended the media blackout on coverage of the return of fallen soldiers. http://nyti.ms/glqN66 http://bbc.in/gWSSkA
Funded Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) with an extra $1.4 billion to improve veterans’ services. http://1.usa.gov/huhqfo
Signed into law a bill that provides support, counseling, and breastfeeding supplies to military moms who are covered under TRICARE, the health insurance provided to veterans. http://bit.ly/1yNxL8O
Refocused the Federal Government on Education, Made Rational Reforms
Through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, invested heavily in elementary, secondary and post-secondary education. http://1.usa.gov/gGRIAr
Created the Race to the Top program, which encouraged states to come up with effective school reforms and rewards the best of them. http://bit.ly/NHtZ7L
Oversaw major expansion of broadband availability in K-12 schools nationwide. http://bit.ly/fNDcj3
Oversaw major expansion in school construction. http://bit.ly/fYwNrV
Also through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, he put $5 billion into early education, including Head Start. http://1.usa.gov/tzT2Rr
Signed the Democratic-sponsored Post-9/11 GI Bill, also known as GI Bill 2.0 http://bit.ly/hPhG7J
Oversaw expansion of the Pell Grants program, to expand opportunity for low and middle income students to go to college. http://bit.ly/hI6tXz
Along with Democratic Congress, passed and signed Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, which provided an extra $12.2 billion in funds. http://1.usa.gov/dQvtUe
Took major new steps to protect students from ineffective for-profit colleges through “gainful employment” measures, whereby schools have to demonstrate that its students actually find work to get federal aid. http://1.usa.gov/jkzQe2
Repeatedly increased funding for student financial aid, and at the same time cut the banks completely out of the process, thus us creating greater accountability. http://bit.ly/gYWd30 http://bit.ly/e9c7Dr http://bit.ly/eEzTNq
Reformed student loan program, to make it possible for students to refinance at a lower rate. http://nyti.ms/dMvHOt
Created a rating system for colleges, so that those applying for student financial aid know better what they’re paying for. http://bit.ly/14Dn7UL
An Adult View on Science, Technology and Health Care
Created a Presidential Memorandum to restore scientific integrity in government decision-making. http://1.usa.gov/g2SDuw
Opened up process for fast-tracking patent approval for green energy projects. http://bit.ly/j0KV2U
Eliminated Bush-era restrictions on embryonic stem cell research, and provided increased federal support for biomedical and stem cell research. http://bit.ly/h36SSOhttp://ti.me/edezge
Through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, committed more federal funding, about $18 billion, to support non-defense science and research labs. http://nyti.ms/fTs9t7
Signed Democratic-sponsored Christopher and Dana Reeve Paralysis Act, the first comprehensive attempt to improve the lives of Americans living with paralysis. http://bit.ly/fOi2rb
Expanded the Nurse-Family Partnership program, which provides home visits by trained registered nurses to low-income expectant mothers and their families, to cover more first-time mothers.http://bit.ly/jRRRJc
Obama EPA reversed research ethics standards which allowed humans to be used as “guinea pigs” in tests of the effects of chemicals, to comply with numerous codes of medical ethics. http://bit.ly/bKgqdS
Conducted a cyberspace policy review. http://1.usa.gov/gmbdvC
Provided financial support for private sector space programs. http://bit.ly/fn8ucr
Oversaw enhanced earth mapping, to provide valuable data for agricultural, educational, scientific, and government use. http://bit.ly/dNTRyP
Along with Democrats in Congress, ushered through and signed a bill authorizing FDA to regulate tobacco. http://on.msnbc.com/fiKViB As a result, the FDA has Ordered Tobacco Companies to Disclose Cigarette Ingredients and banned sale of cigarettes falsely labeled as “light.”
Through American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, provided $500 million for Health Professions Training Programs. http://bit.ly/ecQSgA
Increased funding for community-based prevention programs. http://bit.ly/frMPG3
Oversaw a 50% decrease in cost of prescription drugs for seniors. http://bit.ly/e5b1iqhttp://1.usa.gov/fVNkt9
Eliminated the Bush-era practice of forbidding Medicare from negotiating with drug companies on price. http://bit.ly/fOkG5b
Two weeks after taking office, signed Democratic-sponsored Children’s Health Insurance Reauthorization Act, which increased the number of children covered by health insurance by 4 million. http://bit.ly/fDEzGv
Urged Congress to investigate Anthem Blue Cross for raising premiums 39% without explanation. Democratic Rep. Waxman responded by launching a probe, and Anthem Blue Cross put increase on hold for two months. http://yhoo.it/e8Tj9C
Ushered through and signed Affordable Care Act, which expanded health insurance coverage to at least 30 million more people, ended many common insurance company practices that are often detrimental to those with coverage. He also established healthcare.gov, so that taxpayers could keep up with developments. http://www.healthcare.gov/
Through ACA, allowed children to be covered under their parents’ policy until they turned 26. http://nyti.ms/fNB26V
Through the ACA, provided tax breaks to allow 3.5 million small business to provide health insurance to their employees, and 29 million people will receive tax breaks to help them afford health insurance. http://nyti.ms/fNB26V
Through the ACA, expanded Medicaid to those making up to 133% of the federal poverty level. http://nyti.ms/ekMWpo
Through the ACA, health insurance companies now have to disclose how much of your premium actually goes to pay for patient care. http://nyti.ms/fNB26V
Provisions in the ACA have already resulted in Medicare costs actually declining slightly this fiscal year, for the first time in many years, according to the Congressional Budget Office. The increase in 2011 was 4%, which is very low compared to the average 12% annual inflation rate during previous 40 years. http://1.usa.gov/oMxpTh
Since passage of the ACA, health care inflation is at its lowest level since 1960. http://1.usa.gov/1vXR0Ld
Created the HIV Care Continuum Initiative, to strengthen the government’s ability to respond to the continuing domestic HIV epidemic, after years of Republicans weakening the government’s ability to deal with the crisis. http://1.usa.gov/1iLED0t
Expanded space exploration and discovery options to include more players. http://1.usa.gov/13qmZpm
Through the Connect America Fund, pushed through and received FCC approval for a move of $8 billion in subsidies away from telephone landlines to assist lower-income rural families in accessing broadband. http://lat.ms/vhRUEs http://bit.ly/129V3SY
In the wake of the West Fertilizer tragedy, in which an entire small town was devastated by an explosion at a fertilizer plant, in part because Republican negligence let the company do whatever it wanted, formed the Chemical Safety and Security Working Group, to work on measures to prevent another such event. http://1.usa.gov/18kHSlA
By 2014, the Affordable Care Act dropped the number of uninsured Americans by 22.3%, which amounts to more than 10.3 million people with insurance who didn’t have it before. Only 13.9% of Americans are uninsured, a drop from 18.9% in 2013. http://on.msnbc.com/1r4kjGn
The Affordable Care Act has increased the life expectancy of Medicare greatly. http://on.wsj.com/1yuNco6
Established a Cyber Threat Intelligence Integration Center, a recommendation made by the 9/11 Commission, to coordinate efforts to fight cyber-crime and terrorism. http://1.usa.gov/1A0aEoS
The Obama FCC, with his leadership, adopted strong net neutrality rules, to keep the Internet open and equal for everyone. http://fcc.us/1MhTlIA
Signed bill that will provide health insurance premium support to workers who lose their health insurance due to foreign competition. http://bit.ly/1evvVDF
In response to the confusion triggered by the asinine Hobby Lobby decision, which essentially declared that corporations could have “religious rights” and lord them over employees, created new rules to give all women with insurance the right to free birth control. http://on.wsj.com/1O44a1t
Strengthened the Middle Class and Families, and Fought Poverty
Worked to provide affordable, high-quality child care to working families. http://bit.ly/fNfidS
Cracked down on companies that were previously denying sick pay, vacation and health insurance, and Social Security and Medicare tax payments through abuse of the employee classification of independent contractor. http://nyti.ms/fOGLcj
Through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, cut taxes for 95% of America’s working families. http://bit.ly/eSEI4F
Tax rates for average working families are the lowest since 1950. http://bit.ly/f74pD8
Extended and fully funded the patch for the Alternative Minimum Tax for 10 years. http://bit.ly/eFeSdP
Extended discounted health coverage under the COBRA health insurance law for the unemployed from 9 months to 15 months, and he’s also extended unemployment benefits more than a few times. http://aol.it/evtVxDhttp://nyti.ms/emrqKJ http://bit.ly/hOtIpg http://bit.ly/fTT7kz
Provided a $20 billion increase for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (Food Stamps). http://nyti.ms/gfLqyM
Signed an Executive Order that established the White House Office of Urban Affairs. http://wapo.st/eWECA8
Included the Buffet Rule in his 2014 budget proposal, thus trying to fulfill a campaign promise, to make sure tax rates are fair between the rich and the middle class. http://1.usa.gov/19PkdQo
Used the fiscal cliff negotiations to extend for five additional years the American Opportunity Tax Credit, which provides tax credits to families for college-related expenses, thus saving those families up to $10,000. http://onforb.es/17zYg3u
Increased protections for those who are unemployed and are seeking a government job. http://1.usa.gov/1jgXATu
Updated and modernized overtime regulations under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) http://1.usa.gov/1iGDO8e
With First Lady Michelle Obama, passed the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act, which will improve nutrition in schools and make children healthier. http://1.usa.gov/GAXkSk
In his continuing effort to make college more affordable and accountable, will begin rating colleges with regard to affordability and value. http://bit.ly/14Dn7UL
Initiated a reform of federal job training programs, to make them more relevant to the current economy and the job market. http://1.usa.gov/1kZLQHG
Under Obama, the bottom 95% of taxpayers are paying lower federal income taxes than at any time in the last 50 years, including under Reagan, Bush 41 and Bush 43. http://bit.ly/1w1W8Ns
Signed a presidential memorandum authorizing six weeks paid leave for all federal employees with a new baby, and encouraged Congress to do the same for all workers. http://bit.ly/18613XA
2014 marked the first time since 1984 that unemployment dropped in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. 1.usa.gov/1E25u0C
Took steps to improve workplace safety by creating an Advisory Board to study workers’ exposure to toxic substances. http://1.usa.gov/1M4s8IG
Changed overtime rules to make it far more difficult for employers to avoid paying overtime to workers. http://politi.co/1KHfiBe
Concrete Steps to Improve the Environment and Address Our Energy Needs
Doubling federal spending on clean energy research. http://bit.ly/iN0sCE
Pushed through a tax credit to help people buy plug-in hybrid cars. http://bit.ly/j8UP5Y
Created a program to develop renewable energy projects on the waters of our Outer Continental Shelf that will produce electricity from wind, wave, and ocean currents. http://1.usa.gov/fgfRWq
Reengaged in the climate change and greenhouse gas emissions agreements talks, and proposed one himself. He also addressed the U.N. Climate Change Conference, officially reversing the Bush era stance that climate change was a “hoax.” http://bit.ly/dX6Vj3 http://bit.ly/fE2PxKhttp://nyti.ms/hfeqvv
Fully supported the initial phase of the creation of a legally-binding treaty to reduce mercury emissions worldwide. http://bit.ly/eJ6QOO
Required states to provide incentives to utilities to reduce their energy consumption. http://bit.ly/lBhk7P
Under Obama, our dependence on foreign oil has dropped to its lowest rate since 1985, and continues to drop. http://1.usa.gov/1p6kTUy Meanwhile, consumption is way down because of reduced driving and higher mileage standards. http://ti.me/1z4HFG8
Improved siting, review and permitting stations for power plants, in an attempt to seriously improve the nation’s electric grid. http://1.usa.gov/1l8zNqn
Following the neglect of Bush’s eight year reign, he reengaged in a number of treaties and agreements designed to protect the Antarctic. http://bit.ly/fzQUFO
Created tax write-offs for purchases of hybrid automobiles, and later he and Democrats morphed that program into one that includes electric cars. http://bit.ly/glCukV
Established a quadrennial review of our energy infrastructure, to encourage a modernization of the grid, and to encourage the transition away from fossil fuel use. http://1.usa.gov/1nx2oMo
Mandated that federal government fleet purchases be for fuel-efficient American vehicles, and encouraged that federal agencies support experimental, fuel-efficient vehicles. http://bit.ly/h5KZqyhttp://1.usa.gov/fLWq5chttp://1.usa.gov/hmUSbk
Got BP to cough up $20 billion to establish Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund, to reduce the need for taxpayer funds to be used for compensation and clean up. http://wapo.st/ds2BxT (Note: it took 20 years to get $1.3 billion for the Exxon Valdez spill. )
Oversaw and pushed through an amendment to the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 authorizing advances from Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund for the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. http://1.usa.gov/yTRYVo
Actively tried to amend the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 to eliminate the liability limits for those companies responsible for large oil spills. http://nyti.ms/bxjDi3
Became the first President to simply say “Climate Change is a fact,” and set up the first federal government protocols for dealing with the impacts of climate change. http://1.usa.gov/1b7V67B
Initiated Criminal and Civil inquiries into the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. http://nyti.ms/bVuB7a
Asserted federal legal supremacy to bar Texas from authorizing new refinery permits on its own.http://bit.ly/ww8eMd
Set up new, stricter standards limiting power plant emissions. http://1.usa.gov/1mML2M3
Strengthened the Endangered Species Act. http://bit.ly/hscjsH
Strengthened protection for wildlife, and expanded enforcement of laws against wildlife trafficking. http://1.usa.gov/1fce1Ai
Obama EPA improved boiler safety standards to improve air quality, and save 6500 lives per year. http://bit.ly/jYH7nt
Through the EPA, attemped to take steps to severely limit the use of antibiotics in livestock feed, to increase their efficacy in humans. http://bit.ly/fBuWd2
Through new EPA regulations, he created a pretext for closing the dirtiest power plants in the country, by limiting emissions of mercury and other toxic gasses. http://bit.ly/rQCIgA
Increased funding for National Parks and Forests by 10% http://bit.ly/fbJPjY
Announced greatly improved commercial fuel efficiency standards. http://1.usa.gov/oQiC1K
Announced a huge increase in average fuel economy standards from 27.5mpg in 2010 to 35.5mpg starting in 2016 and 54.5 starting in 2025 http://1.usa.gov/qtghsW
Issued an Executive Order to facilitate investments in industrial energy efficiency that will help create jobs, while strengthening US manufacturing. Increased efficiency could save businesses $100 billion over the next decade. http://1.usa.gov/WsIgbx
Through an executive order, set up the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council, which will to oversee Gulf Coast restoration efforts in the wake of the 2010 BP oil splll. The money to fund the restoration efforts comes from fines against BP. http://1.usa.gov/Rxjb29
Through executive actions and bypassing the ineffectual Republican Congress, announced the most comprehensive plan to combat climate change in a generation. http://bit.ly/13lXhET
Ordered energy plants to prepare to produce at least 15% of all energy through renewable resources like wind and solar, by 2021. http://reut.rs/fV155p (Republicans are trying hard to kill it.)
Oversaw the creation of an initiative that converts old factories and manufacturing centers into new clean technology centers. http://bit.ly/mjnq2R
guided the country into a 418% increase in solar power capacity between 2010 and 2014. http://bit.ly/1rHkWJC
Bypassed Republican opposition in Congress and ordered EPA to begin regulating and measuring carbon emissions. http://bit.ly/froaP5
Oversaw a tripling in the use of wind power to generate electricity. For the third year in row, the United States led the world in increased wind power capacity. http://www.worldwatch.org/node/5448
Ordered the federal government to incorporate climate resilience and climate science into all international development in which the United States engages. http://1.usa.gov/YV1EpW
Fast-tracked regulations to allow states to enact fuel efficiency standards that exceeded federal standards. http://nyti.ms/e8e94x
Fast-tracked increased fuel economy standards for vehicles beginning with the 2011 model year. It was the first time such standards had been increased in a decade. http://politi.co/hiaPKM
Oversaw establishment of an Energy Partnership for the Americas, to create more markets for American-made biofuels and green energy technologies. http://bit.ly/lZp73y
Obama EPA reversed a Bush-era decision to allow the largest mountaintop removal project in US history. http://bit.ly/lP3yEL
Ordered the Department of Energy to implement more aggressive efficiency standards for common household appliances. http://1.usa.gov/g3MTbu
Obama EPA ruled that excess CO2 is a pollutant. http://bit.ly/iQTSNN
Closed a deal with China to limit carbon emissions to perhaps slow down climate change. http://nyti.ms/1xzyS8K
Blocked all oil and gas drilling in Bristol Bay, Alaska, one of the most pristine environments in North America http://lat.ms/13xUVFD
Signed an Executive Order to improve environmental efforts in the Arctic region and to combat climate change by better coordinating the efforts of the 23 federal agencies operating in the area. http://usat.ly/ZEzLzE
Vetoed a bill to fast track construction of the parallel Keystone XL pipeline. http://nbcnews.to/1DVDFo7
Expanded clean water regulations to more stringently protect all of the nation’s waterways, even when states fail in their duty. http://bit.ly/1RdQpTc
Signed an Executive Order committing the federal government to lead the way in building a sustainable economy. It’s his fifth doing just that. http://1.usa.gov/1EzO2ne
Banned the use of antibiotics in food served in US Government-run cafeterias and ordered agencies to only use antibiotic-free meat. http://bit.ly/1G1vUxi http://bit.ly/1KHkl4N
But That’s Not All…
Nominated Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan to the Supreme Court. Sotomayor is the first Hispanic Justice in the court’s history, and the women represent only the third and fourth women to serve on the court, out of a total of 112 justices. http://huff.to/eOChg6http://bit.ly/i02wgP
Appointed the most diverse Cabinet in history, including more women than any other incoming president. http://bit.ly/dX6vNB
Eliminated federal funding for abstinence-only education, and rescinded the global gag rule. http://bit.ly/eCFAI1 http://bit.ly/f92drF
Loosened the rules and allowed the 14 states that legalized medical marijuana to regulate themselves without federal interference. http://huff.to/eQfa7j
Signed national service legislation, increasing funding for national service groups, including triple the size of the Americorps program. http://bit.ly/idgQH5
Signed an Executive Order that will speed up deployment of a more comprehensive broadband infrastructure. http://1.usa.gov/M7rVpe
Signed an Executive Order creating jobs immediately by instructing them to reduce the time needed for review and permitting of infrastructure projects. http://1.usa.gov/GHxaYt
Signed a bill that provided $4.3 billion in additional assistance to 9/11 first responders. http://bit.ly/o7cWYS
Signed an Executive Order pledging support for efforts to end the global problem of violence against women and girls. http://1.usa.gov/MHTRVU
Signed the Claims Resolution Act, which provided $4.6 billion in funding for a legal settlement with black and Native American farmers who had been cheated out of government loans and natural resource royalties in the past. http://1.usa.gov/dGppUa
To help those communities devastated by Hurricane Sandy, issued an executive order setting up the Hurricane Sandy Rebuilding Task Force, and asked Congress to approve $60 billion in supplemental assistance to aid in storm recovery. http://1.usa.gov/134L7hl
Produced 23 Executive actions designed to make it easier for law enforcement to identify those who shouldn’t have guns, thus helping them enforce the law. http://on.wsj.com/SX9xaZ
Expanded trade agreements to include stricter labor and environmental agreements such as NAFTA. http://bit.ly/etznpY
Oversaw funding of the design of a new Smithsonian National Museum of African American History, which is scheduled to open on the National Mall in 2015. He protected the funding during the recent budget negotiations. http://on.fb.me/fD0EVO http://bit.ly/ff5Luv
Oversaw and passed increased funding for the National Endowment for the Arts.http://bit.ly/dFb8qF
And Did You Know?
Despite the characterizations of some, Obama’s success rate in winning congressional votes on issues was an unprecedented 96.7% for his first year in office. Though he is often cited as superior to Obama, President Lyndon Johnson’s success rate in 1965 was only 93%. http://n.pr/i3d7cY
And of course…
Despite the odds, became the first black president and then, was reelected by a wide margin.
———————–
Click here for reuse options!
Copyright 2014 The PCTC Blog
Share this:
?More
.
Like this:
Loading…
Comments
A List of 305 Accomplishments by President Obama so far… With Citations — 27 Comments
Pingback: America Is Better Off Today Than Six Years Ago! | Political Ration
Pingback: 13 to go: The odious Professional Left, Part 1 | The PCTC Blog
Pingback: 12 to go: The odious Professional Left, Part 2 | The PCTC Blog
Pingback: Democrat Party candidates have turned into spineless jellyfish (Election Nov. 2014) « Motley News and Photos
Pingback: Post Midterm GOP agenda? – Page 5
Pingback: They say it’s a GOP Wave. Hope You’re a Good Swimmer –
Pingback: The Democrats, Not the Voters, Ruined this Election | artemismooned
Pingback: Another Aftermath | distal muse
Pingback: Democrats, liberals, progressives – Welcome to Progressive Values | Welcome to Progressive Values
Pingback: Political Discussions – Page 3033 – Saltwater Fishing Discussion Board Including Inshore Fishing, Offshore Fishing, Saltwater Fly Fishing and Kayak Fishing
Pingback: We Don’t Deserve Mr. Obama! | speakingthosethings
Pingback: The Power of the Vote | LET’S BE TRUTHFUL
Pingback: Obama’s Naiveté his Only Fault | The Public Slate
Pingback: Open Letter to Giuliani on Characterization of Obama at Warren Blumenfeld’s Blog
Pingback: Dear Rudy Giuliani Re: Characterization of Obama –
Pingback: Open Letter to Giuliani on Characterizations of Obama | TKG News
Pingback: Open Letter to Giuliani on Characterizations of Obama | Oh Alright!
Pingback: Open Letter to Giuliani on Characterizations of Obama — LiberalVoiceLiberalVoice — Your source for everything about liberals and progressives! — News and tweets about everything liberals and progressives
Pingback: Open Letter to Giuliani on Characterizations of Obama – Huffington Post | Healthy style mart
Pingback: Open Letter to Giuliani on Characterizations of Obama – Huffington Post | Great makeup online
Pingback: Darlin’ Deb | Jeff Pearlman
Pingback: Ben Carson calls Obama a ‘psychopath’. – Page 9
Pingback: Daniel Tilson: Progressives should pick Hillary Clinton, Patrick Murphy – Context Florida | Context Florida
Pingback: Great People Mondays: Commander in Chief (and a little celebration) | Shameless Dreamers
Pingback: Anonymous
Pingback: New Poll Claims People Like Bush More Than Obama, Here’s Why These People Are Imbeciles | The Fifth Column
Pingback: Why Obama is a “Branding & Marketing” Expert – FireSign Inc.
You must log in to post a comment.
We Have the Pieces, Except for Your Support!
…But I Wanted a Unicorn: Post-Apocalyptic Edition – eBook
Newly rewritten to be more readable, and more relevant in the wake of the 2014 election, which gave us the largest Congressional Republican majority since 1928, and we know what happened then… Cover Post-Apoc Available on this blog at $2.99!
Subscribe to Blog via Email
© 2015 – The PCTC Blog Proudly powered by WordPress Aspen by WP Weaver
loading
To CD Smith:
What are you talking about? If you want proof, YOU do the research. It can be easily found and anyone who knows the facts will know these things to be true. Wow maybe you are a little behind the times.
I did not do any such thing as the inaccurate claim you make. I did not say he walked on water. I gave him credit for what he did do right. That is called balance when you can look at BOTH sides. You seem to only want to look at one side. And clearly I would hope you knew he was a better choice than McCain whop was a good ol boy with no real plan for anything.
By Obama’s second term, he was clearly more qualified than Romney and the majority of the voting citizens in this country AGREED WITH ME. You are trying to make an ability to objectively see both sides into a contradiction. But it’s not, it’s honestly looking at he evidence. I am not going to do your homework for you and YOU STILL HAVE NOT DISPROVEN ANYTHING I SAID IN THE ARTICLE.
To Mr. Anthony,
I believe you have this backwards..It’s your article.
You are making the claims in the first two paragraphs without any proof.
Your logic does not flow.
1. You essentially opened the article stating that Obama walked on water and is better than sliced bread for everyone else but Black people.
Yet, his popularity among white voters has dropped substantially.
https://www.google.com/?gws_rd=ssl#q=obama+popularity+among+white+voters
2. So, if Obama did all these great things in the beginning of your article, who are the beneficiaries? And if black people are not benefitting, how is that Obama’s fault?
I’m in agreement with CD Smith. Also, the information in this article is old news. The author should heed his own advice the next time he’s in the voting booth.
By the way, before some of you negative critics come down on my typographical errors, know that I am aware of them and I was multitasking when writing responses to comments. Keep the insults.
Those of you who launch personal attacks against me instead of checking and verifying the facts actually embarrass yourself and prove that you are part of the problem. You show that you are ruled by bias instead of guided by facts, truth and evidence. You spout insults but you neither refute the facts/evidence nor provide any of your own. PEOPLE SEE THROUGH THAT!
To James Davis:
What planet are you from? I voted for Obama twice because he was clearly a better choice than Romney and McCain. Then I names several verifiable accomplishments the president has made in the beginning of my article. But stating the facts on the other side of the coin is objective balance. I do not simply look at one side then ignoring the other and it’s sad that you do. I neither write nor research based on partisan agendas – democratic or republican. That is part of the problem today – a lack of balance on both sides.
I suggest you do not go by how things apparently appear in this case because you are wrong yet again. When I was a detective I helped our people. And as a family and relationship counselor, mediator and life coach, I restore AA families and relationships all the time (more so than you do I’m sure). So you are wrong about my concern and you do not know what you are talking about. I specialize in deprogramming AA from the slavery mindset and I have gone all over this country for more than a decade doing just that.
My other articles, speeches and actions speak for themselves. It is ignorant of you to assume you can judge my impact from reading this article. But that is not the point and my credentials are not your business. Nor do my credentials change the facts about the other side of the coin regarding President Obama. The article is about him, not me. Nice try at a diversionary tactic but predictable. Deal with the issues instead of attempting to attack the messenger.
As for thee Job Creation Plan, that is out of left field. Stay focused. You also have not refuted ANY of the points I made about President Obama’s mistakes. Then you refer me to someone else’s book? Nice try. People see through people like you because you have no facts and no evidence.
Typographical error noted
Ton Robert Jordan,
My agenda is the balanced truth based on independently verifiable facts and hard evidence. You assumed any other agenda and you are incorrect in that assumption. Things are not always “obvious” when you assume.
There was nothing stupid about voting for President Obama. Most of the country did and that is why he was elected not once but twice. Your view is clearly biased, not balanced. I stated both sides of the coin. You could not.
I watched every single Republican debate during both elections. Did you? I knew the platform and track record of every single candidate. Clear Obama was a better choice than Romney and McCain. If you don’t know why, I won’t waste my time educating you – but I could, believe me.
Small minds (or other things) call names. Or did that go over your head?
To CD Smith,
What planet are you from? Ever single thing I mentioned in the first 2 paragraphs can be independently verified. Do you have evidence or facts to the contrary? I didn’t think so. And it is both bold and presumptuous for you to think you can judge my motives. I did not attempt to do anything, I did show balance.
I am a veteran family and relationship counselor, mediator and life coach who has helped thousands of people, couples and families. I am known by both my peers and my clients to be fair and balanced. Thousands of people would disagree with your assessment of me and it is blatantly inaccurate.
That being said, what do you do for a living? Where do your research skills come from? Where did you receive your training? And how many lives have you impacted with the truth? Let’s not get into a battle of credentials because it is about facts, not ego.
People like you who simply make negative comments to put others down are the problem in our society. You offer no contradictory evidence. Nor do you provide any balance. All you seem to contribute to the discussion is conflict and negativity. Nobody needs more of that. If you want to do a critical analysis, try being fair and substantiating YOUR points. That is ironic.
To Mr. Anthony,
To be “fair”, I agree with parts of your article however, the first two paragraphs I think you pandered a little in the interest of the “perception” balance. Very little of the statements made in the first two paragraphs can be substantiated..
Mr. Anthony:
It is my view and I say this is my view (it may not be true)that your article was cleverly structured by you to be an anti-Obama article while wrapping itself in concern for the well-being of African Americans. You to an extent represent the problem we are having with black leadership. You pursue your own objectives, but you apparently feel it comes off better if it has a façade of concern for the well-being of African Americans. Is that any different from the preachers you detest! They pretend concern about the spirituality of their congregants while fleecing them. I make no bones about my agenda. I frankly want to create jobs and I want to see jobs created now! That’s my agenda! If there were something better than the Davis Deficit Neutral Job Creation Plan I advocate – I would promote it! I feel I am a pragmatic man. I do not love or hate Mr. Obama and his politics. He’s a politician and does what politicians do – cajoles; promotes his party’s principles; promotes political positions that advance his and his party’s interests. He supports and backs candidates that achieve the aforementioned objectives for his party. He is what he is. We can write articles critical of him, and expose his political leaning when they go to far in an attempt to wrangle some adjustment in his positions. However, at the end of the day if we want to change things, we have to invest in the kind of leadership that wants the changes we advocate. Can it be more simple than that.
As I said before and I will say it again. What does it take to change our course? You simply buy the book about the Job Creation plan. Ten dollars is what it takes-ten dollars! The cost of a good lunch at McDonald’s. Buying the book allows me and my team to advertise the book to more people. The more people buy the book; the more the plan is advertised, the more the plan is advertised and put before the public, the more it comes to represent “our Civil Right Act of economic independence.” We have over “50 likes” when it comes to your article or piece. What if those likes were turned into buys and “those likes duplicated” that on their own face book page and repeated this process on other face book pages, then my team would have the resources to overcome the media bias and place this plan forcibly before the Obama administration. If Mr. Obama, once being introduced to and then rejects this Job Creation Plan, that’s when WE CAN BLAME MR. OBAMA! Here is the book:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MI3PD2M
God’s speed to you and yours.
@ MARQUE ANTHONY.
YOU SIR obviously have a professional agenda, and there’s nothing wrong with that , but that belongs on your own website , not someone else’s.
IT’S called common courtesy and etiquette , not to show up at someone else’s home and make yourself the authority , you’re very arrogant and disrespectful and on top of that you’re not nearly as intelligent as you think you are, after all you voted for OBAMA twice, shut up and sit down!
Guys,
Wake up and stop falling for propaganda from the person you want to believe is the Black Savior. Do some real research and be big enough to admit all of the facts – not just the ones you want to believe.
DO YOUR HOMEWORK
To James Davis,
Your points are so biased that you cannot see both the good and the bad. Every coin has two sides but you are refusing to see the bad that has taken flight on President Obama’s watch.
Facts are facts whether you like them or not. If you continue to simply defend your bias, you re doing exactly what the other side does and nobody ever admits the FACTS.
James were you aware that 26 states have refused to implement the unfair Executive Order President Obama put in place which will allow illegal immigrants to stay here and to get jobs? Were you aware that the tax cuts President Obama said would take from the rich actually started with those in middle class who make $250,000 in some cases? Have you pulled up the National Defense Authorization Act the President signed quietly a few years ago over the Christmas holiday? Did you know it includes a provision for microchip implantation and/or tracking? Did you know Obamacare does not allow thousands of people to keep their doctors (but he said it would)?
And the list goes on.
DO YOUR HOMEWORK, NOT JUST ON WHAT YOU WWANT TO BELIEVE
To Robert Jordan,
Ignorant insults are representative of a small mind (or something else). I am a regular writer on this site and hundreds of people like my articles. I am a published author and write and speak all over the country. What do you do other than criticize? Your comment is also very inaccurate because I have not hijacked anyone’s site. That implies what you think of the people who put this site online, that they could be hijacked.
Furthermore, you did not address any of my points. All you did was insult me. People like you have no real evidence of anything. And that is sad. Finally, by the way, how many lives have you changed or impacted?
Mr. Anthony:
When this government signed into law and made a part of the Constitution of the United States the 13th and 14th Amendments, it forever obligated itself to make the following words of the Declaration of Independence live for us. The words of that great instrument are:
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. That, to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed;”
Your grasp of the understanding of the government’s role in such grave times as these for African Americans is different from mine. Did not Mr. Obama himself spend $830 billion dollars when he signed into law on February 17, 2009 the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), which was a stimulus package used to address the devastating results of the 2008 Great Recession? This money was primarily spent to pull the majority population out of their unemployment slump and it worked. Are you saying we are less than they when it comes to our economic suffering; that we because we are black are required to work our own way out this great economic disaster without any government assistance and find our own way. While, I am not suggesting to you that the federal government has to carry us on its back, we certainly as citizens and taxpayers should expect our government to listen to us as indeed it has done in the past, when we articulate a plan that will give us a pathway to economic well-being. This my dear sir is indeed a most proper role for government to play. Nevertheless, it comes down to us and our obligation to advance such plans and execute them. This is where we are MIA ( missing in action ). http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MI3PD2M
YOU would think a guy who admit to being so stupid he voted for OBAMA twice , would shut up and sit down and let someone else speak, instead he takes over someone else’s website and pretends he has the wisdom of SOLOMON, who do you think you’re fooling !
Hey Readers,
Click the links below and learn the rest of the story.
And no I am not a Republican, I represent the Truth Party.
Listen to the facts, not the dialect of the narrators in these videos. Lol
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eAaQNACwaLw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9f66oHIND8Y
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bxy1FaNfJnM
To James Davis,
I did not blame Obama for failing to achieve economic independence. That is not even the president’s job anyway. Small business and entrepreneurship creates more jobs than the government and the purpose of the government is not job creation anyway.
It is partly our own fault if we continue to support businesses, institutions and industries that have no respect for us. Nobody is making us buy gas from the Arab guy owning the gas station in our neighborhoods, wings from the Asian place in our community, jewelry from the people from India nor hair or nails from Asians who think we are trash.
True the system set up the conditions to make us destroy ourselves, but professors, psychologists and sociologists in our community are doing little about it. And our churches are too busy fleecing the flock to stop and help the sheep.
At the same time, my article is not about us being our worse enemy. My article is about a President who looks like us but plays for a different team. That must also be addressed and every group seeks to have their interests represented – women, homosexuals, animal rights activists. So we must have our interests represented or speak up with accountability to power when they do not – regardless of what color they are. That is why I appreciated Tavis Smiley and Dick Gregory when they spoke up. Yet Oprah did not have the courage or good sense to do so. Nor did Tyler Perry.
We have to hold our leaders accountable, ourselves accountable and each other accountable. The village cannot let anybody slide out of that accountability. And for our people, such accountability should begin by policing our own.
To Mark Davis,
Clearly you did not nullify the many points that I made on the other side of the coin. As for even more evidence, you might want to look up a list of Executive Orders signed by the President. You also might want to pull up his voting record as a U.S. Senator where he was largely absent.
Do you have a one sided coin in your pocket? No because every coin has two sides. And there are at least two sides to every area surrounding President Obama. It gets sociologically, economically, politically, spiritually and psychologically deeper that I have time to teach you in one article.
When you do research to find real facts and objective answers, you cannot just find the evidence that supports the points you want to believe. You have to find it all and let the chips fall where they may. If you cannot do that, you have bought into the democratic propaganda just as much as republicans have bought into the republican propaganda. Thus all your comments will be tainted with bias. WAKE UP!
To Mark Davis,
You are so incorrect that I do not know where to start. There is evidence that Frank Marshall Davis met Obama’s mother. It’s in Davis’ book by description. You should also read Obama’s biography where he talks about the influence of Davis.
As for Marxist Socialism, I did not call it that, you did. Nor did I say I was speaking about Marxist Socialism. There are more types of socialism than that. You made an assumption with no evidence, set up a straw man argument then tried to knock it down. Nice try but you might want to brush up on your debate tactics. Don’t assume what I mean, read it. You can not show direct quote that I made which support your line of attack so you resorted to other quotes that do not say what you imply I said.
You seem to want to defend President Obama instead of looking at both or all sides. That tells me right off that you have a strong bias and you therefore are not rendering an objective perspective. This means your evidence becomes suspect, with an agenda to slant things in only one direction.
As a de-programmed individual who deprograms others, I do not follow propaganda. Apparently you have bought into democratic propaganda. Where is your sense of balance in your arguments? All you seem to want to do is support President Obama and disagree or dispute anything or anyone who does not.
I do not need a political science lesson. But maybe you need a lesson in the psychology of behavior. Once I read your first few paragraphs, I could anticipate the rest of your predictable article
LEARN TO SEE BOTH SIDES. LEARN TO SEE ALL SIDES.
Therein is wisdom based on objectivity and then you will find the whole truth as well as all of the facts – not just the ones you want to believe. I mentioned both sides but you could not. Don’t deceive yourself.
To CD Smith
The first two paragraphs showed that I can honestly and objectively see more than one side and that I can give credit where credit is due. You should try the same.
The first two paragraphs of this article disqualified the rest of it.
“Clearly our president’s talk of redistribution of wealth and punishing the rich are socialist principles. Ask any socialist and he/she will tell you that”??
The ACTUAL basis of Marxist socialism is collective ownership of the means of production and distribution. You have apparently swallowed conservative propaganda regarding Barack Obama and socialism.
Just as Chicken Little started a “sky is falling” hysteria based on a falling acorn, so too are various critics pushing a “socialist” or “Marxist” Obama hysteria based on his economic policies. Not only do critics conveniently forget that the 2008 bailout was initiated by the Bush administration, but they also seem to have forgotten Econ 101. They could easily avoid such non sequitur nonsense by following the evidence instead of jumping to conclusions.
Obama’s “Marxist threat” is just as delusional as the “Iraqi threat” before the 2003 invasion. Both delusions are phantom menaces (i.e, fairy tales), fabricated and circulated by the Conservative Disinformation Network*. Both delusions are “straw men” designed to demonize their targets. Both delusions were swallowed in good faith by angry Americans, eager for excuses to attack their targets, who then circulated these myths further. Both delusions exploited the confirmation bias and ignorance of some Americans.
In a classic display of masterful propaganda, both were also swallowed by others, who now had a REASON to attack the same targets, and circulate these myths further!
BACKGROUND: According to dictionary.com, socialism is “a theory or system of social organization that advocates the vesting of the ownership and control of the means of production and distribution, of capital, land, etc., in the community as a whole. In Marxist theory, it is the stage following capitalism in the transition of a society to communism, characterized by the imperfect implementation of collectivist principles.”
Please note that it is the stage FOLLOWING capitalism. Capitalism has many forms in a mixed economy, with public (collective) ownership of various enterprises based upon economic conditions. Limited public ownership does not comprise Marxist socialism, which requires COMPLETE public ownership. When controlled by a police state, however, limited public ownership may become fascism (“national socialism”), Marxist socialism, or even “perfect implementation of collectivist principles” (i.e., communism). Limited public ownership occurs at virtually every point on the mixed economy spectrum.
MIXED ECONOMIES: Every advocate of greater government economic control might be called a “socialist,” but none are Marxist socialists unless they advocate the complete elimination of private enterprise. True (laissez-faire) capitalism means zero government control of private enterprise, which means economic anarchy. Neither of these extremes works in the long run. Every successful economy is a mixed economy, existing somewhere on a spectrum between both extremes.
Every successful economy is part capitalist and part socialist. They all contain a mix of private and public ownership, and they all have some government control of private enterprise. The only relevant question is “WHERE on this spectrum can we achieve the greatest success?” The rise of Asian economies, with their varying degrees of centralized planning, proves that economic planning helps economic development.
ARTIFICIAL CONSTRUCTS: Both laissez faire capitalism and true communism are artificial constructs, as impossible to sustain as cold fusion. Every successful society requires private enterprise regulated by public policy, regardless of Ayn Rand’s fantasies. Extremists on either fringe are equally delusional. In some ways regulation is a necessary evil like body fat: too much or too little are both lethal. The normal tendency is to add layers with age. The challenge is to find the level that will produce the optimum outcome, all things considered.
Unless someone advocates the complete replacement of capitalism with collectivism, they do not truly advocate socialism or communism. To accuse them of either, when they have not explicitly advocated as much themselves, suggests either unfamiliarity with mixed economies or intellectual dishonesty. Even George W. Bush and John McCain were accused of advocating socialism based upon their support of 2008 bailout legislation.
ARE MIXED ECONOMIES “SOCIALIST”? The bottom line is simple. If you consider any variation of a mixed economy, including ANY public ownership or regulation of industry to be “socialism,” then the United States and ALL other economies are “socialist.” The debate is over, because by that definition we have been “socialist” since the 18th century. If you only consider complete collectivism to be “socialism,” according to Marxist theory, then no successful economy is actually “socialist.” The closest to a Marxist socialist economy is the economic basket case, North Korea. If you consider socialism to occur at some other point on the spectrum between unregulated capitalism and Marxist socialism, then any such point would be arbitrary.
To accuse a mixed economy advocate of being a socialist or communist suggests that you believe that ANY degree of government ownership or regulation qualifies as “socialism,” or that you believe that any ownership/regulation beyond an indefinite “trigger point” qualifies as “socialism,”, and that YOU get to set the trigger point. The “trigger point” explanation reminds me of the egocentric explorer who says that anyone who explores farther into dangerous territory is a fool, but anyone who doesn’t explore as far as he does is a coward. His arrogance presumes that his own boundaries are both appropriate and common standards.
MARXIST SOCIALISM: Marxist “socialism,” in contrast to European “democratic socialism,” requires collective ownership of the means of production and distribution. That is the death of private enterprise. We may or may not be on a path to collectivism, just as a dating couple may or may not be on a path to pregnancy. Traveling on a path in any direction does not imply any specific goal. For example, traveling on Interstate 10 does not imply that either coast is the goal.
“Direction” is one thing. “Goal” is another. All mixed economies exist at some point in the spectrum between the fatal terminuses of unregulated capitalism and true socialism. In most Marxist states, however, capitalism reappeared as people recognized the lethal consequences of such extremes. Russia, China and other communist nations now recognize the virtue of mixed economies. They learned the hard way.
SPECIOUS SPECULATION: I await empirical evidence, instead of specious speculation, that Obama wants to eliminate capitalism by moving to that extreme. To say Obama advocates the goal of socialism, based upon his movement on the spectrum instead of being based on his explicit advocacy, is to create a straw man. It is intellectually dishonest and unworthy of serious debate.
YOU POSTED “Then there is Frank Marshall Davis, the socialist who appeared to be involved with President Obama’s mother and heavily influenced our president’s thinking. Clearly our president’s talk of redistribution of wealth and punishing the rich are socialist principles. Ask any socialist and he/she will tell you that.”
RESPONSE: You have apparently swallowed propaganda from the Conservative Disinformation Network. “Obama’s Communist Mentor” propaganda was debunked by the Washington Post at http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/fact-checker/wp/2015/03/23/frank-marshall-davis-obamas-communist-mentor/ .
Further, there is no evidence that Davis ever MET Obama’s mother, much less that they were intimately involved. Joel Gilbert’s “baby daddy” propaganda was debunked by conservative website The American Thinker at http://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2015/04/whos_your_daddy_another_look_at_joel_gilberts_emdreams_from_my_real_fatherem.html
For a comprehensive analysis analysis of the disinformation campaign against the Obama-Davis relationship, please see http://kaleokualoha2878577.newsvine.com/_news/2011/01/22/5896467-disinformation-against-the-obama-davis-relationship-10-april-2011
“The first duty of a man is the seeking after and the investigation of truth.” – Cicero (106 BC – 43 BC)
You cannot blame President Obama for African Americans not achieving economic independence under his administration… at least not just yet!
Black people are in the fight of their lives when it comes to surviving economically under this oppressive system that is designed to retard any shred of economic independence on behalf of African Americans. Yet, I see no reference in your piece where Mr. Obama struck down or vetoed any African American initiative to achieve economic independence. Unlike black leaders of the past, black leaders today have not challenged this president with a comprehensive plan that would lead to a pathway of economic freedom. Black leaders of the past “did present” President Lyndon Johnson in 1960’s with a laundry list of their desires for African Americans such as the need of a Voters Right Act; the need of a Civil Rights Act; and the need of a Job Discrimination Act. President Johnson turned these desires into the legislative achievements we are blessed with today. Your criticism is somewhat unjustified. Show me a single comprehensive plan presented by black leadership today to this president and this Nation that will lead to a pathway of black economic independence. Show me, I want to see it!
We are our worst enemy, not Mr. Obama. Our indifference, when it comes to pulling ourselves out of this economic mess of high unemployment, crime and poverty, is incomprehensible. On this very site, I have introduced several times a pathway to economic freedom only to be met with a lack of interest. Here is that pathway:
https://thyblackman.com/2013/08/15/40000-00-to-each-black-person-retirement-is-the-answer/
What we have done and continue to do is build up the platforms of leaders who are leading us to nowhere. Hence, this is the reason we are seven years invested in an unrelenting unemployment rate that is averaging 10.0 percent monthly which was the highest rate of unemployment reached by the majority population and the Nation back in 2009. The Nation’s rate has since receded to 5.3 percent while we are still averaging 10 percent or above! These high unemployment numbers can’t be good for our communities; I don’t care what anybody says. You can’t continue to do the same damn thing over and over again and expect a different outcome.
As you said,”If you want change, YOU make it happen.”
What does it take to change our course? You simply buy the book about the Job Creation plan. Ten dollars is what it takes-ten dollars! The cost of a good lunch at McDonald’s. Buying the book allows me and my team to advertise the book to more people. The more people buy the book; the more the plan is advertised, the more the plan is advertised and put before the public, the more it comes to represent “our Civil Right Act of economic independence.” We have over “30 likes” when it comes to your article or piece. What if those likes were turned into buys and “those likes duplicated” that on their own face book page and repeated this process on other face book pages, then my team would have the resources to overcome the media bias and place this plan forcibly before the Obama administration. If Mr. Obama, once being introduced to and then rejects this Job Creation Plan, that’s when WE CAN BLAME MR. OBAMA! Here is the book:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MI3PD2M