Barack Obama, the 44th President of the United States, served two terms from 2009 to 2017 and was the first African American to hold the office. A former U.S. Senator from Illinois, Obama campaigned on a platform of “hope and change,” inspiring millions across diverse demographics. His election marked a pivotal moment in American politics, and he took office amid the Great Recession, facing significant economic challenges.
Obama’s administration responded to the financial crisis with the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which aimed to create jobs, stimulate economic growth, and provide relief for struggling families. His signature legislative achievement, the Affordable Care Act (ACA), aimed to expand healthcare coverage to millions of uninsured Americans, though it faced substantial opposition and legal challenges. Obama also enacted financial reforms with the Dodd-Frank Act to regulate the banking industry and prevent a future economic collapse.
In foreign policy, Obama sought to repair alliances and pursued a strategy of multilateral diplomacy. He withdrew U.S. troops from Iraq, intensified the military campaign in Afghanistan, and oversaw the operation that killed Osama bin Laden. Obama’s approach to international relations also included landmark agreements, such as the Iran Nuclear Deal and the Paris Climate Agreement, reflecting his commitment to global cooperation on nuclear nonproliferation and climate change.
Obama’s presidency faced challenges, including partisan gridlock and rising political polarization. His administration’s response to the Syrian Civil War and racial tensions at home were subject to debate, and while Obama was widely admired internationally, he faced significant opposition domestically, especially in his second term. His presidency left a lasting impact on American society, particularly in healthcare, climate policy, and progressive social reforms.
President Obama is definitely the most disappointing president in my lifetime and once the expected downward GDP revision comes at the end of the July, one of the worst presidents of all time .. and I say that as a former supporter. He was given an awesome hand in foreign policy with the Iraq War won, Al Qaeda decimated and pretty much relative peace and minimal worldwide terror and he absolutely squandered it due to gross incompetence and misplaced tolerance of jihadism. I still, after trying very hard, can not find one foreign policy success his entire administration.
He was given a bad economic hand but has done nothing to improve the overall situation. I am much worse off due to heavy healthcare expenses that I have had to incur due to the very high Obamacare deductibles and I am ready for a change .. as is the country.
Obama has done good things and bad things. He has made some impressive progress with developments such as Obamacare, maligned the status of gun control in America, rescinded his proposal to attack Syria, wants to make changes to the post-secondary education system, made progress at climate Summits, taken troops out of Afhganistan, reduced the national debt, and helped to finalize the Iran nuclear deal. There are problems with all these projects, but he has contributed to at least making the public aware of them, as well as making a many positive changes. However, he has also authorized more drone strikes than Bush, gone after marijuana dispensaries even though he said he wouldn’t, prosecuted whistle-blowers even though he said he wouldn’t, approved of the NSA government surveillance program for citizens of the United States, proposed attacking Syria in the first place, removed not just troops from Afghanistan, but also foreign aid, causing further turmoil between the Sunnis and Shiites, not done much to change gun control in America, organized Obamacare poorly, not done much to change the education system, not reduced debt or helped the environment enough, failed to address that Islam is a part of the problem with ISIS, and didn’t fix many problems that may become more potent with the Iran nuclear deal in the future. Again, like all Presidents, he is a politician, so he has to try to please everyone, which makes it impossible to do everything right, and makes it hard to be completely honest about certain issues. He is also human, so while I’m sure he has good intentions, he sometimes makes mistakes, and his are more costly than those of almost all other people.
I don’t like Obama not because he is black or a minority, I don’t like him because of where he stands on the issues. He is a ultra-liberal politican who came to power promising CHANGE, and never delivered. He spends our tax dollars faster than the Treasury can print money. He appoints CZARs who have the most tainted backgrounds and beliefs. He can’t speak without a teleprompter in front of him, and he wants government to be the solution for everything. Heck, I bet he has never read the heatlhcare or cap and trade bills, yet he unknowingly support them 100%. He says he is responsible to get healthcare right, but in fact, he will not be. When our healthcare cost go up due to the fees and mandates by the federal government, and we all end up with government run healthcare, will be personally take responsibility for all the people who will suffer and die going through US Healthcare? My mother and mother-in-law both died because of Massachusetts Healthcare constraints. We tried to bring them to Nebraska for better treatment, yet Mass denied them, stating they would have to pay for the treatments themselves. Both died of goverment neglect.
That’s right, I don’t hate Obama because he is black, I hate him because he is stupid and dangerous to the US.
A reciept from the waldorf signed by Michele Obama surfaced recently and it was 400 bucks for an afternoon snack! meanwhile thousands of children die daily from poverty..
Sorry if this is long winded, but I KNOW that it would NEVER occur to me whatever my financial situation to spend almost $500 on a snack! People are not what they seem, whether Republicans or Democrats their ambitions aspire to MORE POWER – MORE GREED!
I feel the sadness of the world and the poverty-stricken conditons that so many live in. I can relate so very well, we grew up POOR – many times we went without food, walked barefoot for miles in the hot burning sun, come rain or shine my mom made us go. Many mornings we barely had enough to eat – I remember days when I would hide from my classmates during lunch, because I hadn’t any. I used to be embarrassed by my story – but not anymore. I realize it prepared us for life and the opportunites and the trials that as adults we faced. We had no Dad to provide for us, and when he was around he was drunk and abusive. I don’t ever remember going to a private doctor growing up. Mom made the bush tea, lanced our boils and sent us on our “merry” way. If we absolutely had too it was to the public clinic- no need to go into the kind of care we got there.
Now we all could do our part, I humbly submit that the 10 percent of our income that we give our Church for Humanitarin efforts around the world does help me to sleep better at night. Once a month we are asked to give up two meals and donate that money to the poor and homeless in our community. I would like to do so much more if we could, right within our own families there are those who are struggling – I truly believe that charity begins at home also. I believe the experiences we had as children and teenagers growing up with so little helped us to be truly grateful for all that we have. I believe ( and I speak for most of my siblings) that we feel more deeply and compassionately for those in need. So, my story could be anyone of those 30,000 children who are starving now, there is so much more, I know that when I read “Angela’s Ashes” so much of it was deja vu.
I have a lot of theories about a lot of things… I have been accused of being long winded, and have sometimes suffer from foot in mouth disease. But the thing about me is that I feel that I look at the world clearly, and see it for what it is, and most people look at it only from their own narrow perspective. I tell it like it is, some people like it, and some people don’t.
I think it is sad what America has become lately. It seems that lately… Republicans fall into two categories… Dumb followers (hear me out)… and big money corporate snobs.
I don’t believe that is what the Republican Party is meant to be, but it is certainly what it has become.
The dumb, blind followers are the people I describe as living in the middle (middle of nowhere most of the time), but what I mean is the middle of our country. They are for the most part blue collar workers, many of which are having problems now with employment, due to the nature of our current economy, and due to the changes that the world is undergoing now in terms of globalization, computers, progress and growth. Many have complaints about healthcare, complaints about taxes, complaints about jobs… and yet these are the same people that put Bush in the WhiteHouse TWICE!!! And many of the problems they face are directly related to the Bush administrations failure to move AMerica forward. They are bible thumpers, who believe what they believe, and listen to nothing else. THey have an extremely narrow life experience, most never leaving the small area where they grew up, they resist change… and they have long lines of Republicans in their families… they have been taught what they have been taught… and they blindly follow like dumb little soldiers. They take politics very seriously (to their credit). The ALWAYS vote, and they ALWAYS vote Republican…. right down the line… cause, that’s just how tis y’all.
THis group that I describe in the above paragraph hate Obama for lots of reasons. He’s black (God help us, get out the chain for the back of your pick up truck), they are out of touch with the kind of person he is (from a mixed backround, self made man, highly educated, forward thinker). They are afraid of what he represents. Which is what bigotry really is… Hate is FEAR… fear of the unknown, fear of cultures that are different from your own (which is WHY these people have no desire to visit other lands, experience other cultures, they see them as backward barbarians…. even though it is from these other cultures that America has evolved… but they are generations out of touch with that, because they are out of touch, literally, as I outlined earlier). They are using these fears to spread these crazy Muslim rumors (among others)… which I agree with the previous postings… even if he were a Muslim (which he so happens NOT to be…) but if he were… so what? But to these people, goin’ out back to shoot some bottles off the back fence, is their idea of a good ole time… and these people are largely in control of our elected officials.. and this really scares me.
Now I explain the second group, the big money corporate snobs. Now, these people are Republican for a different set of reasons. THey would have you believe that Democrats are big government, fiscally loose, bleeding heart liberal, spenders. That can only harm this country, not help it. This is a JOKE. If you look a the way Republicans have SPENT our money in the last 8 years, and have turned our record Surplus into debt, and the support of the WORLD (after Sept. 11th) into HATRED…. It has never happened in the history of this nation, that in such a short amount of time (only 8 years) our country has taken such a sharp turn downward. Never before has world opinion about the U.S. been so low, never before has our economy changed for the worse so sharply, and never before has a sitting President ever been hated (both domestically and abroad) so much.
These corporate snobs( as I call them) would have you believe that Obama as President (or any Democrat) hurts this country. They would have you believe that He will raise our taxes, to pour money into bleeding heart social programs, so that wetback spanish kids can go to Harvard…. and my friends… that’s just not so. But people like this ALSO have a lot of power (because they run all of the corporations that support this nations economy), they ALSO have traditionally always voted Republican, and the ALSO are unwilling to listen to what OBAMA IS REALLY SAYING!
Obama appeals to people because he is looking at the US from different eyes. Not through the eyes of someone that has a personal agenda (Hillary, George Bush finishing the legacy of his father and trying to create his own legacy), but as someone that sees our nations clearly. Sees the waning image of America through the world’s eyes clearly, and sees this as his opportunity to make things better. To return America to the beacon of prosperity and progress that it used to be.
Obama recognizes, and fully admits, that the changes that need to be made like Reforming Healthcare, and Developing new forms of Energy, and Improving Education so that we can compete with the world again TAKES MONEY !!!!!! Someone has to pay for these changes, the money has to come from somewhere. And the Republicans never mention this at all.
Obama believes, as I do, that we are one nation, and we are ALL collectively responsible for it’s welfare, and it’s upkeep. And in fact these are the basic principals that this nation was built on. I fall into the same group (financially) as these corporate snobs. I fall into that top tier percentage who’s minor tax increase will help pay for many of the programs that need to be reformed to move America forward. But unlike these Republican fools. I recognize that it is my responsibilty to do what I can for our nation, and that my money will not (or at least shouldn’t be) squandered. I also recongnize that these nickels and dimes do not, at all, interfere with my quality of life.
I am lucky to live where I do. Nowhere else in the world can a person own a parcel of land as large as mine (mind you I live on less than 1/2 acre). But in other nations… including very rich nations like France, Norway, Germany, Italy etc. People of my income live in apartments…. and that’s just how it is. There just isn’t enough land to go around. People in the middle of this country are CERTAINLY out of touch with that… spoiled as they are on their sprawling ranches that have been in their families for generations. Nowhere else does a person have the ability to come from nothing, and turn themselves into something. To start a small business, with an idea in their head.. and become Microsoft, or Google. The fact that The United States has allowed me to live the way I do, enjoy the freedoms that I have, earn a decent wage, and own my little parcel of paradise… I RECOGNIZE that it is MY RESPONSIBILTY to give back. It’s basically the “pay it forward” belief. ANd no one in politics has ever represented this model better than Obama.
It is not about pretty words and sweeping speeches. It is true that we many times choose leaders on their ability to capture us with their captivating public performances (Clinton, Kennedy, Reagan, Martin Luther King) Although surely Bush is not an example of this.. don’t even get me started. Bush is just a dumb bum son of a rich guy,(who happened to be president.)and who’s daddy bought him his education, his station in society.. and somehow weaseled his way into the most important job in the world. Appealing to the Bible Thumpers (of course), and the Corporate snobs alike. He was in many ways like their own rich children.
Obama knows that America is just a PARCEL of the world, and in order to truly be powerful, we have to understand the agendas and the needs of other nations. ANd leading by example is the way to gain peoples respect. Not by squishing them down. You don’t bash someone over the head and say “I have the money, and I am the big dog here, so you guys just have to live the way we say you should live, and agree with the policies that WE SAY you should agree with, and since we have the power and you don’t, that’s just how it’s gonna be”
It is that attitude over that last sevral years that has isolated from our neighbors. Canada, England and Australia included… The reason the United States has such power to begin with is becuase we have always LED BY EXAMPLE. Other nations like Germany, England, France… have watched us grow and prosper, and indeed many nations throughout the world have adopted ouir way of governing, and have come around to Americas progressive way of thinking. Americans have always been known as the “give us your tired, your hungry, your poor” “do not disciminate do to sex, color or religion” Only recently have other nations begun to accept this way of thinking (slowly) And now… it seems as though our country is SLIDING BACKWARDS. Obama is the man to move us forward again.
We are a nation of immigrants, always have been… and over the last several years, our Goverments tactless spending, and failure to turn their attention to the overwhelming pouing in of illegal immigrants from the south… has caused a balance problem. And due to this recent large influx of immigrants to the South…. many Americans view immigrants, in general, as Spic criminals. And this is a very distorted and bigoted way of thinking. Indeed we STILL have immigrants from all over the world…. It’s just that the people in the middle never see them. And if they happen to see a Chinese person by accident… they’d silently pray for God to recognize the error of their heathon ways.. and if they saw a Persian in a turban… they’d run in fear.
The fact is that it is the current administration that is largely to blame for our current immigration imbalance. And instead of saying “get the hell out” and “learn English” and all that CRAP… how about we do something about it. How about we recognize that the people we have here now are HERE. and that’s that. Lets DO SOMETHING ABOUT THE PROBLEM. Lets make changes to the system to address the newer problems with immigration in recent decades. Lets address how to educate these masses, give them the tools to turn themselve into productive AMericans.. which lets face it…. is what they came here for. It’s not THEIR FAULT… it’s ours. How about we support Mexico, and help them reform their corrupt governtment, so that so many people there, don’t feel that they HAVE to come here to put food on the table. How about we enforce our current immigration laws, instead of just hoping that fleeing foreigners nicely respect our borders, and don’t take that walk across the line. YOu don’t see Canadians pouring in… why do you suppose that is?
We have the problems that we have! It’s time to stop denying them (global warming, or dependence on oil, imbalanced immigration, collapsing housing market, job losses, poor world opinion) How ABOUT WE DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT! ??? There’s a concept.
Obama approaches all of these problems in a different way. INdeed, many of HIllary’s policies (and other Democrats’ ) are similar. But it is Obama’s unique approach that makes him different. His abiltiy to listen and reach out. His ability to recognize that the problems exist, take them on… and come up with ideas and solutions on how to pay for the changes that need to take place. And the fact that he is able to communicate his ideas so clearly…. is indeed… just icing on the cake. He is not all fluff and no substance. Obama is all substance, with the gift of GAB… well HOORAY for us! Finally! Light at the end of the tunnel.
I am not such an idealist that I think he can single handedly solve all of our problems. But I KNOW that he’ll try, and he’ll take them on.. one at a time. Indeed most presidential legacys are defined long after they have left office. Someone has to START the process.
Let’s give him four years… that’s all it is! If we feel he’s doing the job, we can give him four more. That’s what’s so great about this nation! One man does not run a nation, it’s a group of people that run the administration (certainly this is true of Bush as well, because he’s dumb as a rock, so certainly their are others turning many of the wheels). But the figure head that is in charge (the President) is indeed the face of our nation. And that FACE ALONE is very important. The fact that Obama is so Revered all over the world… IS A GOOD THING….!!! The world is breathing a sigh of relief. They are thinking “finally America has come to it’s senses”. That’s why millions of people line up to hear Obama speak. The world is still rooting for us.. but not for long. It is up to us to turn it around.
What we have been given here in this nation, can easily be taken away. WE are not an island, we are part of the world. We need to get back on track before it’s too late. MC Cain is benign… and indeed the best candidate that the Republicans could have put forward. But his policies are still stuck in the past, and from the world perspective, it would be “more fo the same” and indeed a step BACKWARD. Where what America needs is a step forward.
I’m lucky. I drive a beautiful convertible, have a pool in my yard, my kid’s education will be paid for (I am also the daughter of an immigrant from Communist Europe, who fully understands and has experiences repression first hand). I know I am lucky, and I am the BIGGEST PATRIOT you will ever find, and now it’s my turn to give back. I am voting for Obama, and I hope that I have convinced some of you to do the same.