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.
As an independent I am not fond of Obama. I have never been fond of Obama – I feel like he is something a shyster in that he will parrot back whatever seems to be in vogue. If throwing black people under the bus means middle America likes him better – awesome. If forgetting about LGBT causes makes him a bit more palatable – fantastic. If repeating back bias, unscientific rhetoric is what it takes to get ahead – so be it.
And that quite frankly disgusts me. Does that mean I think his scoring on this page is fair? No. It does however mean I can’t rate him more than a 3. He has handled some things really well, and he has also done a godawful job at other things. In many ways he was the lesser evil when it came to election time, but he might have done better if the American Voting population was so idiotic and deliberately uninformed.
There is no point in voting for a President who has no support from the Legislative branch – and all the old crooks, shysters, and morons were left in place or replaced by worst jokers. I could just about swear we need a better module in place to teach kids about how government works and how they can fix it a little better with only a bit more effort.
But yeah he could have been a better president, but I don’t know – he just doesn’t seem to get basic things like not bowing to the Republicans on economic matters and not bowing to the Democrats on social matters. He needed to have stood for something,because he ended up falling for a lot of malarkey. But it could have been worst – McCain/Palin and Romney/Ryan would have quite frankly killed this country… so yeah.