Obama is a pretty good president.

Okay so let's see if there is anyone here capable of real debate. That means labeling people as being whackjobs, FOXHeads, Obama-worshippers, Right-Wing Nazis, ashamed of their dicks (that one was particularly amusing!) and so on, instantly proves you are not capable of debate.
HOWEVER, stating that their position is illogical, not supported by facts, emotion-based etc... is fine - if you can show why.

So my position is this:

Obama is not a great president. Hell, he barely makes "pretty good".
But he's MUCH better than Bush was, has been surprisingly good at keeping his promises.
Yes, he has screwed the pooch in some areas - just like W, Clinton, Bush, Reagan, Carter... and well, every president.
No he hasn't kept every single one of his promises - just like every president before.
But given what he inherited and what he's had to deal with, he's done some pretty good things and is overall "pretty good" imo.

I'm sure everyone agrees with me completely!

 

I agree completely, and so do most Americans.

 

To me, aside from national defense, the most important job that a president has is economic performance, and in that regard, his RESULTS have been a catastrophic failure. For certain he inherited a difficult economy, nobody is claiming otherwise. Recessions tend to follow a bell curve, in that a sharp downturn is followed by a relatively sharp return to baseline. The recovery from this economic downturn has been the flattest of any previous recovery. His own economic team a month after coming into office promised to keep unemployment under 8, and projected it to be under 6 within a year or so, if they got their stimulus passed. It passed, and unemployment soared over 10, and languishes around 8 to this very day. They had 2 "summers of recovery" that never materialized. Housing has recovered much slower than anyone was projecting when he took office. With those results in mind, Im left with the question how can you possibly categorize that as "pretty good"?

 

I could care less, It's not like I know the man personally.

 

That would be a fair point if the entire world wasnt in the same boat and the world hadnt just had a major financial meltdown - if the 2008 had been a run of the mill recession you would have a point.

 

Excellent post. I guess it's because I'm an Independent (easy enough to prove if there is doubt by anyone). So okay, he screwed up badly during the first 18 months or so. He repeated Bush's mistakes with the bank bailouts. History proves this was a bad decision that has always left the taxpayer on the hook. But I am not one to criticize his actions unless I can come up with better ones - which I can. He should have made breaking up the banks, income restrictions and elimination of all bonuses until payback was received, a condition of receiving bailout money. Oh well.
As far as fixing the economy, I'm curious about that. Most people who blame Obama for the economy, concurrently claim that government doesn't produce jobs. Thus, while they can blame Obama, they rarely have any solutions as to what he could have done differently, that would have produced a massively different result. I have seen him try several things but the GOP has shot them down or not even allowed them to get to a vote, so I can't fault him.
So what do you think he should have done that would have fixed the economy, made an overpriced housing market rise more quickly, cured unemployment and so on?

 

While the government doesn't produce jobs, it can foster either a negative or positive environment in which jobs creation can thrive or fail. I believe that Obama has created a toxic business environment that creates uncertainty, and lack of a willingness to invest capital. This has been four years of non stop bashing of capitalism mixed with a healthy dose of class warfare. This has resulted in unprecedented uncertainty in the business community, and an electorate that is more divided along partisan lines than probably at anytime in history. None of these factors foster a climate in which business as a whole can thrive, and as a result, job creation and gdp growth has suffered greatly.

 

Are you saying capitalism should not have been bashed?

 

What I am saying, is that non stop bashing, along with an executive branch that fosters, appeases, and implies legislative action to address these sentiments, creates a great deal of uncertainty and discourages investment. Discouraging investment lowers job creation.

 

We have not had even a remotely competent President since Ford, and haven't had a "good" one for at least a century.

 

Yes, we really should not look at any countries economy in isolation. The recovery in the US has been a bit slower than I would have expected, but I can not stop and wonder how much the Euro debt crisis has been a sea anchor on any recovery. The economy is definitely pointed in the right direction and the next few years will either vindicate the presidents decisions or not.

 

I also think Obama has done pretty well. Especially with the unprecedented defiance the GOP has displayed against anything and everything he tries to do. It doesn't matter if they supported an idea before Obama was elected, if Obama is proposing it, they're dead set against it. Yet the GOP wonder why more Americans blame them for the gridlock in Washington right now! Don't believe me? take a look at the approval rating of congress! 9%!!!!!! NINE!!!!!!!!!!

 

Obama certainly kept one promise.

The price of energy has skyrocketed.


"...take a look at the approval rating of congress! 9%!!!!!! NINE!!!!!!!!!!"

Taxcutter asks:
Does that include the Democrat-controlled Senate?

 

Your post is filled with a LOT of verbatim soundbites and slogans I hear and see often - but nothing of substance. usually, when these slogans are challenged for specifics, the dodging, changing the subject etc... begins but perhaps that will not be the case with you. Let's see:
1. How specifically has Obama created a toxic business environment? What specific pieces of legislation that Obama has passed and which have been in effect during the last four years have produced the environment you reference?
2. How specifically has capitalism been "bashed" in such a way as to actually impact businesses themselves - as opposed to just stirring up the emotions of television viewers? My business hasn't been affected at all. As a matter of fact, last year was the best we've had since 2007 and this year looks to be better. So how have I been "bashed"?
3. Class warfare. Love it. Rioting in the streets? Guillotines? Or pundits on tv and radio using a catchy phrase? What specific effects have been caused and how has Obama used this mysterious class warfare to cause them?
4. "Uncertainty in the business community!" Honestly, I'm saddened whenever I see people repeating this one. What uncertainty? The first sign of uncertainty in the business community is a decline in stock prices. The Dow was at 6500 when Obama took office. It is now breaking all records. So what evidence, other than being told by Hannity, Limbaugh or whomever, do you have that there is actually uncertainty in the business community?
5. Congress more divided and partisan. On this I would agree but in defense of Obama. The 2012 Congress has voted down more bills than any in U.S. History. It has prevented more bills from even getting a vote than any in U.S. History. It has prevented more presidential appointments than any in U.S. History. the sad thing is, the pundits are telling the masses that being the most unproductive Congress since the 1940's, that Congress not doing their jobs, is a good thing. And people are buying it.

So again, I don't think Obama is great. I think he has screwed up a lot and done a lot of which I strongly disapprove. But I have yet to see anything factual to support all the rhetoric about how he is responsible for everything wrong in the USA 9and by some people, in the world).

 

Good but not great.

The stimulus was necessary but wrong headed. Leaned way to much toward tax cuts and unemployment subsidies and too little toward job creation. It should have been bigger, and pointed toward actually hiring people to do things like build roads, repair bridges, and other infrastructure projects.
He took too long to get out of Iraq.
Backed down too easily on GTMO. GTMO is not a prison. It is a symbol all of our enemies point to.
The surge in Afghanistan was wrong.
Continuing the partnership with Karzai was a big mistake.
Saved GM.
Got paybacks for the bailouts.
Soothed relationships with a number of allies (thanks to Sec clinton).Gave us Obamacare. not great but a step, albeit tiny, in the right direction.
got rid of DADT, eliminating DOMA.
My biggest problem with him is his continued and expanded use of drones.

Given where we were, he's done well. I doubt anyone could have done better.

 

Yes I take your point but have you considered that lack of investment could be due to much deeper fundamentals than words from the whitehouse? For example, business could benefit from capitalism bashing as a sign that the executive is interested in long term stability and doesnt invest due to worldwide lack of demand in a depressed system where fearful banks are more keen to preserve capital in any case?

 

Didn't he claim he'd cut the deficit in half by the end of his first term? And yet it's higher now than it was when he took office. It's rather difficult to blame that on what he "inherited," wouldn't you agree? At some point, you have to start taking responsibility for your own mess. Assuming we're being logical here and not, as you say, emotional.

 

You think 16 trillion dollar debt is pretty good? Grab a calculator.....actually scratch that, it probably doesnt go out far enough, you'll need excel. Assume we stop borrowing today, we have to pay no interest, and we are able to pay back 10 million dollars a day. Post back how many years it will take us to pay off our debt, then explain why its "pretty good". So far no one who supports Obama has posted the answer.

 

Let's see.

Even Bush was a better President than Obama, and he was a horrible president.
Obama has led the most dysfunctional administration in the history of our nation.

 

Considering all that Obama had on the table when he stepped into office... he has been a STELLAR President (compared to others).

 

What has Obama accomplished?

His foreign policy is a disaster. The Middle East is less stable than four years ago. North Korea is acting up in ways they can only do with a weak president, the 'reset' with Russia failed, and we've not gained any substantial ground anywhere on the globe.

Domestically the situation is hardly any better. The nation is as or more divided than it was four years ago. The economy is hardly something to rave about, and recovery is nowhere near the pace required to really get back on track...

 

Affordable Care Act TAX
No prosecution of Black Panthers in Philadelphia
Fast and Furious
Bhengazi cover-up
All of these are impeachable offenses for a white man.

Let's look more deeply:
Reverend Wright and his racist influence for 20 years
The expansion of "poverty relief" (i.e. statistically slanted heavily towards blacks and slightly towards hispanics and at the expense of taxpayers and this includes welfare, food stamps, EITC, public housing, affirmative action, etc.).
A massive increase in the USA debt and no ability to draft a budget (evidently until recently although I haven't seen it yet).

My take- he is a racist that hates whites and was seduced by a billionaire investor intent on destroying the USA by brainwashing the idiots in the USA to vote for him. He is the absolute worst president in the history of the USA right behind George Bush Junior and then Bill Clinton. Corrupt imbeciles who can't see the larger picture beyond their corruption.

 

What were your SAT or ACT scores.?

 

The Poor have never been Poorer or more unemployed.
The average Middle class paycheck is down for the 3rd year in a row
by over $ 4,ooo.
Food Stamp recipients have gone from around 32 Million to 48 Million.
Obama Promised not a single dime in New taxes for anyone making
under $250,ooo.By Janusary of this year, 77% of wage-earners saw
a reduction in their pay stub due to Payroll taxes.Obama mentioned payroll
taxes in his Promise.
Obama pledged to reduce the deficit in half.That once his Health Care bill
was passed,americans would quickly see their health care costs lowered by
$25obama like both Bill & Hillary were firm believers in the Defense of
Marriage Act.They have since,done a 180 degree turn.Major league Flip-Flop.
Yet the Lapdog media is acting indifferent.Like with - Fast & Furious - and
Benghazi and now Obama LYING about who proposed Sequestration.
As Motor city Rock legend Ted Nugent said this week about Obama.
That he " weaseled " his way into the Presidency.
No more fitting a description.

 

Well when you that way he seriously drops a few more slots in my opinion.