Join KC and the family as they discuss President Obama and his chances for reelection in 2012. Podcast guests include John Byrd III of Sickly Cat Magazine, Mike Eagle, Tash Moseley, Toria Williams, and Chris Lehman.
5 comments on PODCAST – Obama 2012: What Do We Think of Him Now?
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I feel weird doing this seeing as I’m the Republican on the staff, but Barack Obama has done a whole lot that he does not get much credit for, not even by the folks in the Podcast. He’s actually, and this is a statistical fact, the most legislatively prolific president in American history, but you would never know it the way his own supporters complain about everything he has not done.
1. TARP. Like it or not, the bank bailouts were necessary to preserve the economy. Bush started them of course but Obama carried out most of the policy.
2. The Auto Bailouts: With both the Bank and the Auto bailouts the American people were reimbursed just about everything the government put into them, and with the auto industry Obama did so while preserving a hugely important industry and tens of thousands of American jobs.
3. The Stimulus Package: Not at all what I would have done, but it created between 1.1 and 3.3 million jobs according to the CBO, preserved hundreds of thousands of state jobs, and stopped the bleeding when the economy was in free fall.
4. The Affordable Care Act: I wouldn’t have voted for it, but I’m a Republican and I tend to think it was the wrong thing at the wrong time. But I don’t know what Progressives are complaining about. Roughly 30 million people who weren’t insured will be now. He was never going to get single payer, never ever in a million years. The Democrats barely got what they got because universal Healthcare is a progressive priority that 70% of Americans didn’t care about in the first place. Liberal Democrats should love Obama for that.
5. Financial Reform: The panel seemed to think he’s done nothing on financial reform, but he did pass a big bill right after the Stimulus package that, for whatever else is wrong with it, will make it harder for banks to pass along toxic assets which was the big problem.
6. Repealed Don’t Ask Don’t Tell
7. Decimated Al Quaeda’s leadership, including Osama Bin Laden himself. In fact, Obama has killed and captured five times more terrorists and more high ranking terrorists than was done under Bush. (Not to mention having made possible the toppling of Gaddafi with a loss of zero American lives.) He’s actually an excellent commander and chief.
So he hasn’t closed Guantanamo Bay and ended global warming, what’s the big complaint? His list of accomplishments are impressive. I don’t agree with him a lot of times and I’ll probably vote against him but this idea that he’s just been ineffective overall is absolutely bogus, especially from a Democratic perspective. People just don’t know what Barack Obama has done.
1. The bank bailouts were NOT necessary. Most were led to believe that they were, but economists were mostly divided on their necessity and effectiveness.
2. Single payer was plausible and even if it wasn’t, it’s no reason not to push for what’s best for the American people. The public option would have been the best alternative to single payer, but he passed on that as well (even though most voters wanted it). He chose politics over best interests. That being said, I still applaud him for initiating the debate during such polarizing times.
3. Auto bailouts also of questionable necessity.
4. Took WAY too long to repeal DADT! Was a simple fix.
5. I agree with you 100% on the stimulus plan.
6. I also agree that the financial regulation that he initiated were AMAZING, but he left those completely unenforceable and Wells Fargo & BofA have completely disregarded all of his legislation without repercussion.
7. “So he hasn’t closed Guantanamo Bay…” All I can say is ‘WOW’, to how you rolled over that.
8. Care to chime in on his support of Israel?
Also, nothing that this article http://www.sicklycat.com/2010/04/22/federal-financial-regulations-the-only-way/ addresses has Obama done anything to stop.
1. Remember, one of the chief causes of the Great Depression was the fact that there was not capital available to hold up the financial system after the bank runs. Things didn’t even begin to stabilize until after Roosevelt re opened those banks that could sustain themselves, but by then the damage was done. And by the way, most of those economists who claim the bailouts were unnecessary only said that after the fact. At the time virtually no major economic thinkers came out against the bailouts.
2. Again, look at the polls from the time, single-payer was not remotely plausible. (In my opinion it’s not a good idea anyway.) Neither really was the public option plausible once the conversation started 9though in better times I might have supported it). It sounds good to people in theory but when you start talking about costs and the level of economic restructuring, not to mention tax increases, support for it plummets. But remember, the reason it didn’t happen was because moderate Democrats were against it, not simply Republicans.That let’s you know where the American people were on the issue, which is to say decidedly against.
3. Maybe you’re right for the sake of argument, but a lot was on the line at that perilous point. If he had done nothing and the industry collapsed, things would be immensely different today. At the very least they did no great harm.
4. The had to do everything else we’ve talked about here, plus conduct extensive internal military studies just to be able to bring it up for a vote. That doesn’t just happen in a week.
6. I take the “better than nothing” attitude I guess. Financial reform is extremely complicated and is easy to screw up.
7. Yeah, I’m all for due process and oversight, but terrorists are enemy combatants, not common criminals. Why would we want to keep them with Bloods and Crips? Just not high on my list of priorities.
8. As far as Israel goes the issue itself shows just how schizophrenic this country is. I hear progressives saying he’s too pro-Israel while conservatives see him as being the most anti-Israel president we’ve ever had. For me, though it’s not one of my main issues, I think he’s been reasonable with respect to Israel and Palestine, but I continue to think they have to solve their own problem as far as a solution is concerned.
I think his chances are like just barely over 50% for winning in 2012. The republicans are all scrambling right now. All their candidates have these flaws in certain areas- be it character, even conservatives worry that electing an outlandish person could be detrimental to the country. Or flaws in policy’s- think people dont want to start from scratch or hurt the in place laws and economy even more.
I think people see the political selfishness in politicians- they see that some will hurt the citizens rather than agree with Pres. Obama and make him look good. People see clearly that republicans are holding Americans hostage just until they can get their officials in office. Then they want to take the credit for saving America.
Not that Democrats dont have faults its, just the latter hurts more than the Democrats extra taxes and what-not.