It can certainly be said that Year One had its ups and downs—but overall Obama managed to demonstrate the kind of leadership and vision that got him elected in the first place. Thus, while it could be argued that Obama’s average approval rating was so high for the first year because of the exceedingly high hope that the public invested in him (as Jones notes, “his initial approval ratings were among the highest Gallup has measured for a new president”), Obama did provide some confidence that the nation was on the right track following the dismal two-term presidency of George W. Bush, which left many Americans skeptical about the U.S.’s social, economical and political future.
It is true that Obama did not magically turn things around immediately upon entering office. He entered right when America was entering a recession: the housing bubble that had grown under Bush II popped in 2007-08 and caused GDP to crash deep into negative territory in 2009 (Amadeo). This was certainly not Obama’s fault, but the perception among some was that Obama was at least partly responsible for the state of things—especially since he voted for TARP, the bailout that allowed the big banks to put the burden of their mistakes on the backs of tax payers to the tune of hundreds of billions of dollars (Hoven). However, and as Randall Hoven points out, the TARP bailout was quickly paid back to the U.S. government—with interest. The only entities that did not repay their debts were those who went bankrupt: companies like General Motors and Chrysler. Taxpayers lost about $30 billion there, but Obama argued that there really was no other option—and he provided American voters with a choice: they could embrace the stimulus plan that he was promoting, they could see things get worse, much worse. The American public chose and by February 2009—just one month into Obama’s first year in office—Congress had signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act into law. This stimulus package was designed to help get companies producing again, help get them hiring again, and help American consumers to start consuming again. Whether one opposed the stimulus plan or embraced it, the fact is that Obama got the stimulus signed and into effect in relatively short order. This was, therefore, a major and early success for Obama.
Obama continued his run of success by signing into law within his first 100 days in office the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Play Act, which lengthened the time in which individuals could file suits in equal-pay cases; the expanded State Children’s Health Insurance Program; and obtained from Congress a resolution to address what would eventually become Obama’s signature piece of reform while in office: health care. And while some of Obama’s moves were controversial—such as his order to close Guantanamo Bay…
Media/Obama The Media and Obama Since the day President Barack Obama took office, the media interest in him has been intense. As the first African-American president, he was already an anomaly, and then he got involved in things like social media, which is not traditionally the realm of the leader of the free world (Maraniss, 25). Currently, Obama makes use of both traditional (mainstream) and alternative media and news sources. With a
President Obama Project Who is President Obama and what is his Legacy? The 44th U.S. President's second term in office has come to a close and the first Africa-American President is now out of office. As President Trump takes over with a Republican House and Senate behind him, there is much talk of upending Obama's legacy starting with Obamacare. This paper will examine the life of President Obama, his time in
Obama and Reagan Ronald Reagan and Barack Obama Point-by-Point There are parallels between the presidency of Ronald Reagan and Barak Obama. The similarities between the leaders make for an uncomplicated comparison; however, the differences provide greater explanatory power. Barak Obama has been credited with some of the stellar qualities of Ronald Reagan. There oratory skills are comparable and they were both popular at the beginning of their terms. Reagan became a republican icon.
Obama Care Plan Health care is undergoing a dramatic transformation and needless to say it is one of our largest industries that contribute handsomely to the Gross Domestic Product, greater demands are placed for the value of dollars that are being spent to provide for healthcare services to patients. Now-a-days, in this ever demanding environment marketing as a discipline is being practiced (Berkowitz, October 2010) In early days it was a great
In the course of his campaign, Obama inspired millions of Americans - young and old, rich and poor, rural and urban, and from every racial and ethnic background. When Obama walked into the room. . The crowd was transfixed (Tufankjuan, 2008). The goal, of course, is that in politics, as well as society, race plays no part in the decision process. Thanks to previous Civil Rights advocates, and people
Obama N. Racism Obama and Racism Throughout history, several factors have always helped decide who was entitled to even run for the esteemed office of the President of the United States of America. Military service, a prominent Governorship, family connections, the number of slaves owned and of course having a boat load of money clearly helped. Of course, this list offered no guarantees of making the short list. The nations' power brokers