Swerv-o

To be fair to him, he has been pretty hamstrung by the shocking state of the US economy - He could probably have done more if he had more to do it with.

He did try to introduce a universal health care system, but the bog brained Americans mistook that for some veiled attempt at introducing a communist state.

That said, he really should have made good his promise to shut down Guantanamo Bay - that was something that many of his supporters really wanted to see.

I would categorise his first term as being disappointing.

I imagine that he will probably win a second though - there seems to be little in the way of a credible alternative stepping up from the Republican team. But winning by default is no real victory...


S

paulry

In that case they should also have awarded Cameron the nobel peace prize

Some of my US-based in-laws visited us in the UK last summer and I was surprised that they were against the adoption of a universal health care system.

Rambi

Nay!

fish.01

What do you and don't you like about what he has done?

CelticRover

Sally is not one to kiss and tell.

CelticRover

Non sequitur

Rambi

My main dislike is foreign policy. He's no better than the one that came before and in some respects (i.e. the treatment of the US allies) I think he has been worse.

I'm finding it hard to think of something to like.

Rambi

Wasn't the original statement a non-sequitur? Bush couldn't sit again. He was going anyway. I think they give the peace prize to him because he was the first black US president. A substantial achievement but not in itself worthy of a prospective peace prize.

fish.01

Apart from treatment of allies, what part of his foreign policy do you dislike? Do you not know any of his domestic achievements?

Rambi

Too much of the same. Send muscle ask questions later.

Comprehensive healthcare is the only real domestic achievement I know about. Possibly bringing financial stability but it's hard to tell whether that's really his achievement. Revitalised Republican representation in the house. Would you care to list some of your favourites?

renth

He's an ineffectual puppet of Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan, Exxon et al.

He has racked up his country's debt more than every single president before him, combined.

slapphead_otool

I must admit that GW Bush took a lot of vitriol from the unwashed public, and I don’t see it for Obama despite him being at least as stupid. Maybe you only get laughed at if you are white.

I also notice a distinct lack of satirical attack – if the comedians and TV shows can’t write scripts ripping it out of Obama then give me a job, cos I sure can!

Remember crap like “The Practice”, with its little cigar smoking, “fireside chat” attacks on GW? Remember the one about Guantanamo? Has it closed yet? Are left wing scriptwriters attacking Obama?

Or what about that gibbering idiot on late night TV, David Letterbox. Quick enough to ram it into GW, but remarkably short on Obama one liners. Perhaps I could help him too!

At least Obama hasn’t been chasing Monica with a cigar like the last one.

fish.01

Here's some off the top of my head


On foreign policy and the armed forces he has:

- Moved the focus off Iraq by removing all combat brigades and sent two extra brigades to Afghanistan to try to repair the misdirected focus of the last republican administration.

- Re-established the limits for war service for active troops and army reserves after the last republican administration broke the agreed time frames and sent troops including reserves back into war after they had already done their service.

- Increased the spending on equipment requested by those in the field in an attempt to properly arm the troops.

- Re-established the fractured relationship with Russia left by the last republican administration and got agreement to reduce strategic nuclear arsenals by 25%.

- Re-engaged with both Russia and China and begun military exchanges to form the basis of an improved cooperation.

- Improve auditing of defence contractors.

- Re-engaged diplomatically with NATO to improve US-NATO relations and strategy in Afghanistan.

- Tied US aid to Pakistan to proof of anti-terrorist actions by the Pakistan govt.

- Removed the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy that led to abuse of gay people in the military.

- Improved funding for intelligence sharing between US forces and foreign forces and police.

- Funded new schools to train military in language skills and cultural awareness to improve intelligence and results abroad.


On the economy:

- Got agreement and signed major economic reform into legislation against the odds.

- Expanded the loans program for small business.

- Kept the pressure on China with respect to currency manipulation.

- Provided tax relief to small business.

- Increased R&D in clean energy with all sorts of incentives and programs for farmers etc.

- Create an advanced green economy to push for advanced technology.

- Worked to reduce the USA's dependence on foreign oil plus cut the total use of oil.

- Building natural gas pipeline from Alaska.

- Initiated programs to reduce household and business energy use.

- Initiated programs for clean cars.

- Got tax cuts for the middle class extended. The republicans tied the middle class tax cuts to approval for tax cuts for the wealthy so obama did tax cuts for everyone regardless of income to get this through.

- And of course one of the biggest health care reforms in the US in decades that will help millions of people.


So in particular I like his re-focus on Afghanistan with better troop numbers and equipment, I like his re-engagement diplomatically in the middle east, russia and china, push for improved intelligence and cultural awareness, I like the focus on creating a high tech economy and reducing america's reliance on corrupt middle east regimes, I like the repeal of the anti gay law, the healthcare reforms to help millions, his push to reduce unemployment, his focus on small business help, his clean cars initiatives, his finance reform to try to stop another gfc, his ability to compromise with a very vitriolic opposition and get things done that seem impossible in a Fox news world full of extreme right wing angry sound bites.

fish.01

Obama as stupid as bush ....I don't think bush was a stupid man, you can't be to be US president, but to compare the two puts you away from all moderate democrats and republicans into fox news land.

You can't even see why there might be valid non-political reasons for less satirical attack on obama compared to bush that you have to bring race into it

Amazulu

Ron Paul will be the next president of the USA