Friday, March 25, 2016

Yes President Obama is officially one of the most consequential presidents in American history. Isn't that what I have been saying all along?

Courtesy of Vox: 

This Wednesday marks the sixth anniversary of the Affordable Care Act, which President Obama signed into law on March 23, 2010. Together with a companion bill passed a week later, the law represented the biggest reform to the American health care system since the creation of Medicare and Medicaid in 1965. 

Its anniversary, then, serves as a crucial reminder that, love him or hate him, Barack Obama is one of the most consequential presidents in American history — and that he will be a particularly towering figure in the history of American progressivism. 

He signed into law a comprehensive national health insurance bill, a goal that had eluded progressive presidents for a century. He got surprisingly tough reforms to Wall Street passed as well, not to mention a stimulus package that both blunted the recession and transformed education and energy policy. 

He's put in place the toughest climate rules in American history and signed a major international climate accord. He opened the US to Cuba for the first time in more than half a century, and reached a peaceful settlement to the nuclear standoff with Iran. 

You can celebrate or bemoan these accomplishments. Liberals hail them as moves toward a social democratic welfare state and a foreign policy more skeptical of military intervention; conservatives critique Obama's efforts to expand regulation and the government's reach, and accuse him of abdicating America's role as world hegemon. 

But no one can deny that the changes Obama has wrought are enormous in scale.

The article goes on to lay out the President's many accomplishments in some detail, and of course does not fail to mention his missteps, but overall it is the portrait of a President who, while he didn't accomplish everything that we wanted, accomplished far more than we had any right to expect.

And now seeing the folks battling to take his place, especially on the GOP side, one is made painfully aware of what we are losing in 2017, and how underappreciated we was while doing so much on our behalf.

38 comments:

  1. Anonymous6:28 AM

    No serious historian would make such a statement before he has even left office.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous7:06 AM

      Did a historian make such a statement? I musta missed it...

      Delete
    2. Anonymous7:19 AM

      "President Obama is officially one of the most consequential presidents in American history"
      "Barack Obama is one of the most consequential presidents in American history."

      Delete
    3. Anon 6:28 you seem to have confused the term "consequential" with "successful," or maybe "important?" Not the same thing, either way.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous8:30 AM

      No, I'm going by what G. wrote. Reread his post.

      Delete
    5. You propose to instruct me in reading comprehension? That's a mistake. Best you remain anonymous.

      Delete
    6. Anonymous9:51 PM

      From the headline of this post,
      "President Obama is officially one of the most consequential presidents in American history."
      Officially? BS
      Yes, I just instructed you in reading comprehension.

      Delete
    7. Anonymous12:11 AM

      Thanks for mansplaining this to all the wimmen Gryphen.

      Delete
  2. Parrothead6:38 AM

    I'm in my middle 50s and I believe that Mr Obama is the best and most positively influential POTUS of my lifetime, particularly since his predecessor will probably go down as one of the most negatively influential Presidents in our nation's history.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Sharon6:47 AM

    I couldn't agree with you more Gryphen....I would vote for this man every 4 years till I die. Right from the beginning I have believed the Obama family was a gift to us, the entire family changed our nation's face to the world. History will show how the down right treason of the GOP prevented major progress that would have been possible during his 8 years. I hope and pray Clinton wins and keeps us out of more wars and continues with his policies. We need this nation to vote...it is going to take a huge win to counter all the voter ID suppression, hopefully Trump will give us back the Senate and Congress.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. 66gardeners7:01 AM

      Hillary will not disappoint as the first female POTUS. She will be a better president after closely watching Obama in this capacity.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous11:38 AM

      I agree with you, Sharon. As soon as President Obama was inaugurated in January 2009 I felt safe for the first time in 8 years. And I think I will continue to feel that way if Hillary Clinton wins in November. It's good to know that the Democrats are far more adult and committed to their lives in government than any GOP wannabe.
      Beaglemom

      Delete
    3. Anonymous11:39 AM

      I agree with you, Sharon. As soon as President Obama was inaugurated in January 2009 I felt safe for the first time in 8 years. And I think I will continue to feel that way if Hillary Clinton wins in November. It's good to know that the Democrats are far more adult and committed to their lives in government than any GOP wannabe.
      Beaglemom

      Delete
  4. 66gardeners7:00 AM

    Republicans everywhere love Obamacare.

    Youbetcha!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Gryphen,
    OT
    You will want to see this news from Dumbfuckistan.
    http://tinyurl.com/z5pvcpp

    ReplyDelete
  6. Anonymous7:11 AM

    While I'm sure he had plenty to say behind closed doors, President Obama has always come across publicly as the adult in the room. He was fully aware of what he was in for as a candidate in '08 (60 Minutes interview, anyone?), and what he has accomplished is outstanding considering those who conspired to destroy him from day one.

    One only needs to look what the GOP has put forth for 2016 to know that President Obama WAS that good and they've got nothing to equate nor surpass him. NOTHING.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous7:22 AM

      I don't think he foresaw what a total Party of NO the GOP would become, and that they would become even treasonous.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous7:34 AM

      Because I think he has always strove to see the good in people and truly believed that people could come together for the common good.

      Delete
  7. Anonymous7:15 AM

    Others might take his place in the Oval Office, but I think it will be a very long time before we see someone come close to filling his shoes.

    The GOP is an embarrassment to this country. Go vote. Vote Dem.

    Mildred

    ReplyDelete
  8. Anonymous7:15 AM

    Ok, Gryphen, let's say that's all true. Do his documented successes outweigh his secret Kenyan birth, his support for violent socialist jihad and his powerful hatred for America? Millions of conserva-tards say NO, NO!, NO!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous7:37 AM

      Elect Trump or Cruz and the conserva-tards will be begging for him back!

      Delete
  9. Randall7:24 AM

    Senator Mitch McConnell, on inauguration day, said, "The single, most important thing we want to achieve is for President Obama to be a one-term president."

    They failed miserably at that goal.
    So they doubled-down and tried to obstruct every program the President of the United States was for... and they failed miserably.

    So now, the Goofy Old Party is taking the most miserable failures they can find and running them for president.

    It would almost be amusing if it weren't so pathetic.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous11:35 AM

      And it it weren't so downright scary! The thought of any GOP creature in the White House will cause nightmares among any of us who are sane.
      Beaglemom

      Delete
  10. Anonymous7:32 AM

    And he did it all without any cooperation from the Republicans whatsoever. That in of itself is notable.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Anonymous7:49 AM

    "reached a peaceful settlement to the nuclear standoff with Iran."

    Window dressing. The deal is falling apart like a Chinese motorcycle. Iran immediately started thumbing their nose at us all the way to the bank. A failure and the world is less safe.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Anonymous7:52 AM

    I'm sure I'm not alone about wanting a list of accomplishments like this done for Hillary Clinton. A lot of people haven't been following her since she was a lawyer on the Watergate committee and a list of all she's done since then might help people realize how qualified she is for president.

    Oh I know, a list that long might be too much for most people to wade through, so how about a list of just her accomplishments as Senator and Secretary of State.

    Maybe someone has already done that and somehow I missed it.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Anonymous8:03 AM

    O/T but not by too much

    TED CRUZ reportedly has had 5 adulterous affairs!

    http://gawker.com/national-enquirer-ted-cruz-has-had-at-least-5-extramar-1767002606

    “Private detectives are digging into at least five affairs Ted Cruz supposedly had,” claimed a Washington insider.

    “The leaked details are an attempt to destroy what’s left of his White House campaign!”

    The ENQUIRER reports that Cruz’s claimed mistresses include a foxy political consultant and a high-placed D.C. attorney!

    And guess who Taliban Ted had as one of his girlfriends?

    No Less thank Katrina Pierson DrumpF's campaign consultant/droid!

    HOOOAHAHH!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous8:37 AM

      http://www.thepoliticalinsider.com/breaking-ted-cruz-sex-scandal-appears-looming/

      HEHE (even if not, not true)..

      Delete
    2. Anonymous8:41 AM

      Monica Strikes Back!
      Karma baby..

      Delete
    3. Anonymous8:49 AM

      Funny how they are SOOO jealous because Dem's get it for FREE, GOPeer's have to pay.. ;-)
      Cigar Anyone?

      Delete
  14. WA Skeptic8:19 AM

    The best thing I'd ever seen was his intelligent face on TV for his first SOTU address; I hadn't watched one for eight years because I couldn't stand looking that Boob's face. I'll miss Mr Obama very much.

    The present GOP candidates don't give me a lot of faith in the GOP selection process.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Anonymous8:22 AM

    O/T - Ted Cruz. 5 mistresses. National Enquirer broke the story. theconservativetreehouse has more details and 3 mistresses are identified. All over Twitter and then some.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous8:58 AM

      THIS TOO! HUMMMMM>
      https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2016/03/25/report-playboy-for-sale/

      Delete
    2. Anonymous9:10 AM

      http://www.rawstory.com/2016/03/watch-trump-supporter-stuns-cruz-ally-on-cnn-by-naming-her-as-one-of-ted-cruzs-alleged-mistresses/

      Delete
    3. Anonymous9:10 AM

      https://twitter.com/hashtag/CruzSexScandal?src=hash

      Delete
  16. Anonymous8:26 AM

    OT-http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michelangelo-signorile/how-human-rights-campaign-helping-the-gop_b_9545778.html

    ReplyDelete
  17. Anonymous12:19 PM

    I am really going to miss President Obama. He has shown intelligence in his leadership. He and his family have kept things very classy at the Whitehouse. I wish we could vote for him again. Please people, open you eyes and let's vote for a president that will continue this legacy. Lord help us if either of those media hungry sleaze balls get anywhere near the Whitehouse. Go vote!

    ReplyDelete

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