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Obama has proven to be feckless and ineffective.
Government
Office of the President (POTUS)
Politics
Barack Obama
Edited 9 y ago
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 132
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How can you say he's a successful President when we all know that he is responsible for Hurricane Katrina, 9-11, Osama bin-Laden's Jihadist warpath in Afghanistan in 1980, the Iran-Contra debacle, enticing the Argentinians to invade the Falklands Islands, the Tet Offensive, the fall of the Roman Empire, the sacking of Constantinople, the Black Death (Name says it all, right!!??), and the burning of the library at Alexandria!? I just know for a fact that he did all these things, and hours of Internet research will prove it... if the data hasn't all been erased already by the Bilderburger Illuminati, that is.
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Capt Walter Miller
Can you delete posts? I spoke to soon.
E.J. Dionne Jr. - When unions mattered, prosperity was shared
Let's not forget all that the unions once achieved for employees across America.
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Did you just say something positive about the President on Rallypoint? I suspect the down thumb fairy will be sorely over taxed tonight... =0)
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I don't know that anyone outside of perhaps professional historians can say who the 'best' POTUS was and by implication who the 'worst' one was. It's a very subjective set of grading criteria and only the passage of years, if not decades, will give a fair assessment of where contemporary presidents fall out.
It's perhaps more accurate to say, "I think [whomever] is the greatest, or worst, POTUS in my lifetime." That's a little more believable. Obviously, anybody and everybody is entitled to his/her opinion.
For the record, I will fully declare Obama's been nothing like successful and is probably one of the worst, if not the worst, in my nearly 46 years alive. The only one who comes close in fecklessness is Jimmy Carter.
It's perhaps more accurate to say, "I think [whomever] is the greatest, or worst, POTUS in my lifetime." That's a little more believable. Obviously, anybody and everybody is entitled to his/her opinion.
For the record, I will fully declare Obama's been nothing like successful and is probably one of the worst, if not the worst, in my nearly 46 years alive. The only one who comes close in fecklessness is Jimmy Carter.
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Capt Walter Miller
"Depending on who you talk to, President Obama added anywhere from $983 billion to $7.7 trillion to the U.S. debt. Who's lying? None of them. That's because there are three ways to look at the debt added for any President.
The first, and most common, method is to subtract simply the debt level when he took office from the current debt. The second, and more accurate, method is to add together his projected budget deficits. The third method is the fairest, but is also the most complicated. That's only adds to the deficits created by the President's specific initiatives. Fortunately, the Congressional Budget Office has done this for you.
Review these three methods below, and you'll be able to win any argument made about how much President Obama has added to the national debt.
Method 1. Debt Added Since Obama Took Office
The first, and largest, is how much debt has been added since Obama took office. On January 20, 2009, when he was sworn in, the debt was $10.626 trillion. Today it's slightly more than $18 trillion.
That's why most people say Obama added a little more than $8 trillion to the debt, more than any other President. And he still has two more years in office! For more, see Why Is the U.S. Debt So Large?
Method 2. Obama's Budget Deficits
However, it's a little misleading to hold Obama (or any other President) accountable for the deficit incurred during his first year of office. That's because the federal budget for that fiscal year was already set by the prior Administration. President Bush's last budget (FY 2009) created a deficit of $1.16 trillion, even without the spending on the Economic Stimulus Act. Most of this addition to the debt occurred after the new President took office, and so should not be attributed to Obama.
FY 2009 - Although this was President Bush's last budget, it was implemented during Obama's first year. Congress agreed to add the first year's worth of spending from the Economic Stimulus Act to this. That $253 billion accrues to Obama.
FY 2010 - Obama's first budget created a $1.293 trillion deficit.
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FY 2011 - It contributed $1.299 trillion to the debt.
FY 2012 - The deficit was the largest in history, at $1.327 trillion.
FY 2013 - This was the first Obama budget where the deficit, $901 billion, was less than $1 trillion.
FY 2014 - The deficit projection in the budget was $744 billion.
Current Budget - The deficit is projected to be $564 billion.
When the deficits from all these budgets are added together, President Obama increased the debt by $5.073 trillion.
3. How Obama's Policies Increased the Debt
However, there were some other events that Obama faced, just like every President, over which he had no control. There was less Federal income, thanks to decreased tax receipts during the recession and to the Bush tax cuts. At the same time, the cost of Social Security, Medicare and other mandatory spending continued to increase. The War on Terror, although technically over, was still being fought in Afghanistan and Iraq.
The third, and smallest, method is how much debt was added thanks to Obama's specific policies. The largest contribution was the Obama tax cuts, which were an extension of the Bush tax cuts. These added $858 billion to the debt in 2011 and 2012.
The next largest was the ARRA, which added $787 billion between 2009-2012. It cut taxes, extended unemployment benefits, and funded job-creating public works projects. Both were attempts to stimulate the economy after the 2008 financial crisis
Also, Obama increased military spending to around $800 billion a year, on average. In fact, his security budget request of $895 billion in FY 2011 set a new record. Even though troops were withdrawn from Iraq in 2012, and Osama bin Laden was eliminated in 2011, Obama requested $851 billion for security spending in his FY 2013 budget. That was more than in his first year in office. Although Obama abandoned the phrase "War on Terror," he spent $602 billion -- almost as much as the $850 billion Bush spent in eight years.
What about the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act? It didn't add anything to the debt in Obama's first term. That's because most of its costs occurred starting in 2014, after the health insurance exchanges were set up, and coverage was extended to more low-income people. In fact, tax increases will offset costs to the tune of $104 billion between 2010-2019. For more, see Obamacare Costs.
Congress and Obama also negotiated the sequestration budget cuts. When these were subtracted from these costs, Obama's debt contribution was $983 billion between 2009-2017. (Source: WSJ, Ezra Klein, Doing the Math on Obama's Deficits, January 31, 2014) Article updated January 7, 2015
The first, and most common, method is to subtract simply the debt level when he took office from the current debt. The second, and more accurate, method is to add together his projected budget deficits. The third method is the fairest, but is also the most complicated. That's only adds to the deficits created by the President's specific initiatives. Fortunately, the Congressional Budget Office has done this for you.
Review these three methods below, and you'll be able to win any argument made about how much President Obama has added to the national debt.
Method 1. Debt Added Since Obama Took Office
The first, and largest, is how much debt has been added since Obama took office. On January 20, 2009, when he was sworn in, the debt was $10.626 trillion. Today it's slightly more than $18 trillion.
That's why most people say Obama added a little more than $8 trillion to the debt, more than any other President. And he still has two more years in office! For more, see Why Is the U.S. Debt So Large?
Method 2. Obama's Budget Deficits
However, it's a little misleading to hold Obama (or any other President) accountable for the deficit incurred during his first year of office. That's because the federal budget for that fiscal year was already set by the prior Administration. President Bush's last budget (FY 2009) created a deficit of $1.16 trillion, even without the spending on the Economic Stimulus Act. Most of this addition to the debt occurred after the new President took office, and so should not be attributed to Obama.
FY 2009 - Although this was President Bush's last budget, it was implemented during Obama's first year. Congress agreed to add the first year's worth of spending from the Economic Stimulus Act to this. That $253 billion accrues to Obama.
FY 2010 - Obama's first budget created a $1.293 trillion deficit.
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America National Debt
Barack Obama
President Obama
Obama Federal Budget
Help Paying Off Debt
FY 2011 - It contributed $1.299 trillion to the debt.
FY 2012 - The deficit was the largest in history, at $1.327 trillion.
FY 2013 - This was the first Obama budget where the deficit, $901 billion, was less than $1 trillion.
FY 2014 - The deficit projection in the budget was $744 billion.
Current Budget - The deficit is projected to be $564 billion.
When the deficits from all these budgets are added together, President Obama increased the debt by $5.073 trillion.
3. How Obama's Policies Increased the Debt
However, there were some other events that Obama faced, just like every President, over which he had no control. There was less Federal income, thanks to decreased tax receipts during the recession and to the Bush tax cuts. At the same time, the cost of Social Security, Medicare and other mandatory spending continued to increase. The War on Terror, although technically over, was still being fought in Afghanistan and Iraq.
The third, and smallest, method is how much debt was added thanks to Obama's specific policies. The largest contribution was the Obama tax cuts, which were an extension of the Bush tax cuts. These added $858 billion to the debt in 2011 and 2012.
The next largest was the ARRA, which added $787 billion between 2009-2012. It cut taxes, extended unemployment benefits, and funded job-creating public works projects. Both were attempts to stimulate the economy after the 2008 financial crisis
Also, Obama increased military spending to around $800 billion a year, on average. In fact, his security budget request of $895 billion in FY 2011 set a new record. Even though troops were withdrawn from Iraq in 2012, and Osama bin Laden was eliminated in 2011, Obama requested $851 billion for security spending in his FY 2013 budget. That was more than in his first year in office. Although Obama abandoned the phrase "War on Terror," he spent $602 billion -- almost as much as the $850 billion Bush spent in eight years.
What about the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act? It didn't add anything to the debt in Obama's first term. That's because most of its costs occurred starting in 2014, after the health insurance exchanges were set up, and coverage was extended to more low-income people. In fact, tax increases will offset costs to the tune of $104 billion between 2010-2019. For more, see Obamacare Costs.
Congress and Obama also negotiated the sequestration budget cuts. When these were subtracted from these costs, Obama's debt contribution was $983 billion between 2009-2017. (Source: WSJ, Ezra Klein, Doing the Math on Obama's Deficits, January 31, 2014) Article updated January 7, 2015
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Capt Jeff S.
Why did you bother cutting and pasting all that garbage? All that stuff you just quoted doesn't explain why the government keeps running out of money. We are getting threatened by yet another government shutdown. Wait! Let me guess... it's all GW's fault!!!
If Obama is so great with numbers and facts and figures, then what about his promise that he could turn things around in 3 years if we elected him? What happened to the other part of his promise where he promised not to run again if he didn't make good on fixing the economy? ??? If he knew what he was doing, then why did his staff make up numbers when asked about specifics about his plan to reduce the cost of healthcare?Why does Obama have so much trouble with budgets? So many unanswered questions... Can you tell me how many Presidents prior to this one have gone an entire four year term without passing a budget? I'll give you a hint... It's an integer that is neither positive nor negative, and the number accurately describes Obama... And as if to add insult to injury, he got ZERO votes from his own party for the budgets he was proposing. [Hint, Hint]
It's one thing to propose a budget; it's quite another to come up with something realistic that people will sign off on and pass. If everything was as peachy as you are implying, we wouldn't be holding our breath waiting to see if our gov't is going to have enough money to get through the next couple months without another shut down.
If Obama is so great with numbers and facts and figures, then what about his promise that he could turn things around in 3 years if we elected him? What happened to the other part of his promise where he promised not to run again if he didn't make good on fixing the economy? ??? If he knew what he was doing, then why did his staff make up numbers when asked about specifics about his plan to reduce the cost of healthcare?Why does Obama have so much trouble with budgets? So many unanswered questions... Can you tell me how many Presidents prior to this one have gone an entire four year term without passing a budget? I'll give you a hint... It's an integer that is neither positive nor negative, and the number accurately describes Obama... And as if to add insult to injury, he got ZERO votes from his own party for the budgets he was proposing. [Hint, Hint]
It's one thing to propose a budget; it's quite another to come up with something realistic that people will sign off on and pass. If everything was as peachy as you are implying, we wouldn't be holding our breath waiting to see if our gov't is going to have enough money to get through the next couple months without another shut down.
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SGT Michael Glenn
I was thinking more on the lines of Bush Jr and all the times he was caught on camera being the blithering idiot that he is. This current radical muslim loving prick in office is heads over Bush in my opinion though. Carters worse thing I can remember is giving war deserters like Sylvester Stallone a pardon. Its funny that he went on to write and star in a film about being a war hero. But its this kind of backwards thinking that has made America what it is today now isnt it??
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SGT Michael Glenn
Capt Jeff S. - I think ole Walt Miller has a personal agenda to stir up as much crap with who ever will listen to his nonsense, dont feed his delusions and he may just go away.
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As far as jobs go in the private sector there is a cycle of ups and downs that no President can control totally. They can help or hurt the cycle but ours is a consumer driven economy. What is important is not the number of jobs but the quality of jobs. A million more jobs sounds great on paper but if they are retail associates and hamburger cooks it tells another story.
We have been losing jobs to cheap labor over seas and to the south for a long time. At first it was mass produce items like tools and clothing. Then major items like appliances and automobiles. American made cars are not as American as they once were. When these good paying jobs are no longer available and the wages of the consumer falls the economy weakens.
Some one once said that we are becoming a service based economy. The service sector is a nice way of saying that we have no real manufacturing taking place and it has be replaced by call centers and other dead end jobs.
There has been some what of a shift in this trend lately because wages are rising in the so called third world countries driving some jobs back to the US. Caterpillar is one example of this, notice they did not go back to the traditional places like Detroit but rather set up shop in areas where wages are lower and good jobs are hard to come by.
What is certain is high taxes and union demands for unrealistic wages will keep good jobs from coming home to America. We also have a 20 Trillion dollar debt hanging over the heads of Americans who have yet to be born. What does 20 trillion look like. 20 trillion 1$ bills end to end would reach from Earth to the planet Uranus. You can barley see Saturn on a clear night, you can not see Uranus at all with the naked eye and it is a huge planet.
So why is any politician popular who had his or her hands in the mess we are in is beyond me. Democrats, Republicans; a curse on both their houses!
We have been losing jobs to cheap labor over seas and to the south for a long time. At first it was mass produce items like tools and clothing. Then major items like appliances and automobiles. American made cars are not as American as they once were. When these good paying jobs are no longer available and the wages of the consumer falls the economy weakens.
Some one once said that we are becoming a service based economy. The service sector is a nice way of saying that we have no real manufacturing taking place and it has be replaced by call centers and other dead end jobs.
There has been some what of a shift in this trend lately because wages are rising in the so called third world countries driving some jobs back to the US. Caterpillar is one example of this, notice they did not go back to the traditional places like Detroit but rather set up shop in areas where wages are lower and good jobs are hard to come by.
What is certain is high taxes and union demands for unrealistic wages will keep good jobs from coming home to America. We also have a 20 Trillion dollar debt hanging over the heads of Americans who have yet to be born. What does 20 trillion look like. 20 trillion 1$ bills end to end would reach from Earth to the planet Uranus. You can barley see Saturn on a clear night, you can not see Uranus at all with the naked eye and it is a huge planet.
So why is any politician popular who had his or her hands in the mess we are in is beyond me. Democrats, Republicans; a curse on both their houses!
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Because he, like most politicians, takes credit for the good and blames others (usually President Bush) for anything bad that happens. It's fairly easy to see through that. Since most Americans believe what CNN and MSNBC are telling them, this must be all President Obama's doing.
HA! Even the article blames Bush for the negatives. Just plain classic!!
HA! Even the article blames Bush for the negatives. Just plain classic!!
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MCPO Roger Collins
Roughly 150,000 new job entrants coming on each month, that is around 1,800,000 jobs required just to meet the needs (doesn't include refugees, legal immigrants or illegals). Five years times 1.8 million equals 9 million new jobs added regardless of who is in charge. Add in another 1.35 million to be up to date (overlooking the fact that only 142,000 were created last month, now we have 1.35 just to keep up. And lets give him due credit for the lowest labor participation rate in about 40 years.
http://www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/2013/article/labor-force-projections-to-2022-the-labor-force-participation-rate-continues-to-fall-1.htm
http://www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/2013/article/labor-force-projections-to-2022-the-labor-force-participation-rate-continues-to-fall-1.htm
Labor force projections to 2022: the labor force participation rate continues to fall : Monthly...
Because of the decreasing labor force participation rate of youths and the prime age group, the overall labor force participation rate is expected to decline. The participation rates of older workers are projected to increase, but remain significantly lower than those of the prime age group. A combination of a slower growth of the civilian noninstitutional population and falling participation rates will lower labor force growth to a projected...
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Depends on how you really measure success. Jobs is a function of the economy and the economy is an independent thinker. Obama was president during a post-recession recovery but he was hardly the benefactor of it's improvement. External factors shape the economy more than any president does. Just like the 1990s, the downward trend in energy prices will create significant growth this year. Obama had nothing to do with this years economic growth. His previous jobs bill and unemployment insurance proposals were rejected and yet the economy still grew. If anything his administration was responsible for it's slow recovery. When Dodd-Frank was passed, the follow-on regulations that tell lending institutions exactly how law is going to be executed was slow rolled. As a result, lenders sat on their mountains of cash waiting for an outcome and refused to lend to businesses that needed capital--no capital investments, no jobs. Obamacare is a $1 trillion tax on the economy. The argument that fewer sick reduce the drag on the economy only makes sense if everyone who gets insurance actually uses it. Emergency room utilization rates have actually increased since Obamacare was implemented. Then of course there is the national debt. In 2008, we sat at 39% debt to GDP ratio. Today that ratio is 74%. While deficits have declined as tax revenue from an expanding economy grows, that's about to end very soon. Baby boomers are aging out of the workforce and are becoming entitlement beneficiaries. Deficits are projected to climb upward to near $1 trillion per year with no end in sight. Just the interest on the national debt by 2020 will exceed the defense budget. So....what is Obama doing this issue? Nada. He's kicking the crisis to the next president because historically power swings from party to party every 8 years unless the incumbent is highly popular, and there's no better way to keep Democrats in office or regain office than to allow a crisis to be blamed on the opposition party. The same goes with the looming Social Security Disability Insurance Trust Fund that is about to go bankrupt.
As to your assertions that he's one of the best presidents....historians are probably going to disagree with you. He foreign policy resembles disastrous Jimmy Carter. Our standing with alleys has fallen. Gulf States no longer trust us and Russia knows the US will not retaliate for anything they do. The ONLY legislative achievement has been Obamacare, and while hailed today like COBRA was in 1980s, it will likely be viewed with a great amount of disdain in the future. Drug prices are rising and more people having insurance does not improve the cost of health care. Race relations are clearly worse than when he took office. Many presidents have increased the debt but like maxing out your own personal credit cards, the level now is dangerously high. There hasn't been any budgets and accompanying appropriations bills passed other than continuing resolutions. Sequester was a HIS idea by back-fired immensely. Defense acquisition programs are on life-support (again mirroring Carter's administration)...and military members are getting pay cuts instead of pay increases. A 1.3% pay raise is 1% below inflation. And lastly, his approval ratings rarely ever break 50% and his approval rating floor is only sustained by racial identity rather than those who share ideological values.
Obama is not going to be judged as the worst in history. He did win two elections and that makes him ahead of several who did not. He'll be rated probably in the lower bunch of two-time winners. The economy alone is a poor measure of a president unless they had considerable involvement in shaping it. Obama has left those details to others and only taken credit for endorsing the work of others.
As to your assertions that he's one of the best presidents....historians are probably going to disagree with you. He foreign policy resembles disastrous Jimmy Carter. Our standing with alleys has fallen. Gulf States no longer trust us and Russia knows the US will not retaliate for anything they do. The ONLY legislative achievement has been Obamacare, and while hailed today like COBRA was in 1980s, it will likely be viewed with a great amount of disdain in the future. Drug prices are rising and more people having insurance does not improve the cost of health care. Race relations are clearly worse than when he took office. Many presidents have increased the debt but like maxing out your own personal credit cards, the level now is dangerously high. There hasn't been any budgets and accompanying appropriations bills passed other than continuing resolutions. Sequester was a HIS idea by back-fired immensely. Defense acquisition programs are on life-support (again mirroring Carter's administration)...and military members are getting pay cuts instead of pay increases. A 1.3% pay raise is 1% below inflation. And lastly, his approval ratings rarely ever break 50% and his approval rating floor is only sustained by racial identity rather than those who share ideological values.
Obama is not going to be judged as the worst in history. He did win two elections and that makes him ahead of several who did not. He'll be rated probably in the lower bunch of two-time winners. The economy alone is a poor measure of a president unless they had considerable involvement in shaping it. Obama has left those details to others and only taken credit for endorsing the work of others.
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Sir, you use flowery rhetoric...and you can laugh all you want...but he has been a horrible president. Leaders build consensus and he has certainly proved inept at that.
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No offense Sir, but this is an incredibly loaded question and these 'facts' are not worthy of defending.
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SGT(P) Crystal Marie Gray-Wallace
I love the idea of having a president and being able to say I disagree with some of his tactics without being executed. With that said he has done a lot for the Civilian job market, unfortunately being a Service member who is married to a veteran I have to say he has done nothing for our Government employees, more specifically the Service members. Our pay raise was pretty much 0 this year and we still have a lot of issues with the Veterans Affairs Health Care system. Watching my husband go through this is disheartening. Â
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SFC Mark Merino
SGT(P) Crystal Marie Gray-Wallace - If you have the option to use Tricare or Medicare I recommend it. I just about snapped with the care in Phoenix. Tucson is 100x better but some things still require outside referrals. When they try to guilt trip your man with "it costs us extra", smile, wave, and get the civilian referral. They are very polite when they explain about their budget and staffing problems, but if we turn down outside referrals we are helping them bury the problem again. Tell Household 7 to hang tough. Regards.
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Just tell me that you UNDERSTAND THAT HE PRESIDENT OBAMA WAS THE PERSON THAT SAID NO BOOTS ON THE GROUND AND REMEMBER THE RED LINE IE. USE OF CHEMICAL WEAPONS THE ARAB SPRING? NOW REMEMBER THE HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF MEN WOMAN AND CHILDREN FLEEING BBBBBEEEECAUSSSE WE WOULD LEAD THE CHARGE TO HELP HELP WITH BLOOD SWEAT AND TEARS IF NEED BE TO HELP THOSE PEOPLE STAY AND LIVE THERE LIVES OUT IN THEIR COUNTRY! NOW YOU SEE JUST LIKE IN VIETNAM AND EXODUS!!! THOSE PEOPLE ARE GOING TO OTHER COUNTRIES FOR NOW BUT MARK MY WORDS THEY ARE PLANNING TO COME TO AMERICA! HAVE YOU EVER TALKED TO ANY BOAT PEOPLE IE. REFUGEES?? OH! WELL WE ARE IN AMERICA AND YOU ARE WELCOME TO YOUR OPINION!
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Suspended Profile
It's really hard to try to read something that's all caps. It's unnatural. Your point would be better served in the future by not doing it.
Capt Walter Miller
I saw a thing on the 'net a while back. Someone had posted a note all in caps. Someone tactfully posted back, "There is a Caps Lock key on your keyboard that you can engage or disengage."
And the person posted back: 'HEY THANKS. THAT IS A BIG HELP.'
And the person posted back: 'HEY THANKS. THAT IS A BIG HELP.'
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