Opinions on Obama's First 100 Days: What Do You Think?

[Alfi]

Since it's all over the news channels, a thread here seemed appropriate.

We have a nice collection of people from many places around the world and I am interested to read your opinions on the new president of the USA.


I am Canadian, and as an outsider I see his first 100 days as a good start.
In general, So far I am most impressed with his attempts to be polite and respectful to others.

 

[Jack21222]

I agree with about 2/3rds of his actions, which is far better than I can say with Bush. I like what he's doing to repair our diplomatic relations around the world.

The two things I dislike most is his spending policy (but I understand where he's coming from), and the fact that he's appointed so many lobbyists, when he campaigned that he wouldn't.

 

[Astronuc]

I read this morning that Obama has an approval rating of about 68%. I'm sure that comes from a small population.

The highs and lows of Obama's first 100 days
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ynews/ynews_pl314

He's made some mistakes, but he's had some successes as well.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Obama has made a few mistakes, mostly PR, but that was to be expected. I think he is taking big risks and being bold, but I also think that is what we need, so from my point of view, he gets an A. So far he seems to be everything I had hoped.

 

[rootX]

Report Card!
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8016259.stm

Many people wouldn't agree with the scores.

 

[Alfi]

Hey rootX, and others.
with respect, I'm not really interested in links that tell me someone elses' opinion. I can find hundreds of those for myself.

How do YOU think he's done so far?

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Obama has been accused of not meeting the campaign promise of bipartisanship. It is claimed that he has been highly polarizing. I don't agree. He has an approval rating of ~63%. So if he has been polarizing, it has been with the approval of the American people by a far larger margin than his victory in the popular vote, last November.

Apparently the Republicans have targeted their 25% base [and shrinking] for the 2010 elections, rather than trying to work with the President. So, once again, I see the Republicans as being the problem. Obama can't do nothing just to appease a dead philosophy.

 

[Alfi]

Another thing I like about Obama in his first 100 days.
His reversal of so many things I didn't like about Bush's policies.

such as:
overturning Bush's restriction on embryonic stem cell research
proposed reinstatement of federal bans on assault weapons
The Guantánamo Bay Detention Camp closure

 

[LowlyPion]

Obama has been accused of not meeting the campaign promise of bipartisanship. It is claimed that he has been highly polarizing.

That charge is totally preposterous. He engaged the Republicans, sought out their input, apparently made some accommodations, but the Republicans seemingly wanting to deny him any bipartisan support, and thinking that they still had any credit left in their purse after the last elections, decided to tow a party line of rejecting the very legislation that they had input into.

They've played the passive aggressive card. They vote no. The only tunnel vision idea they seem to have is that if things don't workout, they can seize on any short-falling to creep back into relevance. They have not awakened to the reality of the low disregard that they have engendered, and seemingly would pout than participate in any meaningful way. Following the lead of their clueless leadership like Boehner and McConnell and their ridiculous budget alternative with no numbers, it seems to me that bi-partisanship is just no longer all that relevant. They seem to want to stand in the way, not be part of fixing anything.

So ... and the horses they rode into town on.

 

[BoomBoom]

I read this morning that Obama has an approval rating of about 68%. I'm sure that comes from a small population.

I'd be willing to bet that the vast majority of the 32% or so that do not approve of Obama are the same 32% or so that approved of Bush.

 

[Coin]

That charge is totally preposterous. He engaged the Republicans, sought out their input, apparently made some accommodations, but the Republicans seemingly wanting to deny him any bipartisan support

I think if one is judging whether Obama has succeeded at seeking "bipartisanship", one is maybe making a mistake by focusing on how many self-identified Republicans approve of him-- rather, maybe the thing to focus on is how rapidly shrinking the numbers of self-identified Republicans are. Basically it's impossible for Obama to get Republican support because given how exclusionary the Republicans have become, in practice once someone starts supporting Obama they're not a Republican anymore.

But Obama is clearly making an effort to reach across the ideological divide, and to me that his approval numbers are soaring while Republican party ID is tanking says that this is working very well.

 

[WhoWee]

A+ for legislative action (even if I don't agree with the spending), C- for vetting and filling positions, A- for isolating Specter and moving him over (his speech today infers he'll vote down the middle), D for response/interaction with Congressional and political leaders, B- on foreign policy (benefit of the doubt for improving relations, balanced against snafu's and untested policies), C on Gitmo...no apparent plan for detainees, C on war (Iraq...seems like he's continuing Bush strategy, Pakistan is destabilizing and Afghan...not good or bad)...

My overall rating...B-

 

[mheslep]

made some accommodations

Name one.

 

[mheslep]

Another thing I like about Obama in his first 100 days.
His reversal of so many things I didn't like about Bush's policies.

such as...
The Guantánamo Bay Detention Camp closure

Not yet. It is still there, and instead of closing its likely simply moving via some three card Monty to Bagram AF Base
http://www.reuters.com/article/politicsNews/idUSTRE51K0MF20090221

 

[russ_watters]

Obama has been accused of not meeting the campaign promise of bipartisanship. It is claimed that he has been highly polarizing. I don't agree. He has an approval rating of ~63%.

"Bipartisan" and "popular" are not directly related concepts. And you appear to know that:

So if he has been polarizing, it has been with the approval of the American people by a far larger margin than his victory in the popular vote, last November.

Correct.

That said, I don't see "bipartisan" as a real campaign promise, but rather just something people like to say because it sounds good. Simple logic tells you that if your opponents have good ideas, then the ideas you are campaining on are wrong. Yes, it is still a broken promise, but it is one people shouldn't have believed in the first place.

 

[russ_watters]

My opinion of Obama's first 100 days is that they have been too easy to really tell us much of value about the actual quality of his Presidency. A big fraction of it has been very low-hanging fruit: reversing unpopular Bush policies and standing at podiums, waving. And he's been quite popular at that, but that's easy. But what is more difficult is making his own new policies and in those are where his real success or failure will be measured. Two particulars where I see considerable danger:

1. His economic policy carries an enormous risk of a long-term, heavy debt burden and the associated draining of our economic growth. This is a very serious issue and what makes the prospect of doubling the debt even scarrier is that even now that he has control of the checkbook, the 2+2=3 math of his campaign hasn't changed to reflect reality. So even setting aside the theoretical issues involved in doubling the debt, I have a serious problem with pursuing ideas that are so obviously not internally consistent.

2. His energy/environmental policy has similar internal consistency problems. He wants to decrease CO2 output and increase renewables and early indicators are that nuclear power will not play a role in that (he may even be setting us up to dismantle our nuclear power). In short, he intends to follow a similar path as Germany, which made such commitments, resulting in higher CO2 output and higher energy costs. And the stakes are much higher for us, since we don't have a France next-door to sell us nuclear power.

 

[mheslep]

My opinion of Obama's first 100 days is that they have been too easy to really tell us much of value about the actual quality of his Presidency. A big fraction of it has been very low-hanging fruit: reversing unpopular Bush policies and standing at podiums, waving. And he's been quite popular at that, but that's easy. But what is more difficult is making his own new policies and in those are where his real success or failure will be measured. Two particulars where I see considerable danger:

1. His economic policy carries an enormous risk of a long-term, heavy debt burden and the associated draining of our economic growth. This is a very serious issue and what makes the prospect of doubling the debt even scarrier is that even now that he has control of the checkbook, the 2+2=3 math of his campaign hasn't changed to reflect reality. So even setting aside the theoretical issues involved in doubling the debt, I have a serious problem with pursuing ideas that are so obviously not internally consistent.

2. His energy/environmental policy has similar internal consistency problems. He wants to decrease CO2 output and increase renewables and early indicators are that nuclear power will not play a role in that (he may even be setting us up to dismantle our nuclear power). In short, he intends to follow a similar path as Germany, which made such commitments, resulting in higher CO2 output and higher energy costs. And the stakes are much higher for us, since we don't have a France next-door to sell us nuclear power.

Well said. Couple of comments. First, environmental policy in the form of Cap and Trade is dead, at least for this year. It has very little chance of passing the Senate. Second, the looming issue that will make or break Obama economic policy is healthcare. If he somehow fixes Medicare/Medicaid entitlement spending, he has some hope of regaining a handle on the deficit. If he does not, and continues towards the huge health plan in play, then he'll surely put the ship on the rocks regardless of other cut backs.