The Obama Legacy

[Landlord]

 

Is it worth discussing Obama's legacy as it pertains to current race relations in this country?

 

I think he has said many of the right things after this recent incident in Dallas but, I also recall him fanning the flames on numerous past occasions such as Ferguson and Baltimore. For someone who was purported to be a "great uniter", I sure haven't seen it and I think the BLM movement and unprecedented occurrences between the black community and police is evidence that race relations have worsened significantly during his tenure.

I think the rise of social media and smartphones have shed light on an existing issue. I don't think race relations have really gotten worse under Obama.

 

 

 

Same. The tensions that have always existed are finally becoming known to white suburbia and the mainstream 24/7 news cycle, but that doesn't mean they're new.

[JJ Husker]

I would agree that smartphones and people's increased tendency to video more interactions in police interactions has certainly put it in front of us more. But let's not act like it was information stone ages up until 8 years ago. It really seems to me that there have been real increases along with more knowledge of the occurances.

[84HuskerLaw]

Obama is easily the worst President in U.S. history and it won't take decades for the results of his disasterous policies and actions to be reflected in every aspect of our lives.

 

1. He has bankrupted the country with trillion plus PER YEAR deficits for every year in office and the legacy will only be worse as the sheer weight of this debt drags the economy down even further. Ten Trillion in additional debt and absolutely NOTHING to show for it. He borrowed and spent, apparently to fund welfare and public assistance and transfer payments to assist the 25% of the population that became poverty stricken and remain there after all this time. He did not cause the real estate and junk bond markets to burst as that was caused by the liberals enacting insane mortgage lending policies and programs during the Clinton years which enabled tens of milions of mortgages to be funded and refinanced repeatedly for people without any realistic hope of repayment.

2. Massive long term unemployment and the first substantial decline in the standard of living and declines in real wages and loss of middle class jobs and families.

3. Government takeover of the health care industry and the insurance industry associated therewith without a feasible plan to fund or manage the same, forcing the same President for which the takeover became named (Obamacare), to by executive order postpone and delay implementation of the more meaningful promised aspects of the programs for political reasons. We still have no real health insurance for all Americans which is what the plan was billed to be. In exchange for a trillion dollars in additional long term national debt and no repayment plan whatsoever, we fund a bunch of ill conceived health insurance about 5% of the population for a few years. Stupidity.

4. Obama with the aid and advice and engineering assistance of Hillary and Bill Clinton has managed to destablize the entire Muslim world with the destruction of all things gained in Iraq (abandonment of millions of people at the very fledgling stages of self governance after a thousand years of tyrannical sufferance), to Libya, Egypt, Syria, and the list goes on. I can't think of one Muslim / Arab nation that is not in a state of real jeopardy from the threat of radical Islamic onslaught. This was NOT the case when Obama took office. The Arab Spring has turned in a terrible tradgedy. Even Turkey and NATO for that matter are in a state of turmoil and flux unlike anything since WWII.

5. The massive immigration (more like invasion) of Europe by 'refugees' and other radicals without any intents or purposes to assimilate into European nations they are flooding to is now threatening the social stability of European countries whose societies and civility was unquestioned the day before Obama was first sworn in.

6. Putin runs amok without significant interference and Putin is more respected by most of western Europe than Obama.

7. China is rattling sabres and venturing forth into Asian affairs and poses a greater threat to Japan and other nations than ever before and China thumbs their noses at the US and is now building islands and embarked on a massive military upgrad and economic push as never before. We have little or no influence across Asia and that half of the planet. Respect as a world leader is not something the United States is recognized for across many nations that once welcomed our soldiers and sailors and our Presidents and the trade and economic ties we brought.

8. North Korea is a nuclear power and the Ayatollahs of Iran are in process of building them with Obama's blessing! For God sakes!

 

Oh, shoot, I could continue for pages and haven't even touched on the underlying issues with our energy sector, educational issues, the massive racial turmoil and etc. etc. etc.

[knapplc]

[AR Husker Fan]

Obama is easily the worst President in U.S. history and it won't take decades for the results of his disasterous policies and actions to be reflected in every aspect of our lives.

 

1. He has bankrupted the country with trillion plus PER YEAR deficits for every year in office and the legacy will only be worse as the sheer weight of this debt drags the economy down even further. Ten Trillion in additional debt and absolutely NOTHING to show for it. He borrowed and spent, apparently to fund welfare and public assistance and transfer payments to assist the 25% of the population that became poverty stricken and remain there after all this time. He did not cause the real estate and junk bond markets to burst as that was caused by the liberals enacting insane mortgage lending policies and programs during the Clinton years which enabled tens of milions of mortgages to be funded and refinanced repeatedly for people without any realistic hope of repayment.

2. Massive long term unemployment and the first substantial decline in the standard of living and declines in real wages and loss of middle class jobs and families.

3. Government takeover of the health care industry and the insurance industry associated therewith without a feasible plan to fund or manage the same, forcing the same President for which the takeover became named (Obamacare), to by executive order postpone and delay implementation of the more meaningful promised aspects of the programs for political reasons. We still have no real health insurance for all Americans which is what the plan was billed to be. In exchange for a trillion dollars in additional long term national debt and no repayment plan whatsoever, we fund a bunch of ill conceived health insurance about 5% of the population for a few years. Stupidity.

4. Obama with the aid and advice and engineering assistance of Hillary and Bill Clinton has managed to destablize the entire Muslim world with the destruction of all things gained in Iraq (abandonment of millions of people at the very fledgling stages of self governance after a thousand years of tyrannical sufferance), to Libya, Egypt, Syria, and the list goes on. I can't think of one Muslim / Arab nation that is not in a state of real jeopardy from the threat of radical Islamic onslaught. This was NOT the case when Obama took office. The Arab Spring has turned in a terrible tradgedy. Even Turkey and NATO for that matter are in a state of turmoil and flux unlike anything since WWII.

5. The massive immigration (more like invasion) of Europe by 'refugees' and other radicals without any intents or purposes to assimilate into European nations they are flooding to is now threatening the social stability of European countries whose societies and civility was unquestioned the day before Obama was first sworn in.

6. Putin runs amok without significant interference and Putin is more respected by most of western Europe than Obama.

7. China is rattling sabres and venturing forth into Asian affairs and poses a greater threat to Japan and other nations than ever before and China thumbs their noses at the US and is now building islands and embarked on a massive military upgrad and economic push as never before. We have little or no influence across Asia and that half of the planet. Respect as a world leader is not something the United States is recognized for across many nations that once welcomed our soldiers and sailors and our Presidents and the trade and economic ties we brought.

8. North Korea is a nuclear power and the Ayatollahs of Iran are in process of building them with Obama's blessing! For God sakes!

 

Oh, shoot, I could continue for pages and haven't even touched on the underlying issues with our energy sector, educational issues, the massive racial turmoil and etc. etc. etc.

 

 

Oh, my...where to begin.

 

1. The country is not bankrupt. It's a simple as that. The claim of a trillion dollar a year deficit was mouthed by Paul Rand in 2013. The problem with that statement? It's wrong. During the Obama administration, the deficit has been reduced by a trillion dollars. According to the U.S. Treasury Office, the U.S. ended the fiscal year in September of 2015 with the smallest deficit since 2007 in both dollar terms and as a percentage of gross domestic product. You can look it up.

2. The housing bubble causes were investigated by the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission. They cited a number of factors, one of which was government policies. They specified the failed policies, and those included policies enacted under the administrations of Roosevelt, Reagan, Clinton, and Bush. You can look it up.

3. The "massive unemployment" resulted from the Bush administration, and was inherited by the Obama administration. Unemployment rose sharply in 2008, peaking at 7.8 percent at the time Bush left office. While it increased to about 10% under Obama, that happened early in his term and was a continuation of the trend inherited from Bush. It peaked in in October of 2009, and has been declining since, falling below 5% in January of 2016. You can look it up.

4. Under Obama:

• The economy has added nearly 8.4 million jobs — more than six times the number gained under George W. Bush.
• The number of job openings doubled, to a record 5.7 million.
• Nearly 15 million fewer people lack health insurance coverage.
• Corporate profits are at record levels; stock prices have more than doubled.

The reduction in the standard of living is the result of the increasing gap between the rich and poor; when broken down by income, the poor have seen a precipitous decline, while the wealth have seen an actual increase. That gap is due to a number of factors, including Republican tax policies the provide tax cuts to wealthy individuals and corporations and, at best, nominal cuts for the poor and middle class. Again, you can look it up.

5. The destabilization of the Middle East is the result of a number of factors, one of which was the Bush administration's decision to declare war on Iraq when it was not necessary (and the intelligence supporting that was known to the administration). The Bush administrations' (both father and son) policies in support of Saudi Arabia was also a major factor. Again, you can look it up.

6. The government didn't take over healthcare. That is simply a lie. Frank Luntz, a consultant famous for his phraseology, urged GOP leaders to call the Affordable Care Act a "government takeover." Instead:

 

• Employers continue to provide health insurance to the majority of Americans through private insurance companies.

• Contrary to the claim, more people get private health coverage. The law set up "exchanges" where private insurers compete to provide coverage to people who don't have it.

• The government did not seize control of hospitals or nationalize doctors.

• The law does not include the public option, a government-run insurance plan that would have competed with private insurers.

• The law gives tax credits to people who have difficulty affording insurance, so they can buy their coverage from private providers on the exchange. But here too, the approach relies on a free market with regulations, not socialized medicine.

 

Look it up.

 

7. Polls show that Putin is considered by many Western Europeans as the most powerful leader, when considering things like financial resources, scope and use of power, and the number of people he impacts. But respected? Nope. Look it up.

8. In 2002, the Pentagon reported that China was rapidly modernizing its military with the goal of countering American power in the Pacific and pressing Taiwan to accept unification. The Bush administration did nothing, which allowed China to gain significant military might prior to Obama taking office. Again, you can look it up.

9. In April of 2003 - again, under the Bush administration - North Korea informed the world it had nuclear weapons. That's under Bush, not Obama.

 

 

 

[zoogs]

Bravo, AR.

[Moiraine]

We all know he won't look any of it up.

[JJ Husker]

On a related note, I must confess that tonight on the Fallon show, was the first time I have actually liked President Obama. He was funny, personable, the right amount of self depracating, smart,.... I find it odd that so many have liked him for so long but it took 8 years and an appearance on the Tonight Show for me to notice some of the qualities that many have prior. I mean really, just the sound of his voice usually strikes me like fingernails on a chalkboard. Not sure why I'm sharing this or if it's me or him that has really changed or if it is just a temporary thing. Maybe it was because it's pretty much the first time I've ever noticed him out of perma campaign mode. Or possibly because I can now more easily see how much worse the occupant of the WH could be. Anyway it was a strange feeling for me, not sure if I like it or not.

[Landlord]

On a related note, I must confess that tonight on the Fallon show, was the first time I have actually liked President Obama. He was funny, personable, the right amount of self depracating, smart,.... I find it odd that so many have liked him for so long but it took 8 years and an appearance on the Tonight Show for me to notice some of the qualities that many have prior. I mean really, just the sound of his voice usually strikes me like fingernails on a chalkboard. Not sure why I'm sharing this or if it's me or him that has really changed or if it is just a temporary thing. Maybe it was because it's pretty much the first time I've ever noticed him out of perma campaign mode. Or possibly because I can now more easily see how much worse the occupant of the WH could be. Anyway it was a strange feeling for me, not sure if I like it or not.

 

 

Good on you. I've always enjoyed Obama's demeanor and tone in "non white house speech" contexts. He's a cool, funny, and (for being the President of the United States) remarkably down to earth.

[NM11046]

On a related note, I must confess that tonight on the Fallon show, was the first time I have actually liked President Obama. He was funny, personable, the right amount of self depracating, smart,.... I find it odd that so many have liked him for so long but it took 8 years and an appearance on the Tonight Show for me to notice some of the qualities that many have prior. I mean really, just the sound of his voice usually strikes me like fingernails on a chalkboard. Not sure why I'm sharing this or if it's me or him that has really changed or if it is just a temporary thing. Maybe it was because it's pretty much the first time I've ever noticed him out of perma campaign mode. Or possibly because I can now more easily see how much worse the occupant of the WH could be. Anyway it was a strange feeling for me, not sure if I like it or not.

JJ I admire your openness man, you're one of few I know (not just on this board) who is open eyed about the world and having your perception changed through conversation or observation (and this isn't just an Obama/politics thing). Takes a big man to admit that - you give me some hope that the world isn't falling apart!!

[JJ Husker]

 

On a related note, I must confess that tonight on the Fallon show, was the first time I have actually liked President Obama. He was funny, personable, the right amount of self depracating, smart,.... I find it odd that so many have liked him for so long but it took 8 years and an appearance on the Tonight Show for me to notice some of the qualities that many have prior. I mean really, just the sound of his voice usually strikes me like fingernails on a chalkboard. Not sure why I'm sharing this or if it's me or him that has really changed or if it is just a temporary thing. Maybe it was because it's pretty much the first time I've ever noticed him out of perma campaign mode. Or possibly because I can now more easily see how much worse the occupant of the WH could be. Anyway it was a strange feeling for me, not sure if I like it or not.

 

JJ I admire your openness man, you're one of few I know (not just on this board) who is open eyed about the world and having your perception changed through conversation or observation (and this isn't just an Obama/politics thing). Takes a big man to admit that - you give me some hope that the world isn't falling apart!!

Thanks but don't praise me too much. I'm pretty stubborn and slow to change my ways. But yeah, I like to think that I keep a pretty open mind about things.

[HuskerNation1]

 

Obama is easily the worst President in U.S. history and it won't take decades for the results of his disasterous policies and actions to be reflected in every aspect of our lives.

 

1. He has bankrupted the country with trillion plus PER YEAR deficits for every year in office and the legacy will only be worse as the sheer weight of this debt drags the economy down even further. Ten Trillion in additional debt and absolutely NOTHING to show for it. He borrowed and spent, apparently to fund welfare and public assistance and transfer payments to assist the 25% of the population that became poverty stricken and remain there after all this time. He did not cause the real estate and junk bond markets to burst as that was caused by the liberals enacting insane mortgage lending policies and programs during the Clinton years which enabled tens of milions of mortgages to be funded and refinanced repeatedly for people without any realistic hope of repayment.

2. Massive long term unemployment and the first substantial decline in the standard of living and declines in real wages and loss of middle class jobs and families.

3. Government takeover of the health care industry and the insurance industry associated therewith without a feasible plan to fund or manage the same, forcing the same President for which the takeover became named (Obamacare), to by executive order postpone and delay implementation of the more meaningful promised aspects of the programs for political reasons. We still have no real health insurance for all Americans which is what the plan was billed to be. In exchange for a trillion dollars in additional long term national debt and no repayment plan whatsoever, we fund a bunch of ill conceived health insurance about 5% of the population for a few years. Stupidity.

4. Obama with the aid and advice and engineering assistance of Hillary and Bill Clinton has managed to destablize the entire Muslim world with the destruction of all things gained in Iraq (abandonment of millions of people at the very fledgling stages of self governance after a thousand years of tyrannical sufferance), to Libya, Egypt, Syria, and the list goes on. I can't think of one Muslim / Arab nation that is not in a state of real jeopardy from the threat of radical Islamic onslaught. This was NOT the case when Obama took office. The Arab Spring has turned in a terrible tradgedy. Even Turkey and NATO for that matter are in a state of turmoil and flux unlike anything since WWII.

5. The massive immigration (more like invasion) of Europe by 'refugees' and other radicals without any intents or purposes to assimilate into European nations they are flooding to is now threatening the social stability of European countries whose societies and civility was unquestioned the day before Obama was first sworn in.

6. Putin runs amok without significant interference and Putin is more respected by most of western Europe than Obama.

7. China is rattling sabres and venturing forth into Asian affairs and poses a greater threat to Japan and other nations than ever before and China thumbs their noses at the US and is now building islands and embarked on a massive military upgrad and economic push as never before. We have little or no influence across Asia and that half of the planet. Respect as a world leader is not something the United States is recognized for across many nations that once welcomed our soldiers and sailors and our Presidents and the trade and economic ties we brought.

8. North Korea is a nuclear power and the Ayatollahs of Iran are in process of building them with Obama's blessing! For God sakes!

 

Oh, shoot, I could continue for pages and haven't even touched on the underlying issues with our energy sector, educational issues, the massive racial turmoil and etc. etc. etc.

 

 

Oh, my...where to begin.

 

1. The country is not bankrupt. It's a simple as that. The claim of a trillion dollar a year deficit was mouthed by Paul Rand in 2013. The problem with that statement? It's wrong. During the Obama administration, the deficit has been reduced by a trillion dollars. According to the U.S. Treasury Office, the U.S. ended the fiscal year in September of 2015 with the smallest deficit since 2007 in both dollar terms and as a percentage of gross domestic product. You can look it up.

2. The housing bubble causes were investigated by the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission. They cited a number of factors, one of which was government policies. They specified the failed policies, and those included policies enacted under the administrations of Roosevelt, Reagan, Clinton, and Bush. You can look it up.

3. The "massive unemployment" resulted from the Bush administration, and was inherited by the Obama administration. Unemployment rose sharply in 2008, peaking at 7.8 percent at the time Bush left office. While it increased to about 10% under Obama, that happened early in his term and was a continuation of the trend inherited from Bush. It peaked in in October of 2009, and has been declining since, falling below 5% in January of 2016. You can look it up.

4. Under Obama:

• The economy has added nearly 8.4 million jobs — more than six times the number gained under George W. Bush.
• The number of job openings doubled, to a record 5.7 million.
• Nearly 15 million fewer people lack health insurance coverage.
• Corporate profits are at record levels; stock prices have more than doubled.

The reduction in the standard of living is the result of the increasing gap between the rich and poor; when broken down by income, the poor have seen a precipitous decline, while the wealth have seen an actual increase. That gap is due to a number of factors, including Republican tax policies the provide tax cuts to wealthy individuals and corporations and, at best, nominal cuts for the poor and middle class. Again, you can look it up.

5. The destabilization of the Middle East is the result of a number of factors, one of which was the Bush administration's decision to declare war on Iraq when it was not necessary (and the intelligence supporting that was known to the administration). The Bush administrations' (both father and son) policies in support of Saudi Arabia was also a major factor. Again, you can look it up.

6. The government didn't take over healthcare. That is simply a lie. Frank Luntz, a consultant famous for his phraseology, urged GOP leaders to call the Affordable Care Act a "government takeover." Instead:

 

• Employers continue to provide health insurance to the majority of Americans through private insurance companies.

• Contrary to the claim, more people get private health coverage. The law set up "exchanges" where private insurers compete to provide coverage to people who don't have it.

• The government did not seize control of hospitals or nationalize doctors.

• The law does not include the public option, a government-run insurance plan that would have competed with private insurers.

• The law gives tax credits to people who have difficulty affording insurance, so they can buy their coverage from private providers on the exchange. But here too, the approach relies on a free market with regulations, not socialized medicine.

 

Look it up.

 

7. Polls show that Putin is considered by many Western Europeans as the most powerful leader, when considering things like financial resources, scope and use of power, and the number of people he impacts. But respected? Nope. Look it up.

8. In 2002, the Pentagon reported that China was rapidly modernizing its military with the goal of countering American power in the Pacific and pressing Taiwan to accept unification. The Bush administration did nothing, which allowed China to gain significant military might prior to Obama taking office. Again, you can look it up.

9. In April of 2003 - again, under the Bush administration - North Korea informed the world it had nuclear weapons. That's under Bush, not Obama.

 

 

 

 

 

Hmm...where to begin.

 

1. This country is bankrupt, and its the fault of both parties, but Obama has done nothing to improve our situation. When Obama took over in 2009, the national debt was 10.6 trillion, and its expected to be near 20 trillion when he leaves office. And the CBO data shows that the debt and deficit picture Obama is leaving for his successor is not good.

 

"If current laws generally remained unchanged, the deficit would increase (in dollar terms) in nearly every year over the next decade and, CBO projects, by 2026 it would be considerably larger as a share of the nation’s output (gross domestic product, or GDP) than its average over the past 50 years." According to CBO in March, 2016

 

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/nov/1/obama-presidency-to-end-with-20-trillion-national-/

 

3/4. As I've shared before, the unemployment rate looks good today, but it does not factor in underemployment and those who have stopped looking for work and are not being included in the calculation. The labor force participation rate is at a near 35 year low. I do agree Obama inherited a difficult situation, but as I've said before, Bush inherited a bigger mess with the economy being in recession in his 1st quarter in office (you can look it up), the Enron scandal, and then 9/11. Often times unemployment follows the normal ups and downs of business cycles, but the two areas where the Feds can make an impact is through fiscal or monetary policy. The Fed controls the monetary policy and has not changed our low interest rate environment for years. Regarding fiscal policy, tax cuts or increasing government spending are options to rev up the economy and create jobs, but most economists have found that tax cuts go much further than increasing govt spending. I think trying to compare what Bush inherited compared to Obama completely depends on your partisan lens. Had Bush just had the recession and Enron to deal with, I think it would be a more apples to apples comparison with what Obama inherited. When you add in 9/11 where the economy and job growth was stalled for an extensive period of time, I would expect the job numbers to be lower under Bush.

 

Also, income inequality as well as the economic outlook for blacks has gotten much worse under Obama. I find it comical that you seek to blame Republicans for this reality yet cite DNC talking points and give Obama credit for any positive economic stats. The truth is that Obama has done little to help the little guy and minorities and uses political rhetoric around racism to hide from this truth.

 

http://www.counterpunch.org/2016/02/26/during-obamas-presidency-wealth-inequality-has-increased-and-poverty-levels-are-higher/

 

5. Blaming Bush for Obama's complete failures in foreign policy and terrorism is another joke. First, the middle east has been a mess for years under Presidents from both parties. In hindsight it was a mistake for Bush, HIllary, and others to vote for going to war in Iraq. With that said, Obama was given a situation to deal with in 2009, and he has made it worse. The middle east is less stable than when he took office. ISIS has grown 4400% since he took office, and his own CIA director admitted ISIS was decimated when Bush left office. Look it up. Obama has been weak in fighting and focusing on terrorism, and you are seeing it with attacks up all over the world over the past couple years.

 

6. Obamacare is a mess and is not delivering what Obama promised. He claimed everyone could keep their doctors, and that was a lie. He claimed his plan would reduce the cost of premiums and that is not happening. He stated that it would not be a burden to our national debt, yet the CBO shows projections for our debt and deficit will greatly increase, and a good portion of this is a result of the unfunded Obamacare system.

[It'sNotAFakeID]

Forgive me if I'm wrong, but wouldn't the labor force participation rate (lfpr) decrease as more people find jobs? I guess I may be hung up on what active participation in the labor market means.

[It'sNotAFakeID]

Also, you keep mentioning the national deficit, like it's supposed to be some big scary number and that we should cower in fear of it's immensity. But I don't think the deficit means much when it's isolated; in other words, we need to have something to compare the national debt to. How about GDP? I was reading somewhere that the US national deficit as a percent of GDP in 2009 was nearly 10%: we owed a lot and weren't producing as much and that was a huge jump from just over 3% in 2008.

 

So, what led to that spike? The bank bailouts, and why did the banks need bailing out?

 

Since 2009 the national debt as a % of GDP has fallen, currently sitting at 2.4% as of 2015.

[Moiraine]

Forgive me if I'm wrong, but wouldn't the labor force participation rate (lfpr) decrease as more people find jobs? I guess I may be hung up on what active participation in the labor market means.

 

It means you have a job or are looking for a job.

 

 

 

One huge factor here is the aging of baby boomers. Around the age of 65-75, people drop out of this. The rate of drop outs has increased a lot recently because there are a lot more people at retirement age now than there were before the baby boomers reached that stage.

 

 

^Birth rate chart. The labor force participation rate is going to keep getting lower for some time. There's a chart at the following link which shows labor force participation for ages 25-54:

 

https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/LNU01300060