For Those Who Say "Obama hasn't accomplished anything"

reply to post by protected


1) He upheld a lot of other promises that he made.
2) You don't know that he won't pass the 5 day rule in the future.
3) Honestly, it seems like a stretch to begin with. Not very realistic. However, he HAS made public a majority of what he has done so far. What would the 5 days do, anyway? If the public didn't agree with it, he wouldn't sign it? Yeah, right. That's a dream, right there.

He's president. The public is not.

reply to post by jam321


Oh, okay. Thanks. I was just curious.
It still wasn't this bad, though, right?
Interesting about the social security figures. Tricky tricky Bill.

Considering he has only been in office for 10 days it is way too early to be claiming he has accomplished anything. It is also too early to say he hasn't accomplished anything for the same reason.

How about we wait until he's been in office for a few months, or maybe even a year, before declaring him the greatest/worst president ever?

reply to post by Jenna


In the long term accomplishments, you're right.
But in the short term, he has accomplished things. He has done things.
He hasn't been sitting there, star-struck, without making any changes or trying to change things for the better.

You're right though, we won't know until his term is actually over whether he has made significant changes or accomplishments. But small ones, like closing Gitmo, and requiring ethics meetings? That's very important, and I don't think he's getting credit from many people for doing anything other than sitting at a desk.

reply to post by Jenna

How about we wait until he's been in office for a few months, or maybe even a year, before declaring him the greatest/worst president ever?

I agree. I personally haven't seen any comments like the op states but I am sure they are out there and raven has done a good job of pointing things out Obama has tried to do so far.

I have seen many posts, mine included, that have criticized or applauded individual things he has done. IMO, these are fair play.

Originally posted by ravenshadow13

World Welcomes President Obama's Executive Order to Close Guantanamo, Despite Concerns

Closing a major terrorist detention center...better know as Club Gitmo...without knowing where these terrrorist are going to be placed is totally irresponsible.

The same countries that are applauding this decision are NOT lining up to take these prisoners.

reply to post by jam321


I would point out some posts, but I don't want to criticize individual members. I feel like many threads are focusing on nitpicking what he has done so far, or denying that he has done anything, and unfortunately the only evidence otherwise that I have comes from MSM. Regardless, he is making an effort, and I'm very proud/excited to see so many changes being proposed in a short period of time. I don't personally remember having a president during my (short) lifetime who has attempted to accomplish different things so soon into their administration.

If the trend continues, that would be a super big deal.

Originally posted by ravenshadow13
reply to post by protected

 

1) He upheld a lot of other promises that he made.
2) You don't know that he won't pass the 5 day rule in the future.
3) Honestly, it seems like a stretch to begin with. Not very realistic. However, he HAS made public a majority of what he has done so far. What would the 5 days do, anyway? If the public didn't agree with it, he wouldn't sign it? Yeah, right. That's a dream, right there.

He's president. The public is not.

To answer:

1) This isn't a promise made in order to get elected. This is something I heard within the last 10 days. It is on whitehouse.gov that he WILL do it
2) Why announce it and not do it? Why not just not announce it OR say "I would like to in the future, one day, maybe provide a five day comment period before I sign a bill"
3) If it's a stretch - why say it to begin with? Fine - don't listen to what we say and at least allow the five days of comment - what harm is five days to at least make it appear as if you are honest?

reply to post by RRconservative


So what would you do? Allow Gitmo to continue and thereby support the abuse taking place there? Let them all go yourself? Put them in your own prisons?

Plus, the administration is planning on going through the files, and trying some prisoners, and letting others go if there is not sufficient evidence to hold them.

Also,

“Portugal and France have signaled they will take some. On the other hand, the British government argues that they have already taken in British nationals and Pakistani nationals who used to live in Britain.” According to Rueb, Yemen will probably have to take in most of the detainees because about 100 of those 245 who are currently held in the Guantanamo facility are Yemeni citizens.

www.voanews.com...

And

U.S. Vice President Joe Biden says he expects most of the 245 detainees held at the U.S. military detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba will be deported to their home countries or other nations and that the facility will be closed within a year.

Biden says many of the suspected terrorist detainees will be tried in American civil or military courts and predicts that, even if a federal judge orders their release based on insufficient evidence, most will be deported.

"If they are not a U.S. citizen or if they're not here legally, then, even if they were released by a federal judge, they would not be able to stay here in the United States," he said. "They would be sent back to their country of origin."

www.voanews.com...

That seems fair to me.

[edit on 1/30/2009 by ravenshadow13]

reply to post by protected


Maybe he WILL do it, then. He has just under four years left. Don't go ranting about broken promises until it's over.

reply to post by ravenshadow13


He issued an order, he didn't actually close it yet. And he is already running into problems with both where all the detainees will be sent as well as a judge denying his request to delay court proceedings. He signed a court order to close it and wanted to prevent any court proceedings for 120 days. So much for speedy trials huh?

Guantanamo judge rejects Obama's request for delay
NEW YORK -- A military judge stunned prosecutors and defence attorneys Thursday by rejecting U.S. President Barack Obama's bid to suspend all Guantanamo Bay court proceedings for 120 days -- calling the government's argument "unpersuasive" in the case of a terror suspect in the USS Cole bombing.

Col. Pohl noted in his written findings that the government had sought a suspension to prevent the review from rendering "moot" anything done after it began.

But he said a simple arraignment would not bind the government's hands, adding: "The commission is bound by law as it currently exists, not as it may change in the future."

He also highlighted that the "public interest in a speedy trial" would be harmed by a delay in the arraignment.

Once it actually closes, then I'll say he accomplished it. Until then, he hasn't since it is still up and running.

reply to post by Jenna


The sources that I just posted above have Biden saying that it will take about a year.
He's making an effort, though, and clearly stating that abusing our prisoners is a huge problem.

It would be one thing if they were shooting them out of our hands in the next month. They're not.

reply to post by ravenshadow13


Yes, and that's all well and good. It's great actually. But it is still open, it has not been closed yet. In a year or so when it's closed, if they manage to do it that quickly that is, I will gladly say that it is one of his accomplishments. Until then, he hasn't accomplished anything as far as Gitmo goes aside from signing a piece of paper.

Originally posted by ravenshadow13
reply to post by jibeho

 

Right, but he still went to talk to them, and they all expressed their ideas and concerns and he listened. In the future, he may use their ideas to create a better plan.
The big deal is that he did not need to talk to the republicans at all, and most politicians would not have bothered.

Excellent point. I hope that he maintains his interest in hearing the opinions of the opposition.

reply to post by Jenna


Okay, aside from his efforts with Gitmo, he has accomplished other things.
Which are included in the articles that I have posted. As well as this one I'm adding now:
hnn.us...

The Headlines...
Obama Signs Equal-Pay Legislation: President Obama signed his first bill into law on Thursday, approving equal-pay legislation that he said would "send a clear message that making our economy work means making sure it works for everybody." - NYT, 1-29-09

Obama open to compromise on $825B stimulus bill: On the eve of a key vote, President Barack Obama privately promised Republicans he stands ready to accept changes in the $825 billion economic stimulus legislation, invoked Ronald Reagan to rebut conservative critics and urged lawmakers to "put politics aside" in the interest of creating jobs. - AP, 1-27-09

Some global adversaries ready to give Obama chance: Already, there are signs that some of those foes were listening, sensing an opening for improved relations after eight combative years under President George W. Bush. Fidel Castro is said to like the new American leader, and North Korea and Iran both sounded open to new ideas to defuse nuclear-tinged tensions. - NY Daily News, 1-25-09

Obama breaks from Bush, avoids divisive stands: Barack Obama opened his presidency by breaking sharply from George W. Bush's unpopular administration, but he mostly avoided divisive partisan and ideological stands. He focused instead on fixing the economy, repairing a battered world image and cleaning up government. - AP, 1-25-09

Obama reverses Bush abortion-funds policy: President Barack Obama on Friday struck down the Bush administration's ban on giving federal money to international groups that perform abortions or provide abortion information — an inflammatory policy that has bounced in and out of law for the past quarter-century. - AP, 1-24-09

Clinton promises to bolster foreign aid programs: Secretary of State Hillary Clinton promised on Friday to strengthen U.S. foreign aid and development programs and told workers at the agency supervising those efforts they would be an equal partner in diplomacy. - Reuters, 1-23-09

Republicans agree stimulus to pass in February: U.S. congressional Republicans predicted on Friday that legislation to boost the sagging economy would pass by mid-February, but pressed President Barack Obama to support more tax cuts in the plan. - Reuters, 1-23-09

President Obama swiftly sets course on Day One: President Obama signed his first executive order today, concerning ethics within the executive office, accompanied by Vice President Biden. - Los Angeles Times, 1-22-09

On Day One, Obama Sets a New Tone: President Obama moved swiftly on Wednesday to impose new rules on government transparency and ethics, using his first full day in office to freeze the salaries of his senior aides, mandate new limits on lobbyists and demand that the government disclose more information. - NYT, 1-22-09

First of all, I would like to point out that the election is over. So, it's kind of a moot point what his accomplishments are/were prior to the election.

What we had all better hope is that he does a far better job as President than he did as a Senator. If we are still debating whether or not he had any accomplishments four years from now, then we are all Royally Screwed.

I would also like to point out that the "Era of Post Partisanship" appearantly ended on Wednesday. Notice that the DNC is now running ads against Rush Limbaugh because he had the gall to say that he disagrees with President Obama's agenda.

reply to post by lunarminer


I posted enough information in this thread to support the things that he has done so far as president. And, in addition, it does matter what he did before he was president since many people seem to believe that he has never helped America in any way. If he did nothing before he was elected, I would personally think of him differently.

The point of this thread was, indeed, to focus on his accomplishments thus far as president of the United States.

I think that it's okay to disagree with Obama, and clearly the man thinks that it is okay as well. He must not have expected to go talk to the republicans in the house and senate and be greeted with flowers and votes.

[edit on 1/30/2009 by ravenshadow13]

Oops, nevermind.
Sorry mods.

[edit on 1/30/2009 by ravenshadow13]

reply to post by ravenshadow13


As I said, it is a moot point what his accomplishments were before taking office. We hired him to accomplish things as President.

I deliberately mentioned that we had better hope that he is a better President than he was a Senator. That is because his major accomplishment as Senator was to run for, and win, the Presidency.