The B-plus President Flunks His Freshman Year
Back in December, Oprah Winfrey interviewed Barack Obama and asked him what kind of grade he would give himself on his job performance. "A good, solid B-plus", he answered.
Really? Talk about grading on a curve.
Let's review some of the highlights and lowlights of Mr. Obama's freshman year.
Soon after taking office he managed to push his big stimulus program through Congress. Then there were the bank bailouts (and the continuation of the Bush bailouts), and the TARP, and then the bailouts of automakers (and their unions). He was on a roll.
He ordered the closing of the terrorist prison at Guantanamo Bay, but it's still open because they can't figure out how to do what he said he wanted to do without making the situation worse - which is exactly what everyone with common sense told him two years ago.
Then there was the move to grant civil and legal rights to terrorists, highlighted by his Justice Department's move to try 9-11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed in civilian court - in New York of all places. Add to that the prompt granting of Miranda rights to the Christmas Day underwear bomber after only fifty minutes of interrogation, only weeks after the murder of a dozen soldiers by a "home grown" jihadist at Fort Hood, Texas. In the meantime he had his Attorney General move to reopen investigation into Bush era terrorist interrogations and intelligence techniques.
On the plus side (for him), he managed to get his first Supreme Court nominee through with little trouble, and unfortunately (for us), he'll probably have at least one more such opportunity before he leaves office.
He won a Nobel Peace prize, apparently for merely drawing breath (and exhaling words that made the European elites swoon). In the end however it only highlighted his lack of achievement. Rumors of a Heisman trophy for just watching a football game turned out to be unfounded.
In the spring, Obama outsourced the crafting of his signature agenda item to congressional Democrats, and everyone pronounced that ObamaCare was a fait accompli. It was only a matter of filling in the details. How big and how much.
Then came the summer of Tea Party discontent.
As members of Congress went home for their August recess they were confronted by large numbers of citizens who were angry over the growth of government, rising deficit spending and the slowly revealed details of what was actually included in the pending health care reform bill. In other words, essentially everything Obama had accomplished and wanted to accomplish.
As for the "stimulus", it didn't stimulate much except government spending and a rising national debt. Unemployment has gone from 7.7% to double digits.
The political scene hasn't been so peachy better. In fact, when it comes to making the ultimate grade in politics - at the ballot box - our B-plus president seems to be having a failing effect on his own party.
Almost a year to the day after his own election, we saw Republicans make legislative gains and take the governor's mansions in both Virginia and New Jersey. Alabama Blue-dog Democrat Parker Griffith saw the writing on the wall and switched to the GOP soon after.
Then there was the Massachusetts Miracle. Unknown state senator Scott Brown took on that state's Attorney General, the Democrat machine, the Kennedy legacy and Obama - and he won by five points.
It seems that voters grade a little bit tougher than Obama.
After starting his administration with near record high approval ratings and a nation high on "hope-n-change", as of his one year anniversary in office his approval is at record lows. This past week the Gallup poll puts his public approval and disapproval numbers tied at 47%. Moreover, those who "strongly disapprove" outnumber those who "strongly approve" by more than two to one.
Fortunately for us, he's finding out that it's easier to make campaign promises than it is to carry them out. Especially when voters are paying really, really close attention to what you're doing.
About the Author
Drew McKissick is a political strategist and former member of the Republican National Committee with over twenty years of experience in grassroots politics. He writes a regular column providing analysis and commentary on current events. His website is available at http://www.DrewMcKissick.com . You can follow him on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/DrewMcKissick
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