Paul Krugman Calls Barack Obama The Most Consequential President Since Reagan

[babylonsister]

http://www.politicususa.com/2014/02/02/paul-krugman-calls-barack-obama-consequential-president-reagan.html

Paul Krugman Calls Barack Obama The Most Consequential President Since Reagan
By: Jason Easley
Sunday, February, 2nd, 2014, 3:46 pm


On ABC’s This Week, Paul Krugman argued that although President Obama has been unable to get anything done since Republicans took over the House, “his first two years make him the most consequential president in — you know, since Ronald Reagan.”

Video at link~

Transcript from This Week:

STEPHANOPOULOS: (INAUDIBLE) best speech could you have?

KRUGMAN: I’m not sure. I mean, I thought that, gee, you know, this is a laundry list of small items, and I’m not interested. But people who, you know, pollsters tell me that actually the public likes laundry lists of small items. But probably because the public doesn’t have a sense of what’s small and what’s big.

STEPHANOPOULOS: And they support an increase in the minimum wage.

KRUGMAN: That’s right. That’s a list of a bunch of things that are popular, a bunch of things that, in fact, lots of Republicans support but the Republican Party does not.

And so, you know, my view on Obama is basically he has been — in one sense, he has been a lame duck since November 2010, since Republicans took control of the House, he has been unable to get anything passed scorched earth opposition.

On the other hand, his first two years make him the most consequential president in — you know, since Ronald Reagan.

STEPHANOPOULOS: Health care and –

KRUGMAN: — health care and actually financial reform, which he didn’t mention, but it’s actually a much bigger deal than most people imagine. So just on the basis of what he has done, all he has to do is hang on there and create the appearance that he’s doing something and that’s his goal.

Krugman’s point was an extremely strong one. Most presidents don’t get one major reform done in a term. Obama accomplished two major reforms in his first two years. Is is still a little known fact, but President Obama accomplished 85% of his stated agenda for his entire presidency during his first two years in office.

By the time Republicans took control of the House in 2011, it was already too late. President Obama had accomplished almost everything that he intended. This is why House Republicans have been obsessed with rolling back everything that this president has accomplished. They got to the game too late, and have been left with nothing to do but unsuccessfully try to play catch up and repeal.

Barack Obama has been the most significant presidents that this country has had since Ronald Reagan. His accomplishments are likely to live on for generations. He has not only made significant policy changes, but his candidacy helped to change the make up and face of the electorate.

Even some of his supporters sometimes forget what this president has achieved. Krugman’s comments were a nice reminder that era of Obama will go down as a significant time in American history.

[Tarheel_Dem]

1. Uh oh!

Krugman better watch out for falling rock!

[1StrongBlackMan]

48. And bus tires! eom

[RainDog]

2. k&r n/t

[Cha]

3. Reagan being bad consequences and

President Obama being GOOD! :

Mahalo babylonsistah~

[pampango]

4. What does Krugman know about the economy and Dodd-Frank?

Just kidding. He might just have a clue.

[ProSense]

6. President Obama

"What does Krugman know about the economy and Dodd-Frank? Just kidding. He might just have a clue."

...created the first-ever consumer financial bureau.

I've seen comments lavising praise upon Elizabeth Warren for creating the CFPB while dismissing that President Obama supported her, signed the bill into law that creating the agency, and appointed her to stand it up.

Elizabeth Warren knows:

There is no question that Dodd-Frank was a strong bill—the strongest in three generations. I didn’t have a chance to vote for it because I wasn’t yet in the Senate, but if I could have, I would have voted for it twice.

http://www.warren.senate.gov/files/documents/AFR%20Roosevelt%20Institute%20Speech%202013-11-12.pdf

Sen. Warren Praises New CFPB Mortgage Rules that Make Families, Economy Safer
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10024295777

[freshwest]

9. K&R for Obama, Warren and the Consumer Protections. n/t

Last edited Tue Feb 4, 2014, 12:38 PM - Edit history (1)

[Hekate]

20. Oh yeah

Thanks for this

[JoePhilly]

44. Krugman is one of those "blindly supporting the President" types.

But like me ... he just doesn't have the secret avatar!!!

[ProSense]

45. It's not

just Krugman: http://www.democraticunderground.com/10024435975

LOL!

[Whisp]

5. K&R!!! but but he's a soul sickener!

[Martin Eden]

7. I must disagree with Krugman this time.

The presidency of GW Bush had tremendous consequences, and not just for all the dead left in its wake. We the living have not fully recovered, and if/when the USA collapses I think historians will point to 2001-2009 as the tipping point.

[bemildred]

38. Bush was the climax of Raygun-ism. Obama is the beginning of what comes next.

We live in "interesting times" now.

I see your point though. It's a lot easier to destroy things, than to build them back up. And it is not at all clear that we are headed to some happy outcome.

[ProSense]

43. Yes. n/t

[Martin Eden]

66. I try to be an optimist, but it's difficult in these "interesting" times.

A ray of hope can be found in the potential of youth. Perhaps our best efforts should focus on raising the next generation to achieve the progress so stubbornly obstructed by those currently in power.

[bemildred]

67. Might as well enjoy life while you can.

I think the current crop of "youth" has much to be said for it. I think they are going to kick some ass, but they will find their own way to do it, like we did.

I am comforted more by my ignorance than anything else, it leaves a lot of room for the unexpected, good and bad. If one actually examines the history of the species, it's always a surprise at the time.

One of the tactics of propaganda is the pretense of inevitablity for whatever one wants to occur. What I see is that the world is not stable anymore, country after country is a country in name only, an administrative shell, a Capital surrounded by lawlessness, or a private family enterprise with sovereign rights.

I expect totalitarian governments to fail, they always do. They are inferior. The more control they try to exert, the more it slips from their hands.

[riqster]

76. One of Asimov's short stories spoke of "evitable" conflicts.

I liked the word. Decades later, I turned it into a blog post: http://bluntandcranky.wordpress.com/2012/11/29/how-to-turn-the-inevitable-into-evitable/

We have the power to change things, if we nut up and do the needful.

Thanks for your post.

[Drunken Irishman]

8. Obama's legacy will endure far longer than his presidency...

And, with time, he will be remembered as a revolutionary president.

[TheMathieu]

10. Krugman is armed with facts.

Those who disagree with him only have their ideologies often devoid of facts.

[Number23]

11. Rec #19 of 31 right here!

If the good doctor was slamming the president, the recs would already be in the hundreds.

[PragmaticLiberal]

26. No kidding.

When Krugman has expressed his disagreements with President Obama those threads fill up quickly with responses.


This one....crickets.

Just something I've noticed during my time at DU.




This is an "interesting" place.

[summerschild]

12. I want history to record for all time the truth abut the Republicans

and their ignorance throughout President Obama's presidency. I want the generations of the future to understand how small and stupid they were as they made decision after decision to harm the country rather than work with him -- even when it was evident.

Bush and Cheney should go down in history as losers and so should the Republicans and tea partiers that remain.

[lostincalifornia]

58. with the media and lack of journalist in this country, it will be up to the people to insure the

truth gets out, because the press sure won't

A perfect example is the Christie debacle. If it wasn't for Rachel, no one would have realized what was happen.

[DirkGently]

13. Bush was plenty consequential. Obama will likely be

remembered for somehow getting the ACA through Congress and up and running, and presiding over the demise of Don't Ask / Don't Tell and DOMA.

Given the unprecedented, unwavering, all-encompassing opposition he's been up against since the Republicans declared opposing his every wish to be their one and only goal, Obama has done quite a lot. I don't think anyone -- including his critics, of which I am sometimes one -- will be able to say he didn't get anything done.

I'm curious as to what more he may accomplish now with no re-election to consider. Obama is a formidable politician, and I sensed in his SOTU speech a sense that Republicans are weak and disorganized, and a willingness to take full advantage of that.

[lumpy]

29. Appreciate your post. Right on !

[hfojvt]

34. my beef is not that "he didn't get anything done"

Last edited Mon Feb 3, 2014, 12:38 PM - Edit history (1)

it's that some of the things Obama got done, really should NOT have been done.

In particular, making most of the Bush tax cuts permanent.

[1StrongBlackMan]

51. What did we get for making those tax cuts permanent? ...

I would say the trade-offs were worth it ... for those that got their U/C extended and all the other beneficiaries of the deals.

[hfojvt]

54. I am sure the rich agree too

$1.3 trillion in permanent tax cuts for $40 billion in unemployment extension. Heck of a trade, no?

Especially now that the unemployment benefits have expired and the tax cuts have not.

[1StrongBlackMan]

56. To borrow a statement from ...

a homeless man that I met in a soup kitchen:

Mannn ... I'm out on the street and hungry. What the f@$K do I care that someone else eats too?"

Actually he said more ... but that's the gist of his comment. IOWs, we that have the means to eat everyday, in warm homes, have the luxury to ponder, and suggest the sacrifice, of those that don't.

[hfojvt]

64. well I care

you don't pass a law that delivers a hamburger to a homeless man and also a truckload of hamburgers to feed the rich people's dogs

and then brag

"It was a good compromise, at least we fed the homeless"

[1StrongBlackMan]

65. As opposed to not passing a law ...

which means that the rich people don't get the truck load of hamburgers AND the homeless man doesn't get his hamburger.

The wealthy guy complains; the homeless guy starves; and the internet hero gets to remain ideologically and uncompromisingly pure. Not a very progressive or compassionate position.

[hfojvt]

69. you can put as much chocolate frosting as you want

on a bowl of excrement and it is still a bowl of shit.

Bowl of shit - Bush tax cuts made permanent
chocolate frosting - unemployment benefits extended

what's next?

Invade Iran AND increase spending on food stamps

HOORAY!!!

How awful it is for progressives to oppose the invasion of Iran. Have they no compassion for the hungry???

Just a spoonful of sugar makes the excrement go down. The excrement go down ....

[DirkGently]

60. I don't like a fair amount of his policies either.

But as for "consequential," he's got that covered. Whatever else he may be admired or criticized for, a several major things changed on Obama's watch.

He's proven so adept in the face of the absurdly monolithic Republican resistance, that I don't even know if we can blame Republicans for the bad that came with the good. Drone strikes, the continuation of the war in Afghanistan, lukewarm financial reform. I think if he'd wanted those things fixed, they'd at least be further toward change for the better than they are today.

A lot people in his shoes, facing this kind of opposition, might have sat back, played defense, and just tried to keep things afloat. Not this President. He moved the ball.

[Democat]

40. I agree that his legacy will be the ACA

I doubt that Don't Ask Don't Tell will get much mentioned in history books. It came and went in less than 20 years.

I do agree that the demise of DOMA and the rise of legal gay marriage during Obama's presidency will be another part of his legacy.

[DirkGently]

59. DADT was the final legal barrier for gays in the military.

Last edited Mon Feb 3, 2014, 03:20 PM - Edit history (1)

It's not that "Don't Ask Don't Tell" was itself a major policy, but that being gay and in the military remained a major issue until DADT was repealed. Its very absurdity may have signaled the end of such discrimination, but there it was. So Obama oversaw the end of gay people being legally discharged for, essentially, being who they are.

I think that's going to resonate in history. I don't know that Obama's personal level of progressiveness necessarily had much to do with it -- he was still comfortable opposing gay marriage when he took office -- but the moment presented itself, and rather than be dragged kicking and screaming, Obama went with it.

Either way, though, the end of telling gay people they are not fit to serve ended in America under his watch. I think THAT will resonate in history.

[Demeter]

14. Be careful what you wish for

I could have lived a long, happy and prosperous life if Reagan hadn't conspired with Iran....

[okaawhatever]

15. It's not just the scorched earth opposition, but a media that hasn't told the average American the

truth in a very long time. When we consider all the issues before us today, having half of American voters unaware of the truth is as big a challenge as the Republican opposition. People could force the Republicans to pass legislation if they had any idea of the consequences. Look at how many believe the government shutdown didn't cost anything? A recent poll in Louisiana showed about 40% of people thought President Obama was to blame for the governmental failures during Katrina.

[BlancheSplanchnik]

19. and this ^^^^

a thousand times, this.

[freshwest]

79. Yes, the media is killing our country.

[mikekohr]

16. Great call Mr Krugman. I concur enthusiastically nt

[progressoid]

17. I'd call Bush the most consequential...

in terms of fucking things up.

[BlancheSplanchnik]

18. THANK you for this.

2014. CHANGE IT.

and, as I always say….I wonder who here was "too liberally pure" to vote in 2010? I remember outraged posts shaking fists at the air.

[gLibDem]

21. Not for any actual accomplishments in support of Democratic values.

[Hekate]

24. Not for paying attention are you?

[gLibDem]

31. The President's only major accomplishment

has been ACA. No one would mistake the ACA for a program that reflects Democratic ideals.

And the direction of the country has not changed in the least as a result of any of the President's policies.

[mfcorey1]

39. Clean your lenses. Facts back up Krugman's assertions. The direction of the country

is a monumental task for any president. Strange opinions like yours will always bring opposition to the discourse.

[Tarheel_Dem]

55. You Better Believe It! Oh, and Welcome Back!

[wyldwolf]

22. but... but... DLC!!! Corporafascist...

[Hekate]

23. Thank you, Dr. Krugman. And by the way, Dems: GOTV 2014.

[Politicub]

25. Completely agree

And it is impossible to over estimate GLBT rights progress. After four years of Obama's first term, DADT is in the dustbin of history, and gay marriage became a winning issue. Amazing.

[ProSense]

30. Yup. n/t

[gLibDem]

32. Let's be clear about the LGBT and DADT.

The President was a FOLLOWER, not a leader in this area. And you know why? Because the LGBT community didn't STFU when third way and wrong way Democrats told them they were beating up on their President. THEY MADE HIM DO IT.

[Democat]

42. Yes, Obama is always wrong!

You win.

[gLibDem]

63. Spoken like a true American. My President, right or wrong.

He was right on equal pay for women.

[Politicub]

61. Hahahahaha

DUers crack me up sometimes. I believe you have an axe to grind for whatever bizarre reason so this reply is all of the pixels I'm going to waste on responding to you.

We'll see what the history books say. You do understand how historians work, don't you? Primary sources and all that.

I've lived through much of modern day gay rights history, and today is so much different than even just 10 years ago. Hell, 5 years ago much less back to the days of Bowers vs Hardwick.

President Obama placed history into context during his second inaugural - from Seneca Falls to Selma to Stonewall.

He is a man for the time.

[Democat]

41. Agreed, and beyond specific legislation

Obama was the president during the rise of support for gay marriage. His positive inclusive speeches and attitude have helped to change the country for the better, with or without specific legislation.

[Jamaal510]

27. Now if only

Republicans in Congress would start behaving in the interests of the working class and the alphabet soup-media would start doing true journalism, then this country would really be on the right track.

[hibbing]

28. hmmm

Too bad the president didn't have an opposition party that caved to his every whim like the Democrats did when Reagan was president.

Peace

[gLibDem]

33. Too bad he leads the same caving Party

[Donald Ian Rankin]

35. Nowhere near as consequential as George W. Bush.

Like him or loathe him, Bush's decisions radically changed the course of American history. Obama's have not.

[deutsey]

68. Yes, I doubt we'll recover from Bush's disastrous tenure in my lifetime

[mattclearing]

36. I think Krugman has forgotten...

...just how far Bush and Cheney shifted the priorities of the federal government from public service to private servitude.

He is right to stand up for Obama's accomplishments, but Obama has largely accepted the policy achievements of the second Bush presidency; the tax cuts, the surveillance, the secrecy, and the corporate revolving door in government positions of power.

All of those are the result of Bush/Cheney, and The ACA and Dodd-Frank may not measure up in the long run, much as I would like to believe otherwise.

[ProSense]

37. I don't think so.

"I think Krugman has forgotten...just how far Bush and Cheney shifted the priorities of the federal government from public service to private servitude."

Lots of Presidents did bad shit. Bush's actions were despicable, but they're not lasting. Reagan's actions were horrible, and had lasting grip on the people's psyche.

Krugman is talking about a lasting impact. Obamacare is a huge shift, a game changer. To date, most people aren't considering the impact of Dodd-Frank. The voting landscape changed because of Obama's election. This is why there is so much anger coming from those who feel the grip on the electorate slipping away.

LGBT rights:

Times Are A-Changin': Republicans Now The Key To Gay Marriage Fight
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/dc/republicans-gay-marriage-support

Much more. The changes under this President is going to be transformational in away people aren't even considering now.

[mattclearing]

77. I'm aware of Obama's achievements, and agree they are consequential.

However, I pointed to concrete changes which Bush/Cheney brought about that are likely to survive the Obama administration and beyond.

I'm not sure I know what you mean when you talk about Reagan's lasting impact on the national psyche...that sounds like a narrator cutting to commercial on a History Channel documentary, not a fact-based point of view. There's a case to be made, but I don't think you've made it.

In my mind, Reagan's greatest achievement is saddling an effective government with a debilitating debt, something which Bush/Cheney outdid him at as well, restructuring the federal budget to perpetuate the deficit after Clinton had turned it around. Obama hasn't even really tried to fix that.

[marias23]

46. Obama's Top 10 plus 40 more

Here are Mr. Obama’s 10 top accomplishments. You may not agree with them, but are things he got done. There are 40 more on the link below.
1. Passed Health Care Reform : After five presidents over a century failed to create universal health insurance, signed the Affordable Care Act (2010).
2. Passed the Stimulus: Signed $787 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act in 2009 to spur economic growth amid greatest recession since the Great Depression.
3. Passed Wall Street Reform: Signed the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (2010) to re-regulate the financial sector after its practices caused the Great Recession.
4. Ended the War in Iraq: Ordered all U.S. military forces out of the country. Last troops left on December 18, 2011.
5. Began Drawdown of War in Afghanistan: From a peak of 101,000 troops in June 2011, U.S. forces are now down to 91,000, with 23,000 slated to leave.
6. Eliminated Osama bin laden: In 2011, ordered special forces raid of secret compound.
7. Turned Around U.S. Auto Industry
8. Recapitalized Banks: In the midst of financial crisis. Got banks back on their feet at essentially zero cost to the government.
9. Repealed “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”: Ended 1990s-era restriction and formalized new policy allowing gays and lesbians to serve openly in the military for the first time.
10. Toppled Moammar Gaddafi. No American lives were lost.

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/magazine/march_april_2012/features/obamas_top_50_accomplishments035755.phpamas_top_50_accomplishments035755.php
llllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll

[freshwest]

78. Thanks for the list of Obama's accomplishments!

[Demo_Chris]

47. NO ONE has done more to expand the NSA or shred the constitution...

And when it comes to funneling our wealth into the hands of the 1%, Obama is head and shoulders above anyone else.

I'm not sure these are accomplishments however.

[ProSense]

49. Not true. No expansions of the NSA have been signed into law by this President. n/t

[Demo_Chris]

50. Law?

[stevenleser]

52. That is obviously untrue and I can prove it with two words. WARRANTLESS WIRETAPPING

Game, set, match.

[unblock]

53. unfortunately, shrub was very consequential.

Hillary will still be cleaning up his mess in her second term.

[lostincalifornia]

57. I agree. He has been underestimated by the media, many Democrats, and of course the republicans.

[Gothmog]

62. I love Prof Krugman

Prof. Krugman is correct about President Obama.

[ProSense]

70. Krugman is right. n/t

[arely staircase]

71. k&r nt

[DallasNE]

72. If "Consequential" Is The Yardstick

Then one cannot overlook George W. Bush. After all, he ignored a clear warning that bin Laden was determined to strike inside the US and that was extremely consequential. And he backed that up with the Patriot Act, two wars and paying for neither which ushered in deficits unseen in our history married with the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression. That is far more consequential than Reagan.

But in many ways the biggest reason Obama has been so consequential is because of how successful he has been in reversing so much of the damage caused by Bush. The stimulus package stopped the great recession in its tracks. He ended the Iraq war and the Afghanistan war is rapidly winding down while not starting any new wars. Talks have started with Iran, something that hasn't happened in 35 years. And the deficit has come down sharply. So, yes, Obama has been a very consequential. Certainly the most consequential since George W. Bush and perhaps since Lyndon Johnson.

[Rex]

73. I dunno, I think we had massive negative consequences under the BFEE

I think Dubya is at least the most negative consequential POTUS of my lifetime. Obama being the most positive consequential.

[libnnc]

74. Extending benefits to married same-sex spouses of federal employees was BIG

Executive order. BAM. DONE.

In terms of equality, he's done more in my lifetime than any other president.