Accomplishments under less than a year and a half of Obama Presidency

[NJmaverick]

Passing the "largest" economic stimulus bill in American history.
Ordering the closing of Guantanamo Bay military detention facility and abolishing "enhanced interrogation techniques."
Setting a fixed timetable for withdrawing U.S. combat forces from Iraq.
Ordering 21,000 additional troops to Afghanistan and enlisting, with modest new assistance, European allies in a new multi-layered strategy there and in Pakistan.
"Returning science to its rightful place" by lifting the Bush restrictions on federally funded embryonic stem cell research.
Signing laws to expand children's health insurance (financed by a 61-cent per pack increase in the federal cigarette tax the adviser did not tout).
Signing a law meant to improve the ability of women who allege pay discrimination to sue their employer.
Diminishing the role of lobbyists in the White House
"Forge a meaningful statement from the United Nations" criticizing North Korea's launch of a ballistic missile.
Lifting travel and remittance restrictions for Cuban Americans who seek to travel more frequently to the island and send more US currency to their immediate family.
Appointed the first Latina to the US Supreme Court
Engaging world leaders in Europe, Turkey, Latin American and the Caribbean with "strength and humility."

Plenty more accomplishments to consider:
Within one year, pulled the US economy out of its nose dive, revived credit markets & nudged the economy towards growth of 2.2% in final quarter
Also within one year, halted the devastating rate of monthly job losses he inherited, from an average 700,000 monthly in the first quarter of 2009, to 35,000 in first quarter 2010 - a major achievement the last administration was not capable of doing
Passed the American Recovery & Reinvestment Act of 2009 in February - has played a key role in turnaround of economy over the last 3 quarters www.recovery.org
Stopped decline & grew GDP - from a 6.4% drop in 1st Qtr 2009, to 0.7 rate in 2nd Qtr and +2.2% growth in 3rd Qtr
Further 2010 growth in GDP is estimated at 4.4% by year end
$90 billion invested in clean energy economy of the future - jobs, lower dependence on foreign oil, enhance national security, clean environment
$10.5 billion investment in modernization of national electric grid
$18 billion for upgrades & modernization of public transport systems, including new high speed rail
$23 billion investment incentives to small businesses
Over $1billion in job training grants for jobs in new clean energy sectors
Tax credits to stimulate development of clean energy manufacturing - wind turbines, solar panels, electric vehicles, batteries, etc
Distributed education grants to US states, to keep teachers in schools
$1 billion investment in advancing use of cutting edge Health IT - By 2014, HIT will be made available to 100,000 hospitals & physicians & thousands of people trained for careers in HIT & health care, from nurses and pharmacy techs to IT technicians and trainers.
$650 million for Communities Putting Prevention to Work, public health program to address obesity, increase physical activity, improve nutrition, and decrease smoking.
Subsidized extended COBRA benefits for unemployed
Passed the largest middle-class tax cut in history - $288 billion
Saved, or created around 2,000,000 US jobs
Cash for Clunkers Program:
690.114 new cars sold
Dept of Transportation claims 52,000 jobs were saved
Guided GM & Chrysler through bankruptcy
Passed the Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act
Passed the Human Rights Enforcement Act of 2009
Passed the Credit Card Holders Bill of Rights Act of 2009
Passed Ryan White CARE Act of 2009 - repealed HIV entry ban
Approved California's adoption of car emission standards for cleaner air & climate control - had been blocked by President Bush for 6 years
Launched the White House Food Safety Working Group - initiative to modernize the US food safety systems & better protect Americans www.foodsafetyworkinggroup.com
Lived up to campaign promise & helped file the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act of 2009, which
Repeal tax breaks for companies that ship jobs overseas & replace with incentives to create jobs in USA
Crack down on US citizens & companies using offshore accounts to avoid paying taxes -22,000 parties identified & $210 billion in back taxes and penalties to be collected over next 10 years
Collected $780 million fine from UBS for offshore banking violation

President Obama has cracked down on high level of financial losses from across-the-board fraud & abuse of Medicare (estimated $600 billion lost over last decade from inattention to Medicare fraud)
January 2010 National Summit on Health Care Fraud
New inter-agency Health Care Fraud Prevention and Enforcement Action Team (HEAT) introduced - www.stopmedicarefraud.gov
5 new Strike Force Teams added in 5 new cities - 13 more to be added in 2011 (Strike Force teams have collected $250 million in restitutions, fines & penalties since 2008)
Expanded Health Care Fraud and Abuse Control (HCFAC) Program - $13.1 billion has been returned to Medicare
7 new Obama initiatives, starting in 2010/2011 will generate a further $15 billion in savings for Medicare over next 10 years
Successful completion of largest pharmaceutical fraud case awards Medicare $2.5 billion from Pfizer
January 2010 launch of nation's first Health Security Strategy - comprehensive strategy to protect Americans' health during a national emergency

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2010/4/5/854279/-You-Pragmatists-are-trying-to-Accomplish-Things!!-:(!!1!

[uponit7771]

1. FUCK FACTS!!! /sarcasm

[Oceansaway]

2. lazy fukker......

{(~..^)}

[NJmaverick]

9. lol, yeah he is such a slacker

[impik]

12. It's not helping him over at DK. He can't win there in million years.

[old mark]

3. Rec. I guess he doesn't have a ranch to go to, and has to pass the time working. nt

[NJmaverick]

10. Remember when the GOP raised holy hell because Obama took his wife to a Broadway show and dinner?

[Name removed]

4. Deleted message

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[babylonsister]

5. GOBAMA! Naysayers in 5-4-3-2-

You know it's coming. ;)

[hughee99]

6. Guantanamo Bay?

I'm not giving him credit for ordering the closure of the Guantanamo Bay detention facilities, and then not actually closing them.

Other than that, a lot of good things on the list.

[phleshdef]

14. He CAN'T force the closing. Congress has to approve FUNDING.

What the fuck is wrong with you people. You KNOW this yet you keep harping on about it.

[tekisui]

16. Yet he still claims the right to indifinite detention.

It doesn't really matter WHERE they are held. The issue is that they are held without charge, access to adjudication or allowed to view evidence against them. That is why Obama doesn't get credit for 'closing Gitmo'.

[treestar]

25. No, he does not claim that

But is having to deal with dicey questions about what to do with the individuals there.

[tekisui]

30. Obama Endorses Indefinite Detention Without Trial for Some:

President Obama acknowledged publicly for the first time yesterday that some detainees at Guantanamo Bay may have to be held without trial indefinitely, siding with conservative national security advocates on one of the most contentious issues raised by the closing of the military prison in Cuba.

"We are going to exhaust every avenue that we have to prosecute those at Guantanamo who pose a danger to our country," Obama said. "But even when this process is complete, there may be a number of people who cannot be prosecuted for past crimes, but who nonetheless pose a threat to the security of the United States."

Some human rights advocates criticized Obama for adopting the idea that some detainees are not entitled to a trial. Others said the president was boxed in by cases inherited from the Bush administration in which possible prosecution had been irretrievably compromised by coercive interrogation.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/21/AR2009052104045.html

[ClarkUSA]

35. You still pushing this falsehood (w/an outdated source) AFTER I've corrected you already on 3/30/10?

There are no "indefinite detentions" because the Obama Administration changed BushCo policy in August 2009.

One mo' time:

The Obama administration has limited detention to 2 weeks, breaking with BushCo Pentagon policy:

In August, the administration restricted the time that detainees could be held at the military jails to two weeks, changing previous Pentagon policy. In the past, the military could obtain extensions.

I said this to you on March 30: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=433&topic_id=252159&mesg_id=254166

:shrug:

Furthermore:

While two of the detainees were captured before the Obama administration took office, one was captured in June of this year... All three detainees were later released without charges. None said they had been tortured...In August, the military said that it had begun to give the Red Cross the names of everyone detained, including those held in the Special Operations camps, within two weeks of capture... All three detainees said the hardest part of their detention was that their families did not know whether they were alive.

Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/29/world/asia/29bagram.html?_r=1

False polemic has no place on DU, but some 24/7 critics seem to prefer it to the truth.

[tekisui]

42. Whether it is a military jail or a civilian jail,

Obama is holding detainees far longer than 2 weeks. You are referring to 'new' detainees. The ones that have been held 6-8 years are not in that group, obviously.

[ClarkUSA]

43. You said, "Yet he still claims the right to indefinite detention." I proved you wrong.

<<The ones that have been held 6-8 years are not in that group, obviously.>>

Unless you have evidence to share with us that prove otherwise, they are being held for good reason.

[zipplewrath]

45. Indefinitely

He has stated several times that he endorses indefinite detentions. He wants a process in place to review them, but they will still be held indefinitely, without trial. New detainees currently aren't being brought here for that. But the existing detainees contains people he plans on keeping, without trial, for an undetermined amount of time. Recently, his AG also testified that certain folks, even if found not guilty by a trial or commission, would not be released.

[ClarkUSA]

47. Do you have up-to-date and credible news sources for your claims? n/t

[zipplewrath]

53. How do you feel about Atlantic Monthly

"Critics of the civilian-trial approach have suggested that, if KSM is acquitted, he could be released into the continental United States, but Attorney General Eric Holder has ruled this out completely. No matter what the jury decides, it seems, Mohammed will remain a prisoner in U.S. custody."

http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/print/2010/02/promising-a-conviction-for-ksm/35961/

[ClarkUSA]

54. KSM is not "folks", he's a 9/11 planner. You also said alot more that is yet to be sourced.

<<He has stated several times that he endorses indefinite detentions. He wants a process in place to review them, but they will still be held indefinitely, without trial. New detainees currently aren't being brought here for that. But the existing detainees contains people he plans on keeping, without trial, for an undetermined amount of time.>>

These claims are yet to be sourced with an up-to-date credible news report. Unless you have evidence to share, there is good reason for those being held now.

<<Recently, his AG also testified that certain folks, even if found not guilty by a trial or commission, would not be released.

What other "folks" has Holder said this about?

[zipplewrath]

55. Gitmo Detainees

It was at a recent hearing before congress. He was explaining to someone that if they ran civilian trials, even if they were found guilty, they wouldn't be released.

[hughee99]

28. So we're counting as an "accomplishment"

that he said he wanted to do it. He said he wanted to do it in a year, and didn't get it done. Has * lowered the bar so much for our expectations that we're now willing to count this as an accomplishment? Call it a "work in progress" if you want, but it's not an accomplishment.

And as far as "funding" goes, he got the stimulus, HCR and is working on a new jobs bill, and you're telling me he can't swing funding to move a few hundred people out of Cuba? That's bullshit. You know it and yet you still try to make the argument. He hasn't closed it because he hasn't figured out what he's going to do with the people in these camps yet. If he knew what he was going to do with them, he'd have the funding tomorrow.

[HughMoran]

56. Right, it's not the funding to move the people

it's the arrangements to house (prison) and try these people once they get here. You know that, but you'll argue anyway even knowing the practical roadblocks he's encountered. And it's not the only thing on his agenda either, in case you hadn't noticed.

[hughee99]

57. Excellent points, all.

So if something doesn't get done, but there's all sorts of serious problems to consider, and he's pretty busy, we get to call it an accomplishment? Is that how it works?

I'm not trying to say he screwed this up or anything, but it's not done, so lets not hang a "Mission Accomplished" banner just yet.

If you're trying to convince me that closing Guantanamo was an accomplishment, or that "ordering the closing" is an accomplishment is of any real value (given that it didn't get done), you're not going to win. I think it's great that he wants to close it, and I'll give him full credit when it gets done. If you're trying to defend Obama against some perceived slight, my big issue is with listing this in the OP, not with Obama so much.

[HughMoran]

58. Ordering the closure of Gitmo was, in itself, an admirable action

I'm not that concerned if it takes 1 year or 1.5 years or even 2 years, so long as the place is closed. I'm not sure I'd hold a giant red stop sign with "but what about Gitmo?!!?" printed on it - certainly the man's Presidency amounts to more than that?

[hughee99]

59. His presidency does amount to more than that,

which is why I only took issue with 1 item on this rather extensive list. I wasn't the one who brought up Gitmo either, it's at the top of the list as an accomplishment. I'd like it to be closed as soon as possible, though I understand why he's having trouble doing it. I'm not the one with an unreasonable expectation of what he should have accomplished, though. Obama chose to set this deadline but he didn't make it, and I don't see this as being something that gets done in the near future either. Ordering the closing of Gitmo was admirable, but it's only symbolic without the follow-through.

[Peacetrain]

7. Its amazing isn't it.. K&R

[zipplewrath]

8. A bit of realism

Passing the "largest" economic stimulus bill in American history.

Okay, but let's be honest and admit that it was vastly smaller than it needed to be. He dropped some of the more critical features trying to get GOP support and basically didn't get it. Much of what passed would have been done under McCain. The critical features that were missing that McCain would have had was far more tax cuts. He also left the Bush tax cuts for the rich in place.

Ordering the closing of Guantanamo Bay military detention facility

That's an "accomplishment"? You'll note it didn't close when he "ordered" it. They don't even have a PLAN to close it yet. And he's looking to Grahm to write that plan.

and abolishing "enhanced interrogation techniques."

He didn't "abolish" them. They had stopped years ago. The memo's authorizing them were withdrawn before he took office. And he reserved the authority (for himself and future presidents)to use them in the future. We're still a nation that tortures.

Setting a fixed timetable for withdrawing U.S. combat forces from Iraq.

Known as the SOFA negotiated by Bush.

Ordering 21,000 additional troops to Afghanistan and enlisting, with modest new assistance, European allies in a new multi-layered strategy there and in Pakistan.

Oh, it's more troops than that. That's the LATEST increase. He plussed up a time before that. He's roughly triple what Bush had in there.

"Returning science to its rightful place" by lifting the Bush restrictions on federally funded embryonic stem cell research.

Yup

Signing laws to expand children's health insurance (financed by a 61-cent per pack increase in the federal cigarette tax the adviser did not tout).

Yeah. Realize that this was passed under Bush as well, but Bush vetoed it. But if you want to call this an Obama "accomplishment, okay.

Signing a law meant to improve the ability of women who allege pay discrimination to sue their employer.

I assume you're referring to the Lilly Leadbetter Act. Again, that was an act that was already in place.
That's a relatively low standard for accomplishment, but hey, whatever.

Diminishing the role of lobbyists in the White House

And then immediately issuing exemptions at the highest levels. Not to mention bringing in Big Pharma to negotiate a deal on HCR that reversed at least one campaign position. (Negotiations on Part D drug prices).

"Forge a meaningful statement from the United Nations" criticizing North Korea's launch of a ballistic missile.
Lifting travel and remittance restrictions for Cuban Americans who seek to travel more frequently to the island and send more US currency to their immediate family.
Appointed the first Latina to the US Supreme Court
Engaging world leaders in Europe, Turkey, Latin American and the Caribbean with "strength and humility."

All fine, except that none of those have particularly borne fruit yet. Again, you have a strangely low threshold for "accomplishment". And there seems to be some double dipping on the second list as well. And strangely you aren't including one of his really large ones, which was the recent nuclear arms treaty he just negotiated. THAT was big.


I'm always torn with these lists because really, it's only been a year. I don't think this kind of "over reaching" is necessary for his supporters. He has enough accomplishments for the first year with out embellishing like this.

[Name removed]

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[VMI Dem]

13. Continued killing of civilians in Afghanistan.

Don't forget that.

[NJmaverick]

15. That would be a disingenuous comment

The current situation is such that more civilians would be murdered by the Taliban than are accidentally killed by NATO forces if NATO were to immediately flee from the Country

[tekisui]

17. Link?

That's a hell of a claim.

[NJmaverick]

18. Do you have a link to prove your assertion?

[tekisui]

19. You made the claim, back it up, big boy.

[NJmaverick]

20. You are playing games son. You are suggesting that there are links have the ability to see into the

future

[Name removed]

21. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[NJmaverick]

23. No, I wouldn't do that (as you were caught doing last week)

it's a reasonable assertion based on the Taliban's current and past history that they will kill 10s of thousands of Afghans that opposed them and/or supported the Americans. To suggest otherwise would make little to no sense.

[IndianaGreen]

22. By your logic, Mussolini would be a good guy because he killed less people than Hitler

Situational ethics much?

[NJmaverick]

24. You completely failed to understand the concept I presented

you are at the present situation. You can go down path A which will result in the Taliban slaughtering 10s of thousands of innocent Afghans or you go down path B which will have unintentional civilian casualties, in the 100s and maybe more murdered by the Taliban, but there will be less death from path B than from path A.

[IndianaGreen]

31. There is no such thing as 'unintentional civilian casualties'

Published on Monday, April 5, 2010 by TimesOnline/UK

US Special Forces 'Tried to Cover Up' Botched Khataba Raid in Afghanistan

by Jerome Starkey, Kabul

US special forces soldiers dug bullets out of their victims' bodies in the bloody aftermath of a botched night raid, then washed the wounds with alcohol before lying to their superiors about what happened, Afghan investigators have told The Times.

Two pregnant women, a teenage girl, a police officer and his brother were shot on February 12 when US and Afghan special forces stormed their home in Khataba village, outside Gardez in eastern Afghanistan. The precise composition of the force has never been made public.

The claims were made as NATO admitted responsibility for all the deaths for the first time last night. It had initially claimed that the women had been dead for several hours when the assault force discovered their bodies.

"Despite earlier reports we have determined that the women were accidentally killed as a result of the joint force firing at the men," said Lieutenant-Colonel Todd Breasseale, a NATO spokesman. The coalition continued to deny that there had been a cover-up and said that its legal investigation, which is ongoing, had found no evidence of inappropriate conduct.

The Kabul headquarters of General Stanley McChrystal, the commander of US and Nato forces, claimed originally that the women had been "tied up, gagged and killed".

http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2010/04/05

The victims were not white, not Christian, and not wealthy. They were "unintentional civilian casualties" in a misguided and criminal war that Obama is waging for reasons having little to do with the security of the American people.

[NJmaverick]

44. First your article in no way shape for forms disputes the fact that there are unintended civilian

deaths. Secondly your article in no way shape of form suggests the deaths were deliberate, rather it suggests an accident that was covered up.

[IndianaGreen]

49. What part of cold blooded execution don't you get?

If I were to drop a 500 pound bomb on the house next to yours in order to get at a bad guy, your house and the neighboring houses will be blown to bits. That's what we do in Iraq, Afghanistan, Yemen, and Somalia, and that's what the IDF did in Gaza and Lebanon. There is no such thing as unintended civilian casualties.

[ClarkUSA]

26. By your logic, WWII should never have been fought because Allied bombing killed civilians.

Situational logic much?

[IndianaGreen]

29. You forget that we were the ones that were attacked by Japan

and that the signatories of the Axis Pact declared war on the United States.

Critical thinking much?

[ClarkUSA]

32. You forget that 9/11 masterminds were/are sheltered by their allies in the Taliban in Af-Pak...

Critical thinking much?

[IndianaGreen]

33. And they were in Hamburg, where the plot was actually planned

Are we bombing or invading Germany yet?

BTW, since the US supported the Taliban, shouldn't we be bombing ourselves?

[amborin]

34. or at least Florida and San Diego, where some of them had apts

[IndianaGreen]

36. And our boy Karzai just said over the weekend that he might join the Taliban

Should we bomb Kabul as well?

Amazing the rationalizations for Obama's wars. Had a McCain/Palin Administration been in power, the very same people that are saying that war is good, would be joining us in saying that war is bad. The letter "D" doesn't make a war good anymore than the letter "R" makes a war bad. War is bad!

[amborin]

38. the oracle has spoken

i'm looking for that article on the oracle

the people believe the oracle was the arbiter of truth and reality

regardless of all the contradictory evidence, they maintained their belief in the oracle, by re-interpreting the events to support their fixation

[ClarkUSA]

39. So what? n/t

[Raineyb]

48. So what? You cannot justify bombings by calling the Taliban the allies of Al Queda then

saying "so what" when the head of the country we supposedly liberated says he may join them.

Cognitive dissonance much?

Here's a hint: If we're fighting the Taliban it is NOT a good thing that our hand picked puppet is considering joining them.

[ClarkUSA]

50. Of course I can. One group is an actual ally of Al Qaeda, the other is just making noises.

Let me know when Karzai actually joins Al Qaeda. I'll bet Rush Limbaugh moves to Costa Rica first.

[Name removed]

51. Deleted message

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[Raineyb]

52. You can if you don't care about a small thing called consistency.

Otherwise you're merely spouting talking points because you're more interested in personality than policy. That is of course your right but no one is under any obligation to humor your delusion. I certainly won't.

[ClarkUSA]

37. Moving the goalposts now? n/t

[amborin]

40. just presenting facts!

[ClarkUSA]

41. I was speaking of the red herrings that keep being thrown out. n/t

[spoony]

60. Like the one that Bush had legitimate reason to invade Afghanistan? nt

[treestar]

27. I disagree with that war too, ever since Bush started it

And at that time, that was not a popular position.

But that doesn't mean I discount the President's other accomplishments.

And it doesn't mean I don't understand that getting out of there might be complicated.

Even if we just left, we couldn't do it in one day, just like Iraq, for which he gets no credit from the left either.

[zipplewrath]

46. What credit are you looking for?

The reductions in Iraq are based upon the SOFA that Bush negotiated.

[kestrel91316]

61. K&R