Nicholas Kristof: Give Obama a Break

[babylonsister]

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/31/opinion/31kristof.html?hp

Give Obama a Break
By NICHOLAS D. KRISTOF
Published: October 30, 2010

snip//


The economic crisis has also distracted from authentic accomplishments. Presidents since Harry Truman have been pushing for health care reform, and it was Mr. Obama who finally achieved it. The economy seemed at risk of another Great Depression when he took office, and that was downgraded to a recession from which we have officially emerged — even though the pain is still biting.

Mr. Obama has also helped engineer a successful auto bailout, a big push for clean energy, the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act to reduce sex discrimination, tighter tobacco regulations aimed at the 1,000 Americans under age 18 who become smokers each day, and tighter financial regulation including reform of credit card rules.

Above all, Mr. Obama has been stellar in one area crucial to our country’s future: education. Democrats historically have been AWOL on school reform because they are beholden to teacher unions, but Mr. Obama has reframed the debate and made it safe to talk about teaching standards and “bad teachers.” Until Mr. Obama, Democrats barely acknowledged that it was possible for a teacher to be bad.

Mr. Obama used stimulus money to keep teachers from being laid off and to nudge states to reform education so as to benefit children for years to come. His “Race to the Top” focused states on education reform as never before.

He has also revamped and expanded student loans and bolstered support for community colleges, opening a new path to higher education for working-class Americans. Millions more Americans may end up in college.

snip//

Presidents in both parties have talked for years about the importance of education, but until now it has been lip service. Improving America’s inner-city schools will be a long slog, but Mr. Obama has done far more than any other president in this area — arguably our single greatest national challenge. In my view, it’s his greatest achievement, and it has been largely ignored.

So, sure, go ahead and hold Mr. Obama’s feet to the fire. He deserves to be held accountable. But let’s not allow economic malaise to cloud our judgment and magnify America’s problems in ways that become self-fulfilling.

[dennis4868]

1. I love this editorial....

it is right on!

Problem here is that many DUers don't give Obama a break considering everything he has been up against the past 2 years....they don't give a damn about that and expect Obama to shit on the constitution and make himself a king to get every possible liberal legislation into law in 2 years. This place is starting to become AntiObamaUnderground. People here are even calling for Obama to be challenged in the 2012 primaries. Can you believe that. Do people here have any idea what it would mean if Obama gets challenged in the promaries. He becomes a weaken candidate for preseident and will no doubt lose to . And then what do we have?

[Phx_Dem]

2. Good column. I expected this shit from Republicans, but not Democrats.

We're gonna be totally fucked on Tuesday, The the far lefties should be happy since they love to complain more than anything else, and now they're gonna have lots to complain about. Congratulations whiners.

[KossackRealityCheck]

5. Please don't insult "far lefties"

There are plenty of us far lefties who can understand politics of what's possible. The people who "love to complain" are all over the political map from center right Hillary Pumas to far left. What unites them isn't that they are far left. It's that they "love to complain."

[ampad]

6. The fact that they like to complain

Is not all that unites them.

[KossackRealityCheck]

10. How can that be?

The poster said there are people "who love to complain." All I said is that what unites people who love to complain is that they love to complain. How can that not be right? In fact, it's a tautology. You are disagreeing with a tautology. I suppose you would also disagree with the statement that everyone who is six feet tall is six feet tall. Talk about being willing to disagree with anything!

Not everyone who loves to complain is a far leftie, and not every far lefties loves to complain. There are plenty of center right Pumas who love to complain about this administration, and obviously, they don't share being far lefties in common with far lefties.

[Phx_Dem]

12. Why not? All they do is insult Obama and the rest of the Democrats.

I'm sick of their constant bitching.

[KossackRealityCheck]

13. What I'm trying to say is that not all far lefties

are critical of Obama. I think the difference isn't between left and right, but between those who understand the political process and those who don't, or maybe between idealists and pragmatists. At DailyKos there are a lot of lefties who are generally supportive of the administration.

I mean you're probably right that being far left makes a person more likely to be a "complainer" but that doesn't explain it 100%. Also there are people who criticize a lot but who can't really be pigeonholed.

I haven't been posting on DU long enough to know what the divisions are here, and maybe the complainers vs. the satisfied is a reflection of left vs right here, but in the rest of the blogosphere that's not necessarily the case.

[firedupdem]

3. K&R n/t

[jenmito]

4. K&R. We need MORE articles/editorials like this, as well as more Dem. "strategists" touting

Obama's achievements.

[ProSense]

7. People have moved the goal post on this President so much he will never do anything right.

Iraq is a perfect example. President Obama did exactly what he said he would do. The remaining troops are scheduled to withdraw by the end of 2011.

His efforts were deemed not good enough. People want more, but instead of these critics pushing the President to get out faster, they hate him for doing exactly what he said he would do. Iraq is an issue now considered as part of the reason he should be primaried. He doesn't deserve another term because he did exactly what he said he would do in Iraq. Mind you, the 2011 date for full withdrawal is more than a year before the President's first term in office is up.

[flamingdem]

11. Agreed. He is not getting credit as part of the Republican "plan" nt

[impik]

8. The price you pay for being the first black president

You're being held to entirely different standards. Any white president would have been already declared as one of our greatest presidents ever.

[mkultra]

9. the black bar is higher