I’ve pointed out, for instance, that Obama hasincreased spending at a slower rate than his GOP predecessor. That may be damning with faint praise since Bush was a big spender, but at least Obama didn’t open the money spigot in Washington even wider. Posted on 11/20/2013 8:05:02 AM PST by Kaslin
While I’m critical of the overall design and impact of President Obama’s economic policy, I don’t have a partisan agenda and I’m willing to give the White House credit when it’s warranted.
I’ve pointed out, for instance, that Obama hasincreased spending at a slower rate than his GOP predecessor. That may be damning with faint praise since Bush was a big spender, but at least Obama didn’t open the money spigot in Washington even wider.
I also gave Obama some grudging praise for opposing a French tax harmonization scheme.
Heck, I even went out of my way to find something vaguely positive to sayabout Obamacare.
And I’ve shared some pro-Obama humor and even (sort of) defended Obama from the accusation that he’s a socialist.
So I think I have at least some ability to dispassionately judge (from a libertarian perspective) how President Obama ranks in comparison to others who have held the office.
I’m motivated to address this issue because several readers sent me an article in the Huffington Post that makes a rather remarkable claim.
Barack Obama is one of the greatest presidents America has ever seen. I believe history will prove this, and with time, he will be remembered in the annals of history as a revered revolutionary.
Even more amazing, the author wasn’t being satirical. He lists 12 specific reasons why he thinks Obama deserves high praise.
1. He is for The People. …2. He is for civil rights. …3. He is for one race – the human race. …4. He is for a healthcare system that brings hope and healing to the hurting. …5. He is for the middle class. …6. He is for women’s rights. …7. He is for doing away with pomp and circumstance. …8. He is for the environment. …9. He is for veterans. …10. He is for peace. …11. He is for education. …12. He is for entertaining the masses.
If you click through and read the details, you’ll notice that the author almost never provides any details to back up his 12 reasons. He simply asserts that the President has good intentions.
Well, that probably true. But so what? I’m sure Jimmy Carter and Richard Nixon also had good intentions.
And when the author does provide details, they are very weak. Let’s look at a few specific claims.
We’re supposed to believe Obama “is for peace” because he was awarded a Nobel Prize immediately after taking office and before he did anything.
His actual record, for what it’s worth, has been to continue many of Bush’s policies and to pursue military intervention in Libya and Syria.
The author says Obama is “for the middle class,” yet that passage of the article doesn’t list a single policy, much less a specific accomplishment.
And there certainly wasn’t any effort to explain how an $8 trillion output gap and a seemingly permanent reduction in the employment-population ratio are good for ordinary people.
Moreover, if Obama “is for a healthcare system that brings hope and healing to the hurting,” then one might expect the author to reconcile that assertion with the fact thatObamacare is causing millions of people to lose their health insurance.
I’m also puzzled by the claim that the President “is for education.” This is the White House, after all, that was so intent on undermining opportunity for disadvantaged kids in Louisiana that even the Washington Post felt compelled to slam the Administration.
There’s no need to go through all 12 “reasons” before reaching the conclusion that there’s no way Obama deserves to be ranked anywhere near the top of the list for best Presidents.
And I’m not basing that on my own ideological preferences. If you want my opinion, Reagan and Coolidge are among the best (with an honorable mention for Bill Clinton) and FDR, Nixon, Wilson, and Hoover are near the bottom.
But even by non-ideological standards, it’s simply not credible to give Obama high marks.
P.S. If I had to guess, I suspect Obama would like to be another FDR. Fortunately, he won’t achieve that goal.
P.P.S. The assertion that Obama is “one of the best Presidents ever” is almost as silly as the claim that he is a conservative.
P.P.P.S. Since we’re comparing Presidents, I can’t resist sharing that the polling data showing that people would overwhelmingly vote for Reagan over Obama.
I’ve pointed out, for instance, that Obama has increased spending at a slower rate than his GOP predecessor. That may be damning with faint praise since Bush was a big spender, but at least Obama didn’t open the money spigot in Washington even wider.
Hold up. You are not even making basic sense. In the first sentence you state Obama HAS increased spending in the second sentence you state Obama didn’t open the money spigot even wider. Can’t have it both ways.... He either increased spending or he did not.
From a Russian or Chinese perspective - absoltely.
Remember when the Moonbats demanded Hussein be immediately installed in office no waiting till January?
Jeeezzzzzz.....
LOL, had forgotten about this silliness. Thanks for the blast from the past. Nothing really has changed since day 1...has it. He’s still an incompetent posturing buffoon.
One of the best presidents of Uzbekistan or Zimbabwe, maybe.
He has been running this country like a Third-World tribal society. Once, the territory formerly known as “the United States of America” was a well-respected, powerful, just and moral nation, but now we are very close to anarchy and chaos.
So long as the Current Occupant continues to squat there, the edifice at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue will continue to be the “White Hut (or “Spite Hut”).
He’s not satisfied with making the country into a third world society. He wants to make it into a fourth world society
Probably the second best this century. Oh wait Clinton was president for 21 days in 2001. Probably moves Barrack to third.
Actually the biggest spending increase was in fiscal 2009. This was caused by the combination of TARP (Much paid back over several years), and the Obama Stimulus package of $800 billion. The 2009 budget was not approved until April 2009, seven months into the FY. Since then there has been no approved budget by Congress.
Because of this the spending has been “approved” through the use of Continuing Resolutions. And including in this spending are the TARP and Stimulus amounts.
Only by Republican spending restraint i.e. the Sequester has any reduction been made.
See a chart here: http://www.usgovernmentspending.com/spending_chart_2000_2012USb_11s1li111mcn_F0f
Related: The Deficit for FY 2013 was declared to be only $680 billion. But 2 days after the debt limit was raised on Oct 16, the US debt jumped $409 billion. The deficit was held down in 2013 through what Jack Lew (treasury Sec) called extraordinary means. As of Nov 28, 2013 the new debt increase for the US is all ready at $494 billion. Much of that a hold over from FY 2013 which is a statistical anomaly.
The author does write a lot of humor, that is true
Sorry I meant to type Nov 18 not Nov 28.
That would be 43. Grover Cleveland was both #22 and #24. So, while BHO is the 44th President, he is only the 43rd person to hold that title.
Is this a trick question?
If you read the entire article, then you would have to agree a barf alert would have been uncalled for.
Was Vanilla Ice the best rapper?
“President Elect Obama forced Bush’s hand on that spigot. He threw a temper tantrum and insisted that things would go to hell if Bush denied the funds until Jan 20, 2009”
It also helps that there was a “balanced budget” just before the end-of-Clinton recession, including about $200 Billion or so defecit in defense spending, and about $55 Billion in Social Security being thrown in.
Oh, he'll be remembered as a revolutionary. With any luck, and the 2016 elections are still held, hopefully he'll be a model example of someone to NEVER, EVER vote in again as President of the United States!
He loves veterans and the military so much, he can't even learn how to properly pronounce "corpsmen."
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