Polls are a snapshot of how people feel at a particular moment, and many Americans aren't happy. In a Quinnipiac poll, that was released last week, 33% of Americans rated Barack Obama the worst president since World War II. President George W. Bush was the second worst according to 28% of Americans surveyed.
The question posed in Quinnipiac's survey was simply, "Thinking about the presidents we have had since World War II, which one would you consider the worst?" Americans have endured several years of dysfunctional government, primarily brought on by Republicans who vowed on the day Obama was first sworn in to block everything he tries to do. Their tactics have led to a government shutdown, which cost the taxpayers billions of dollars, endless partisan bickering, and the least productive Congress in memory.
It is perhaps logical that Americans would hold the president responsible for the chaos in Washington, after all, he is the chief executive officer. President Obama is almost at the midway point of his second term, a period when most two-term presidents see their popularity plummet. And, let's face it, there are a lot of crises currently brewing, both on the international and domestic fronts. Right wing talk radio and other conservative outlets have amped up their attacks on the president, and have linked him to several so-called scandals, most of which are not scandals.
Nonetheless, the Quinnipiac poll is a reminder how short America's memory is. It is hard to believe that Obama would top his predecessor as worst president. Bush gave the U.S. and the world the worst recession since the Great Depression, which resulted in record unemployment and deficits. The economy was so badly damaged that six years later recovery remains slow and millions of Americans are still struggling.
President Bush and his national security team lied to the American public about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq as a pretext for war in 2003. Consequently, thousands of U.S. servicemen and Iraqi civilians died, and more that $1 trillion in American taxpayer dollars have so far been wasted. Meanwhile, Bush and his team totally dropped the ball in Afghanistan. Further, they couldn't catch Al Qaeda's leader, Osama bin Laden. Bush's foreign policy did more to diminish America on the global stage than any recent president.
Thankfully, President Bush failed in his attempt to privatize Social Security. But he did sign into law an unfunded prescription drug plan that has added billions of dollars to the deficit. By the way, the plan's launch was a monumental disaster. And, when it comes to disasters, who can forget Bush's poor handling of the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. In Bush's own words, "Heck of a job Brownie."
Americans, inundated with an incessant torrent of partisan criticism, have forgotten that Obama has actually done a lot of good despite GOP intransigence. Obama's 2009 stimulus plan put the breaks on the crashing economy he inherited from Bush, and put it on the long road to recovery. Obama also supported bailing out the U.S. auto companies, which now have regained their swagger. The president signed into law the Affordable Health Care Act, which, despite a rocky roll out and blocking tactics by Republican governors, covers millions of previously uninsured Americans. Unemployment is now at 6.1% and the stock market is soaring to record heights.
Obama refocused America's military on Afghanistan as he promised he would in his election campaign, and he is now implementing the withdrawal of U.S. combat troops while working to support a democratic government. Obama ended America's war with Iraq, according to an agreement negotiated by the Bush administration, but it may be impossible for the Baghdad government to put their country back together again. An unintended consequence of the Iraq invasion was the emergence of a stronger Iran. The West is negotiating with Iran over the scope its nuclear program.
His national security forces killed Al Qaeda's Osama bin Laden, and decimated their core leadership. Regretfully, terrorism cells have now arisen in other countries. Meanwhile, ISIS is ruthlessly killing thousands of innocent people in Syria and Iraq. Would things have been different had Obama earlier supported a moderate anti-Assad faction in Syria? Maybe, but at the time the opposition was fractured and it was a tough call as to whom to support.
For sure, President Obama has made mistakes in office. However, the pluses heavily outweigh the minuses. But even a perfect president would be subject to endless criticism from the opposition. And it is not easy being a president in an era of 24-hour news and social media. For opponents, it is so easy to criticize, to pander to one's base, and to get on television with a pithy soundbite. But, how many of those who are critical, especially with the loudest voices, actually offer solutions? Most do not because to do so would be politically damaging to their career.
Today, most Americans are frustrated with Washington, and this Quinnipiac poll reflects the current mood in the country. Americans are right to demand and expect more from their government and the country's leadership. But, sadly, there are too many political and economic factors preventing meaningful change and reform.
Meanwhile, leave it to future historians to judge the historic Obama presidency.
Showing posts with label President Bush. Show all posts
Showing posts with label President Bush. Show all posts
Monday, July 7, 2014
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Bold Leadership
As Republican presidential candidates intensely jockey for position the White House is having internal debates over what approach President Barack Obama should take on the struggling U.S. economy. With fifteen months to go until the 2012 presidential election, President Obama must begin to turn things around if he is to be reelected to a second term.
The Iowa straw poll and the Republican debate last Thursday, while showing deep divisions within that party, manifested great unity among the candidates in a common purpose to defeat President Obama. Contenders bashed the president's failure to right the economy and lead the nation toward recovery. They attacked the burgeoning annual deficits the Obama administration has incurred and they slammed the lack of progress on the nation's painfully high unemployment rate, which is still more than 9%.
Of course, Republican candidates blamed President Obama for Standard and Poor's downgrade of the U.S. credit rating. Never mind that S&P did not single out the president in its report, "The prolonged controversy over raising the statutory debt ceiling and the related fiscal policy debate indicate that further near-term progress containing the growth in public spending, especially on entitlements, or on reaching an agreement on raising revenues is less likely than we previously assumed and will remain a contentious and fitful process."
President Obama did inherit from President George W. Bush the worst recession since the Great Depression. And recent revisions in economic data show that the U.S. economy was declining at a faster rate than previously thought. The unemployment rate was at 7.1% when President Bush stepped down but it was in a nosedive. The former president handed off huge annual deficits, in large part due to the Bush tax cuts, two wars and the Medicare Prescription Drug and Modernization Act, all unfunded. Further, the financial markets had collapsed and the U.S. housing market, heavily over leveraged due to weak oversight, was in shambles.
From the moment President Barack Obama took office Republicans in Congress have fiercely fought the president on every one of his initiatives. They pushed back hard on a stimulus plan that helped avoid another depression, emergency measures that saved the U.S. auto industry, as well as financial and health care reform. In each case the resulting legislation was demagogued and ultimately watered down. Of course, the very Republicans who criticized the stimulus bill most harshly, including Governor Rick Perry of Texas and Representative
Michele Bachmann of Minnesota, used the funds to their political advantage.
Since the 2010 mid term elections the conservative Tea Party faction that is passionately committed to spending cuts and no new taxes has kept the Republican Congressional leadership in line. Most Republicans legislators have signed Grover Norquist's pledge not to raise taxes. So powerful is that pledge that every GOP candidate in Thursday's debate said they would not approve a compromise consisting of $10 in cuts for $1 dollar in new taxes.
Compromise is a dirty word for Republicans. Cutting government spending and lowering taxes, they say, is the best way to grow the economy. Yet the Bush tax cuts resulted in little job growth during his presidency, and recent government spending cuts, especially at the state level, has resulted in a half million layoffs nationwide.
Many economists believe a balanced approach, that is some increased revenues as well as spending cuts, is the best path to recovery in the short term. Polls show a majority of Americans favor ending the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy. Yet Republicans successfully linked increasing the debt ceiling to more spending cuts. No spending cuts would have meant not raising the debt ceiling. That is like a family going to the bank and saying they are not going to pay all their loans until they are able to cut their household expenses.
This brinksmanship in Congress, the lack of a sustained recovery in the U.S. and the near collapse of the world economy are together creating chaos on the financial markets. That leaves the road ahead uncertain and millions of unemployed Americans with little hope.
The Republicans have President Obama cornered between a rock and a hard place. While some in the White House recommend a middle course, which may appeal to independent voters, it seems most unlikely that such an approach will be enough to assure him reelection. This is especially true when contrasted to GOP political attacks, such as "a failed economic policy”, "the first president in history to be downgraded", and “record deficit spending.”
While the president remains personally popular among Americans, his job approval ratings are declining. This is the time for bold action on the part of the president. He must go on the offensive with a strong jobs plan, and show he is willing to take the lead in restoring hope for all Americans. That would be change one can believe in.
The Iowa straw poll and the Republican debate last Thursday, while showing deep divisions within that party, manifested great unity among the candidates in a common purpose to defeat President Obama. Contenders bashed the president's failure to right the economy and lead the nation toward recovery. They attacked the burgeoning annual deficits the Obama administration has incurred and they slammed the lack of progress on the nation's painfully high unemployment rate, which is still more than 9%.
Of course, Republican candidates blamed President Obama for Standard and Poor's downgrade of the U.S. credit rating. Never mind that S&P did not single out the president in its report, "The prolonged controversy over raising the statutory debt ceiling and the related fiscal policy debate indicate that further near-term progress containing the growth in public spending, especially on entitlements, or on reaching an agreement on raising revenues is less likely than we previously assumed and will remain a contentious and fitful process."
President Obama did inherit from President George W. Bush the worst recession since the Great Depression. And recent revisions in economic data show that the U.S. economy was declining at a faster rate than previously thought. The unemployment rate was at 7.1% when President Bush stepped down but it was in a nosedive. The former president handed off huge annual deficits, in large part due to the Bush tax cuts, two wars and the Medicare Prescription Drug and Modernization Act, all unfunded. Further, the financial markets had collapsed and the U.S. housing market, heavily over leveraged due to weak oversight, was in shambles.
From the moment President Barack Obama took office Republicans in Congress have fiercely fought the president on every one of his initiatives. They pushed back hard on a stimulus plan that helped avoid another depression, emergency measures that saved the U.S. auto industry, as well as financial and health care reform. In each case the resulting legislation was demagogued and ultimately watered down. Of course, the very Republicans who criticized the stimulus bill most harshly, including Governor Rick Perry of Texas and Representative
Michele Bachmann of Minnesota, used the funds to their political advantage.
Since the 2010 mid term elections the conservative Tea Party faction that is passionately committed to spending cuts and no new taxes has kept the Republican Congressional leadership in line. Most Republicans legislators have signed Grover Norquist's pledge not to raise taxes. So powerful is that pledge that every GOP candidate in Thursday's debate said they would not approve a compromise consisting of $10 in cuts for $1 dollar in new taxes.
Compromise is a dirty word for Republicans. Cutting government spending and lowering taxes, they say, is the best way to grow the economy. Yet the Bush tax cuts resulted in little job growth during his presidency, and recent government spending cuts, especially at the state level, has resulted in a half million layoffs nationwide.
Many economists believe a balanced approach, that is some increased revenues as well as spending cuts, is the best path to recovery in the short term. Polls show a majority of Americans favor ending the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy. Yet Republicans successfully linked increasing the debt ceiling to more spending cuts. No spending cuts would have meant not raising the debt ceiling. That is like a family going to the bank and saying they are not going to pay all their loans until they are able to cut their household expenses.
This brinksmanship in Congress, the lack of a sustained recovery in the U.S. and the near collapse of the world economy are together creating chaos on the financial markets. That leaves the road ahead uncertain and millions of unemployed Americans with little hope.
The Republicans have President Obama cornered between a rock and a hard place. While some in the White House recommend a middle course, which may appeal to independent voters, it seems most unlikely that such an approach will be enough to assure him reelection. This is especially true when contrasted to GOP political attacks, such as "a failed economic policy”, "the first president in history to be downgraded", and “record deficit spending.”
While the president remains personally popular among Americans, his job approval ratings are declining. This is the time for bold action on the part of the president. He must go on the offensive with a strong jobs plan, and show he is willing to take the lead in restoring hope for all Americans. That would be change one can believe in.
Friday, January 16, 2009
You're No Harry Truman
In his speech to the nation Thursday evening, President George Bush defiantly asserted his list of accomplishments during his eight years in office. But there were hints of wistfulness and melancholy in his tone. And he admitted a few setbacks while in office conceding, "There are a few things I would do differently if given a chance. Yet I have always acted with the best interest of our country in mind."
In February 2003 I traveled with a Telemundo news team to the White House to interview President Bush, one month before the Iraq invasion. War fever had built to a crescendo in Washington, and the White House wanted to make its case to Hispanic Americans.
President Bush entered our interview location, a room on the ground floor of the White House, with swagger and a smile. He was imperious and proud. During the interview he went through his justifications for an invasion, but said the final decision had not been made.
Following the interview the President Bush hung around for a few minutes of banter. I raised the issue of opposition to the pending war from the French, asking him, "What about President Jacques Chirac?" President Bush slapped me on the shoulder with the back of his hand, cocked his head and said, "Don't worry, he'll come around." With that, he quickly said his goodbyes and confidently departed. I turned to my team and said, "We're going to war."
In his speech last night, President Bush said, "I hope you can agree that I was willing to make tough decisions." Well, yes, he has made tough decisions. The problem is that he often made the wrong decisions. And worse, once decided, the decisions he made were poorly executed.
The Iraq war is a classic case of the wrong decision that was also poorly executed. Deregulation of the financial industry is another example. And, in the aftermath of Katrina, wrong decisions were made and the execution was painfully inept. The violation of civil liberties and his authorization of harsh interrogation techniques were terrible decisions that have undermined America's core values and founding principles. These are but a few examples.
"There is legitimate debate about many of these decisions," President Bush said, "but there can be little debate about the results, America has gone seven years without another terrorist attack on our soil." I felt a back handed slap against my shoulder as he spoke these words. President Bush seemed to be saying, "let's see what the next guy can do."
Today there is much debate about America's future. The country is mired in two wars, a devastating financial collapse, a recession, the Middle East is in turmoil, Osama bin Laden is still loose, and America's moral standing in the world has been severely eroded.
Most Americans support President-elect Barack Obama. He has already displayed intelligence, thoughtfulness, and a willingness to listen to strong voices and diverse opinions. His calm and cool style of leadership is reassuring. Hopefully we are entering a period of smart decisions, accountability and well-executed management. America's future is at stake.
President Bush apparently wants to be compared to President Harry Truman, who was also very unpopular when he left office. Yet after his retirement scholars came to judge Truman more positively. He made tough decisions and, as a result, he is now considered one of America's finest presidents.
Mr. Bush, you are no Harry Truman.
In February 2003 I traveled with a Telemundo news team to the White House to interview President Bush, one month before the Iraq invasion. War fever had built to a crescendo in Washington, and the White House wanted to make its case to Hispanic Americans.
President Bush entered our interview location, a room on the ground floor of the White House, with swagger and a smile. He was imperious and proud. During the interview he went through his justifications for an invasion, but said the final decision had not been made.
Following the interview the President Bush hung around for a few minutes of banter. I raised the issue of opposition to the pending war from the French, asking him, "What about President Jacques Chirac?" President Bush slapped me on the shoulder with the back of his hand, cocked his head and said, "Don't worry, he'll come around." With that, he quickly said his goodbyes and confidently departed. I turned to my team and said, "We're going to war."
In his speech last night, President Bush said, "I hope you can agree that I was willing to make tough decisions." Well, yes, he has made tough decisions. The problem is that he often made the wrong decisions. And worse, once decided, the decisions he made were poorly executed.
The Iraq war is a classic case of the wrong decision that was also poorly executed. Deregulation of the financial industry is another example. And, in the aftermath of Katrina, wrong decisions were made and the execution was painfully inept. The violation of civil liberties and his authorization of harsh interrogation techniques were terrible decisions that have undermined America's core values and founding principles. These are but a few examples.
"There is legitimate debate about many of these decisions," President Bush said, "but there can be little debate about the results, America has gone seven years without another terrorist attack on our soil." I felt a back handed slap against my shoulder as he spoke these words. President Bush seemed to be saying, "let's see what the next guy can do."
Today there is much debate about America's future. The country is mired in two wars, a devastating financial collapse, a recession, the Middle East is in turmoil, Osama bin Laden is still loose, and America's moral standing in the world has been severely eroded.
Most Americans support President-elect Barack Obama. He has already displayed intelligence, thoughtfulness, and a willingness to listen to strong voices and diverse opinions. His calm and cool style of leadership is reassuring. Hopefully we are entering a period of smart decisions, accountability and well-executed management. America's future is at stake.
President Bush apparently wants to be compared to President Harry Truman, who was also very unpopular when he left office. Yet after his retirement scholars came to judge Truman more positively. He made tough decisions and, as a result, he is now considered one of America's finest presidents.
Mr. Bush, you are no Harry Truman.
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