Thread: President Obama’s Accomplishments : Discuss

3 Chics Politico gives mad props to President Obama on his accomplishments since being in office. It’s pretty impressive!

Hat-tip: Political Carnival http://www.thepoliticalcarnival.net/...complishments/

1. Ordered all federal agencies to undertake a study and make recommendations for ways to cut spending
2. Ordered a review of all federal operations to identify and cut wasteful spending and practices
3. Instituted enforcement for equal pay for women
4. Beginning the withdrawal of US troops from Iraq
5. Families of fallen soldiers have expenses covered to be on hand when the body arrives at Dover AFB
6 Ended media blackout on war casualties; reporting full information
7. Ended media blackout on covering the return of fallen soldiers to Dover AFB; the media is now permitted to do so pending adherence to respectful rules and approval of fallen soldier’s family
8. The White House and federal government are respecting the Freedom of Information Act
9. Instructed all federal agencies to promote openness and transparency as much as possible
10. Limits on lobbyist’s access to the White House
11. Limits on White House aides working for lobbyists after their tenure in the administration
12. Ended the previous stop-loss policy that kept soldiers in Iraq/Afghanistan longer than their enlistment date
13. Phasing out the expensive F-22 war plane and other outdated weapons systems, which weren’t even used or needed in Iraq/Afghanistan
14. Removed restrictions on embryonic stem-cell research
15. Federal support for stem-cell and new biomedical research
16. New federal funding for science and research labs
17. States are permitted to enact federal fuel efficiency standards above federal standards
18. Increased infrastructure spending (roads, bridges, power plants) after years of neglect
19. Funds for high-speed, broadband Internet access to K-12 schools
20. New funds for school construction
21 The prison at Guantanamo Bay is being phased out
22. US Auto industry rescue plan
23. Housing rescue plan
24. $789 billion economic stimulus plan
25. The public can meet with federal housing insurers to refinance (the new plan can be completed in one day) a mortgage if they are having trouble paying
26. US financial and banking rescue plan
27. The secret detention facilities in Eastern Europe and elsewhere are being closed
28. Ended the previous policy; the US now has a no torture policy and is in compliance with theGeneva Convention standards
29. Better body armor is now being provided to our troops
30. The missile defense program is being cut by $1.4 billion in 2010
31. Restarted the nuclear nonproliferation talks and building back up the nuclear inspection infrastructure/protocols
32. Reengaged in the treaties/agreements to protect the Antarctic
33. Reengaged in the agreements/talks on global warming and greenhouse gas emissions
34. Visited more countries and met with more world leaders than any president in his first six months in office
35. Successful release of US captain held bySomali pirates; authorized the SEALS to do their job
36. US Navy increasing patrols off Somali coast
37. Attractive tax write-offs for those who buy hybrid automobiles
38. Cash for clunkers program offers vouchers to trade in fuel inefficient, polluting old cars for new cars; stimulated auto sales
39. Announced plans to purchase fuel efficient American-made fleet for the federal government
40. Expanded the SCHIP program to cover health care for 4 million more children
41. Signed national service legislation; expandednational youth service program
42. Instituted a new policy on Cuba, allowing Cuban families to return home to visit loved ones
43. Ended the previous policy of not regulating and labeling carbon dioxide emissions
44. Expanding vaccination programs
45. Immediate and efficient response to the floods in North Dakota and other natural disasters
46. Closed offshore tax safe havens
47. Negotiated deal with Swiss banks to permit US government to gain access to records of tax evaders and criminals
48. Ended the previous policy of offering tax benefits to corporations who outsource American jobs; the new policy is to promote in-sourcing to bring jobs back
49.. Ended the previous practice of protecting credit card companies; in place of it are new consumer protections from credit card industry’s predatory practices
50. Energy producing plants must begin preparing to produce 15% of their energy from renewable sources
51. Lower drug costs for seniors
52. Ended the previous practice of forbidding Medicare from negotiating with drug manufacturers for cheaper drugs; the federal government is now realizing hundreds of millions in savings
53. Increasing pay and benefits for military personnel
54. Improved housing for military personnel
55. Initiating a new policy to promote federal hiring of military spouses
56. Improved conditions at Walter Reed Military Hospital and other military hospitals
57 Increasing student loans
58. Increasing opportunities in AmeriCorps program
59. Sent envoys to Middle East and other parts of the world that had been neglected for years; reengaging in multilateral and bilateral talks and diplomacy
60. Established a new cyber security office
61. Beginning the process of reforming and restructuring the military 20 years after the Cold War to a more modern fighting force; this includes new procurement policies, increasing size of military, new technology and cyber units and operations, etc.
62. Ended previous policy of awarding no-bid defense contracts
63. Ordered a review of hurricane and natural disaster preparedness
64. Established a National Performance Officer charged with saving the federal government money and making federal operations more efficient
65. Students struggling to make college loan payments can have their loans refinanced
66. Improving benefits for veterans
67. Many more press conferences and town halls and much more media access than previous administration
68. Instituted a new focus on mortgage fraud
69. The FDA is now regulating tobacco
70. Ended previous policy of cutting the FDA and circumventing FDA rules
71. Ended previous practice of having White House aides rewrite scientific and environmental rules, regulations, and reports
72. Authorized discussions with North Korea and private mission by Pres. Bill Clinton to secure the release of two Americans held in prisons
73. Authorized discussions with Myanmar and mission by Sen. Jim Web to secure the release of an American held captive
74. Making more loans available to small businesses
75. Established independent commission to make recommendations on slowing the costs of Medicare
76. Appointment of first Latina to the Supreme Court
77. Authorized construction/opening of additional health centers to care for veterans
78. Limited salaries of senior White House aides; cut to $100,000
79. Renewed loan guarantees for Israel
80. Changed the failing/status quo military command in Afghanistan
81. Deployed additional troops to Afghanistan
82. New Afghan War policy that limits aerial bombing and prioritizes aid, development of infrastructure, diplomacy, and good government practices by Afghans
83. Announced the long-term development of a national energy grid with renewable sources and cleaner, efficient energy production
84. Returned money authorized for refurbishment of White House offices and private living quarters
85. Paid for redecoration of White House living quarters out of his own pocket
86. Held first Seder in White House
87. Attempting to reform the nation’s healthcare system which is the most expensive in the world yet leaves almost 50 million without health insurance and millions more under insured
88. Has put the ball in play for comprehensive immigration reform
89. Has announced his intention to push for energy reform
90. Has announced his intention to push for education reform

Oh, and he built a swing set for the girls outside the Oval Office.

http://3chicspolitico.com/president-...complishments/

What Do Americans Think Of Obama's Performance As A President?
Chris Weigl, Screenwriter and Political Consultant

A friend of mine put together an awesome handwritten sign outlining why she’s voting for President Obama this year, I think it says almost everything you need to know:
[IMG]images.forbes.com/quora/files/2012/02/main-qimg-9dfb9d2919d06eda4c701dc476285957.jpeg[/IMG]

Many Americans take it for granted that President Obama has been one of the most effective Presidents since FDR. It’s important to remember just how bad things were when he took office and how much he’s accomplished since he’s been in office.

We were hemorrhaging jobs when this President took office and now we’ve gone from 10% unemployment down to around 8.5%. If the recovery continues on this path, we’ll be back to around 5% unemployment by 2016.

It’s not just about jobs though, President Obama has also worked to restore America’s image around the world. When President Bush was in office we were invading countries for no reason, now we’ve left Iraq and are in the process of leaving Afghanistan.

In case you needed a few other examples of what President Obama has accomplished I put together a list below:
1.Extended child tax credits and marriage-penalty fixes
2.Created an Advanced Manufacturing Fund to invest in peer-reviewed manufacturing processes
3.Required economic justification for tax changes
4.Implemented “Women Owned Business” contracting program
5.Changed standards for determining broadband access
6.Established a credit card bill of rights
7.Expanded loan programs for small businesses
8.Extended the Bush tax cuts for lower incomes
9.Extended the 2007 Alternative MinimumTax patch
10.Closed the “doughnut hole” in Medicare prescription drug plan
11.Expanded the Senior Corps volunteer program
12.Required insurance companies to cover pre-existing conditions
13.Gave tax credits to those who need help to pay health premiums
14.Required large employers to contribute to a national health plan
15.Required children to have health insurance coverage
16.Expanded eligibility for Medicaid
17.Expanded eligibility for State Children’s Health Insurance Fund (SCHIP)
18.Required health plans to disclose how much of the premium goes to patient care
19.Established an independent health institute to provide accurate and objective information
20.In non-competitive markets, forced insurers to pay out a reasonable share of their premiums for patient care
21.Eliminated the higher subsidies to Medicare Advantage plans
22.Expanded funding to train primary care providers and public health practitioners
23.Increased funding to expand community based prevention programs
24.Reinstated executive order to hire an additional 100,000 federal employees with disabilities within five years.
25.Increased the Veterans Administration budget to recruit and retain more mental health professionals
26.Expanded the Veterans Administration’s number of “centers of excellence” in specialty care
27.Appointed a special adviser to the president on violence against women
28.Fully funded the Violence Against Women Act
29.Directed military leaders to end war in Iraq
30.Began removing combat brigades from Iraq
31.Created a military families advisory board
32.Ended the abuse of supplemental budgets for war
33.Made U.S. military aid to Pakistan conditional on anti-terror efforts
34.Opened “America Houses” in Islamic cities around the globe
35.Allocated Homeland Security funding according to risk
36.Created a real National Infrastructure Protection Plan
37.Increased funding for local emergency planning
38.Extended monitoring and verification provisions of the START I Treaty
39.Appointed a White House Coordinator for Nuclear Security
40.Initiated a grant and training program for law enforcement to deter cyber crime
41.Improved relations with Turkey, and its relations with Iraqi Kurds
42.Launched an international Add Value to Agriculture Initiative (AVTA)
43.Created a rapid response fund for emerging democracies
44.Granted Americans unrestricted rights to visit family and send money to Cuba
45.Restored funding for the Byrne Justice Assistance Grant (Byrne/JAG) program
46.Established an Energy Partnership for the Americas
47.Expanded the Nurse-Family Partnership to all low-income, first-time mothers
48.Required new hires to sign a form affirming their hiring was not due to political affiliation or contributions.
49.Provided affordable, high-quality child care
50.Recruited math and science degree graduates to the teaching profession
51.Reduced subsidies to private student lenders and protect student borrowers
52.Encouraged water-conservation efforts in the West
53.Increased funding for national parks and forests
54.Increased funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund
55.Encouraged farmers to use more renewable energy and be more energy efficient
56.Expanded Pell grants for low-income students
57.Pursued a wildfire management plan
58.Removed more brush, small trees and vegetation that fuel wildfires
59.Expanded access to places to hunt and fish
60.Pushed for enactment of Matthew Shepard Act, which expands hate crime law to include sexual orientation and other factors
61.Repealed “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy
62.Restored funding to the EEOC and the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs
63.Reformed mandatory minimum sentences
64.Created a White House Office on Urban Policy
65.Fully funded the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG)
66.Established program to convert manufacturing centers into clean technology leaders
67.Established ‘Promise Neighborhoods’ for areas of concentrated poverty
68.Worked toward deploying a global climate change research and monitoring system
69.Funded a major expansion of AmeriCorps
70.Created a Social Investment Fund Network
71.Bolstered the military’s ability to speak differentlanguages
72.Appointed the nation’s first Chief Technology Officer
73.Provided grants to early-career researchers
74.Worked to overturn Ledbetter vs. Goodyear
75.Created a national declassification center
76.Appointed an American Indian policy adviser
77.Created new financial regulations
78.Increased funding for land-grant colleges
79.Banned lobbyist gifts to executive employees
80.Signed a “universal” health care bill
81.Created new criminal penalties for mortgage fraud
82.Required 10 percent renewable energy by 2012
83.Released oil from Strategic Petroleum Reserve
84.Raised fuel economy standards
85.Invested in all types of alternative energy
86.Enacted tax credit for consumers for plug-in hybrid cars
87.Asked people and businesses to conserve electricity
88.Required more energy-efficient appliances
89.Created a ‘Green Vet Initiative’ to promote environmental jobs for veterans
90.Created job training programs for clean technologies
91.Required states to provide incentives for utilities to reduce energy consumption
92.Supported high-speed rail
93.Supported airline service in small towns
94.Invested in public transportation
95.Equalized tax breaks for driving and public transit
96.Considered “smart growth” in transportation funding
97.Shared environmental technology with other countries
98.Doubled federal spending for research on clean fuels
99.Provided grants to encourage energy-efficient building codes
100.Increased funding for the Environmental Protection Agency

101.Raised the small business investment expensing limit to $250,000 through the end of 2009
102.Extended unemployment insurance benefits and
103.temporarily suspend taxes on these benefits
104.Supported network neutrality on the Internet
105.Reversed restrictions on stem cell research
106.Killed Osama bin Laden
107.Doubled funding for the Manufacturing Extension Partnership, a program that encourages manufacturing efficiency
108.Included environmental and labor standards in trade agreements
109.Created an international tax haven watch list
110.Made permanent the Research & Development tax credit
111.Required automatic enrollment in 401(k) plans
112.Required automatic enrollment in IRA plans
113.Created a consumer-friendly credit card rating system
114.Created a $60 billion bank to fund roads and bridges
115.Required full disclosure of company pension investments to employees
116.Provided easy-to-understand comparisons of the Medicare prescription drug plans
117.Invested in electronic health information systems
118.Phased in requirements for health information technology
119.Required that health plans utilize disease management programs
120.Required providers to report measures of health care costs and quality
121.Held hospitals and health plans accountable for disparities in care
122.Implemented and funded proven health intervention programs
123.Prevented drug companies from blocking generic drugs
124.Allowed Medicare to negotiate for cheaper drug prices
125.Worked with schools to create more healthful environments for children
126.Improved recruitment of public health workers
127.Mandated insurance coverage of autism treatment
128.Fully funded the Combating Autism Act and Federal Autism Research Initiatives
129.Doubled federal funding for cancer research
130.Increased participation in cancer-related clinical trials
131.Fully funded the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)
132.Set a national goal to provide re-screening for all 2-year-olds for developmental disorders
133.Commissioned a study on students with disabilities and their transition to jobs or higher education
134.Set goals and timetables for implementing Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act
135.Created a best practices list for private businesses in accommodating workers with disabilities
136.Launched educational initiative for employers on tax benefits of hiring employees with disabilities
137.Reduced the threshhold for the Family and Medical Leave Act from companies with 50 employees to companies with 25 employees
138.Provided a $1.5 billion fund to help states launch programs for paid family and medical leave
139.Required employers to provide seven paid sick days per year
140.Streamlined the Social Security disability approval process
141.Expanded Veterans Centers in rural areas
142.Established standards of care for traumatic brain injury treatment
143.Made the Veterans Administration a national leader in health reform
144.Reduced the Veterans Benefits Administration claims backlog
145.Instituted electronic record-keeping for the Veterans Benefits Administration
146.Expanded housing vouchers program for homeless veterans
147.Launched a supportive services-housing program for veterans to prevent homelessness
148.Expanded the Family Medical Leave Act to include leave for domestic violence or sexual assault
149.Fully funded debt cancellation for heavily indebted poor countries
150.Created a fund for international small and medium enterprises (SME)
151.Launched robust diplomatic effort with Iraq and its neighbors
152.Provided $30 billion over 10 years to Israel
153.Limited Guard and Reserve deployments to one year for every six years
154.Ended the “Stop-Loss” program of forcing troops to stay in service beyond their expected commitments
155.Fully and properly equipped troops
156.Created a Civilian Assistance Corps that would organize private sector professionals to help in times of need
157.Included humanitarian international missions in long-term budgeting
158.Reviewed weapons programs
159.Modernized ships and invested more in small vessels
160.Set standards for when the government should hire defense contractors
161.Restored the government’s ability to manage contracts by rebuilding our contract officer corps
162.Created a system of incentives and penalties for defense contracts
163.Establish a Global Education Fund
164.Strengthened the Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI) aimed at stopping spread of weapons of mass destruction
165.Organized successful Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference in 2010
166.Expanded federal bioforensics program for tracking biological weapons
167.Developed a comprehensive cyber security and response strategy
168.Mandated standards for securing personal data
169.Required companies to disclose personal information data breaches
170.Worked to persuade the European Union to end credit guarantees to Iran
171.Seek to negotiate a political agreement on Cyprus
172.Restructured and streamlined USAID
173.Increased the size of the foreign service
174.Urged China to stop manipulation of its currency value
175.Pressed China to end its support for regimes in Sudan, Burma, Iran and Zimbabwe
176.Created a public “Contracts and Influence” database
177.Required Cabinet officials to host Internet town hall meetings
178.Conducted regulatory agency business in public
179.Promoted more pre-school education
180.Expanded Early Head Start and Head Start
181.Reformed No Child Left Behind
182.Doubled funding for Federal Charter School Program and require more accountability
183.Addressed the dropout crisis by giving schools incentives for more dropout prevention
184.Created Teacher Residency Programs that will send teachers to high-need schools
185.Expanded teacher mentoring programs and provide incentives for more planning time
186.Promoted innovative ways to reward good teachers
187.Simplified the application process for financial aid
188.Increased the number of high school students taking college-level courses
189.Created incentives for tree planting and promote carbon sequestration
190.Improved water quality
191.Regulated pollution from major livestock operations
192.Strengthened federal environmental justice programs
193.Increased funding for organic and sustainable agriculture
194.Partnered with landowners to conserve private lands
195.Created a community college partnership program
196.Increased funding for progams that conserve lands and habitat for select species such as the Osceola turkey
197.Supported wetlands protection
198.Promoted economic development in Mexico
199.Supported repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA)
200.Vigorously pursued hate crimes and civil rights abuses
201.Signed the Deceptive Practices and Voter Intimidation Prevention Act into law
202.Supported regional innovation clusters
203.Helped low-income areas get phone and Internet service
204.Created a Homeowner Obligation Made Explicit (HOME) score for mortgage comparisons
205.Increased the supply of affordable housing throughout metropolitan regions
206.Invested in transitional jobs and career pathway programs
207.Fully funded the COPS program
208.Improved emergency response plans
209.Capped interest rates on payday loans and improve disclosure
210.Expanded public/private partnerships between schools and arts organizations
211.Improved climate change data records
212.Supported improved weather prediction program
213.Offered prizes for advances in consumer technology
214.Encouraged contests and programs to interest students in science
215.Increased research opportunities for college students
216.Strengthened the levees in New Orleans
217.Directed revenues from offshore oil and gas drilling to increased coastal hurricane protection
218.Shook loose federal money for rebuilding the Gulf Coast

http://www.forbes.com/sites/quora/20...urce=pulsenews

218 reasons NOT to vote for Obama
Posted on March 15, 2012 by Joshua Hedlund

There was recently a post on Forbes going around the Internet called “218 reasons to vote for Obama.” In the interest of fairness and equality I thought it would be helpful to provide 218 reasons not to vote for Obama, and unlike many of the exaggerated or deceptive or completely inaccurate reasons in the original list, I am providing linked citations for every one of my claims.

I tried to avoid sensational and activist blogs and websites and stick to reputable sources. I avoided distractions about birth certificates or quotes from Michelle; I avoided many strong philosophical disagreements I have with President Obama (with the major exception of #71); I avoided connections to Jeremiah Wright or Bill Ayers or anything in Obama’s past. I primarily stuck to things that Obama and his administration have done or not done from his presidential campaign through his first presidential term, highlighting the kinds of things that liberals hated about Bush but grudgingly accept in Obama. These are the kinds of things that I reasonably expect would continue with four more years of Obama, and as such are good reasons not to vote for him.

I am also emphatically not promoting Mitt Romney through this list, as I find little reason to believe that he would not also become guilty of most of the reasons outlined below. This is simply an attempt at an intelligent response to a silly, inaccurate list that was somehow important enough to get circulated around the Internet. I welcome criticism of this list but I ask that you apply the same level of analysis to the pro-bama list. (It’s true that Obama personally didn’t do many of these things, but he also personally didn’t do many of the things on the pro-bama list, and besides, they are still things that happened under his administration that would probably continue to happen if he was re-elected.) Shall we begin?

Foreign Policy

1. Continued the practice of indefinite detentions for alleged terrorists without review (link, link)

2. Dropped threat to veto NDAA (link) and signed it, encoding severe government power advances into law (link)

3. Announced “Withdrawal Plan” that leaves more troops in Afghanistan than when he started (link)

4. Authorized military intervention in Libya without the approval of Congress (link)

5. Did this after emphatically stating as a presidential candidate that the president did not have the authority to do that (link)

6. Defended intervention in Libya by redefining the word “hostilities” (link)

7. Revived “Prompt Global Strike” weapons system, considered too controversial by Bush Administration (link)

8.Announced a $60 billion sale of arms to the Saudi Arabian dictatorship, the largest arms deal in history (link)

9. Sold arms to abusive Bahrain regime and used legal loophole to avoid telling Congress about it (link)

10. Granted a waiver allowing four countries to continue receiving US military aid even though they use child soldiers (link)

11. Argued that the widespread use of Predator drones is a justifiable form of self-defense (link)

12. Claims ACTA could be ratified without Congressional approval and that it would override US law (link)

13. Ordered drone attacks in Yemen (link)

14. Ordered a cruise missile and cluster bomb attack in Yemen that killed women and children, suppressed the civilian casualties, and then imprisoned a journalist who revealed the truth (link)

15. Would seek international permission for intervening in Syria before consulting Congress (link)

16. Broke promise to reject the Military Commissions Act (link)

17. Continuing policy of maintaining thousands of troops at over a thousand military bases around the world (link)

Honorable Mention: Backed off on his promise to close the prison at Guantanamo (link) (Yes, I know you can blame Congress for this. But he backed away from it while Democrats still controlled Congress, and his promise to close Guantanamo was often cited as a reason to vote for him.)

Civil Liberties and Homeland Security

18. Authorized the assassination of US citizens abroad, an unprecedented declaration of executive power (link)

19. Says American citizens can be targeted for killing without judicial review (link)

20. Assassinated an American citizen without due process (link) (Yes I know he was a terrorist who wanted to kill me, but the government can make mistakes and I don’t want the government having the power to make mistakes about killing American citizens with no limits)

21. Two weeks later, assassinated that citizen’s 16-year-old son (link)

22. Announced the rules about assassinating American citizens, basically telling the other branches of government whats its own limitations are (link)

23. Requested thousands of secret spying warrants (link)

24. Defended the use of warrantless wiretapping (link)

25. Tried to stop the Supreme Court from hearing a challenge of warrantless wiretapping (link)

26. Pushed to overhaul federal law making it easier to wiretap (link)

27. Refused to declassify a secret memo regarding the president’s power for warrantless spying (link)

28. Defended the use of warrantless GPS vehicle tracking, which was ruled unconstitutional (link)

29. Continued and expanded Bush’s police state (link) (You could really make multiple reasons from all the examples in this article)

30. Allowed TSA to continue and expand its outrageous security theater (link)

31. Specifically requested additional money for more TSA full-body scanners (link)

32. Helped pay for surveillance of Muslim neighborhoods (link)

33. Unaccountable, unjustifiable drug war spending (link)

34. Heavy crackdown on medical marijuana (link)

35. Raided Gibson Guitar Factory without filing charges (link)

36. Supports mandatory DNA testing of those arrested for crimes, regardless of whether they have been convicted (link)

37. Allowed weapons to pass into the hands of Mexican drug cartels which were later linked to deaths of American border patrol agents (link)

38. Sealed records on the death of one of those agents (link)

39. Signed Trespass Bill, making it a federal offense to be “disruptive” at political events (link, link)

40. Pushing for creation of “Internet ID” for every American (link)

41. Signed extension of the Patriot Act with snooping provisions intact (link, link)

42. Invoked “government secrecy” against a lawsuit by AT&T customers “who claim federal agents illegally intercepted their phone calls” (link)

43. Raided homes of peace activists in Minneapolis (link)

44. Wants warrantless access to cell phone location data (link)

45. Sought access to private e-mail correspondence without needing to go through a judge (link)

Ethics and Transparency

46. Broke promise to allow five days of public comment before signing bills, repeatedly (link)

47. Broke promise to broadcast health care negotiations on C-SPAN (link)

48. Broke promise to reduce earmarks to 1994 levels (link)

49. Broke promise to create a public “contracts and influence” database (link)

50. Issued signing statement that he would not abide by provisions in a budget bill regarding “czar” funding (link)

51. Issued signing statement that he did not need to abide by provisions addressing aid for the IMF and World Bank (link)

52. Did this despite promise not to use signing statements to nullify instructions from Congress (link, link, link)

53. Tried to force a New York Times reporter to reveal confidential sources (link)

54. Claimed the government can never be sued for surveillance that violates federal law, a position more radical than the Bush Administration’s (link)

55. Failed to disclose visits by industry executives while crafting health care reform legislation (link)

56. Tried to block a ruling that White House visitor logs had to be released to the public (link)

57. Eventually released the records and claimed that release was evidence of his “transparent” government, despite the fact that he went to court to keep them secret (link)

58. Frequently met with lobbyists off campus to hide from the public and keep visits out of White House visitor logs (link)

59. Tried to block a court-ordered release of detainee abuse photos (link)

60. Cited exceptions to open records laws thousands of times more than Bush (link)

61. Repeatedly invoked “state secrets” privilege to get cases thrown out of court after criticizing Bush for doing the same (link)

62. Blocked Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests regarding ties with Monsanto (link)

63. Refused FOIA request to reveal who was on the Intelligence Oversight Board (link)

64. Aggressively fighting FOIA requests with long delays, blocking release whenever possible, and using bolder arguments than the Bush administration (link, link, link)

65. Appointed 5 RIAA lawyers to the Justice department (link)

66. Appointed serial tax dodger Timothy Geithner to be his Treasury Secretary (link)

67. Appointed Monsanto executive Michael Taylor to the FDA (link)

68. Appointed H&R Block CEO Mark Ernst to the IRS, where he wrote tax regulation to require licensed tax preparers. Congress never gave the IRS authority to do that, but this regulation benefits H&R Block, who had lobbied for it. (link)

69. Told the Air Force it was illegal for their families to read Wikileaks (link)

70. Did all of these things after promising that his administration would be “the most open and transparent in history.” (link)

Honorable Mention: Accused of violating subpoenas related to thousands of documents (link)

Health Care Reform

71. Required American citizens, for the first time, to purchase a product from a private business through the “individual mandate.” I don’t care if Republicans came up with the idea first; I don’t care if you need it to make the health care bill work; and it’s not like state car insurance, either. It is (I believe) a severe and unconstitutional overreach that sets a dangerous precedent of almost unlimited government, and conservatives and liberals alike should agree that this insurance company hybrid system is a far worse health care solution than either free-market or government-run “single payer” systems. (link)

72. Argued the individual mandate penalty was not a tax increase to make the bill more attractive and then argued that the penalty was a tax increase to justify its constitutionality under the commerce clause (link, link).

73. Cut a benefit program from health care reform that was supposed to reduce the overall cost after realizing it would actually dramatically increase it (link)

74. Established unreasonable requirements on organizations and then granted over 1500 waivers from those requirements to those with the connections or resources to get approved (link), with labor unions receiving the overwhelming majority (link)

75. Broke promise to require employers to provide seven days paid sick leave (link) (From my bias I’m actually glad this promise was broken. I’m including it because the pro-bama list actually uses this promise as a reason to vote for Obama. Seriously? I could make up 218 nice-sounding promises. That’s not a reason to vote for me. But if I become president and break those promises? That’s definitely not a reason to vote for me again.)

76. Broke promise to allow imported prescription drugs (link)

Budget and Finances

77. Broke promise to cut deficit in half by the end of his first term. (link) (All of Obama’s deficits are larger than all of Bush’s, and not just because of the inherited crisis – his projected deficits for the next four years are still much larger.)

78. Broke promise to repeal Bush tax cuts for high earners, signing bill to extend them (link)

79. Broke promise that families making less than $250,000 a year would not see “any form of tax increase” (link)

80. Broke promise to end no-bid contracts over $25,000 (link)

81. Loaned $500 million at a low rate to an unsustainable green company that went bankrupt (link)

82. The program behind that loan has only created a few thousand jobs compared to the 65,000 promised (link)

83. Reneged on accepting public financing limits for his presidential campaign (link)

84. Broke promise to expand the child and dependent care credit (link)

85. Broke promise to end income tax for seniors making less than $50,000 a year (link)

86. The Senate has not passed an annual budget for over 1000 days, including the second year Democrats controlled both chambers of Congress, (link) and a 2011 budget proposal from the White House was so bad it was rejected by the Senate 97-0. (link)

87. Broke promise to form an international group to help Iraq refugees (link)

Ethics and Transparency, Part II: Whistleblowers

88. Prosecuted whistleblower Bradley Manning for disclosing video, cables, and intelligence reports (link)

89. Obstructed investigation into Bradley Manning’s inhumane treatment (link)

90. Prosecuted whistleblower Thomas Drake, who helped reveal an ineffective $1.2 billion NSA contract that could have been done for $3 million (link)

91. Prosecuted whistleblower Stephen Jin-Woo Kim for “allegedly leaking nuclear information about North Korea” (link)

92. Prosecuted whistleblower Jeffrey Sterling for “allegedly disclosing unauthorized national defense information” (link)

93. Prosecuted whistleblower John Kiriakou for “allegedly leaking to reporters the names of two agency operatives” (link)

94. Launched a criminal investigation against Paul Hardy for blowing the whistle on safety problems with a breast cancer detection device (link)

95. These prosecutions are more than all previous presidents combined (link)

96. These prosecutions are happening after Obama formerly praised whistleblowers, represented one as a young law and vowed to strengthen whistleblower protection laws (link, link).

Various and Sundry Administrative Overreaches

97. Used executive order to establish “Intellectual Property Enforcement Advisory Committees” (link)

98. Seized and suspended websites without due process (link, link)

99. Gave permits to BP and other oil companies, exempting them from environmental protection laws (link)

100. Granted waivers to 10 states that failed to meet education standards if they accepted administration-approved policies (link, link)

101. Forced CEO of General Motors to step down (link)

102. Announced the Home Affordable Modification Program which the New York Times called a “colossal failure” (link)

103. Sued four states over immigration laws (link, link, link, link). I can’t find solid proof one way or the other, but I’m fairly sure this is more states sued than by any previous administration.

104. Did not tell Arizona about plans to sue; Arizona governor found out through an interview Secretary of State Clinton did in Ecuador (link)

105. Plans to sue Apple and other publishers over e-book pricing (link)

106. Record amount of prosecutions under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, pushing the boundaries and getting multiple cases thrown out of court (link, link, link)

107. Raided Amish farm selling raw milk (link)

108. Brought a lawsuit against a manufacturing company for creating jobs in a non-union state (link) and then refused a congressional subpoena for information about that lawsuit (link)

Honorable Mention: banning imported rifles (link)

NEW! Honorable Mention: Cut off funding to a Texas health program as retaliation for a state anti-abortion bill even though 29 other states have similar laws and continue to receive funding (link)

NEW! Honorable Mention: Tried to ban children from farm chores despite a huge decrease in youth farm injuries (link)

Ethics and Transparency, Part III: Lobbyists

109. Granted waivers to lobbyists to get around his own supposed restrictions on lobbyists (link)

110. After attacking auto, financial, and health lobbyist Steve Ricchetti for his political connections, Obama appointed him as Biden’s top aide (link, link).

111. Appointed former lobbyist Islam Siddiqui as America’s Chief Agriculture Negotiator (link)

112. Appointed telecom lobbyist Eric Holder to attorney general (link). Holder was also a top fundraiser (link)

113. Appointed education lobbyist Tom Vilsack to secretary of agriculture (link)

114. Appointed defense lobbyist William Lynn to deputy defense secretary (link)

115. Appointed anti-tobacco lobbyist William Corr to deputy health and human services secretary (link)

116. Appointed energy lobbyist David Hayes to deputy interior secretary (link)

117. Appointed Goldman Sachs lobbyist Mark Patterson as chief of staff to treasury secretary Geithner (link)

118. Appointed variety lobbyist Ron Klain as chief of staff to Joe Biden (link)

119. Appointed lobbyist Mona Sutphen to deputy White House chief of staff (link)

120. Appointed civil rights lobbyist Melody Barnes to domestic policy council director (link)

121. Appointed Hispanic lobbyist Cecilia Munoz to director of intergovernmental affairs (link)

122. Appointed union lobbyist Patrick Gaspard to political affairs director (link)

123. Appointed lobbyist Michael Strautmanis to chief of staff to the president’s assistant for intergovernmental relations (link)

124. Appointed lobbyist Erik Hirschhorn to the Commerce department (link)

125. Appointed lobbyist Michael Punke to represent the US before the WTO (link)

126. Appointed lobbyist Jacqueline Barrien to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (link)

127. Appointed lobbyist Emmitt Beliveau to Deputy Assistant for Advance at the White House (link)

128. Appointed lobbyist Cassandra Butts to Deputy Counsel at the White House (link)

129. Appointed lobbyist Martha Coven as Special Assistant at the White House (link)

130. Appointed lobbyist Phillip J. Crowley as assistant secretary for public affairs at the State Department (link)

131. Appointed Fannie Mae lobbyist Thomas Donilon as Deputy National Security Adviser at the NSA (link)

132. Appointed lobbyist Derek Douglas as Special Assistant for Urban Affairs at the White House (link)

133. Appointed lobbyist Jocelyn Frye as Director of Policy and Projects at the Office of the First Lady (link)

134. Appointed education lobbyist Gabriella Gomez to assistant secretary at the Department of Education (link)

135. Appointed lobbyist Krysta Harden to assistant secretary at the Department of Agriculture (link)

136. Appointed lobbyist Alan Hoffmann to Deputy Chief of Staff to the vice president (link)

137. Appointed AT&T lobbyist Sean Kennedy as special assistant at the White House (link)

138. Appointed MPAA lobbyist Jon Liebowitz as chairman of the Federal Trade Commission (link)

139. Appointed lobbyist Robert Litt to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (link)

140. Appointed lobbyist Demetrios J. Marantis as deputy U.S. trade representative (link)

141. Appointed lobbyist Dennis McDonough as deputy assistant to the president (link)

142. Appointed lobbyist Leon Panetta as director of the CIA (link)

143. Appointed Audubon Society lobbyist Robert Perciasepe to deputy commissioner of the EPA (link)

144. Appointed lobbyist Daniel Poneman to deputy secretary at the Department of Energy (link)

145. Appointed lobbyist Peter Rundlet to deputy assistant at the White House (link)

146. Appointed lawyer lobbyist Kathleen Sebelius as Secretary of Health and Human Services (link)

147. Appointed lobbyist Susan Sher to chief of staff at the Office of the First Lady (link)

148. Appointed lobbyist Dana Singiser to Special Assistant to the President for Legislative Affairs (link)

149. Appointed lobbyist Nancy Stoner to Deputy Assistant Administrator for Water at the EPA (link)

150. Appointed lobbyist Thomas Strickland to assistant secretary at the Department of the Interior (link)

151. Appointed lobbyist Karl R. Thompson as a lawyer at the Department of Justice (link)

152. Appointed lobbyist John Trasvina to assistant secretary at the Department of Housing and Urban Development (link)

153. Appointed lobbyist Dan Turton to Deputy Director of Legislative Affairs at the White House (link)

154. Appointed lobbyist Christine Varney to Assistant Attorney General for Antitrust at the Justice Department (link)

155. Appointed lobbyist Richard Verma to assistant secretary at the State Department (link)

156. Appointed lobbyist William J. Wilkins to Chief Counsel at the IRS (link)

157. Appointed Tom Daschle to health and human services. Daschle was not technically a lobbyist but received millions advising health insurers and hospitals (link), and was also severely delinquent on his taxes (link)

158. Not only did he appoint all these lobbyists, but he did this after vowing to ban them (link)

Honorable Mention: Hired Keystone pipeline lobbyist as a top adviser to his reelection campaign (link)

Petty Hypocrisy

159. Insisted that Americans should not be required to buy health insurance during campaign before championing health care bill that does just that (link)

160. Signaled support for taxing employer health benefits after severely criticizing McCain for the same thing (link)

161. Slammed Bush for high gas prices in campaign and now is upset that the GOP is doing the same to him (link) (Note: I don’t think the President has that much power either way)

162. Changed his mind about opposing Super PACs and urged fundraisers to support them (link)

NEW! Honorable Mention: Now trying to expand the Export-Import Bank, one of the few government programs he said should be scaled back as a candidate, calling it “corporate welfare” (link)

Honorable Mention: Telephoned a liberal activist when she was called a slut by a conservative commentator but didn’t do anything about a conservative commentator who was called a slut by a liberal commentator. He also accepted a $1 million Super PAC donation from Bill Maher, who has called conservative women worse things. (link, link)

Ethics and Transparency, Part IV: Top Fundraisers

163. Appointed top fundraiser Cynthia Stroum as ambassador to Luxembourg, who wasted time and money hunting for a fancy residence and remodeling its bathrooms (link)

164. Replaced Stroum with top fundraiser Robert Mandell (link)

165. Appointed top fundraiser Nicole Avant as ambassador to the Bahamas, who was largely absent from post (link)

166. Appointed top fundraiser Donald Gips as ambassador to South Africa, while his company received millions in government stimulus contracts (link)

167. Appointed top fundraiser Dan Beyer as ambassador to Switzerland and Liechtenstein (link)

168. Appointed top fundraiser Julius Genachowski to chairman of the FCC (link)

169. Appointed top fundraiser Steve Spinner to the Energy Department. Spinner also happened to push for the loans to the now-bankrupt Solyndra (link)

170. Appointed top fundraiser Matthew Barzun as ambassador to Sweden (link)

171. Appointed top fundraiser Jeff Bleich as ambassador to Australia (link)

172. Appointed top fundraiser Richard Danzig to the foreign policy board (link)

173. Appointed top fundraiser William Eacho as ambassador to Austria (link)

174. Appointed top fundraiser Howard Gutman as ambassador to Belgium (link)

175. Appointed top fundraiser Scott Harris to the Department of Energy (link)

176. Appointed top fundraiser William Kennard as ambassador to the European Union (link)

177. Appointed top fundraiser Spencer Overton as the Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General (link)

178. Appointed top fundraiser Thomas Perrelli as Associate Attorney General (link)

179. Appointed top fundraiser Abigail Pollack to the Commission to Study the Potential Creation of a National Museum of the American Latino (link)

180. Appointed top fundraiser Charles Rivkin as ambassador to France and Monaco (link)

181. Appointed top fundraiser John Roos as ambassador to Japan (link)

182. Appointed top fundraiser Francisco Sanchez under the Secretary of Commerce for International Trade (link)

183. Appointed top fundraiser Alan Solomont as ambassador to Spain and Andorra (link)

184. Appointed top fundraiser A. Marisa Chun as deputy associate attorney general (link)

185. Appointed top fundraiser Gregory Craig to the White House counsel (link)

186. Appointed top fundraiser Norman Eisen to the special counsel to the president for ethics and government reform (link)

187. Appointed top fundraiser Michael Froman as deputy assistant to the president and deputy national security adviser for international economic affairs (link)

188. Appointed top fundraiser Mark Gallogly to the Economic Recovery Advisory Board (link)

189. Appointed top fundraiser Max Holtzman as senior adviser to the Agriculture secretary (link)

190. Appointed top fundraiser James Hudson as director of the European bank for Reconstruction and Development (link)

191. Appointed top fundraiser Jeh Johnson to the Department of Defense (link)

192. Appointed top fundraiser Samuel Kaplan as ambassador to Morocco (link)

193. Appointed top fundraiser Nicole Lamb-Hale to the Commerce Department (link)

194. Appointed top fundraiser Andres Lopez to the Commission to Study the Potential Creation of a National Museum of the American Latino (link)

195. Appointed top fundraiser Cindy Moelis as the director of the Commission on White House Fellows (link)

196. Appointed top fundraiser William Orrick as counselor to the assistant attorney general (link)

197. Appointed top fundraiser John Phillips as chairman of the Commission on White House Fellows (link)

198. Appointed top fundraiser Penny Pritzker to the Economic Recovery Advisory Board (link)

199. Appointed top fundraiser Bob Rivkin to the Transportation Department (link)

200. Appointed top fundraiser Desiree Rogers as the White House social secretary (link)

201. Appointed top fundraiser Louis Susman as ambassador to the United Kingdom (link)

202. Appointed top fundraiser Robert Sussman to the Environmental Protection Agency (link)

203. Appointed top fundraiser Christina Tchen as director of the White House Office of Public Engagement (link)

204. Appointed top fundraiser Barry White as ambassador to Norway (link)

205. Appointed top fundraiser Preeta Bansal to the Office of Management and Budget (link)

206. Appointed top fundraiser Laurie Fulton as ambassador to Denmark (link)

207. Appointed top fundraiser Fred Hochberg as President of the Export-Import Bank of the United States (link)

208. Appointed top fundraiser Valerie Jarrett as senior adviser to the president (link)

209. Appointed top fundraiser Kevin Jennings as assistant deputy secretary of Education (link)

210. Appointed top fundraiser Steven Rattner as Treasury Department adviser (link)

211. Appointed top fundraiser Miriam Sapiro as deputy U.S. trade representative (link). Sapiro was also a VeriSign lobbyist (link)

212. Appointed top fundraiser Vinai Thummalapally as ambassador to Belize (link)

213. Appointed top fundraiser David Jacobson as ambassador to Canada (link)

214. Appointed top fundraiser Ronald Kirk as U.S. trade representative (link)

215. Appointed top fundraiser Rocco Landesman to the National Endowment of the Arts (link)

216. Appointed top fundraiser Susan Rice as ambassador to the United Nations (link)

217. Gave jobs to over 200 top fundraisers after vowing to banish “special interests” (link)

218. Appointed as many top fundraisers to administrative posts in 2 years as Bush did in 8 (link)

Vice-President

BONUS. Voting for Obama also means voting for four more years of Vice President Joe Biden. Biden’s gaffes include calling Tea Partiers terrorists after Democrats called for an end to violent rhetoric, calling “J-O-B-S” a three letter word, sounding woefully misinformed in a point about the President and television in 1929, blessing the dead soul of the very-much-alive Irish prime minister’s mother, and much more. (Most recently he told people at a $10,000-plate fundraiser that Republicans don’t know what it means to be “middle class”.) Do you really want four more years of this? (link, link) (And if there’s actually something to the rumors that Obama will drop Joe for Hillary, well, there are plenty of reasons not to vote for four years of Hillary.)



The Little Soapbox

Well, thanks for reading (or at least skimming) this far. I sort of padded the list with lobbyists and fundraisers, but I think I actually did Obama a favor because he has appointed so many of them I could have filled the list with nothing else. Additionally, many of the links for the regular reasons go into more shady details and actions than I mentioned in my summaries. I honestly don’t know how you can read what the Obama administration has done with regards to civil liberties and still support his presidency. Regardless, if you see any inaccuracies or mistakes, or if you have any better reasons I left out, please let me know in the comments.

As I said before, this is certainly not an endorsement of Mitt Romney. If anything, this post is also a list of reasons not to vote for either of them, as I believe each of them would likely continue the ethical, transparency, budgetary, and civil liberty abuses perpetrated by Bush and continued by Obama. That is why I support Ron Paul; though I disagree with him on various details, he understands the abuse of power which is my most important issue. In the general election I will most be likely be promoting a third party candidate or third party voting in general; the greater percentage of people we can get to stop voting between two power abusers, the greater chance we can have of reform. If you still want to stick with Team Red or Team Blue at least demand some honesty and integrity out of them. Don’t look at candidate promises. Don’t look at their rhetoric. Look at their records. Have they been faithful with little? Only then might they be faithful with much. Thanks for reading.

http://www.postlibertarian.com/2012/...ote-for-obama/

Is it any wonder that ‘Washington feels as broken as it did four years ago’?
posted at 3:19 pm on July 15, 2012 by Howard Portnoy

Ask any Republican, and he will tell you that Washington is just as bitterly divided along partisan lines as it was when Barack Obama was swept into office on a giddy wave of hope and change. Or ask the president himself.

In a taped interview that aired on CBS Sunday Morning, he told Charlie Rose: http://dailycaller.com/2012/07/15/ob...our-years-ago/

Washington feels as broken as it did four years ago. And you know, if you ask me what is the one thing that has frustrated me most over the last four years, it is not the hard work. It is not, you know, the enormity [sic] of the decisions. It is not the pace. It is that I haven’t been able to change the atmosphere here in Washington to reflect the decency … and common sense of ordinary people—Democrats, Republicans and independents who I think just want to see their leadership solve problems. And, you know, there is enough blame to go around for that.

When Rose asked Obama if he was on the list of those deserving some of the shared blame, he responded:

“I think there is no doubt that I underestimated the degree to which in this town politics trumps problem solving.”

Short answer: No.

So when Sen. John Kyl (R-Ariz.) raised an objection in January of 2009 to the idea of a tax credit for people who don’t pay income taxes, the president’s haughty response — ”I won. So I think on that one, I trump you” — did not in his view fan the flames of resentment or hostility. Nor was he contributing to the divisive tone he promised to end when he smirked in October of 2010 that after driving “the economy into a ditch” the Republicans could “come for the ride, but they gotta sit in back.”

Clearly when Obama said of Rep. Paul Ryan’s deficit plan that the GOP’s “vision is less about reducing the deficit than it is about pitting “children with autism or Down’s syndrome” against “every millionaire and billionaire in our society,” he meant it in the nicest possible way. Similarly, the “enemies” he promised to “punish” while addressing a Latino audience must have been someone other than the Republicans.

What is truly frightening is not that Obama is unable to recognize, much less own, his scornful derision toward those who disagree with him. It is that nearly half the voting age population of this country is unable to or is indifferent toward these qualities.

http://hotair.com/greenroom/archives...our-years-ago/

Obama’s biggest mistake? Surely the president jests
July 15, 2012 by Howard Portnoy

In December of 2009, Barack Obama was asked by Oprah Winfrey how he’d grade his first year as president. His answer: “a good solid B-plus.” In this video flashback of the interview http://www.examiner.com/video/obama-...a-solid-b-plus he explains his grading rationale, boasting that he had “stabilized the economy,” betrayed his plan to end (but not necessarily win) the war in Iraq, “reset our image around the world,” and achieved an “international consensus around the need for Iran and North Korea to disable their nuclear weapons.” The pièce de résistance he saved for last, predicting that “the biggest piece of social legislation since Social Security,” meaning health care reform, would pass Congress.

In May of 2012, he appeared on ABC’s The View, where he was asked again to grade himself, this time on the economy. His answer was that he would take an “incomplete” for the course. http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/...te_645008.html

Last week, he and his wife sat with Charlie Rose, anchor of CBS This Morning. When the president was asked “what lesson” he had “learned that might guarantee success in a second term if that happened,” he was a tad more modest, though every bit as delusional:
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_1...-as-president/

When I think about what we’ve done well and what we haven’t done well, the mistake of my first term—couple of years—was thinking that this job was just about getting the policy right. And that’s important. But the nature of this office is also to tell a story to the American people that gives them a sense of unity and purpose and optimism, especially during tough times.

Considering the state of the economy three and a half years into the Obama presidency, it is mystifying to learn that the president views his only failing as not having been a good enough speechifier. He himself remarked on the irony, telling Rose in the same interview:

It’s funny—when I ran, everybody said, ‘Well he can give a good speech but can he actually manage the job?’ And in my first two years, I think the notion was, ‘Well, he’s been juggling and managing a lot of stuff, but where’s the story that tells us where he’s going?’ And I think that was a legitimate criticism.

According to Rose’s network http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_1...25-503544.html Obama delivered 411 speeches, comments, and remarks in his first year alone. He additionally held 42 press conferences, gave 158 interviews, and conducted 23 town halls. And he is able to say with a straight face that he believes that if only he had told the American people “the story” of “where he’s going” as leader of the free world, all would be well.

For what it’s worth, Obama’s grading of his own performance doesn’t count. The only grade that does is the one he will receive from the American people via the ballot box on Nov. 6. Unless he can persuade the entire electorate to grade on the curve, he may be in for a rude awakening.

http://hotair.com/greenroom/archives...esident-jests/

Not sure ... this is one of the things that he is given a "thumbs up" for ... but I can't find anything else about.

3. Instituted enforcement for equal pay for women

Despite this claim - there is a current gap of at least 18% in pay between male and female staffers in the White House itself.

10. Limits on lobbyist’s access to the White House

Has hired over 50 prominent Lobbyists to work in and for the White House... so it is hard to qualify how that has limited their "access" ??