Obama Redefining “Lame Duck” with Big Accomplishments
Published 2015-08-25 by
Cory Allen Heidelberger
Speaking of Presidential politics, the current Commander-in-Chief isn’t just keeping the seat warm until the next Democrat takes over leadership of the free world in 2017. Far from lame-ducking, President Barack Obama is out defining the legacy on which his Democratic successor will campaign. Mother Jones picks out a dozen big things President Obama is has gotten done since the 2014 mid-term elections:
President Obama, taking care of business (photo by Pete Souza)
Normalized relations with Cuba.
Signed a climate deal with China.
Issued new EPA ozone rules.
Successfully argued in favor of same-sex marriage before the Supreme Court.
Put in place economic sanctions on Russia that have Vladimir Putin reeling.
Pressured the FCC to approve net neutrality rules.
Issued new EPA coal regulations.
Issued an executive order on immigration.
Got fast-track authority for the Trans-Pacific Partnership and seems poised to pass it.
Signed a nuclear deal with Iran and appears on track to get it passed.
Won yet another Supreme Court case keeping Obamacare intact.
Issued new rules that increase the number of “managers” who qualify for overtime pay [Kevin Drum, “President Obama Is the Anti-Lame Duck,” Mother Jones, 2015.08.25].
Gee, Senator Thune, can you reel off a list of accomplishments (no, not photo ops, not resolutions, but real accomplishments) for your last nine months of work in Washington?
Sen. Thune wants to know if press releases and tweets count as major accomplishments? They weren’t in Cory’s list of things that don’t count.
Porter Lansing
Not to discount what Sen. Thune has accomplished but ….
4/14/2015
FITCH AFFIRMS AAA RATING FOR U.S.
The U.S.’s AAA credit rating was affirmed by Fitch Ratings Inc., which cited the strength of the nation’s economy, capital markets and status as the issuer of the world’s reserve currency.
The U.S. budget deficit, which has narrowed from a peak of $1.4 trillion in 2009 to $483.3 billion in 2014, is expected to continue to shrink in 2015 and 2016, though reforms to mandatory spending and taxation measures will be needed to prevent increases after 2018.
• WASHINGTON» A week shy of the fifth anniversary of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, the Obama administration proposed new regulations Monday aimed at strengthening oversight of offshore oil drilling equipment and ensuring that out-of-control wells can be sealed in an emergency.
~ More Americans are graduating high school than ever before. Sixteen million Americans have gained health insurance since Obama took office- and America’s uninsured rate is at it’s lowest ever. Obama’s tenure has added 12.8 million jobs- 223,000 in June alone. Our nation is less dependent on foreign oil than it has in three decades. He’s reduced the deficit by two-thirds. “America is changing quickly, and we’re adapted our policies to change with it! We’re looking forwards, we’re not looking backwards!” exudes a triumphant Obama.
mike from iowa
The only lame in America these days is the wingnut obstructionists trying to derail everything Obama,the black guy,has attempted to accomplish. Wingnuts have made no bones about their desires to limit Obama’s legacy. Must be recessive racist genes at work.
On a lighter note,iowa’s “Cantaloupe Calves” king was recently named the least effective politician in DC based on years of service,number of bills sponsored and how many have been passed by committee. iowa is number one. They ranked the 35 least effective pols and sad to say none of SoDak’s motley crew made the list. It did not include this congress and only had pols who have served at least one term.
Seeing the impressive list of accomplishments by our President one wonders why Republicans didn’t just go along with him and be associated with a winner instead of the Koch Bros. and the mission to salvage their dying coal and Alberta oil sand fiasco by limiting regulations on air and water pollution. T̶h̶e̶y̶ ̶w̶e̶r̶e̶ ̶p̶i̶m̶p̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶f̶o̶r̶ ̶c̶a̶m̶p̶a̶i̶g̶n̶ ̶d̶o̶n̶a̶t̶i̶o̶n̶s̶???. Must have been those Dakota Conservative Principles, huh?̶
Winston
He still has a year and a half left in his presidency, but just maybe Obama has broken the second term jinx.
Since Lincoln, the second term has been a rough ride for our two or near two term presidents. Lincoln was assassinated, Grant left with one of the most corrupt administrations in history, Cleveland inherited Harrison’s economic downturn, McKinley was assassinated, (TR might be the one exception), Wilson had WWI and health problems, FDR failed to stack the Supreme Court after it ruled against many of his New Deal programs, Truman had Korea, Eisenhower had health problems, Nixon resigned, Reagan had Iran-Contra and the stock market crash of ’87, Clinton had his impeachment, and “Dubya” had, well, lets see, a stock market crash, the worst economy since the Great Depression, Katrina, and two continual wars.
The Obama presidency has not been dogged by it own doings like a Watergate, a Whitewater, or illegal wars, which after cleaning-up the “Dubya” mess has given Obama an opportunity to do his own thing and to be president, which I think has helped to lead to this productive second term…. A course, the SCOTUS’s decisions on Obamacare kind of helped too ;-)….
mike from iowa
But dangit,Obama bowed to the Japanese Prime Minister and all dubya did was swap spit and hold hands with the Saudi king and involve America in two illegal wars and ruin the economy and make the United States the laughing stock of the world.(among other undesirable things)
Porter Lansing
Hear, hear Sir. Winston. Of course, there’s only been one Democratic President in modern history that didn’t have an extra-marital affair while in office. (bless you, President Carter) There’s still time to embarrass us but personally I believe Michelle would kill him. lol
larry kurtz
Listening to Mike Rounds whining this afternoon on Bill Janklow’s idea of public radio warmed the cockles of my heart.
larry kurtz
There is some joy in Mudville watching South Dakota’s GOP delegation being marginalized and disaffected by President Obama’s sweeping agenda.
larry kurtz
Rounds is one of the crazies in Congress driven by ideology rather than by reality.
Porter, I guess Truman is not a modern president (I am showing my age), but any how, If Harry had been preoccupied with more than foreign affairs, I do not think Bess would have stood for it either…. :-)
John
It’s Obama who just looked at his bucket list, and said, “bucket”.
Awesome
Sen. Thune wants to know if press releases and tweets count as major accomplishments? They weren’t in Cory’s list of things that don’t count.
Not to discount what Sen. Thune has accomplished but ….
4/14/2015
FITCH AFFIRMS AAA RATING FOR U.S.
The U.S.’s AAA credit rating was affirmed by Fitch Ratings Inc., which cited the strength of the nation’s economy, capital markets and status as the issuer of the world’s reserve currency.
The U.S. budget deficit, which has narrowed from a peak of $1.4 trillion in 2009 to $483.3 billion in 2014, is expected to continue to shrink in 2015 and 2016, though reforms to mandatory spending and taxation measures will be needed to prevent increases after 2018.
• WASHINGTON» A week shy of the fifth anniversary of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, the Obama administration proposed new regulations Monday aimed at strengthening oversight of offshore oil drilling equipment and ensuring that out-of-control wells can be sealed in an emergency.
~ More Americans are graduating high school than ever before. Sixteen million Americans have gained health insurance since Obama took office- and America’s uninsured rate is at it’s lowest ever. Obama’s tenure has added 12.8 million jobs- 223,000 in June alone. Our nation is less dependent on foreign oil than it has in three decades. He’s reduced the deficit by two-thirds. “America is changing quickly, and we’re adapted our policies to change with it! We’re looking forwards, we’re not looking backwards!” exudes a triumphant Obama.
The only lame in America these days is the wingnut obstructionists trying to derail everything Obama,the black guy,has attempted to accomplish. Wingnuts have made no bones about their desires to limit Obama’s legacy. Must be recessive racist genes at work.
On a lighter note,iowa’s “Cantaloupe Calves” king was recently named the least effective politician in DC based on years of service,number of bills sponsored and how many have been passed by committee. iowa is number one. They ranked the 35 least effective pols and sad to say none of SoDak’s motley crew made the list. It did not include this congress and only had pols who have served at least one term.
http://members-of-congress.insidegov.com/stories/5278/least-effective-members-congress
Seeing the impressive list of accomplishments by our President one wonders why Republicans didn’t just go along with him and be associated with a winner instead of the Koch Bros. and the mission to salvage their dying coal and Alberta oil sand fiasco by limiting regulations on air and water pollution. T̶h̶e̶y̶ ̶w̶e̶r̶e̶ ̶p̶i̶m̶p̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶f̶o̶r̶ ̶c̶a̶m̶p̶a̶i̶g̶n̶ ̶d̶o̶n̶a̶t̶i̶o̶n̶s̶???. Must have been those Dakota Conservative Principles, huh?̶
He still has a year and a half left in his presidency, but just maybe Obama has broken the second term jinx.
Since Lincoln, the second term has been a rough ride for our two or near two term presidents. Lincoln was assassinated, Grant left with one of the most corrupt administrations in history, Cleveland inherited Harrison’s economic downturn, McKinley was assassinated, (TR might be the one exception), Wilson had WWI and health problems, FDR failed to stack the Supreme Court after it ruled against many of his New Deal programs, Truman had Korea, Eisenhower had health problems, Nixon resigned, Reagan had Iran-Contra and the stock market crash of ’87, Clinton had his impeachment, and “Dubya” had, well, lets see, a stock market crash, the worst economy since the Great Depression, Katrina, and two continual wars.
The Obama presidency has not been dogged by it own doings like a Watergate, a Whitewater, or illegal wars, which after cleaning-up the “Dubya” mess has given Obama an opportunity to do his own thing and to be president, which I think has helped to lead to this productive second term…. A course, the SCOTUS’s decisions on Obamacare kind of helped too ;-)….
But dangit,Obama bowed to the Japanese Prime Minister and all dubya did was swap spit and hold hands with the Saudi king and involve America in two illegal wars and ruin the economy and make the United States the laughing stock of the world.(among other undesirable things)
Hear, hear Sir. Winston. Of course, there’s only been one Democratic President in modern history that didn’t have an extra-marital affair while in office. (bless you, President Carter) There’s still time to embarrass us but personally I believe Michelle would kill him. lol
Listening to Mike Rounds whining this afternoon on Bill Janklow’s idea of public radio warmed the cockles of my heart.
There is some joy in Mudville watching South Dakota’s GOP delegation being marginalized and disaffected by President Obama’s sweeping agenda.
Rounds is one of the crazies in Congress driven by ideology rather than by reality.
http://www.politico.com/story/2015/08/obama-calls-opponents-of-iran-deal-the-crazies-121701.html
Porter, I guess Truman is not a modern president (I am showing my age), but any how, If Harry had been preoccupied with more than foreign affairs, I do not think Bess would have stood for it either…. :-)
It’s Obama who just looked at his bucket list, and said, “bucket”.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZRqSLz_6uEE
You know, Rohr, if tweets count as accomplishments, I’ve got Thune whooped:
—@SenJohnThune tweets: 2,498.
—@coralhei (that’s me) tweets: 25.1K.