A Preview of Obama Legacy – Part 3

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This is the last of a 3-part series which provides a preview of “The OBAMA Legacy” book. Read part one and part two here and here. In this preview, I turn the focus on Obama’ domestic policy. Although I abstained from “grading” his performance like I did in the foreign policy section I nevertheless outlined the progress (or lack thereof) he has made on that front. “The OBAMA Legacy” is without a doubt the book to read if one is seriously interested in politics and government but most importantly if one wants to know the FACTS about Obama presidency.

UNEMPLOYMENT
It is true that the unemployment rate was close to 10% when Obama took office in 2009; it is also true that the rate according to the latest report was at 4.6%. Can Obama take credit for the great turnaround? Read this section to see whether other factors may have helped to strengthen the job market along the way.

ECONOMY
It goes without saying that if the job market improves the economy does as well vice versa. What did Obama do to help improve the economy? Could it have happened under any president? Read this section to obtain a clear picture of what Obama in particular contributed towards improving the economy

EXPENDITURES
US Government has always been prolific when it comes to spending, a major factor to help explain the reason the country is so much indebted. The other factor is the country spends money it doesn’t have. Every president in the Oval Office suffers criticism to have spent too much from the opposing party. Obama was no exception but his administration claimed to have spent much less than the previous administration. It’s always a “he says she says” type of back and forth argument between the two major political partys. Where does the truth lie in regards to Obama? Read this section to see for yourself the numbers, the figures and the charts provided by independent agencies.

DEBT
US Government has always been in debt; the reason is simple: it spends money it doesn’t have. In other words, US pays for its expenses with an “unlimited credit” credit card. So, it’s no wonder it’s easy for every president to keep spending; just send the bill to the taxpayers. Obama was no exception. But Republicans claimed that Obama is a big spender, the Obama administration had always rejected that claim. Who is right? In this section, we took the same approach we use with our personal finance; we look at what the country has produced (revenue) and what the country has purchased (spending) under Obama. It’s that simple. Read this section to see how Obama fared in comparison to other presidents.

SOCIAL ISSUES
There is no doubt Obama had tried very hard to address a number of social issues (LGBT, Maternity Leave, Equal Pay, Women’s Rights to choose, Criminal Justice System, Healthcare, etc.) but even Democrats were not too happy with his performance. What exactly was going on? LGBT group believed the president didn’t go far enough in his policy to help its cause; blacks think Obama didn’t address any of the issues which affect them every day, mainly police brutality and the inequitable justice system. What could Obama do? Did he implement any policy to help improve blacks’ lives? Did Obama even understand the struggle blacks have every day? Could he really relate to LGBT? Was he just in a race to be the “first” in everything? Those questions are discussed in this section to shed light on Obama’s frame of mind when using the president’s executive power.

DANCING WITH THE SEXES
Obama is fondly called the LGBT president. No, not because he is gay. He is the first and the “more gay” friendly president ever but the LGBT group yearns for more to be done for the group.

TANGLING WITH PRISONERS
Obama certainly recognized the struggle blacks face every day here in America. As president however, Obama had to dance an awkward dance of “doing something” and be criticized by the right or “doing nothing” and be criticized by the left. During his first term presidency, Obama had purposely ignored most “race” issues; the incident involving the Harvard Professor (a black man) who was trying to get into his house by breaking the side window (having forgotten the key inside) to have to answer to police after a neighbor called in for a possible theft in progress. Obama’s comments on the incident generated an avalanche of criticism from the Republican talking heads.

In his second term however, Obama had done a lot to change blacks’ treatment in the country. However, to judge by what’s still going with police brutality and the court system, one would simply be disappointed of Obama’s effort to help the Blacks’ cause.

Read this section to discover the work Obama had done to improve blacks’ lives in America.

SECURITY & TERRORISM
This topic is discussed in the political arena as if Obama’s job was to stop each and every act of terrorism not only here in the United States but also across the globe. In this section, we discuss the role the Obama administration had played and where it had succeeded and where it had failed. Read in this section for a contrast between facts and fabrication in regards to how Obama had fared in his handling of the security of the country.

ENERGY & CLIMATE CHANGE
Republicans believe Climate Change is a hoax; from the newborn baby to Legislators in Washington, the Republican Party wants nothing to do with climate change.

Read in this section why Obama dedicated so much effort, so much energy and so many resources to combat the effect of climate change. Forget about Al Gore! Obama shows you why you too should join his fight.

HEALTHCARE
Obamacare! Yep, Obamacare! Need I say more. In the fight against Obamacare by the Republican Party, an extremely critical aspect of the act is lost: insurance companies have been disarmed; they can no longer deny coverage to people with pre-existing conditions. That is a freakin’ big deal. Especially to any family who might have had to mortgage everything to desperately try to save the life of a loved one.

Read this section to discover why Republicans in Washington had fought Obamacare tooth and nails and yet Republican constituents in their districts have embraced it wholeheartedly. You will also discover that despite the repeated maneuver by Republicans in Washington to repeal Obamacare, they DO NOT want to get rid of the healthcare act.

The OBAMA Legacy is a good read for college students, faculty members and anyone who expresses interest to know more about Obama presidency.

Preview Part 2

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