He's not doing a very good job. Coming into office, the issue that most concerned Americans is the economy. That's not the issue he focused his campaign on, nor the issue he planned to be most concerned about, but it's the biggest issue to most Americans. He has neglected this issue, so as to focus on his agenda (green energy, health care). The stimulus was a gamnle on the economy. The idea there is to borrow money from the future, spend it now to create short term jobs, which could possibly become long term jobs if the natural recessionary cycle ends during the period of stimulus impact. If successful, the stimulus would keep the recession from being so deep, at the expense of the recovery's peak. The risk was there that if the stimulus didn't work, all we did was borrow money, spend it, and weaken the economy so as to forestall the recovery. Can we keep borrowing money? We can, but eventually the rates rise, the currency weakens (good for US exports), and inflation hits hard (bad for retirees). This is not a good strategy, as it is based on hopes and not expected outcomes. Obama's agenda - green energy (as implemented by taxing energy), and health insurance reform (nationalizing one of our internationally dominant industries) are not good for the economy. Again, I don't know if he believes his agenda is more important than the economy, but he's acting as if it is. What could he do? He could do what Clinton did in 1993, after famously being enraged that "a bunch of bond traders" were going to keep him from implementing his agenda. He could reign back his ambitions, restore financial discipline, and wait for the recession to end on its own, helped by the sound management of the Fed and budget developers. Or he could do what Reagan did, cutting taxes and letting the invisible hand determine where the resources could best be applied. Each of those enjoyed great economic expansions for the rest of their terms. Each of them understood that the economy is most important to Americans. Obama will never lose the support of the hard core Democrats. He is losing the independents, and will continue to do so if he stays on this course. They can tell that he's just not doing a good job.
There are many big issues that need to be dealth with. Economy, healthcare, foreign policy, education, environment, etc. The fact is that the WH has stated many times that you cannot fix the economy in the long run without addressing healthcare. The current model is unsustainable and leading to higher and higher costs each year while leaving a large% of the population uninsured at all. If Obama doesn't address any one of these key issues but just focuses on 1 or 2 of them then he will be attacked by not following through on campaign promises and for failing to fix those things. I don't think his popularity has declined overall. I do think there was a large % of the population that didn't vote for him that is being very vocal right now. There are certainly some things that I would like to see changed.....decrease overspending, decrease pork in bills, void patriot act, get troops out of middle east, etc. But I do have some faith that in time these things will get done. The democrats are also in power in the House and Senate and it is not just up to the President to get everything done. Perhaps there need to be some changes in the legislative branch to get more Obama minded folk in there. People that want change.
Obama is a genius.....or maybe his political advisors are. RIGHT Now is the time to get the heavy stuff rammed through and suffer any drops in popularity that might accompany it. At some point the economy is going to turn around and once that happens Americans will forget about this Healthcare debate. Its 2009. Better to do this now than in 2010 or 2011 when you might not enjoy the popularity ot numbers in congress that you currently have. Obama inherited an absolute mess. Two wars, and horrible economy, collapsing banks....etc When that stuff gets turned around people arent going to care about all the Liberal things hes trying to implement.
congress and the fed creating the financial mess we are in. its not obama's fault but a pork filled so-called stimulus package hasnt helped either. trying to destroy a big chunk of our economy and a big portion of this states economy with cap and tax doesnt help, nor does an poorly conceived healthcare overhall, i refuse to call it reform because it doesnt reform anything, it just changes the bureaucrats from the private side to the government.
I was referring to the President and his being a Senator. As far as the Wars go, I am not going to get into that for the 1 millionith time. Everybody has their opinion but I just don't hear a whole lot of complaining and bitching and moaning anymore.
I honestly don't think that Obama will be President when the economy "turns around". It will get better than it currently is, but it seems to me that we are years away from being even close to where we were. __________________________________________________ the economy will turn around when people and companies start spending again. this isnt going to happen until the fear of this administration by small businesses subsides.
I like when logic is so twisted and controted that it's more fun to read the honest thoughts of some folks that are horrifically confused than to go through point by point and destroy their premises. Obama inherited the worls largest **** sandwich ever made courteay of the George W. Bush administration. now the ecnonomy is flickering, unemployment has fallen dramatically in the monthly layoffs since Obama took office and more lies have been told and covered by the media regarding health care than on any issue I have ever seen in my lifetime. Obama is going to come out of this all smelling pretty good. Obama is going to get health care reform, the ecnomoy is going to turn from flickers into hiring in about another 10 months and we will begin to move forward. It's tough taking on big goals, and it's not always popular. It certainly allows more shots to be taken. In the end if Obama is as unsuccessful as so many Republicans are hoping our country is never going to recover from the disaster and debt burden that the GOP and Bush wrought from the fiscal mismanagment on their watch.... obama isn's doing the best job, but thank the Lord we do not have John McCain or another Republican in the office of the presidency now as the changes from the last 8 years are only coming out because the GOP is the minority party. If in the majority... more of exactly the same sort of thinking we saw from 2001-2008...
Obama's Keynesian policies are a bust, as such policies always are. We had a bubble economy built on excess borrowing and consumption, and the stimulus was an attempt to "double down" on that bet. Now, the Chinese (our best customers for selling our debt) are complaining about our tire tariffs. The president just doesn't seem to have much interest in the economy. Unemployment will get worse, and it will be a while before it lowers.
Bump. Anybody still want to argue that Obama isn't losing support? That he's got a fix for this economy? That he shouldn't have focused more on it?
