Obama Report Card Follow-up

When I followed the content of the Orange County Register article, I neglected to grade President Obama on one of the most important promises that he made: CHANGE the way Washington works, by:

1. Restoring bi-partisanship -- he gets an "F" on this one because he has achieved nothing. Republicans and Democrats are as polarized, if not more so, than before he became president. In both the House and the Senate, the Democrat majority has refused to let Republicans participate in the drafting of key bills such as health care. By discarding all Republican suggestions as without merit, the Democrat majority has forced the Republicans into a 'stop the bill' mode.
2. Implement TRANSPARENCY in Government -- President Obama gets a "D" on this one. He has tried to do this in the Executive branch, but the Legislative Branch, led by his fellow Democrats continues to do all their work behind closed doors, and to force members to vote on measures they have not even had time to read.
3. Eliminate or reduce EARMARKS -- The president gets an "F" on this one, too. The budget and stimulus bills were submerged in earmarks and pork barrel spending. And the Senate bought a Nebraska vote on health care by exempting his state from a tax that other states would have to pay. The very actions that the Democrats criticized the Republican administration for have returned in greater quantities.

The promise was probably more that the President could handle. No President has come into office and immediately changed the way that Washington works, probably because it can't be done. But I believe that the President was so intent upon passing bailout and health care legislation that he did not even attempt to call the congressional leaders aside and convince them to change their ways.

It's a shame that so many of us voted for CHANGE; our disappointment was inevitable.

President Obama's Report Card

On Sunday, January 17th, both the LA Times and the Orange County Register offered opinion pieces on how well President Obama has kept his promises in his first year in office.

As an Independent who cast his lot for Obama, I decided to prepare my own report. I will follow the general format in the Register's article.

1. Troop Reduction in Iraq -- Dena Bunis in the Register gave the president a "B" on this one. But the promise as quoted was not simply a troop reduction in Iraq: "We should end this war responsibly. But in 16 months, we should be able to reduce our combat troops. ... We cannot separate Afghanistan from Iraq...So I would send two to three additional brigades to Iraq." The words in bold are the promise. President has done exactly what he said he would do. I think he could have done the job a little better, but he deserves either an "A-" or a "B+."
2. Lifting the Ban on Stem Cell Research -- I agree with Ms Bunis on this one; President Obama definitely gets an"A."
3. Wall Street Accountability -- Ms. Bunis gives him a "C;" I can only go for a "D." The promise is: "I'll put in place the commonsense regulations and rules of the road I've been calling for since March --rules that will keep our market free, fair, and honest; rules that will restore accountability and responsibility in our corporate board rooms." Yes, some rules have been put in place, but not very strong ones. We'll have to see just how many more will be enacted, and how well they are enforced. Some bank executives have acknowledged their poor decisions and actions, but they have still rewarded themselves with exhorbitant salaries and bonuses.
4. Guantanamo Closure -- Ms Bunis gives him a "C+" on this one. I have never believed it was necessary, let alone a priority. I think the President has discovered that this objective is both more difficult and less desirable than he initially believed. So I won't mark him down if he postpones or cancels his deadline on this one.
5. Credit Cards -- Ms Bunis gives the President an "A-" on this one, and I agree. The bill he signed last May achieves nearly all of the objectives of his proposed 'credit card bill of rights.'
6. Don't Ask, Don't Tell -- President Obama promised to repeal this policy, but no action has been taken, so Ms Bunis gives him a "D." It seems to me, however, that there are much more important fires to extinguish -- the recession, job creation, airline security, the earthquake in Haiti, et al. So I give the President a "B" for keeping his priorities straight.
7. Capping Carbon Emissions -- He promised actions to achieve an 80% reduction by 2050, with specific milestones every 10 years until then. Ms Bunis gives him a "C-" for the progress on the house and senate bills in the works on this. Unfortunately, I will give him a better grade if he changes his mind on this one. Carbon caps will only result in a higher cost of living for us through taxation and energy price increases. Despite the rantings of the 'climate change kooks,' there is not solid evidence that these costly measures will prevent global warming. What we really need is alternatives to the use of fuel oil for automobiles and electricity production.
8. Taxing the Wealthy -- Ms Bunis gives him a "C," noting that Obama said before he was elected that he would not roll back the Bush tax cuts because of the recession. But they will expire at the end of this year. My perception is that the government is doing a better job of taxing the wealthy. My concern is not that we punish the wealthy with higher taxes, but that we make sure that they carry their fair share. Over 6,000 people reported earnings of over a million dollars in 2007 and paid no federal tax at all. Many more, I am sure, paid nowhere near their fair share of the taxes. I have said before that we need true tax reform in the form of a flat tax that exempts only those citizens living at or below the poverty level. So, until the President heads in the right direction, I won't give him a grade.
9. Immigration Overhaul -- He said he would make comprehensive immigration reform a top priority in the first year. He has done nothing, and Ms Bunis gives him a "C-." I guess we can all cut him some slack for dealing with what appear to be more important issues, but I would not consider "cap and trade" to be one of them. Before the economic issues arose, this issue was very high on my list. In my view, the enforcers should be working full tilt on our present laws until such time as the legislators can find time to enact reforms. As I stated in earlier posts, the phrase "comprehensive immigration reform" bothers me. I envision another 2,000 page bill with a costly bureaucracy attached to it. So, until I see the President's definition of "comprehensive," I give him a "D-" on this one.
10. Finally, Health Care -- Ms Bunis gives him a "B." I give him a "C-." Something needs to be done, and we have bills from the house and the senate in the reconciliation process. I have not read either bill (has anyone), but from what I read in the papers they both appear to be big 'cave-ins' to the insurance and pharmaceutcal industries. Neither attempts do define the drivers in cost growth and eliminate them, which would make health care available to more people. Even if the President signs a compromise bill, I will be hard put to give him a passing grade.

So there it is, my report card for the President. It's a long posting; if you have made it this far, thanks for staying with me. The President has disappointed me in several areas, but on some issues he is showing an analytical approach and appears to be seeking fair and reasonable ends.