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maxomaiFor his first term, I give Obama a B-. This might seem like a low grade, but given his unwillingness to prosecute torture and other abuses of the previous administration, it might even be higher than he deserves.
Let's break it down:
Foreign policy: A-
Ended the Iraq war, ending the Afghan war, refocusing on Al Qaeda, killing OBL, better outreach to the Muslim world - all good. Arguably mishandling Russia. His rapprochement with the other MENA puppet dictators in our corner will determine whether this grade drops to a C or lower.
Economic policy: B+
We managed to avoid another recession. The economy is growing, anemically, and certain sectors (manufacturing and IT) are growing at pre-2001 levels. The original stimulus of 2009 was too little and not spent in the right places, and we're seeing that now with a 7.8% U3 rate. Unfortunately, the next term promises to focus on guns, immigration, and climate change. Note that unemployment is not one of those priorities. If the U3 rate stays above 7%, this grade is going to drop.
Health care: A
Obamacare could have been better, but just passing something that ambitious is an automatic A. But, his legacy depends largely on how well the next year plays out on this front, as the new law goes fully into effect on Jan 1 2014.
Civil rights: B+
DADT is over. DOMA is hopefully next. If he can reform immigration, that's an automatic A.
Civil liberties: F-
He invoked the Nuremberg defense to excuse not prosecuting torture, and signed a defense bill that authorizes assassination of US citizens. Not even the Bush administration went that far. Zero points. Look for further violations of civil liberties in order to pursue the guns issue.
Environment: C
He's taking steps towards a green economy and to curb global warming, but not nearly fast enough. Some of his policies are making the US economy even more dependent on fossil fuel (this time as an export) than before, and if that continues, this grade could become an F. He's promised to focus on climate change in his next term. Let's see how serious he is about this.
Let's break it down:
Foreign policy: A-
Ended the Iraq war, ending the Afghan war, refocusing on Al Qaeda, killing OBL, better outreach to the Muslim world - all good. Arguably mishandling Russia. His rapprochement with the other MENA puppet dictators in our corner will determine whether this grade drops to a C or lower.
Economic policy: B+
We managed to avoid another recession. The economy is growing, anemically, and certain sectors (manufacturing and IT) are growing at pre-2001 levels. The original stimulus of 2009 was too little and not spent in the right places, and we're seeing that now with a 7.8% U3 rate. Unfortunately, the next term promises to focus on guns, immigration, and climate change. Note that unemployment is not one of those priorities. If the U3 rate stays above 7%, this grade is going to drop.
Health care: A
Obamacare could have been better, but just passing something that ambitious is an automatic A. But, his legacy depends largely on how well the next year plays out on this front, as the new law goes fully into effect on Jan 1 2014.
Civil rights: B+
DADT is over. DOMA is hopefully next. If he can reform immigration, that's an automatic A.
Civil liberties: F-
He invoked the Nuremberg defense to excuse not prosecuting torture, and signed a defense bill that authorizes assassination of US citizens. Not even the Bush administration went that far. Zero points. Look for further violations of civil liberties in order to pursue the guns issue.
Environment: C
He's taking steps towards a green economy and to curb global warming, but not nearly fast enough. Some of his policies are making the US economy even more dependent on fossil fuel (this time as an export) than before, and if that continues, this grade could become an F. He's promised to focus on climate change in his next term. Let's see how serious he is about this.
