In Defense of Obama

Introduction

• Author: Paul Krugman

• Date of Publication: October 8, 2014

• Overview: Krugman defends President Obama’s presidency, challenging both critics on the left and right.

Initial Criticism of Obama

• Skeptical from the start, contrary to prevailing enthusiasm in 2008.

• Concerns about:

  • Obama’s naivety concerning political divides.

  • Conventionality over being a transformational leader.

  • Support of economic policies favored by "Very Serious People."

Republican Opposition

• Faced extreme opposition from Republicans from his first day in office.

• Almost made damaging concessions to the U.S. safety net in pursuit of a budget compromise, saved only by Republican greed.

Obama's Achievements

General Overview

• Despite significant challenges, Obama achieved substantial success:

  • Health reform (Affordable Care Act) has improved many lives.

  • Economic management has been relatively strong compared to other advanced nations.

  • Environment policy beginning to shape a legacy.

Types of Obama-Bashing

Right-Wing Criticism

• Continuous portrayal of Obama as an extremist and foreigner.

Left-Wing Criticism

• Criticism from progressives for not aggressively punishing Wall Street and addressing income inequality.

Media Critique

• Pundits often describe Obama’s administration as stalled or failed, based on low approval ratings.

Evaluating Presidential Approval Ratings

• Low approval ratings are deceptive and reflect increased partisan division.

• Midterm election results do not align with expectations of a failing presidency:

  • Democrats more competitive than anticipated in Senate races.

Health Care Reform (Obamacare)

• Major achievement and considered a significant deal.

• Implementation faced numerous challenges:

  • Rescue measures post-election issues.

  • Supreme Court challenges and technical flaws in the launch.

• Positive outcomes noted:

  • Likely a drop of around 10 million uninsured Americans.

  • Provides better quality of care and financial security, despite some shortcomings.

Financial Reform (Dodd-Frank Act)

• Response to the financial crisis:

  • Criticism of not pursuing aggressive Wall Street accountability.

  • Dodd-Frank seen as impactful though imperfect.

  • Key provisions:

    • Systemically Important Financial Institutions (SIFIs) regulations.

    • Orderly Liquidation Authority for complex institutions.

    • Establishment of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, led by Elizabeth Warren.

Economic Performance

• The economy is recovering although not swiftly:

  • Comparisons with historical trends show varying degrees of recovery success.

  • The original stimulus was deemed insufficient by many economists.

• Efforts at tax reform have benefited lower-income families, contributing to reducing inequality.

Environmental Policies

• Initial hopes for comprehensive climate legislation didn’t materialize.

• Actions taken via executive order focusing on renewable energy and efficiency standards.

• Proposed EPA regulations aim to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from power plants.

National Security

• Critique of Obama's national security approach:

  • Retention of practices from previous administrations.

  • Limited accountability for actions taken during prior wars.

• Summary: improvement compared to past administrations but lacks transformational change.

Social Change

• Shift in public opinion on social issues during Obama’s presidency.

• Obama as a follower of societal changes rather than a leader:

  • Supported increasing acceptance of rights regarding gay marriage and women.

Conclusion

• Despite not fully meeting original expectations, Obama achieved substantive changes in multiple policy areas.

• Achievements noted as significant, reflecting a successful presidency overall.

Introduction

Author: Paul KrugmanDate of Publication: October 8, 2014Overview: Krugman talks about how President Obama did during his time in office and answers some of the critics from both sides of politics.

Initial Criticism of Obama

• Some people were not very excited about Obama when he became president in 2008.

• They worried that he didn't understand how tough politics can be.

• Critics thought he was too normal and didn’t take big risks.

• He supported economic ideas that some powerful people liked, which made others worried.

Republican Opposition

• Republicans strongly opposed Obama from the very beginning.

• He almost made choices that would have hurt important safety programs, but he was saved by the Republicans being too greedy.

Obama's Achievements

General Overview

• Even with many problems, Obama did some important things:

  • Health Reform: The Affordable Care Act helped a lot of people get medical care.

  • Economic Management: The economy did better under him than in many other countries.

  • Environmental Policy: He started to create policies for protecting the environment.

Types of Obama-Bashing

Right-Wing Criticism

• Some critics always called Obama an extremist and said he wasn’t from America.

Left-Wing Criticism

• Others from the left said he didn't do enough to make Wall Street pay for their mistakes and didn’t focus on making sure everyone had enough money.

Media Critique

• News commentators often believe Obama’s time as president was bad because his approval ratings were low.

Evaluating Presidential Approval Ratings

• Low approval ratings don’t always tell the whole story; they reflect more disagreement in politics.

• In midterm elections, Democrats were more successful than people thought they would be.

Health Care Reform (Obamacare)

• This was one of Obama’s biggest successes, even though it had some problems:

  • He had to fix things after the program was rolled out, including some issues from the Supreme Court.

  • Around 10 million more people got health insurance under Obamacare, which helped improve healthcare and financial security for many.

Financial Reform (Dodd-Frank Act)

• This was a response to the big money problems (financial crisis):

  • Some people said he didn’t do enough to hold Wall Street accountable, but Dodd-Frank was still considered useful.

  • It established rules for big financial institutions and created a bureau to help protect consumers.

Economic Performance

• The economy was getting better but not as fast as hoped:

  • Many economists said the original stimulus to help the economy wasn’t enough.

  • Changes to tax laws helped low-income families, which also helped lessen the wealth gap.

Environmental Policies

• Many hoped for big laws on climate change, but that didn’t happen.

  • Obama took actions to promote renewable energy and reduce pollution.

National Security

• Some people criticized Obama for keeping some old strategies from past presidents and not holding anyone accountable for previous wars.

Social Change

• Public opinion changed about social issues like gay marriage and women’s rights during Obama’s presidency.

• Obama often supported changes rather than leading them, following what people wanted.

Conclusion

• Even though he didn’t achieve all that people hoped for, Obama made important changes in multiple areas.

• His achievements were significant, making him a successful president overall.