ith hope and virtue, let us brave once more the icy currents, and endure what storms may come.”
Barack Obama’s presidency did not have the ideal start. He succeeded George W. Bush, one of the most unpopular presidents in recent history. He inherited two mismanaged wars and an economy in the midst of an implosion. At his inauguration, Chief Justice Roberts even managed to bumble Obama’s swearing-in.
But the American people also voted him to a resounding victory, handing him a clear mandate for his liberal policies. With that power, Obama has quickly moved to reverse two terms of Bush ineptitude and move America on the path to progressivism. His first hundred days bring back memories of FDR’s first hundred days, in which he and Congress passed an onslaught of legislation meant to offset the deepening depression that eventually established the foundation for the First New Deal. In his first hundred days, Obama didn’t waste any time getting into the meat of things.
“We will rebuild, we will recover, and the United States of America will emerge stronger than before.”
In the initial days of his presidency, Obama acted swiftly to counteract effects of the recession he described as the worst crisis since the Great Depression. Less than a month into office, Obama signed into law the $787 billion economic stimulus package that he had been advocating since the election. Obama hopes the stimulus bill will create over 3.5 million jobs and help prop up America’s weakening infrastructure and educational system. Guided by this hope, Obama used the stimulus package as a blueprint for his proposed federal budget, which, along with infrastructure and education, would cut taxes for 95% of Americans and increase investment in green technologies, renewable energy, and health care.
Obama has also become a proactive player in the automaker and bank bailouts, emerging as the bully pulpit unafraid to express his disdain for waste of stimulus money. The White House demanded the resignation of GM CEO Rick Wagoner when the struggling carmaker blew through $17 billion in federal loans and asked for more. Obama publicly blasted what he called “lavish” bonuses to executives of banks that were receiving government money, and capped executive pay at firms benefitting from federal aid.
These gestures rocked Wall Street and Detroit and sent the message that misuse of taxpayer money was unacceptable. But the bigger message Obama sent was that he was a president of the people who would lobby on their behalf and listen to their frustrations—whether they are due to AIG bonuses or Detroit CEOs taking private jets to Capitol Hill to discuss their bailouts.
Although he has spent much of his time green-lighting stimulus funds for banks and automakers, Obama hasn’t forgotten about the average American. In light of the subprime mortgage crisis and skyrocketing foreclosures numbers, Obama has promised nearly $275 billion to help stabilize the housing market and stave off imminent foreclosures. More recently, Obama has introduced plans to give college students loans directly from the government by bypassing private lenders, a move that would simplify and speed up the loan process.
“…we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals.”
The greatest damages Bush inflicted on our country was the curtailing of civil liberties, violations of international law, and the degradation of our moral standing. Obama didn’t skip a beat in renewing the pursuit of the moral high ground. In just his first few days of office he suspended military tribunals for Guantanamo detainees, issued an executive order to close Guantanamo, closed CIA “black sites” used for extraordinary rendition and torture, and banned “enhanced interrogation techniques.”
Obama also wasn’t afraid to call “enhanced interrogation techniques” what they were—torture. In an address to Congress on February 24, Obama reminded lawmakers that “living our values doesn’t make us weaker, it makes us safer and it makes us stronger. And that is why I can stand here tonight and say without exception or equivocation that the United States of America does not torture.” President Obama reiterated America’s new dedication against torture and waterboarding when he released the Bush torture memos on April 16.
“Laws … affect the daily realities of people’s lives.”
Obama’s first three months of domestic policies previewed an America where equality is the norm, science isn’t shunned, and everyone has equal access to all the opportunities America offers.
The President signed his first bill into law only eight days after Inauguration, making the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act a reality. The equal pay legislation was unable to become law in the Bush era, but Obama ended the blockade against it, saying “there are no second-class citizens in our workplaces, and that it’s not just unfair and illegal – but bad for business – to pay someone less because of their gender, age, race, ethnicity, religion or disability.”
In February, Obama enacted another bill previously blocked by Bush, extending government-subsidized health care to children whose parents cannot afford private health care. While a government-sponsored health care system may be months or years away, Obama has proven that health coverage of all Americans is one of his top priorities.
In addition to health care, Obama wants to revamp the nation’s education system. Among his proposals are merit pay for teachers and longer school days. “These education policies will open the doors of opportunity for our children. But it is up to us to ensure they walk through them. In the end, there is no program or policy that can substitute for a mother or father who will attend those parent/teacher conferences, or help with homework after dinner, or turn off the TV, put away the video games, and read to their child,” Obama admitted.
“America is a friend of each nation and every man, woman and child who seeks a future of peace and dignity.”
Obama came to office in the midst of two wars and faced the threat of terrorism, the growing divide between the United States and the Muslim world, and the distrust of the international community. But he has been up to the challenge.
In his first TV interview of his presidency to the Arabic channel al-Arabiya, Obama emphasized to the Muslim world that “Americans are not your enemy” and that the United States is not an enemy of Islam. He assured the American public that terrorists would be hunted down and eliminated, authorizing strikes against Al-Qaida in Pakistan.
Fulfilling a campaign promise to end the War in Iraq, Obama declared an August 2010 end to combat missions. Obama also ordered more than 20,000 troops to deploy to Afghanistan, which he said would “stabilize a deteriorating situation.”
“We have a lot of work left to do.”
Obama’s first hundred days have been, for the most part, eventful and full of accomplishments. The President’s approval ratings remain high in the 60s, and Americans are increasingly satisfied with the direction of the government’s policies.
But with praise comes skepticism, as most Americans wait for the effects of the stimulus to work and for the economy to turn around. Millions of Americans are waiting to see if unemployment goes down, and if stocks go up. If they don’t, Obama’s good first impression could disappear as quickly as these hundred days have passed.
Obama still has a lot of campaign promises left on his checklist. Some of them—such as reducing the federal budget deficit—will take years, while others $mdash; such as overturning the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy, could come to fruition with a stroke of a pen. Now that the mainst
ream media’s hype about Obama’s first hundred days is over, let’s see what he does with his next 1,362.
