What is Obama's signature achievement as president? (1 Viewer)

[Riversco]

Obamacare can't be his biggest achievement anymore.  The opposition party swept into office with the top goal of destroying Obamacare.  They won everything at all levels of government and just repealed it.  So what's his top achievement in those 8 years?

 

[rockaction]

They haven't repealed a thing. It's still the PPACA.

 

[IvanKaramazov]

No, it's still clearly Obamacare.  

 

[RokNRole]

Sucking at his job

 

[Homer J Simpson]

Obamacare can't be his biggest achievement anymore.  The opposition party swept into office with the top goal of destroying Obamacare.  They won everything at all levels of government and just repealed it.  So what's his top achievement in those 8 years?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=2&v=tyeJ55o3El0

 

[TripItUp]

Had this conversation with family a few weeks ago.

Very little little achieved was the conclusion from my largely independent family.  

The interesting question is why was he unable to accomplish anything of significance?  Is our govt structure crippling in the modern age?  Are there legislative mechanisms that make it impossible to pass meaningful legislation?  Has our problems become too complex for our govt to solve? Was he simply not effective?

 

[SaintsInDome2006]

Obamacare can't be his biggest achievement anymore.

Personally I never thought it was. Obama was elected on restoring the economy, enforcing financial regulation, and ending the war in Iraq. I'm not a 'supporter' and I have criticisms but he plainly accomplished these things and left the country in good shape. That was his job, and he did it like many other presidents we have had. I think Trump is the first president I have had serious concerns about in terms of real damage to our country from who he is and his ideology.

 

[timschochet]

Well, based on the guy asking the question, I'm going to go with Obama's signature achievement was bringing about the conditions necessary for the takeover of this country by the Nazi Party. 

Do I win a prize? 

 

[SaintsInDome2006]

Well, based on the guy asking the question, I'm going to go with Obama's signature achievement was bringing about the conditions necessary for the takeover of this country by the Nazi Party. 

Do I win a prize? 

2X

 

[Frostillicus]

First non-American born president.

 

[Chemical X]

acting like an adult and being this country's biggest supporter.  never seen a president disparage his own country as much as this president.  the bar is low.

 

[Baby Monkey Riding a Pig]

He also killed that one terrorist.

 

[Cowboysfan8]

Well, based on the guy asking the question, I'm going to go with Obama's signature achievement was bringing about the conditions necessary for the takeover of this country by the Nazi Party. 

Do I win a prize? 

Thanks Obama

 

[tommyboy]

Well, based on the guy asking the question, I'm going to go with Obama's signature achievement was bringing about the conditions necessary for the takeover of this country by the Nazi Party. 

Do I win a prize? 

That's funny. Because it is the left wing that wants to crush free speech, take away guns and use the power of the government to force people to do what they want.

 

[tommyboy]

Cash for clunkers was pretty big deal

 

[elbowrm]

Avoiding the second Great Depression was a pretty good achievement...

 

[tommyboy]

Actual serious answer is letting Russia be the new bad guy in the middle East. 

 

[Grace Under Pressure]

Presidents are often linked to the economy and war, fairly or not, and how those affairs went under their administration. Looking at economic measures, Obama's administration did a fair to good job stabilizing the economy between unemployment, housing and the stock market. Also did fairly decent on keeping things stable on a global front. This is compared to the administration prior to his, which spent a trillion on Iraq & Afghanistan "off the books", and caused huge issues in all 3 domestic economic measures listed above.

As for a signature achievement, that's an overrated notion IMO to expect from a President. A President hopefully makes smart decisions consistently every day that help the country. Putting names on things like laws, executive orders, buildings, resorts or golf courses isn't something I particularly care much about, so I find it a false measuring stick. I'll take a pitcher who wins 18-20 games for several years over a guy that throws a perfect game once and stinks the rest of his career.

 

[Baloney Sandwich]

His signature achievement was being the first black President

 

[shadrap]

not getting as many American's killed in that cluster we call the Middle East.  Obama showed extreme discipline in the face of being called a pacifist.   In this particular regard I wish we had more Presidents like this.

 

[jonessed]

Avoiding the second Great Depression was a pretty good achievement...

No zombie apocalypses or Martian invasions either.  Those would have been brutal. 

 

[cockroach]

The interesting question is why was he unable to accomplish anything of significance?  

Many would argue that the opposition party dragged their feet and did their best to see he didn't get anything done.  I'm sure there are some quotes to be found that would back that assertion also. 

 

[the moops]

Institutionalizing Executive Over-reach. Making it so any following President with "a pen and a phone" can overrule Congress and take unilateral action on whatever issue he's wants. Violate current law? "I won, shut up." 

We warned at the time that weaponizing the Executive Branch set an awful precedent for the next guy, but, Democrats figured they'd never lose another election, so it didn't matter. Lucky for them that Hillary was a 99% favorite to win, right? 

Reagan, Clinton, Nixon, Truman, FDR, etc.....

 

[BassNBrew]

I'd say helping Wall Street and the 1% kick butt again.

 

[Reg Lllama of Brixton]

Here you go

 

[Da Guru]

Probably going 8 years without getting us into a full blown war would have to be his biggest accomplishment.

 

[James Daulton]

What was Bush's?  What was Clinton's?  What was the other Bush's?  Reagan won the cold war but that the last positive "signature" achievement I can think of a president having.  

 

[Doctor Detroit]

Actual serious answer is letting Russia be the new bad guy in the middle East. 

This is actually a pretty good point. 

 

[Mario Kart]

One of Obama's signiture achievements is his worst day as President is proving to have been much more beneficial, helpful, courageous, and better than any day Trump will be president. 

 

[Doctor Detroit]

What was Bush's?  What was Clinton's?  What was the other Bush's?  Reagan won the cold war but that the last positive "signature" achievement I can think of a president having.  

Cold War was won long before Reagan took office. 

 

[Thunderlips]

Despite the hiccup that is Trumpcare....I'd imagine historians will look back at Obama as the POTUS who blazed the path for any future single payer/not for profit healthcare system for Americans. 

 

[The General]

Starting the ground work for national health care plan. 

 

[The General]

Sucking at his job

That's your thing.

 

[Thunderlips]

What was Bush's?  What was Clinton's?  What was the other Bush's?  Reagan won the cold war but that the last positive "signature" achievement I can think of a president having.  

Bush's legacy isn't that great...although Trumps reign will make people view Bush more favorably.

 

[The General]

Making America great again after Bush #### the bed for 8 years.

 

[need2know]

Sweet jumper

 

[jon_mx]

Had this conversation with family a few weeks ago.

Very little little achieved was the conclusion from my largely independent family.  

The interesting question is why was he unable to accomplish anything of significance?  Is our govt structure crippling in the modern age?  Are there legislative mechanisms that make it impossible to pass meaningful legislation?  Has our problems become too complex for our govt to solve? Was he simply not effective?

Much of it was arrogance.  Once the Dems lost control of Congree, Obama had no clue how to operate thru bi-partisan means and he pissed off the GOP when he did have control.  He needed to take a few pages from Bill Clinton who despite being hated by the right was able to accomplish some stuff.  

Really Obama's biggest accomplishment was saving the court liberal wing which was old as dirt when he took office.  

 

[badmojo1006]

I think in the long term it will be reestablishing relations with Cuba.

 

[The General]

Had this conversation with family a few weeks ago.

Very little little achieved was the conclusion from my largely independent family.  

The interesting question is why was he unable to accomplish anything of significance?  Is our govt structure crippling in the modern age?  Are there legislative mechanisms that make it impossible to pass meaningful legislation?  Has our problems become too complex for our govt to solve? Was he simply not effective?

Unemployment, stock market, housing market all sucking when he took over. They all were much, much better when he left. Previous guy attacked wrong nation by accident, he unwound that war and somehow managed to not invade anyplace. 

He was an above average president.

 

[MarvinTScamper]

The interesting question is why was he unable to accomplish anything of significance?  Is our govt structure crippling in the modern age?  Are there legislative mechanisms that make it impossible to pass meaningful legislation?  Has our problems become too complex for our govt to solve? 

Much of this I would say yes. 

 

[badmojo1006]

And Trump's lasting legacy? He will be the first President impeached and convicted.

 

[shadrap]

I think in the long term it will be reestablishing relations with Cuba.

interesting take.

 

[FreeBaGeL]

Marriage equality down?

I mean we're not 3-5 years removed from that still being a majorly divisive issue.  It has been completely normalized at this point to the point where even the people that were formerly massively opposed to it have basically accepted it as the new norm.

I remember having huge arguments about it on this forum where we'd say "20 years from now this isn't even going to be a talking point any more, it's just going to be accepted".  We're basically to that point already.

 

[tommyboy]

I think in the long term it will be reestablishing relations with Cuba.

This is also a great point

 

[TobiasFunke]

 Had this conversation with family a few weeks ago.

Very little little achieved was the conclusion from my largely independent family.  

The interesting question is why was he unable to accomplish anything of significance?  Is our govt structure crippling in the modern age?  Are there legislative mechanisms that make it impossible to pass meaningful legislation?  Has our problems become too complex for our govt to solve? Was he simply not effective?

Here is a long and detailed review of what Obama accomplished from a domestic policy standpoint, if any of your family members are interested.  It's well done IMO.

 

[TobiasFunke]

The interesting thing about that article I just linked is how much of it went under the radar or was quickly forgotten. Now that our president is a cartoonish disaster, nothing goes under the radar.  

Maybe one of the silver linings of this farce will be that because we can't afford to do that any more we'll end up with a  informed population who captures the sort of things we used to browse past on news sites and tune out on TV.

 

[TripItUp]

Here is a long and detailed review of what Obama accomplished from a domestic policy standpoint, if any of your family members are interested.  It's well done IMO.

Which of those items would you deem significant?

 

[TripItUp]

Unemployment, stock market, housing market all sucking when he took over. They all were much, much better when he left. Previous guy attacked wrong nation by accident, he unwound that war and somehow managed to not invade anyplace. 

He was an above average president.

Comparing him to Bush, is not an ideal litmus test IMHO.

 

[TripItUp]

Much of it was arrogance.  Once the Dems lost control of Congree, Obama had no clue how to operate thru bi-partisan means and he pissed off the GOP when he did have control.  He needed to take a few pages from Bill Clinton who despite being hated by the right was able to accomplish some stuff.  

Really Obama's biggest accomplishment was saving the court liberal wing which was old as dirt when he took office.  

This was our conclusion as well.  Although, any president follows those directions.

 

[The General]

Comparing him to Bush, is not an ideal litmus test IMHO.

Reversing the course on all those things is a significant achievement.