So, we have had 100 days with a new president. Fair or not, since FDR 100 days have been seen as the first time to realistically review a new president. So, here is my review.
Foreign Policy
Successes: One of the major reasons I supported Obama was to change the image of America in the world. It seems to me that, so far, this expectation has been fulfilled -- and then some! The most impressive symbolic acts so far have been the open town hall meetings, press conferences, and speeches he has given in Europe and Turkey. He has impressed foreign leaders, reporters, and citizens far and wide. This will all certainly pay off in the long run. He has already made important moves with Russia in the areas of nuclear non-proliferation and nuclear disarmament. His Cuba policy (easing travel restrictions and monetary transactions) is a welcome change, and relations appear to be greatly improving with Latin America. He seems eager to listen, rather than preach.
Failures: He has been unable to convince European countries to increase stimulus spending, which could prove to be very important in the economic recovery. I don't think this is as big a deal as some do, but it is still a failure.
Question marks: The Big Unknown right now is Afghanistan/Pakistan. Obama, as he promised, is sending more troops to the region. I am genuinely unsure of whether this is the best thing to do. The situation is both countries appears is worsening. It also remains to be seen whether Obama has the strength to stand up to the current far-right Israeli government and its odd supporters here at home, and put some real pressure on Israel to stop building illegal settlements in the West Bank (of course, he needs to continue to pressure Palestinians to stop rocket attacks, but that is a given).
Reading: "Signs of Spring: U.S.-Latin America Relations Thaw," Time.
Reading: "Obama in Europe: Overtures to Ovations," Financial times.
Reading: "9 Moments That Mattered," Atlantic
Reading: "Aided by Safety Nets, Europe Resists Stimulus Push," NY Times
Economy
Successes: The stimulus package was impressive. It was probably not big enough and too focused on less-stimulative tax cuts -- but the blame for that lies elsewhere. If anything, Obama might have made a mistake in trusting that Republicans would compromise in good faith. Obama's budget was a much more honest budget than we've had in the past (actually including the costs of war), and contains money for all the right priorities (energy, health care). Not bad at all -- good long, term investment.
Failures: Bailout money is still being spent in unseemly ways, thanks to incomprehensible behavior by Wall Street executives. Obama's response has been erratic and fairly weak.
Question marks: The big banks and the auto industry are still in big trouble. All of the options seem bad. Good luck with that, Mr. President. And, obviously, current deficits are not sustainable. Perhaps the big test of the Obama presidency will be, once the economy recovers, to bring these under control through a mixture of sensible spending reductions, tax hikes, and health care restructuring. He is already taking steps to do this, but we'll see.
Reading: "I give Obama an A, a B and an F," Rob Reich
Restoring the Rule of Law
Successes: Obama seems to have a plan in place to close Gitmo and he has slammed the door on torture practices. His decision to release the torture memos was brave and the right thing to do. Hooray!
Failures: His notions of the legal status of "enemy combatants" and of illegal wire tapping have been indistinguishable from Bush's. Boo! Boo! Boo!
Question marks: I am undecided whether prosecutions of the Bush wrongdoers should proceed in a vigorous way. I can see the need for it (we are a nation of laws, for heaven's sake), but I can also see it completely distracting from the rest of his important agenda.
Reading: "Report Card on Civil Liberties," American Prospect.
Overall, I think he has done a good job so far -- probably even an excellent job. Great challenges and questions remain.
Update:
Some other thoughtful reflections on the first 100 days:
Mike Tomasky: "100 days: Setting the tone for America"
Yglesias: "Obama is on track to accomplish major changes"
Daniel Gross: "The Patient is in Stable Condition"
3 comments:
I got this in a email:
"Dear Mr. President:
Please find below my suggestion for fixing America 's economy. Instead of giving billions of dollars to companies that will squander
the money on lavish parties and unearned bonuses, use the following plan.
You can call it the Patriotic Retirement Plan: There are about 40 million people over 50 in the work force. Pay them $1 million
apiece severance for early retirement with the following stipulations:
1) They MUST retire. Forty million job openings - Unemployment fixed.
2) They MUST buy a new American CAR. Forty million cars ordered - Auto Industry fixed.
3) They MUST either buy a house or pay off their mortgage - Housing Crisis fixed.
It can't get any easier than that! If more money is needed, have all members of Congress and their constituents pay their taxes..."
Or he could just give me a million bucks, that would work too (for me at least). :)
Amber, I don't know how seriously you take this proposal. Whatever the case, it captures nicely the basic idea of stimulus spending -- which has been done to the tune of $700 billion dollars. However, such stimulus alone does not address the fact that (a) we still need a functioning banking system and (b) the auto industry needs to make fundamental changes. These are the issues that Obama is struggling with.
No Bryan, I don't take it too seriously. I just like the idea of someone handing me a million bucks.
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