# Are you satisfied with the job Obama has done as president of the US? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 19, 2012, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-satisfied-with-the-job-obama-has-done-as-president-of-the-us/625586 "2012-06-19T00:27:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 1\ **Showing post:** 29
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2012, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-satisfied-with-the-job-obama-has-done-as-president-of-the-us/625586/29 "2012-06-19T16:14:22Z")
> [@Iggy](#): > > With his election in 2008 he was given a majority in the House and a filibuster proof Senate\* > [snip] > [SIZE=“1”]\*(ok technically it was 58 Democrats and 2 Independents but we know those Independents were on his side)[/SIZE] He had that ‘filibuster-proof Senate’ for just over four months. A filibuster-proof majority is 60 votes, present and voting; the Dems started off 2009 with 58, then Ted Kennedy’s cancer got the better of him and he ceased being able to show up for votes around March: 57. In late April, Arlen Specter switched parties: 58. In early July, Al Franken was sworn in: 59. Teddy died in late August: still 59. His successor, Paul Kirk, was sworn in on September 25: 60 at last. Four months later, Scott Brown won the special election for that seat: 59 again. Just wanted to clear up that bit of history. --- _[View the full topic](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-satisfied-with-the-job-obama-has-done-as-president-of-the-us/625586)._