# Poll: What do you think of Obama? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 1, 2010, 8:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-what-do-you-think-of-obama/534546 "2010-04-01T08:00:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2010, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-what-do-you-think-of-obama/534546/21 "2010-04-01T16:32:56Z")
He passed Health Care. That alone gives him a seat among the best. At the very least, he’s an upper tier president ---
**Author:** ![Terraplane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/74df32/32.png) [@Terraplane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terraplane)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2010, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-what-do-you-think-of-obama/534546/22 "2010-04-01T16:53:22Z")
He’s doing ok, all things considered. There are things he’s done that have disappointed me (the oil drilling thing, for one) but I still think the good far outweighs the bad. ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2010, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-what-do-you-think-of-obama/534546/23 "2010-04-01T17:05:46Z")
[quote=“Shodan, post:3, topic:534546”] Well, let’s see - [list=1][li]he added $787 billion to the deficit his first year[/li][li]he is currently proposing a deficit of $1.56 **trillion** [/li][li]IOW, he wants to increase the national debt by more than every other President in history _combined_[/li][/QUOTE] Is this meaningfully true? You say “He added $787b to the deficit this year” - is new spending and/or tax cuts that he approved, or revenue downturn that he caused, responsible for this? The major components of deficits are revenue and expenditures. Now - we’re in the biggest economic downturn we’ve seen in possibly decades, which cannot reasonably be blamed on Obama, and so right off the bat revenues are going to be very far down. The deficit will increase based on that reduced revenue even with no additional spending. There’s no rational way that Obama can be blamed for this part of the deficit, and yet I’m sure you’re blaming this on him as part of the $878B, right? Moving on, a lot of the new spending of the last few years reflected in this deficit was on TARP and related expenses. Even though these were in full effect before Obama took office, is he to blame for these, also? Now, the stimulus can rightfully be attributed to Obama, but that’s roughly 12% of the new deficit this year. Additionally, about half the deficit from the stimulus actually comes from the tax cuts. Am I to assume that you’re against these tax cuts because of the deficits they’ve created, and that Obama should be criticized and blamed for them? The other issue is ticking time bomb expenditures. The wars were funded off-budget on special appropriations bills under Bush as a bit of accounting trickery so that they didn’t appear on the yearly deficits. Obama is being more honest about the whole thing, and so the current spending on the wars that were certainly not his fault now counts as part of “his” new deficit. Is this fair in any way? Additionally, Medicare Part D, a republican initiative, was designed to begin paying out benefits immediately but only start being paid for in 2009, when Republicans knew they’d probably be out of power. Can this be blamed on Obama also? So, it’s scary to throw around those numbers, and yet of the big items, only the stimulus can be reasonably attributed to Obama, and even then, I doubt you oppose the tax cut half of it. So we’re talking about 6% of the new deficit being Obama’s fault, more or less, right? ---
**Author:** ![Lightnin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lightnin/32/180_2.png) [@Lightnin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lightnin)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2010, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-what-do-you-think-of-obama/534546/24 "2010-04-01T17:12:28Z")
I think that the fact that every “scandal” he’s been through in his short tenure has been manufactured by the Right is a pretty solid indication that he’s doing a good job. He’s the President of the United States, arguably the most examined political office in the world; when your opponents have to \*lie \*to make you look bad, you’re doing a bang-up job. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2010, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-what-do-you-think-of-obama/534546/25 "2010-04-01T17:13:24Z")
> [@SenorBeef](#): > > Is this meaningfully true? You say “He added $787b to the deficit this year” - is new spending and/or tax cuts that he approved, or revenue downturn that he caused, responsible for this? > > The major components of deficits are revenue and expenditures. Now - we’re in the biggest economic downturn we’ve seen in possibly decades, which cannot reasonably be blamed on Obama, and so right off the bat revenues are going to be very far down. The deficit will increase based on that reduced revenue even with no additional spending. There’s no rational way that Obama can be blamed for this part of the deficit, and yet I’m sure you’re blaming this on him as part of the $878B, right? > > Moving on, a lot of the new spending of the last few years reflected in this deficit was on TARP and related expenses. Even though these were in full effect before Obama took office, is he to blame for these, also? > > Now, the stimulus can rightfully be attributed to Obama, but that’s roughly 12% of the new deficit this year. Additionally, about half the deficit from the stimulus actually comes from the tax cuts. Am I to assume that you’re against these tax cuts because of the deficits they’ve created, and that Obama should be criticized and blamed for them? > > The other issue is ticking time bomb expenditures. The wars were funded off-budget on special appropriations bills under Bush as a bit of accounting trickery so that they didn’t appear on the yearly deficits. Obama is being more honest about the whole thing, and so the current spending on the wars that were certainly not his fault now counts as part of “his” new deficit. Is this fair in any way? Additionally, Medicare Part D, a republican initiative, was designed to begin paying out benefits immediately but only start being paid for in 2009, when Republicans knew they’d probably be out of power. Can this be blamed on Obama also? > > So, it’s scary to throw around those numbers, and yet of the big items, only the stimulus can be reasonably attributed to Obama, and even then, I doubt you oppose the tax cut half of it. So we’re talking about 6% of the new deficit being Obama’s fault, more or less, right? This is a beautiful post. Thank you for this. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2010, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-what-do-you-think-of-obama/534546/26 "2010-04-01T17:14:50Z")
> [@SenorBeef](#): > > Is this meaningfully true? You say “He added $787b to the deficit this year” - is new spending and/or tax cuts that he approved, or revenue downturn that he caused, responsible for this? > > The major components of deficits are revenue and expenditures. Now - we’re in the biggest economic downturn we’ve seen in possibly decades, which cannot reasonably be blamed on Obama, and so right off the bat revenues are going to be very far down. The deficit will increase based on that reduced revenue even with no additional spending. There’s no rational way that Obama can be blamed for this part of the deficit, and yet I’m sure you’re blaming this on him as part of the $878B, right? > > Moving on, a lot of the new spending of the last few years reflected in this deficit was on TARP and related expenses. Even though these were in full effect before Obama took office, is he to blame for these, also? > > Now, the stimulus can rightfully be attributed to Obama, but that’s roughly 12% of the new deficit this year. Additionally, about half the deficit from the stimulus actually comes from the tax cuts. Am I to assume that you’re against these tax cuts because of the deficits they’ve created, and that Obama should be criticized and blamed for them? > > The other issue is ticking time bomb expenditures. The wars were funded off-budget on special appropriations bills under Bush as a bit of accounting trickery so that they didn’t appear on the yearly deficits. Obama is being more honest about the whole thing, and so the current spending on the wars that were certainly not his fault now counts as part of “his” new deficit. Is this fair in any way? Additionally, Medicare Part D, a republican initiative, was designed to begin paying out benefits immediately but only start being paid for in 2009, when Republicans knew they’d probably be out of power. Can this be blamed on Obama also? > > So, it’s scary to throw around those numbers, and yet of the big items, only the stimulus can be reasonably attributed to Obama, and even then, I doubt you oppose the tax cut half of it. So we’re talking about 6% of the new deficit being Obama’s fault, more or less, right? [Moderator Note]Gentle reminder as to which forum you are currently posting in-if you must, please take this debate to Pissy Little Feuds.[/Moderator Note] ---
**Author:** ![Onomatopoeia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/onomatopoeia/32/4145_2.png) [@Onomatopoeia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Onomatopoeia)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2010, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-what-do-you-think-of-obama/534546/27 "2010-04-01T17:24:33Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > [Moderator Note]Gentle reminder as to which forum you are currently posting in-if you must, please take this debate to Pissy Little Feuds.[/Moderator Note] Heh. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Scud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f08c70/32.png) [@Tom\_Scud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Scud)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2010, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-what-do-you-think-of-obama/534546/28 "2010-04-01T17:28:22Z")
Not at all pleased with his approach to civil liberties, GITMO, government openness, etc.; he’s been Bush Lite on all of this when I was hoping he’d open a lot more daylight. Elsewhere, generally about as good as could be expected. ---
**Author:** ![Doctor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Doctor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2010, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-what-do-you-think-of-obama/534546/29 "2010-04-01T17:41:19Z")
> [@ivan\_astikov](#): > > You missed an option. “He’s a politician; I trust him as far as I could throw him.” :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Nzinga\_Seated](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b5ac83/32.png) [@Nzinga\_Seated](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nzinga_Seated)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2010, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-what-do-you-think-of-obama/534546/30 "2010-04-01T17:52:59Z")
> [@pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](#): > > He’s the shit. > > Now, my Pubbie friends, be sure to mark that down a “strongly negative” vote in this poll. I mean, I compared Obama to feces–isn’t that as negative as you get? He’s strikes me as a real nigga! Now _that_ should be as negative as you can get. Of course, it’s a compliment, though. But yeah, I’m with ivan. I don’t trust a politician. ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2010, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-what-do-you-think-of-obama/534546/31 "2010-04-02T01:17:51Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > [Moderator Note]Gentle reminder as to which forum you are currently posting in-if you must, please take this debate to Pissy Little Feuds.[/Moderator Note] Yeah, I should’ve just brought it there first, sorry. Anyway, [GD thread here.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=12294253) ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2010, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-what-do-you-think-of-obama/534546/32 "2010-04-02T02:37:48Z")
Obama is awesome. I can’t wait to vote for him in the next election. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2010, 5:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-what-do-you-think-of-obama/534546/33 "2010-04-02T05:25:04Z")
Wait, what? Aren’t you a conservative? ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2010, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-what-do-you-think-of-obama/534546/34 "2010-04-02T05:26:51Z")
I’m also not happy with his take on civil liberties. I think he’s worse than Bush on a lot of civil liberties and privacy issues, from the government’s position that Americans don’t enjoy an expectation of privacy regarding their cell phone locations, to his failure to timely nominate members of the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board, to his less restrictive attitude about sneak-and-peek searches. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2010, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-what-do-you-think-of-obama/534546/35 "2010-04-02T05:40:05Z")
I don’t think you can really get on him for nominating people late when the Senate won’t confirm any of his nominees. ---
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2010, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-what-do-you-think-of-obama/534546/36 "2010-04-02T12:56:31Z")
I voted “Doing OK, all things considered” for reasons similar to **Diogenes the Cynic**. > [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > … He could have been more aggressive on some things, and he’s probably tried too hard to reach out to Republicans when it’s clear they don’t have the slightest interest in problem solving … He’s definitely made an effort to appeal to centrist American sentiments. One has to greatly admire the tremendous patience he’s shown, bending over backwards to reach out to Republicans. I don’t know if he really hoped for success, or just wants a clear record of their obstructionism. Unfortunately, the ever-growing group of Americans with Palinist-Beckist “thinking” are not reality-based, and Obama’s reaching out is invisible to them. ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2010, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-what-do-you-think-of-obama/534546/37 "2010-04-02T13:02:53Z")
By the way, the poll sorely lacks some sort of “pretty good” option. “Ok” and “fabulous” is too big a gap. I suspect most people picking “ok” now would probably go for that. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2010, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-what-do-you-think-of-obama/534546/38 "2010-04-02T13:11:44Z")
I voted for “Who gives a fuck, he’s just another politician” or would have if it were an option. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2010, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-what-do-you-think-of-obama/534546/39 "2010-04-02T13:17:07Z")
I voted for “_He’s making a mess of things_”; but I also think that the alternative would have made an even bigger one. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2010, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-what-do-you-think-of-obama/534546/40 "2010-04-02T13:43:57Z")
> [@YogSosoth](#): > > He passed Health Care. That alone gives him a seat among the best. At the very least, he’s an upper tier president Assuming it works as it is supposed to and isn’t merely another giant expensive ineffective government boondoggle. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-what-do-you-think-of-obama/534546.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-what-do-you-think-of-obama/534546.md?page=3)