He’ll have to get ‘lucky’ - something big happening in the Middle East, or one of the alternative energy companies overcoming the 2nd law of thermodynamics, or the south seceding again.
I hope he shrinks the deficit and puts it on track to disappear, but that won’t rank him among the greats. Nobody remembers that Polk paid off the national debt.
He’s great because he prevented something that might have happened? Color me highly skeptical.
I think that if he could bring any of the following about in such a way that it could be tied directly to his actions.
or on the negative side bringing the nation into a unity of purpose, ala Giuliani, following a truly major disaster such as a nuclear terrorist attack on one of our major cities.
In short it looks like a long shot, particularly when the country is so divided.
It’s what historians do.
Top ten? So basically he’s gotta be better than ~77% of the Presidents thus far?
Yeah, I’d say he’s there already.
If not he, then who?
Whoever actually gets us socialized health care will get most or all the credit.
That was poorly worded on my part. I just meant that when we finally figure out that healthcare has to be run by the goverment to a major extent he will be long gone and wont get the credit he deserves because this is just the 1st step he is initiating.
All of the noise has just been extreme partisans trying to wreck his administration. In fact he’s a very moderate president and he’s unlikely to be considered great. Obamacare is considered a bold move only because of the political difficulty involved. If anything, killing bin Laden is his only notable achievement so far. His handling of foreign affairs has been excellent so far, but only in his restraint. If he is re-elected that may end up being his greatest accomplishment.
Upholding the Constitution would put him in the top 3 easily.
But in all seriousness he could pass real health care reform (single payer or true free market reform). Pelosicare is a gift to insurance companies and nothing else.
Stop creating more enemies in Pakistan, Yemen, Libya, Egypt, and Iran by continuing the ruinous foreign policy of Wilson and Bush 2.
Open up trade with other countries through bilateral agreements. Stop bragging about his ancient protectionist schemes on television like he shamefully did last night.
Uphold the rule of law by repealing the Patriot Act, closing Guantanamo ( and not replacing it), and ending his assassination of American citizens without proof of any wrongdoing.
Open up legal immigration while discouraging illegal immigration instead of rewarding it. Maybe a one time amnesty for those here already Idk something meaningful in the right direction.
End the drug war before the situation in Mexico gets even worse.
Stop legislating through executive order.
Stop prosecuting whistleblowers.
Basically reverse course on nearly everything.
What color is “highly skeptical”?
Menards is having a paint sale.
As a liberal Obama supporter your post is a reminder of why I hate progressives.
You hit all the bullshit except “GLASS STEAGALL”!
(except ending the Drug War - Obama’s only real failure)
Will is a tighty-righty, the farthest thing from “progressive” I can think of.
edit: And do tell me why you hate us progressives.
Or for that matter that he gained much of the West including California for the United States.
He’s a firm libertarian, not your typical conservative and sympathetic to anti-war socialist and progressive types (for example he said he’d have supported Eugene V Debs) far more than mainstream conservatives and liberals.
I’d say if Obamacare works combined with Obama’s fairly successful foreign policy and modest economic improvement could put Obama in the top ten (along with people like Reagan and Nixon) but if he passes substantial deficit/entitlement reform (raise retirement ages, cut spending across the board, and reform taxes) along with perhaps immigration reform, I think he could possibly achieve the level of FDR or James K Polk.
Holy crap. LBJ did 100 times the amount of good that Obama has done and he’s no where near the top 10 presidents of all time when you poll people.
No, Obama has been a thoroughly mediocre president. Probably about the same level as William McKinley (and I like McKinley).
Johnson also got us into Vietnam which is why he’s more unpopular than he should be among liberals although I agree he’s underrated.
McKinley didn’t do much besides gaining Hawaii, Guam, and Puerto Rico and that’s possibly outweighed by getting bogged down in the Philippines.
Obama doesn’t have to be in the top 10. It is enough that he is very bright and also moral, even if perhaps flawed in some way.
Obama is a winner. That is exactly what America needed.
Would it make a difference if the rating was done by “respected historians” rather than a public poll?
Possibilities:
Take major action on global warning and the promotion of non-carbon energy.
Improve the drug situation so that the drug wars and drug imprisonments are brought under control. That probably means legalization of marijuana and availability of addictive drugs by prescription. I’m not sure what to do about meth/coke/crack.
Greater movement toward socialized healthcare. That could be his big legacy if he can sell it directly to the public and steamroll his opposition. I’m not sure he has the personality to do that, but it’s possible.
I think people do remember Polk for that. If people can name one thing about Polk, it’s the Mexican War.
Maybe a better example would be James Monroe, though. Eight years of a great economy and smooth sailing, but he doesn’t make the top ten. But that’s exactly what I want from Obama.