Failures outnumber days

By Kaley Delarosa | May 1, 2009

During Barack Obama’s first 100 days in office, he gave the British prime minister a bunch of DVDs that don’t work in Europe, gave the queen of England an iPod, bowed to the king of Saudi Arabia, shook hands with Hugo Chavez, informed the world of our torture methods, visited with Jay Leno, appeared on “60 Minutes,” gave more speeches than we can count and got a dog. But, more importantly, he shifted his policies and broke his campaign promises.

Obama assured us that earmarked spending would stop. Yet, he openly signed the $410 billion omnibus spending bill, even though it contained 8,570 earmarks totaling $7.7 billion.

Obama promised he would not hire lobbyists, but even before taking office, he appointed William Lynn to be his deputy secretary of defense. Lynn is a senior vice president and a lobbyist for Raytheon, a company with billions of dollars in Defense Department contracts.

Obama guaranteed that his administration would be transparent and would bring ethics back into the White House. While on the campaign trail, Obama said, “The public will have five days to look online and find out what’s in [a bill] before I sign it, so that you know what your government is doing.” Thus far, Obama has signed 11 bills into law. Only one of them was posted online for the public’s review and comments.

As far as ethics in the White House, when you or I evade paying our taxes, we go to jail. When Obama’s buddies do the same, they receive top cabinet appointments. Such is the case of Timothy Geithner, Obama’s appointment for secretary of the treasury, who failed to pay tens of thousands of tax dollars when he was a senior official at the International Monetary Fund. Is having someone who evaded taxes really the most ethical choice to oversee the IRS at this terrifying financial time?

While campaigning, Obama said, “There is no doubt that we’ve been living beyond our means and we’re going to have to make some adjustments. Now, what I’ve done throughout this campaign is to propose a net spending cut.”

He did recently order his cabinet to cut $100 billion from the budget. This shows he obviously heard the “TEA party” protests against government spending and is at least doing something, but it is not enough.

In stark contrast with his $787 billion stimulus bill, a “net spending cut” isn’t looking likely. America’s budget deficit is $2 trillion. So, while $100 billion may sound like a good chunk of change, in the large spectrum, it’s not making a dent.

When campaigning, Obama said he would not support any more bailouts. But from banks to automobile corporations, taxpayers have seen their hard-earned dollars go toward yet another broken campaign promise.

During his primetime speech Wednesday, Obama said he has been most surprised by “the number of critical issues that appear to be coming to a head-all at the same time.” These issues aren’t new. It seems he was so eager to get elected; he became overzealous in his promises and is now having a difficult time following through.

Obama’s administration is littered with lobbyists and tax-evaders, the earmark spending continues, transparency translates to murky, at best.

One hundred days is certainly not enough time to fix all of our nation’s problems, but it is enough time to get going on the right track and instill confidence in the American people.

When the promises Obama made to get into office became an inconvenience, he threw them out the window. We don’t see change. What we see is a president and an administration spending money like we have never seen before and an unprecedented amount of debt.

Obama has constantly surrendered his campaign promises on the central issues that got him into office. After only one hundred days, he has ruined his credibility with many and proven he is no different than any other politician

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"net spending cut" - If Geitner is doing the books, who knows.



http://collegian.csufresno.edu/2009/05/01/failures-outnumber-days/

I wouldn't trust Geithner to balance my check book

Some of the highs:

Domestic policy: During the election, much was made about then-Sen. Barack Obama's lack of experience. But President Obama hit the ground running: Just days after his inauguration, Obama issued a White House pay freeze, ordered the closure of Guantanamo Bay and signed his first bill into law.

Obama then pushed through a massive $787 billion stimulus bill, ended the ban on stem-cell research, and lifted travel limits to Cuba. Oh, and a few weeks ago, he authorized the use of U.S. force against Somali pirates holding an American sea captain hostage.

Foreign policy: Depending on whom you ask, Obama's European trip for the G20, NATO and EU-US summits was either a successful first step toward "soft diplomacy," or as Karl Rove dubbed it, the "President's Apology Tour."

In a meeting with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, Obama set the tone for his trip, telling Brown that he came to Europe "to listen and not to lecture." By reaching out, Politico declared that Obama made it clear to the world that "the Bush era of foreign policy is over." In return, various heads of state lavished praise for the new U.S. president. A sampling:

- British Prime Minister Gordon Brown: "Your first 70 days in office have changed America, and you've changed America's relationship with the world."

- French President Nicholas Sarkozy: Called Obama a "U.S. president who wants to change the world and who understands that the world does not boil down to simply American frontiers and borders."

- Chinese President Hu Jintao: "Since President Obama took office, we have secured a good beginning in the growth of this relationship."

Back home, however, analysts were on the fence as to what Obama actually accomplished. The New York Times called the trip a "mixed bag," while Politico commented that Obama got "a warm embrace and a cold shoulder" from our NATO allies. The verdict? Not a solid "high," but since Obama was universally well-received, his trip falls into the "plus" column — for now.

The White House: So far, the Obama White House might be the most relaxed — and open — administration yet. Even after he was elected president, Obama was seen in Chicago, taking Michelle out for Valentine's Day dinner. In D.C., the president was seen sipping a beer courtside watching the Bulls play the Wizards.

It's definitely the most wired administration; Obama managed to keep his Blackberry and his weekly radio addresses are the first to be released as Web videos. In March, Obama became the first sitting president to appear on "The Tonight Show" and hosted the first virtual town hall at the White House.

And honestly — when was the last time the president and the secretary of state held a briefing meeting at a picnic table?

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ynews/ynews_pl314

Sounds like hollywooding it to me.

1. Health Care: The Obama White House cleared an important hurdle in the health care reform debate when it appropriated $19 billion in the stimulus package to help implement an electronic medical record system. The money is paltry compared to the hundreds of billions set aside for an overhaul of the health care system in the budget. But officials inside and out of the White House say its significance is hard to overstate.

"We need to have health IT so we have a better idea both of what works but also... so people can share information," Zeke Emanuel, Obama's health care adviser told the Huffington Post in mid-March. "We are on our way in a way that we have never committed ourselves before."

2. Communications: A presidential campaign built on innovative messaging and advanced technology has, naturally, become a White House defined by similar characteristics. As such, the reach of the administration's new media efforts - from hosting online question-and-answer sessions with the president to publishing the first White House blog - has been as expected as appreciated. It's unfortunate, said one tech savvy Democrat, because the new policies have had tangible impacts. "The White House streams every event with the president on its website, even press events," he said. "It's remarkable because, this Sunday they held a swine flu press conference that ordinary people [including many who may have been personally nervous about the topic] were able to watch online... Before you had to wait for a readout or hope that CSPAN would cover it. This is one of those things that people don't quite understand the significance of."

3. Transportation: Since the passage of the economic stimulus package in mid-February, the Obama Department of Transportation has approved 2,500 highway projects. The movement of stimulus money out the door has been as swift as it has been effective: $9.3 billion has been spent in all 50 states. Touting its impact, DOT officials say 260,000 jobs are expected from this investment. And with competition for contracts fierce, the department is set to approve even more projects than previously envisioned. "There will be more money for additional transportation projects," said the official.

4. Education: Maligned for its handling of the financial and banking crises, the Obama Treasury Department has nevertheless implemented policies with real qualitative and quantitative impact on debt-burdened families. Chief among those was a $2,500 tax credit to help offset the cost of tuition (among other expenses) for those seeking a college education. Nearly five million families are expected to save $9 billion, according to Treasury officials.
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5. Cars: The automobile industry at the White House and Congress's behest has undergone seismic structural changes, managerial reorganization, and massive cuts in employment. But for all the tough love, the president has put in place the framework for an industry recovery. Perhaps the most significant of steps was to allocate $2 billion in stimulus cash for advanced batteries systems. One high-ranking Hill aide called battery technology "the next big frontier" in the automotive world, adding that if the U.S. could dominate this market it would reclaim its perch as the world's premier car manufacturer.

6. Pakistan: Cognizant of a destabilizing situation in Pakistan, the administration's diplomatic team, with a major assist from Japan, secured $5 billion in aid commitments "to bolster the country's economy and help it fight terror and Islamic radicalism" within the country. The money, as Pakistan observers -- notably Senate Foreign Relations Chairman John Kerry - note, will prove instrumental in bringing the nation away from the brink of failure and increased Taliban control.

7. Cities: More than any prior president, Obama has put a spotlight on America's struggling cities, even creating an office of Urban Policy in the White House. It is the Justice Department, however, that lays claim to one of the most consequential of urban affairs achievements. Through the Recovery Act, DOJ secured $2 billion for Byrne Grants, which funds anti-gang and anti-gun task forces. The money, cut during the Bush years, is expected to have massive ramifications on inner-city crime and violence.

8. Engaging the Muslim World: While certainly discussed, foreign affairs experts insist that Obama's engagement with the Muslim world has been at once remarkable and under-appreciated. From the first interview with Al Arabiya to his Nowruz address to the Iranian people, to his proclamation that "American is not at war with Islam" during an appearance in Turkey, seasoned observers have been routinely impressed. "Through these [statements and interviews]," said one Democratic foreign policy hand, "He has been able to dramatically change America's image in that region."

9. Forests: Since taking office, the White House has put under federal protection more than two million acres of wilderness, thousands of miles of river and a host of national trails and parks. The conservation effort - the largest in the last 15 years - came with the stroke of a pen when Obama signed the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 in late March.

10. Tone: Leaving a meeting at the White House on Tuesday a progressive member of the House of Representatives commented to the Huffington Post just how impressed she was with the president's manner. "He is so calm," said the member, "and has a great ability to make you feel like you're being respected and listened to."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/04/29/obamas-first-100-days-10_n_192603.html

It's OK - most Obama supporters are still in denial.

didn't I read before where BHO made those people mad?

He's in denial!

Right On, Right ON!

who???? Putin???

Is this thread about Puttin?

I thought it was about the Republican party.

It's about BHO...ya schmuck

Nope, I see the positive and the negatives. The people in denial only see the negative or only see the positive, IMO.

we all know circumstances change. maybe before electing a president that seems so great we should step back and be pessimistic and critical instead of complaining later, you bunch of babies!

BHO,

Bush Hiding Out?

not everyone complaining voted for the particular president...but insulting people on your first post...priceless

obama has put us in a pre 9/11 mentality.has ran americans down to people who want want to destroy us because of religious beliefs.ran up our debt to promote his socialist convictions.has our sworn ememys laughing at his utopian foreign policy.cut defense spending with two wars.his energy policy is going cause electric and gas to to go sky high.but some rich guy will pay for that.or shouldi say somone with a job.i can go on and on.hes done a great job.i thaught he was smarter.

I have never been political I didn't even vote, nobody seems fit to run my country. and yes I will insult the people that were like "well he promised change so I voted for him and now he is a prick who is going through money like water" has anyone ever really stuck to what they said before they got into office? no plus he inherited a really crappy country (thank you bush family)

most of the people that are complaining never did NOT vote for him to begin with. and it's the same with every other president we have had. everyone will complain about them....that's what happens in these politic forums. I don't like politicians period

But even the ones I don't agree with...I don't insult unless I'm joking and they know it