Obama Top 10 Records...

[blueballs]

...or Obama's Greatest Hits. 10 highlights from his Presidency:

1) U.S. Sovreign debt downgrade: first in American history.

2) Federal spending 25% of GDP: highest since WW2.

3) Budget deficit 10% of GDP: highest since WW2.

4) Federal debt 67% of GDP: highest since just after WW2.

5) Employment 58.1% of population working: lowest since 1983

6) Long term unemployment 45.9% of total: highest since the great depression.

7) Increase in NFP employment .5% since "recovery" began 26 months ago: slowest growth after a recession since WW2.

8) Homeownership rate 59.7%: lowest since 1965.

9) Percentage of potential taxpayers paying income tax 49%: lowest in modern era.

10) Government dependency 47%, defined as the percentage of persons receiving one or more federal benefit payments: highest in U.S. history

Sources: S&P, OMB, US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Morgan Stanley, Joint Committee on Taxation, U.S. Census

[CitadelGrad]

[kalm]

I wonder how different the numbers would've been under McCain?

[Ivytalk]

And Barry has 3+ more years to go!

[∞∞∞]

It's silly to blame (or praise) a President for so much. The interconnections between democracy, capitalism, nature, time, society, and the rest of the world is way too complicated for one man to wield such power.

[LeadBolt]

It's silly to blame (or praise) a President for so much. The interconnections between democracy, capitalism, nature, time, society, and the rest of the world is way too complicated for one man to wield such power.

Agreed the President always gets too much blame or credit and it has been so since GW held the office, but who else has as much ability to exercise the leadership needed to fix these things, and what has the big O done to exercise the leadership needed to get these desperate parties working together, as opposed to just creating more obstacles to overcome with inflamatory rhetoric?

[∞∞∞]

It's silly to blame (or praise) a President for so much. The interconnections between democracy, capitalism, nature, time, society, and the rest of the world is way too complicated for one man to wield such power.

Agreed the President always gets too much blame or credit and it has been so since GW held the office, but who else has as much ability to exercise the leadership needed to fix these things, and what has the big O done to exercise the leadership needed to get these desperate parties working together, as opposed to just creating more obstacles to overcome with inflamatory rhetoric?

I don't disagree with that. He's been an average-to-below-average president in my mind. He's certainly nothing special, but it's not like he draws out some deep disdain in my soul. Plus I'm generally a fan of little getting accomplished in the national government - I usually vote to keep the executive and legislative divided. It keeps any one party from having too much power. IMHO, this government was built to be inefficient for a reason and I personally like it that way.

[Ibanez]

It's silly to blame (or praise) a President for so much. The interconnections between democracy, capitalism, nature, time, society, and the rest of the world is way too complicated for one man to wield such power.

Agreed the President always gets too much blame or credit and it has been so since GW held the office, but who else has as much ability to exercise the leadership needed to fix these things, and what has the big O done to exercise the leadership needed to get these desperate parties working together, as opposed to just creating more obstacles to overcome with inflamatory rhetoric?

There are many forces and often decades of policies that are working against a President. However, many do things on their own that don't provide any benefit. Like 2 wars on the company credit card or an overhaul of the health care system.

[LeadBolt]

Agreed the President always gets too much blame or credit and it has been so since GW held the office, but who else has as much ability to exercise the leadership needed to fix these things, and what has the big O done to exercise the leadership needed to get these desperate parties working together, as opposed to just creating more obstacles to overcome with inflamatory rhetoric?

I don't disagree with that. He's been an average-to-below-average president in my mind. He's certainly nothing special, but it's not like he draws out some deep disdain in my soul. Plus I'm generally a fan of little getting accomplished in the national government - I usually vote to keep the executive and legislative divided. It keeps any one party from having too much power. IMHO, this government was built to be inefficient for a reason and I personally like it that way.

I don't disagree with you on the role of the Federal government. It is inefficient for a reason and I personally like it that way as well. The problem I have is with the Federal government is that it is making things worse, which is what is happening and has been for sometime.

Exercising leadership is not about making the government even more intrusive, but rather in getting it operate only in those areas where it has the ability to make the atmosphere such that individuals and private entities can improve conditions through work and innovation and for the government to operate in areas where they cannot.
The President has an important role in encouraging the private sector to innovate and make conditions better, as well as getting the knuckleheads in Congress and his own administration working together for the betterment of the whole country and not just narrow constituencies.

Instead this President chooses to widen the divide between the narrow constituencies with his divisive rhetoric and actions and not exercising leadership. Imo, he has a way to to to get up to being a below average President.

[∞∞∞]

^ Fair enough.

[LeadBolt]

^ Fair enough.

Good luck in your new conference. You will be missed.

[grizzaholic]

It's silly to blame (or praise) a President for so much. The interconnections between democracy, capitalism, nature, time, society, and the rest of the world is way too complicated for one man to wield such power.

I welcome the NwO.....or Taliban...they are about the same.

[BDKJMU]

...or Obama's Greatest Hits. 10 highlights from his Presidency:

1) U.S. Sovreign debt downgrade: first in American history.

2) Federal spending 25% of GDP: highest since WW2.

3) Budget deficit 10% of GDP: highest since WW2.

4) Federal debt 67% of GDP: highest since just after WW2.

5) Employment 58.1% of population working: lowest since 1983

6) Long term unemployment 45.9% of total: highest since the great depression.

7) Increase in NFP employment .5% since "recovery" began 26 months ago: slowest growth after a recession since WW2.

8) Homeownership rate 59.7%: lowest since 1965.

9) Percentage of potential taxpayers paying income tax 49%: lowest in modern era.

10) Government dependency 47%, defined as the percentage of persons receiving one or more federal benefit payments: highest in U.S. history

Sources: S&P, OMB, US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Morgan Stanley, Joint Committee on Taxation, U.S. Census

US Debt to GDP ratio is far worse than that: 106.65%
http://www.usdebtclock.org/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[ASUMountaineer]

Agreed the President always gets too much blame or credit and it has been so since GW held the office, but who else has as much ability to exercise the leadership needed to fix these things, and what has the big O done to exercise the leadership needed to get these desperate parties working together, as opposed to just creating more obstacles to overcome with inflamatory rhetoric?

I don't disagree with that. He's been an average-to-below-average president in my mind. He's certainly nothing special, but it's not like he draws out some deep disdain in my soul. Plus I'm generally a fan of little getting accomplished in the national government - I usually vote to keep the executive and legislative divided. It keeps any one party from having too much power. IMHO, this government was built to be inefficient for a reason and I personally like it that way.

[ASUMountaineer]

When I saw "TOP 10 Records" I started thinking of this:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-afpPb2NT2I[/youtube]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZhpUEWJD44[/youtube]

My bad.

[Ivytalk]

When I saw "TOP 10 Records" I started thinking of this:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-afpPb2NT2I[/youtube]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZhpUEWJD44[/youtube]

My bad.

You left out BHO's first pitch at that White Sox season opener.