Correctly Assessing President Obama

Written by Frank Li

President Obama is no longer in office. How should we view his 8-year Presidency? Time is the best judge for that, but I would like to make an early assessment. Here is a highlight of my view:

1. Overall, was he a good President? No!
2. Still, was he better than President George W. Bush? Yes!
3. History will not be kind to him (nor to JFK and GWB)!

Let me elaborate …

1. President Obama: the good

Obamacare!

I believe basic healthcare is not only a human right, but also a good economic policy. Note that I emphasize “basic healthcare”, which is a safety net rather than a robust coverage of everything for everybody! One main reason: in a free society like ours, we revere all forms of freedoms, including alcoholism and obesity. But nobody else should pay for your illness as a result of some bad personal choices!

Having healthcare coverage for all Americans is a good idea. President Obama finally made it happen – a good thing, conceptually at least!

As a self-identified Libertarian, I was very critical of Obamacare initially (e.g. The America That Can No Longer Think, Politically). However, after it became law, I accepted it for one simple reason: overturning it without a more workable replacement would be chaotic, at least, and it takes time to develop a more workable replacement.

Very importantly, Chief Justice John Roberts twice had a chance to overturn Obamacare, but chose not to – He got this one right for America!

2. President Obama: the bad

Obamacare!

It is hard to make a huge program like Obamacare work without reforming our system (e.g. the pharmaceutical industry) at the same time, which President Obama failed to do! As a result, Obamacare became just yet another huge give-away, taxing Mary to subsidize John!

Below is an excerpt from an article entitled “Who is actually exempt Obamacare – Get off The BS” to demonstrate how bad Obamacare was to begin with.

Bottom line: Congress must pass no law that does not apply to itself!

3. President Obama: the ugly

In one of his last interviews (the video is in the end), President Obama recalled his most difficult decision throughout his 8-year Presidency to be “sending 30,000 troops to Afghanistan“.

Why was this decision so difficult for President Obama? Only he really knows. But many signs indicate that he recklessly did it primarily for his own 2012 re-election bid! For more, read: For Obama the Road to Reelection Runs through Kabul.

Worse yet, he also recklessly “ended” the Iraq War by withdrawing all American troops from Iraq by December 2011, just in time for his 2012 re-election bid! As a result, Iraq became totally chaotic and he had to re-launch the war in Iraq in 2014! For more, read: President Obama and War.

Worse still, his 2009 speech in Cairo decisively incited the Arab Spring, which brought the Mideast into total chaos. In other words, President Obama blindly and recklessly exported democracy, which does not even work at home! For more, read: Democracy: to be or not to be?

Worst of all, he proved to be totally incompetent internationally, especially when compared with his peers in Russia and China! As a result, America’s international standing has been significantly diminished!

4. It is the political system, stupid!

Simply put, President Obama was just yet another false “savior” of our failing political system! Two examples:

1. Getting re-elected ad nauseam! For President Obama, everything was used as a tool for his 2012 re-election bid, including the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan!
2. President Obama was simply too young and too inexperienced for the top job in the nation! For more, read: Let’s Redefine the American Presidency, Now (Version 3)!

Yes, President Obama was the epitome that our failing political system seems able to endlessly turn good people into bad ones! For example, Senator Obama in 2006 correctly voted against raising the debt ceiling to $9 trillion, which he labeled “unpatriotic“. But under President Obama, our national debt ballooned to well over $19 trillion, rising rapidly!

Older and wiser after eight years in office but still very young, what would former President Obama likely do for the rest of his life? Follow the footsteps of former President Bill Clinton and out-Clinton him in two major ways at least:

1. Become fabulously wealthy by selling his influence!
2. Remain a top politician for the Democratic Party, instead of selflessly maturing into an above-partisan statesman for the country!

For more, read: Former American President Bill Clinton and Barack Obama vs. Harry Truman.

The new Democrat mantra seems to be “Ask not what you can do for your country, ask what your country can do for you.”

5. Discussion

President Obama’s legacy is defined by two grand perspectives:

1. Internationally – America’s global standing: he has utterly failed obviously. For example, His entire Mideast policy was a total disaster not only for the region, but also for Europe and America! For more, read: The Middle East without America?
2. Domestically – Obamacare: This one remains to be seen. One thing is clear: Obamacare must not be repealed without a better replacement!

Now, let’s discuss President Obama’s other major accomplishments or lack thereof.

1. Saving the economy in 2009. President George W. Bush was a total bomb. Anybody reasonably intelligent could have done at least as well as what President Obama did with the economy, especially with excessive spending. For more, read: Two Wrongs Do Not Make A Right!
2. Killing Osama bin Laden: Again, anybody reasonably intelligent could have done what President Obama did. For more, read: Barack Obama vs. Richard Nixon.
3. Barack Obama knew how to win elections, but not how to govern! For more, read: Barack Obama vs. Mao Zedong.

In summary, President Obama was just yet another American President who, throughout his Presidency, damaged America more than all of America’s enemies had done, combined! I rank him the 3rd worst President in recent American history. For more, read: Three Worst American Terrorists: JFK, GWB, and BHO!

Finally, I found the photo below sickening. Here is why: an American President is free to give away this medal as he pleases. However, there has been no precedence of giving it to your own VP! For more, read: Wikipedia – List of Presidential Medal of Freedom recipients.

Freebees and give-away at their worst – a new low, totally!

6. Closing

Time is the best judge for everything, including American Presidents (Correctly Assessing President Ronald Reagan and Correctly Assessing President John F. Kennedy). But the sooner we can do it for President Obama, the better for America!

Now, if you like, watch one of the last interviews with President Obama cited earlier.

Click to watch video.