Yeah, I know his approval rating is only 44%, but that's a damn sight better than Regan's lowest of 35%, or Bush II at 25%.
I'm familiar with Obamacare, and the website. But remember, he passed it and he hit the numbers he had to hit, and he stuck with Kathleen Sebelius all the way. Good for him.
Congress can always amend and improve it, as they have with Social Security and Medicare over the years. The basic tenets of the Affordable Care Act are, however, here to stay. Good for us.
FOX likes to say he was deceptive when he said, “If you like your health insurance plan, you can keep it.”
Not so. If you had a plan with low lifetime limits that excluded preexisting conditions and had high deductibles and copays and the insurance company could cancel it on 30 day notice, you did not have a Health Insurance Plan. You had a Certificate Of Victimhood. Obama assumed people knew the difference.
I'm aware that the right wing and TEA Party types have been whining that the IRS has been unfair to them when it processed their applications for tax-exempt status under that part of the Internal Revenue Code that requires an applicant to engage “exclusively in social welfare activities.”
Boo hoo. When was the last time you heard your grumpy right wing uncle pound the table and say, “What this country needs is more organizations engaged exclusively in social welfare activities so we can help our less fortunate brothers and sisters.” It's been awhile, right?
I'm aware that the Obama-Kerry initiative to get a peace deal between Israel and Palestine has not succeeded, and that Bibi Netanyahu does not like Obama.
On the peace efforts, it was right to try as hard as he could. The world is judging and will continue to judge who does and who does not want peace.
As far as Netanyahu not liking Obama … thank goodness. Anybody Netanyahu doesn't like can't be all that bad. Creepy Ted Cruz is more Netanyahu's type … obsequious and obnoxious.
In Syria, I know Obama used the term “red line” in reference to the use of chemical weapons by the Assad regime.
Mistake. If you're going to use that language, you'd better have a plan on the shelf, ready to go within 48 hours of establishing the certainty that the perpetrator was, in fact, the Assad regime.
I watch FOX now and then, so I know a bit about Benghazi, which is about all they cover. The President's response to the loss of four Americans in Benghazi on September 11, 2012 was correct. On September 12, 2012, he spoke from the Rose Garden at the White House, condemning the killings at the American Consulate as “acts of terror.” He used the same language on September 13, 2012, at a speech in Golden, Colorado.
The administration response to Benghazi became garbled when a decision was made to have then-UN Ambassador Susan Rice make the rounds of the five Sunday talk shows on September 16, 2012, to explain the events leading up to the attack.
This was a mistake. Rice did not have line authority over the Consulate. She was not in the chain of command. She could only talk about what others had told her. The only explanation for her going on the talk shows is that she wanted a chance to audition for the upcoming Secretary of State appointment and a decision was made to give her that opportunity.
The proper response was for the sitting Secretary of State to go on one show (Charlie Rose … tough, fair, and respected … would have been my choice) for a full hour. This would have been a high-pressure, big stakes interview with the election of 2012 less than 60 days away.
The Secretary of State at the time was Hilary Clinton. She could have handled it.
Ukraine is a work in progress. It changes day by day.
The best thing Obama has done on Ukraine so far is to keep the channel of communication open with Putin. We're still doing government to government business with Russia on Syria and other matters.
That is quintessential Obama. He stays cool, and he doesn't make a problem bigger than it has to be. He's gradually ratcheting up the sanctions while holding hands with the allies.
He's not trying to humiliate Putin or Russia. He's trying to help them say yes to a reasonable solution.
Works for me.
Conclusion
Barack Obama is the only President since Eisenhower to win 51% or more of the popular vote twice.
The country has had two opportunities to pass judgment on his character and ability. Both times they put their trust in him against reasonably strong opponents.
Most Americans are not news junkies. They are not up to date on the details of every single issue.
They do, however, have a great feel for somebody on the question of whether they are fundamentally OK, and whether they have the capacity to deal with unforeseen circumstances in a wise and prudent manner consistent with American values.
Notwithstanding the vagaries of public opinion polls, President Obama continues to enjoy a critical mass of support from the American people … deservedly so.
I will post again on Monday, June 9, 2014 (or before, if the news flow dictates) and, for the time being, I will post on the first Wednesday of each month.
Comments are welcome at tomc[at]wednesdayswars[dot]com. Comments will be addressed in subsequent posts.