Indeed.

Um ... seriously!? Yeah, that was your error in a nutshell.

Obama was a bit busy during the first 18 months - though not nearly as busy as Geithner - for schmoozing needy Dems ...

I did, indeed.

And, I don't often disagree with Biden and it's more rare still that I vehemently disagree with him but, he most assuredly does deserve it!

After being awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom - with distinction, no less! - does one have the audacity to think about running for president again? I sure hope so! :)

Yeah, how'd you like that Godwin's press conference? Heh...

altohone [2] -

I disagree on Dodd-Frank, because it changed the thinking in DC from "let's deregulate Wall St as much as possible!" to "perhaps we should re-regulate banking." Just look at how bipartisan the repeal of Glass-Steagall was under Clinton, to see what I mean. Both parties were for that, in a big way. Now, the thinking has changed. You could argue that this was well underway before Obama took office, but Dodd-Frank was a step in a totally different direction. Maybe a baby step, but a new direction nonetheless.

Marijuana, I do agree with you on federal law. But, after a few years of foot-dragging, Obama did finally let the states do their own thing. And this one wasn't so much "Obama led" as "public opinion changed" (like with gay marriage).

On criminal justice reform, the sentencing disparity for cocaine (crack vs. powder) went from like 500-to-1 to 30-1. Not perfect, but a step in the right direction -- once again, a step in a new direction. People are now talking about cr. jus. reform in a bipartisan way, which is a transformation from the worst of the Drug War years.

Better is always possible. But Obama transformed the political landscape. Think of where America was at the end of the Bush years, and think of where we are now. You don't see a big difference? I do. Sure, it's not perfect and we've got a long way to go. What held Obama back more than anything was two factors: Blue Dog Democrats in Congress, and not being more ambitious in his first 18 months in office. He might have passed immigration reform if PPACA hadn't gotten so bogged down by the Blue Dogs, in other words.

Nobody's perfect, but Obama was better than most, including Bill Clinton, IMHO.

LizM [4] -

Check out "60 Minutes" this week. I just saw an excerpt where Obama admits to these weaknesses -- he realizes where he fell short in this regarad, at least. As for Congress, I was mostly talking about his lack of schmoozing Dems during that first 18 months in office, when the GOP had a limited ability to block stuff. If Dems had been more unified behind him, things could have happened faster.

Don Harris [7] -

While I certainly agree with the sentiment, the purpose of this article was to examine Obama's legacy, not the GOP in Congress. I just kind of took it as a given that everyone knew the GOP obstructed him at every turn. But maybe you're right, maybe I should have pointed it out.

neilm [10] -

Heh. I'm not counting it until 1/20, though. I wonder if Trump's high for his whole term will roughly equal Obama's all-time low, personally.

Heh.

michale [11] -

I'll be looking at exactly the same source I used for Obama -- RealClearPolitics.com. They aggregate all the polls, which smooths off the rough edges.

On a personal note: Enjoying the sun? Or is it raining down there, too?

LizM [12] -

Didja see the medal Joe got today?

:-)

neilm [14] -

They're welcome to TPW.com.... let's see what they do with it...

-CW

https://poll.qu.edu/national/release-detail?ReleaseID=2415

If you have an hour or so to spare, you won't be disappointed by what you hear during this fascinating conversation with Vice President Joe Biden.

And, after you've listened, then try to tell me with a straight face that you are not profoundly disappointed that he will not be the next POTUS.

Neil, your stats would actually (maybe) mean something if it were properly sourced...

Ex. If it came from CNN, it doesn't mean jack, as CNN is famous for it's anti-Trump fake news.

Basically the situation here is Trump is Obama and ya'all are the GOP... it's uncanny. :)

Approve: 37%
Disapprove: 51%

What a loser ;)

Absolutely NO difference than what ya all accuse Republicans of....

Precisely.

I feel completely disinclined to accept the arguments made against President Obama on this score since there was absolutely no mention, whatsoever, of the strategy of the congressional Republican leadership to use every conceivable opportunity to block Obama and his legislative agenda.

I'm with you on this! Obama tried to work the Republicans his first year in office, but he got burned by them after he bent over backwards giving in to their demands and they still refused to pass the budget. Obama recognized that the GOP was not going to support anything that he endorsed, as they were willing to act against their constituents' best interest just so they could block him from passing any legislation that would be viewed favorably.

As for his selling the ACA effectively, Obama got burned right from the start when the insurance providers (who had been the ones who had made the issue that the law needed to be written in such a way that existing policy holders wouldn't have their policies changed) saw an opportunity to make more money and dropped existing plans -- resulting in people not being able to keep their existing doctors as promised! Obama was royally screwed by this!

Obama learned very quickly how effective the GOP was at spinning stories. They had a huge advantage over the President as they had no issue with telling boldfaced lies, and did so so often that it was impossible to really pin them down and force them to be accountable for their dishonesty. I think this was a big reason why he didn't try to sell his programs more -- the Republicans were just too good at trashing everything he would put out there.

For me, this was the most disappointing aspect of the Obama/Biden administration, mostly because President Obama was on the right side and track, for all intents and purposes. Was everything done right? Of course, not. Was everything paved with good intentions. I believe so but, I know, so was the road to Hell. Moving on...

... to Obama's (ineffectual) relationship with Congress.

I feel completely disinclined to accept the arguments made against President Obama on this score since there was absolutely no mention, whatsoever, of the strategy of the congressional Republican leadership to use every conceivable opportunity to block Obama and his legislative agenda.

I'm not sure how anyone could write about the legacy of Obama's transformational presidency without laying out in crystal clear fashion how the Republicans in Congress worked endlessly, from the very day that Obama took his first oath of office, to obstruct EVERYTHING he tried to do, beginning with his efforts to prevent the US economy from falling off a cliff and into an abyss.

I also wonder what might have been achieved ... if only the Republicans in congress cared more about the well-being of their country and fellow citizens than they hated Obama.

So was the extraordinary and unprecedented leaking they did on his watch (Obama must be the unluckiest president ever!), the impacts of which upon the statecraft and national security of the United States are still not, apparently, fully understood.

Dodd-Frank was weak tea that allowed too big to fail to get bigger and maintained the status quo. Huge portions were never even implemented by HIS agencies. So not even close to transformative.

Marijuana- hmmm, I guess Obama deserves credit for remaining silent while the transformation took place at the state level. Federal law wasn't transformed. The feds still persecuted medical marijuana dispensaries at will. I believe arrests for pot were still the top category.

Military involvement continued globally for the worse. Fewer boots on the ground is hardly a transformation when unnecessary conflicts were pursued and military spending remained outrageous. At best the transformation was to Republican lite. Though arms exports did hit record highs, military bases and our use of forces in Africa proliferated to historical levels, and the droning program was massively expanded for three "more militaristic than Republicans" achievements. We are back in Iraq and still in Afghanistan too.

On the economy, inequality increased ("didn't exactly lead" is far too generous), the majority of the new jobs to replace the ones lost pay less and have fewer benefits, and the status quo of crony capitalism was embraced and defended and rewarded despite rampant criminality.

Criminal justice reform didn't happen.
Pardoning and commuting isn't reform, it's exercising existing powers. Saying he worked for it (which is too generous) doesn't mean transformation was achieved.

Privacy violations through governmental surveillance was entrenched, expanded and legalized. Obama's persecution of leakers was extreme, but still hardly the worst aspect.

"Obama never really got out and fought to win the battle of ideas"
I think historians will conclude that was because Obama is a creature of the status quo and didn't support new ideas.
Change and Yes We Can were just useful slogans to deceive voters.

"During Obama's term, Democrats have lost more seats in Congress and in statehouses than in the past 100 years. If he had done a better job of explaining his agenda and cheerleading for laws he had gotten passed"
Um, sticking to the agenda and cheerleading for the laws he had campaigned on would have been far more popular and effective than trying to put lipstick on the pigs he actually pursued once elected. Not supporting failed leaders at the DNC would have helped. Not siphoning off resources for his own reelection would have helped. Not continuing Bush policies would have helped. Not disparaging his own base of voters would have helped. Prosecuting the guilty would have helped.

"Obama's distancing himself from Congress might have been a factor in how short his own political coattails were."
Um, how short?
Losing seats isn't short, he was missing fabric on his coat half way up his back.

Being wistful for what could have been is most certainly NOT "setting standards impossibly high".
You had to whitewash his accomplishments and failures just to attempt to make a case here.
Better was possible.

A

Orange Twitter Troll-elect validates Godwin's Law - transformation indeed.