Governor Chris Christie (R-NJ) claimed that President Obama came into office in a crisis, and did not lead. Moreover, he suggested that the president did not recognize problems and push to solve them.
Christie must not understand the meanings of two words: "filibuster" and "abuse." Republican Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) filibustered almost everything the president tried to achieve. It was a record number of filibusters, from appointments to treaties to bills, abusing the power that was designed to protect minority views.
Republicans even blocked the president's Transportation Safety Administration nominee after the failed crotch-bomber. How much more reckless can their disregard for the safety of the American people be?
And they did it all this petty obstruction when the US has been at its most vulnerable for years: the calamitous legacy of the disastrous Bush Administration.
Nonetheless, despite unprecedented disloyalty to the American people by an opposition, President Obama's record of accomplishments in his first 33 months in office is extraordinary. Here is just a sampling:
1. He passed an emergency economic relief program, saving (according to multiple non-partisan analyses) between 1.9 and 3.5 million jobs.
2. Job losses that were occurring at the rate of over 700,000 per month were stopped.
3. Over 2 million new jobs were created.
4. The US auto industry was saved, and is now profitable again.
5. Tobacco is now regulated by the FDA, removing the carte blanche tobacco companies had to recruit children to start smoking cigarettes.
6. The Affordable Healthcare Act was passed. Millions of children up to 26 are now covered under their parents' health insurance. People cannot be denied coverage based upon pre-existing illnesses. Lifetime caps to coverage have been eliminated. The solvency of Medicare was extended by ~a decade. Small businesses have been provided financial help to enroll their employees in a healthcare program. Starting in 2014, an additional 30 million people will be covered by health insurance in the United States.
7. A Financial Reform law was passed, including a Consumer Financial Protection Commission to prevent people from being screwed by large financial institutions' misleading statements and actions.
8. After Republicans blocked a deficit commission with up-or-down vote authority, he established his own. He made an unprecedented grand offer to Republicans to reduce the long-term debt -- most of which they had run up -- and they rejected it.
9. Gay service men and women can now serve in the military without fear of being discharged because of their sexual orientation.
10. A "loose nukes" treaty with Russia was passed, reducing the chances for terrorists to get their hands on nuclear material.
11. Osama bin Laden has been found and executed in what John Brennan, the national security adviser who has been in several administrations, called the 'gutsiest decision' he had seen any President make.
12. Libya has been liberated from the ruthless dictatorship of Muammar Gaddafi, without the US losing a single soldier, and without the US getting bogged down in a land war in the middle east. And the president -- probably courageously in our political climate -- introduced a concept of 'leading from behind' that is a superb strategy, but perhaps not sufficiently bombastic for the chickenhawks amongst us.
13. Russia and China have been persuaded to agree to increasingly strict sanctions on Iran.
14. Carbon dioxide has been recognized as a pollutant and is regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency.
15. The auto industry and the government have agreed to rigorous emission standards for vehicles, to reduce over time not only air pollution but also the amount of gasoline the country needs to keep itself moving.
And so forth....
This is not to claim that each of these achievements is either perfect or even adequate (the financial reform bill clearly is not, and we will need to go further in healthcare reform), and it is not an argument on their merits, but rather about the president noting problems and pushing for solutions that Christie absurdly disputes.
Just as a simple contrast: where is the "replace" healthcare reform bill the Republicans promised after the House voted to repeal the Affordable Healthcare Act? where is any jobs bill? what has Christie done in New Jersey to extend health care to his uninsured? what has job growth been in New Jersey under Christie?
Sure, I know, I know. Christie has shown remarkable courage, cleaning up snow from Florida, and reducing funds for education in New Jersey so he could lower taxes for businesses, canceling a partially built additional tunnel to relieve traffic into Manhattan.
That does not mean that there is not a realistic critique of the president's first two years. I myself have been dismayed by the president's "negotiating" style of agreeing in advance to what he perceives to be the final outcome, and then being pushed from there to more concessions. In addition, he does not respond to Republican attacks on his policies by shoving it back down their throats (e.g., he has never responded that Reagan and Clinton raised taxes in a recession, used the Republican false and destructive analogy of government and family budgets, and never challenged a Republican to point out a single instance in post World War II America when raising taxes resulted in reduced economic growth).
But, not recognizing problems nor having the courage to lead on them? Sorry, Governor, you will need a better lie than that one.
Christie's speech does, however, emphasize a major flaw in the president's approach. He does not take credit, so most people do not even know that most of this happened.
It is adult, mature, dignified, courageous, thoughtful and humble leadership. Not a single one of these adjectives applies to Chris Christie.
Follow Paul Abrams on Twitter: www.twitter.com/pabrams2001
what was accomplished when the democrats held historic majorities in both houses?
a lot of sturm and drang about health reform that turned out really wasn't - costs continue to rise as coverage continues to lessen
we are still in iraq and afghanistan and now libya too
no meaningful wall street reform or reigning in of corporate excess
bush tax cuts still in place
no trade reform as O promised in the campaign
still stubbornly high unemployment
2. Congrats! The market correction slowed down. Was bound to happen.
3. As opposed to how many lost........? What's unemployment again?
4. One could argue over the merits of saving a failing industry to appease union supporters, but they were failing for a reason. 'Profitable' is relative, seeing as how many of the government loans given to them are not being paid back or even are expected to be paid back.
5. Ok. If regulation is your thing. I mean, from the mid 90s to the mid 2000s teen smoking went down by 33%, so I don't see the victory here.
6. Some good, some bad. I like how children now includes those in their 20s.
7. Working so well so far! Wait...
8. And after the republicans came to an agreement with Obama, he changed the terms of the deal at the last minute and walked out. Cool.
9. Good.
10. Another good one.
11. Three in a row!
12. Still wasting money and killing civilians. Thought dems were anti-war?
13. Yep, let's kick the bee's nest some more.
14. Lets see the results of the regulations before we start cheering.
15. Good.
Four out of fifteen. Not even batting .300
2-no, this was headed off the cliff, and there was absolutely no evidence it was stopping. to call it a "market correction" is like calling 9/11 a "serious disagreement".
3-unemployment has not improved for reasons mentioned.
4-ask Wall Street why they invested then. profitable is "not relative", it is determined by accounting rules that apply to all US firms.
5-stopping large corporations from addicting children to a cancer-causing drug, yeah, I'll take it over Boehner who handed out tobacco lobbying checks on the House floor
6-Lots of people getting both care and children not bankrupting their parents to get it. ain't bad, ain't bad. if you are a parent, your children are always your children.
7-Blocked by Republicans, refusing to give the President the appointees he wants, and, in this case, any appointee at all. Good old loyal patriotic Republicans!
8-No. Gibberish. Boehner could not get the House to go along.
12-Libya has a decent chance, according to people on the ground I know, of getting themselves together.
13-So you want Iran to have a nuclear bomb, and the world to acquiesce?
2. 1920-1921.
4. And when you get to have loans forgiven, HOORAY! Go accounting! And why not invest in something when the mommy government won't let what you're investing in fail? Kind of the reason we're in this mess.
5. This was happening naturally though, which was my point.
6. Why I said some good, some bad.
8. Good counter argument.
12. Iraq has a chance as well. But PEACE and open relations is always the way to go. Why do Dems ALWAYS reverse course on being anti-war once they get power?
13. But it's cool we have some, Israel has some, you know, it's alright.
PS, why aren't those accounting rules in place for the government? I don't but the 'government should run on a family budget', but at least follow some form of standardized accounting that isn't, well, awful.
Christie was a big fan of the President's during the hurricane Irene emergency, but apparently the feelings were fleeting and based on selfish need.
name an actual recent filibuster - anyone?
what we have here is a failure of leadership.
I almost never agree with the GOP, but people admire and respect their consistnacy, united front and no compromise attitude- democrats look weak and lacking conviction by comparison
They elected Obama not on his record ( of which there was none), but on his oratory skills, his promises for a new direction and his ability to inspire. Unfortunately, none of that equates to being a successful leader. His lack of experience is painfully obvious to the objective viewer. Time for CHANGE
"Rhetoric is a poor substitute for action, and we have trusted only to rhetoric. If we are really to be a great nation, we must not merely talk; we must act big. "
The best he can hope for now is some crank to run against. Because what you are saying is because the Republicans were such big meanies that didn't give the president his way, his inabilty to challenge them or to toot his own horn wasn't his fault.
And just for balance:
http://www.counterpunch.org/2011/09/23/obama-should-quit/
President Obama is the best "Republican" president available to the ruling elite at this moment, and he will be re-elected. The election of 2016 will be the one that future historians will cite as the end of American democracy as we know it.
See, e.g., http://www.huffingtonpost.com/paul-abrams/no-joke-no-hyperbole-2012_b_967775.html
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A lot of dems are saying the same thing - like James Carville, last week.
And Ron Suskind's new book apparently tells the same tale, I am sorry to say.
http://whatthefuckhasobamadonesofar.com/
What have they done with the power they "earned"?
Crickets.....