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Home › Politics

Question of the Day | 04/29/2009 11:00 pm

Now that we've passed the 100-day mark, what do you think has been President Barack Obama's best move since gaining office?

And what has been his poorest or least effective move? Join Liz Smith and Marlo Thomas and tell us below.
© AP
Liz Smith

Liz Smith | 04/30/2009 11:40 am

Liz Smith Loaths to Criticize Obama Just as She Loathe to Citicize FDR During the Great Depression

I think it’s incredible that President Obama is still standing considering what he inherited from day one. And I think it is disgraceful that conservatives in Congress (both Democratic and Republican) have behaved in concert like spoiled brats intending to thwart his every move when we are in a crisis that is not even of the president’s making. Happily, the public is still behind the president and it looks to me like ye olde Republican Party is committing suicide.

I am loathe to criticize our chief executive just as I was loathe to criticize FDR when he was trying to save the nation from the Great Depression. If I have any lingering critique of the Obama performance in the first 100 days, it would be that he took on too many things at once instead of first just informing the nation that it was in a massive crisis where we all needed to pull together. As if it was an Emergency – and isn’t it?  
comments5 Comments
Marlo Thomas

Marlo Thomas | 04/29/2009 11:00 pm

Marlo Thomas Wonders: 'Will They Ever Care About the Right Things?'

I love that Barack Obama is proactive. He is a master at using his time well. Unbelievably, some have been criticizing him for taking on too much at once. But I say, why not? There’s a lot wrong. I’m especially bothered by some conservatives (I won’t name them — we know who they are) not giving Obama a breath of a chance to accomplish what he’s set out to do, let alone wishing him well. Apparently, the appetite of the hungry 24/7 news media monster has become more important than accuracy or the well-being of the country. Will they ever care about the right things?
comments7 Comments
Read more about: 100 Days, Barack Obama, Legislation, Politics, White House

163 Reader Comments (so far…) Sign In or Register to comment

C Hardy

So far Obama has made mistakes and I am sure there will be more to come.  I dont think we can give a fair judgement on him in 100 days…What he has done these last 100 days does leave a bitter taste in a lot of mouths b/c of the stimulas bill…I think we are almost at rock bottom and from there, there is only one way to go and that is up.  I just pray that IF the time ever comes that Obama will show backbone and keep Americans safe as he stated last night, its a thought he wakes up with and a thought he goes to bed with…

By C Hardy on 04/30/2009 7:52 am
caj p
By caj p on 04/30/2009 8:09 am
deber B
caj p, sorry, I don’t believe a word I just read!
By deber B on 04/30/2009 2:49 pm
Libra Lady
I can’t hear you cap
By Libra Lady on 04/30/2009 4:03 pm
deber B
This is my best day ever with caj p….she’s not agreeing and she’s not disagreeing!    I love ya, caj p!
By deber B on 04/30/2009 4:37 pm
caj p
Believe you me I would be doing just that if my posts were showing up on this site…for some reason they aren’t posting but have no fear I am still here!
By caj p on 04/30/2009 4:44 pm
caj p
I can’t hear you cap By Libra Lady on 04/30/2009 5:03 pm I know that and I am frustrated because my comments won’t go through unless I answer a comment…I feel there is sabotage afoot!!  But have no fear I hope to be back at you tomorrow.
By caj p on 04/30/2009 4:47 pm
N P

President Obama’s best move since gaining office …

I could say it’s what he has done for the Economy.

I could say it’s what he has done to Restore our Relations in the World.

However, I think I will say this: What he’s done to actually Restore our Faith in the Presidency itself. 

By N P on 04/30/2009 8:41 am
D C

President Obama gets an A reasons are listed below:

1. I don’t think really half of the voters albeit Obama supporters or John McCain supporters really paid attention and researched all the issues both of (then) candidates were speaking of. President Obama has not backtracked. When you are interviewing for a job that happens to be the Presidency, one has to know that all the promises are not obtainable due to time, money, and political constraints. Obama has been VERY clear about his plans and how he plans to execute them..he told everyone he was going to put forth a stimulus bill…did you not hear that in the campaign? So what is the surprise now? He told you about Afghanistan..so why are you surprised now? You have to pay attention to small details during campaigning and some people did not.

2. We already know he is intelligent and articulate..those are obvious. However the man has the strongest backbone of the decade! He has been unfairly and overly criticized (not that he should be criticism free, he has been "attacked" is a better word) his wife has been called trash, and he has been accused of being a terrorist and he has yet to curse (or cuss..lol) one of these idiots out.

He gets an "A+++++" for patience and Swag (for those who do not know what "swag" is, it is the way a person carries and projects oneself with irrefutable confidence and poise.Their presence is know as soon as they step into a room). I appauld him for this feet because two-bit journalist have tried to challenge the Leader of the Free World in a disrespectful manner, meanwhile they are getting coffee for their bosses during the commercial break! President Obama has yet to behave like Bush and dismiss them.

3. He has tried to make peace with world leaders. The game is Chess it’s not Checkers!!! Its strategic and not just one simple move. There is nothing wrong with reaching out to the Muslim world…what is so bad about being Muslim? My uncle is of the Muslim faith, does that mean he is a terrorist? People get over yourselves, we have terrorist here in America. However we call them murders,rapist, and child molesters. Terrorist are literally right under your nose everyday, but America is more worried about Sabaru Shaid in Israel than Tom Peterson next door.Oh puh-lease.

4. Auto and Bank bailouts? Think about it people, the auto and bank industries are indeed too big to fail, let them fail and you will see a depression that you never thought you would see. Obama did not get us in this mess however he now has the job to get us out unfortunately.Good luck with that, because George W(Dubya) Bush royally screwed this country over and so did Bill "I turned the White House into a modern day Bordello" Clinton. All those foreign "investments" shall we call them Clinton.

5. No one President can be judged by their first 100 days. 100 days for a country is not enough time to get anything done really, you can only put certain projects in motion.This is what President Obama has done. He has worked tirelessly for this country. That is more than what I can say Bush did his first 100 days, he probably read "How to be the President for Dummies" and "How to Vacation While Victims are Being Killed by a Hurricane" (bastard) during that time period.

We shall see what is to come in the next 4 years and I think if he keeps up the good work, America will be almost out of the recession. Because face it, it took us longer than 4 years to get us in and it will take longer than 4 years to get us out, Patience is key.

Mr.President your grade is A.

By D C on 04/30/2009 8:59 am
phyllis Doyle Pepe
Enjoyed reading your post, D C––to add to this would be somewhat redundant, but will sprinkle a few tidbits: On a flight back to his home in Chicago for the Presidents’ Day weekend he told a group of columnists, "I am an eternal optimist and––that doesn’t mean I’m a sap." On a negative concern, his stance on the torture situation baffles me. I’m not sure where he’s going with that and why he hasn’t been more forthcoming––he’s got something up his sleeve, but what? And let’s not forget the sharp departure he has taken from the Bush administration’s policies on global warming and its expansive politicization of science. This man is clearly cut out for this job––he seems to relish it––a true pragmatist with the heart of a lover.
By phyllis Doyle Pepe on 04/30/2009 9:36 am
Cheryl Mitchell
D C, well said.  Thanks for putting things in perspective and not going off tract.
By Cheryl Mitchell on 04/30/2009 10:35 am
Nancy Pea
thanx DC your post is A+!
By Nancy Pea on 05/01/2009 12:46 am
Chrome Toe

Ya… this is way to loaded of a question which would require writing an actual essay for crying out loud. I for one am still just holding onto a lot of my opinion. everyone has jumped on the first 100 day bandwagon. I’m waiting to see where things are at in a year. This President jumped into a virtually unheard of in history first 100 days. I am not thrilled with Geithner but time will tell… I am thrilled about the olive branch extended to Iran… but time will tell…

Just to soon as far as i’m concerned to really judge…

By Chrome Toe on 04/30/2009 9:01 am
deber B

"The main opponents of Mr Obama’s 100 day agenda are not so much the Republicans who are still in disarray after the election but his fellow Democrats, especially those from industrial states who fear the jobs that will inevitably be lost by his reforms.

The word from Capital Hill is that the votes aren’t there to ratify "any" of Mr Obama’s groundbreaking bills. Key senators who voted against the nuclear test ban 10 years ago are just as dubious today. The same goes for for climate change, where Democrats recently voted to give their Republican colleagues a de facto veto, deciding that a 60-vote super majority will now be required for climate legislation.

If Mr Obama’s Roosevelt-like agenda becomes stalled because Congress cannot be won over by persuasion, he may yet have to resort to some muscular tactics - of the sort he relentlessly mocked as abuses of executive power while he was still on the campaign trail. "

The main opponents of Mr Obama’s 100 day agenda are not so much the Republicans who are still in disarray after the election but his fellow Democrats, especially those from industrial states who fear the jobs that will inevitably be lost by his reforms.

The word from Capital Hill is that the votes aren’t there to ratify "any" of Mr Obama’s groundbreaking bills. Key senators who voted against the nuclear test ban 10 years ago are just as dubious today. The same goes for for climate change, where Democrats recently voted to give their Republican colleagues a de facto veto, deciding that a 60-vote super majority will now be required for climate legislation.

If Mr Obama’s Roosevelt-like agenda becomes stalled because Congress cannot be won over by persuasion, he may yet have to resort to some muscular tactics - of the sort he relentlessly mocked as abuses of executive power while he was still on the campaign trail.

The main opponents of Mr Obama’s 100 day agenda are not so much the Republicans who are still in disarray after the election but his fellow Democrats, especially those from industrial states who fear the jobs that will inevitably be lost by his reforms.

The word from Capital Hill is that the votes aren’t there to ratify "any" of Mr Obama’s groundbreaking bills. Key senators who voted against the nuclear test ban 10 years ago are just as dubious today. The same goes for for climate change, where Democrats recently voted to give their Republican colleagues a de facto veto, deciding that a 60-vote super majority will now be required for climate legislation.

If Mr Obama’s Roosevelt-like agenda becomes stalled because Congress cannot be won over by persuasion, he may yet have to resort to some muscular tactics - of the sort he relentlessly mocked as abuses of executive power while he was still on the campaign trail.

The main opponents of Mr Obama’s 100 day agenda are not so much the Republicans who are still in disarray after the election but his fellow Democrats, especially those from industrial states who fear the jobs that will inevitably be lost by his reforms. "

I read this on a UK link which I have not provided but it is interesting to read how other countries view in first 100 days.

By deber B on 04/30/2009 11:37 am
Barbara B
By Barbara B on 04/30/2009 9:09 am
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