President Obama's top 50 accomplishments

[NJMaverick]

Quote:1. Passed Health Care Reform: After five presidents over a century failed to create universal health insurance, signed the Affordable Care Act (2010). It will cover 32 million uninsured Americans beginning in 2014 and mandates a suite of experimental measures to cut health care cost growth, the number one cause of America’s long-term fiscal problems.

2. Passed the Stimulus: Signed $787 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act in 2009 to spur economic growth amid greatest recession since the Great Depression. Weeks after stimulus went into effect, unemployment claims began to subside. Twelve months later, the private sector began producing more jobs than it was losing, and it has continued to do so for twenty-three straight months, creating a total of nearly 3.7 million new private-sector jobs.

3. Passed Wall Street Reform: Signed the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (2010) to re-regulate the financial sector after its practices caused the Great Recession. The new law tightens capital requirements on large banks and other financial institutions, requires derivatives to be sold on clearinghouses and exchanges, mandates that large banks provide “living wills” to avoid chaotic bankruptcies, limits their ability to trade with customers’ money for their own profit, and creates the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (now headed by Richard Cordray) to crack down on abusive lending products and companies.

4. Ended the War in Iraq: Ordered all U.S. military forces out of the country. Last troops left on December 18, 2011.

5. Began Drawdown of War in Afghanistan: From a peak of 101,000 troops in June 2011, U.S. forces are now down to 91,000, with 23,000 slated to leave by the end of summer 2012. According to Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta, the combat mission there will be over by next year.

6. Eliminated Osama bin laden: In 2011, ordered special forces raid of secret compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, in which the terrorist leader was killed and a trove of al-Qaeda documents was discovered.

7. Turned Around U.S. Auto Industry: In 2009, injected $62 billion in federal money (on top of $13.4 billion in loans from the Bush administration) into ailing GM and Chrysler in return for equity stakes and agreements for massive restructuring. Since bottoming out in 2009, the auto industry has added more than 100,000 jobs. In 2011, the Big Three automakers all gained market share for the first time in two decades. The government expects to lose $16 billion of its investment, less if the price of the GM stock it still owns increases.

43 more at the link

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/magazin...035755.php

[jaxx]

Great resource for all the good that has been done by the Obama administration.

[Willinois]

Quote:22. Created Conditions to Begin Closing Dirtiest Power Plants: New EPA restrictions on mercury and toxic pollution, issued in December 2011, likely to lead to the closing of between sixty-eight and 231 of the nation’s oldest and dirtiest coal-fired power plants. Estimated cost to utilities: at least $11 billion by 2016. Estimated health benefits: $59 billion to $140 billion. Will also significantly reduce carbon emissions and, with other regulations, comprises what’s been called Obama’s “stealth climate policy.”

It's nice to see this mentioned since his energy policies are often left off these lists. Combined with the clean energy investments in the stimulus bill and fuel efficiency standards it makes Obama the best energy President in American history x100. Clinton and Carter didn't do half as much in 12 years combined. It's a shame that most left pundits focus exclusively on the few blemishes of his energy policy.

[NJMaverick]

(03-08-2012 11:29 AM)Willinois Wrote:  

Quote:22. Created Conditions to Begin Closing Dirtiest Power Plants: New EPA restrictions on mercury and toxic pollution, issued in December 2011, likely to lead to the closing of between sixty-eight and 231 of the nation’s oldest and dirtiest coal-fired power plants. Estimated cost to utilities: at least $11 billion by 2016. Estimated health benefits: $59 billion to $140 billion. Will also significantly reduce carbon emissions and, with other regulations, comprises what’s been called Obama’s “stealth climate policy.”

It's nice to see this mentioned since his energy policies are often left off these lists. Combined with the clean energy investments in the stimulus bill and fuel efficiency standards it makes Obama the best energy President in American history x100. Clinton and Carter didn't do half as much in 12 years combined. It's a shame that most left pundits focus exclusively on the few blemishes of his energy policy.

I suspect if the President hadn't been hamstrung by the disastrous economy the GOP left him, he would be further along in terms of the environment

[jaxx]

(03-08-2012 11:29 AM)Willinois Wrote:  

Quote:22. Created Conditions to Begin Closing Dirtiest Power Plants: New EPA restrictions on mercury and toxic pollution, issued in December 2011, likely to lead to the closing of between sixty-eight and 231 of the nation’s oldest and dirtiest coal-fired power plants. Estimated cost to utilities: at least $11 billion by 2016. Estimated health benefits: $59 billion to $140 billion. Will also significantly reduce carbon emissions and, with other regulations, comprises what’s been called Obama’s “stealth climate policy.”

It's nice to see this mentioned since his energy policies are often left off these lists. Combined with the clean energy investments in the stimulus bill and fuel efficiency standards it makes Obama the best energy President in American history x100. Clinton and Carter didn't do half as much in 12 years combined. It's a shame that most left pundits focus exclusively on the few blemishes of his energy policy.

Word is out that President Obama is personally calling Senate Dems asking them to NOT pass the KXL pipeline bill today.