With 2011 quickly coming to a close, the GOP still does not have any semblance of a front-runner for the 2012 election. Every week, one of them is doing something absolutely ridiculous. Rick Perry put out that ridiculous ad three weeks ago, Gingrich is under fire because he's been claiming all along his wife wanted that divorce, and I'm not going to get started on Rick Santorum because I'm still too embarrassed about the fact that he was once allowed to represent my state.
So, I thought now would be a good time to take a look at the pros and cons of the Obama administration. Has this been the best presidency the country has ever seen? No, but I wouldn't say it's the equivalent to James Buchanan either (once again, why does Pennsylvania have to make such a terrible name for itself in the world of politics?).
Obama came into office after the economy was pooped on by previous administrations. Clinton managed to create a budget surplus by cutting 1/3 of the military; Bush ruined it by sending troops to one out of every three countries.* The Clinton administration allowed sub-prime lending and gave out a mortgage to everyone who could say "Excuse me, sir, I'd like to buy a house," and then SUDDENLY THE MARKET COLLAPSED BECAUSE PEOPLE WHO WERE MAKING $1,000 A MONTH HAD MORTGAGES FOR TWICE THAT MUCH. SHOCKING.
So then Obama bailed out the banks and the failing corporations. ...that probably would not have been my first choice. The results were mixed and we're still faced with high unemployment and I'm probably going to have to go to school for another three years to accrue tens of thousands of dollars of more debt so I can make more than $30,000 a year if I were to step out into the working world after I got my bachelor's degree.
Living the American dream.
Long and short of it: The economy's downfall wasn't Obama's fault, but he isn't doing the best job fixing the problem.
Obama said he was going to revolutionize health care. NAZI! America cried. SOCIALIST PIG! He managed to raise the age college kids can stay on their parents' health insurance, and it will shrink the donut hole in health care costs for the elderly. It increased Medicaid coverage, and expanded coverage to 32 million Americans who didn't have insurance-- that's over 10% of the population
How terrible of him!
Obama said he'd get the troops out of Iraq by the end of 2011. He did. He repealed DADT, and he's currently working on DOMA.
It's also important to keep in mind that nothing is passed without Congress' consent, which is hard to come by with a majority of the opposite party in the House of Representatives. Some people think this is because of dissatisfaction with Obama's administration. While this may be true, statistics have shown that the party with the executive in power tends to have a much lower turnout at mid-term elections, usually causing a shift of power in Congress in either one or both chambers.
That's not to say he hasn't done some things wrong. I mean, the whole bailout thing was a flop, he just signed a bill that can detain American citizens indefinitely without cause (I found an article on it here, however they seem a bit like rabid wolves and their words should probably be taken with a grain of salt. I encourage everyone to do their own research on the bill-- I still haven't read it.). He's also young in terms of politics, but he has some senior cabinet members that know what they're doing (HILLARY I'M LOOKING AT YOU).
So, as we look ahead to the 2012 elections, there are a few things to keep in mind.
1. Obama isn't the crappiest president ever
2. He is not the sole reason for unemployment
3. Please do not, under ANY circumstances, vote for Joe Pitts if you live in his district (more on that later)
I'm still not sure who I'm voting for. If Ron Paul becomes a more viable candidate I'll be looking into him more closely. My opinion on Obamaba changes about every thirty seconds. I'd probably just write-in myself if I were 35.
*this statistic on George Bush is grossly inaccurate. I only said it because it was a nice contrast. You know, numbers and semantics and all that.
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