Final Review: End Of An Error, Part 6 - The Many Failures of The Obama Administration: Tabulating The Damage

As the Obama Presidency starts to wind down we thought it would be a good idea to do a final review of the Obama era. We took an initial swing at that topic back in October, 2016 with a series of seven posts starting on October 9, 2016 with the following post:

http://loathemygovernment.blogspot.com/2016/10/part-1-obama-presidency-end-of-error.html

Not unexpectedly, the review across those seven posts captured the myriad of failures of this Presidency. Diplomatically, economically, fiscally, militarily, legally, Constitutionally, integrity-wise,and in many other ways, in my opinion, this has been the worst Presidency of my lifetime. If you are a liberal, please read the posts, all of which are extensively sourced, before going off the deep end without thinking. This Presidency has stunk.

We started out this week by using some fine reporting and research by Reason magazine to point out how hypocritical Obama has been relative to abusing military power and how his actions have helped create a so-called “Imperial Presidency” which 1) abuses the rule of law and Constitution and 2) is now being run for better or worse.

During this week we have been looking at other folks opinion on how well Obama did as President It will not likely to be pretty, as the previous seven posts referenced above have already proven.

1) Frank Vernuccio, writing for the Affluent Christian Investor website on January 20, 2017, came up with the “20 Worst Aspects Of Obama’s Legacy.” While we have covered many of the same scandals and failures already, he did manage to identify a few that we have not previously covered:

- When Obama became President, China was a rising economic power, Russia was a fading international power and Iran was a small pain in the neck. Eight years of Obama has now seen to China become a rising and powerful military power that has plans to control much of the Pacific Ocean and its trade routes, Russia has taken over and threatened foreign lands, re-established itself as a major play in the Middle East while improving its military power, and Iran is a rising military and terrorist power. Obama’s foreign policy has been useless in the face of these negative international trends and as a result, the world is less safe.

And these foreign policy failures do not even include the rise of ISIS terrorism and the continued development of North Korea’s nuclear weapons capabilities.

- Although debatable, I believe that Iran’s deal with Obama makes it a bigger nuclear weapons threat in the future and what is not debatable is that North Korea is already a bigger nuclear threat than it was eight years ago.

- Obama has been mostly powerless in the face of our enemies and mostly unfriendly to our allies. It abandoned a missile defense for Poland, it insulted Britain by not sending anyone of importance to Margaret Thatcher’s funeral, it threw Israel under the United Nations bus, it encouraged the overthrow of as friendly regime in Egypt, and abandoned the Philippines in the face of Chinese aggression.

- We have covered the following already over the years when we pointed out that despite spending probably close to half a TRILLION dollars on the Pentagon over the past eight years, our military forces are mostly nowhere near to being combat ready. Obama forced capable military leaders to retire, creating a leadership void, and allowed Pentagon operations to deteriorate so much that museums had to be raided for spare military parts. 

- In Afghanistan, the Taliban now control more physical land area than any time since we came in and will likely re-takeover the country soon after we withdrawal our military forces, putting the country right back where it was 14 years ago.

- Despite steadily improving race relations up until the Obama administration, when polled today, the majority of Americans feel race relations have deteriorated during Obama's term despite he being the first African American President.

- While Obama claims to have created millions of jobs, the vast majority of them were contract work, part time, and lower paying, service sector type jobs. According to Pew Research: “The American middle class is losing ground in metropolitan areas across the country, affecting communities from Boston to Seattle and from Dallas to Milwaukee. From 2000 to 2014 the share of adults living in middle-income households fell in 203 of the 229 U.S. metropolitan areas examined in a new Pew Research Center analysis of government data. The decrease in the middle-class share was often substantial, measuring 6 percentage points or more in 53 metropolitan areas, compared with a 4-point drop nationally. The shrinking of the middle class at the national level, to the point where it may no longer be the economic majority in the U.S., was documented in an earlier analysis by the Pew Research Center. The changes at the metropolitan level, the subject of this in-depth look at the American middle class, demonstrate that the national trend is the result of widespread declines in localities all around the country.” 

Much of this decline was caused by government over regulations that place increasing complex reporting requirements on businesses or which discourage businesses from hiring full time workers (e.g. Obama Care), trends that accelerated during the Obama years.

- Obama and the Federal government took government spending, and overspending to astronomical heights, doubling the national debt to $20 TRILLION with no societal benefit in return.

- Obama violated the Constitution many, many times, from unilaterally changing the requirements of the Obama Care legislation to pretending that international treaties he signed were not “treaties” but “agreements” that did require Constitutional Senate approval.

- Despite being the first African American President, economic conditions did not improve for African Americans under his watch according to the article: “A Townhall and Gateway Pundit analysis reveals: What about poverty? In 2009, when Obama took office, the black poverty rate was 25.8 percent. As of 2014, according to Pew Research Center, the black poverty rate was 27.2 percent. What about income? CNNMoney says, “Minority households’ median income fell 9 percent between 2010 and 2013, compared to a drop of only 1 percent for whites.” The Financial Times wrote last October: “Since 2009, median non-white household income has dropped by almost a 10th to $33,000 a year, according to the U.S. Federal Reserve’s survey of consumer finances. As a whole, median incomes fell by 5 percent. But by the more telling measure of net wealth — assets minus liabilities — the numbers offer a more troubling story.” What about net worth and the black-white “wealth gap”? The Financial Times said: “The median non-white family today has a net worth of just $18,100 — almost a fifth lower than it was when Mr. Obama took office."

- According to a Washington Post article from last July: “The sense that America is more divided than it used to be is backed by hard data. There’s been a sharp spike in the contempt that partisans express for their opponents, according to Pew Research Center polling. More than 4 in 10 Democrats and Republicans say the other party’s policies are so misguided that they pose a threat to the nation.” During his time in office, the President engaged in the rough and tumble “Chicago Way” politics, using government facilities for partisan purposes and ignoring the considerations and ideas of those he disagreed with."

2) We have often talked about broken promises and/or outright lies of the Obama administration. The Grabien website put together a chart that summarized 13 of his quotes/promises and associated failures, from not working together with Congress to not cutting unnecessary Federal spending to not ending our military involvement in Iraq and Syria, etc. That chart and a video of Obama actually making those promises can be accessed at:

https://news.grabien.com/story-rewinding-tape-what-obama-promised-vs-what-we-got

3) One last discussion for today’s review. The following link will take you to a website that went through and documented over 100 lies and deceptions that the former President spoke while in office. It touches on some we have not already reviewed so there is some new material here:

http://libertyalliance.com/122-obama-lies-mainstream-media-mostly-ignored-25-total/

We thought that today would end our review of the Obama administration, an administration that I consider the worse of my lifetime from a military, diplomatic, economic, fiscal, and integrity perspective, based on the material we have covered over the past week and the reality that we live in today. However, we have one more source of review that we will go over tomorrow and then move on to other pressing matters and more political class insanity.

The Obama Era, Part 5 - Memories From The Worst Presidency Ever?

Late last year I thought it might be a good time to review everything that I remember about the Obama administration. He has been in office for seven years, seven long years that in my opinion have been horrific in so many ways. This was someone who entered office with approval ratings that were above 70% and who represented the so-called “hope and change” that many Americans were seeking.

This theme unexpectedly took four days to cover, that is how many failures, lies, threats, and narcissism of this President. The first post can be accessed at:

http://loathemygovernment.blogspot.com/2015/12/the-obama-era-part-1-memories-from.html

Seven years later hope has become very scarce and change has almost always been for the worst. Now, before someone says that I am just a sour grapes Republican, conservative, or neo-con, understand that I have never voted for a Republican for President in my life (I started voting in the 1970s). Up until 2010, I had never voted for Republican for national office in my life. I fully support gay rights and respect a woman’s legal right to an abortion. Thus, none of what you are about to read over the next few days comes from a Republican sour grapes perspective.

But unless you have had completely had your head in the sand or elsewhere, this has been the worst Presidency that I have experienced in my lifetime. From horrid legislation (e.g. Obama Care) to a failed foreign policy (e.g. Syria) to daily lawlessness on the part of this administration (e.g. use of unsecured email accounts by high ranking administration members), the ineptness and ineffectiveness of this administration is mind boggling.

Unfortunately, despite spending four days two months ago to cover the ineptness of this Presidency, we are going to need at least two more posts this week to cover another round of bad memories. Today we will start off with a list of 140 mostly broken promises that this President has presented to the country in his state of the union speeches in the first seven years of his Presidency. 

The comes from the website, www.grabien.com, and includes the video history of Obama actually stating these broken promises in his own words. While we have covered many of these lies and deceptions in previous posts, it is certainly convenient to see all of these bad memories in one spot (keep in mind that these broken promises came only from eight Obama state of the union speeches, many other broken promises were made direclty by this President in other situations):

February 24, 2009

OBAMA: “I am pleased to say that the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act is now law. Over the next two years, this plan will save or create 3.5 million jobs. More than 90 percent of these jobs will be in the private sector. (...)

We have launched a housing plan that will help responsible families facing the threat of foreclosure lower their monthly payments and re-finance their mortgages. (...)

We will double this nation’s supply of renewable energy in the next three years. We have also made the largest investment in basic research funding in American history – an investment that will spur not only new discoveries in energy, but breakthroughs in medicine, science, and technology. We will soon lay down thousands of miles of power lines that can carry new energy to cities and towns across this country. And we will put Americans to work making our homes and buildings more efficient so that we can save billions of dollars on our energy bills. (...)

We will launch a new effort to conquer a disease that has touched the life of nearly every American by seeking a cure for cancer in our time. And it makes the largest investment ever in preventive care, because that is one of the best ways to keep our people healthy and our costs under control. (...)

It’s a commitment that’s paid for in part by efficiencies in our system that are long overdue. (...)

I held a fiscal summit where I pledged to cut the deficit in half by the end of my first term in office. My administration has also begun to go line by line through the federal budget in order to eliminate wasteful and ineffective programs. (...)

We have already identified two trillion dollars in savings over the next decade. (...)

If your family earns less than $250,000 a year, you will not see your taxes increased a single dime. (...)

We must also address the growing costs in Medicare and Social Security. (...)

We must also begin a conversation on how to do the same for Social Security, while creating tax-free universal savings accounts for all Americans. (...)

I have ordered the closing of the detention center at Guantanamo Bay.”

January 27, 2010

OBAMA: “Tomorrow, I’ll visit Tampa, Florida, where workers will soon break ground on a new high-speed railroad funded by the Recovery Act. ... (...)

An investment that could lead to the world’s cheapest solar cells or treatment that kills cancer cells but leaves healthy ones untouched. (...)

And that means building a new generation of safe, clean nuclear power plants in this country. (...)

It means passing a comprehensive energy and climate bill with incentives that will finally make clean energy the profitable kind of energy in America. (...)

Our approach would preserve the right of Americans who have insurance to keep their doctor and their plan. It would reduce costs and premiums for millions of families and businesses. (...)

Our approach would bring down the deficit by as much as $1 trillion over the next two decades. (...)

Starting in 2011, we are prepared to freeze government spending for three years. (...)

Like any cash-strapped family, we will work within a budget to invest in what we need and sacrifice what we don’t.And if I have to enforce this discipline by veto, I will. (...)

We will continue to go through the budget, line by line, to eliminate programs that we can’t afford and don’t work. (...)

That’s why I’ve called for a bipartisan fiscal commission. (...)

This can’t be one of those Washington gimmicks that lets us pretend we solved a problem. (...)

[The Senate] should restore the pay-as-you-go law. (...)

Publish all earmark requests on a single Web site. (...)

I will not give up on trying to change the tone of our politics. (...)

We should continue the work of fixing our broken immigration system -– to secure our borders and enforce our laws, and ensure that everyone who plays by the rules can contribute to our economy and enrich our nation.”

January 25, 2011

OBAMA: “Some folks want wind and solar. Others want nuclear, clean coal and natural gas. To meet this goal, we will need them all. (...)

We should take on, once and for all, the issue of illegal immigration.And I am prepared to work with Republicans and Democrats to protect our borders, enforce our laws and address the millions of undocumented workers who are now living in the shadows. (...)

We’ll put more Americans to work repairing crumbling roads and bridges. We’ll make sure this is fully paid for, attract private investment, and pick projects based [on] what’s best for the economy, not politicians. Within 25 years, our goal is to give 80 percent of Americans access to high-speed rail. (...)

Within the next five years, we’ll make it possible for businesses to deploy the next generation of high-speed wireless coverage to 98 percent of all Americans. (...)

Get rid of the loopholes. Level the playing field. And use the savings to lower the corporate tax rate for the first time in 25 years – (...)

To reduce barriers to growth and investment —“ (...)

When we find rules that put an unnecessary burden on businesses, we will fix them. (...)

I am proposing that starting this year, we freeze annual domestic spending for the next five years. (...)

The health insurance law we passed last year will slow these rising costs. (...)

Still, I’m willing to look at other ideas to bring down costs, including one that Republicans suggested last year — medical malpractice reform to rein in frivolous lawsuits. (...)

We should give them a government that’s more competent and more efficient. (...)

There are 12 different agencies that deal with exports. There are at least five different agencies that deal with housing policy. hen there’s my favorite example: The Interior Department is in charge of salmon while they’re in fresh water, but the Commerce Department handles them when they’re in saltwater. (...)

Because you deserve to know exactly how and where your tax dollars are being spent, you’ll be able to go to a website and get that information for the very first time in history. (...)

If a bill comes to my desk with earmarks inside, I will veto it.” (...)

January 24, 2012

OBAMA: “Companies that choose to stay in America get hit with one of the highest tax rates in the world ... So let’s change it. (...)

And I want to cut through the maze of confusing training programs, so that from now on, people like Jackie have one program, one website, and one place to go for all the information and help that they need. It is time to turn our unemployment system into a reemployment system that puts people to work. (...)

I believe as strongly as ever that we should take on illegal immigration. (...)

I am proposing that every state — every state — requires that all students stay in high school until they graduate or turn 18. (...)

I’m directing my administration to open more than 75 percent of our potential offshore oil and gas resources. (...)

This country needs an all-out, all-of-the-above strategy that develops every available source of American energy. (...)

We have a supply of natural gas that can last America nearly 100 years. (Applause) And my administration will take every possible action to safely develop this energy. (...)

I’ve ordered every federal agency to eliminate rules that don’t make sense. (...)

We’ll also establish a Financial Crimes Unit of highly trained investigators to crack down on large-scale fraud and protect people’s investments. (...)

I’ve asked this Congress to grant me the authority to consolidate the federal bureaucracy — (...)

We need to end the notion that the two parties must be locked in a perpetual campaign of mutual destruction. (...)

February 12, 2013

OBAMA: “On Medicare, I’m prepared to enact reforms that will achieve the same amount of health care savings by the beginning of the next decade as the reforms proposed by the bipartisan Simpson-Bowles commission. (...)

We’ll reduce taxpayer subsidies to prescription drug companies and ask more from the wealthiest seniors. (...)

We’ll bring down costs by changing the way our government pays for Medicare. (...)

We should do what leaders in both parties have already suggested, and save hundreds of billions of dollars by getting rid of tax loopholes and deductions for the well-off and the well-connected. (..)

Now is our best chance for bipartisan, comprehensive tax reform that encourages job creation and helps bring down the deficit. (...)

That’s why my administration will keep cutting red tape and speeding up new oil and gas permits. (...)

I propose we use some of our oil and gas revenues to fund an Energy Security Trust. (...)

I propose a “Fix-It-First” program to put people to work as soon as possible on our most urgent repairs. (...)

I propose working with states to make high-quality preschool available to every single child in America. (...)

I ask Congress to change the Higher Education Act so that affordability and value are included in determining which colleges receive certain types of federal aid. (...)

The time has come to pass comprehensive immigration reform — (...)

And raise the federal minimum wage to $9.00 an hour. (...)

Let’s offer incentives to companies that hire Americans who’ve got what it takes to fill that job opening, but have been out of work so long that no one will give them a chance anymore. (...)

Let’s put people back to work rebuilding vacant homes in run-down neighborhoods. (...)

We’ll give new tax credits to businesses that hire and invest. And we’ll work to strengthen families by removing the financial deterrents to marriage for low-income couples, and do more to encourage fatherhood (...)

By the end of next year, our war in Afghanistan will be over. (...)

Our government shouldn’t make promises we cannot keep — but we must keep the promises we’ve already made.”

January 28, 2014

OBAMA: “Let’s work together to close those loopholes, end those incentives to ship jobs overseas, and lower tax rates for businesses that create jobs. (...)

Take the money we save from this transition to tax reform to create jobs rebuilding our roads, upgrading our roads. (...)

I will act on my own to slash bureaucracy. (...)

My administration has launched two hubs for high-tech manufacturing. (...)

Tonight, I’m announcing we’ll launch six more this year. (...)

Let’s do more to help the entrepreneurs and small business owners who create most new jobs in America. (...)

We can unleash the next great American discovery – whether it’s vaccines that stay ahead of drug-resistant bacteria, or paper-thin material that’s stronger than steel. (...)

Let’s pass a patent reform. (...)

Businesses plan to invest almost $100 billion in new factories that use natural gas. I’ll cut red tape to help states get those factories built. (...)

Let’s continue that progress with a smarter tax policy that stops giving $4 billion a year to fossil fuel industries that don’t need it, so that we can invest more in fuels of the future that do. (...)

In the coming months, I’ll build on that success by setting new standards for our trucks. (...)

Let’s get immigration reform done this year. (...)

— an across-the-board reform of America’s training programs to make sure they have one mission: train Americans with the skills employers need, and match them to good jobs that need to be filled right now. (...)

We can help Americans return to the workforce faster by reforming unemployment insurance (...)

I’m going to pull together a coalition of elected officials, business leaders, and philanthropists willing to help more kids access the high-quality pre-K they need. (...)

This year, let’s all come together – Congress, the White House, and businesses from Wall Street to Main Street – to give every woman the opportunity she deserves. (...)

Fix that by lifting the minimum wage to $10.10. (...)

... than the Earned Income Tax Credit. (...)

Let’s work together to strengthen the credit. (...)

— fix an upside-down tax code that gives big tax breaks to help the wealthy save, but does little to nothing for middle-class Americans. (...)

Offer every American access to an automatic IRA on the job. (...)

—and the bipartisan commission I appointed last year has offered reforms so that no one has to wait more than a half hour to vote. (...)

And I intend to keep trying, with or without Congress, to help stop more tragedies from visiting innocent Americans in our movie theaters, shopping malls, or schools like Sandy Hook. (...)

With Afghan forces now in the lead for their own security. (...)

Together with our allies, we will complete our mission there by the end of this year. (...)

This needs to be the year we close the prison at Guantanamo Bay. (...)

American diplomacy is supporting Israelis and Palestinians as they engage in difficult but necessary talks to end the conflict there. (...)

Iran has begun to eliminate its stockpile of higher levels of enriched uranium. It is not installing advanced centrifuges.(...)

If Iran’s leaders do not seize this opportunity, then I will be the first to call for more sanctions. (...)

We’ll keep slashing that backlog so our veterans receive the benefits they’ve earned, and our wounded warriors receive the health care – including the mental health care – that they need.”

January 20, 2015

OBAMA: “My budget will address each of these issues, lowering the taxes of working families and putting thousands of dollars back into their pockets each year. (...)

My plan will make quality childcare more available and more affordable — by creating more slots and a new tax cut of up to $3,000 per child, per year. (...)

I’ll be taking new action to help states adopt paid leave laws of their own. (...)

Congress still needs to pass a law that makes sure a woman is paid the same as a man. (...)

Two years of college becomes as free and universal in America as high school is today. (...)

To make sure those already burdened with student loans can reduce their monthly payments so that student debt doesn’t derail anyone’s dreams. (...)

Pass a bipartisan infrastructure plan. (...)

I’m launching a new Precision Medicine Initiative to bring us closer to curing diseases like cancer and diabetes, and to give all of us access to the personalized information we need to keep ourselves and our families healthier. (...)

I intend to protect a free and open Internet, extend its reach to every classroom, and every community and help folks build the fastest networks. (...)

I want Americans to win the race for the kinds of discoveries that unleash new jobs — converting sunlight into liquid fuel; creating revolutionary prosthetics, so that a veteran who gave his arms for his country can play catch with his kids again. (...)

Pushing out into the solar system not just to visit, but to stay. (...)

Let’s close loopholes so we stop rewarding companies that keep profits abroad, and reward those that invest here in America.

Let’s use those savings to rebuild our infrastructure and to make it more attractive for companies to bring jobs home.

Let’s simplify the system and let a small business owner file based on her actual bank statement, instead of the number of accountants she can afford. 

Let’s close the loopholes that lead to inequality by allowing the top one percent to avoid paying taxes on their accumulated wealth. 

We can use that money to help more families pay for childcare and send their kids to college. (...)

We are leading a broad coalition, including Arab nations, to degrade and ultimately destroy this terrorist group. (...)

No foreign nation, no hacker, should be able to shut down our networks, steal our trade secrets, or invade the privacy of American families, especially our kids. (...)

Since I’ve been President, we’ve worked responsibly to cut the population of Gitmo in half. Now it is time to finish the job. (...)

It’s a good thing that for the first time in 40 years, the crime rate and the incarceration rate have come down together, and use that as a starting point for Democrats and Republicans ... to reform America’s criminal justice system.”

I commit to every Republican here tonight that I will not only seek out your ideas, I will seek to work with you to make this country stronger.

Now, these 140 promises from the grabien.com website do have some inaccuracies. For example, there have been a number of nuclear power plant permits issued during his Presidency so that promise actually is true. But most of what he promised failed to come true. 

This is especially true during the first two years of his Presidency and the promises made in those first two state of the union speeches. During that timeframe, Obama did not need a single Republican vote to pass any promise he put forth in the state of the union speeches since the Democrats had firm control of both houses of Congress. And yet, he and his failed leadership failed to get anything accomplished.

He talked about immigration reform but it never happened.

He talked about tax reform but it never happened.

He talked about helping companies and workers be more effective but it never happened.

He talked about working with Republicans but it never happened.

He talked about getting wasteful government spending under control but it never happened.

He talked about making government functions more effective and efifcient but it never happened.

Which is kind of a major aspect of this Presidency. He talked a good show but it, whatever it was at the moment, never happened. More bad memories tomorrow. The original website link for the this list canbe accessed at:

https://grabien.com/file.php?id=72235&searchorder=date

Our book, "Love My Country, Loathe My Government - Fifty First Steps To Restoring Our Freedom And Destroying The American Political Class" is now available at:

www.loathemygovernment.com

It is also available online at Amazon and Barnes and Noble. Please pass our message of freedom onward. Let your friends and family know about our websites and blogs, ask your library to carry the book, and respect freedom for both yourselves and others everyday.

Please visit the following sites for freedom:

Term Limits Now: http://www.howmuchworsecoulditget.com
http://www.reason.com
http://www.cato.org
http://www.bankruptingamerica.org
http://www.conventionofstates.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=08j0sYUOb5w