100 days of Obama

gonzo8402 · Apr 23, 2009

Obama's report card: 11 As, 16 Bs, 7 Cs, and a D.

Stephen Sestanovich

Grade: A+

Let me explain: So far, it's all for class participation!

New administrations often fail to understand that their real grade depends on how well they solve what I call "the second talking-point problem." After you've developed and explained your well thought-out strategy, how do you respond to the governments that say they don't like it at all? Obviously you don't just change course (here, all the complaints one hears that the administration needs a Plan B are off the mark).

You need to make your case -- in both word and deed -- a little more convincingly. Presidents are rarely prepared for this moment by their staffs. A new administration that encounters resistance has to bring to bear new arguments, new resources, new offers that the other guy can't refuse -- or at least can't ignore. Whether we're talking about getting more Europeans into Afghanistan, or mobilizing the Chinese to lean on North Korea, or re-energizing Israeli-Palestinian negotiations, or -- the mother of all "reset buttons" -- turning around the international economy, President Obama doesn't need Plan B so much as he needs Phase Two.

Stephen Sestanovich is a senior fellow for Russian and Eurasian studies at the Council on Foreign Relations.

Elliott Abrams

Grade: D

The "apology tours" are not the administration's worst offense, and would only merit a C. The D reflects the abandonment of brave men and women throughout the world fighting for human rights and civil liberties. The president's defense of his friendly chats with Hugo Chávez (Venezuela is no strategic threat to the United States) was typical: he showed no understanding or concern for the impact of his "outreach" to Chávez, or Nicaragua's Daniel Ortega, or the Chinese (one could go on) on valiant people in those countries struggling peacefully for progress toward -- or back to -- democracy. Meanwhile, all the key human rights posts in the administration, at State and NSC, remain vacant. If our most famous "human rights groups" were not left-leaning and in the administration's pocket, they'd be screaming bloody murder about this scandal.

Elliott Abrams served in the Reagan and George W. Bush administrations. He is a senior fellow in Middle Eastern studies at the Council on Foreign Relations.

More grades...

Imhotep · Apr 24, 2009

Re: Obama's report card: 11 As, 16 Bs, 7 Cs, and a D.

..........

QueEx · Apr 26, 2009

<center>

How Obama's first 100 days stack up</center>

<center>

Historians agree on one thing when it comes to evaluating
a president's first 100 days: The exercise is an artificial,
often superficial construct. It's too short of a time to
seriously measure anything substantive about a
presidency, and not an indicator of future success.



</center>

QueEx · Apr 26, 2009

How Obama's first 100 days stack up

San Francisco Chronicle
Joe Garofoli, Chronicle Staff Writer
Sunday, April 26, 2009

Look closely, however, said Russell Riley, chair of the Presidential Oral History Program at the University of Virginia, and you'll see that a president's first 100 days often contain the seeds of something that will bloom - or haunt him - later in his presidency. As President Obama's fans gloat about his healthy approval ratings at the 100-day mark, Stephen Knott, an associate professor of national security studies at the United States Naval War College, cautions that former President George W. Bush had a 58 percent approval rating after 100 days in office - and that plummeted over time to record lows.

The seed that could haunt Obama's presidency and derail his ambitious agenda could be an investigation of torture techniques used on terrorism suspects during the Bush administration, analysts said.

"If the country is focused on the Bush torture program all summer it is going to be a huge distraction," said Larry Berman, a professor of political science at UC Davis who teaches a course on Obama's first 100 days. "The people who don't realize this, I think, are the people who supported Obama from the progressive wing of the Democratic Party."

Here is an overview of highlights and lowlights of the early days in office of recent administrations.

Ronald Reagan

Successes

Benefited from release of U.S. hostages held in Iran for 444 days - as he was being inaugurated.

Former actor used TV addresses to rally Americans to urge Congress to push massive tax cut legislation through Congress - past a Democratic House majority.

Hit the ground running with smooth-running transition team and simple agenda: Cut taxes, increase military spending, improve U.S. reputation abroad.

Challenges

Transformed image after showing grace and strength after assassination attempt on 70th day of presidency. ("Please tell me you're Republicans," he quipped to doctors treating him.) Poll numbers jumped double-digits. Without being able to peel off Democratic support in the ensuing months, "there would have been no Reaganomics," Stephen Knott said.

Didn't sign first legislation until March 31 - day after he was shot.

Fumbles

Internal battle between administration's military and budget leaders went public. "It was a remarkably leak-prone presidency," Knott said. "And that contributed to the image of Reagan as a puppet of his advisers."

Bottom line

Gallup Poll approval average over 100-day period: 60 percent. (Historical average for presidents since 1953: 63 percent)

George H.W. Bush

Successes

Promised a "kinder, gentler America" - a popular but none-too-subtle rip "that caused a tremendous amount of bitterness" among Reaganites, Knott said, many of whom were still serving in his administration.

Proposed a plan to help crippled savings and loan institutions.

Challenges

An unambitious agenda. It's hard to even contemplate what was going on in his 100 days, because it was more like the ninth year of the Reagan presidency. Said Bush: "I don't even think in terms of 100 days, because we aren't radically shifting things."

Fumbles

"Kinder, gentler America" fades after battle over failed nomination of Sen. John Tower as defense secretary "poisoned the atmosphere in Washington for a long time," said University of Pennsylvania Professor Al Felzenberg. Tower's replacement: Dick Cheney, positioning Cheney for a more influential role in President George W. Bush's administration as an architect of Iraq war.

Bottom line

Gallup Poll approval average over 100-day period: 57 percent

.

Bill Clinton

Successes

Passed Family and Medical Leave Act, which allowed workers at larger firms to take unpaid leave because of pregnancy or medical conditions.

Though criticized for failure to get economic stimulus plan through Congress, Riley said: "The heavy lifting done then would prove advantageous for the economy in later years."

Challenges

World Trade Center bombed, killing six and injuring more than 1,000.

Long standoff with Branch Davidians in Waco, Texas, ends with death of more than 80 people.

Fumbles

First two choices to be attorney general - Zoe Baird and Kimba Wood - withdrew their nominations because of illegal household help issues. "He had a bad 100 days, there is no way to sugarcoat it," Riley said.

Controversy over "don't ask, don't tell" policy concerning gays in the military drained political capital.

Drew partisan fire by appointing first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton to head health care initiative. Failed health care plan contributed to GOP congressional takeover in 1994.

Bottom line

Gallup Poll approval average over 100-day period: 55 percent.

George W. Bush

Successes

Though he came into office with legitimacy issues after losing the popular vote during a contested election, he quickly established himself to the point where approval ratings remained steady initially, said Gerhard Peters, professor of politics at Citrus College and director of the American Presidency Project at UC Santa Barbara.

Began faith-based initiative to appeal to religious conservatives that got him into office - which also inflamed partisan tensions.

Proposed largest tax cut in two decades.

Challenges

U.S. surveillance plane downed in China, crew detained. Administration gets plaudits for negotiating release after 11-day standoff.

"No Child Left Behind" education reform proposed with endorsement of liberal Sen. Edward Kennedy and Rep. George Miller, D-Martinez. Measure later widely panned by educators, Democrats.

Fumbles

Declined to participate in Kyoto Treaty on climate change, foreshadowing his administration's view of environment and its unilateralist approach to international issues.

Though national security team (Cheney, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, Secretary of State Colin Powell, national security adviser Condoleezza Rice) was hailed at the time for experience, it would lead country into a poorly planned occupation of Iraq.

Bottom line

Gallup Poll approval average over 100-day period: 58 percent.

Barack Obama

Successes

Only two presidents - Abraham Lincoln and Franklin D. Roosevelt - have come into office with greater challenges, Riley said. "So you have to grade him like you grade Olympic divers - you look at his degree of difficulty. And it is high."

"I think he's had as good a 100 days as you can, until" the Bush-era torture memos were released, Berman said. If the country continues to focus on the torture issue, "that would damage a lot of the goodwill he's built up because it would lead to congressional deadlock."

Passed a $787 billion stimulus plan, the Ledbetter law requiring equal pay for women and expanded health care benefits for children.

Ordered closing of Guantanamo Bay facility, drawdown of troops in Iraq.

Praised for decisive handling of pirate hostage situation off coast of Africa.

Challenges

"His stand on Afghanistan bears watching," Riley said. "But it's not being paid attention to right now because of the economy."

Fumbles

"Poor vetting" of high-level Cabinet candidates - Tom Daschle, Bill Richardson - led to setbacks, loss of high-quality leaders, Berman said.

Fuzzy position on whether to prosecute Bush-era figures responsible for torture. "The American people are extremely forgiving but they don't respond well to what they perceive as flip-flopping," Knott said.

Bottom line

Gallup Poll approval average over 100-day period: 63 percent.

Sources: Larry Berman, professor of political science at UC Davis, who teaches a course on Obama's first 100 days in office. Stephen Knott, an associate professor of national security studies and a presidential scholar at the United States Naval War College. His second book about Reagan is to be published next month. Russell Riley is chairman of the Presidential Oral History Program at the Miller Center of Public Affairs at the University of Virginia. Al Felzenberg is a professor of communication at the University of Pennsylvania and author of "The Leaders We Deserved (and a Few We Didn't): Rethinking the Presidential Rating Game." Gerhard Peters, professor of politics at Citrus College and director of the American Presidency Project at UC Santa Barbara.

VegasGuy · Apr 26, 2009

Yeah, vetting could have been a little better but he ended higher than Reagan. This I'm sure will give the Torture network the excuse to Torture the Gallup people.

-VG

QueEx · May 3, 2009

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Tim Goheen / McClatchy Newspapers (April 30, 2009)

QueEx · May 13, 2009

100 days of Obama

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