1. During his presidency, Barack Obama was a man who was very persistent pushing for many reforms and trying to get things done. He may not have been successful 100% of the time, but he was able to try and continue to do what he could for his country.
2. I did not like how he spent the majority of his effort and pullbon this healthcare act, however. He tried to focus on bipartisanship rather than trying to focus on reforming the act to make it successful for the U.S. government.
3. I think from this video we truly got an inside look about how stubborn the republicans in office can be. They do not focus on the reforms, rather than trying to force them out of office. This is not to say democrats will not do the same thing eventually, but it seems to be worse with this term.
I liked that Obama contributed to the death of Osama Bin Laden in his first term and also that he wanted a push for bipartisanship. What I didn't like about his first term was, I guess, the failure of Obamacare which spurred great controversy and hatred in the country. Finally, what was surprising about his first term is that he started to move away from his push of bipartisanship after Boehner "betrayed" him by not going through with the Grand Bargain.
I liked how Obama had a goal of defeating bipartisanship in our country, and mold the divide into unity. I didn't like how there weren't any repercussions for the Wall Street CEO's. They should have had some sort of repayment to society. I was surprised to see the backlash given to Obama, especially in the House of Representatives. I assumed at least some representatives would agree to his bills. But not a single Republican voted for Obama's health care reform.
1. One thing I liked about Obama's first term is that he attempted to start his presidency with bipartisanship. It was noble for him to appeal to both sides and soothe relations between the two parties. bipartisanship, in my opinion, is one of the only ways our government will get things done. Otherwise, the opposing sides will only try to tear each other apart.
2. What I didn't like about Obama's first term is that he continued to attempt bipartisanship after he realized that republicans would not agree with his legislation. After reaching out his hand to compromise, they completely rejected him. If he had continued by fighting the Republicans immediately, he could have passed Obama care with much less time wasted.
3. I was surprised that republicans completely rejected Obama. Rather than implementing their own ideas and working with Obama to reach a common ground, they absolutely shut him out. That is why our government gets nothing done: nobody is willing to give up a smidgen of power to accommodate the opposing side or the American public.
1. I think Obama's presidency will forever be recognized for the termination of Osama Bin Laden. Something I personally will continue to acknowledge as President Obama's greatest task during his presidency. However, President Obama also came into his presidency knowing exactly what he needed to do, and did his best to get it done. Just 6 weeks into his presidency, he tried to implement the change he guaranteed during his campaign. 2. What I didn't like during President Obama's first term was how he tried to implement the change, particularly his healthcare act. I think, of all controversial topics in the United States, this was the one that should've been approached a bit further into the presidency. 3. I think the video highlighted the tension between Obama and the republicans, to an extent that I wasn't familiar with. The republicans were more concerned with opposing the democrats than actually working toward bettering our country.
1. President Obama, in my opinion, will be remembered for two things in particular: his healthcare reform program and the termination of Osama Bin Laden. While his health care reform plan was tough to execute, I think both this and the mission that killed Bin Laden will be what he is most remembered for. 2. Honestly, I personally think Obama could have taken stronger action against Wall Street bankers. He was in a position where he had the higher ground and instead chose to back off and use a more cautious approach. 3. I was mostly shocked at how far tensions ran between the Republicans and President Obama. Unfortunately, instead of trying to work together to better the nation, the Republicans chose to impede progress that could have been made much quicker had they not sought out to sabotage the President.
1) I like Obama's support of the military and his determination to finally put an end to Bin Laden's reign of turmoil. At the beginning of his presidency, his dedication and hope to establish more stability to the country was evident, especially with his implementation of Obama Care. I also liked how he put an emphasis on solving many social issues and taking a lenient stance towards benefits for minority groups.
2) Even though Obama had good intentions when executing Obama Care, he unfortunately failed to look ahead and realize that his new program would not hold out enough to ensure long term benefits. Similarly, the economy has been shaky since he entered the presidency, and though this is not necessarily his fault, he could have done a better job stimulating it and ensuring future stability.
3) I was surprised that there is so much divisiveness between the two political parties. The Republicans are willing to go to such extreme lengths just to make the Democrats (especially Obama) look bad and ensure themselves a win in the next race. After seeing this, I would not be surprised if the Democrats acted in the same manner during the next election.
1. I liked that he tried to unify the parties. I was surprised that he used that idea heavily in his campaign. I also like that he tried to set a timeline of when he tried to get things done. 2. I didn't like how quickly he gave up the idea of unifying the parties. It makes it look like that he lied to get to office. Political opposition isn't something that's new and a president shouldn't act the way he did when faced with it. Yes, the republicans might have played him in a deal that was suppose to be. However, I doubt this was the only time that a deal hasn't been followed through by members of the opposite party. I doubt that the Democratic Party would have acted any differently if they were in this situation.
3. I was surprised that Obama was given a lot of credit in the killing of Osama bin laden. He simplify only had to say yes or no for the operation and I don't think there would have been any president who would have opposed, especially with the information provided.
1. I believe that the most significant impact President Obama had during his first term was the discontinuation of Osama Bin Laden. I think this mission, as well as his healthcare reform program, will be most remembered and appreciated for forever. 2. One thing I didn't like that took place during President Obama's first term was how he overestimated his ability to achieve cooperation from Republicans, as evident in the debt ceiling fight and votes on the stimulus bill.
3. One thing I was surprised to find out about during his first term was how he ordered the closure of Guantanamo Bay detention camp, in Cuba, as well as lifted some travel and money restrictions to the island.
I appreciate that President Obama entered office with goals to achieve bipartisanship. With that said, I disliked that he was constantly giving others the benefit of the doubt, and he ALWAYS seemed to turn to compromise…even when it [repeatedly] backfired. For example, Obama did not take firm action against the Wall Street CEO’S during the recession --- in turn, none of them showed up to his speech…on Wall Street. Similarly, even after Republicans completely shut him down over the Affordable Care Act, Obama still pushed to make a “Grand Bargain” with John Boehner; this too, failed. What surprised me the most, I think, was the level of antagonism and hostility the Republicans were set on aiming at the new president. If the roles were switched, I am confident that the Democrats would have never been so staunchly set against compromise.
1. I liked the fact that Obama really pushed and strived for unity among the democrats and the republicans, with the hopes of being able to get more done since they would in theory be working together and putting aside their differences in order to do what was best for the nation as a whole. 2. I dislike the fact that the Bank CEO's were not held that accountable for their actions, Obama did not step up and take firm action showing them that what they did was not acceptable and will not be tolerated. 3. I was shocked when the Republicans did not give a single vote in favor of Obama's Healthcare Reform Act.
One thing I liked about Obama’s first term, was the effort he put into bipartisanship. He wanted unity in the house and strived for a better cooperation between the two parties. I disliked his actions toward his health care bill, the Affordable Care Act. I do not like that he put majority of his effort into creating a bill where he did not look past the present and into its long term effects. I was surprised to see the republican- democrat divide in the house, where the republicans chose not to vote for the act just because it was a liberal standpoint.
1. I like the way that Obama believed in bipartisanship. Even if it hasn't been achieved (and seems to have gotten worse), he went into his first term with a very clearly defined goal of achieving bipartisanship in Washington. Unfortunately, there was no hope of it, but at least he tried for a while. 2. The idea of the "foreign policy president" as a response to gridlock in Congress really resonated with me. It was disappointing to realize that the commentator was completely correct: Obama turned to foreign affairs to be able to feel like he had some power left. Obviously foreign policy is a huge part of the Presidency, but, in my opinion, it really should come second to issues at home. It's necessary to protect the American people and peace around the world, but it's not necessary to devote oneself to foreign policy because it gets difficult in Washington. 3. One of the most shocking things from the video was the sheer extent of partisan politics on Capitol Hill. The healthcare reform bill is the perfect example of this; not a single Republican voted for the bill. It is almost impossible for me to believe that no conservative politician could get behind such a bill, even if their goal was to block the President's agenda at every turn, they spared absolutely no thought for the American people and that is inexcusable.
After watching the video,I really liked how in president Obama’s first term how persistent he was in trying to united the Democrat and Republican Party. It showed that he really wanted to get both parties on the same page. Even though it did not work. I applaud him for trying
What I did not like about his presidency was how he went easy on the Wall Street bankers. He had the power to make them pay for their actions, but he instead he did nothing.
I was surprised to find out that not even one Republican voted for the health care act. It was shocking to hear not even one of them liked the bill.
I commend the fact that President Obama promised the American people he would bring bipartisan solutions which he continued to do while in office. Though he didn't succeed with with it in office as seen in the Republican caucus, his efforts were what counted. A big con towards president Obama's healthcare plan was the fact that the majority of the time he focused more on making sure people were covered than addressing the cost of care itself or more so just looking at the long term effects in general. This is what hurt him and much of his push towards reform. I remember when Obama was awarded the Nobel Peace prize, but when it was mentioned in the PBS documentary, it always comes as a shock whenever I hear about it again. I believe Obama was surprised himself that he received the awards as well. I personally think he was awarded it, so war would not be declared on any other country such as Iran or North Korea and would act as a deterrence. It would simply make Obama look extremely bad if he declared war when he was awarded for diminishing tensions between counties when his true motive is bring more peace.
1. What I liked most about Obama's first term was his commitment to end bipartisanship. It shows that Obama knows that the root of the government's problems is that the people in Congress can never agree on anything, and I very much like that he tried to fix that. 2. I greatly disliked the fact that the Republicans were trying to figure out how to go against Obama before ever giving him a chance, and the fact that none of them voted for his health reform bill 3.I was surprised to find out about the whole Wall Street Banker incident, and also about the fact that someone in Congress called him a liar while he was giving a speech.
1) I definitely liked President Obama's bipartisanship efforts and I think that, while often unnoticed, his efforts for a bipartisan government are a fundamental part of his presidency, as it should be in all presidencies. In the past six years, our nation's government hasn't really reflected the essence of bipartisanship, and I've often heard about how polarized Congress has become, but seeing that the president has at least attempted bipartisanship at some point during his presidency is still appreciated.
2) I really don't like that President Obama didn't hold any of the Wall Street CEOs accountable for what they did to help aid the formation of the recession. While this was possibly a power play in order to hopefully gain financial support from these individuals during his second campaign, this still wasn't acceptable and the CEOs should have been punished for their actions. (Side note, and not really mentioned in the video, but I also didn't like that President Obama didn't put more protection for doctors in his recommendation for the Affordable Healthcare Act when it comes to reimbursement from insurance companies.)
3) I wasn't really shocked at the Republican Party's insistence on fully avoiding the President Obama’s healthcare bill, but I was shocked at the timing of this resistance. When President Obama went to the House of Representatives in order to work with members of Congress, he was relatively fresh into the presidency; very soon after, he was receiving a flat-out rejection from the Republican Party. The republicans didn't even give President Obama a fair chance.
1. I like how in obamas first term, he went in with lots of plans already as to how to take care of many problems. I also liked how he tried to do all he could, including meet with the opposite party, in order to get everyone on board and agree on the presidents plans. 2. I disliked how he spent so much time on the healthcare bill. There were so many issues that needed to be taken care of and he continuously focussed on getting his bill passed. I think he should've spent more time on other issues rather than just focusing on one, especially one that so many people had issues and disagreements on. 3. I didn't know how many people were confused about what Obama's healthcare bill really meant. I think that it was good if him when he took a session to explain the misconceptions about the bill.
I like Obamas change in viewing of anti terrorism as he entered his first term increasing anti terrorism power lead to the killing of Osama bin laden which I feel was a defining moment in american history as the day we took the fight to their home the day we stood up against terrorism. I disliked how he handled the banking situation he had all the banks by the balls and he let them go with a leanency approach which ended up not really succeeding in the end. I was surprised by the political extremes that the opposing party went to during his first terms however I feel I strengthend Obama as a president to really put his authority forward and not to take crap from any other political party that stood purely to oppose him.
Despite its lack of effectiveness, I appreciate Obama's push for bipartisanship. As I continue to learn more and more about our government, I see many of the problems being prolonged by the divide along party lines. For example, the Republicans having a meeting and deciding to oppose anything he offered BEFORE even hearing Obama's proposal for the stimulus bill was a low move. While the President was trying to get the parties to come together to help the country, Republicans refused to cooperate simply because of personal and political dislike for him. However, I do not agree with his decision about Wall Street during his first term. I believe that the situation would have turned out more in his favor if he would have come down on the banks with an iron fist. The reform would have shown everyday Americans that he can take care of them and their money, so they continue to support corporate America. I was shocked by the extent of partisan politics in our government. I knew that it existed, and was becoming more and more of a problem, but the fact that Obama had to rely completely on the Democrats in Congress for two major bills is depressing, and decreases my confidence in that body of our government.
1. One thing that I liked about Obama's first term was his effort to unify the two parties. I think we need that in our nation today because there is such a huge divide between republicans and democrats that is bringing down our nation.
2. Something I didn't like about Obama's first term is that he blamed the republicans for things he couldn't get done instead of working with them to compromise.
3. I was surprised to find out that Obama won a Nobel peace prize, because I think it's ironic his presidency has cause one of the biggest divides in our nation in years.
One thing I liked about Obama's first term as president is the fact that he established a goal and worked at completing the goal. He did not give up and let it die just for his approval ratings. He wasted no time in his attempt to make a change. One thing I disliked about his first term was how the Bankers and Wall Street CEO's was let off with no punishment or consequences for their actions. This weakened his reputation. Something that surprised me was how Obama did not get the honeymoon period during his first term. Republicans were very firm and non cooperative with their votes or lack of for his reforms.
1) I liked the Obama was very persistent in what he wanted to get done. Though he faced rejection and wasn't always successful, he ardently pushed for his reforms. I especially liked his efforts towards bipartisanship.
2) What I didn't like was how lenient he was towards the bank CEO's of Wall Street. He was too forgiving and didn't exert enough of his power over their actions.
3) What surprised me was the amount of opposition he faced with his healthcare bill. I knew many were against it, but the fact that not a single Republican voted for it shocked me.
I liked how Obama immediately set in to try and work around partisan lines. I liked how he tried almost instantly to show that his administration would try to solve problems together. I did not like the laid back approach he had towards the Wall Street bankers. Rather than exercise his strength on more power, he chose to proceed with too much caution and let them have too much free range. I was surprised to know just how much the Republican Party disagreed with Obama so early in his term. I'm well aware of their current disapproval of him, but I was unaware of the fact that they immediately disagreed with him on everything.
During President Obama's first term, it was very evident of his direct form of attack. He went straight to work to make a coalition with the Republicans and form a bill for the economy that would be likable to both sides. This, plus his ideals during his campaigning and his promises all brought hope to a struggling nation. However, I did not like his implementation of the National Healthcare Reform, even though the intentions are good, many a times it hurts more people than helps. Although some that may not have had health insurance before may benefit for minor aspects, but high end medical points drastically hurt individuals. This also takes away from the personal rights of people to deny health care if they see as if they don't want it wether it be for personal beliefs and so on. This is a point of view that I disagree with him during his second term. It feels as if i am one of the few people, or it might be just me, but I never knew that during his first term a group of high powered Republicans joined together for a lovely dinner to plot against newly elected President Obama. Quite shocking in my opinion.
After watching the film on president Obama's first term I found a lot of the information to be very interesting. I was not as interested in politics during Obama's first term as I am interested in politics now. That being said I find a lot of the president’s actions to be quite interesting and surprising. One thing I did like about Obama's first term is the approach he took to try to convince the public to try and be Bipartisan. I liked how the president took the time to try and familiarize himself with the Republican's in congress to try and get his ideas through. He tried to designate meetings with only the Republicans, get close to John Boehner, and act as if he could convince Congress to agree with what he thought was right. I was surprised though as to how quickly that changed. when he realized that his dreams that he ran his campaign on were too farfetched to change the government. Lastly, and surprisingly, I believe that the thing I found that I didn't like about the president's first term was his attack and killing of Osama Bin Laden. I believe that the president gave the OK on the mission as a power play to try and regain the public's approval of his actions. The mission really did not do anything to stop the violence overseas, but give civilians in America a false security that the terrorism would succeed from American soil. There were things I liked about the president’s first term, things I found interesting and surprising about the presidents first term, and things that I didn’t like about the presidents first term.
1) There are actually quite a few things that Obama accomplished in his first term, believe it or not, beyond just "Obamacare". Obama's term saw the end of the war in Iraq, the beginnings of the drawdown of American presence in Afghanistan, the death of Bin Laden, the over throw of Gadhafi, the passing of ARRA, the repealing of 'Don't Ask Don't Tell", etc etc.
2) He definitely should've been harsher on Wall Street. I also just don't like the current political environment he's engulfed in - he's been practically neutered by polarization and the widespread assumption that he is a horrible, terrible policymaker that makes decent speeches. It's crippled him, and it cripples progress.
3) I was actually quite surprised at how charged our politics really are. The amount of polarization, tension, the amount of bull-headedness in a system that's supposed to function entirely upon the shoulders of cooperation and diplomacy is really just the stupidest thing I've ever seen.
1. If I would have to choose one moment in Obama's first term in office as being most noteworthy, I would have to choose the execution of the operation that killed Osama Bin Laden. The killing of the figure head of one of America's enemies is definitely a big moment. 2. I feel as if the passing and execution of Obama care was very inefficient and could've been much smoother. He would get too caught up in certain things, while some things such as Wall Street banking he wouldn't pay enough attention to. He should've been giving attention to all situations. 3. I was surprised that the Republicans in the house were so insistent on making Obama look bad. Not a single one would even consider voting for it, instead criticizing him harshly.
1. Something I liked about Obama's first term is the support he gave the military, and the fact that our country killed Osama Bin Laden. I also give him credit for being immediately ambushed with so many issues, and handling it well. He tried hard to achieve his goal of Bipartisanship, despite the feuding parties, and although he eventually had to give up the idea, he deserves props for trying so hard. 2. Something I didn't like about his first term is that the Wall Street CEO's had no form of punishment for their actions. Not only were they doing illegal things, when Obama held a conference to speak to them, they didn't show up, which was very rude. They should have had consequences for their actions. 3. I was surprised to see just how bad the issues Obama was facing were. Also, the amount of issues he had to handle. His first week of Presidency he was already trying to deal with many stressful issues. I have more respect for him after the film.
1. After watching the video, I liked how hard Obama pushed to bring the two parties together to create a bipartisanship within Congress. Obama attempted to work together with Republicans and met with John Boehner frequently. Although it was not accomplished, the fact that he tried to bring the parties together is admirable. 2. Despite his push for bipartisanship, I believe he was too lenient on the CEOs of Wall Street. After speaking on Wall Street failed, he simply gave up. The CEOs should have received more than just a speech. 3. Overall, I was surprised by the Republicans not compromising on any issue. They were so intent on making Obama look bad, which is understandable because of party differences and inexperience.
1. I really liked his attempt at Bipartisanship, as a young candidate I admired his idealistic perspective and thought his approach to politics was quite refreshing. Being such a monolith I was really astounded by how little his presence did once he had really wont he presidency, but I liked his attempts to act decisively and agree with the republicans, he strikes me as a very good guy - like Jimmy Carter. I also liked his actions towards trying to bring peace to the Middle East and killing Osama Bin Laden.
2. Also similar to Carter, something I didn't like was his foolhardy attempts to reconcile with republicans after they didn't want to work with him. I feel like he should have been more decisive and been more pushing with issues - after trying to compromise he should have tried to get things to go his way. He wasted time trying to revive a dead horse. He did the same thing with Wallstreet CEOs, he wasn't nearly aggressive enough to really get things done.
3 I was surprised by the fact that he went from being held in such a high regard as a candidate with people seeming to love him, to being such a controversial figure. He went from one of the most celebrated dark horses in American History to a man who seemed unable to persuade anyone to do anything at all. I was also surprised by the new Republican house members and how they were actually elected based on ideals as opposed to politics, as well as how steadfast they were to those ideals, however, I think the amount of partisan ship they displayed was downright foolish. They put the betterment of themselves over the benefit of the nation and ultimately hurt any chance at breaking down party lines. It no doubt led to increased tensions between the two parties and I think its foolish that people vote so hard on party lines. No one voted for Obamacare, not one. I don't believe every single one of them thought it was a bad idea so much as they just wanted to solidify themselves into party lines. The stubbornness of Congress wasn't necessarily so much a surprise as it was a disappointment.
1) I like how he decided to go forth with what he thought was the best for the country. He knew that healthcare was going to have a negative backlash, but still decided it was best for the country. i like how he was inexperienced, but faced with a huge economic crisis, he handled it well. I like how everyone wants him to fail and how all the Republicans are trying to make him fail, but if you look at it, he isn't failing. 2) I dislike his transparency with the people. Like his communications with the general public is poor. if you ask people about Obamacare, they dont know many facts about it except that they hate it. I wish there was a better way that Obama could talk to the general public and ensure they understand his bills and ideas. 3) I am surprised with how the Republicans met up to agree on how to make Obama fail. The overall treatment that he gets. THey basically put party over country and that is messed up
1) I liked that President Obama was flexible with his vision for the presidency after being rebuked by Congressional Republicans. His bipartisan idealism was just that - an ideal, unachievable - and based on what he espoused during the campaign, I would have been afraid that he'd cling to that message rather than pull off the gloves and do what it takes to get something done. It speaks to his pragmatism, which we need more of in government. 2) I think the president wasn't strategic enough in his bid for bipartisan compromise. He failed to recognize that Republicans would have no reason to make legislative achievements with him, and that they in fact had every reason to at least appear to fight him so that they could build momentum for the midterm elections. This is probably attributable to his lack of experience on Capitol Hill, where I'm sure his idealism and visionary hopes would have been smothered quickly by political reality. 3) I was surprised at how easily the mere election of President Obama fueled extremism in the GOP. It seems as though many hardline conservatives began yelling "Communist" before he even passed anything. The fervent anti-Obama-ism in the 2014 midterm elections was predictable, but I didn't know it was there already in the 2010 elections when people with no experience in politics were elected ostensibly just on the platform of hating Obama.
1. What I liked about Obama’s first term was what his whole message revolved around: change and hope. He was very determined and pushed for his views, to the best of his ability. Obama tried to compromise with the Republican Party, in order to make them happy and that showed a lot about his true character. I think he has achieved his goal of becoming a transformative president. I admire his devotion of the capture of Osama Bin Laden, bravery of enacting such a massive financial reform, and communication with the public. 2. Something I disliked about Obama’s first term was how much he “promised” for the change of America. It seemed as though some of his promises fell short, and he shouldn’t make those unless he’s absolutely prepared to uphold. I also feel as though he put all his eggs in one basket; putting too much focus toward the health reform. Which I don’t personally agree with. I feel as though the bipartisan dispute could’ve been handled more carefully, and strategically. 3. What surprised me was how the strongly Republicans didn’t want to cooperate with the president. Not one Republican voted with him for the health care, which was a very stubborn act. You think they’d tried to come up with a sort of compromise in order to improve our country.
1) I am a strong believer in reform measures to the United States (seeing as our current government is hundreds of years old) and give tons of credit to President Barrack Obama for pushing the affordable care act into existence. Health care needed to get reformed and this measure will decrease the uninsured Americans, causing insurance premiums to go down and American health to go up.
2) I understand President Obama’s rational after bailing out the banks to attempt to reason with corporate America in the attempt to promote peace and unity in a scary economic environment, but he had the bankers by the balls! The American people were so polarized that they were willing to accept any action Obama took as long as it was actively against the banks, yet he didn’t. He had the perfect opportunity to reform the banks, yet he didn't. Obama later felt the burn when he attempted to reform banking and finance and not a single one of the CEO he bailed out supported his reform.
3) I never realized that Obama and Boehner were trying to work out a fiscal deal before the first government shutdown scare during the Obama administration. It actual makes quite a bit more sense why Obama and the Republicans don’t get along, they have been squabbling and double crossing each other from the beginning, so there is very little trust between the two parties.
1) I liked that during Obama’s first term he was able to successfully hunt down Osama Bin Laden and assassinate him. This was a major event during his term and a major event for America. This marked an essential foreign policy accomplishment. Another foreign policy achievement includes withdrawing troops out of Iraq. I also like that Obama was successful with boosting the economy with passing the 2009 stimulus. He also created several million jobs. 2) I didn’t like the way he acted on the Wall Street CEO’s. I feel like he could have done more, but maybe there is more to the story than what we hear. Considering the Wall Street CEO’s are some of the richest people in America. And since they are so rich, they should have some repercussion to repay society or give back to the economy. I also didn’t like ObamaCare. I know a lot of parents that were furious with his healthcare act. I agree with the concept of universal health care but he didn’t do it in the best way possible. 3) Obviously I was surprised about how widely divided our gov’t was/is, like everyone else. But this video gave me a deeper look into why and how. The Republicans did not want to see Obama succeed. I was also surprised he is the only one to Win a Nobel Peace prize with a body count.
1)President Obama strikes me as a very understanding and bipartisan guy. Although some of his views are obviously left-wing, I believe Obama's idealistic views for the country (along with his calling the government out on it's representatives' obsessions with re-election) are the types of goals and accountability that the country needs. Obama's willingness to work with the republican congress to make progress continues to earn my support. 2) One thing I didn't like about Obama's first term as president was how he had tried too hard to reconcile differences with the republican congress before attempting to pass any legislation. Although his efforts are amiable, President Obama should realize that the republican party has vowed to work against him, and he should move on to doing what he was elected to do - run the country - regardless of the opinions of congress. I'm not trying to propose a dictatorship here, but Obama may need to realize that congress isn't going to work with him on anything, and all he can do is work off of his best judgement. 3) One thing about Obama's first term that surprised me was the willingness of the republican party to oppose him. The fact that they would meet and agree to fight him throughout his term on the first day of his presidency really angers me. The party polarization continues to grow and I find it that congress wishes to focus on the majority vote on two completely different views as opposed to making a compromise that everyone may live with. I was also surprised to hear that Obama had earned a Nobel Peace Prize.
I felt that the PBS Frontline on President Obama’s first term was both helpful and honest when discussing what the president’s first term was like and displaying the “behind the scenes action” on what the president knew he needed to address coming into office. One thing I liked about Obama’s first term based on the video was his decision to call in CEOs of large U.S. banks in order to try and come to a consensus on how they were going to fix the U.S. economy’s downward spiral. As stated in the video, no president had ever made a decision as bold as that and President Obama definitely impressed me from the standpoint that instead of simply just taking matters into his own hands, he tried to work with the banks. One thing I disliked about Obama’s first term was his need to reform healthcare so desperately. I will state that I am fairly uneducated as to why he pushed for reform so much, because I feel that there are many other issues are country was dealing with in 2010 such as a falling economy that should have maybe received more attention than healthcare reform. One thing that surprised me about the video was the meeting of many Republicans after the election of Obama. I felt it was very wrong for there meeting to be mainly formed from the sole idea that they must oppose everything President Obama says, does, and wants done. I felt that that idea was morally unjust. Regardless of if a new leader in power has a different political affiliation than you or not, it is your job as leaders and representatives of a party to show respect toward our nations leader and maybe not agree with everything he says, but work towards trying to find middle ground on issues occurring in our country.
1. I liked how during his first term, President Obama made the decision to eliminate Osama Bin Laden. This was a centripetal force in the nation, especially for those directly affected by the events of 9/11. I think the President handled this situation well. 2. I did not like how President Obama focused on bipartisanship rather than reforming the healthcare act. His insistence on bipartisanship proved unsuccessful as the Republican party was not willing to compromise. 3. The fact that the Republican party seemed so unwilling to compromise with the Democratic party surprised me. As our nation's leaders, it is each party's job to cooperate with the opposing party on every policy and find a compromise that is most beneficial for the American people. Although the extremes of the party divides were more surprising than I originally thought, I do not expect them to go away in the near future.
President Barack Obama’s first term in office was a learning experience. In my opinion, when he first took over the oval office, President Obama was truly motivated and energetic, even excited in a way. His desire to pass legislation that he believed was in the best interest of the country is a characteristic of a good president. Furthermore, President Obama’s determination and steadfast approach to national security prevailed when Osama Bin Laden was found and killed. The death of Osama Bin Laden is not the end of the war on terror; however, President Obama was able to restore the symbolic presence of the United States. Killing Bin Laden was more than an act of national defense, it was an act of restoring honor, and bringing closure to the American people, which in my opinion, is a remarkable act by Obama. Like I mentioned before, President Obama was truly motivated in his first term in office. However, it takes more than just a “desire” to make change for there to be any improvement in society. President Obama is a charismatic, well-fit president, but he lacks the ability to persuade. Whether it’s in congress or in rallying public support, President Obama fell short in his ability to influence people, and to make them do what he wanted. His first term was more ideological than pragmatic. One thing that surprised me about President Obama’s first term in office was the extreme opposition he faced. It’s natural for those who oppose someone’s views to act in a contrasting manner, however, the Republican Party’s attempts at sabotaging President Obama’s first term shows how polarized American politics truly is.
I liked how President Obama attempted bipartisanship policy-making. I believe that it was a very bold action to take. However, I did not like how he continually attempted to compromise with others even after being shot down numerous times; for example, with the CEOs of Wall Street and Boehner. Obama should have learned to stand his ground against Republicans that were obviously not willing to bargain, and that bipartisanship was unattainable.
What surprised me was the fact that not a single republican voted for the affordable care act or the first stimulus package Obama proposed. It is astounding that some republicans formed an anti-Obama strategy before he could even act as president. No matter the experience he had beforehand or the background he came from, Obama was elected president and should be treated with respect.
1.One of the things that I truly appreciated was that he tried to bring the parties together. When he was trying to figure out a solution for the economic crisis, he considered the opinions of the Republicans. Sadly, they did not reciprocate the gesture and made it difficult for him to hope for a bipartisan congress. 2. It was a huge mistake for him to give the banks money without any strings attached. It later came to bite him, when he had the press meeting and none of them showed up because they didn't need anything from him. 3. I was surprised at how the Republicans reacted towards him. Not one of them voted for Obamacare, and for it to pass without a single, republican vote, is insane. The whole thing actually seemed pretty childish to me, I understand that they have different views but does it mean that, even if this bill (whatever it may be) benefits them, they would say no?
1. One thing I really liked about Obama's first term is how much effort he put into pushing reforms through congress. He saw that there were problems and he wanted to be able to fix them in hopes of a better tomorrow. I also liked that he tried to unify both parties and instead of working as two separate teams he wanted to work as one and build off of both ideals. A really good example of this which was impressive to me was that he went straight to solely the republicans to propose his issues on the budget plans he had alongside other reforms, he was very confrontational about it.
2. One thing I didn't like about Obama's first term is how much he pushed healthcare reform, yes it was needed and it was a very strong idea. However, he did not have the right means to execute it well enough and that leads me to believe that maybe it wasn't as fully thought through as he thought it was. Likewise it hurt our economy immensely.
3. One thing that really surprised me about Obama's first term was how stubborn the republican party acted. Rather than trying to make the most of what they could of an opposing party leading the country they decided to do what they could in their power to push Obama down. They hardly gave him a chance or a honeymoon period. The republicans in this scenario remind me of 15 year old girls in a fight with their friends, their whole attitude towards this was childish.
First of all, I like that Obama was able to take out Osama Bin Laden. Also I really feel like Obama came into the presidency wanting to make changes and move the U.S. forward. Unfortunately for him, the entirety of Republicans in congress were against him from the onset. However, he continued to try to mend things between parties, and even met with only republicans himself to try and explain his side of the argument. He wanted, as he said in many speeches, he wanted to bring blue america and red america together.
Unfortunately, he did not have the skill needed to bring these two parties together, and in some ways I think he made things slightly worse between parties, which is what I did not like about his first term.
I was surprised about the situation between Obama and John Boehner. I knew that there was a lot of tension between them now, so it is interesting to see that they tried to make peace in the beginning, until things went horribly wrong. it's too bad that they weren't able to collaborate effectively for the betterment of the United states.
1. What I like about Obamas first term was how dedicated he was on getting healthcare and reforms done. Managing his time to keep up and getting it passed is probably easier said than done, but it finally succeed.
2. What i didn't like about his first term was how against the to parties were. With Congress being mostly republican and the president being democrat the didn't see eye to eye on things. I think they shouldve came to some type of happy medium to agree on more bills.
3. What surprise me the most is how president Obama succeeded on killing Osama bin laden. It was a risky move but following through with it was probably the best decision. If it were to have gone wrong a lot of troops and civilians would get hurt. Killing bin laden stopped more violence than if he were alive.
1. I like how in Obamas first term he wasn't given a grace period but he still was very persistant in getting his plans pushed to get in front of congress. Another big plus to his first term was the killing of the person responsible to the 9-11 attacks. 2. I don't think its right for people to vote only along party lines, however thats what Obama had to deal with because of a mostly Republican Congress. Also Obama was a bit forcful with his health care acts that didn't seem to be completely ready to go before Congress. 3. To me what was shocking was that the House and Congress were voting on party lines so intensly that not a single Republican voted for his stimulus package.
1) I liked how in Obama's first term he was very inspirational to the public during rally speeches which gave the American citizens hope. He handled his oppressors with respect and did a good job communicating his intentions with the public. 2)I disliked all the promises he made. He said that there is no liberal or conservative America, there's only a United States of America. Well, that's not how it played out for him. I wish he would have addressed the polarity between the two parties and the affects it has on passing legislation. 3)I was surprised to find out that Obama actually never had a honeymoon period. He was impacted with stress from the very start. Also, i was surprised to find out that Obama and Boehner had meetings on the golf course to discuss politics.
1. In Obama's first term I really liked how he was very focused on his idea of "change", it gave a lot of hope do the American people. I also liked his attempt at bipartisanship, although it was unsuccessful. 2. One thing I disliked about Obama's first term is his leniency with the CEO's on Wall Street. Also, I think he made too many promises that were unfulfilled. 3. One thing that surprised me about Obama's first term was how the republicans were so unwilling to work with him from the beginning. I feel like a lot of people in politics didn't, or still don't, respect him as the leader of our country.
1. During his presidency, Barack Obama was a man who was very persistent pushing for many reforms and trying to get things done. He may not have been successful 100% of the time, but he was able to try and continue to do what he could for his country.
ReplyDelete2. I did not like how he spent the majority of his effort and pullbon this healthcare act, however. He tried to focus on bipartisanship rather than trying to focus on reforming the act to make it successful for the U.S. government.
3. I think from this video we truly got an inside look about how stubborn the republicans in office can be. They do not focus on the reforms, rather than trying to force them out of office. This is not to say democrats will not do the same thing eventually, but it seems to be worse with this term.
I liked that Obama contributed to the death of Osama Bin Laden in his first term and also that he wanted a push for bipartisanship. What I didn't like about his first term was, I guess, the failure of Obamacare which spurred great controversy and hatred in the country. Finally, what was surprising about his first term is that he started to move away from his push of bipartisanship after Boehner "betrayed" him by not going through with the Grand Bargain.
ReplyDeleteI liked how Obama had a goal of defeating bipartisanship in our country, and mold the divide into unity.
ReplyDeleteI didn't like how there weren't any repercussions for the Wall Street CEO's. They should have had some sort of repayment to society.
I was surprised to see the backlash given to Obama, especially in the House of Representatives. I assumed at least some representatives would agree to his bills. But not a single Republican voted for Obama's health care reform.
1. One thing I liked about Obama's first term is that he attempted to start his presidency with bipartisanship. It was noble for him to appeal to both sides and soothe relations between the two parties. bipartisanship, in my opinion, is one of the only ways our government will get things done. Otherwise, the opposing sides will only try to tear each other apart.
ReplyDelete2. What I didn't like about Obama's first term is that he continued to attempt bipartisanship after he realized that republicans would not agree with his legislation. After reaching out his hand to compromise, they completely rejected him. If he had continued by fighting the Republicans immediately, he could have passed Obama care with much less time wasted.
3. I was surprised that republicans completely rejected Obama. Rather than implementing their own ideas and working with Obama to reach a common ground, they absolutely shut him out. That is why our government gets nothing done: nobody is willing to give up a smidgen of power to accommodate the opposing side or the American public.
1. I think Obama's presidency will forever be recognized for the termination of Osama Bin Laden. Something I personally will continue to acknowledge as President Obama's greatest task during his presidency. However, President Obama also came into his presidency knowing exactly what he needed to do, and did his best to get it done. Just 6 weeks into his presidency, he tried to implement the change he guaranteed during his campaign.
ReplyDelete2. What I didn't like during President Obama's first term was how he tried to implement the change, particularly his healthcare act. I think, of all controversial topics in the United States, this was the one that should've been approached a bit further into the presidency.
3. I think the video highlighted the tension between Obama and the republicans, to an extent that I wasn't familiar with. The republicans were more concerned with opposing the democrats than actually working toward bettering our country.
1. President Obama, in my opinion, will be remembered for two things in particular: his healthcare reform program and the termination of Osama Bin Laden. While his health care reform plan was tough to execute, I think both this and the mission that killed Bin Laden will be what he is most remembered for.
ReplyDelete2. Honestly, I personally think Obama could have taken stronger action against Wall Street bankers. He was in a position where he had the higher ground and instead chose to back off and use a more cautious approach.
3. I was mostly shocked at how far tensions ran between the Republicans and President Obama. Unfortunately, instead of trying to work together to better the nation, the Republicans chose to impede progress that could have been made much quicker had they not sought out to sabotage the President.
1) I like Obama's support of the military and his determination to finally put an end to Bin Laden's reign of turmoil. At the beginning of his presidency, his dedication and hope to establish more stability to the country was evident, especially with his implementation of Obama Care. I also liked how he put an emphasis on solving many social issues and taking a lenient stance towards benefits for minority groups.
ReplyDelete2) Even though Obama had good intentions when executing Obama Care, he unfortunately failed to look ahead and realize that his new program would not hold out enough to ensure long term benefits. Similarly, the economy has been shaky since he entered the presidency, and though this is not necessarily his fault, he could have done a better job stimulating it and ensuring future stability.
3) I was surprised that there is so much divisiveness between the two political parties. The Republicans are willing to go to such extreme lengths just to make the Democrats (especially Obama) look bad and ensure themselves a win in the next race. After seeing this, I would not be surprised if the Democrats acted in the same manner during the next election.
1. I liked that he tried to unify the parties. I was surprised that he used that idea heavily in his campaign. I also like that he tried to set a timeline of when he tried to get things done.
ReplyDelete2. I didn't like how quickly he gave up the idea of unifying the parties. It makes it look like that he lied to get to office. Political opposition isn't something that's new and a president shouldn't act the way he did when faced with it. Yes, the republicans might have played him in a deal that was suppose to be. However, I doubt this was the only time that a deal hasn't been followed through by members of the opposite party. I doubt that the Democratic Party would have acted any differently if they were in this situation.
3. I was surprised that Obama was given a lot of credit in the killing of Osama bin laden. He simplify only had to say yes or no for the operation and I don't think there would have been any president who would have opposed, especially with the information provided.
1. I believe that the most significant impact President Obama had during his first term was the discontinuation of Osama Bin Laden. I think this mission, as well as his healthcare reform program, will be most remembered and appreciated for forever.
ReplyDelete2. One thing I didn't like that took place during President Obama's first term was how he overestimated his ability to achieve cooperation from Republicans, as evident in the debt ceiling fight and votes on the stimulus bill.
3. One thing I was surprised to find out about during his first term was how he ordered the closure of Guantanamo Bay detention camp, in Cuba, as well as lifted some travel and money restrictions to the island.
I appreciate that President Obama entered office with goals to achieve bipartisanship. With that said, I disliked that he was constantly giving others the benefit of the doubt, and he ALWAYS seemed to turn to compromise…even when it [repeatedly] backfired. For example, Obama did not take firm action against the Wall Street CEO’S during the recession --- in turn, none of them showed up to his speech…on Wall Street. Similarly, even after Republicans completely shut him down over the Affordable Care Act, Obama still pushed to make a “Grand Bargain” with John Boehner; this too, failed. What surprised me the most, I think, was the level of antagonism and hostility the Republicans were set on aiming at the new president. If the roles were switched, I am confident that the Democrats would have never been so staunchly set against compromise.
ReplyDelete1. I liked the fact that Obama really pushed and strived for unity among the democrats and the republicans, with the hopes of being able to get more done since they would in theory be working together and putting aside their differences in order to do what was best for the nation as a whole.
ReplyDelete2. I dislike the fact that the Bank CEO's were not held that accountable for their actions, Obama did not step up and take firm action showing them that what they did was not acceptable and will not be tolerated.
3. I was shocked when the Republicans did not give a single vote in favor of Obama's Healthcare Reform Act.
One thing I liked about Obama’s first term, was the effort he put into bipartisanship. He wanted unity in the house and strived for a better cooperation between the two parties.
ReplyDeleteI disliked his actions toward his health care bill, the Affordable Care Act. I do not like that he put majority of his effort into creating a bill where he did not look past the present and into its long term effects.
I was surprised to see the republican- democrat divide in the house, where the republicans chose not to vote for the act just because it was a liberal standpoint.
1. I like the way that Obama believed in bipartisanship. Even if it hasn't been achieved (and seems to have gotten worse), he went into his first term with a very clearly defined goal of achieving bipartisanship in Washington. Unfortunately, there was no hope of it, but at least he tried for a while.
ReplyDelete2. The idea of the "foreign policy president" as a response to gridlock in Congress really resonated with me. It was disappointing to realize that the commentator was completely correct: Obama turned to foreign affairs to be able to feel like he had some power left. Obviously foreign policy is a huge part of the Presidency, but, in my opinion, it really should come second to issues at home. It's necessary to protect the American people and peace around the world, but it's not necessary to devote oneself to foreign policy because it gets difficult in Washington.
3. One of the most shocking things from the video was the sheer extent of partisan politics on Capitol Hill. The healthcare reform bill is the perfect example of this; not a single Republican voted for the bill. It is almost impossible for me to believe that no conservative politician could get behind such a bill, even if their goal was to block the President's agenda at every turn, they spared absolutely no thought for the American people and that is inexcusable.
After watching the video,I really liked how in president Obama’s first term how persistent he was in trying to united the Democrat and Republican Party. It showed that he really wanted to get both parties on the same page. Even though it did not work. I applaud him for trying
ReplyDeleteWhat I did not like about his presidency was how he went easy on the Wall Street bankers. He had the power to make them pay for their actions, but he instead he did nothing.
I was surprised to find out that not even one Republican voted for the health care act. It was shocking to hear not even one of them liked the bill.
I commend the fact that President Obama promised the American people he would bring bipartisan solutions which he continued to do while in office. Though he didn't succeed with with it in office as seen in the Republican caucus, his efforts were what counted. A big con towards president Obama's healthcare plan was the fact that the majority of the time he focused more on making sure people were covered than addressing the cost of care itself or more so just looking at the long term effects in general. This is what hurt him and much of his push towards reform.
ReplyDeleteI remember when Obama was awarded the Nobel Peace prize, but when it was mentioned in the PBS documentary, it always comes as a shock whenever I hear about it again. I believe Obama was surprised himself that he received the awards as well. I personally think he was awarded it, so war would not be declared on any other country such as Iran or North Korea and would act as a deterrence. It would simply make Obama look extremely bad if he declared war when he was awarded for diminishing tensions between counties when his true motive is bring more peace.
1. What I liked most about Obama's first term was his commitment to end bipartisanship. It shows that Obama knows that the root of the government's problems is that the people in Congress can never agree on anything, and I very much like that he tried to fix that.
ReplyDelete2. I greatly disliked the fact that the Republicans were trying to figure out how to go against Obama before ever giving him a chance, and the fact that none of them voted for his health reform bill
3.I was surprised to find out about the whole Wall Street Banker incident, and also about the fact that someone in Congress called him a liar while he was giving a speech.
1) I definitely liked President Obama's bipartisanship efforts and I think that, while often unnoticed, his efforts for a bipartisan government are a fundamental part of his presidency, as it should be in all presidencies. In the past six years, our nation's government hasn't really reflected the essence of bipartisanship, and I've often heard about how polarized Congress has become, but seeing that the president has at least attempted bipartisanship at some point during his presidency is still appreciated.
ReplyDelete2) I really don't like that President Obama didn't hold any of the Wall Street CEOs accountable for what they did to help aid the formation of the recession. While this was possibly a power play in order to hopefully gain financial support from these individuals during his second campaign, this still wasn't acceptable and the CEOs should have been punished for their actions. (Side note, and not really mentioned in the video, but I also didn't like that President Obama didn't put more protection for doctors in his recommendation for the Affordable Healthcare Act when it comes to reimbursement from insurance companies.)
3) I wasn't really shocked at the Republican Party's insistence on fully avoiding the President Obama’s healthcare bill, but I was shocked at the timing of this resistance. When President Obama went to the House of Representatives in order to work with members of Congress, he was relatively fresh into the presidency; very soon after, he was receiving a flat-out rejection from the Republican Party. The republicans didn't even give President Obama a fair chance.
1. I like how in obamas first term, he went in with lots of plans already as to how to take care of many problems. I also liked how he tried to do all he could, including meet with the opposite party, in order to get everyone on board and agree on the presidents plans.
ReplyDelete2. I disliked how he spent so much time on the healthcare bill. There were so many issues that needed to be taken care of and he continuously focussed on getting his bill passed. I think he should've spent more time on other issues rather than just focusing on one, especially one that so many people had issues and disagreements on.
3. I didn't know how many people were confused about what Obama's healthcare bill really meant. I think that it was good if him when he took a session to explain the misconceptions about the bill.
I like Obamas change in viewing of anti terrorism as he entered his first term increasing anti terrorism power lead to the killing of Osama bin laden which I feel was a defining moment in american history as the day we took the fight to their home the day we stood up against terrorism.
ReplyDeleteI disliked how he handled the banking situation he had all the banks by the balls and he let them go with a leanency approach which ended up not really succeeding in the end.
I was surprised by the political extremes that the opposing party went to during his first terms however I feel I strengthend Obama as a president to really put his authority forward and not to take crap from any other political party that stood purely to oppose him.
Despite its lack of effectiveness, I appreciate Obama's push for bipartisanship. As I continue to learn more and more about our government, I see many of the problems being prolonged by the divide along party lines. For example, the Republicans having a meeting and deciding to oppose anything he offered BEFORE even hearing Obama's proposal for the stimulus bill was a low move. While the President was trying to get the parties to come together to help the country, Republicans refused to cooperate simply because of personal and political dislike for him.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I do not agree with his decision about Wall Street during his first term. I believe that the situation would have turned out more in his favor if he would have come down on the banks with an iron fist. The reform would have shown everyday Americans that he can take care of them and their money, so they continue to support corporate America.
I was shocked by the extent of partisan politics in our government. I knew that it existed, and was becoming more and more of a problem, but the fact that Obama had to rely completely on the Democrats in Congress for two major bills is depressing, and decreases my confidence in that body of our government.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDelete1. One thing that I liked about Obama's first term was his effort to unify the two parties. I think we need that in our nation today because there is such a huge divide between republicans and democrats that is bringing down our nation.
ReplyDelete2. Something I didn't like about Obama's first term is that he blamed the republicans for things he couldn't get done instead of working with them to compromise.
3. I was surprised to find out that Obama won a Nobel peace prize, because I think it's ironic his presidency has cause one of the biggest divides in our nation in years.
One thing I liked about Obama's first term as president is the fact that he established a goal and worked at completing the goal. He did not give up and let it die just for his approval ratings. He wasted no time in his attempt to make a change.
ReplyDeleteOne thing I disliked about his first term was how the Bankers and Wall Street CEO's was let off with no punishment or consequences for their actions. This weakened his reputation.
Something that surprised me was how Obama did not get the honeymoon period during his first term. Republicans were very firm and non cooperative with their votes or lack of for his reforms.
1) I liked the Obama was very persistent in what he wanted to get done. Though he faced rejection and wasn't always successful, he ardently pushed for his reforms. I especially liked his efforts towards bipartisanship.
ReplyDelete2) What I didn't like was how lenient he was towards the bank CEO's of Wall Street. He was too forgiving and didn't exert enough of his power over their actions.
3) What surprised me was the amount of opposition he faced with his healthcare bill. I knew many were against it, but the fact that not a single Republican voted for it shocked me.
I liked how Obama immediately set in to try and work around partisan lines. I liked how he tried almost instantly to show that his administration would try to solve problems together. I did not like the laid back approach he had towards the Wall Street bankers. Rather than exercise his strength on more power, he chose to proceed with too much caution and let them have too much free range. I was surprised to know just how much the Republican Party disagreed with Obama so early in his term. I'm well aware of their current disapproval of him, but I was unaware of the fact that they immediately disagreed with him on everything.
DeleteDuring President Obama's first term, it was very evident of his direct form of attack. He went straight to work to make a coalition with the Republicans and form a bill for the economy that would be likable to both sides. This, plus his ideals during his campaigning and his promises all brought hope to a struggling nation. However, I did not like his implementation of the National Healthcare Reform, even though the intentions are good, many a times it hurts more people than helps. Although some that may not have had health insurance before may benefit for minor aspects, but high end medical points drastically hurt individuals. This also takes away from the personal rights of people to deny health care if they see as if they don't want it wether it be for personal beliefs and so on. This is a point of view that I disagree with him during his second term. It feels as if i am one of the few people, or it might be just me, but I never knew that during his first term a group of high powered Republicans joined together for a lovely dinner to plot against newly elected President Obama. Quite shocking in my opinion.
ReplyDeleteAfter watching the film on president Obama's first term I found a lot of the information to be very interesting. I was not as interested in politics during Obama's first term as I am interested in politics now. That being said I find a lot of the president’s actions to be quite interesting and surprising. One thing I did like about Obama's first term is the approach he took to try to convince the public to try and be Bipartisan. I liked how the president took the time to try and familiarize himself with the Republican's in congress to try and get his ideas through. He tried to designate meetings with only the Republicans, get close to John Boehner, and act as if he could convince Congress to agree with what he thought was right. I was surprised though as to how quickly that changed. when he realized that his dreams that he ran his campaign on were too farfetched to change the government. Lastly, and surprisingly, I believe that the thing I found that I didn't like about the president's first term was his attack and killing of Osama Bin Laden. I believe that the president gave the OK on the mission as a power play to try and regain the public's approval of his actions. The mission really did not do anything to stop the violence overseas, but give civilians in America a false security that the terrorism would succeed from American soil. There were things I liked about the president’s first term, things I found interesting and surprising about the presidents first term, and things that I didn’t like about the presidents first term.
ReplyDelete1) There are actually quite a few things that Obama accomplished in his first term, believe it or not, beyond just "Obamacare". Obama's term saw the end of the war in Iraq, the beginnings of the drawdown of American presence in Afghanistan, the death of Bin Laden, the over throw of Gadhafi, the passing of ARRA, the repealing of 'Don't Ask Don't Tell", etc etc.
ReplyDelete2) He definitely should've been harsher on Wall Street. I also just don't like the current political environment he's engulfed in - he's been practically neutered by polarization and the widespread assumption that he is a horrible, terrible policymaker that makes decent speeches. It's crippled him, and it cripples progress.
3) I was actually quite surprised at how charged our politics really are. The amount of polarization, tension, the amount of bull-headedness in a system that's supposed to function entirely upon the shoulders of cooperation and diplomacy is really just the stupidest thing I've ever seen.
1. If I would have to choose one moment in Obama's first term in office as being most noteworthy, I would have to choose the execution of the operation that killed Osama Bin Laden. The killing of the figure head of one of America's enemies is definitely a big moment.
ReplyDelete2. I feel as if the passing and execution of Obama care was very inefficient and could've been much smoother. He would get too caught up in certain things, while some things such as Wall Street banking he wouldn't pay enough attention to. He should've been giving attention to all situations.
3. I was surprised that the Republicans in the house were so insistent on making Obama look bad. Not a single one would even consider voting for it, instead criticizing him harshly.
1. Something I liked about Obama's first term is the support he gave the military, and the fact that our country killed Osama Bin Laden. I also give him credit for being immediately ambushed with so many issues, and handling it well. He tried hard to achieve his goal of Bipartisanship, despite the feuding parties, and although he eventually had to give up the idea, he deserves props for trying so hard.
ReplyDelete2. Something I didn't like about his first term is that the Wall Street CEO's had no form of punishment for their actions. Not only were they doing illegal things, when Obama held a conference to speak to them, they didn't show up, which was very rude. They should have had consequences for their actions.
3. I was surprised to see just how bad the issues Obama was facing were. Also, the amount of issues he had to handle. His first week of Presidency he was already trying to deal with many stressful issues. I have more respect for him after the film.
1. After watching the video, I liked how hard Obama pushed to bring the two parties together to create a bipartisanship within Congress. Obama attempted to work together with Republicans and met with John Boehner frequently. Although it was not accomplished, the fact that he tried to bring the parties together is admirable.
ReplyDelete2. Despite his push for bipartisanship, I believe he was too lenient on the CEOs of Wall Street. After speaking on Wall Street failed, he simply gave up. The CEOs should have received more than just a speech.
3. Overall, I was surprised by the Republicans not compromising on any issue. They were so intent on making Obama look bad, which is understandable because of party differences and inexperience.
1. I really liked his attempt at Bipartisanship, as a young candidate I admired his idealistic perspective and thought his approach to politics was quite refreshing. Being such a monolith I was really astounded by how little his presence did once he had really wont he presidency, but I liked his attempts to act decisively and agree with the republicans, he strikes me as a very good guy - like Jimmy Carter. I also liked his actions towards trying to bring peace to the Middle East and killing Osama Bin Laden.
ReplyDelete2. Also similar to Carter, something I didn't like was his foolhardy attempts to reconcile with republicans after they didn't want to work with him. I feel like he should have been more decisive and been more pushing with issues - after trying to compromise he should have tried to get things to go his way. He wasted time trying to revive a dead horse. He did the same thing with Wallstreet CEOs, he wasn't nearly aggressive enough to really get things done.
3 I was surprised by the fact that he went from being held in such a high regard as a candidate with people seeming to love him, to being such a controversial figure. He went from one of the most celebrated dark horses in American History to a man who seemed unable to persuade anyone to do anything at all. I was also surprised by the new Republican house members and how they were actually elected based on ideals as opposed to politics, as well as how steadfast they were to those ideals, however, I think the amount of partisan ship they displayed was downright foolish. They put the betterment of themselves over the benefit of the nation and ultimately hurt any chance at breaking down party lines. It no doubt led to increased tensions between the two parties and I think its foolish that people vote so hard on party lines. No one voted for Obamacare, not one. I don't believe every single one of them thought it was a bad idea so much as they just wanted to solidify themselves into party lines. The stubbornness of Congress wasn't necessarily so much a surprise as it was a disappointment.
1) I like how he decided to go forth with what he thought was the best for the country. He knew that healthcare was going to have a negative backlash, but still decided it was best for the country. i like how he was inexperienced, but faced with a huge economic crisis, he handled it well. I like how everyone wants him to fail and how all the Republicans are trying to make him fail, but if you look at it, he isn't failing.
ReplyDelete2) I dislike his transparency with the people. Like his communications with the general public is poor. if you ask people about Obamacare, they dont know many facts about it except that they hate it. I wish there was a better way that Obama could talk to the general public and ensure they understand his bills and ideas.
3) I am surprised with how the Republicans met up to agree on how to make Obama fail. The overall treatment that he gets. THey basically put party over country and that is messed up
1) I liked that President Obama was flexible with his vision for the presidency after being rebuked by Congressional Republicans. His bipartisan idealism was just that - an ideal, unachievable - and based on what he espoused during the campaign, I would have been afraid that he'd cling to that message rather than pull off the gloves and do what it takes to get something done. It speaks to his pragmatism, which we need more of in government.
ReplyDelete2) I think the president wasn't strategic enough in his bid for bipartisan compromise. He failed to recognize that Republicans would have no reason to make legislative achievements with him, and that they in fact had every reason to at least appear to fight him so that they could build momentum for the midterm elections. This is probably attributable to his lack of experience on Capitol Hill, where I'm sure his idealism and visionary hopes would have been smothered quickly by political reality.
3) I was surprised at how easily the mere election of President Obama fueled extremism in the GOP. It seems as though many hardline conservatives began yelling "Communist" before he even passed anything. The fervent anti-Obama-ism in the 2014 midterm elections was predictable, but I didn't know it was there already in the 2010 elections when people with no experience in politics were elected ostensibly just on the platform of hating Obama.
1. What I liked about Obama’s first term was what his whole message revolved around: change and hope. He was very determined and pushed for his views, to the best of his ability. Obama tried to compromise with the Republican Party, in order to make them happy and that showed a lot about his true character. I think he has achieved his goal of becoming a transformative president. I admire his devotion of the capture of Osama Bin Laden, bravery of enacting such a massive financial reform, and communication with the public.
ReplyDelete2. Something I disliked about Obama’s first term was how much he “promised” for the change of America. It seemed as though some of his promises fell short, and he shouldn’t make those unless he’s absolutely prepared to uphold. I also feel as though he put all his eggs in one basket; putting too much focus toward the health reform. Which I don’t personally agree with. I feel as though the bipartisan dispute could’ve been handled more carefully, and strategically.
3. What surprised me was how the strongly Republicans didn’t want to cooperate with the president. Not one Republican voted with him for the health care, which was a very stubborn act. You think they’d tried to come up with a sort of compromise in order to improve our country.
1) I am a strong believer in reform measures to the United States (seeing as our current government is hundreds of years old) and give tons of credit to President Barrack Obama for pushing the affordable care act into existence. Health care needed to get reformed and this measure will decrease the uninsured Americans, causing insurance premiums to go down and American health to go up.
ReplyDelete2) I understand President Obama’s rational after bailing out the banks to attempt to reason with corporate America in the attempt to promote peace and unity in a scary economic environment, but he had the bankers by the balls! The American people were so polarized that they were willing to accept any action Obama took as long as it was actively against the banks, yet he didn’t. He had the perfect opportunity to reform the banks, yet he didn't. Obama later felt the burn when he attempted to reform banking and finance and not a single one of the CEO he bailed out supported his reform.
3) I never realized that Obama and Boehner were trying to work out a fiscal deal before the first government shutdown scare during the Obama administration. It actual makes quite a bit more sense why Obama and the Republicans don’t get along, they have been squabbling and double crossing each other from the beginning, so there is very little trust between the two parties.
ReplyDelete1) I liked that during Obama’s first term he was able to successfully hunt down Osama Bin Laden and assassinate him. This was a major event during his term and a major event for America. This marked an essential foreign policy accomplishment. Another foreign policy achievement includes withdrawing troops out of Iraq. I also like that Obama was successful with boosting the economy with passing the 2009 stimulus. He also created several million jobs.
2) I didn’t like the way he acted on the Wall Street CEO’s. I feel like he could have done more, but maybe there is more to the story than what we hear. Considering the Wall Street CEO’s are some of the richest people in America. And since they are so rich, they should have some repercussion to repay society or give back to the economy. I also didn’t like ObamaCare. I know a lot of parents that were furious with his healthcare act. I agree with the concept of universal health care but he didn’t do it in the best way possible.
3) Obviously I was surprised about how widely divided our gov’t was/is, like everyone else. But this video gave me a deeper look into why and how. The Republicans did not want to see Obama succeed. I was also surprised he is the only one to Win a Nobel Peace prize with a body count.
1)President Obama strikes me as a very understanding and bipartisan guy. Although some of his views are obviously left-wing, I believe Obama's idealistic views for the country (along with his calling the government out on it's representatives' obsessions with re-election) are the types of goals and accountability that the country needs. Obama's willingness to work with the republican congress to make progress continues to earn my support.
ReplyDelete2) One thing I didn't like about Obama's first term as president was how he had tried too hard to reconcile differences with the republican congress before attempting to pass any legislation. Although his efforts are amiable, President Obama should realize that the republican party has vowed to work against him, and he should move on to doing what he was elected to do - run the country - regardless of the opinions of congress. I'm not trying to propose a dictatorship here, but Obama may need to realize that congress isn't going to work with him on anything, and all he can do is work off of his best judgement.
3) One thing about Obama's first term that surprised me was the willingness of the republican party to oppose him. The fact that they would meet and agree to fight him throughout his term on the first day of his presidency really angers me. The party polarization continues to grow and I find it that congress wishes to focus on the majority vote on two completely different views as opposed to making a compromise that everyone may live with. I was also surprised to hear that Obama had earned a Nobel Peace Prize.
I felt that the PBS Frontline on President Obama’s first term was both helpful and honest when discussing what the president’s first term was like and displaying the “behind the scenes action” on what the president knew he needed to address coming into office. One thing I liked about Obama’s first term based on the video was his decision to call in CEOs of large U.S. banks in order to try and come to a consensus on how they were going to fix the U.S. economy’s downward spiral. As stated in the video, no president had ever made a decision as bold as that and President Obama definitely impressed me from the standpoint that instead of simply just taking matters into his own hands, he tried to work with the banks. One thing I disliked about Obama’s first term was his need to reform healthcare so desperately. I will state that I am fairly uneducated as to why he pushed for reform so much, because I feel that there are many other issues are country was dealing with in 2010 such as a falling economy that should have maybe received more attention than healthcare reform. One thing that surprised me about the video was the meeting of many Republicans after the election of Obama. I felt it was very wrong for there meeting to be mainly formed from the sole idea that they must oppose everything President Obama says, does, and wants done. I felt that that idea was morally unjust. Regardless of if a new leader in power has a different political affiliation than you or not, it is your job as leaders and representatives of a party to show respect toward our nations leader and maybe not agree with everything he says, but work towards trying to find middle ground on issues occurring in our country.
ReplyDelete1. I liked how during his first term, President Obama made the decision to eliminate Osama Bin Laden. This was a centripetal force in the nation, especially for those directly affected by the events of 9/11. I think the President handled this situation well.
ReplyDelete2. I did not like how President Obama focused on bipartisanship rather than reforming the healthcare act. His insistence on bipartisanship proved unsuccessful as the Republican party was not willing to compromise.
3. The fact that the Republican party seemed so unwilling to compromise with the Democratic party surprised me. As our nation's leaders, it is each party's job to cooperate with the opposing party on every policy and find a compromise that is most beneficial for the American people. Although the extremes of the party divides were more surprising than I originally thought, I do not expect them to go away in the near future.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeletePresident Barack Obama’s first term in office was a learning experience. In my opinion, when he first took over the oval office, President Obama was truly motivated and energetic, even excited in a way. His desire to pass legislation that he believed was in the best interest of the country is a characteristic of a good president. Furthermore, President Obama’s determination and steadfast approach to national security prevailed when Osama Bin Laden was found and killed. The death of Osama Bin Laden is not the end of the war on terror; however, President Obama was able to restore the symbolic presence of the United States. Killing Bin Laden was more than an act of national defense, it was an act of restoring honor, and bringing closure to the American people, which in my opinion, is a remarkable act by Obama.
ReplyDeleteLike I mentioned before, President Obama was truly motivated in his first term in office. However, it takes more than just a “desire” to make change for there to be any improvement in society. President Obama is a charismatic, well-fit president, but he lacks the ability to persuade. Whether it’s in congress or in rallying public support, President Obama fell short in his ability to influence people, and to make them do what he wanted. His first term was more ideological than pragmatic.
One thing that surprised me about President Obama’s first term in office was the extreme opposition he faced. It’s natural for those who oppose someone’s views to act in a contrasting manner, however, the Republican Party’s attempts at sabotaging President Obama’s first term shows how polarized American politics truly is.
I liked how President Obama attempted bipartisanship policy-making. I believe that it was a very bold action to take. However, I did not like how he continually attempted to compromise with others even after being shot down numerous times; for example, with the CEOs of Wall Street and Boehner. Obama should have learned to stand his ground against Republicans that were obviously not willing to bargain, and that bipartisanship was unattainable.
ReplyDeleteWhat surprised me was the fact that not a single republican voted for the affordable care act or the first stimulus package Obama proposed. It is astounding that some republicans formed an anti-Obama strategy before he could even act as president. No matter the experience he had beforehand or the background he came from, Obama was elected president and should be treated with respect.
1.One of the things that I truly appreciated was that he tried to bring the parties together. When he was trying to figure out a solution for the economic crisis, he considered the opinions of the Republicans. Sadly, they did not reciprocate the gesture and made it difficult for him to hope for a bipartisan congress.
ReplyDelete2. It was a huge mistake for him to give the banks money without any strings attached. It later came to bite him, when he had the press meeting and none of them showed up because they didn't need anything from him.
3. I was surprised at how the Republicans reacted towards him. Not one of them voted for Obamacare, and for it to pass without a single, republican vote, is insane. The whole thing actually seemed pretty childish to me, I understand that they have different views but does it mean that, even if this bill (whatever it may be) benefits them, they would say no?
1. One thing I really liked about Obama's first term is how much effort he put into pushing reforms through congress. He saw that there were problems and he wanted to be able to fix them in hopes of a better tomorrow. I also liked that he tried to unify both parties and instead of working as two separate teams he wanted to work as one and build off of both ideals. A really good example of this which was impressive to me was that he went straight to solely the republicans to propose his issues on the budget plans he had alongside other reforms, he was very confrontational about it.
ReplyDelete2. One thing I didn't like about Obama's first term is how much he pushed healthcare reform, yes it was needed and it was a very strong idea. However, he did not have the right means to execute it well enough and that leads me to believe that maybe it wasn't as fully thought through as he thought it was. Likewise it hurt our economy immensely.
3. One thing that really surprised me about Obama's first term was how stubborn the republican party acted. Rather than trying to make the most of what they could of an opposing party leading the country they decided to do what they could in their power to push Obama down. They hardly gave him a chance or a honeymoon period. The republicans in this scenario remind me of 15 year old girls in a fight with their friends, their whole attitude towards this was childish.
First of all, I like that Obama was able to take out Osama Bin Laden. Also I really feel like Obama came into the presidency wanting to make changes and move the U.S. forward. Unfortunately for him, the entirety of Republicans in congress were against him from the onset. However, he continued to try to mend things between parties, and even met with only republicans himself to try and explain his side of the argument. He wanted, as he said in many speeches, he wanted to bring blue america and red america together.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, he did not have the skill needed to bring these two parties together, and in some ways I think he made things slightly worse between parties, which is what I did not like about his first term.
I was surprised about the situation between Obama and John Boehner. I knew that there was a lot of tension between them now, so it is interesting to see that they tried to make peace in the beginning, until things went horribly wrong. it's too bad that they weren't able to collaborate effectively for the betterment of the United states.
1. What I like about Obamas first term was how dedicated he was on getting healthcare and reforms done. Managing his time to keep up and getting it passed is probably easier said than done, but it finally succeed.
ReplyDelete2. What i didn't like about his first term was how against the to parties were. With Congress being mostly republican and the president being democrat the didn't see eye to eye on things. I think they shouldve came to some type of happy medium to agree on more bills.
3. What surprise me the most is how president Obama succeeded on killing Osama bin laden. It was a risky move but following through with it was probably the best decision. If it were to have gone wrong a lot of troops and civilians would get hurt. Killing bin laden stopped more violence than if he were alive.
1. I like how in Obamas first term he wasn't given a grace period but he still was very persistant in getting his plans pushed to get in front of congress. Another big plus to his first term was the killing of the person responsible to the 9-11 attacks.
ReplyDelete2. I don't think its right for people to vote only along party lines, however thats what Obama had to deal with because of a mostly Republican Congress. Also Obama was a bit forcful with his health care acts that didn't seem to be completely ready to go before Congress.
3. To me what was shocking was that the House and Congress were voting on party lines so intensly that not a single Republican voted for his stimulus package.
1) I liked how in Obama's first term he was very inspirational to the public during rally speeches which gave the American citizens hope. He handled his oppressors with respect and did a good job communicating his intentions with the public.
ReplyDelete2)I disliked all the promises he made. He said that there is no liberal or conservative America, there's only a United States of America. Well, that's not how it played out for him. I wish he would have addressed the polarity between the two parties and the affects it has on passing legislation.
3)I was surprised to find out that Obama actually never had a honeymoon period. He was impacted with stress from the very start. Also, i was surprised to find out that Obama and Boehner had meetings on the golf course to discuss politics.
1. In Obama's first term I really liked how he was very focused on his idea of "change", it gave a lot of hope do the American people. I also liked his attempt at bipartisanship, although it was unsuccessful.
ReplyDelete2. One thing I disliked about Obama's first term is his leniency with the CEO's on Wall Street. Also, I think he made too many promises that were unfulfilled.
3. One thing that surprised me about Obama's first term was how the republicans were so unwilling to work with him from the beginning. I feel like a lot of people in politics didn't, or still don't, respect him as the leader of our country.