Obama has:

Helped save the economy

Banned torture

Kicked out lobbyists

Allowed funding for stem cell research

Made information about government more accessible

Enforced Network Neutrality

Reauthorized a health care program for children

Made it easier for victims of discrimination to press charges

Nominated Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court

Begun the process of withdrawing from Iraq

Gotten 80% done with healthcare reform

And tons of smaller things

Christ people, it's only been 8 months. He's begun closing Gitmo. He's begun pulling troops out of Iraq. He's working to stablize the economy and reform health care. Contrary to popular opinion, Obama's not God. He can't fix everything just by snapping his fingers.

What positive accomplishments did Bush make in 8 years? Seriously.

Uh... Well he got a TV show about him. D-does that count? Hell, at least the offshoot of Bush's actions got some people more involved and a little easier to question what the hell is going on. If that's anything.

But really, instant results? Democracy is not a fucking microwave. Or something like that. I don't know. You can't expect shit to get done right now. Especially with all of the bureaucracy we've let happen.

Ask this question at the end of his term. And if he hasn't done anything, then don't vote for him. It's that simple.

Bush did the bailouts wrong. He didn't include lending requirements for the banks. Obama did better.

Kicking out lobbyists is a fact. I seriously doubt Obama gave stimulus money to ACORN.

So the solution to terrorism is to act like terrorists ourselves? We can to better. Torture is dishonorable and causes us to lose legitimacy. Besides, it doesn't work.

Bush allowed for research on products derived from the cells already in existence, not for the creation of new lines.

Heh, this is kind of a stupid debate, isn't it?

Things Bush did:

He got us into the unjustified trillion dollar war in Iraq that has left a million people dead.

He spent a lot of money while cutting taxes for the rich, thus exploding our debt.

He soured our relations with the rest of the world.

He allowed torture.

He completely blundered with regard to Katrina.

He worked to tear down the separation between church and state.

He fired United States Attorneys for political reasons.

Truly he was one of the greats!

But the real problem with Bush were the things he didn't do:

He didn't reform our financial system.

He didn't address global warming.

He didn't commit enough to Afghanistan.

He didn't address the rising income inequality in America.

He didn't address health care costs.

He failed to fix Social Security.

He resisted alternative energy.

He failed on immigration reform.

He never got bin Laden.

Other than that he was ok :)

Fact Check: The Stimulus Bill and ACORN

Maybe you should watch something other then Republican shill news once in a while? I recommend the PBS Newshour.

Debating itself isn't stupid, but this debate is stupid. It's just partisan bickering. What Obama did or what Bush did has little to do with the real issues our country is facing.

You want to pull out of Afghanistan? Don't you know what the consequences of that would be? The Taliban would probably take over, and gain power in neighboring Pakistan. Pakistan has nuclear weapons. Is a nuclear armed Al-Queda a risk you're willing to take?

Good point on that maybe the United Nations should go into Pakistan and demand they disarm their nukes. It's pretty scary scenario when you think about it.

On the other hand I had a real new rule regulation hit me in the face to day. I was trying to surrender and pull my money out of a 403B plan that my wife has and before Jan 1 of this year it would have been no problem but now you can't. The reason when I asked my broker was they had no reason even when the regulators set out the new rules they targeted 403B and their reason according to my broker who is an expert on the markets said they had none. Great! So this is the great regulation we where all waiting for not allowing people to get their own money out. This just happened to me today. There's a lot more to the story but it is so frustrating that I will get even more mad. Basically the new regulation is a form of pure Socialism. My money, won't let me have it. I have to make up some lie just to get it out like I'm sick or something or I have a hardship which I don't but that's besides the point. I don't know if you own a home or business but if you did you would see the huge amount of more taxes you pay just to own a home or business it's stifling. The argument here is that the more taxes and more government regulation the less freedoms we have and less individual drive we have. Today for me was a absolute confirmation on what I believe this admin is trying to do and that is a Socialist society.

Well if you're going to give Bush credit for things he wanted to do, then you have to give Obama credit for things he wants to do: Universal health care, clean energy research, financial reform, and closing Guantanamo :)

I'll give you the auto-bill thing, I had forgotten about that. But still, that was the bare minimum. Bush rejected the Kyoto protocol, which was the thing that mattered the most by far with respect to global warming.

Obama has done plenty for small business.

Nobody wants to pay for emissions and health care, but ignoring our problems won't make them go away. What's your alternative solution?

The unemployment numbers weren't a lie. They were simply mistaken. They were based on the consensus view of economists. Most people hadn't yet realized what a big hole the crisis left us in.

...and he just won the Nobel Prize! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Did you not read the Forbes article I linked to? He's providing 15 billion in loans to small business. Besides if you're making over 250K a year, then your business isn't very small, is it? "Boo-hoo I can only buy two new cars instead of three."

"almost everybody new before hand"

Not true. Some we're saying it was going to be worse than the administration's predictions and others were saying it was going to be better. Sorry, but Obama is a president, not a fortune teller. Even though the predictions were mistaken, the numbers would be even worse without the stimulus.

"Just like the cash for clunkers it was good when it lasted"

Programs like that are meant to break downward spirals. After you break the chain of dominoes and the economy starts moving forward, you can take them away without causing too much damage.

"Until the Ideal changes that the real power of the economy is the individual innovation"

Oh, please. Increasing taxes on the richest by 2% hardly amounts to a change in our fundamental values. Obama could raise their taxes by 20% and they would still make a shit-ton more than than everybody else.

Thank you Mr. Economist for your thoughtful analysis. Oh... what's that? You're not an economist? You're just some dipshit who watched a few episodes of Glenn Beck and thinks he knows everything? Let's see what the actual economists have to say...

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/video/share.html?s=news01pa98

http://digg.com/dialogg/Timothy_Geithner_1

Oops! Looks like the people who actually know wtf they're talking about disagree with you! Obama is doing everything in his power to clean up the messes that piled up over the last eight years.

What the hell does sending or removing troops have to do with banning torture? Not a damn thing, that's what. It's a fact that Obama has banned torture.

I believe he is doing exactly as he should be doing with regard to Iraq and Afghanistan. In Iraq we are slowly withdrawing. You say we're not, but you're wrong. Again you demonstrate that you don't know what you're talking about. In Afghanistan we are building up. This is because more troops our necessary for us to succeed there. What do you think we should be doing? Pulling out of both countries immediately, overnight? Think about the chaos that would result. Is a stronger Al-Queda something you're interested in being responsible for?

I wasn't talking to you. Look at the argument I was responding to. It's stupid and outrageous.

Take a deep breath. Calm down.

As this argument is stated: Has Obama Really done anything, Obama's actions can be regarded as positive or negative to the United states. Therefore, even one act or law passed by Obama would make the answer to this question a yes.

1. If Obama has done something, then yes is the correct answer.

2. Obama has:

Overturned the Bush Administration policy that threatened the Endangered Species Act by eliminating government agency bureaucrats needing to do a scientific consultation on the effect of projects on species if the agency itself determined that there would be no negative consequence.

Obama called on Congress to send him legislation that places a market-based cap on U.S. carbon polluting emissions and pushes the production of more renewable energy.

Reaching out to Russia in a spirit of international cooperation and a willingness to work with the powers of the world; following Russia deciding against placing missiles along its border with Europe.

Reached out to Iran, offering them an olive branch.

Began reversing climate policies of George Bush, including having a re-review of if California could regulate the greenhouse gas emissions of cars.

Announced a plan to essentially pull out of Iraq by August 2010.

Froze salaries of top White House officials earning more than $100,000.

Unveiled the new Freedom of Information Act, which makes it harder to keep the workings of government secret.

Announced that the prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, will be shut down.

* Got a $787 billion stimulus package through Congress and signed, decided to not appoint a "car czar to address the automobile manufacturing issues, ordered the Treasury Dept. to implement tax cuts for 95% of all Americans, and letting the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy expire naturally in 2010 instead of sooner, but calling for an increase in taxes for the wealthiest of American

3. Therefore, Obama has done many things.

4. Since Obama has done many things Obama has done somthings.

5. Therefore, Obama has done something.

he has invaded afganistan and pakistan. he has agreed to reduce co2 by 4% in america, when 25% is the responsible rate. he has increased national security. he has built a military base in colombia. he has lowered taxes.

Apparently not ;)

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ynews/20091005/pl_ynews/ynews_pl942

No, the skit the other night on SnL was really funny and true. You know when SnL is doing a skit on a president there is some true merit to it. Obama's inexperience is starting to show through. He has the entire house and Senate majority and still he has done nothing. Oh I forgot Cash for Clunkers but that was someone else's idea.

im very formal at such topics

only giving speeches dosent prosper america, he should also apply it

if anyone thinks that his imagination is rich and can re-track america, he's wrong since if it was so he must have won the olympic venue 2016

we shouldnt see him as first afro-american prez. but as a man

if he's great i didnt heard anything great to take out america from depression

closing the doors dosent keep you fit, you must have dare to open it and walk straight ahead

On an afterthought. I jest about how terrible Bush is, but the truth is, he was in office during a crisis. We laugh and bash him all the time, but he really could have been loads worse than he was. Considering the amount of shit he was receiving, I think he did a good job. His administration did manage to rack up a sweet ass wardebt though.

What he did or didn't do doesn't have an effect on my position on this, though. It's just an afterthought.

Bush did a lot. The left ideal is blind to even see that.

Please. Help save the economy that was already done in October when Pres. Bush and Bernake gave the TARP funds out that is what stabilized the markets by allowing credit to still flow.

Kicked out lobbyists. So you call the billions in Stimulus money that Obama gave to ACORN not lobbyists not to mention the hundreds of other small amounts given out to lobbyists.

Banned torture! that makes my sides split Those poor terrorist which given a chance would like nothing more to kill all Americans.

Electing a judge thats his job to pick one not very hard to that.

We are nowhere close to getting out of Iraq like he promised. His original statement was 18 months. NOT. Any rational person including myself saw that not happening. Although I would like to get out of there.

Bush allowed for stem cell as well. Obama just added more to it.

Um Warlin there no excuse Obama he is so far of base that he is lacking the ability to communicate with his own party. Even with both the House and the Senate majority to his power still can't get any of his big agenda passed. I think people crack up when he says something like "I'm going to close Guantanamo" He sounds naive when he says stuff like that then he tries to and realizes oh shit this is harder than I thought. No country wants to take them back. No shit dumb ass.

Obama is one of those really smart men that has all of the accolades but lacks some basic common sense.

Uh he did it is well known and it has been all over the media as well how could you have not heard this? But because of Acorns latest events congress is trying to now stop the Stimulus money from getting there. Lending requirements are the issue of the banks and bond holders neither Bush or Obama had anything to do with tighter lending. Debating isn't stupid it's just fun to hear other peoples opinions. I respect your opinions and beliefs i don't necessarily agree with them but that's democracy, in some countries we are not even allowed to have such a debate. It's nice just to exercise what most people take for granted. I hope that Obama doesn't decide to go bigger into Afghan war instead get out.

He was the only one that really ever tried to fix social security. His plan was awesome for Social Security. But like typical government most Libs who scorned it don't like to give money back to the people it belonged too like me or you. His plan would have gone into a Mutual Fund or Annuity and you would have been guaranteed that money at 59.5 years of age unlike right now where we probably wont get it and you have to be 62.

Bush signed into office on of the most aggressive bills for Auto emissions in the history of all Presidents.

Bush did things I don't like but when I hear the media and people like you throwing out stuff like that you have to go deeper than just whats being said.

I agree with you on the firing attorney thing. Bush was not a true conservative that I like. He also signed no child left behind which is a disaster and was to try to bring down Government run schools. His reform on illegals was horrible and so is Obamas.

Obama has done something he has created more uncertainty and more job losses because of uncertainty on big tax programs. 80% of all unemployment is from companies 500 or less.

Recent poll asked business owners from all sorts of industries about their business and if they are thinking of hiring.

Overwhelmingly the answer is no. Small business is not going to hire when they are facing a possible huge carbon emissions tax. If health care goes through another 8% tax.

The game plan right now of the President is to add more tax to a already hurt economy. If you have a business and the only talk out of Washington right now is not to help private business but only make it more expensive to do business why would you spend more and hire an employer. This is the lack of common sense that I talk about with Obama policies on the economy.

Remember the lie and we all knew that is was BS that if his stimulus was passed that unemployment would stop at 8.5%. Thank god we only have 4 year terms. I hope that someone comes along a worthy opponent unlike Jon McCain in my opinion was a horrible choice for the GOP . If it is someone that's a worthy opponent Obama will be like many other past Presidents a one hit wonder.

What has he done specifically for small business except wanting to tax more if you gross more than 250k, there has been not been any incentive for small business to expand? Go ask any small business owner and ask them first hand what Obama has done for small business. "Nothing" If the numbers he gave was a mistake that wasn't very smart vetting process considering that almost everybody new before hand that unemployment was going over 8.5% it was just to sell his pork barrel stimulus which is not job creation once the money is all gone then those jobs are gone. Just like the cash for clunkers it was good when it lasted but automakers saw numbers jump 20% but now it's over there sales are back down 20%. It's not real job creation. We need to praise and reward the private sector that's where the real long job stabilization is. Until the Ideal changes that the real power of the economy is the individual innovation then we are going to be in a hurt economy for a long time.

I don't make 250k I wish I did. The 250k is taxed on the gross profit, which from my understanding is before all employees are paid and expenses. I do know several business owners that fall under this category, a company that makes 250k gross after all is paid and done the owner would net about 100k, I was just trying to make the point on how much work it actually takes to make a profit for a business. Like small company I work for they Gross profit make almost 1.2 million a year and the owners take home after all is paid is only 150k. each scenario is different. I'm not totally against I think that they should raise the amount to more. 250k is not a lot when your talking about them taxing you on gross and not net. I could be wrong but this is what I was told.

Obama has done in 30 days what bush did in 8 years! Bush promised after 9/11 that we would never get attacked again ,did we get attacked?, no! Obama HAS NOT help save the economy in any shape or form he made it even worse . do you call over thousands of troops DIEING everyday waiting for obama to send or bring back troops ,you call that, ''BANNING TORTURE?''And no he has not begun withdrawing troops from Iraq. The only good thing to happen with him i for him to be impeached,and get Huckabee or McCain in office! We need to get OUR country back!!

Econ was my sub major and I have a masters in business on college so I do know what I'm talking about. I checked into the 250K it is on gross and on top of the taxes already they pay so that's a hit on small business. Obama is not doing everything to help he is stifling it even more. The whole mess started with Clinton when they opened up the lose lending so that poor people could buy homes in 1993. You use PBS as you mainstay they are government lobbyist. I like going to people who have no affiliation to the government like Peter Schiff. Timothy Geithner is a weasel and a tax Dodger and he is an Obama puppet I don't trust him at all. When you use references use non biased entities that have no Obama connection. I don't watch Glen Beck. Try to act civil on hear calling me names on a debate just makes you look bad. I can talk your ear off if you want to talk about money, bonds, international trade, derivatives and what that all means and why this adiminstration is going to make the dollar lose more value than any other inhistory driving the dollar to nothing. So watch what you say. I have done a lot in my life in regards to business and trading so I understand how things work, obviously your insecurity on your lack of knowledge shines through on your comments. I was being fair with you and by partisan and trying to meet middle ground with you, but instead you through your typical rhetoric around.

The last eight years was not Bush's fault stop watching MSNBC and go educate yourself on the real reason. No matter who was president nobody was going to stop the bond market from what happened. It was just unfortunate that it was at the very end of the Bush term if you believe that than your just an idiot. Do you know a lot about Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae I do they are run solely by the democratic party and I can go into more about that because I have first hand knowledge of them and the types of people who work there. They kept buying non conforming loans for years and the overseer Barnie Frank and Dodd turned there heads. There is more to it than just party lines Republican or Democrat I can give a rats ass. I have multiple business's one real estate commercial, I manage money for a company on bonds. I maybe not an actual economist if i decided thats all I wanted to do I could since I have a minor degree in business school on it and I work in the field where I need to know. And I don't know everything that would be very narcissistic of me but when I see your lame ass debates and can see that you are the dip shit yourself who is insecure about a topic that all you can do is go google it and then find something that suites your political beliefs instead of making your own educated guess, your just a biased person no matter what will always look at the liberal side whether it makes sense or not. Here's some homework for you why don't you go look at states that are ran by your way of thinking like Minnesota, Michigan, California, Ohio all of these states have had nothing but Unions and Democratic rule and they are now bankrupt or heading there. You won't find this statistic in ANY Republican state. So let marinate in your head for a while.

What economist? Pulling stuff out of your ass again I see. Everybody in my office laughed when Obama said unemployment was going to stall at 8.5% I would like to see what economist said that give me some names. I bet those economist that said that are probably out of work now for being so obviously stupid. All other economist that I listen too the smart ones all have said back in October of 08 that no matter what it was going to 10%. Do you really believe that yourself that when Obama said that you believed it, if so I'm sorry that your so ignorant on the facts.

Still waiting for something positive where is the real Stimulus that will create private sector jobs which is where the real health of our nation lies. What happens when the Stimulus money runs out then what? The Stimulus package they gave us is like trying to fix a broken dam with a band aid.

Yeah 10.2% today unemployment and still going higher when the next 6 months for him are going to be crucial.

No other than talk! and he got a Nobel Peace Prize for it! maybe i should talk more often.

Obama more indecisive. He said that he had a plan for Afghanistan in June 2009 then in Sept 2009 he says that the next 12 months in Afghanistan are critical so he waits 3 more months to announce to the nation what his plan is going to be. So he just took 3 months out of him saying that Afghanistan the next 12 months is critical, what kind of leader is that?

Where is the leadership? I have serious voters remorse.

I really like how he has kicked out lobbyist in Washington. It's the same old thing going on in Washington. No matter what party or belief system you may have, you have got to think that what senator Mary Landrieu did changing her vote in exchange for 300 million dollars was wrong, and have we heard anything from Obama about this?

Obama has owned the economy for almost a year now and has done nothing but make the long term prospects for its’ recovery worse. You may not believe it now with everyone in the financial media claiming that the boom times are back, but all Obama did was borrow from our retirements and our children's and grandchildren's futures for short term benefits that will disappear once the government stops propping the economy up.

Instead of focusing on jobs and the economy, Obama is worried about Health Care (I.E. How do you tax the rich and middle class when they are losing their jobs) and Cap n Trade (if you tax businesses, they will just lay off more people in order to pay the tax) two things that will only make the economic problems worse. In addition, stop blaming Bush and the Republicans solely for this mess. Much of the problem was created by Democratic led efforts to force banks to loan to individuals who were nowhere near credit worthy (Obama was once a lawyer who sued banks to make loans to people who could never pay them back). Maybe if you took your partisan blinders off and did some research yourself, you will see that we have elected one heck of an incompetent liberal as President, one who promised to do things differently and then went ahead and did (is doing) things the same old way they were done in the past, with more gusto than any of his predecessors.

Job Summit today. Basically Obama is saying he doesn't know how to fix it and create job growth.

I'll tell you how he could fix it is, is to get out of the private sectors way. Or resign your big spending agendas which is the disincentive why private sector is not hiring.

It cost a lot of money to run a business and make money in it, if he only understood that one simple principal.

The crisis was mostly because of the government with the Community Reinvestment Act of 1977 which put pressure on banks to lend to people and make loans that they normally would not have made. it was from that meddling from government that gave the banks the right to start lending loosely and it all snowballed from there.

I just got done hearing is speech on the job summit.

His ending statement was if he was doing anything that is prohibiting the private sector please let him know.

I find it ironic that this i all being done a day before the unemployment numbers come out tomorrow.

Bush failed to fix SS and wanted to guarantee that you will have it when you are old by turning it into a 401k and you could invest it like it's your own money, which it is your money becuase you pay for it out of your check. He was the only one that actually tried to fix the cause of it, instead of treating the symptom only for them to return again when it needs more money becuase it is already broke. The Dem's in congress didn't like this because it would mean that the money that is taken out of your check for SS would actually go to you. The system is broke and there is no money in the SS fund to pay for SS right now, they are borrowing it in order to pay for it. So who knows by the time you and I retire if we will ever see that money. Bush at least tried to make it so that it would be yours no matter what happened in the future. I think Bush was an idiot but this was one thing that he tried to fix for the better that would have worked.

I'm with the rising poll of isolationist that believe Afghany war is going to add more debt and spend 500 Billion to help a country that only has two paved roads in the entire country. I was hoping that Obama was to withdraw troops and start to focus on America's problems. 500 billion to give to companies to help build up there infrastructure. Afghanistan is not a threat to us, the attacks of 9/11 came from America where we taught them how to fly our planes.

And we are to believe general McChrystal, the same general who lied about the truth of Pat Tillman's death? It's all about perception and money big business getting contracts is what this war is about.

He has done something. He now wants to take the TARP money which he said when it was to be paid back that it would go straight to pay down the deficit. He now wants to spend it on another Stimulus.

Switzerland today sat out on bond sale for US treasury notes. Did not buy one. Uh oh can I say like many others have said, told you so, watch the interest getting ready to climb up.

Obama says one thing, and does another.

Pulling troops out of the east?

Obama sent more troops there, twice as many as there were before.

Not gonna put lobbyists in the white house?

http://americaswatchtower.com/2009/01/29/president-obamas-white-house-is-filled-with-lobbyists/

Not gonna use signing statements?

http://opiniojuris.org/2009/07/01/did-anyone-oppose-signing-statements-just-koh-the-aba-and-some-guy-named-barack/

The notion that Obama has actually done something besides what Bush has already done is based on the fact that Obama makes a lot of empty promises and then makes a bill that says "he's tHINKing about doing them." Yeah, the dude's thINking about quitting smoking too. Obama and Bush work for the same people. Obama's just a thousand times more intelligent, inspirational, charming, and charismatic. All he's really done is made people believe that whatever he does, whether it's continuing the wiretapping that bush advocated, banning guns, or sending more troops to the middle east, it's PROGRESSIVE and trendy. Everything's gonna be ok because Obama is in charge right? His allegiances aren't to the citizens of the U.S. and it's not to the constitution either (he's done a lot to change or ignore it). He works for corporate America: banking, wallstreet, and the new world order.

"Kicked out lobbyists"

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0109/18128.html

lol.

Obama needs to shut his pie hole and stop talking about the economy on TV. He is killing any confidence out there when he is so targeted going after the banks and wall st. It is good when wall st and banks make money. As much as some people hate them, when they are healthy and profitable the economy and jobs are healthy as well.

A Fight I'm willing to have is Obama out of his mind. Does he really want to economy to get better? Why would he say something so asinine. Then if he is going to tear apart the banks then he needs to also tear apart the Unions for making GM fail and also for Fannie and Freddie which then he would have to go after his own lobbyist and tax them as well.

The vial has been lifted the wizard behind the curtain is showing is true character and Identity and the American public is seeing it before there eye. They are in panic mode. The ship is sinking fast and the rats on the ship become become more exposed.