In 2008, we elected the most progressive president in
history. And regardless of the negativity, when you actually look at the
record, there has been a lot of progress since January 20, 2009. If you’ll
recall, when he took over the reins of power, the economy was in free-fall and
we were practically a world laughingstock. That is no longer the case.
Here is a list of many of President Obama’s accomplishments
as President. Every one of them has a citation, so no one can dismiss them out
of hand, although many have tried since I started to compile this list Even
with the obstacles we gave him, especially the Republican Congress, this
President will leave behind a wonderful legacy.
If we want to win elections – and in a democracy, that has
to be our main goal – we have to make people want to vote for us. That means
accentuating the positive, and talking about how great we are, especially
compared to the alternative.
Changed the Culture of the Executive Branch
Within his first week, he signed an Executive Order ordering
an audit of government contracts, and combating waste and abuse. http://1.usa.gov/dUvbu5
Created the post of Chief Performance Officer, whose job it
is to make operations more efficient to save the federal government money. http://n.pr/hcgBn1
On his first full day, he froze White House salaries for the
duration of the Great Recession. http://cbsn.ws/2aNMqNN
He appointed the first Federal Chief Information Officer to
oversee federal IT spending and efficiency. http://www.cio.gov
He committed to phasing out unnecessary and outdated weapons
systems and signed the Weapons Systems Acquisition Reform Act, in an attempt to
limit waste, fraud and abuse in the defense procurement and contracting
systems. http://bit.ly/hOw1t1
He created the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility
and Reform. http://bit.ly/hwKhKa
Signed an Executive Order instructing federal agencies to
review all federal regulations and remove any unnecessary and/or burdensome
regulations from the books.
http://1.usa.gov/Lpo5bd
Dismantled the Minerals Management Service, thereby cutting
ties between energy companies and the government. http://nyti.ms/bw1MLu
Banned gifts from lobbyists to anyone in the Executive
Branch. http://bit.ly/fsBACN
Banned anyone from working in an agency they had lobbied in
previous years and placed strict limits on lobbyists’ access to the White
House. http://nyti.ms/gOrznV
Held the first-ever first online town hall from the White
House, and took questions from the public. http://bit.ly/2atEVct
Became the first president to stream every White House
event, live. http://1.usa.gov/kAgOP5
Established a central portal for Americans to find service
opportunities. http://www.serve.gov
Restored the 30-day time frame for former presidents to
review records and eliminated the right for the vice president or family
members of former presidents to do the reviews, giving the public greater
access to historic White House documents, and curtails the use of executive
privilege to shield them. http://1.usa.gov/gUetLb
Improved the Freedom of Information Act and issued new
guidelines to make FOIA more open and transparent when processing FOIA
requests. http://1.usa.gov/gjrnp2
Streamlined the Department of Education’s procurement
policies and made them more transparent. http://bit.ly/1r9oQvh
Provided the first voluntary disclosure of the White House
Visitors Log in history.
http://1.usa.gov/hQ7
Signed a law to completely reform NSA Data Collection
program and keep phone records in the hands of the phone company. http://bit.ly/1dG34vD
Staved Off a Bush Depression, Improved the Economy
Pushed through and signed the American Recovery and
Reinvestment Act, also known as “the stimulus package.” He also launched
recovery.gov, a website that allows taxpayers to track spending from the Act.
http://bit.ly/2aw6HGt
By the end of his first year, the economy created and
sustained 2.1 million jobs and the ARRA stimulated the economy by 3.5%. http://reut.rs/i46CEE
He guided the massive TARP financial and banking rescue plan
and forced financial organizations to pay back virtually all bailout money.
http://bit.ly/2alXjlV
Established the Making Home Affordable home refinancing
plan. http://1.usa.gov/goy6zl
In 2010 alone, more jobs were created than had been created
during Bush’s eight years. http://bit.ly/hrrnjY
He pushed through and implemented an auto industry rescue
plan that saved as many as 1 million jobs and possibly the entire auto
industry. http://bit.ly/ibhpxr
http://bit.ly/gj7mt5
Through his investment in GM, returned to the company to its
place as the premiere car company in the world. http://lat.ms/zIJuQx
In February 2016, GM was in such good financial shape, they
gave a share of the profit to each worker, with checks up to $11,000. http://detne.ws/1mk7Jry
Doubled funding for the Manufacturing Extension Partnership,
to improve manufacturing efficiency.
http://bit.ly/eYD4nf
Increased infrastructure spending after years of neglect.
http://bit.ly/f77aOw
Signed the Helping Families Save Their Homes Act, which
helped millions of Americans avoid preventable foreclosures and provided $2.2
billion to combat homelessness and stabilize the housing market.
http://bit.ly/2aiFCbi
Signed an Executive Order creating jobs immediately by
reducing the time needed for review and permitting of infrastructure
projects. http://1.usa.gov/GHxaYt
Through the Worker, Homeownership, and Business Assistance
Act of 2009, he and Congressional Democrats provided tax credits to first-time
home buyers, which helped the U.S. housing market recovery. http://bit.ly/dZgXXw http://bit.ly/2aOGmVM
Played a lead role in getting the G-20 Summit to commit to a
$1.1 trillion deal to combat the global financial crisis. http://nyti.ms/gHlgp5
Signed new rules making it easier for home buyers to get a
loan to buy a condominium.
http://bit.ly/2c4VPDl
Through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, saved at
least 300,000 education jobs, such as teachers, principals, librarians, and counselors
that would have otherwise been lost.
http://1.usa.gov/ez30D
Provided funding to states and the Department of Homeland
Security to save thousands of police and firefighter jobs from being cut during
the recession. http://bit.ly/g0IKWR
Signed bill to provide extra training for local police
forces, especially with regard to active shooter situations. http://bit.ly/2cvFlRf
China’s largest manufacturer, Foxconn, is building a large
plant in Pennsylvania http://cnnmon.ie/1k7LT4S
Worked with Apple Computer to get them to build more product
here, and the company is building two large plants to manufacture products
here; one in Texas http://zd.net/1nkpt2O and one in Arizona
http://bit.ly/1mXY5Vg
Created an institute to invest in more manufacturing jobs in
the technology fields of the future. http://nyti.ms/1egyXrV
Ordered all federal contractors to pay a minimum wage of
$10.10 per hour, leading the way to a national increase.
http://wapo.st/1iaU5kd As a result of
this decision, a number of large employers, including Disney and Walmart, have
increased their minimums.
http://bit.ly/2c3iwF5
Ordered the completion of the International Trade Data
System, a digital trade record book, by 2016. This move will streamline and
simplify the process through which small- and medium-sized businesses set up
the export of US goods.
http://bit.ly/1nwSRF4
Signed bill to expand opportunities and to promote greater
Native American tourism.
http://bit.ly/2dTIQmo
Specific Examples of Economic Improvement
As of October 2016, a record 73 consecutive months of
overall job growth. http://on.msnbc.com/1TKFCPQ
As of August 2016, Unemployment drops below 5% for the first
time in eight years and without a significant bubble, remains below 5% all year
so far. 4.9%
http://on.msnbc.com/1TKFCPQ
As of October 2016, there have been 80 consecutive months of
private sector job growth.
http://1.usa.gov/1Xhizho
In April 2016, new unemployment claims hit their lowest
level since Nov. 1973. As of September
2016, they remain at 43-year lows. That means lower than at any time during
Saint Reagan’s Administration.
http://yhoo.it/2eaIPbf http://nyti.ms/1YhZEBk,
Since February 2010, when unemployment peaked, 15.6 million
non-farm private sector jobs have been created.
http://1.usa.gov/1Xhizho
Contrary to GOP rhetoric, most of the new jobs created have
been full-time, not temporary. http://bit.ly/2dF7pjO
Oversaw a reduction in the federal budget deficit by
two-thirds since taking office. http://bit.ly/1xKMmjY
Reduced the federal budget deficit from 9.8% of GDP in
Fiscal Year 2009 under Bush, to 2.5% of GDP in FY 2015. http://bit.ly/2cI4ABV
Scolds Congress and gets a $305 billion highways bill
passed. This bill has the added benefit of created hundreds of thousands of new
jobs and creating incentives for green cars.
http://bit.ly/1NsL2Zq
Addressed Wrongdoing in the Financial Sector
Signed the Fraud Enforcement and Recovery Act giving the
federal government more tools to investigate and prosecute fraud in every
corner of the financial system, and create a bipartisan Financial Crisis
Inquiry Commission to investigate the financial fraud that led to the economic
meltdown. http://abcn.ws/g18Fe7
Ordered 65 executives who took bailout money to cut their
own pay until they paid back all bailout money.
http://huff.to/eAi9Qq
Along with Congressional Democrats, pushed through and got
passed Dodd-Frank, one of the largest and most comprehensive Wall Street
reforms since the Great Depression.
http://bit.ly/hWCPg0http://bit.ly/geHpcD
Created and implemented rules to reduce the influence of
speculators in the oil market.
http://bit.ly/MDnA1t
Created and implemented rules so banks can no longer use
depositors’ money to invest in derivatives and other high-risk financial
instruments that work against depositors’ interests. http://bit.ly/fnTayj
Supported the concept of allowing stockholders to vote on
executive compensation. http://bit.ly/fnTayj
Endorsed and supported the Foreign Account Tax Compliance
Act of 2009 that would close offshore tax avoidance loopholes. http://bit.ly/esOdfB http://bit.ly/eG4DPM
Negotiated a deal with Swiss banks permitting the US
government to gain access to bank records of criminals and tax evaders. http://bit.ly/2aAwUS5
Signed the American Jobs and Closing Tax Loopholes Act,
closing many of the loopholes that allowed companies to send jobs overseas, and
avoid paying US taxes by moving money offshore. http://1.usa.gov/bd1RTq
Thanks to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act,
inflation in the healthcare sector dropped to its lowest point in 50
years. http://on.wsj.com/1E6cYjF
Improved Conditions for Consumers and Small Businesses
Signed the Credit Card Accountability, Responsibility and
Disclosure (CARD) Act, to protect consumers from unfair and deceptive credit
card practices. http://1.usa.gov/gIaNcS
Guided the housing market all the way back from total
collapse, which led to a rally for housing starts. http://reut.rs/1NTAOVU
Brought airline industry back to their highest profitability
since before the recession.
http://lat.ms/1O8H1iE
Created an airline passenger bill of rights, preventing airlines
from stranding passengers on tarmac for hours, requiring them to return to the
gate within three hours or face stiff fines.
http://bit.ly/2c3jAZi
Blocked a monopolistic merger of Staples and Office Depot,
to preserve at least some competition. http://bit.ly/1kcY2Kv
Stock market has reached record highs, restoring most of the
economic losses felt during the Bush Recession. http://bit.ly/1z4FAtL
Promoted and signed a bill to established the Consumer
Financial Protection Bureau and implemented it.
http://1.usa.gov/j5onG
http://bit.ly/fnTayj
Consumer confidence continues to inch up to its highest
level more than a decade.
http://bit.ly/1PZLRcK
Initiated a $15 billion plan designed to encourage increased
lending to small businesses.
http://1.usa.gov/eu0u0b
Created business.gov, to allow online collaboration between
small businesses and experts re managing a business. (The program has since
merged with SBA.gov.)
http://www.business.gov
Took steps to improve minority access to capital.
http://bit.ly/f9xVE7
Used recovered TARP money to fund programs at local housing
finance agencies in California, Florida, Nevada, Arizona and Michigan. http://bit.ly/2b3jKOk
Crafted and signed an executive order establishing the
President’s Advisory Council on Financial Capability to assist in financial
education for all Americans. http://bit.ly/eyqsNE
Oversaw the most sweeping food safety legislation since the
Great Depression. http://bit.ly/2aiIPaS
Through the Fraud Enforcement and Recovery Act, extended the
False Claims Act to combat fraud by companies and individuals using money from
TARP and Stimulus programs.
http://bit.ly/SLTcSa
Set up rules for banks in handling legal marijuana money.
http://nyti.ms/1b80o2K
Added greater protections to consumer financial transactions
to reduce identity theft.
http://1.usa.gov/1pjfUFq
Took steps to prevent pirate fishing and protect fish
populations, and ordered stricter labeling requirements on labeling of seafood
products in stores. http://1.usa.gov/1BYhTUn
Signed the RAISE Act, which should encourage more people to
open small businesses and help improve the economy. http://bit.ly/1QhTqkF
Signed a bill that allows low-volume vehicle manufacturers
that will increase entrepreneurship among small car manufacturers, who often
build replicas of classics but who often build green vehicles. http://bit.ly/1QhTqkF
Signs an Executive Order to strengthen cooperation with
regard to global entrepreneurship.
http://1.usa.gov/294u5eI
Signs a law to allow “ordinary investors” to help a company
start up through crowdfunding.
http://n.pr/299eZEn
Blocks the merger of several health insurers to ensure that
competition remains in the health insurance business. http://bit.ly/2cvHV9P
Signs a law to strengthen American economic competitiveness.
, http://bit.ly/2932zfA
Strengthened the Middle Class and Fought Poverty
Worked to provide affordable, high-quality child care to
working families. http://bit.ly/fNfidS
Through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, cut
taxes for 95% of America’s working families.
http://bit.ly/eSEI4F
Tax rates for average working families are the lowest since
1950. http://bit.ly/f74pD8
Extended and fully funded the patch for the Alternative
Minimum Tax for 10 years. http://bit.ly/eFeSdP
Extended discounted health coverage under the COBRA health
insurance law for the unemployed from 9 months to 15 months, and he’s also
extended unemployment benefits more than a few times.
http://aol.it/evtVxDhttp://nyti.ms/emrqKJ http://bit.ly/hOtIpg http://bit.ly/fTT7kz
Provided a $20 billion increase for the Supplemental Nutrition
Assistance Program (Food Stamps). http://nyti.ms/gfLqyM
Signed an Executive Order that established the White House
Office of Urban Affairs. http://wapo.st/eWECA8
Included the Buffet Rule in his 2014 budget proposal, in
order to fulfill a campaign promise to make sure tax rates are fair between the
rich and the middle class.
http://1.usa.gov/19PkdQo
Used the fiscal cliff negotiations to extend for five
additional years the American Opportunity Tax Credit, which provides tax
credits to families for college-related expenses, thus saving those families up
to $10,000. http://onforb.es/17zYg3u
Increased protections for the unemployed who are seeking a
government job. http://1.usa.gov/1jgXATu
Updated and modernized overtime regulations under the Fair
Labor Standards Act (FLSA)
http://1.usa.gov/1iGDO8e
Signed and implemented the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act, to
improve nutrition in schools and make children healthier. http://1.usa.gov/GAXkSk
To make college more affordable and accountable, will begin
rating colleges with regard to affordability and value. http://bit.ly/14Dn7UL
Initiated a reform of federal job training programs, to make
them more relevant to the current economy and the job market. http://1.usa.gov/1kZLQHG
Under Obama, the bottom 95% of taxpayers pay lower federal
income taxes than at any time in the last 50 years, including under Reagan, or
either Bush. http://bit.ly/1w1W8Ns
Signed a presidential memorandum authorizing six weeks paid
leave for all federal employees with a new baby and encouraged Congress to do
the same for all workers.
http://bit.ly/18613XA
2014 marked the first time since 1984 that unemployment
dropped in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. 1.usa.gov/1E25u0C
Took steps to improve workplace safety by creating an
Advisory Board to study workers’ exposure to toxic substances.
http://1.usa.gov/1M4s8IG
Changed overtime rules to make it far more difficult for
employers to avoid paying overtime to workers. http://politi.co/1KHfiBe
Changed rules for federal contractors, guaranteeing that all
workers earn paid leave; this should affect about 300,000 workers. http://1.usa.gov/1LcHZWl
Signed a Hague Convention Agreement to make it easier to
collect child support from parents wherever they are in the world. http://bit.ly/2cI38wB
Negotiated a law to finally replace “No Child Left Behind”
and remove much of the onerous government “oversight” that caused children to
stagnate, not improve, academically. http://bit.ly/1Up9pMl
Signed executive order to expand charitable giving among
federal employees. http://bit.ly/2e7cJQy
Helped to end the “Victory Tax” that caused financial
hardship to successful Olympic athletes. http://bit.ly/2ds4uO2
Addressed Civil Rights and Equality
Formed a commission to examine and make recommendations for
fixing the broken voting system. http://wapo.st/16K0D
Created a Civil Rights Division in the Justice Department
that has become a very strong voice for Black people. http://bit.ly/1ObO7TI
At a press conference August 9, 2013, gave up some executive
power, promising to create adversarial process in FISA regarding NSA
surveillance. http://1.usa.gov/1dQmnyQ
Proposed rules to enhance Fair Housing Laws, to give HUD and
other enforcement agencies more enforcement power. http://bit.ly/1qkz4uQ
Ordered a review of capital punishment policies after
several botched executions. http://nyti.ms/RDJp58
Approved $1.2 billion discrimination settlement with black
farmers who had proved USDA bias.
http://huff.to/1Nol9Ab
Appointed Kareem Dale as the first ever Special Assistant to
the President for Disability Policy. http://1.usa.gov/fi5IY0
Concentrated immigration enforcement on those who commit
crimes, and vowed to stop breaking up families.
http://1.usa.gov/1uTZ8gV
Streamlined the visa process, to make it more responsive and
humane for those who want to be here legally. http://1.usa.gov/1tgDRti
Took steps to tighten the reins when it comes to providing
local law enforcement agencies with military-style equipment and exercising
more control over the equipment they receive.
http://1.usa.gov/1ATWV3K
Changed fair housing rules to make more affordable housing
available to more people.
http://cnn.it/1JcR3qB
Helped Democrats in Congress pass and signed the Civil
Rights History Act. http://bit.ly/th0JC8
Created a Policing Task Force to deal with the problems that
led to the #BlackLivesMatter movement.
http://nbcnews.to/1T17PON
His Justice Department investigated the Ferguson Police
Department twice and slammed them for their racism and exploitive
practices. http://nbcnews.to/1q9jTpf
Established the White House Council of Native American
Affairs, to improve government-to-government relations with Native American
nations. http://1.usa.gov/1cIEeEv
Limited local police acquisitions of military-style
equipment, to reduce the likelihood of overkill. http://n.pr/1NGkBjT
Signed Blue Alert Law, which provides police officers with
more information when they are threatened.
http://bit.ly/1NGksga
Blocked the sale of Apache tribal land to foreign mining
company, over Republican objections.
http://bit.ly/1RYpmfihttp://bit.ly/1RYpmfi
Settled with the City of Cleveland over civil rights and
excessive force violations.
http://nbcnews.to/24GRQNw
Reviewed the practices of the Philadelphia Police Department
and made 91 recommendations to prevent civil rights and excessive force violations. http://on.msnbc.com/1q9ktmX
Signed a law to modernize the way the federal government
refers to minorities, removing certain archaic terms from the vocabulary. http://bit.ly/291BeIL
Took steps to treat opioid addiction as a health issue rather
than purely as a law enforcement issue.
http://bit.ly/2ccokd3
Signed a law to better protect children in tribal foster
care. http://strib.mn/293Gyky
Blocked an oil pipeline in South Dakota that would have
devastated sacred Sioux land. http://theatln.tc/2cmmmqb
Worked with Congress to pass bill establishing Commission on
Native Children, which will examine some of the most pressing problems facing
Native American nations.
http://wapo.st/2esGxbC
Signed bill establishing a Sexual Assault Rights Act by
working with Democrats in Congress.
http://bzfd.it/2ejelVd
Worked with Congress to pass law to make sure there are
changing tables in all federal restrooms, including men’s rooms. http://slate.me/2ejdWlu
Improved Workers’ Rights
He issued final rules that require all employers to
prominently post employees’ rights where all employees or prospective employees
can see it, including all websites and intranets. http://1.usa.gov/qu2EhQ
Obama’s Equal Employment Opportunity Commission clarified
and strengthened rules prohibiting discrimination against pregnant
workers. http://alj.am/1mo0kjV
Required companies who bid on federal contracts larger than
$500,000 to publicly disclose all previous violations of labor law, including
unpaid claims for back wages.
http://1.usa.gov/V54qY3
Made it illegal for federal contractors with more than $1
million in contracts to force employees into arbitration in workplace
discrimination accusations. http://1.usa.gov/V54qY3
Vetoed Republican bill that would have blocked new NLRB
rules that were designed to speed up the time it takes workers to
unionize. http://reut.rs/1agujMO He also added a Memorandum of Disagreement to
make his reasons for the veto clear and made a major statement in support of
unions. http://1.usa.gov/1NG7RuA
Cracked down on companies that were previously denying sick
pay, vacation and health insurance, and Social Security and Medicare tax
payments through abuse of the employee classification of independent
contractor. http://nyti.ms/fOGLcj
Signed law that bans imports of goods produced through
forced labor. http://nbcnews.to/1RuJu2y
Protected the Rights of LGBT People
Signed and implemented the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd,
Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, which made it a federal crime to assault anyone
based on his or her sexual orientation or gender identity. http://bit.ly/gsMSJ7
Oversaw and implemented the repeal of the reprehensible
“Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” policy. http://bit.ly/fdahuHhttp://bit.ly/mZV4Pz
Extended benefits to same-sex partners of federal
employees. http://1.usa.gov/g2RLCj
Appointed more openly gay officials than anyone in
history. http://bit.ly/g1lA7D
Appointed first openly transgender Cabinet Official in
History. http://bit.ly/58zUp7
Advocated that United Nations adopt a policy supporting gay
rights worldwide. http://lat.ms/pQe1RS
As soon as the Supreme Court invalidated the Defense of
Marriage Act, he moved to extend federal benefits to same-sex couples. http://wapo.st/1avDjue
Issued an order requiring hospitals to allow visitation by
same-sex couples. http://reut.rs/llNJek
Changed HUD rules to prohibit gender and sexual
orientation-based discrimination in housing
bit.ly/9RxEnP
Changed his mind and publicly expressed support for same-sex
marriage. http://bit.ly/JsiFKp
Issued a Presidential Memorandum reaffirming the rights of
gay couples to make medical decisions for each other. http://1.usa.gov/aUueGT
Appointed several prominent gay athletes and others, and
plans to show US government’s commitment to gay rights to anti-gay Russia.
http://on.cpsj.com/1fckN9h
Department of Agriculture propagated new rules to better
enforce non-discrimination when it comes to USDA investigations and to extend
non-discrimination to gender identity.
http://bit.ly/1yChJhi
Banned all federal contractors from discriminating against
gay workers. http://1.usa.gov/1ok1gfH
Persevered with his campaign to turn “gay marriage” into
“marriage” and won in the Supreme Court. http://cbsloc.al/1M4qLKb
Improved Conditions for Women
Establishing the White House Council on Women and Girls to
ensure that all Cabinet and Cabinet-level agencies consider the effect of their
policies and programs on women and families.
http://bit.ly/e1puTk
http://1.usa.gov/rFfqMM
Implemented the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which restored
basic protections against pay discrimination for women and other workers.
http://bit.ly/fT3Cxg
Eliminated federal funding for abstinence-only education,
and rescinded the global gag rule. http://bit.ly/eCFAI1 http://bit.ly/f92drF
Comiled by Edmilson
Source: www.pleasecutthecrap.com/obama-accomplishments/
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