...has the Obama administration departed from traditional Democratic values and policies? The 2015 state of the union address, Barack Obama had stated ‘after a breakthrough year for America, our economy is growing and creating jobs…shrinking deficits…things like childcare and sick leave and equal pay; things like lower mortgage premieres and a higher minimum wage- these ideas will make a meaningful difference in the lives of millions of families. Like any Democratic President, Barack Obama had commented on traditional aspects of the Democratic Party, however there are parts of Obamas administration that has departed from some traditional Democratic values and policies. These will be explained further. Firstly, signs that Obama has not departed from key traditional Democrat values and policies is Obamas intervention in the economy to promote growth. In the recent state of the union address, Obama had mentioned the economy and its growth several times, which portrayed how important the president had found this issue; sounding finally like the president that his liberal supporters want him to be. Traditionally, the Democrats believe in building a stronger economy by raising the minimum wage, giving equal pay for equal work, and reforming student loan debt. This is highlighted by Obama, with the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, most commonly referred to as the ‘stimulus bill’. The bill was a direct response to the economic crisis and at the urging of Obama. The act...
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...different European citizens show an overwhelming support for the current president, Barrack Obama, over his Republican challenger, Mitt Romney. "If Europeans could vote in November's election, 75% would vote for Obama while only 8% would vote for Romney" (World views). While many ideas and opinions are given for the overwhelming support of President Obama it is mostly due to cultural, historical, and foreign policy views of European. The US Democratic Party is much more secular and closer to European idea of thought and government. They believe the federal government has much more of a role to play in providing some basic services, similar to the ideas common in Europe (European Conservatives). The US Republican Party has more of an individualist approach, where federal government plays a smaller role of individuals. Romney has been portraying Obama as wanting to turn America into a European-style entitlement society. Stating he wants to ensure that America remains a free and prosperous land of opportunity (European Conservatives). This has done nothing but get Europeans to support Romney even less. Europeans have historically sided with the Democratic candidate in the US presidential race. This European perception of Republicans was made worse during the Bush administration, largely because of widespread European disapproval of the war in Iraq (European Conservatives). When Obama was elected in 2008 European approval of the president was much higher, especially in France...
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...Assess and evaluate the success of Barack Obama's presidency (45 marks) Barack Obama was elected to the White House in 2008 after being the Senator of Illinois since 2005. Although he still has two years remaining in his presidency, after winning a second term in 2012, there have already been significant events and actions that will dictate the success or failure of his presidency in years to come. His successes in reforming healthcare and gay rights are counteracted by his failures with Syria and relations with the EU. The relationship he has attained with the other branch of government has been a relatively successful one, introducing to new women to the Supreme Court, however losing two midterms and being office during the 2013 government shutdown and a severe reduction in the levels of bipartisanship in Congress have scared his presidency somewhat. Obama has made the presidency somewhat of a more trustworthy institute after removing the negative stigma left by George W Bush. However his introduction of policy tzars and using constitutional bypasses he said he wouldn't, such as executive orders and recess appointments, have caused backlash. Overall though, we can say that his presidency has been a successful one with some mistakes, but we can't really expect no mistakes to happen over 8 years as the a President. Obama has has both resounding success in his domestic policy as well as significant failures. One of his most notable successes, and one of the policies he...
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...Obama Care Obama Care Obama Care is thought by most people to be a US law aimed at reforming the American health care system. The main focus for this care is to provide more Americans with access to reasonable health insurance, improving the value of health insurance, regulating the health insurance industry, and decreasing health care spending in the US (Government, 2012). Many people have mixed feelings about Obama Care and how it is used in the US. In this paper, I will discuss the origins and the history of how Obama Care got started and its difficulties. Then, I am going to talk about the pros and cons dealing with Obama Care and the ways it will affect our economy. Next, I will discuss how Obama Care is funded and how there are still missing pieces that the administration needs to clear up. Lastly, I will argue how some of the American population thinks Obama Care is a scam. Then, to wrap up my paper I will be giving my opinion on this complex matter. Steps in the process of Obama Care The history of Obama Care is very complex but the name is the unofficial name for The Patient Protection and Affordable Care act, which was singed into law on March 23, 2010. The major requirements went into effect in January 1, 2014 even though significant modifications had happened before this date. Many Americans were opposed to Obama Care before it was even passed because they didn’t like the idea of the government taking over the healthcare polices. Now, I am going to...
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...The day Barack Obama took over the oval office, the entire nation was thrilled to see someone with much better judgment, charisma and let alone intelligence to operate the nation during the country’s worst economy recession since the Great Depression. When the Obama Administration stepped into the office, many believed that the priority for this administration is to turn the country around from this horrific recession that the entire world was facing at the time. Today, I would like to discuss Obama Administration’s policies that are affecting the ability for entrepreneurs to start, operate and make successful a business. First of all, entrepreneur is an integral element of the United States’ economy. Most entrepreneurs are small businesses, and small businesses are extremely important to the country. Small businesses create a tremendous amount of job opportunities which has given plethora of people a chance to achieve financial stability. Small businesses are also essential elements for the country’s revenue, out of all the companies listed in Fortune 500, a great portion of those companies started by entrepreneurs who had abysmal amounts of asset but great visions. In regards to Obama Administration’s policies on small businesses, it seems that President Obama also believes that small businesses are exceptionally vital to the nation’s well being as he stated in a statement that “one of the biggest drivers of employment that we have”. In order to help the entrepreneurs as well...
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...The Pros and the Cons of Middle East Policies Name of Student Institution. The Pros and the Cons of Middle East Policies Background The international politics and relations are currently being dominated by the issue of the Middle East and the US relationship. It is, therefore, important to look at the factors that have resulted in a fragile relationship between the world superpower and the Middle East. For decades, the Middle East has been dealing with power struggles, Israeli-Palestinian border conflict, and the Arab-Israeli war. Some states in the region are pushing for constitutional monarchies or liberal democracies. My essay will examine the underlying animosity between these nations. It will also look at the pros and con of the American policies towards the Middle East and the ways it has succeeded. Hypothesis The USA is doing enough in its dealings with the Middle East. Analysis There has been an ongoing debate regarding the question of what the US’s foreign policies are towards the Middle East. Two main defense strategy objectives were resulting from the Pentagon’s Defense Planning Guidance between the year 1994 and 1999 (Reveron et al., 2014). This period was prior to President Bush Jr. Administration and has since then become more relevant. The primary objective was to deter another world war or an extreme enmity like the one portrayed between the former Soviet Union towards America. A new region strategy has therefore been put in place to prevent a hostile power from...
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...attitudes toward Israel as a state, how the US-Israeli relationship should be dealt with, and the question of Palestine and its people. In this piece, we will review the history of the US-Israeli relationship in six episodes of history, and how US foreign policy on Israel has shifted over the decades to what it is today, and we will then discuss the prospect for Israel, Israel-Palestine, and US-Israel relations in the coming presidential term. Professor Robert Lieber of Georgetown University, and expert on US-Israeli relations asserts that the relationship between the United States and Israel in the past six decades can be separated into two schools of thought: the “special relationship paradigm,” and “national interest orientation.” The United States chose to be the first to recognize the State of Israel because at the time in 1948, and until today, the US Government believed that it shares certain common values and political aims. Under the special relationship paradigm, which still serves today as the basis of US support of Israel, the Truman Administration felt that Israel, like the US, held a pioneering spirit, was composed of a heterogeneous social composition, and shared its democratic values. The national interest orientation emerged over time and included shared goals such as mitigating the Arab-Israeli conflict, maintaining Western access to Middle Eastern Oil, the fight against Islamic Fundamentalism, and with Israel in place, the US was guaranteed maintained...
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...of legal immigrants and the control and penalties regarding illegal immigrants. The historical perspectives of former President George H. W. Bush, and President Obama clearly shows how different the immigration issue is for republicans and democrats alike. Each party appears to be pro-immigration for varying reasons. President Bush found that during his time as governor of Texas that many immigrants entered the country through illegal means as a viable workforce. During his second term as President he also found that many Americans did not agree with giving undocumented immigrants a path to legal citizenship, and found it difficult to come up with a program for immigration reform. Some of former President Bush’s comprehensive immigration reform included: 1. Introduce a guest worker program, which would include a tamper-proof identification card 2. Enhance border security 3. Stricter immigration enforcement at businesses, which would reduce exploitation and help slow demand for illegal workers 4. Promote assimilation by requiring immigrants to learn English 5. What to do with the approximately twelve million illegal immigrants in the country? A rational middle ground between granting an automatic path to citizenship for every illegal immigrant and a program of mass deportation. President Obama has fought for the DREAM Act, legislation that would ensure the...
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...decades. Although that seems shocking and difficult to believe, it’s a 110% accurate and true. Our unemployment rate is at its lowest in more than five years. It’s currently at 6.6% which is 1.2% lower when Obama first took office. The housing market is recovering from its five years of pain. According to a survey conducted by housing research firm Metrostudy, there are less than 30,000 vacant new homes on the market. The number of manufacturing jobs in the U.S. last year grew 1.2%, or 136,000, the first increase since 1997. In nearly twenty years, more oil is produced at home than we buy from the rest of the world. America is closer to energy independence than we’ve been in decades. Also, we are becoming a global leader in solar too. Over the past eight years, the United States has reduced its total carbon pollution more than any other nation on Earth. The US budget deficit is set to fall to US$514 billion this year, down substantially from last year and lowest level by far since President Barack Obama took office five years ago. For the first time in over a decade, business leaders around the world have declared that America is number one place to invest. According to a 2013 report by the Organization for International Investment, foreign direct investment in the US reached US$2.7 trillion at the end of 2012. Congress produced a budget that undoes some of last year’s severe cuts to priorities like education. After four years of...
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...Obama Timeline: The most powerful person in the world -Barack Hussein Obama, was born on August 4, 1961 in Hawaii -His parents divorced when he was 2 yrs old and after that in 1967 he moved to Jakarta, Indonesia to live with his mother -1971: when he returned to Honolulu to live with his grandparents and attended Punahou school, a private preparatory school. He was one of few black students in school and his classmate regarded him as “the black kid from Indonesia” -1975: while in high school, Obama joined the basketball team and became a leader in class. (I think he started leading people very young) However, during his teenage years, he described his struggles as a young adult to reconcile social perceptions of his multiracial heritage lead him to use alcohol, marijuana and cocaine. (At the 2008 Civil Forum on the Presidency, Obama identified his high-school drug use as a great moral failure) -1979: Obama attended Occidental College and here he made his 1st public speech, calling for Occidental’s disinvestment from South Africa due to its policy of apartheid (mid-1981). - He graduated Bachelor of Arts with the major in political science in Columbia University in 1983. -He worked as director of the Developing Communities Project (a church-based community organization). He helped set up training program, a college preparatory tutoring program. -Entering Harvard Law School in 1988 and becoming an editor and also a first black president of the Harvard Law review. ...
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... was the beginning of an unprecedented geopolitical scenario in modern times, namely the existence of a lone superpower nation which easily dominated the other countries of the world in terms of military strength and international economic and political influence. With this never-before-seen position of power in the modern, globalized world came the heightened importance of American foreign policy decisions, and the world waited to see how the US would react to being thrust abruptly into this role of the unipole of world power. The first test of US foreign policy as the sole superpower would actually come before the official dissolution of the USSR (though it had been in steep economic decline for some time), when Saddam Hussein lead the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in 1990. US President George H. W. Bush would place this conflict into perspective for the countries now looking to the US for leadership in his address to a joint session of Congress and the nation on September 11, 1990, and it was then that he most famously claimed that the US would strive to establish and protect the concept of a New World Order (NWO): “We stand today at a unique and extraordinary moment. The crisis in the Persian Gulf, as grave as it is, also offers a rare opportunity to move toward an historic period of cooperation. Out of these troubled times, our fifth objective -- a new world order -- can emerge: a new era -- freer from the threat of terror, stronger in the pursuit of justice, and more secure in...
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...At the start of the Democratic Convention, polls showed Barack Obama tied with Mitt Romney. That's surprising because many Americans do not look favorably on the Obama Administration; they hold the President responsible for high unemployment and trust Romney to fix the problem. Nonetheless, voters expect Obama to win, because he's more popular. The most reliable political prognosticator, Nate Silver, expects Obama to get 50.9 percent of the vote (he received 52.9 percent in 2008) and 305.5 electoral votes (365 in 208). Silver says Obama has a 73.1 percent chance of winning. If the President does prevail in November, it won't be because of the economy. The US is experiencing a weak recovery from the devastating 2008 recession (GDP growth is a tepid 1.7 percent) and unemployment is high (8.3 percent). Even though America's growth rate is greater than that of Europe (but less than that of China and India), citizens are not satisfied. Consumer confidence is low and recent polls show 62 percent of respondents believe that the US is "on the wrong track." Not surprisingly, 52 percent of poll respondents believe that Mitt Romney "would do a better job handling the economy and unemployment." Romney hasn't done a good job articulating his vision for the next four years. In his acceptance speech, he presented his minimalist five-step plan to create "12 million jobs": open all of America to fossil-fuel excavation; initiate an education voucher system; forge new trade agreements;...
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...Summary: Planning to protect 4.4 million undocumented immigrants from deportation, president Obama exercises his executive order right to make changes in immigration policy. The new immigration plan will not only protect many unlawful immigrants from being deported but it also gains them access in obtaining driver licenses and social security cards. In another word, they will be legally to work in United States but it offers no path to citizenship. This will open a path for many high skilled workers to the United States labor force. Another major change is that Obama’s action will end a program called Secure Communities, therefore Immigration and Custom Enforcement as well as other law enforcement agencies will begin to priority their focus on criminals and felons rather than working families and security on the border will be increased. While many Americans think this is a righteous move that should have been done long ago to fix our broken immigration policy, the plan is opposed strongly by the Republicans. President Obama has no option but to use his executive action. House Speaker John Boehner states that the president is acting like a king or emperor with his executive action on the new immigration reform. The plan is also facing lawsuit from many different states, but Obama administration believes that the policies could withstand any lawsuit. Obama says in his speech, “The actions I’m taking are not only lawful; they’re the kind of actions taken by every single Republican...
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...This was an important achievement for Obama because before he was elected, the country was suffering from an economic decline because of the Bush administration. Obama effectively “saved” the United States by lowering the rate by a tremendous 5.3%. By cutting this rate in half meant that more Americans were earning money, which leads to a better economy and less homeless people on the street. Another good act that Obama did during his presidency...
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...Barack Obama as President The name Barack Obama to some people brings joy as they think about the much needed change he promises to bring to our country, but to others it brings anger and disappointment because they feel he won’t be able to bring the change the country needs. To me and many others President Obama is a great leader and is growing into a greater one. He focuses on the issues our country has as a whole such as the economy, education and health care. I believe that Obama has a great plan for all of the issues at hand, but everyone is entitled to their own opinions. When it comes to the economy President Obama inherited a terrible mess when he came into political office; a 1.3 trillion dollar deficit, two wars, rising unemployment and unprecedented crises in our banking system. The Obama Administration has worked overtime to address our immediate problems of rising unemployment, falling home prices and limping credit markets, while taking a longer view in laying a strong foundation for future economic growth that benefits all Americans. To get the economy back on track President Obama signed legislation to jumpstart our economy, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, less than a month after his inauguration. The plan will save or create 3.5 million new jobs, make critical investments in our infrastructure and give 95 percent of working Americans a tax cut. There are many people who are appreciative of what President Obama and his Administration are doing to...
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