Obama Pundit

by Obama Pundit

Granted, we are only halfway through Barack Obama’s first year as President, but what, exactly, does he have to point to as a big success?

Mind you, a President usually can’t sprinkle pixie dust in the air and make things happen–although this was the impression Obama gave during the campaign–but given his relatively solid electoral majority and control of both houses of Congress, you’d think there’d be a clear victory somewhere along the line.

Now, I am not talking about a political win in the sense that he endorsed or pushed a policy and it then become law.   That has happened and he has accrued an enormous amount of power in the meantime.  What I’m talking about are the bragging points of his presidency.  What are they?  What is objectively seen as a clear, positive triumph for the Obama team?  What policies have actually borne fruit, either political or otherwise?

Is it the stimulus?  Has that been either a political or policy success?  Too soon to tell on the latter count  and entirely debatable on the first (which will probably depend, in the end, on the latter).  Meanwhile, accounts are trickling in of wasted money and various other boondoggles.  Also, unemployment is higher than what was predicted without a stimulus.

Was his budget a hit?  Hardly.  The soaring deficits are making moderate Democrats and independent voters quite nervous.

His stance on Iran?  It has see-sawed between coddling of the Mullahs to taking a more forceful tone.  One gets the sense he is trying to muddle through while incurring as little political damage as possible.  The result has been the lowest approval ratings of his Presidency. 

Health care?  That’s still in the works, but the early indications aren’t exactly encouraging.

Cap ‘n Trade?  The House just passed it–narrowly–and the close margin is a sign that the Senate is going to have a really tough time passing it in the fall.

Gitmo and torture policy?  He lost that debate to a former Vice President with a low approval rating. 

The GM takeover?  That’s not exactly a popular policy. 

I’m not trying to be a nattering nabob here.  I just want to know what, after almost six months, does Obama have to hang his hat on?  Where is his slam dunk win?

Perhaps Afghanistan.  Maybe his financial reform bill.  Uh….Sotomayor?

So far, it’s pretty thin gruel for what was supposed to be a transformational presidency.  About all he has going for him right now is that he is still in power and, while he’s not super popular, he’s not exactly unpopular either.

But with the world spinning more and more out of control and the economy not behaving as hoped for, that could soon change.

Indeed, I think it is only a matter of time before the public sees there no there there when it comes to Obama.