So. Here we are on the night of President Obama's inauguration. The U.S, is engaged in two wars in the middle east. Just the Iraq war will result in 165,000 Iraqi civilians and 4,486 U.S. soldiers dead. The U.S. is firmly in the grips of the Great Recession, with 46.2 million living in poverty and 50.7 million people without Health Insurance. Unemployment will top out at 10%, greater than 12.2 million families will ultimately lose their homes, and the budget deficit is $1.2 trillion (Congregational Budget Office). The day President Obama assumed office, the Republican party dedicated themselves to complete and total opposition of any and everything that the President proposed or supported. Mitch McConnell, himself, declared on National television, "Our top political priority over the next two years is to deny Obama a second political term." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-A09a_gHJc
The 111th Congress was composed of 40 Republicans, 58 Democrats and 2 Independents in the Senate. http://www.infoplease.com/us/government/111-congress.html The House of Representatives was 178 Republicans and 262 Democrats. This gave President Obama a Democratic majority in the entire congress. Republicans are fond of saying, especially when discussing the Executive Orders to which Obama had to resort, that he wasted his Democratic Majority. Eric Golub in his posting of March 12, 2014, Democrat Rule 2009-2011 on Communities Digital Network asks, "Just what did they do? Really not very much." He states that Obama had "complete control of Congress. The Dems ignored everything to reform Health Care." "Obama tried the scorched earth approach, all the while claiming the Republicans refused to work with him." "Some Republicans were able to work with Dems, but only when he (Obama) was out of the room." "The reason Dems refused to actually try and turn their pipe dreams into law is because deep down they knew they were trying to sell an ideology the American voters never wanted and still do not want." Mr. Golub goes on to say, "America is a center-right Republic, not a European-style Social Democracy. Americans will tolerate less job stability and security for more individual freedom and a chance at acquiring wealth. Everything the liberal agenda stands for involves placing restrictions on what individuals are allowed to do. America was created in the wake of an oppressive European government." Furthermore, he states, "There is no time to waste and the Obama libs wasted everybody's time just like they did when Jimmy Carter and Bill
Clinton helped the Dems briefly control everything. The conservative Republicans took over and things finally got down."
Clinton helped the Dems briefly control everything. The conservative Republicans took over and things finally got down."
The myth that the Democrats wasted their time when they had the majority was repeated and expanded on so much that even Democrats struggled to state what Obama had done, except for the ACA. Contrary to the above claims, the 111th Congress, though stormy, was still the most productive congress, legislatively, in decades. More landmark legislation was passed by this Congress than any since LBJ's presidency. "The Stormy 111th Congress was still the Most Productive in Decades" The Washington Post 12/23/2010. David A. Fahrenthold, Philip Rucker and Felicia Sonmez. This landmark legislation included:
- $814 billion stimulus package
- the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare)
- Wall Street and credit card regulations
- Tax Cuts
- Nuclear arms treaty with Russia
- Repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell"
- DREAM offers a two-year, renewable reprieve from deportation to unauthorized immigrants who are under the age of 31; entered the United States before age 16; have lived continuously in the country for at least five years; have not been convicted of a felony, a “significant” misdemeanor, or three other misdemeanors; and are currently in school, graduated from high school, earned a GED, or served in the military. http://www.immigrationpolicy.org/issues/DREAM-Act
- Senator Franken's Anti-Rape amendment to the Defense Appropriations Bill - women raped overseas while working for foreign contractors cases are heard in U.S. Court rather than mediated by the companies for which the victims worked. Only Republican males voted against this bill
- Health Care for 9/11 First Responders
- Jobs Bill - offset payroll tax for 1 yr., with tax Incentives for companies with new hires
- American Recovery and Re-investment Act
- Unemployment Extension Act This was blocked for 8 weeks by the Republicans before it finally passed
- Lily Ledbetter Bill expands the time that women can sue for equal pay
- No permanent bases in Afghanistan
- Protection of child custody for deployed members of the Armed Forces
- Improved DOD domestic violence programs
- DOD recognition of children of members of the Armed Forces
- Enhanced Troops to Teachers program
- Increase in Military Pay
- Comprehensive policy on neuro-cognitive assessments by the Military Health System
- Authorization for excess non-lethal supplies available for domestic emergency assistance
- Recovery Act The Recovery Act specifies appropriations for a wide range of Federal programs and increases or extends certain benefits payable under the Medicaid, unemployment compensation, and nutrition assistance programs. The legislation also reduces taxes for families and businesses and makes a variety of other changes to tax laws. https://www.whitehouse.gov/recovery/about/faqs
- Auto Industry Bail-Outs
- Student Loan Reform - blocked banks as middlemen-loans given directly to students
- Doubled funding for Pell Grants, helped 10 million families
- American Opportunity Tax Credit - up to $10,000 over 4 years for college
- Race to the Top https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/fact-sheet-race-top
- Tax cuts; social welfare programs and economic policies that lifted nearly 7 million above the Federal Poverty Line in 2010
- Overhauled federal regulations, saving businesses $10 billion til 2017
- Clean energy Doubled from energy produced from wind and solar sources, increased bio-fuel production, which cut dependence on foreign oil
- Expanded wilderness
- Reduced Toxic Air Pollution
- Created Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
- Naturalized 11,146 military service members
- Supported NASA space exploration
- Sent Navy Seals after Osama Bin Laden
- Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2009
- Temporary extension of programs under Small Business Act
- "Serve America Act"
- Helping Families Save their Homes Act of 2009
- Veterans Compensation Cost of Living Adjustment Act of 2009
- Created new anti-tobacco legislation
- Appointed 2 Supreme court Justices
- Ended War in Iraq
- Passed legislation curbing greenhouse gases and improving the environment
- Repaired image abroad
- Lifted Bush era restrictions on embryonic stem cell research, crucial in research on Alzheimers, Parkinsons Disease and other neurological diseases
- Reversed Bush's ban on federal funding to foreign organizations that allow abortions
- Healthy Hunger-free Kids Act 2010
- Historic food safety law
- Reduction of lead in drinking water Act
- Diesel Emissions reduction act of 2010
- HR 5116 Reauthorization of various programs to strengthen various programs and research and education in U.S. of science, technology, engineering and math
- Obama returned money authorized for refurbishment of White House Offices and Private living quarters, Obama paid for this out of his own pocket.
- New Afghan War Policy limiting aerial bombing and prioritized aid, development of infrastructure, diplomacy and good government practices
- Authorized construction/opening of more health centers for vets
- More loans to small businesses
- Ended previous policy of cutting FDS and circumventing FDA rules
- Increased press conferences and Town Halls over previous administration
- National Performance Officer - save Federal money and make Federal operations more efficient
- Review of Hurricane and Natural Disaster preparedness
- Stopped policy of No-bid defense contracts
- Changed the military from a Cold War Force to increase the size of the military, new technology, cyber units, new procurement policies
- Created Cyber security office
- Sent envoys to the Middle East and around the world to places that had been diplomatically neglected
- Improved conditions at Walter Reed Military Hospital
- Gave Medicare the ability to negotiate with manufacturers for cheaper drugs
- Decreased drug costs for seniors
- Made new funds available for school construction
- Provided funds for Broad Band in K-12 schools
- Enabled Homeowners to meed with Federal Housing Insurance to refinance if having trouble making payments
- Closed Secret Dentention Facilities
- Implemented non-torture policy in compliance with the Geneva Convention
- Provided better body armor for troops
- Cut missile defense program by $1.4 billion by 2010
- Entered into Global Warming Conference
- Made treaties/agreements to protect Antarctica
- Obama visited more countries and met with more world leaders in the first 6 months of his presidency than any other president
- Expanded CHIP to 4 million more children
- Cuba Policy initiated
- Regulated and labeled CO2 emissions
- Expanded vaccinations
- Converted 15% of power plants to renewable resources
- Mandated Tax Incentives for hybrid cars
- Initiated cash for clunkers vouchers to get more fuel efficient cars on the road
- closed off-shore tax havens
- Removed tax benefits for companies that outsourced jobs to other countries
- Increased opportunities in AmeriCorps
- Limited salaries of White House Aides to $100,00.
- Decreased drug shortage fought price gouging by Executive Order
- Covered expenses for families of fallen soldiers to be present to receive bodies of their fallen soldiers in Dover
- Ended media black-out on war casualties, coverage of return of fallen soldiers to Dover AFB pending adherence to respectful rules and approval by soldiers' families
- Implemented White House and government Freedom of Information Act
- Limit Lobbyist access to White House
- Limited White House Aides working for Lobbyists
- Ended Stop-loss policy keeping soldiers deployed past enlistment date
- Started phase-out of F-22 War plane and other outdated weapon systems not used in Iraq/Afghanistan Wars (3 Chics Politico, Ametia Rikyrah, Southern Girls 7/29/10)
Additionally Conservative legislation passed included:
- Prohibition on funds for transfer or release of Guantanamo prisoners
- Prohibited funds to house Guantanamo detainees in the U.S.
- Removed requirement for Miranda for Al Qaeda terrorists
The Republican was livid that the ACA passed. They were very vocal in their opposition to what Obama was doing with the 111th Congress. They were loud and vociferous in their criticisms, especially the amount of the deficit. Never mind that much of the deficit was to bail-out Wall Street and the Automotive Industry. Never mind that Americans were in great need of jobs, needed mortgage relief and assistance, and unemployment insurance. The disinformation and misrepresentation of all the work done by the 111th Congress was so effective, the groaning about the deficit so relentless, that Republicans gained 63 seats in Congress. Republicans said that Congress was "out of control."
When the election dust settled, the 112th congress consisted of 241 Republicans and 198 Democrats in the House of Representatives. The Senate had 47 Republicans, 51 Democrats and 2 Independents, who caucussed with the Democrats.
Next: War on Obama and Democrats
Namaste
Kismet
March 12, 2016
Kismet
March 12, 2016
