Last week, a pretty horrific week in progressive politics, also marked the anniversary of President Obama’s inauguration.
I was one of the thousands of people on the Mall on that cold, cold day last year. Despite the economic turmoil, I was also one of those people with a lot of hope for what the new administration might mean for our country and our progressive agenda.
It’s been a tough year.
A lot of folks have been reflecting on how Obama is doing after herhis first year. Many people point out that a year is nothing in political time–it will take years before we can really judge Obama and the success or failure of the changes his Administration is trying to make.
But as one of the people who supported his campaign and watched my generation leave their jobs to go out and work to get him elected, I can’t wait ten years to decide what I think.
It’s easy to focus on the big news items–like health care reform–and judge Obama solely on the progress (or lack there of) of those agenda items.
If we were judging solely on those issues, it’d be hard to say anything too positive. The health care reform situation has been a collective hot mess and it doesn’t look like Obama has been willing to put himself on the line for things that I care about–a public option, protection and advancement of reproductive rights, coverage for immigrants.
But in reality, I think it’s the little changes, the ones we don’t hear about, that might make more of a difference.
Forget the big ticket big media coverage things like health care reform. Instead let’s talk about all the thousands of people appointed to government jobs across the Administration. Let’s talk about who is in the White House, and running groups like the FDA.
I first started thinking about this when I heard an NPR story about the presence of the toxic chemical BPA in our products–it’s one of the most commonly occurring chemicals. It’s found in plastics–everything from baby toys to plastic food containers.
One of the scientists who has studied the harmful effects of the chemical explained that the FDA’s recent statement which expressed “some concern” about the levels of BPA in our products and it’s possible effects on humans was a huge departure from the last eight years. During the Bush Administration, the FDA refused to admit that there might be problems with the chemical, despite much scientific research to the contrary.
Maybe it’s the optimist in me, but I’d like to think that these types of shifts will, in the long run, have a big impact on our country. While Congress might not be able to get it together to pass progressive legislation in the ways we would like them too, the people Obama has put in power across government will continue to make changes that will matter in generations to come. And let’s not forget about Justice Sotomayor’s nomination to the Supreme Court. May she live a long, long and healthy life.
This is also an interesting monitor of Obama’s campaign promises and where he stands in relation to them. While most of his promise’s have yet to be acted on, it leaves a bit of hope for the weary.
For those of you in NYC, go check out our Editors Courtney and Samhita on a panel this weekend at the Brooklyn Museum of Art talking about Obama: One Year After.
h/t to Tanya for the Obameter link.
11 Comments
The fact that Guanatanamo Torture Camp is still open for business says it all for me!
To a very large extent, many of our desires were simply unfeasible with the current system. We projected so much of our own individual wishes onto one person, so some letdown was probably inevitable.
And yes, there have been subtle reforms made and we are wise to appreciate them, but I wish we’d take this experience as a means to understand that the system itself needs to be reformed, desperately, and that doing so requires an effort on everyone’s part, not just one person who receives our vote.
I think it’s actually a big mistake if anyone actually expects to see big changes within his entire first term let alone the first year.
Our system is purposely setup so that major changes are hard. But this is both good and bad. If it was easy to make these changes, then any hardcore Republican government could totally change the country on us overnight without us having any recourse. So the difficulty protects us from unwanted changes. It can be bad too when it takes time to make changes, or at least changes that are controversial (any really important change that everyone supports can be made quickly).
But bottom line is, just like I don’t want the Republicans to have the ability to make big changes quickly (because I don’t trust them), it’s only fair that the other side have the same protections.
Because while we feel strongly about these issues and they are important to us, there’s a whole ton of people who feel the exact opposite of us, and while it sucks, it isn’t right to just disregard their opinions and do whatever we want. I sure wouldn’t want the other side to do that.
So ultimately it comes down to swaying public opinion on these issues so the majority of politicians back Obama to push for the changes we want.
For more information on BPA check out this scientific study.
http://humrep.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/dep381v1
Note. This study shows the effects of high level exposure to BPA. Chronic low level exposure, what you would expect from consumer products, could have different or no effects at all.
“A lot of folks have been reflecting on how Obama is doing after her first year” Heh!
She’s doing fine on funding clean energy research btw. Stephen Chu was a good choice.
Great article! Obama has done some good things. It’s not like he can do everything at once, and remember who he has to clean up after.
“I think it’s actually a big mistake if anyone actually expects to see big changes within his entire first term let alone the first year.”
-If Obama continues mumbling and fumbling the way he has been doing so far, there will be no second term and we will be plunged into the Republican gloom for many more years to come.
This presidency has been one huge disappointment and it’s getting worse every single day.
Thanks for the shout out, Miriam, but even more for the alternative p.o.v. It’s been hard to hear everyone reducing Obama’s entire leadership to health care reform, as critical as it is.
I agree that it’s important to sway public opinion. In a truly democratic society, people would be more educated as far as their own options and interests go. But the problem is, I think it’s special interests more than public opinion that is holding this process hostage. Lieberman didn’t decide to mess everything up because his constituents are so against, well, everything. He did it because he’s in the pocket of health insurance companies. Politicians these days are largely in the thrall of those who give them the biggest campaign donations and that ain’t us. Yes, we need to sway public opinion and educate people, but we also need to change the way political campaigns work in this country. And this most recent Supreme Court decision does not make me hopeful.
Any thoughts on what we should do with the guys we know are terrorists but couldn’t convict in a court of law??? Reportedly that accounts for about 50 of the people still at Guantanamo. I think that’s the hard part with this. Much easier said than done. Can you imagine the reaction if just one of these guys that BO released came back & committed a terrorist act against us??? It would set back foreign policy to the 9/11 days & kill BO’s credibility permanently. Its easy to say ‘let these people go’, but a lot harder to decide what to do with the truly unrepentant terrorists.
Can we edit the her to be him or note we are no longer talking about President Barack Obama in that sentence?
Also, President Obama has more death threats than any other President and then when you consider his security actually let party crashers in that no one seemed to know; yeah there is a lot on his plate right now.
It will take a very long time , as another posted already noted, to fix the mess it took President Bush 8 years to make. Given that the democratic majority he had couldn’t even get it together long enough to streamline a filibuster proof bill, his job is exremely difficult.
President Obama is a human being, imperfect and flawed as we all are, and is guranteed to make mistakes and cause disappointment. It has only been ONE year, let’s give him time before we throw him to the sharks.