Supporters of conservative, free-market policies are rejoicing with President Obama’s presidency in its final days, and justifiably so.
By the end of 2017, Obama’s policies will have nearly doubled the national debt, from about $10 trillion in 2009 to around $20 trillion. More people are dependent on government today than they have been in at least the past two decades, with average annual food stamp enrollment rising by nearly 16 million compared to 2008 and Medicaid rolls exploding across the country. Despite Obama’s rhetoric about 80-plus months of consecutive job growth and the number of jobs added since January 2008, employment growth has failed to match population growth, which means the economy hasn’t really grown at all in nine years (relative to the size of the population).
Add to this the failures of Obamacare, rampant executive overreach, massive federal land grabs, a nation that’s more divided than ever (despite Obama’s pledge to “unify”), the various problems in the Middle East, and thousands of other issues, and you have a presidency that can, at the very least, be objectively considered a significant disappointment.
I’d argue it’s been a disaster.
But, despite all the problems, there are several aspects of the Obama administration that deserve praise from people across the political spectrum, including constitutional conservatives.
1. He always presented himself as calm, cool and collected.
A president’s demeanor matters, and few presidents in recent memory have appeared as cool and collected as Obama, even in the worst of situations.
2. Speaking directly to everyday Americans.
There’s a reason Obama’s approval rating tops 56 percent in his final days in office, despite huge Election Day losses for his party: His administration consistently attempted to explain to middle- and lower-income Americans why his policies would work for them. Even though his policies consistently failed to deliver, which is precisely why voters have put Republicans in power in almost every level of government, most Americans still believe Obama cares about them, a difficult feat for any president to accomplish after two full terms in office.
3. Revolutionizing the way presidents communicate.
From 1933 to 1944, President Franklin Roosevelt won the hearts of millions with his “fireside chats,” radio conversations delivered directly to the homes of Americans. It was an incredibly unique strategy in its day, and it helped Roosevelt seem accessible in a time when most people were struggling to deal with the effects of the Great Depression and World War II.
In a similar manner, Obama took advantage of the Internet in ways other presidents had yet to do, making frequent YouTube videos, engaging in Reddit “Ask Me Anything” chats (which are very popular with millennials), and using other forms of social media to communicate directly with Americans.
Given President-elect Trump’s love for social media, I think it’s fair to say this strategy will continue into the next administration.
4. Limits on executive compensation.
Although I believe the economy, in the long run, would have been better off without many of the government bailouts the Obama administration and congressional Democrats offered failing corporations in 2009 and 2010, Obama was right when he argued executives shouldn’t receive exorbitant salaries and “golden parachute” severance packages funded by taxpayers.
In the wake of the government bailouts, Obama instituted strict requirements in 2009 on executive compensation, setting pay caps of $500,000 for executives who work at businesses that choose to accept “extraordinary assistance” from the government, as reported by The Wall Street Journal.
5. Support for the Sexual Assault Survivor Bill of Rights.
In October 2016, President Obama signed into law the bipartisan Sexual Assault Survivor Bill of Rights, which, according to reporter Diana Pearl at People.com, “gives survivors of sexual assault and rape the right to have their rape kits and other evidence preserved for the length of the statute of limitations, the right to be notified 60 days before it is destroyed, the right to request for the kit to be kept further and the right to be notified of any test results that come of any rape kit. Survivors also must be given written notice of their rights, and an active group must assess how effective these policies are.”
Prior to being signed into law by Obama, the bill was passed unanimously in the Republican-led House and Senate, making it one of the few pieces of bipartisan legislation to pass in 2016.
This important law was supported by the president throughout the legislative process, and Obama’s decision to sign these important protections for women into law deserves praise from all Americans. Hopefully, states follow Obama and Congress’s lead and pass similar legislation at the state level.
Justin Haskins is a contributor to the Washington Examiner’s Beltway Confidential blog. He is an executive editor at The Heartland Institute. Thinking of submitting an op-ed to the Washington Examiner? Be sure to read our guidelines on submissions.
