General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Please...Cut the Crap~ [View all]quakerboy
(13,920 posts)That does not make him progressive.
Just to start on the list
3) Freezing government worker salaries is a RW favorite. That's not progressive.
7/8) are the same thing. Both ARRA. Which, by the way, devoted more resources to Tax cuts than to any other section. Who loves tax cuts? Republicans. I dont know too many Progressives who are devoted to tax cuts.
9) TARP. Questionable, very pro corporate policy. He did better with it than a R would have done in his place. That doesn't mean he handled it as a progressive would have.
12) Credit where it is due. He did good on the Auto Industry. Id like to think a progressive would have added a bit more incentive to moving us away from fossil fuel autos, but what he accomplished was worthwhile.
29) Not sure how that is an Obama accomplishment, nor that its something good, much less something progressive. Yay Foxconn?
30) article linked says nothing about Obama involvment.
11/31) a lot of these seem to overlap, kind of like a resume bulleting "I made tye dye" then later "I added blue ink. I added Red ink." etc
32) Its a start. Its another one of those "I think a progressive would have done better. Maybe 15?". But its better than a modern republican would have done.
I could keep going, but it seems fruitless. At an estimate, if you eliminate redundant points(eg 5 and 99), 245 becomes 175. If you eliminate ones that are words without actions, 150. Eliminate ones that run counter, not complimentary to progressive ideals, 100. And then the ones where he has done things that counteract the things on the list(ie global spying vs the whole "foriegn relations" section, you might have 25 left for your list.
25 accomplishments, many of which seem lackluster compared to progressive goals, does not a progressive president make. McCain is not the center, Bush was not a moderate, and Obama is not the far left. No matter how much anyone tries to reframe those as being so.