The First 100 Days
Lauren KawamIssue date: 5/14/09 Section: News
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With a harrowing campaign and only little time to get some R&R, the Obama administration got right to work. Within it’s first 100 days, it approved a $787 billion stimulus package in an attempt to get the economy out of the tank, shut down well-known prison Guantánamo Bay and asked for more money for the Afghanistan and Iraq wars.
Obama has some big britches to fill, and it seems as if he’s wasting no time trying to fill them.
Some have brought up the notion that once the honeymoon period of his administration has worn off, they’re not sure he can succeed as he promised during many of his campaign speeches. Others say, at this point, he can really do no wrong.
“It’s really hard to find some really big thing that he’s really mucked up,” said Arizona State University assistant political science professor Rodolfo Espino. “I think the one thing that came to mind, which was really uncharacteristic for Obama, was when he was on Jay Leno where he made the Special Olympics comment.”
“It’s hard to find a devastating failure. But, by the same token, it’s hard for me to say that the things he’s doing well are triumphant successes on his part,” Espino said.
Espino seems to have captured the general consensus: the first 100 days haven’t been great and they haven’t been horrible; and the long-term consequences of his actions are yet unknown.
SUCCESS
If you could count on one hand the successes Obama has had so far, what would they be?
Carl Pinkele, a politics professor at Ohio Wesleyan University, said that there are some stand-out things the Obama administration has done to get things going.
These include, according to Pinkele, the creation of a proactive and energetic administration and the fact that Obama appears to most, “except die hard Republicans,” to understand issues and be able to speak clearly, intelligent and thoughtfully on issues.
In addition, Pinkele said, it appears that Obama is willing to be aggressive about the economic crisis and place an emphasis on affordable education and engaging college grads in social action projects, like community service and volunteering.
Foreign policy is also something Espino thinks Obama has made good on as well.
“I think, in part, he can thank the previous administration for the ruckus it created,” he said. “What he’s working on now is trying to make sure that these people know that we’re going to try to do business a little different than usual.”
Self-promotion, whether it be shameful or not, is also something Obama has used well to sell his policies.
Dr. Robert M. Alexander, associate professor of political science at Ohio Northern University, said Obama has hit the airwaves in a way no other president has done in the past. “From picking his NCAA brackets, to appearing on the ‘Tonight Show,’ Obama has worked to reach a new segment of Americans,” he said.
He also said that Obama’s attitude toward things has helped keep people’s morale high.
“Obama exudes a quiet confidence. You get the idea that he is in control – unflappable. He has the brains of a professor, but can relate complex information in a way that laymen can understand,” Alexander said. “I think people really liked it when he said, ‘I get it … Americans are mad.’”
Arizona State University students Jenna Rolle, a bio-science junior, and David Wernsman, a sustainability of ecology sophomore both said that Obama is making good on his campaign promises.
“He’s recognized basically what Bush left and is trying to problem solve the best that he can as the new leader of our country,” Wernsman said.
ASU museum studies junior Molly Williams thinks Obama has excelled in foreign policy.
“I think letting go of the clenched-fist policy of the Bush administration is completely revolutionized the way we’re seen around the world,” she said. “I just think the way he’s opened up to Europe as well as South America and Asia has just been incredible.”
FAILURE
Observers say that while there are no failures of major consequence at this point, this doesn’t mean they won’t happen.
“They might show up as the list of efforts start to pay off or ‘go south,’” Pinkele said.
Other groups, though, have already been outraged by some of the administration’s actions, including the release of classified CIA documents detailing the techniques used to question suspected terrorists; and the release of a Homeland Security document that suggested returning veterans were a threat to become domestic terrorists.
Other groups find fault in Obama’s roll-back of abortion restrictions or his extreme use of executive order. In fact, most of what Obama has accomplished has been the result of executive orders.
Indeed, one area that stands out to Pinkele as a place Obama needs to strengthen is in his relationship with Congress.
“I think he needs to sharpen up his congressional liaison staff and not believe, if he does, that the Democrats in both the House and Senate have interests different from his own,” he said.
Espino said there are always things that need to be done.
“The economy is still going down, but not going down at such a rapid rate,” he said. “We’re still involved in wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and we still have to deal with the burgeoning conflict going on in Pakistan and the Middle East.”
Eric Dern, an economics sophomore at ASU, said he’s still waiting for Obama to act on achieving bi-partisanship.
“That was one of his main platforms and he hasn’t really done that yet,” he said. “And the economy still really sucks. I don’t know if he’s done enough to get Republicans and Democrats to work together.”
DOING BETTER
Students say there are areas where Obama needs to increase his focus.
“The bottom line of the advancement of our country is education,” said Wernsman, the sustainability of ecology sophomore. “It is the right of any human who’s willing to learn, and if someone wants to learn, I think they should have every right to learn by any means possible.”
Shannon Griffin, an English literature senior at ASU, said money for education and national healthcare are on her list for ways Obama could improve this country, although the number one slot is held for the legalization of gay marriage.
“I think it is something they need to focus on,” she said. “Within society it will be difficult, but it’s something they need to be working towards. I think the easiest solution is that it would be equal and legal but still separate.”
Obama should just keep doing what he’s doing, Dern said.
“Listen to everyone, but he was the one that was elected, and as far as I know, he’s the one who knows how to get us out of this situation,” he added.
Williams said that another way for Obama to improve is to focus on domestic social issues.
“There’s still a huge problem with poverty in America,” she said. “Trying to stop the hemorrhaging of outsourcing jobs and trying to get some jobs back would be nice.”
THE FUTURE
Many say the greatest predictor of the future is the past, and if Obama’s past is any indication of what this country will see in the coming months, it seems that there is less to worry about.
Pinkele said he thinks the next 100 days of the presidency are pretty much beyond Obama’s control in that now he’s dependant upon legislative bodies to help enact policies he’s approved.
“The question is will he continue to be able to project the combination of calmness, ability and control he has so far presented,” he said. “Things do not ruffle him, or so it appears, while at the same time he projects the image of someone who will move decisively and with skill.”
Espino said that, while he thinks Obama’s next 100 days will be full of attention toward Afghanistan, healthcare and immigration, he doesn’t really like the “100 days” label.
“It’s become this thing upon which all else is measured, and where does this come from?” he said. “Hopefully we can get past the first 100 days. I understand why we focus on that, because of the tension, but at some point, the president is dependant upon leaders in Congress to get things done, so at some point, things are out of his hands.”
Ivan Eland, director of the Center on Peace & Liberty at The Independent Institute in California, writes in his article “Obama’s First 100 Days: A Mixed Record,” that being the first African-American president, Obama has huge reservoirs of support among the public. However, he agrees with Espino that too much importance is placed on the first 100 days.
“In evaluating any president’s performance, the chief executive’s policy record in the subsequent 1,300-plus days is also important,” he writes. “And this record should be evaluated without regard to charisma, intelligence, popularity or management style.”
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