There’s a healthy discussion of-late concerning the efficacy of the Obama presidency. I suspect that his supporters are already engaged in stealthy battles with his detractors over his legacy.
One obvious internal conflict is being waged between different wings of the Democratic Party as well as the various strains of libertarians.
If I was keeping score, I'd conclude that libertarians and uber-libs are pissed with him about Snowden and not going far enough on Wall Street. But, they are still generally supportive. Traditional Dems and Progressive Indies are probably pleased while Cons of all stripes think he’s the anti-Christ.
So I bounced around the "internets" this morning for hard facts and found the following:
Politifact: http://www.politifact.com/...
1. Obama made 480 promises.
2. He kept 73% of them using their: True, mostly true or half true scale
3. He failed on 28% of them using their: mostly false, false or pants on fire lie scale
In April 2012, Paul Glastris, Ryan Cooper, and Siyu Hu also reviewed Obama’s first term legacy and believe these are his 50 greatest achievements. So this list pre-dates DOMA and anything else in 2013. Also, I didn’t include their complete justification because of the length but you can see their narrative on each point here:
http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/...
1. Passed Health Care Reform
2. Passed the Stimulus
3. Passed Wall Street Reform.
4. Ended the War in Iraq
5. Began Drawdown of War in Afghanistan
6. Eliminated Osama bin laden
7. Turned Around U.S. Auto Industry
8. Recapitalized Banks
9. Repealed “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell
10. Toppled Moammar Gaddafi
11. Told Mubarak to Go
12. Reversed Bush Torture Policies
13. Improved America’s Image Abroad
14. Kicked Banks Out of Federal Student Loan Program, Expanded Pell Grant Spending
15. Created Race to the Top.
16. Boosted Fuel Efficiency Standards
17. Coordinated International Response to Financial Crisis
18. Passed Mini Stimuli
19. Began Asia “Pivot”
20. Increased Support for Veterans
21. Tightened Sanctions on Iran
22. Created Conditions to Begin Closing Dirtiest Power Plants
23. Passed Credit Card Reforms
24. Eliminated Catch-22 in Pay Equality Laws
25. Protected Two Liberal Seats on the U.S. Supreme Court
26. Improved Food Safety System.
27. Achieved New START Treaty
28. Expanded National Service: Signed Serve America Act in 2009
29. Expanded Wilderness and Watershed Protection.
30. Gave the FDA Power to Regulate Tobacco.
31. Pushed Federal Agencies to Be Green Leaders
32. Passed Fair Sentencing Act
33. Trimmed and Reoriented Missile Defense
34. Began Post-Post-9/11 Military Builddown.
35. Let Space Shuttle Die and Killed Planned Moon Mission
36. Invested Heavily in Renewable Technology.
37. Crafting Next-Generation School Tests.
38. Cracked Down on Bad For-Profit Colleges.
39. Improved School Nutrition.
40. Expanded Hate Crimes Protections.
41. Avoided Scandal.
42. Brokered Agreement for Speedy Compensation to Victims of Gulf Oil Spill.
43. Created Recovery.gov.
44. Pushed Broadband Coverage.
45. Expanded Health Coverage for Children
46. Recognized the Dangers of Carbon Dioxide
47. Expanded Stem Cell Research.
48. Provided Payment to Wronged Minority Farmers.
49. Helped South Sudan Declare Independence.
50. Killed the F-22
Personally, I believe the Pres is doing an incredible job considering this recalcitrant bunch we have in the House. If he is able to sign Immigration Reform and get anything on Climate, I believe he would far eclipse all democratic presidents since FDR. Clinton gets credit for a great economy but he was a disaster on civil rights issues. Many of the policies being reversed right now were created by him.
Carter got bitten by the national security bug and never regained the trust of the American people. So yes, Obama is poised to become second only to FDR in progressive achievements.