Topic #2 Obama s early Legacy, Midterms & ISIS

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1 Topic #2 Obama s early, Midterms & ISIS (TOO) HIGH EXPECTATIONS WHICH COULDN T BE MET? The first African American U.S. President in history, Obama raised great hopes when first elected back in Nov. 08. People expected perhaps too much of one man. Unsurprisingly, most felt let down two years down the road, in the midst of the economic downturn. No wonder Obama s approval ratings tumbled. Or that Americans turned against Democrats in the Nov. 10 midterms, causing them to lose the House of Representatives. Hope turned to nope domestically, and little has changed ever since. From Hope to Nope, November 3rd 2010 Topic #2 Obama s early, Midterms & ISIS TURNING ABROAD WHEN ALLY STUCK? - Hands-tied at home, forced to use the presidential pen (Executive Orders/ EOs) for lack of a cooperative Congress, facing the prospect of losing in the next midterms, Obama may be heading overseas for want of a better option. - Embracing the role of Commander-in-Chief should bring some veneer of authority back to a gulf-loving president with low credibility - Solving a foreign crisis like ISIS might eventually provide Obama with this muchawaited legacy moment. If little is achieved at home, some may be abroad. Golfer In Chief, September 7th

2 Topic #2 Obama s early, Midterms & ISIS First elected in Nov. 08 Won re-election in Nov. 12 Will leave office end Jan Topic #2 Obama s early, Midterms & ISIS Feb STIMULUS PACKAGE - In Feb., the White House stated that the Act saved an average of 1.6 million jobs a year between 2009 and 2012, thus averting another Great Depression. - In his Jan. 14 State of the Union Address, Obama took pride in having curbed unemployment: the lowest unemployement rate in over 5 years (Aug. 14 = 6.1% vs. Oct 09 = 10.0%)

3 Topic #2 Obama s early, Midterms & ISIS Mar OBAMACARE - Despite fierce opposition from Republicans and Tea Partiers, after a federal shutdown and a failed roll-out in Oct. 14, Obamacare still kept part of its promise to ensure universal health coverage. As of May, appr. 20 mn Americans had gained health insurance coverage under Obamacare, with uninsured Americans dropping from 18% to 13%. Topic #2 Obama s early, Midterms & ISIS Dec / May 2012 GAY RIGHTS - in Dec. 2010, Obama signed into law the repeal of Don t Ask Don t Tell, which barred gays from openly serving in the U.S. military - in May 2012, Obama publicly supported same-sex marriage, the first sitting U.S. President to do so.

4 Topic #2 Obama s early, Midterms & ISIS Apr. EQUAL PAY - Obama Uses His Pen to Enforce for Women and Minorities. Two executive orders will prevent retaliation against employees who disclose compensation information and will require businesses to include race and gender information when reporting compensation data. Topic #2 Obama s early, Midterms & ISIS Nov. 10 MIDTERM DEFEAT - Republicans gained control of of Representatives, necessary to pass any legislation in Congress. Since then, Republicans have blocked the most progressive legislation from passing, a situation known as congressional gridlock.

5 Topic #2 Obama s early, Midterms & ISIS Apr 13 GUN BILL REJECTED - The (Democratic-led) Senate turned down Obama s moderate gun control bill aimed at expanding background checks, banning assault weapons and making schools safer. - The power of the gun lobby (NRA) was at work no doubt. Topic #2 Obama s early, Midterms & ISIS June 13 IMMIGRATION BILL REJECTED - The G.O.P.-led House rejected the immigration reform bill which would have created a path to citizenship for over 12 mn undocumented.

6 Topic #2 Obama s early, Midterms & ISIS Oct13 FEDERAL SHUTDOWN - To express protest against Obamacare, Republicans & Tea Partiers blocked the budget bill from being voted, causing a 2- week federal shutdown. - Since then, Obama has used his executive orders (E.O.) to bypass the Republican House. Topic #2 Obama s early, Midterms & ISIS MINIMUM WAGE bill blocked - In April, debated the Fairness Act. The bill would increase the federal minimum wage for employees to $10.10 per hour over the course of a two year period. - The bill was strongly opposed by Republicans in and House

7 Topic #2 Obama s early, Midterms & ISIS Oct NOBEL PRIZE - In his acceptance speech, this is how he articulated his philosophy of war: I face the world as it is, and cannot stand idle in the face of threats to the American people. For make no mistake: Evil does exist in the world. Negotiations cannot convince Al Qaeda s leaders to lay down their arms. To say that force is sometimes necessary is not a call to cynicism it is a recognition of history, the imperfections of man, and the limits of reason. Topic #2 Obama s early, Midterms & ISIS Nov KILLING OF BIN LADEN - Osama bin Laden, the founder and head of the Islamist militant group al-qaeda, was killed in Pakistan on May 2, 2011, by U.S. Navy SEALs. - In his address to the nation, President Obama remembered the victims of the September 11 attacks and praised the nearly ten-year-old war against al-qaeda,. Bin Laden's death was the most significant blow to al-qaeda so far but the war would continue. He reaffirmed that the U.S. was not at war against Islam.

8 Topic #2 Obama s early, Midterms & ISIS June NSA REVELATIONS - The Snowden files reveal a number of mass-surveillance programs able to mass-intercept data from fibre-optic cables which making up the backbone of global phone and internet networks. - The NSA monitored the phone conversations of 35 world leaders Topic #2 Obama s early, Midterms & ISIS Sep. ISIS : BACK TO IRAQ - Obama promised on many occasions to bring U.S. troops back from the Middle East, to little avail. - On Sep. 10th,, in response to the beheading of two U.S. journalists by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS/ISIL) Obama announced he would pursue airstrikes in Syria with or without congressional approval. - France joined the U.S. and initiated airstrikes against Islamic State targets in Iraq on Sep. 19th,.