Archive for the ‘Obama’ Category

44 ways to judge the Obama era – CNN International

Those eight years saw the nation grapple with the worst economic disaster since the Great Depression. The country's response to that crisis helped reshape the economy and the makeup of the political system a few times over. And for every day of those eight years, the nation was at war -- on multiple fronts, against multiple groups for multiple purposes.

All of these momentous changes during Obama's presidency had very real effects on people across the country and the globe. And for each of these real-world impacts, there is a number.

The recession cost many people their livelihood. The following years saw many of those same people gain it back. While part of the drop in unemployment came from people leaving the workforce, enough people have jobs now that, statistically speaking, employment has recovered from the darkest days of the economic crisis.

Due in part to a revolution in domestic fossil fuels and massive oil production overseas, oil and gas have been pretty cheap for some of Obama's presidency.

Here's what the situation looks like.

Following years of upward climb and a rally after President-elect Donald Trump's electoral victory, stocks are near record highs.

Here's stock market performance as of January 3, 2017:

Obama's election coincided with Democratic victories across the nation and the strong 2008 showing built on the party's successes in 2006. But as the years went on, the situation virtually reversed itself. Obama will exit office with the Republican Party resurgent on the state and federal levels.

Deaths from opioid-related overdose deaths have been on the rise. More people are dying from overdoses on heroin and prescription pain medicine like oxycodone and fentanyl.

States with legal marijuana or cannabis products have blossomed under Obama. When he took office, recreational marijuana wasn't legal in any state.

The Affordable Care Act set aside funding for states to expand Medicaid -- a government health care program for the poorest Americans. But the process became something of a tussle with state governments and many of their Republican leaders. By the end of Obama's presidency, only the slim majority of states had opted to expand Medicaid.

As the economy recovered and the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, reformed the health care market, more people had health insurance coverage.

Here's the total percentage of people without insurance, according to the US Census Bureau's American Community Survey:

By the end of Obama's presidency, government debt had nearly doubled to about $20 trillion.

Trump said during his campaign that he'd create a special force to deport undocumented immigrants. Although Obama criticized Trump's immigration proposals, he detained and deported millions of men, women and children. Obama's administration deported the people -- 434,015 -- in 2013.

The US has grown more unequal over the past few decades, including the past eight years.

One commonly cited measure is the Gini index. The number ranges from zero to 1, and the higher the Gini index is, the more unequal the distribution of income is.

According to the Census, it was .469 in 2009 and .4817 in 2017.

The bottom half of earners have seen their pre-tax incomes fall while the highest earners have seen a fairly steady rise.

Debate abounds over how and why incomes vary by gender and whether the wage gap can fairly be said to exist. However, men and women, as well as people of different races, all have much different pay.

Following the dips in growth that marked the recession, the economy slowly and steadily rebounded. Many, including Trump, have said observed rates of growth are far too low.

Hate crime incidents in the US neared 6,000 in both 2013 and 2015.

The Obama administration created 11.3 million jobs in eight years, and the economy added jobs for 75 straight months, a record that totals 6 years.

More jobs were created under Obama than under George W. Bush, who only created 2.1 million jobs. However, Obama fell short of Bill Clinton and Ronald Reagan, who saw 22.9 million and 15.9 million jobs created, respectively, under their presidencies.

The countries he hosted include:

When he was elected in 2008, 28,223,000 people were receiving food stamps.

In 2016, 44,219,000 people received food stamps -- an increase of nearly 16 million people.

Although Obama has vastly reduced the number of troops in Afghanistan during his time in office, he has failed to withdraw all American troops from the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan.

As of December 2016, there were still 9,800 troops left.

As of January 2017, 45 prisoners remain and 171 have been released under Obama.

Nine of the 171 have been "confirmed" to have returned to terrorist activities, according to a government report.

Obama had pledged to close the controversial center within one year in an executive order he signed shortly after his inauguration in January 2009.

Obama hit the links 333 times since assuming the presidency, according to CBS News' Mark Knoller, the unofficial White House statistician who pledged to track each and every round played by the commander in chief.

While his critics have said this is too many rounds to play, his figure doesn't come close to the amount played by Woodrow Wilson, who is said to have played 1,200 rounds while President.

In 2015, the median was $56,516, which was a 5.2% increase from 2014. This was also the first increase in median income since 2007, before the economic crash.

In December 2016, the index was a high 113.7 -- a stark difference to when fell as low as 25 during the recession, when Obama took office.

The poverty rate in the United States in 2015 was 13.5%. This is down 1.2 percentage points from 14.8% in 2014. In 2015, there were 43.1 million people in poverty, 3.5 million fewer than in 2014.

The birth rate fell to 59.8 births per 1,000 women in 2016 under Obama.

The price of milk decreased under Obama from $3.58/gallon when he took office in January 2009 to $3.28/gallon as of November 2016.

CNN's Kevin Liptak, a White House reporter, has kept a running tally of Obama's acts of clemency -- the president's decisions to pardon or commute criminal sentences.

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44 ways to judge the Obama era - CNN International

President Obama’s Last Chance to Show Mercy – New York Times


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President Obama's Last Chance to Show Mercy
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President Obama's Last Chance to Show Mercy - New York Times

Last chance for Obama to sneak in Garland to the Supreme …

A last-ditch effort for President Obama to try and punch Merrick Garland through to the Supreme Court to replace the late Justice Antonin Scalia is unlikely.

A new Congress starts at noon Tuesday and theres no active chatter that the Obama administration has anything in the works or is even contemplating a bizarre, extra-Constitutional power play. If nothing else, the concept is gaining attention in various legal, parliamentary and journalistic salons.

There will be a five minute window between when the 114th Congress adjourns and when the 115th Congress convenes. This little window of opportunity could give Obama the unprecedented opportunity to make an intersession recess appointment, bypass the traditional confirmation process and install Garland on the Supreme Court.

In 2014, the High Court ruled that the executive branch of government cant tell the legislative branch of government what it believes constitutes a Congressional recess. However, its clear that Congress is out of session between the 114th and 115th Congresses.

President Teddy Roosevelt seized the short period between the two Congresses to make 168 appointments to various executive branch and judicial posts widely viewed as a remarkable power grab.

The possibility of a Roosevelt-esque power play would be seen as foolish from a strategic standpoint, according to one Senate GOP leadership aide.

"They would trade a short-term on SCOTUS, for a full-time, lifetime tenured seat on the DC Circuit. And that's assuming that SCOTUS would let it stand, the aide told Fox News.

Thats a reference to the fact that recess appointments only last for a short period. Whereas, Garland is currently serving on arguably the most important court, save for the Supreme Court. And it is a lifetime opportunity unless Garland were to give it up for a chance on the higher court for a couple years. In other words, as a recess appointment, Garland would have to face Senate confirmation at some point.

Also, incoming Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-NY, is a dealmaker. He has to work with the GOP majority. Schumer must also protect vulnerable Senate Democrats facing tough reelections this year. If the Democrats pull the Garland trick, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell would shut off the tap to the Democrats.

A stunt like this with Garland would be the thermonuclear option.

Additionally, a move like this is something that no one on Capitol Hill is talking about. Its just not a topic of conversation. For their part, Senate Democrats are busy girding for heating confirmation battles as President-elect Trump prepares to take office.

As for the legal ramifications, while there are experts who say such an "intersession" recess appointment could be legal, it's still quite arguable.

Look back at the 2014 Supreme Court decision on recess appointments.

The High Court struck down a series of Obama appointments to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). It was a victory for the Senate GOP which brought the case.

As a result, the Republican-run Senate has been very careful to hold "pro-forma" sessions every few days (where the Senate literally gavels in and gavels out after 20 to 30 seconds) to leave no gap under which a recess appointment could be valid. The NLRB case indicated that only if the Senate were gone for more than ten days could an administration consider the Senate as being "on recess." Thus, only then would a "recess appointment" be in order.

That said, the Supreme Court's NLRB decision left a murky area when it comes to the brief period in between sessions of Congress. Regardless, the appointment would be challenged and tied up in the courts.

Fox News Chad Pergram and Kara Rowland contributed to this report.

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President Obama to host a goodbye party at the White House on …

This post has been updated

January 2017 will definitely see an onslaught of A-list tourists at the White House. But theyre not coming for the inauguration.

President Obama and first lady Michelle Obama will host a goodbye party for close friends and major donors Friday, according to a person with knowledge of the marquee affair. The Obamas themselves confirmed during an interview with People Magazine last month that theyd have one final bash at the White House. The president told a young fan that theyd have a grown up party before packing their bags.

Of course, theres no official word from the White House yet. Typically the Obama administration keeps a tight lid on celebration details until the 11th hour, releasing a just-the-facts statement the day of the event. But the big names thought to be on the guest list have been slowly trickling out this week.

Old standbys such as singer Usher and actorSamuel L. Jackson will most likely be there, according to another person with knowledge of the invitees. Also currently practicing their sweet moves aremedia titan Oprah Winfrey, whosnagged an exit interview with the first lady last monthon her fellow invitee and bestie Gayle Kings network CBS; actor Bradley Cooper, who showed up to the French state dinnersans underpants; Beyonc, who sang at both of Obamas inaugurations, and her husband, rapper Jay Z, are both whispered to be performing. Were also hearing that Stevie Wonder, who has performed at the White House, directorJ.J. Abrams and director George Lucas make the list.

If this star-studded shindig follows the traditional Obama script for private parties, the first couple will be footing the billthemselves as they did for the Prince concert in 2015. Cell phones will be confiscated at the White House security gate and social media crumbs will be few. But afterward, tales of the presidents dance moves and sore feet will make the late-night talk show rounds.

The White House party will act as the kickoff of a goodbye tour of sorts for President Obama, who will head to Chicago todeliver a farewell addressJan. 10.

First lady Michelle Obama sat down with Oprah Winfrey at the White House to discuss her husband's legacy in the wake of Donald Trump's election victory. (Reuters)

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President Obama to host a goodbye party at the White House on ...

Obama to deliver farewell address in Chicago (CNN)

"I'm thinking about them as a chance to say thank you for this amazing journey, to celebrate the ways you've changed this country for the better these past eight years, and to offer some thoughts on where we all go from here," Obama wrote.

President Obama said he was following the precedent set by George Washington, who penned a farewell address to the American people over 220 years ago.

George W. Bush also delivered a farewell address in 2009 from the White House.

"Since 2009, we've faced our fair share of challenges, and come through them stronger," Obama wrote Monday.

"That's because we have never let go of a belief that has guided us ever since our founding -- our conviction that, together, we can change this country for the better."

President Obama has said that while he won't weigh in on every issue once he is out of the White House, he would consider speaking up about issues that go to "core questions" about American values and ideals.

Chicago is where President Obama got his start in politics after graduating from Harvard Law School and where the first family called home before moving to the White House. Obama's presidential library will also be located in Chicago.

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Obama to deliver farewell address in Chicago (CNN)