An assessment of Barack Obama's presidency and outlook.

How Am I Doing?

Put the title question to any Tea Party member of Congress about President Obama’s performance in office and the answers will range from “terrible” to “the worst of any President in our history.” Put the same question in context and ask typical Americans from any party “Relative to all members of Congress how would you rate President Obama’s performance in office,” and the answer would no doubt be overwhelmingly “much better than Congress.” His overall percentage approval rating is somewhere in the 40’s; Congress’ is about 10.

Whether anyone loves or hates him, the American people twice elected him to our highest office over a Vietnam POW hero and over a champion of capitalism. Both of these men had a net worth in the hundreds of millions of dollars, but with little actual leadership credentials or experience. In contrast Obama’s strength is centered in trustworthiness, his inspirational skills, and his oratory skills. His net worth surpassed one million dollars only from the sales of his book “The Audacity of Hope.” By any standard of reckoning, his political life has mirrored that book title almost perfectly.

In November we will elect 435 members of the House, and one-third of the Senate along with many and varied offices at the state and local levels. What will be the issues?

Obama and the Democrats will point to the economy: We are out of recession; unemployment has fallen from 10.2 percent to 6.0 percent; 9.2 million new jobs have been added; stock prices are at record highs; housing values are rising; personal wealth has risen from $55.5 trillion to $81.7 trillion—highest in the world and in our history. Today more than 12 million residents have health insurance for the first time; no one can be turned down for a pre-existing condition; our homeland is secure; and we are making slow but steady progress across a wide range of social issues.

In foreign affairs our combat forces are out of Iraq as promised, our withdrawal from Afghanistan is on schedule; Osama bin Laden and Muammar Ghadaffi are history; al Qaeda’s influence in the world is weaker. The region from Syria to Iran to Israel is unstable, and diplomatic efforts to stabilize it are underway but with few positive results. Vladimir Putin is flexing his muscles in Eastern Europe, while Western Europe and the United States are imposing stronger economic sanctions against him. Our ability to influence events in the troubled regions is probably no better or worse than before, but our expenditures of money and blood in those efforts are greatly reduced. Our involvement in Libya, for example, ended in 7 months with zero casualties to us and $38 billion in frozen Libyan assets held here.

Obama’s achievements have come in spite of nearly 100 percent opposition by the Republicans on every issue he has proposed. The entrenched opposition has come from the Tea Party faction the consequence of gerrymandered districts in Republican states following the 2010 census. They have now embarked on a new tactic in hopes of winning the Senate while retaining control of the House—suing the President this year and impeaching him next year.

The apparent basis for their unprecedented lawsuit is that Obama has issued Executive Orders with the effect of law, thus he has assumed the authority to make laws, a responsibility of Congress. It is unclear which executive orders they have in mind. It is a tactic, however, that most observers believe will result in failure.

Executive Orders are permitted to give instructions to government agencies in carrying out the laws, or when the president is acting in his capacity as commander in chief. Obama has issued 183 Executive Orders, far fewer than nearly all other presidents since Theodore Roosevelt. Very few analysts or observers believe he has overstepped his authority. Most believe the lawsuit is doomed to failure.

Apparently his Congressional opponents also believe their tactic will fail but they intend to pursue it nonetheless. It will give them an issue to blast loud and often in the Fall campaign in TV ads designed to cast Obama and the Democrats in the worst possible light. Failing their objective, they will repeat it all again next year or in 2016 when impeachment hearings will likely follow. They hope to use the larger forum of a Senate trial and extensive TV coverage to capture both Congress and the White House from the fallout. Also, with virtually unlimited financing from billionaires such as the Koch brothers, what have they got to lose?

It is a big gamble that is riddled with dishonesty. History is nearly certain to be much kinder to Obama, his Presidency, and his leadership. And if their tactics backfire, the Democrats could win both the White House and control of both houses of Congress in 2016. Then they would be in a position to legislate away most of the Republican legislation of the past 10 years, and they would control Congress and the division of many congressional districts up until the 2030 census. And those outcomes could spell the death of the Tea Party.

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Note: This article is a factual summary of events and prospects that are not in dispute. I have deliberately refrained from name-calling, and wild assertions that are characteristic of political “debates.” Anyone who feels compelled to engage in those activities in the space below is asked to do so on his or her own web space.