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I think he's been the most effective Democratic President of my life time. Possibly any President, not just the Republican ones. And he did it by being everythi

I think he's been the most effective Democratic President of my life time. Possibly any President, not just the Republican ones. And he did it by being everything the loudmouth was not. Quiet, serious and disciplined.

jfengel 3y ago
It's a strong case, but there's also a strong case to be made for his predecessor -- for which he had Biden's help. Biden aptly described the Affordable Care Act as a "big fucking deal". The ACA is severely limited, but getting anything at all passed was a superhuman effort. It was a ton of ground-level politicking, taking advantage of a brief moment of Obama's extraordinary popularity. It might be his only real legislative accomplishment, but it's the most influential piece of legislation in decades. Obama and Biden had somewhat similar styles in that regard. Obama led the country out of the 2007 recession. For the most part it wasn't flashy, just slow and steady growth without drama. (He was known as No Drama Obama among the DC bureaucrats.) He himself was much prettier than Biden and inherently more interesting as a human being, so he got more celebrity. But his actual governance was also similarly "quiet, serious, and disciplined".
- jonnycomputer 3y ago
  The ACA is a BFD, for sure. And I do think that the recovery was hamstrung by not going big enough, unlike the most recent one. Though, different kinds of recessions, so who knows. The real issue I see with Obama is that he was not very good at out-reach to Congress. Some of this was not his fault, but it really wasn't his strong point, or something he even seemed to put much effort in to doing. In that way--partly by personality and partly by his long experience in Congress--Biden is simply better. It is possible that Obama would have been a better post-Trump President than Biden--I'm certain he'd win against Trump in a landslide--but we'll never know. Certainly it is the case that sometimes it is the opportunities you have--or what the country is ready for--that makes for the success of a presidency, along with a giant gob of good luck. No Drama Obama, No Cryin' Biden.

jfengel 3y ago

It's a strong case, but there's also a strong case to be made for his predecessor -- for which he had Biden's help. Biden aptly described the Affordable Care Act as a "big fucking deal". The ACA is severely limited, but getting anything at all passed was a superhuman effort. It was a ton of ground-level politicking, taking advantage of a brief moment of Obama's extraordinary popularity. It might be his only real legislative accomplishment, but it's the most influential piece of legislation in decades. Obama and Biden had somewhat similar styles in that regard. Obama led the country out of the 2007 recession. For the most part it wasn't flashy, just slow and steady growth without drama. (He was known as No Drama Obama among the DC bureaucrats.) He himself was much prettier than Biden and inherently more interesting as a human being, so he got more celebrity. But his actual governance was also similarly "quiet, serious, and disciplined".

jonnycomputer 3y ago
The ACA is a BFD, for sure. And I do think that the recovery was hamstrung by not going big enough, unlike the most recent one. Though, different kinds of recessions, so who knows. The real issue I see with Obama is that he was not very good at out-reach to Congress. Some of this was not his fault, but it really wasn't his strong point, or something he even seemed to put much effort in to doing. In that way--partly by personality and partly by his long experience in Congress--Biden is simply better. It is possible that Obama would have been a better post-Trump President than Biden--I'm certain he'd win against Trump in a landslide--but we'll never know. Certainly it is the case that sometimes it is the opportunities you have--or what the country is ready for--that makes for the success of a presidency, along with a giant gob of good luck. No Drama Obama, No Cryin' Biden.