Spring Break
Obama's first 100 full of action
Madison Shelton
Issue date: 5/1/09 Section: Ed-Op
How do we define a presidency? How do we define what is effective or adequate for the state of our country and society? As Americans, do we ask too much of our leaders or do we not ask enough?
Historically, the importance of the first 100 days started in 1932 with the administration of Franklin Roosevelt and his impact on the Great Depression of the time. The idea of the first 100 days is not just figurative, but many presidents from Roosevelt to the current president have made major changes in the U.S. in the brief amount of time. Roosevelt, during his time in office, set the standard of applying policies and getting the ball rolling on changing the state of the American government. In his first 100 days, he passed 15 major bills and established economic policies that helped to stabilize the economy and to bring the U.S. out of the Great Depression.
As the culmination of President Barack Obama's first 100 days draws near, we look at all of the policies that he has put forth and whether or not they are taking hold or falling flat on their face. In order to assess the effectiveness of Obama's first 100 days, I feel that we must take a look in the past to see what has worked and what has led us to this point in our political history. Though Roosevelt set the bar for what an effective president can do in the beginning of his administration, others have taught us the essential do's and don'ts.
Obama has been compared to Abraham Lincoln, Ronald Reagan, John F. Kennedy and George Bush. In all of these comparisons we see a pattern emerge when it comes to all of these great men. Like Reagan, Roosevelt and Kennedy, Obama has been an integral part in re-establishing the people's trust in government. With the establishment of his policies on the economy, the Iraq war, the environment and bipartisanship (just to name a few) he has slowly been bringing back trust in the American government.
According to reports by BBC News, Obama has been doing a more than adequate job when it comes to enacting his policies on the economy, Iraq and Afghanistan, and issues of the environment and climate change. However, as I read through articles on the New York Times and watch reports on CNN and Fox News, these sources go back and forth saying that Obama is doing a great job or that he is running America into the ground I stop and think: how can we really judge how well he is doing? While Lincoln was in office, many people in America hated him for his policies and the direction that he took with the industries in the south and the entire Civil War.
Historically, the importance of the first 100 days started in 1932 with the administration of Franklin Roosevelt and his impact on the Great Depression of the time. The idea of the first 100 days is not just figurative, but many presidents from Roosevelt to the current president have made major changes in the U.S. in the brief amount of time. Roosevelt, during his time in office, set the standard of applying policies and getting the ball rolling on changing the state of the American government. In his first 100 days, he passed 15 major bills and established economic policies that helped to stabilize the economy and to bring the U.S. out of the Great Depression.
As the culmination of President Barack Obama's first 100 days draws near, we look at all of the policies that he has put forth and whether or not they are taking hold or falling flat on their face. In order to assess the effectiveness of Obama's first 100 days, I feel that we must take a look in the past to see what has worked and what has led us to this point in our political history. Though Roosevelt set the bar for what an effective president can do in the beginning of his administration, others have taught us the essential do's and don'ts.
Obama has been compared to Abraham Lincoln, Ronald Reagan, John F. Kennedy and George Bush. In all of these comparisons we see a pattern emerge when it comes to all of these great men. Like Reagan, Roosevelt and Kennedy, Obama has been an integral part in re-establishing the people's trust in government. With the establishment of his policies on the economy, the Iraq war, the environment and bipartisanship (just to name a few) he has slowly been bringing back trust in the American government.
According to reports by BBC News, Obama has been doing a more than adequate job when it comes to enacting his policies on the economy, Iraq and Afghanistan, and issues of the environment and climate change. However, as I read through articles on the New York Times and watch reports on CNN and Fox News, these sources go back and forth saying that Obama is doing a great job or that he is running America into the ground I stop and think: how can we really judge how well he is doing? While Lincoln was in office, many people in America hated him for his policies and the direction that he took with the industries in the south and the entire Civil War.
Be the first to comment on this story