President Barack Obama rides the mirrored elevator in the White House residence. (Photo by Pete Souza / White House)
by Mark Silva
This is the 100th day.
This is the milestone at which Americans have sought to stop and take an instant measure of their new president ever since Franklin Delano Roosevelt attacked his First 100 Days with a history-making recasting of the role of the federal government.
It is a day that arrives too early for any assessment of a president's success, as John Fitzgerald Kennedy famously suggested in his inaugural address -- not in 100 days, not in 1,000, could the full imact of his agenda be scored, Kennedy said then. Kennedy, tragically, got little more than 1,000 days to play his hand.
Yet on this day, "a Hallmark holiday,'' as some in the White House have taken to calling it, President Barack Hussein Obama will step to a stage at Fox High School in Arnold, Mo., this morning for a talk with an anxious public -- already anxious about the economy, and now anxious about an outbreak of flu that is starting to close schools.
And he will step to the cameras in the East Room of the White House at 8 pm EDT this evening for his third formal news conference there, surely an hour-long chance for a assessment of where things stand today, Day 100 of the Obama presidency.
This is where Obama stands with the American public: Personally popular, his "favorability ratings'' stand higher in an array of polls -- with seven in ten to eight in ten of all Americans surveyed saying they like the man -- than his job-approval ratings stand. Yet his job-approval is none too shabby: Roughly two-thirds of all Americans surveyed say they approve of the job that the president is performing.
The breadth of his agenda spans from attempts at reviving a recession-gripped economy -- he won a $787-billion economic stimulus one month in office -- to curtailing the U.S. military deployment in Iraq while ramping up the war against the Taliban and al Qaeda in Afghanistan. He seeks health-care reform in the bargain, and likely will wade into immigration reform as well, in the second and third 100 days of his presidency.
Only on the 99th day, with the swearing in of his final Cabinet member last night, was this new president's team fully in place. And it was a measure of the problems they face that the newly sworn-in Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius went straight from her hand on a Bible last night to a Situation Room meeting on the flu.
Tonight, the president likely will be asked to account for much more: His insistence on protection for CIA operatives who carried out the harshest interrogations of detainees in "the war on terror,'' as authorized by the Bush Justice Department, while leaving open the door for his own Justice Department to pursuse action against higher-level authorities who endorsed tactcs that Obama's attorney general now calls "torture.'' And he may talk about calls for a "truth commission'' to get to the bottom of who knew what and when.
He likely will be asked to account for the state of the economy -- "not out of the woods yet,'' he has warned Americans, while seeing "glimmers of hope'' for recovery.
He certainly will be asked about a global disease which the government now wants to call the H1N1 virus -- it has a more antiseptic ring to it than "swine fu.'' There is cause for "concern,'' the president has said, but no cause for "alarm.'' Yet today, on Day 100 of the Obama administration, Obama personally reported, from the White House, on the first swine-flu death in the U.S: A toddler in Texas.
There is so much to talk about, after 100 days, that there probably won't be much time to talk about all of it, or perhaps any of it sufficiently. So much for Hallmark holidays.
Comments
Many happy returns.
Posted by: ornery | April 29, 2009 11:33 AM
You know, for a president who preaches the importance of being green, saving energy, cutting one's carbon footprint, he sure does log a lot of miles on Air Force One to jetset all over creation.
Posted by: John D | April 29, 2009 12:05 PM
Obama's almost 70 percent approval rating and Specter's bombshell party switch are clearly referendums on the success and popularity of the president's agenda.
It's a good 100-day scorecard for POTUS.
http://www.political-buzz.com/
Posted by: matt | April 29, 2009 12:21 PM
It's 100 Days of No Accountability in this viral video, watch: http://tinyurl.com/deejcj
Posted by: Jordan | April 29, 2009 2:11 PM
Unmentioned by the White House press operation known as The Swamp: Obama's poll ratings are the 2nd LOWEST in history of any sitting president after 100 days. Only Bill "Cigar" Clinton rated lower.
However, Obama's approval ratings are still 100% with the drive-by media.
Posted by: Party gal | April 29, 2009 2:52 PM
Obama's almost 70 percent approval rating and Specter's bombshell party switch are clearly referendums on the success and popularity of the president's agenda.
It's a good 100-day scorecard for POTUS.
http://www.political-buzz.com/
Posted by: matt | April 29, 2009 12:21 PM
And it only cost him $65Trillion of our kid’s future earning to get there,,,
Polling still show that most people (almost 60%) that the country is heading in the wrong direction..
Obama’s approvals - ranging from the low 60's (NBC -61%) to the high of 68 (ABC) reflect his personal popularity- not his agenda.
When you consider polling with questions about governments role..
A Rasmussen Poll asked voters if they wanted an economic system of complete free enterprise or preferred more government involvement in managing the economy. Result; 77-19, voting against a government role, up seven points from last month.
Fox News polled and showed Obama with a 62% approval rating - but also said government spending, under Obama, was "out of control." by a 62-20 margin...
The same poll had voters saying that big government was more of a danger to the nation than big business.
You can dismiss the poll because it comes from the hated "FOX" news- but cut the numbers in half and most people, when asked about the policy, disagree with the direction Obama is taking government...
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What we have here is a president who in the first 100 days is about as popular as most presidents - other than Reagan- but the bigger story is that most people, when asked about the "agenda" completely disagree...
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Going to be a long four years for the gifted one after the ether of Obama’s historic election wears off..
http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/mood_of_america/right_direction_wrong_track/right_direction_or_wrong_track
Posted by: heartburn | April 29, 2009 3:22 PM
One Hundred Days of AWESOMENESS!
As I'm sure we all know today is President Obama's 100th day in office. Here are 10 achievements that were under-reported in the last 100 days:
~Health Care: The Obama White House cleared an important hurdle in the health care reform debate when it appropriated $19 billion in the stimulus package to help implement an electronic medical record system.
~Communications: A presidential campaign built on innovative messaging and advanced technology has, naturally, become a White House defined by similar characteristics. As such, the reach of the administration's new media efforts - from hosting online question-and-answer sessions with the president to publishing the first White House blog - has been as expected as appreciated.
~Transportation: Since the passage of the economic stimulus package in mid-February, the Obama Department of Transportation has approved 2,500 highway projects. The movement of stimulus money out the door has been as swift as it has been effective: $9.3 billion has been spent in all 50 states
~Education: [A] $2,500 tax credit to help offset the cost of tuition (among other expenses) for those seeking a college education. Nearly five million families are expected to save $9 billion, according to Treasury officials.
~Cars: Perhaps the most significant of steps was to allocate $2 billion in stimulus cash for advanced batteries systems.
~Pakistan: Cognizant of a destabilizing situation in Pakistan, the administration's diplomatic team, with a major assist from Japan, secured $5 billion in aid commitments "to bolster the country's economy and help it fight terror and Islamic radicalism" within the country.
~Cities: Through the Recovery Act, DOJ secured $2 billion for Byrne Grants, which funds anti-gang and anti-gun task forces. The money, cut during the Bush years, is expected to have massive ramifications on inner-city crime and violence. This is a pretty big deal, especially for people who were saying that Obama was somehow getting SOFT on gun Control
~Engaging the Muslim World: While certainly discussed, foreign affairs experts insist that Obama's engagement with the Muslim world has been at once remarkable and under-appreciated. From the first interview with Al Arabiya to his Nowruz address to the Iranian people, to his proclamation that "American is not at war with Islam" during an appearance in Turkey, seasoned observers have been routinely impressed. "Through these [statements and interviews]," said one Democratic foreign policy hand, "He has been able to dramatically change America's image in that region."
~Forests: Since taking office, the White House has put under federal protection more than two million acres of wilderness, thousands of miles of river and a host of national trails and parks.
~Tone: "Despite record job loss," said one Democratic aide, "there's still hope in America." Indeed, from the beginning of his presidency the percentage of people who believe the nation is headed in the right direction has risen from 19 percent to 42 percent, according to a recent ABC News-Washington Post Poll. Minus that calming influence, these numbers don't exist and neither does the Obama agenda as we know it.
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http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/04/29/obamas-first-100-days-10_n_192603.html
It's been a pretty awesome 100 days. I think I've been most impressed by the fact that he's STILL doing town halls. When he leaves DC it's not merely to go on vacation, he's staying connected with the people. Also, did you know that he reads 10 letters from regular people every day AND writes them back PERSONALLY in his own hand? I'm not saying he has someone type a letter and signs it, he WRITES it all himself. Little things like that tell me that he's serious about staying connected to the regular people who aren't in the DC chattering class.
Posted by: Darla Kyler | April 29, 2009 3:26 PM
It's such a relief to have an honest, smart, high quality person in the WH at last. President Obama is facing unprecedented challenges and is going forward with determination and purpose. He already has made a big difference here and with perceptions and relations around the world.
Posted by: Mick | April 29, 2009 3:36 PM
I'm amazed Darla that he is still doing town halls since the election is over (he refused to do them during the campaign) but I guess when most town halls consist of the people who put him in there and they simply sit in awe of him and ask softball questions I can really see why he loves those town hall meetings.
Posted by: vla | April 29, 2009 4:50 PM
You know, for a president who preaches the importance of being green, saving energy, cutting one's carbon footprint, he sure does log a lot of miles on Air Force One to jetset all over creation.
Posted by: John D | April 29, 2009 12:05 PM
One of the perks of our Socialist Leader.
The old saying politicians don't care as long as it doesn't come our of their pocket .
Posted by: Inky | April 29, 2009 5:18 PM
I'm amazed Darla that he is still doing town halls since the election is over (he refused to do them during the campaign) but I guess when most town halls consist of the people who put him in there and they simply sit in awe of him and ask softball questions I can really see why he loves those town hall meetings.
Posted by: vla | April 29, 2009 4:50 PM
.
I think you're confusing Obama with the pathetic candidate (McCain) that your Repug team put out this last time.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=grA-Bfqi5rU
Posted by: Albert Heartbreaker | April 29, 2009 5:50 PM
Current polling data trumpeted by the left is almost completely irrelevant- a lot of people still don't have any clue what Obama's doing to the country, with his naive diplomacy and reckless print-money spending.
But they'll come out-of-the-ether quick when we get humiliated overseas, the dollar tanks, inflation hits 10%, and/or a desperate Rezko/Blago sing to prosecutors about their former pal Barack... who's closet is surely chock-full o' bones.
Time is simply on the GOP's side: neither Obama's big-government spending nor his Carter-esque foreign policy based on appeasement have any precedent of success... anywhere.... ever. And the press can't just do stories on his puppy-vetting process and how he likes to play basketball for four years.
Obama hasn't been tested overseas, nor has he yet gotten to the hard part domestically: he's yet to raise taxes, nationalize healthcare, or provide mass amnesty for illegal immigrants. He hasn’t closed down the car companies he now runs and he has not yet forced a 30+ % jump in utility bills and myriad other products with his cap-and-trade stealth-tax schemes. And these are all on the Obama agenda.
Most likely, when all their ill-advised pork-n-welfare spending fails to produce real economic gains, the Democrats face a bloodbath in 2010-
And by 2012? People will wince at the very mention of the name Obama-
http://reaganiterepublicanresistance.blogspot.com/
Posted by: Reaganite Republican Resistance | April 30, 2009 7:18 AM