A LOOK BACK AT PRESIDENT OBAMA'S "ACCOMPLISHMENTS" OVER THE LAST YEAR
What a difference a year makes. After his election, President Obama said "change has come to America" and he definitely wasn't kidding. In honor of his one-year anniversary in office, the Tennessee Republican Party wants to take a look back over the last 365 days at some news reports that highlight just of a few of President Obama's most historic accomplishments:
- RECORD DEBT - "With the national debt projected to soar by nearly $1.4 trillion this year, congressional Democrats are planning a year-end push to dramatically increase the legal debt limit so they don't have to revisit the politically uncomfortable issue before facing voters in November." ("Democrats to seek higher limit on the federal debt," Washington Post, 12/9/09)
- RECORD UNEMPLOYMENT - "In another sign that workers are being left out of the budding economic recovery, the U.S. unemployment rate climbed to 10.2 percent in October, topping the 10 percent mark for the first time in 26 years." ("Unemployment rate hits 10.2%, a 26-year high," MarketWatch, 11/6/09)
- "STIMULUS" FAILURE - "The government's economic stimulus spending has already had its biggest impact and probably won't contribute to significant growth next year, a top White House adviser said Thursday... Unemployment will remain high, at or above 9.6 percent, through the end of 2010, Romer predicted." ("Romer: Impact of stimulus will level off next year," Associated Press, 10/22/09)
- CUTTING SWEETHEART DEALS TO RAM THROUGH A GOVERNMENT TAKEOVER OF HEALTH CARE - "While the Nebraska Democrat got a particularly juicy concession in exchange for a 'yes' vote on the 10-year, $871 billion package - permanent and full federal aid for his state's expanded Medicaid population - support from a slew of other senators likewise came with a price." ("The Price Is Right? Payoffs for Senators Typical in Health Care Bill," Fox News, 12/21/09)
- BROKEN TRANSPARENCY PROMISES - "'We'll have the negotiations televised on C-SPAN, so that people can see who is making arguments on behalf of their constituents, and who are making arguments on behalf of the drug companies or the insurance companies,' Obama said. That hasn't happened. Instead, Democrats in Congress and the White House have made multibillion-dollar deals with hospitals and pharmaceutical companies in private. C-SPAN asked to televise the negotiations between the House and Senate versions; the White House insists it hasn't seen the request." ("Promises, Promises: Many Obama Pledges Unkept," Associated Press, 1/14/10)
- IMPORTING TERRORISTS INTO THE UNITED STATES - "President Obama's decision to transfer as many as 100 terror suspects from Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, to a maximum security prison in rural Illinois potentially sets the stage for a new round of high-stakes legal battles over what additional rights, if any, Al Qaeda suspects are entitled to... from the moment the detainees set foot on US soil, their lawyers will have the ability to tap into the full array of constitutional and other legal protections enjoyed by every American citizen and resident." ("Guantanamo detainees on US soil: a legal minefield," Christian Science Monitor, 12/15/09)
- NATIONAL ENERGY TAX THAT WILL RAISE COSTS ON FAMILIES - "The Obama administration has privately concluded that a cap and trade law would cost American taxpayers up to $200 billion a year, the equivalent of hiking personal income taxes by about 15 percent. A previously unreleased analysis prepared by the U.S. Department of Treasury says the total in new taxes would be between $100 billion to $200 billion a year. At the upper end of the administration's estimate, the cost per American household would be an extra $1,761 a year." ("Obama Admin: Cap And Trade Could Cost Families $1,761 A Year," CBS News, 9/15/09)
Last night, voters in Massachusetts had the honor of being the first this year to show President Obama what they think about his "accomplishments." Tennesseans will have to wait until November, but the President can rest assured that voters in the Volunteer State will be taking these historic "achievements" into account when heading to the polls this fall.