Ten Best, Ten Worst: A Farewell to President Obama

Donald Trump became our nation's 45th President at noon ET today.  It will be years until we can fully analyze President Barack Obama's place in the history books, but on the occasion of his departure, I offer both kind words and criticism, with 10 of the best things he did while in office and 10 of the worst things he did while in office.  You can't quite see him too clearly in the photo here, but this is Obama speaking at Wesleyan University's commencement the year after I graduated from there, when he was a Senator on the campaign trail in 2008...

NUMBER 10:
GOOD: Obama inspired the nation when he was elected as the first African-American President in a nation where a lot of black folks were slaves 150 years ago.  He proved that you can become the President no matter the color of your skin.
BAD: It's probably more perceived than it is real, but the media has portrayed racial tensions as somehow worsening, which is odd considering the most powerful man in the world for eight years was black and, for those of us who grew up in the 90s, where even us little white boys idolized Michael Jordan, Emmitt Smith, and Derek Jeter, racial tension was rarely on our minds.

NUMBER 9:
GOOD: Opening up and normalizing relations with Cuba was a good thing.  This does not mean that we're cool with those in power in Cuba (most of us anyway), but a lot of the sanctions that were lifted seemed entirely unnecessary, and I see no reason why we shouldn't try to at least get along with Cuba where we can and allow travel back-and-forth (and Cuban cigars for those who are into that).
BAD: Refusing to block the anti-Israel UN resolution during the lame duck period was, as I detailed in a recent blog post, disgraceful.  Israel is an important ally that we should stand behind, and the people the U.S. sided with by not blocking this resolution are people who literally want Israel wiped off the map.

NUMBER 8:
GOOD: Obama changed his views on same-sex marriage after being elected, supporting equal rights for them.  I view this as a positive thing because, although I am a Christian and fully agree with the Bible on the topic of gay marriage, I believe the government should stay out of marriage completely, recognizing equally every union as a civil union with the corresponding rights.  But if it does recognize marriage, everyone must be afforded the same rights, regardless of religion or sexual orientation.
BAD: With all of the focus on Russia attempting to help President Trump's candidacy, people may forget how terribly Obama handled Russia.  He allowed Russia and Putin to pretty much do whatever they wanted, at least until after Trump was elected.  Obama told Russia on a hot mic that he would have more flexibility once re-elected, he underestimated Russian threats while debating Mitt Romney, and he basically let Russia do what it wanted with Crimea, while ignoring serious issues in Syria and other places.

NUMBER 7:
GOOD: Obama is an honorable family man who carried himself with class and dignity during his presidency, showing a good sense of humor, strength, and eloquence, and never having any credible scandal regarding infidelity during his eight years in office.  He also seems like an approachable, down-to-earth person, and I would like to sit down and have a beer with the man.
BAD: That being said, he never should have been given the Nobel Peace Prize.  He is the first President who has been at war during his entire eight years in office, we're bombing a lot of places most Americans don't even realize we're bombing, and he teamed up with Hillary Clinton to royally screw up Libya.

NUMBER 6:
GOOD: The rate of Veteran homelessness declined under President Obama, and there are more Veteran college tuition assistance programs available.
BAD: The VA hospitals have been a disaster, with insane wait times and Veterans dying in queue.  While not entirely Obama's fault, more should have been done to prevent and fix these issues.

NUMBER 5:
GOOD: Some of the provisions in Obamacare are great, such as insurance companies having to cover people who have preexisting conditions, as well as allowing folks to stay on their parents' plan until they are 26 if they need to.  When I graduated in May 2007, I was 21 and I was dropped from my health insurance plan the very next day because I was no longer a student.  That should not be a thing that happens.  Also, under Obamacare, even if by brute force, more people are insured.
BAD: Obamacare was only upheld by SCOTUS because it's a tax, which is exactly what Obama said it wasn't.  It's insane that insurance companies aren't allowed to compete across state lines to drive down prices, and this is part of the reason that healthcare costs have skyrocketed, premiums are through the roof, and high-deductible plans are the norm.  My health insurance plan under the Obama presidency has gotten increasingly worse and more expensive, and this is the case for many Americans.  Also, it was a lie that you could keep any doctor that you liked under Obamacare.

NUMBER 4:
GOOD: Obama has protected a lot of land.  In 2009, he designated more than two million acres as wilderness, creating trails, and protecting rivers.  He cares about the environment and the treasured outdoor wilderness that God has blessed our nation with.
BAD: Obama freed five terrorists in exchange for the release and return of captured American traitor Bowe Bergdahl.  This is beyond shameful.

NUMBER 3:
GOOD: Obama reversed policies on torture, agreeing with Senator John McCain agreed on the subject, and you would be hard-pressed to find someone more credible on the topic of torture than a former POW war hero like McCain.
BAD: The Iran deal is not a good deal, as it increases Iran's chances of getting nukes, and we basically paid Iran a ransom to get back hostages.  I understand the money was from an old settlement, but forking it over at the same time we got hostages back sends a very wrong message.

NUMBER 2:
GOOD: Obama presided over and assisted in economic recovery to some extent.  Although many are still underemployed and workforce participation is down, a lot of people have at least found jobs again, bringing the unemployment rate down.  The stock market is also very high, having nearly tripled during his Presidency, after the huge crash in 2008 cut the Dow Jones by more than half.
BAD: The U.S. Government's credit rating went down in 2011 because we are spending so much money.  It's not just the stock markets that are up.  When Obama became President, our National Debt was roughly 11 trillion.  It has increased nearly 9 trillion, to 20 trillion.  That is, by far, the biggest increase in National Debt for any President.  And you thought George W. Bush racked up a debt?  (He did, but this blew that record out of the water.)

NUMBER 1:
GOOD: Obama did the job that Bush left him to complete and, under his leadership, the United States found and killed Osama bin Laden.
BAD: Also under Obama came the underestimation and rise of ISIS/ISIL and radical Islamic terrorism.  Poor decisions included withdrawing from Iraq at the wrong time and not providing extra security in Benghazi.  ISIS has become a huge threat throughout the world, and there have been too many extremist Islamic terrorists killing people in the United States as well, often doing so in the name of Allah after pledging allegiance to ISIS.  ISIS is a huge threat that must be obliterated.