Discussion Forums > Politics
President Obama wins 2009 Nobel Peace Prize
relic2279:
--- Quote from: vicious796 on October 09, 2009, 12:09:18 PM ---I'm confused, I think you may have been thinking of someone else. I've never, ever, ever said we should pack up and leave from EITHER of those locations nor have I placed blame on him for either.
--- End quote ---
Oh sorry, I just meant I was talking about the Iraq/afghanistan war with you. Nothing specific more than that.
relic2279:
Sorry for the double post, I rarely do it, but this is separate from my above comment.
Do I think Obama deserves the Nobel Peace Prize? Probably not. And as some of you claimed, it's less prestigious than it used to be and we won't know who the competition is. But I'm sick of people claiming he has done nothing while in office. So here is a handy list of some of his accomplishments so far in these last 8 months:
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* On January 29, 2009, President Obama signed his first bill into law, the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009, which overruled the Supreme Court's decision in Ledbetter v. Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. and so eased the requirements for filing employment discrimination lawsuits.
* Five days later, he signed the reauthorization of the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) to cover an additional 4 million children currently uninsured.
* In March 2009, Obama repealed a Bush-era policy that prevented federal tax dollars from being used to fund research on new lines of embryonic stem cells.
* On May 26, 2009, Obama nominated Sonia Sotomayor to replace retiring Associate Justice David Souter. Sotomayor was confirmed on August 6, 2009 by a vote of 68-31 becoming the first Hispanic to be a Supreme Court Justice.
* On September 30, 2009, the Obama administration announced new regulations on power plants, factories and oil refineries in an attempt to limit greenhouse gas emissions and to curb global warming. According to EPA administrator Lisa Jackson, “We are not going to continue with business as usual. We have the tools and the technology to move forward today, and we are using them.”
* In February and March, Vice President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton made separate overseas trips to announce a "new era" in U.S. foreign relations with Russia and Europe, using the terms "break" and "reset" to signal major changes from the policies of the preceding administration. Obama's granting of his first television interview as President to an Arabic cable network, Al Arabiya, was seen as an attempt to reach out to Arab leaders.
* Helped negotiate hostage releases with Iran and sent Bill Clinton to NK to do the same.
* On June 4, 2009, Obama delivered a speech at Cairo University in Egypt calling for "a new beginning" in relations between the Islamic world and the United States and promoting Middle East peace.
* On September 24, 2009, Obama became the first sitting U.S. President to preside over a meeting of the United Nations Security Council.
* On February 27, Obama declared that combat operations would end in Iraq within 18 months. His remarks were made to a group of Marines preparing for deployment to Afghanistan. Obama said, "Let me say this as plainly as I can: By August 31, 2010, our combat mission in Iraq will end."
* Lifting travel and remittance restrictions for Cuban Americans who seek to travel more frequently to the island and send more US currency to their immediate family.
* Engaging world leaders in Europe, Turkey, Latin American and the Caribbean with "strength and humility."
* Diminishing the role of lobbyists in the White House
* Ordering the closing of Guantanamo Bay military detention facility and abolishing "enhanced interrogation techniques."
* Restoring the respect of the rest of the world for the United States
* Changed the nature of the foreign policy of the world's only superpower from one of xenophobic belligerence to multilateral negotiation and compromise.
* On September 18, 2009, he scrapped Bush's plan for a European missile defense shield, relieving some of the strain on US/Russian relations.
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Yeah he's done nothing. He's Jimmy Carter... Gimmie a break. :P
Lucerin Red:
He's also done a lot of horrible things, like appoint a large number of RIAA lawyers to the Justice department, extend the patriot act twice, drastically increased our debt through a stimulus package which has kept next to none of it's promises, NOT actually shut down Guantanimo and have any real good come of it other than change locations, kept virtually none of his transparency promises, etc etc.... I could go on.
The ONLY real good he's done is be calm mannered and friendly, which can go miles, but he has really fallen short of the image he projected himself to be like before the election. I know a large number of people that were hugely behind him during the election that can't believe it's the same man they voted for and are hugely disappointed. Note, I'm not saying the opposition was any better, they were both failures in my book, but I'd just like people to recognize he's a lot closer to Bush than he'd ever admit.
relic2279:
--- Quote from: Lucerin Red on October 09, 2009, 10:00:33 PM --- extend the patriot act twice
--- End quote ---
Only once, the last time he only extended a few provisions from the patriot act. Not the entire thing.
--- Quote ---drastically increased our debt through a stimulus package which has kept next to none of it's promises
--- End quote ---
The stimulus package was already going through congress months before he was even elected. Regardless, you see the package as a bad thing, I see it as a positive thing. To me, it's clearly better than not having one. Difference of opinion I suppose.
--- Quote --- I know a large number of people that were hugely behind him during the election that can't believe it's the same man they voted for and are hugely disappointed. Note, I'm not saying the opposition was any better, they were both failures in my book, but I'd just like people to recognize he's a lot closer to Bush than he'd ever admit.
--- End quote ---
Another difference of opinion I guess. His ratio of broken promises to fulfilled are pretty high according to politifact.org (47 kept, 7 broken) I voted for him and have been content with my choice.
Though, on another note, maybe he got the nobel peace prize for keeping Palin out of office. :D
darkjedi:
But he has Hillary in >_<
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