Under President Donald Trump, many people believe that former president Barack Obama made America worse during his presidency. Do you think so, too? Well, why don’t we take a moment to see what Obama has accomplished and learn to appreciate his efforts instead?
There has been a lot of talk about Obama taking a backseat in foreign affairs. Some say he adopts an overly diplomatic stance, trying to negotiate his way through everything. For instance, fighting resumed in Aleppo after the ceasefire and thousands of people died and are still suffering today but Obama was hesitant to take action. He believed that it was best not to charge into Aleppo with the U.S. troops. In contrast, he opted for diplomacy.
However, even though that is one of Obama’s most notable public mistakes, the former president did make history in foreign policy through other feats.. He ended the war in Iraq, took down Osama Bin Laden, restored relations with Cuba, and forged a nuclear deal with Iran. Obama worked hard to change some deeply problematic policies that presidents before him had put into place. His ability to clean up their messes in a sophisticated manner deserves our applause.
Another mishap that some tend to overlook is Obamacare. Obamacare was and is the first time that we have ever come close to universal healthcare. The policy is still not perfect and currently faces repealment because of Trump’s determination to change it. Nevertheless, it still helped many people, who were not insured previously, obtain healthcare coverage
But, let’s not forget that Obama fought strongly for LGBT rights too, legalizing something that was nearly impossible for a long time : the right to gay marriage. He fought to protect abortion rights and civil rights, and strived to promote gender equality in the community.
Moreover, the Harvard Law graduate raised minimum wage for federal employees to $10.10/hour and guaranteed sick days. He also enacted strict overtime rules where employers had to pay employees 1.5 times their wage whenever they exceeded the 40 hour limit. He did this to prevent people from working overtime and attempting to improve the family lifestyle of Americans. Obama also extended unemployment benefits for laid off workers.
With regards to climate change, Obama made big improvements to Washington’s policy on climate change. He made carbon emissions drop during his presidency and also started the conversation on the Paris agreement.
But, let’s be real now. Apart from all these good policies and acts that Obama has enacted, he was most importantly the first African-American president! Can we just applaud him for that big achievement and for his efforts to clean up the mess that George W. Bush left him? Go Obama!