Friday, November 20th, 2009 | Uncategorized
A letter from one Professor Robert P. Watson of Lynn University has been making its rounds on the Interwebs today. It’s titled “90 Accomplishments of President Obama Which The Media Fails To Report.” It’s a mouthful, but it’s worth it.
See the whole letter here.
Before we go any further, let’s figure out who this Robert Watson is. According to his Wikipedia page, Watson is a Democrat - big surprise there. We also see that he’s in favour of universal healthcare and strengthening environment protections - again, two big plans for Obama during his term in office. So basically, we need to take what the good professor says, with a grain of salt.
Still. Let’s take a look at some of the more interesting “accomplishments” on the list:
10. Limits on lobbyist’s access to the White House
11. Limits on White House aides working for lobbyists after their tenure in the administration
(I wrote about this
here)
27. The secret detention facilities in Eastern Europe and elsewhere are being closed
(This isn’t so much impressive as it is confounding. Are these prisons being kept secret from enemies… or from non-enemies? When you think about it, there’s really nothing guaranteeing any promises made about something secret, are kept. This is a non-item, if you ask me. We’re down to 89 accomplishments)
46. Closed offshore tax safe havens
47. Negotiated deal with Swiss banks to permit US government to gain access to records of tax evaders and criminals
(Fighting corruption. Good stuff.)
72. Authorized discussions with North Korea and private mission by Pres. Bill Clinton to secure the release of two Americans held in prisons
73. Authorized discussions with Myanmar and mission by Sen. Jim Web to secure the release of an American held captive
(Diplomacy. Nice.)
78. Limited salaries of senior White House aides; cut to $100,000
(I enjoyed this particular announcement when it broke several months ago. Politics is already driven by money enough.)
85. Paid for redecoration of White House living quarters out of his own pocket
(Is this a huge deal? Nah. Does it do anything for US citizens? Not really - maybe it’s saving a few bucks. It’s just indicative of a particular kind of attitude in a man looked up to by countless millions. It’s symbolic.)
Oh, and he built a swing set for the girls outside the Oval Office!
Cute.
I should also mention that several of the accomplishments begin with something like, “Has announced intention to…”
Awesome. I’m revising my resume to include: “Has announced intention to build rocket ship to Jupiter” and “Is expecting to float around the world in a hot-air balloon.”
And let’s also keep in mind that this is a list of the positive accomplishments of Obama. A list of the not-so-positive ones wouldn’t be as impressive:
…and it goes on…
Anyways, it’s a fascinating list, all things considered. As Professor Watson mentioned in his letter, Obama’s level of activity is rivaling that of LBJ or FDR, the presidential benchmarks for work accomplished in the first year of a term.
Tags: accomplishment, obama
June 28, 2010