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Bringing America Along for the Ride
Ron Edmonds / AP Photo
Not only has President Obama pushed through an impressive set of legislation, he's made Americans feel invested in his success.
I think 100 days is an arbitrary and not altogether useful point of demarcation. But sure, if you look at the stimulus package, which I think was very good, if you look at the omnibus spending bill he passed, if you look at this national-service bill, the public-lands law, he's getting a lot of great stuff done. More importantly, he's putting together a first-rate team. And like Clinton and Reagan and Roosevelt, all other successful presidents, he's bringing the American people along with him on the journey. There was a sense with Bush and Cheney of “We're in charge—you guys go out and shop and we'll take care of stuff,” that I think was really unfortunate. I give him very high marks and I couldn't be happier as a citizen.
Paul Begala is a CNN political contributor and a research professor at Georgetown University's Public Policy Institute. He was a senior strategist for the 1992 Clinton-Gore campaign and served as counselor to President Clinton in the White House.
Xtra Insight: Read other takes on the first 100 days from The Daily Beast's all-star team of analysts.
John Talks Joe
Lloyd Grove is editor at large for The Daily Beast. He is also a frequent contributor to New York magazine and was a contributing editor for Condé Nast Portfolio. He wrote a gossip column for the New York Daily News from 2003 to 2006. Prior to that, he wrote the Reliable Source column for the Washington Post, where he spent 23 years covering politics, the media, and other subjects.
Obama, the Un-decider
Lee Siegel has written about culture and politics and is the author of three books: Falling Upwards: Essays in Defense of the Imagination; Not Remotely Controlled: Notes on Television; and, most recently, Against the Machine: Being Human in the Age of the Electronic Mob. In 2002, he received a National Magazine Award for reviews and criticism.
Forget Bipartisanship
Paul Begala is a CNN political contributor and a research professor at Georgetown University's Public Policy Institute. He was a senior strategist for the 1992 Clinton-Gore campaign and served as counselor to President Clinton in the White House.
Traitor Joe
Paul Begala is a CNN political contributor and a research professor at Georgetown University's Public Policy Institute. He was a senior strategist for the 1992 Clinton-Gore campaign and served as counselor to President Clinton in the White House.
The Last Sane Republican
Paul Begala is a CNN political contributor and a research professor at Georgetown University's Public Policy Institute. He was a senior strategist for the 1992 Clinton-Gore campaign and served as counselor to President Clinton in the White House.
And all the wile the Republicans along for the ride are screaming:
"Are we there yet? We're not? He's had a hundred days! Socialist! Fascist! Something about chicken and watermelons!"
It is truly inspiring to watch. I wasn't around to see the civil rights era, but it's like seeing hoses and dogs turned on fat hicks. It's great.
I was and it is!
Paul, great post, and I especially enjoyed your book list in the previous post. I would humbly submit for your consideration the Taylor Branch trilogy on Dr. King's life and times. Would love to catch up with you at some point! Eddie
Paul, this lunatic has outspent BUSH!! In 100 days of failure he has tripled Bush's spending. Even harder to do is with all the spending NOT ONE job created. Unemployment keeps going up, GM still in trouble, Citi asking for even more money, housing prices still falling, and Feidstein's husband is getting rich foreclosing on poor people. Yeah change YOU can believe in. How sad.
Obama is taking us to hell,I come from a comunist country.
God help us all.We must get him out next election,
Thank you.
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