WTF has Obama Done for Us?

     This is a topic which needs to be covered now and again as the firebaggers claim he has done nothing. They joined with the Republicans to try to destroy ACA in 2010. They continue to try to knock it now.  So I have take a play from ExtremeLiberal's playbook and asked, "WTF has Obama Done?" This is something we must revisit now and again to correct the disinformation.

     http://extremeliberal.wordpress.com/

     Just yesterday, firebagger badgerbadger claimed

   
     "Can anyone tell me – if Obama really wanted meaningful healthcare reform, why did he go along with a bill that is not likely to be in place in 2014, proclaiming it an accomplishment.
There are no accomplishments until something happens."

       http://news.firedoglake.com/2011/08/15/new-health-care-regulations-close-exchanges-to-many-offered-unaffordable-employer-coverage/

     badgerbadger has not historical perspective here or he would know that there was nothing unusual in ACA not being set to kick in till 2014, the same thing happened with FDR's SS bill in 1935 originally wasn't supposed to kick in till 1942-finally did in 1940. Or the complaint that ACA only covers 32 out of the 53 million Americans without health care. While that's clearly short of the ideal goal it is closer to FDR's SS in 1935 which initially only covered about 5% of Americans. 

    How many Americans know what has truly been gained by ACA? You have people like Hamsher who demanded it be killed in 2010 because it lacked a public option. For the record I wanted a public option too, but the only ones claiming that the bill was so flawed that it should be killed and we should go back to the drawing board was the Congressional Republicans and Hamsher, et al.

    Yet ACA has give us many new benefits. Just a few weeks ago Obama further negotiated so that women can now get birth control without co-pays. While the mandate has been attacked a lot it only applies to people who make more than 133% of the poverty line and for who health insurance would not be more than 8% of their income. 

    Recently we've been hearing a lot about a "Texas Miracle" but of course it's really a mirage. Krugman puts it best when he points out that when you factor in population growth there's really nothing to see here.

    If Texas is-very slightly-beneath the national unemployment rate-at 8.2% to 9.1 that's because Texas was not hit so hard by the mortgage mess in the first place due to better regulation of mortgages-not anything to do with Perry of course.

   Conservatives always compare Texas with states like California and Nevada which were hit very hard by the mortgage crisis. This is misleading as it's oranges to apples.

    What's interesting though is that Michigan is one of the few states to really be hit hard by the crisis who have gotten unemployment somewhat in line. This has come to be by Obama's revamping of the US auto industry-which resides in Michigan.

     It's quite amazing how the auto industry looks just 2 years later. They have been growing and are actually building good cars for the first time in years. After 20 years of denying reality, Detroit is back. Just recently they agreed to tough new fuel mileage standards-55 mpg average by 2025.  Even 5 years ago they wouldn't agree to a 35 mpg average by 2025.

     This agreement has again been bery quiet-very little fanfare in teh media just like in the case of no more co-pays for women's birth control.

      We have the tremendous work he has done for the LGBT community just recently denying entry into the United State for those who have committed human rights violations against members of the LGBT community.

      How many know that he signed the Dream Act via an executive order?

      http://forums.hannity.com/showthread.php?t=2276121  Yes that's a Hannity link-fun to hear him whine!


      Obama 2012! Democrats 2012!