January 23, 2010 12:24 PM UTC

Obama's First Year: What's Your Take?

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• by: peacemonger

Coloradans who campaigned for Barack Obama will be meeting at Dora’s Mexican Restaurant in SE Denver at noon on Sunday, January 24th. Everyone is invited to celebrate the first anniversary of Barack Hussein Obama taking office, and share their thoughts about his first year as President of the United States. (Separate tabs apply.)

What will the consensus be? Is there anything to celebrate?

Candidate Obama seemed to promise the moon, the stars and the sky. Some of us believed racism, homophobia, sexism, hyper-nationalism, and waving monkey dolls would be eradicated forever. Instead, we had a year of tea-partiers, the loss of the most dependably Democratic seat in the United States Senate, and the Supreme Court selling our life, liberty and pursuit of happiness to the highest corporate bidder. He bent over backward to accomodate the Republican party’s superficial request for bi-partisanship, and filled his cabinet with advisors on both sides of the politial aisle.

Although he ran on a populist platform, President Obama’s first act as President was to bail out big banks. Obama did not get us out of war — he merely moved the troops to Afghanistan. After almost a year working on health insurance reform, he’s still trying to get a bill passed, despite a Democratic majority in Congress. President Obama won the Nobel Prize for Peace, but even he believed it was not yet earned. It was not exactly the year we had “Hope”d for.

Still, those of us who remember eight grueling, torturous years of P”resident” George W. Bush are quick to forgive and rationalize away Barack Obama being “too nice” to his political adversaries. Compared to George W., Barack Obama is the deliverer of dreams.

So, what has he accomplished in one year?  

During the first year as President, Barack Obama:

* willingly accepted the “in-box from Hell” from the worst President ever;

* appointed his campaign opponent Hillary Clinton to Secretary of State, noting her wisdom and experience;

* stopped the financial collapse of the US (and global?) economy;

* banned the use of “harsh interrogation”;

* ordered the closing of Guantánamo;

* reversed Bush’s decision to cutoff overseas family planning organizations, saving millions of lives;

* approved California’s car-emissions standards for cleaner air and to slow global warming;

* signed the $787 billion stimulus bill, which economists say has helped stimulate the economy and is slowly creating jobs;

* formally announced America’s withdrawal from Iraq (some exceptions);

* expanded SCHIP, giving health care to millions of children who might otherwise go without;

* reversed Bush’s decision to restrict federal funding for stem-cell research;

* forced Chrysler and GM into bankruptcy and provided guidance for them to improve their game in the future;

* gave an historic speech to the Arab world asking for a better relationship built on mutual goals;

* unveiled the “Cash for Clunkers” program, ultimately saving Ford Motor Company;

* appointed Justice Sonia Sotomayor to the US Supreme Court;

* signed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, ensuring equal pay for equal work for women;

* signed an order to release the torture memos;

* ended Bush’s war on medical marijuana;

* modeled tolerance and respect by hosting numerous multi-cultural events and observances at the White House;

* resurrected Hillary Clinton’s fight for health care, and will soon (hopefully) sign the most important piece of health legislation in half a century.

*For a list of more successes, go to: http://open.salon.com/blog/je_…

Did he deliver on his promises? Let’s see:

“This victory alone is not the change we seek — it’s only the chance to make that change” – President Barack Obama

I guess he did. The question is, “Did we?”

Please join us for a Celebration Lunch

at Dora’s Mexican Restaurant,

2406 S. Parker Road, near Iliff in Denver (near Aurora)

12noon-3pm

Welcome and appreciation remarks approximately 1pm.

All are welcome.

***** SEPARATE TABS *****

Please RSVP below in the comments section.

Hope to see you there!

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