Public opinion polls cloud Obama's first-year achievements

One year ago, the American public watched with anticipation as the first African-American president was sworn in to office. At that time the United States had accumulated a $10.63 trillion debt and a 7.7 percent unemployment rate. A year later, the debt has increased $1.693 trillion, and the unemployment rate stands at higher than 10 percent, according to CBS news.

Usually, these are signs pointing toward presidential failure. However, this is not the case this year. President Barack Obama inherited a torn country in a horrible state, yet he has still managed some success. For example, Obama has signed 124 bills and made more contact with the American public than recent presidents.

Obama expanded the United States economy, which continues to grow at a 2.8 percent annual rate, with his stimulus packages. Currently, Obama has been working on getting back stimulus money spent on salary bonuses for corporate leaders.

The main issues during Obama's first year, and throughout the presidential campaigns of 2008, revolve around health care. The health care bill has been changed so many times, the new watered-down version has no serious impact because there is no plan for Medicare buy-in and limitations in the public option.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 46.3 million American citizens do not have access to proper health care. The U.S. ranked No. 37 on the United Nations' World Health Report, scoring lower than countries like Chili and Costa Rica and narrowly edging out Cuba.

The only question in congressional debates should be what is taking so long to fix this.

Why can't a Democratic majority agree on anything? Politics is a synonym for bias. Some politicians flip-flop from party to party to get elected. This isn't a Congress full of gold-hearted "Mr. Smiths" fighting for what they see as right. This is a Congress fighting for party goals, sometimes not even their own.

Even though a Democratic majority should have made it easy for Obama's legislation to be passed, conservative Democrats favored a more private version of health care and continue to kill any bill with a public option.

Democrats held 58 of the 100 Senate seats at one point. Two of the remaining 42 had been occupied by democratic Independents, including Joe Lieberman.

Lieberman might as well be a synonym for hypocrite. In May 2009, Lieberman stated his support of health care reform and Medicare buy-in on national television. In December, he publicly switched his position on Fox News and threatened a filibuster to dispose of the revised bill.

In 1995, Lieberman co-sponsored legislation to curtail filibusters.

If these are not contradictions, I don't know what are.

Americans criticize Obama for not yet making any improvement to America. With this "what have you done for me lately" idea, approval ratings have plummeted since election.

However, the economy is expanding, four million children who had no health insurance are now covered, and companies like General Motors have been rejuvenated from failure. The only problems should be attributed to the uncooperative Congress.

Congress continues to water down the health care bill and fight over everything. Nothing has been done in this time of political hostility. If Congress can get together, just enough to change our mediocre health care system for the better, American quality of life and morale can rise.

Until then, we have to live with the many problems caused by private health care. For example, www.healthpaconline.net reports 50 percent of filed bankruptcies in the U.S. are due to medical expenses.

Obama has done well in his first year, despite current public opinion. When asked about what Obama learned in his first year, White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said, "change is never easy; that change takes time; that change has to go through Congress."

trimblcl@sbu.edu