Building a Solid Foundation

Ever since President Franklin D. Roosevelt, in 1933, made unbelievable accomplishments to halt America’s economic decay within his first 100 days in office, the first 100 days of succeeding new presidents have been used as a milestone to measure their effectiveness.

To some this is meaningless milestone. They ask why, since a president’s first term is scheduled for 1,460 days, is this emphasis placed on the first 100 days? After all, they say, President Jimmy Carter also made great strides in his first 100 days, gaining an approval rating of 69 percent, only to be recorded as one of the nation’s weakest presidents.

Irrespective of the questions, this is a tradition and there is now overwhelming analysis of the first 100 days of President Barack Obama, a milestone reached on April 29.

Except for his most rabid opponents, there are few who, with a fair conscience, can declare that the first 100 days of this first African-American president of the United States have been impressive.

The remarkable accomplishment of Obama’s presidency is the restoration of confidence in the office of the president. Americans, of whatever political persuasion, can no longer question if they have a definitive leader in the White House. Obama has succeeded in making his presence known by being a greater communicator than the legendary “Great Communicator” himself – President Ronald Reagan.

Obama has taken advantage of today’s competitive multi-media to communicate daily with Americans, making speeches to various groups and organizations, and giving interviews. He has held three prime time news conferences, confidently addressing issues and fielding questions pertinent to the nation, plus he gave an impressive address to a joint session of Congress. Almost everything that Obama has done or attempted to do he has communicated to the American people via the Internet, print, radio and television.

The new president has been much more than a communicator. Over these 100 days, he has also proven to be an effective man of action. They were those who would have preferred him focusing entirely on improving the crippling economy during his first three months in office. The president has been able to do this, while also attending to most of the other issues he promised during his presidential campaign.

Within his first 30 days, he signed the huge $787 billion stimulus bill designed to remobilize the economy. Although he experienced disappointment in getting real bi-partisan approval of the bill, it passed without major setbacks. Then, he approved millions more to assist people in danger of losing their homes to foreclosure in refinancing their mortgages.

The president arranged new funding for small businesses, and measures for commercial banks to eradicate tainted assets from their balance sheets and enhance their ability to restore credit. He has served notice to credit card companies that they can no longer abuse customers with unreasonable interest rates, and he let the major car manufacturers know, in no uncertain manner, that they must introduce strong plans to save and improve that industry without depending on government bailout.

Meanwhile, Obama ordered the closing of the Guantanamo Bay military prison in Cuba; scheduled troop withdrawal from Iraq, reallocated more troops to a worsening situation in Afghanistan; passed a law enabling women to sue for job discrimination, approved extended health coverage for children; initiated the process to provide universal health coverage for Americans, while being the first president to make three major overseas trips – to Canada, Europe and Asia, and the Caribbean within his first 100 days.

These trips further enhanced the image of the U.S. presidency and the nation’s international status. Obama has forged meaningful links with members of the European Union, the Muslim World and the Americas where he has relaxed some of the old, restrictive policies that made it difficult for Cuban- Americans to visit their homeland or send money to relatives.

The president’s accomplishments have not been without criticism. The main criticism is that he is spending too much, threatening to make the nation’s national debt the highest in history. Countering the critics, Obama recently introduced measures to save billions in waste from the national budget. He has also been criticized for taking on too many projects simultaneously, but, Obama, if nothing else, is a very smart man. Like Roosevelt, he has made his first 100 days the foundation for his presidency, giving America and the world a comprehensive overview of what his administration plans to accomplish over the next 1360 days. He has succeeded in attending to most of his election promises, putting processes in place to translate the promises into policies.

There is a long way to go in this young presidency. Naturally, there will be future disappointments and failures, but as long as Barack Obama maintains the uncanny calm he is already famous for; continue to communicate effectively with the American people, including his opponents; build confidence and put the interest of the people upfront, there are indications that these first 100 days could be the foundation of another great U.S. presidency.

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