Barack Obama, who won the election in 2008, became a genuinely iconic US president. He was the first African American to be nominated for the presidency of the United States by one of the two major parties and the first black president in the national history of heads of state (Shi, 2022). However, not only his origins had a significant impact on American politics, but also his actions. Significant events in American history during the presidency of Barack Obama include the fight against terrorism, health care reform, the fight against the economic crisis, significant advances in ecology, and the expansion of LGBT rights.
The ground on which Barack Obama won the election plays a vital role in understanding his presidential terms. George W. Bush’s approval rating was lowered due to decisions made during his first terms, such as failed economic reforms and the invasion of Iraq (Shi, 2022). During his second term as president, his reputation was significantly affected by flooding in New Orleans due to Hurricane Katrina (Shi, 2022). The rating of the president and the Republican Party was negatively affected by the corruption scandal associated with the case of the well-known lobbyist Jack Abramoff (Shi, 2022). Thus, by 2008, the Republican Party had lost much of the people’s confidence.
Obama’s first steps in the presidential chair consisted of canceling the previous president’s most unsuccessful decisions. Some of President Obama’s first actions focused on reversing measures taken by the Bush administration after the 9/11 attacks (Shi, 2022). The most critical step of Obama’s first 100 days was the passage of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to overcome the Great Recession. However, the lack of Republican support for the bill and the inability of Democrats to win that support foreshadowed the gridlock that continued throughout the Obama presidency.
Healthcare reform has become the leading domestic priority of the new president. Unlike Bill Clinton’s 1993 plan for health care reform, Obama adopted a strategy allowing Congress to lead the process (Shi, 2022). The economy became the second priority in domestic politics: Obama signed the most extensive financial regulatory overhaul since the New Deal (Shi, 2022). The law increased regulatory and reporting requirements for derivatives and took steps to limit systemic risks to the US economy. Barack Obama’s health and economic reforms have achieved considerable success.
Obama has taken several steps to combat global warming but has not passed a significant bill to address it. Obama became the first president to endorse same-sex marriage, also his order since 2014 prohibits discrimination against employees of federal contractors based on sexual orientation or gender identity (Shi, 2022). During the presidency of Barack Obama, there was a movement in the right direction from the point of view of ecology and human rights.
The US foreign policy of the Obama era inherited the “war on terrorism,” which came to be called the “overseas emergency operation.” China’s continued emergence as a significant power has been a central issue of the Obama presidency. Relations between China and the US have also been strained over territorial claims in the South China Sea and the East China Sea (Shi, 2022). After taking office, Obama called for a “reset” of relations with Russia, which deteriorated after the Russian-Georgian war in 2008 (Shi, 2022). However, in 2014, the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the annexation of Crimea led to strong condemnation from Obama. In general, Obama’s foreign policy is moderately successful, although not wholly consistent in some aspects.
The presidency of Barack Obama is evaluated instead as a favorable period in the history of the United States. Some of his reforms had a significant positive impact on the economy and the lives of ordinary Americans. He could have achieved a final victory in some of his initiatives, such as in environmental issues. Despite the correct vector of foreign policy actions, they did not have long-term success: sanctions against Russia proved insufficient, and American troops in Afghanistan were facing collapse. However, despite this, the presidency of Barack Obama remained an essential milestone in American history.
Reference
Shi, D. E. (2022). America: A Narrative History (Volume 2) (Brief Eleventh). W. W. Norton & Company.