Barack Obama's Presidency will be a success if...

[Burgold]

Clearly, there are factors we can not guess about that will help shape how President elect Obama's Presidency will be looked upon, but for this thread suggest what you think needs to happen for the Obama Presidency to be successful. What must happen or begin to happen during the next 4-8 years?

[JohnLockesGhost]

Tackles entitlement reform.

Holds down government spending. (unlikely)

Successfully disengages from Iraq.

Normalizes relations with Cuba.

[Koolblue13]

We are about to drop into the next great depression. His presidency will be defined by how long we stay in it.

If we end up with 300,000 troops in Afghanistan and the fighting never slows, while we are in a depression, that will help to define his presidency.

Green is great and all and would make for a great side issue, but an escalated war, domestic terror attack and not getting out of a financial depression are the main issues.

[Koolblue13]

Successfully disengages from Iraq.

And if he disengages from Iraq, only to move them into Afghanistan?

What if he signs our troops over to NATO to fight?

Yet we have 20 troops in Iraq.

[Tastes Like Chicken]

... if he delivers on 70% of what he promised by 2012.

[JohnLockesGhost]

And if he disengages from Iraq, only to move them into Afghanistan?

What if he signs our troops over to NATO to fight?

Yet we have 20 troops in Iraq.

Hey, I'm in favor of coming home from Germany too, but that ain't gonna happen.

[Burgold]

I agree with the successful disengagement of Iraq

I would add navigated the housing and financial mess and bringing back some stability

If the economy rebounds more quickly or doesn't crash as hard as everyone expects

I would say beginning the development of a new energy movement. Think of the way that the combustion engine or coal changed America. Green Energy, at its best, could spark a new Industrial Revolution. That would reinvent America and create oodles of jobs and money.

I would say he needs to make meaningful reform to nooses (IE Social Security and Medicare)

He must keep America relatively safe (although there are many ways to define that word)

If he can add transparency and reduce the ammount of corruption in gov't (okay, it's impossible, but wouldn't it be nice?)

If he can do these things he will be remembered very, very well. If he does most of these things I think he will be remembered as successful.

[McD5]

If he can keep us out of tent cities, and can fix the broken financial system.

[Koolblue13]

I agree with the successful disengagement of Iraq

and Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iran? What if we end up with more troops there as promised, but have nobody in Iraq? How will that be judged by you? Success? and if our troops are signed off to NATO, will that count as "not Obama's war"?

I would add navigated the housing and financial mess and bringing back some stability

Do you mean to stabilize the dollar, so the folks who are going to be living off their SS money can do just that in the next 10 to 15 years?

If the economy rebounds more quickly or doesn't crash as hard as everyone expects

Agreed. I would rather not live in a tent city. It's cold out.

I would say beginning the development of a new energy movement. Think of the way that the combustion engine or coal changed America. Green Energy, at its best, could spark a new Industrial Revolution. That would reinvent America and create oodles of jobs and money.

If done correctly, it could and although I am very interested in how this get done and that it DOES get done, unless this becomes the thing that pulls us out of our economic situation and done so on the backs of Americans and American centered and owned companies, it's nothing more than fluff.

I would say he needs to make meaningful reform to nooses (IE Social Security and Medicare)

Agreed. I'm more worried about what inflation will do to the value of that money though.

He must keep America relatively safe (although there are many ways to define that word)

Border security, immigration, no bombs going off at Starbucks. All good thing we need.

If he can add transparency and reduce the ammount of corruption in gov't (okay, it's impossible, but wouldn't it be nice?)

You can't increase the Fed and at the same time make it more transparent. That was just feel good elect me talk. If he wanted to make the Fed more transperant, he would reduce it's power and size. As well as it's income and we know for a fact that just isn't going to happen.

If he can do these things he will be remembered very, very well. If he does most of these things I think he will be remembered as successful.

If he can do all of those thing, even I will be bowing to the Messiah.

[Burgold]

and Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iran? What if we end up with more troops there as promised, but have nobody in Iraq? How will that be judged by you? Success? and if our troops are signed off to NATO, will that count as "not Obama's war"?

The question is how actively engaged do we need to be in the GWOT. Can we do it economically, diplomatically, through allies, militarily or will it take all of the above. I am more in favor of striking the terrorists in the comfort zone. Iran, Afghanistan, Syria, Saudi Arabia, but also realize we can't just up and go after all the bastards. So, in medium, I don't have a really good answer to this question. I suspect necessity will answer it much like it did with President Bush. Meanwhile, we'll all happily second guess.

Do you mean to stabilize the dollar, so the folks who are going to be living off their SS money can do just that in the next 10 to 15 years?

Yeah, I want to stabalize the dollar and get the banks working again and find the floor to the stock market and build back American confidence in the economy.

Agreed. I would rather not live in a tent city. It's cold out.

No worries here. Global warming baby. Camping will be a blast!

If done correctly, it could and although I am very interested in how this get done and that it DOES get done, unless this becomes the thing that pulls us out of our economic situation and done so on the backs of Americans and American centered and owned companies, it's nothing more than fluff.

yup.

If he can do all of those thing, even I will be bowing to the Messiah.

Don't you find the Messiah stuff tedius and a bit ridiculous. I know I got weary of it way back in October when we were pretending that Obama and Paris Hilton were actually the same person.

[aREDSKIN]

Clearly, there are factors we can not guess about that will help shape how President elect Obama's Presidency will be looked upon, but for this thread suggest what you think needs to happen for the Obama Presidency to be successful. What must happen or begin to happen during the next 4-8 years?

IMO whatever he does or doesn't do will be portrayed so positively by the Main stream media that there will be very little criticism of him. Anything that goes wrong will be blamed on Bush and anything that go right he'll be aggrandized for. It's all in the cards. The MM has played their hand yet again.

[Koolblue13]

Don't you find the Messiah stuff tedius and a bit ridiculous. I know I got weary of it way back in October when we were pretending that Obama and Paris Hilton were actually the same person.

Absolutely and not really. I said it as a joke, but like most jokes, there is a hint of truth to it.

[jpyaks3]

For me at least we need a more rational Middle East policy. This includes changing our relationships with Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Iran, and Israel among others.

He needs to begin to turn the economy around in his first term. This is going to be difficult but there needs to be some signs of recovery.

He also needs to normalize relations with Cuba.

I would also like to see a greater degree of transparency in his administration.

[Burgold]

Boy, most of us aren't asking for much, are we

[SkinsHokieFan]

Some sort of true entitlement reform that tackles the 43 trillion dollar unfunded liability

Out of Iraq and Afghanistan by 2012

A complete re-examination of our relationship with Israel

Along with that, re-examination with all other Arab/Muslim states in the region

The national debt not increasing by more then 2 trillion (currently at close to 10)

Inflation remaining low. There is a real possibility with how much money we are about to print over the next 2 years that inflation will easily get out of control

No attacks on American soil