HT to the Rachel Maddow show and Crooks and Liars for this, but President Obama has had an extraordinary first 30 days in office. Here’s a summary of what’s he’s accomplished (with little to zero help from Republicans):
Announced strict new rules for lobbyists
Paycaps for WH staff
Hillary Clinton confirmed Secretary of State
Signed an Executive Order closing Gitmo and secret CIA prisons overseas
Named George Mitchell and Richard Holbrooke Special Envoys to Middle East
Made first agency visit to the State Dept, symbolically reviving diplomacy
Appeared on Arab TV network,
Signed Lily Ledbetter Act,
Eric Holder confirmed;
Signed S-ChIP legislation;
Canceled 77 land leases around Arches National Park;
Signed the Stimulus Bill;
Announced his home foreclosure prevention plan;
Took first foreign trip to Canada;
Banned budget gimmicks, like emergency funding for Iraq;
Met with mayors;
Signed Executive Order for Office of Gulf Coast Recovery.
Progressives waiting for Obama to get to their particular issue should just be patient. Your turn is coming….
All well and good, but how much of all of this stuff is really going to filter down to actual visible benefits for you and me? Certainly the markets aren’t brimming with enthusiasm and confidence, and Hillary is running around telling countries off while saying we want closer ties!
I am still hopeful that we will see some successes, but I wouldn’t say that the first 30 days (and most of the points above) show too many of the changes we were all hoping for……