Barack Obama: political career and legacy

Presidential Leadership Issues

Difficulty of the Task at Hand

The tasks facing President Obama when he assumed office were monumental: the nation was heavily committed militarily in two foreign theatres and the nation was on the verge of a serious economic depression. The previous presidential administration left office with the nation facing a $1 trillion national deficit, the largest in proportion to the economy since World War II; and the political climate in Washington was heavy with dogmatic partisan biases, minimal bipartisan cooperation, predominant influence from special interest lobbyists, and a seeming never-ending list of major ethical transgressions on the part of publicly elected officials.

Some of President Obama's stated objectives in taking office related to addressing those issues; others had to do with equally important national concerns such as improving the education system, reforming the national healthcare system that threatens to bankrupt the nation, and reversing various unwise decisions of the previous presidential administration, such as with respect to the personal civil rights of gays and lesbians and to federal restrictions on stem cell research.

The Success of the President

The President has been successful in some respects and much less successful in others. Specifically, the President was eventually able to pass an economic stimulus bill that averted what many analysts feared could have degenerated further into a devastating national economic depression. The President fulfilled some promises immediately, such as with respect to lifting restrictions on stem cell research funding, but curiously did not go as far on others, such as with respect to changing the "don't ask; don't tell" policy in effect in the U.S. Armed Forces.

The President also took the initiative to lead by example in trying to break down some of the walls existing between the two political parties and also demonstrated his commitment to raising the level of ethical standards in government, such as through some of the rules he imposed on members of his White House staff pertaining to limitations on their subsequent employment options that presented conceivable potential conflicts of interest.

Leadership Characteristics

In some respects, the capitulation of President Obama to Republican demands demonstrate a lack of leadership, particularly where bipartisan support would not have been necessary, irrespective of the fact that bipartisanism may very well be desirable in principal.