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Barely Making the Grade: Obama's First Year in Office
After the first 100 days of the Obama administration, IPS introduced our Change Index to evaluate the policies and performance of the new president. Back in April, we gave the administration a score of 7 out of 10.
Now after the first year in office we've released our new report card, "Barely Making the Grade: Obama's First Year in Office." And while Obama gave himself a B+ on his performance, we lowered his mark from a 7 to a 6.5 a C-. Obama fell short of what he outlined as a candidate and what we had hoped for during the campaign.
Like the public at large, we're looking at the glass of water that is the Obama administration and trying to decide whether it's half full or half empty.
Our Latest
PeaceWorld Beat
Rugged Collectivism
February 9 - For some years now, the radio has been announcing a yellow alert. Will we fight over space in the bomb shelter of The Twilight Zone or work together in a spirit of rugged collectivism to avert the looming disasters? By John Feffer
World Beat
The Next Great Transformation
February 2 - Should the United States look to China for inspiration? By John Feffer
Commentary
A Military Budget of Add-ons, Not Choices, Makes the Security Imbalance Worse
February 1 - An emphasis on non-military engagement can't hide the fact that Obama is spending more on defense than Bush. By Anita Dancs and Miriam Pemberton
Op-Ed
Afghanistan: This War Won't Work
January 25 - The reasons for ending the war are growing, and justifications are few. By Phyllis Bennis
Op-Ed
Magical Realism -- A Coup in Honduras, so 20th Century!
January 15 - A coup is a coup only after Washington defines it as such. By Saul Landau
Op-Ed
The Kids are All Right
February 2 - Millennials aren't taking to the streets as often as their predecessors, but that doesn't mean we aren't paying attention. By Jennifer Doak
Op-Ed
Change Can Be Tougher Than Hope
January 22 - The Obama administration can learn from its first year's setbacks to guide the country in the right direction in 2010. By John Cavanagh
Op-Ed
The Struggle of Electricians in Mexico Goes On
January 15 - “It's either them or us. The time has come for the people, for the excluded, exploited and discriminated people, the ones who are always pushed back.” By Manuel Pérez-Rocha
Op-Ed
The State of Martin Luther King Jr.'s Dream in 2010
January 14 - Racial inequality is a reality we still need to address four decades after MLK's assassination. By Dedrick Muhammad
Op-Ed
2010: Lets Get America Working Again
January 6 - This year, we need to recognize that the government, not the private sector, is the best tool for job creation. By Dedrick Muhammad
Op-Ed
A Really Inconvenient Truth
February 5 - Al Gore didn't even touch upon what the world needs to do to avert a global warming catastrophe. By Saul Landau
Commentary
Energy and Climate Change: C+
January 22 - Some significant actions but a failure to follow through. By Daphne Wysham
Commentary
The Art of Extraction
December 23 - Artists uncover the true costs of coal. By John Feffer
Essay
Copenhagen Touchdown
December 4 - SEEN Co-Director Janet Redman begins her story of the UN Climate Change conference. By Janet Redman
Op-Ed
'The Story of Cap and Trade': This Moment Demands Better Solutions
December 4 - We can't keep turning to the market for answers to our environmental problems. By Daphne Wysham, published in Grist