Common Sense wrote:

A very grim reminder of what Obama's 8 years were.

From a personal perspective, the Obama years have been pretty fruitful for me. 

Yes, a month into the Obama presidency I got laid off from my job at Harley. But that can be pointed to the falling down of the economy in the last couple of Bush years. 

But since then, minus a couple of months in mid-2009, I've been gainfully employed and my income has risen to the point where in 2016, I earned more than I ever have in my career. 

Now I don't credit Obama for all of that. To do so, I had to take a job that required a lot of travel and ultimately, had to pull up stakes and move my family out of York and back to the Philly region. 

But, everyone in my social circle who wants a job, has one. My 401k, IRA, have consistently gone up over the past eight years, interest rates are low, my kid goes to a good public school, we're not at war, and I feel generally safe, and have a fairly positive outlook for my family and the nation, despite the unpredictability of our POTUS-Elect.

That's not to say Obama has been perfect. Domestically, we're more divided than ever between rich/poor, and black/white. I think we're less empathetic as a nation to our fellow Americans. 

The ACA, while admirable, was executed horribly and I question its long term prospects. 

Obama's second term was largely stagnant, with the exception of the Paris Climate Accords. Perhaps the Iran agreement can be considered a success, but it's too early to tell. Part of this can be attributed to the congress.

The Democratic Party is as weak as it has been in my lifetime. 

Obama's Syria policy was/is a disaster and in my opinion, will stain his overall legacy once we get a full picture of the death and destruction that occurred in Aleppo.

Obama was too lazy in responding to Putin's expansion into Ukraine. 

Obviously, know one can really give a solid perspective of any presidency without the benefit of time but from my perspective, there has been far more good than bad from Obama from a domestic point of view and far more bad than good from Obama from a international point of view. 

I am interested in your counterpoints, Common.
 

I too would like to see common do some writing here in reaction to Lager's comprehensive post.

One thing I take issue with is the argument that it is Obama who has made us more divided than ever.
How is that all his fault?
I recall that the GOP leader of the Senate proclaimed in 2008 that his #1 priority was to make sure that Obama was a one term president. Not victory over terrorism, better care for veterans, wage stagnation.

I recall a birther movement.
I recall heckling during the state of the union message.
Chants of "Taking MY Country back".
Racist remarks by public figures that went uncondemned.

Anyway. The floor is yours, common.

One thing I take issue with is the argument that it is Obama who has made us more divided than ever.
How is that all his fault?

I should note that I agree with Goose on this point. If you can find me a president that can make a person less racist, or more charitable, that person will go down alongside George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. 

It's unfair to look towards Obama when it comes to race relations. In fact, look at someone like Cornell West and he'll tell you that Obama has been a disappointment to African-Americans.

 

TheLagerLad wrote:

One thing I take issue with is the argument that it is Obama who has made us more divided than ever.
How is that all his fault?

I should note that I agree with Goose on this point. If you can find me a president that can make a person less racist, or more charitable, that person will go down alongside George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. 

It's unfair to look towards Obama when it comes to race relations. In fact, look at someone like Cornell West and he'll tell you that Obama has been a disappointment to African-Americans.

 

Obama DID NOT create racists ! 

(And BTW there are racists on both sides of the equation)

All I have to do to find racists is visit any local establishment and listen of just awhile. York County is loaded with them. 

Not exactly a game changer