M. Elvasi
Graduate Student at Temple University (2014-present)
5d ago
I personally think Obama is better. Both are flaws, but I find Obama better in every respect.
Character:
Obama:
PrincipledMatureOpen to criticismNever disrespected anyone as PresidentWorked hard to earn respectConceded defeat when he was defeated
Trump:
ArrogantPathological liarChildishDisrespects pretty much everyoneDemands unbridled loyaltyNever concedes and never compromises
Leadership:
Obama:
Tried to reach across the aisle.Great public speaker.Always participates in debates over policy.Excellent foresight.Never cared about the senseless attacks he got from the conservative media.Kept the government functioning by staffing the White House, embassies, and government agencies.Never signaled out any American group for slander or discrimination.Never pandered to radical leftists.Came to the White House with a clear and concrete plan: use the insurance market to extend healthcare to all, gradually withdraw the US from the world, refrain from defending anti-LGBT policies when challenged in court.
Trump:
Attacks his opponents and dissenting members of his party.Likes to brag about himself.Never participates policy debates.Lacks foresight (remember how he complained about how difficult the presidency was? That’s what lacking foresight means; not knowing what you’re getting yourself into).Wants to receive praise for doing nothing.Government is heavily understaffed and slowly becoming dysfunctional.Signaled out Mexicans and Muslims for slander. Implemented policies to discriminate against LGBT people.Panders to radical rightists.Came to the White House with empty slogans: build the wall, repeal and replace Obamacare, drain the swamp, lower taxes, repeal Roe v. Wade, end the war on Christianity. He had no framework to turn these slogans into policy. He dumped them on Ryan and McConnell, and then took credit for their work.
Ed Caruthers
living with the results of US politics every day
7w ago
On every metric that I think is important (intelligent, informed, hard working, gracious, benevolent, honest, attractive, athletic, family values, …) Obama is better than Trump.
That ultimately means, Obama better reflects my values than does Trump.
But if Trump reflects your values, you’ll consider Trump better.
EDIT: Someone seemed surprised by “attractive”. Here at the first pictures that come up in image searches for the two men
Edward Troy
works at Self-Employment
32w ago
Despite the delusional mythology Trump supporters fantasize in, Obama will be seen as vastly superior in every way, requiring competence. The GOP obstructed everything they could, to make him fail. He inherited the Iraq War, based on GOP lies, a cratering economy and a demographic of formerly occult/covert racial bigots, who are now proud of their imagined superiority. Oh the poor Kenyan! (sarcasm)
The Keynsian response to the Great Recession was diluted by supply side policies which embarrass any notion of economics (tax cuts to the wealthy and wealthy corporations, so they could continue to finance the Chinese economic expansion, putting our money to good use).
I suppose the Trump supporters who are bigots or don't mind bigots will claim that they would have voted for Trump if he was “Mexican” (yes they are that stupid, since Latinos are not only Mexican) or African American fathering children from three different women. Oh sure they would!!! And the cow jumped over the moon too.
Now what is Trump, if you take away his greatest qualification from his supporters perspective? That would make him something other than “"white.” Now what do you have? Nothing more than an inheritor. Heck, even a lottery ticket winner had to do more than inherit. They had to buy a ticket!
if inheritance and “"whiteness,” are taken away from Trump, the only question would be, what trailer park would he reside in. I respect the office of the presidency not the entitlement of the current occupant.
Alex Dolphin
studied Data Analysis at Southern New Hampshire University
15w ago
Obama got more done in his first few months but he didn’t fulfill many of his campaign promises. Trump is currently on the same path. Trump is currently undoing a lot of what Obama did as well which might mean that Obama’s net impact will just be expanding the wars.
Trump still hasn’t made much in terms of policy and his executive orders have been tied around undoing much of what Obama did so it remains to be seen. If he starts a war with North Korea or gets tax ‘reform’ done it is likely the US will face an economic crisis which could make him one of the worst American presidents but that is pure speculation at this point.
However, Obama did contribute substantially to Trump’s victory by telling Biden not to run, then pushing down Bernie Sanders and allowing the DNC to surpress Sanders message and both Biden and Sanders could have won the electoral college and the popular vote. Similarly, Trump ran a campaign aimed straight at Obama and the fact Obama did not fulfill his campaign promises such as giving America universal healthcare (Obamacare isn’t all encompass) as well as ending the wars (we went from 2 interventions to around 7).
Obama did help with the economic recovery which is a boost for him, but anything Trump does including undoing that is tied into Obama’s failures. So while it could be said Obama is better than Trump at some point, that would be knocked down by his own responsibility to helping create Trump.
Tom Gandley
worked at U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Headquarters
3w ago
It’s too soon to say, and after all, what defines a ‘better president’?
If things remain the same for Trump for the next seven years, Obama will be an afterthought looked at as a novelty item for being the first black (mixed race actually) president of the US. Obama was weak on foreign bullies, gutted and misused the military and was by all accounts a Muslim sympathizer who allowed ISIS to grow and applauded the anti-Christian Muslim Brotherhood. Some can even argue well enough to convince us he was an anti-white racist. His economy was a dismateria of trouble when he took office but it took five years for it to rebound back to Bush era unemployment, and GDP growth for his entire presidency averaged less than 3% in fact he never had a year where growth exceeded 3%. The national debt doubled under him as we all know.
If all the stops are pulled out and the economy doesn’t totally tank by 2024 (as an economist I feel a recession coming in about another three years) if the generals are allowed to fight wars instead of federal bureaucrats who could mismanage a barbecue, if we generate enough revenue to run a surplus and the infrastructure gets a makeover while real take home wages rise along with the market, then for all his vulgarity and rudeness it will be Trump winning that head to head match-up hands down.
If, if, if . . . .
Hope that helps,
Tom
Darren Eaton
Technician at Self-Employed Electrical Contractors (1986-present)
14w ago
Trump is just awesome!
He has single handedly killed the GOP for at least a generation! He must be a Democrat plant, like a big, stupid, ignorant spanner with a wig, thrown in the Republican works….what a mess!
Oh……but is he as good a President as Obama?
Well, no….I suppose not…….but surely thats not the point…..we all knew he would suck as a president, but it sure as hell gets politics back to being interesting, well….very interesting……well…..terrifying!
Actually, I take that back. Not a Democrat plant, a Russian plant…..Vlad didnt care about collusion or US power….he just wanted to see what cogs and gears flew out when ‘Donald the spanner’ was thrown into the works…….and wow, he really scored big! He can point to the social and political turmoil in the USA and use it to solidify his own position in Russia.
Thank god we don’t all live on that planet. How scary would that be?!
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