Obama's winning streak on Capitol Hill "unprecedented". So much for 'he hasn't done anything'.

[argonaut]

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=122436116

In his first year in office, President Obama did better even than legendary arm-twister Lyndon Johnson in winning congressional votes on issues where he took a position, a Congressional Quarterly study finds.


<snip>


"His success was 96.7 percent on all the votes where we said he had a clear position in both the House and the Senate. That's an extraordinary number," Cranford says.
The previous high scores were held by Lyndon Johnson in 1965, with 93 percent, and Dwight Eisenhower, who scored 89 percent in 1953. Cranford notes that George W. Bush's score hit the high 80s in 2001, the year of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center. But Obama surpassed them all, Cranford says.

[izquierdista]

1. But how many?

OK, so the quality is there, where is the quantity? DADT -- nada; Guantanamo still open; torture still going on; banks still unregulated; lots of talk about health INSURANCE, but nothing about health CARE.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

2. Doesn't surprise me.

I think a lot of folks feel (and are) disappointed because they felt he should or would do more.

A lot of how we perceive his success rate depends on what we expected he would do.

[Rabrrrrrr]

3. Interesting - and cool!

Of course, it's only talking about percent and not actual numbers, but still, that's a pretty impressive win-rate. And being 96.7%, that means at least 33 pieces of legislation being considered.


I'd like to know what the actual numbers are versus the other presidents, and what the actual numbers are (and percentage) versus the total amount of legislation (for Obama, and also versus the other presidents)

[damntexdem]

4. "winning congressional votes on issues where he took a position"

Given the atrocity perpetrated by the Senate on HCR, this is actually an ominous statement about Obama.

[debbierlus]

5. He is doing things...the majority of them wrong

But, he is doing them.

[uponit7771]

27. Yeap, just like Bush hunh? :rolleyes:

[tabasco]

6. A good first year!

Keep up the good work, President Obama!

A good start turning around a giant supertanker that was headed for a minefield under the neocons.

[goclark]

12. Good work , yes !

[FiveGoodMen]

7. Hmmm. So Obama has "surpassed" Dubya.

[Cha]

8. Hey argonaut, thanks for this

report on what the President has actually been doing during his first year in office.

[ibegurpard]

9. i don't think anyone is accusing him of not doing anything

a lot of us are just pretty damn angry at what he is and is not doing.

[bigwillq]

10. The man is working hard

I agree with that. And I also agree with the second half of your post.

[HughMoran]

23. Not anybody

nah, not anybody at all - well, unless you open your eyes :eyes:

[Phx_Dem]

11. And yet completely unnoticed by virtually everyone.

Congratulations on a great first year President Obama! And may the whiners continue to whine because that's what they enjoy.

[bigwillq]

16. Everyone?

:shrug: Not on DU, anyway. Lots and lots of positive threads about this President here.

[Phx_Dem]

29. My bad. I should have specified. Media.

Assholes.

[shawcomm]

19. I'd like to see the whiners do better.

Can they imagine for a minute what it's taking to keep us from economic collapse, and having to manage two failed wars on top of that? Then he's got a Congress that is not doing its job, which is to send a health care bill to him that is in the best interests of the people. This is just the first year too, and so many want him to have fixed all their personal interests first. It's like one of the passengers of a sinking ship complaining to the captain that they can't get room service when he's trying to save the ship itself.

[Canuckistanian]

13. "where he took a position"

Pretty important qualifier there.

[shopgreen]

14. oh yeah, agreeing with congress to diss the PO was a real winner....

NOT!!


....Binder says the intense partisanship in Congress these days, a condition underlined in a separate CQ vote study, meant that Democrats were more likely to rally around the president each and every time he asked them to — if only to deny the Republicans a victory.

The Downside Of Compromise

But another contributing factor here may prove more controversial for the president and his party. That's his willingness to negotiate and to compromise. For example, as much as the president said he wanted a public option as part of a health care bill, the final legislation won't have one. But that's not counted as a loss for the president under the scoring of this survey.

[TheKentuckian]

15. If you'll sign whatever crosses your desk, you can do pretty good.

Some people had principles and goals they stuck to that lowered the batting averagea bit. Obama is in a gift line or something.

[jgraz]

17. "winning congressional votes on issues *where he took a position*"

Talk about your easy scoring... :eyes:

[2 Much Tribulation]

18. Great. But honestly, taking on only the battles you can win is not courageous leadership per se. n/t

[HughMoran]

22. Binary thinking

:rofl:

[dflprincess]

20. But I thought he had no influence over Congress

At least that's what we hear when it comes to the scam Congress is trying to pass off as health care reform.

[uponit7771]

26. DOn't know anyone who claims he had NO influence just can't legally compel them to do what they dont

want to do

[depakid]

21. There's a saying among lawyers

if you don't lose a few, you're not trying enough cases.

In other words- you're not being enough of an advocate for your clients' interests..

[Moosepoop]

30. He did lose a few ...

3.3%, according to CQ.

[shellgame26]

24. watch for the UNREC squad

to sink this thread in 3..2..1..

[SunsetDreams]

25. kick

[ima_sinnic]

28. "where he had a clear position"--too bad he didn't use that skill for a health care PO

I guess, as with the inane "only 11 promises broken out of 500+", quantity rather than quality is key.

yay, obscene profits for useless insurance companies are saved, and there is even enforcement by the IRS! with minimal regulation or restriction! our health insurance premiums are 33% higher than they have to be! he "succeeded" in giving the GOP everything they wanted, beyond their wildest dreams--while at the same time, the GOP can disown all of it!