During his time in office, President Obama brought America to new heights of strength. He led a series of historic reforms that brought our economy into the 21st century and created a more equal society.
He also helped bring our nation to the forefront of global affairs, bringing us together to fight terrorism and climate change. His leadership changed the way people see themselves in their communities and abroad.
1. He’s a Socialist
Among the most persistent and unfounded charges against President Obama is that he’s a socialist. That label has become a potent weapon in the conservative battle for control of the White House, eliciting an array of bumper stickers, books and other forms of criticism that are often misread.
The word socialism itself refers to government ownership of the means of production, an ideology that Obama and his critics argue does not represent his policies.
Instead, he favors a variety of programs that he defines as “general welfare.” Such programs include food stamps, health care, extended unemployment benefits, subsidized housing and bailing out big companies.
But in reality, many of these programs are aimed at strengthening society by enhancing the size and power of the state vis-a-vis the private sector. They are based on the theory that markets are not free, and that government should step in to persuade or coerce businesses to promote the social good.
2. He’s a Liberal
If you look at Obama’s policies on tax policy, education policy, infrastructure policy, trade policy and national security policy, you will see that they are very liberal compared to the conservative policies of George Bush. But they are still pretty much standard-issue mainstream Democrats, and it is only thanks to a large Democratic Congress that they were able to get passed.
In addition, he has delivered a balanced foreign policy that protects US interests while also promoting US values. He has argued against a purely Realist approach and emphasized the importance of international institutions, democracy, economic interdependence, and the need to build international trust.
3. He’s a Democrat
Obama has become a political heavyweight, helping to win elections as a presidential candidate and delivering speeches in front of large crowds at campaign rallies. But he has struggled to overcome a midterm election record that includes big losses in the House and Senate.
His approval ratings are better than they were back in 2010, when Republicans trounced Democrats and regained control of the House.
But the former president is a long way from being the top of the Democratic Party, and that could make it harder for him to help Democrats in November.
As a result, Obama is turning to the campaign trail more this year than he ever has before to try to boost Democrats’ chances of retaining narrow majorities in the House and Senate and claiming key state governorships. He began a hopscotch across battleground states Friday in Georgia, and is traveling Saturday to Michigan and Wisconsin, followed by stops next week in Nevada and Pennsylvania.
4. He’s a Libertarian
Regardless of their political views, libertarians share a set of values that they hold in common. These include a strong commitment to individualism, private property, and capitalism.
They also believe that government does not have the right to control people’s actions or take their property without their consent. In fact, a government’s claim to special authority usually requires a reasoned explanation and should be restricted to those situations where infringement of people’s rights would not cause substantial harm.
In addition to their beliefs about liberty, many libertarians believe in the free movement of people and goods across national borders. This is an important part of their philosophy because it gives people the freedom to trade with others in different countries, which can be beneficial to the economy.
5. He’s a Conservative
A recent New York Times article reported that President Obama’s views are now considered conservative by many people. He’s been criticized by Republicans for supporting policies such as the public option, comprehensive immigration reform, and trade agreements that were previously considered liberal.
In the same article, President Obama also said he was concerned that his party could lose to the Republican Party in upcoming elections. He wants to build a stronger Democratic Party that can carry his policies forward in the future.
The most prominent policy fight that President Obama had with Republicans came from the creation of the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare. This legislation expanded health insurance to millions of Americans. However, opposition to the law by a newly organized conservative Tea Party movement caused Democrats to lose control of the House and Senate in 2010.
6. He’s a Evangelical
Evangelicals may not be the first group that comes to mind when you think of President Barack Obama, but in many ways, he has been an Evangelical. He’s a born-again Christian who has pushed hard for a conservative agenda, and has been willing to make compromises in the name of religious freedom.
He’s also been an outspoken defender of the Bible, a book he claims is his favorite. He has called for more government funding for religious schools and for more spending on religiously affiliated hospitals.
He’s also gotten a lot of credit for helping to reclaim the faith of many Americans. He has done this by promoting Christian music, making speeches about religion and politics, and visiting churches and college campuses in swing states to talk about American values.
7. He’s a Catholic
During his presidential campaigns, Obama won the Catholic vote, according to exit polls. But he has clashed with Catholics over several key issues.
Despite his religious beliefs, President Obama is a strong supporter of peace and the common good. He fought against the war in Iraq and pushed for peaceful resolutions to conflicts around the world.
But he may have miscalculated when he chose to take on the Catholic Church over its religious freedom. If ปั้มไลค์ forces the Church to comply with his Health and Human Services ruling that requires Catholic hospitals and colleges to cover abortion drugs, sterilization and contraceptives, he could be stymieing a centuries-old tenet of the First Amendment.
8. He’s a Catholic Socialist
A number of young Catholics have recently begun to make a concerted effort to reconcile socialist principles with (specifically Thomist) natural law principles. They’re doing this in the hope of restoring a Catholic social philosophy that has been corrupted by liberal corruptions over the past 60 years.
This has been a difficult task. For while the Church’s social teaching has a certain socialist character, it is also, as Pope Leo XIII put it in Quod apostolici muneris, a “crusade against the social and economic iniquities of our age.”
9. He’s a Catholic Liberal
A Catholic Liberal is a faithful, active, committed Catholic who is not afraid to stand up for Catholic teaching on moral issues. However, she should not support a candidate who openly supports abortion or other social issues that are in direct conflict with her faith.
The question of the liberal and conservative Catholic is not a doctrinal one, but rather an attitude question. For the Catholic accepts a Revelation that was once and for all delivered to the apostles, and it is part of his patrimony to conserve this Revelation, and to pass it on.
The Liberal Catholic Church seeks to combine stately ritual, deep mysticism and witness to the reality of sacramental grace with the widest measure of intellectual liberty. It also aims at helping its members attain for themselves certainty of knowledge, the true gnosis that St. Clement of Alexandria proclaimed as the aim of a Christian.
10. He’s a Democrat Socialist
For years, the conservatives in the United States have used the word “socialist” to denigrate a number of policy proposals that involve a role for government. It has also become a cudgel with which they beat the political opposition about the head.
The word has re-emerged recently in a way that reflects the animosity some Americans hold toward Obama. In the 1980s, when Barry Goldwater and Ronald Reagan were the dominant Republican candidates, they used the term to attack Social Democrats for advocating guaranteed health care for the poor, a policy that many feared would presage a Soviet-style economy in the U.S.
The Obama administration has not been shy about implementing government policies designed to seize control of the automobile industry, nationalize Wall Street, and take over the nation’s healthcare system. Its efforts have been successful and it’s beginning to make good on its plans.