[jeromec]

The Republicans were not going to allow Obama's preferred tax cut version to get through congress, and because the mid-term elections swelled Republican ranks better prospects in the new year with the next congress would be even more unlikely. But don't take my word for it. That's what Bill Clinton said, along with endorsing the tax cut deal by saying he didn't believe there was a better deal out there. See here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DYHDPxohkrc

He failed on his most important mandates? In the middle of a historic financial catastrophe which nearly triggered a full-blown depression (which under his watch the freefall was stopped successfully and the stock market is now largely recovered) he gets a historic healthcare law passed which had been attempted and failed at for more than 50 years. And because it's only 90% instead of 100% of the desired outcome it's a failure? Why not give credit for what it is, and opportunity for improvement it provides? Social Security, one of the most important social safety nets we have was not what it was when it first started either. This doesn't even get into passing the biggest financial reform laws (against powerful lobbies) since the Great Depression. No, I see it another way. This president has already had a very busy two years.

[batasrki]

Better deal, maybe not. He could've and should've forced their hand by calling out those Republicans who were pulling for the rich and against the common man. The same must be said for the assholes who are voting down the 9/11 responders bill. Why should that fall on the shoulders of Jon Stewart? The young people want Obama to do this. His failure to do so has been the greatest disappointment to me.

[jeromec]

Something tells me it cut fairly deeply for Obama to extend all the tax-cuts, but you have to look at the larger picture. The U.S. economy has suffered a severe and historic financial fall. To recover from that it's theoretically more favorable to provide citizens with tax cuts than not. Add to that the hand Obama was dealt at the mid-term elections which tilted the scales of congress in the Republican favor, and you see much more pressure to compromise in order to govern for progress of the country rather than draw lines in the sand for gridlock.

I'm not saying Obama is Jesus in the flesh, and that he never gets anything wrong. At the same time, I don't think it's helpful for people to sit back and criticize with broad strokes. Have you called your representatives about the 9/11 responders bill? Or net neutrality? Have we, the tech experts that hang out on sites like HN, taken concrete actions to make our voice heard on things like net neutrality, or do we just wait until the verdicts are nearly in from politicians who don't understand the ramifications as well as we do, and then complain when it's not what we want?