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For the last 3 months every time you turned on the news you heard about “President Obama’s First 100 Days”. He reached his hundredth day on Wednesday, April 29th, and we were hit with a media barrage of “100 days” evaluations.

So in the spirit of any good media clone here is my report card for President Obama’s first hundred days, on his 103rd day in office.

Reading: A-

Teacher’s comments: President Barack Obama is one of the most well spoken presidents we have had in modern history. His eloquence on the podium played a big roll in his getting elected and continues to help keep his public opinion numbers up. Despite the constant attacks by the political and media Right, Barack Obama conveys a sense of calm and confidence that translates into the public perception of a President who knows what he’s doing. This in turn translates into an element of trust by the people. His politically incorrect comments about bowling like someone in the Special Olympics during an appearance on the Jay Leno show, and his mocking attitude towards pot-smoking internet users during a web-based town hall meeting cost him a perfect score.

Follow up:

Reading Comprehension: C-

Teacher’s Comments: Barack Obama seems to understand the big picture, and incorporates that view into his policy decisions. He has made some political missteps though which required that some points be deducted. His de facto pardoning of Bush Administration officials through their use of torture, and his implied invoking of executive privilege in their defense has shown an outright disregard for both United States and international law, and sends the message that the president and his subordinates are above the law. His slighting of the LGBT community through his insensitive decision to have anti-gay evangelist and pulpit activist Rick Warren perform the invocation at his inauguration ceremonies showed less than perfect judgment, and a lack of sensitivity to all identifiable groups of Americans. And even his hard-line stance on marijuana is antiquated and similar to all the administrations that have preceded him despite the budget-breaking costs to maintain the failed War on Drugs, and despite the unconstitutionality of waging a violent, armed war against millions of non-violent citizens over what is actually a public health issue that for decades has been criminalized in the name of political expediency.

Writing: B-

Teacher’s Comments: Barack Obama knows how to write and deliver one helluva speech, as mentioned previously in the reading section. However, his ability to write policy is less impressive. He has often resorted to the same old Washington politics of caving-in to his detractors. He has had some impressive results though such as a tax cut for 95% of Americans, passing his economic stimulus package despite the lack of one Republican vote in the House of Representatives and the bare minimum needed in the Senate.

Arithmetic: C+

Teacher’s Comments: His Economic Stimulus plan has had what some would consider positive results no matter how small, and it was monumental to pass it so quickly. But in doing so, many think he compromised its values in a failed effort to seek bi-partisanship. He watered it down by slashing billions in what conservatives called “pork” but in some cases was legitimate needed stimulus. He also made a miscalculated blunder by allowing hundreds of millions of dollars in retroactively promised bonuses to remain in his Wall Street bailout for fear of being sued by the same greedy traders whose actions played a significant role in the Wall Street and mortgage market’s collapse. For those who would have had the balls to file suit and publicly pursue them, it would have been less costly and publicly humiliating for them to fight, than to allow them to be paid upfront. Add to it his refusal to reduce the costs to the American people by continuing the multi-billion dollar annual expenditure on the failed war on drugs and it is obvious his math is somewhat flawed and blurred by politics.

Science: B+

Teacher’s Comment’s: Barack Obama has showed some promise as president by championing science and technology as playing an integral role in the rebuilding of America. His decision to reverse the Bush executive order to once again allow federal funding embryonic stem cell research could one day save lives and reduce suffering. His stated commitment to green energy has scored him high marks this first 100 days however it remains to be seen if he will be able to follow through on implementing his plans. He could have received an A, had he come out and publicly recognized the value of medical marijuana instead of his tepid stance to not go after medical marijuana clinics in states which have laws that permit medical marijuana. A commendable step would have been to at least order the DEA to revisit its stance of listing marijuana as a Schedule I Controlled Substance, with no proven medical value.

Works well with others: C

Teacher’s Comments: While Barack Obama has the American people behind him, he has exhibited some character evaluation problems that seem to stem not from poor vetting, but from refusing to acknowledge that someone who hasn’t paid their taxes might have problems getting Cabinet approval. He has also overestimated America’s need for bi-partisanship. A majority of Americans don’t care what the Far-Right thinks about his politics, as long as he restores the economy and America’s position as a world leader. The Rush Limbaugh followers and the so-called Tea Baggers are a dwindling minority who are leaning so far to the right they may as well be lying down on their right side. He shouldn’t cave to the Right time after time in this effort to appease them when at the same time he does a disservice to the base which got him elected. On the positive side, his diplomatic efforts seem to have paid off, at least as a start to recovering from eight years of isolationist, international bullying, and unilateral actions that have harmed America and made it less safe. Again it remains to be seen whether he can extricate us from Iraq, and whether he will resist the temptation to keep us embroiled in a never ending war in Afghanistan.

Teacher’s Goals for the next 100 days: Barack Obama has had a promising first 100 days as the 44th President of the United States, and while there is always room for improvement, his approval rating indicates that American’s are generally pleased with their choice. He has a long way to go with the economy, but he seems ready to tackle what may prove to be his biggest challenge, reforming health care. He had better improve his approach when dealing with the Right and selling his plan to the American people to build a wave of consensus, or he will fail in passing any significant health care reform and millions of Americans will remain uninsured. He must never underestimate the power of the dwindling Republicans, because they are relentless in their dissent, and though they claim to be the party of Christian virtue and values, they will take on the tactics of the Anti-Christ himself if they think they can beat him. They will lie and cheat, and portray him as a socialist. They will do everything in their power to turn the American people against Barack Obama, because as their spiritual leader Rush Limbaugh so blatantly declared, they want Barack Obama to fail regardless of the cost to the American people.

William S. James, Hot for Teacher