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Obama Essay

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The election of 2008 couldn't have come sooner for many Americans. The United States was coming off one of the worst recessions in the country’s history, and Americans were eager for a change. The incumbent republican president George W. Bush had seen his approval ratings dip to the low 30s (“Presidential Approval Ratings -- George W. Bush”), and democrats could feel a victory was coming. They nominated the young dynamic Illinois senator Barack Obama, a leader who many Americans placed their hope in to change the direction of the country. Obama was a historical candidate, one of the youngest presidents ever. He would also become the first African American president in United States history, perhaps a sign that race relations in this …show more content…

It is probably the best way to measure the success and growth of a country’s economy. In the past century on average, the United States economy grew annually at roughly 3.1%. This number is generally considered the basemark for economic success, with anything above it denoting an above average economy, and anything below it signifying a below average economy. Every single president since Herbert Hoover during the great depression of the late 1920s and early 1930s has managed to create at least one year of above average economic growth, except for one. The economy under president Obama failed to hit the 3% mark for any of his eight years as president (Gillin). This is a rather unprecedented level of economic stagnation, and one that no modern president besides Obama has managed to fall to. Obama was not a particularly good president when it came to labor participation rates either. During his presidency, the labor force participation rate fell to its lowest in over 35 years (“Unemployment”). Many people argue that Obama was dealing with the aftermath of a recession and thus his economic performance should be judged more favorably. This is a contradictory statement, as it is easier to improve something that is bad than it is to improve something that is already successful. Also, the United States economy historically tends to have a large boom after a

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