BARACK OBAMA

Seeing that this is President Obama's 100^th day in office, I thought it would be useful to assess his accomplishments to date. Thanks to a special feature in the San Jose Mercury News, I have a timeline of those 100 days along with a chart listing the significant achievements of prior presidents. (See table below.) A summary would be that Obama is doing reasonably well with the economic meltdown he inherited, better at reversing the integrity deficits of the Bush years and mending fences with foreign allies. He still faces a tough job and stiff Republican opposition, but I believe he will wind up with a positive record.

In the table, blue cells are for Democrat members, red for Republicans. Vacancies, third parties and independents are not counted in the totals. The approval ratings are for a president's beginning of term — which sometimes is when he replaces a sitting predecessor — and for 100 days in. The original had maps showing how each state swung, but I don't think I will be able to find suitable images.

How Obama stacks up against former presidents

	Affiliations			First 100 Days	Approvals
President	in Congress			Achievements	0 Days	100 Days
Source: McClatchy-Tribune via San Jose Mercury News, 29 April 2009
Franklin D. Roosevelt	House:	313	117	New Deal passes (March 9-June 16) Begins "fireside chats" (March 12) to deliver weekly radio address to the public.	N/A	N/A
	Senate:	59	36
Harry S. Truman Succeeded Roosevelt on April 12, 1945.	House:	242	191	VE Day: Surrender of Nazi Germany (May 7) First successful A-bomb test (July 16) Potsdam Conference (July 12-August 2) planning for postwar Germany and calling for surrender of Japan	87%	82%
	Senate:	51	38
Dwight D. Eisenhower	House:	213	221	Makes good on his campaign promise to help end the Korean War (February-March)	68%	74%
	Senate:	47	48
John F. Kennedy	House:	263	174	Creates the Peace Corps. (March 1) Invades Cuba at Bay of Pigs. (April 17-20)	72%	83%
	Senate:	64	26
Lyndon B. Johnson Succeeded Kennedy on Nov. 22, 1963.	House:	243	176	First State of the Union message (Jan. 8, 1964) urges Congress to pursue liberal social policies of "The Great Society."	78%	79%
	Senate:	66	34
Richard M. Nixon	House:	243	192	Approves anti-missile system. (March 14) Orders secret bombing of the Viet Cong supply lines in Cambodia. (March 17)	59%	62%
	Senate:	57	43
Gerald R. Ford Succeeded Nixon on August 9, 1974.	House:	242	191	Pardons Nixon. (September 8) Orders amnesty for Vietnam War draft evaders and deserters. (September 16) Launches "Whip Inflation Now (WIN) campaign. (October 8)	71%	48%
	Senate:	55	42
James E. "Jimmy" Carter	House:	292	143	Pardons Vietnam War draft evaders. (January 21) Signs Reorganization Act which streamlines federal government. (April 6)	66%	63%
	Senate:	61	38
Ronald W. Reagan	House:	242	192	Begins "Reaganomics: — a broad program of deregulation coupled with tax cuts and budget reductions. (February 5) Survives assassination attempt. (March 30)	51%	68%
	Senate:	46	53
George H. W. Bush	House:	260	175	Proposes multi-billion-dollar bailout of troubled savings and loan industry. (February 6) Senator John Tower, his nominee for defense secretary, is rejected by the Senate. (March 9) This had not happened for 30 years.	51%	56%
	Senate:	46	53
William J. "Bill" Clinton	House:	258	176	Names his wife Hillary Clinton to head health-care task force. (January 25) Institutes "don't ask, don't tell" policy, replacing ban on gays in the military. (January 29) Attorney General Janet Reno orders raid on Peoples Temple cult in Waco, Texas in which 80 people including women and children die. (April 19)	58%	45%
	Senate:	57	43
George W. Bush	House:	212	221	Unveils $1.6 trillion tax-cut proposal. (February 8) Announces that the U.S. will not implement the Kyoto Protocol to cut greenhouse-gas emissions. (March 28)	57%	53%
	Senate:	50	50
Barack H. Obama	House:	TBA	TBA	Busy, busy Barack... Day 2: Puts new restrictions on lobbying in place. Day 3: Orders closing of detention center at Guantánamo Bay. Day 4: Lifts funding restrictions on overseas family planning services. Day 7: Orders EPA to review decision blocking a waiver on stricter California auto-emission rules. Day 23: Signs bill postponing switch to Digital Television. Day 25: Signs $787 billion stimulus package passed by Congress on Day 25. Day 25: orders 17,000 more troops to Afghanistan. Day 45: Hosts leaders of medical community at White House to launch health care reform drive. Day 49: Relaxes funding caps on stem-cell research. Day 51: Signs $410 billion omnibus spending bill. Day 53: Extends economic sanctions against Iran. Day 84; Loosens rules on family member travel to Cuba. Day 87: Releases Bush-era memos on interrogation of detainees.	67%?	43%?
	Senate:	57?	43?

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