Obama's Legacy: Liberal Lawbreaker Or Law-Abiding Leader?

Barack Obama's tenure as the 44th president of the United States was marked by significant achievements, including landmark bills such as the Affordable Care Act, foreign policy initiatives, and advancements in civil rights. However, his presidency also faced controversies and challenges. One such controversy was the dispute between Obama and House Republicans regarding his alleged lawlessness and failure to faithfully execute constitutional duties. While Republicans criticised his use of executive actions and memorandums, Democrats defended his actions as being within the scope of executive discretion. This dispute reflects the broader political and ideological divide during Obama's presidency, which impacted his ability to build a strong political legacy.

Obama's use of executive orders

Executive orders are issued to help officers and agencies of the executive branch manage the operations within the federal government itself. Barack Obama signed 277 executive orders between 2009 and 2017, ranging from ethics commitments by executive branch personnel to establishing a White House Council on Women and Girls.

Similarly, in February 2014, Obama signed Executive Order 13658, which raised the minimum wage for hundreds of thousands of federal contract workers, despite his administration previously indicating that they did not have the power to do so.

Obama's unilateral joining of the Paris Accord has also been criticised as an overreach of executive power. The New York Times wrote that Obama's pursuit of "executive power without apology [...] will shape the presidency for decades to come".

Obama's legacy

Barack Obama's legacy is a complex and multifaceted topic that has been the subject of much debate and analysis. As the first African American president in US history, Obama's administration was notable for its stability, but his impact and legacy were unclear when he left office on January 20, 2017.

One of Obama's most significant achievements was the Affordable Care Act, often referred to as "Obamacare." This legislation brought medical coverage to approximately 20 million previously uninsured Americans and prevented insurers from refusing coverage based on pre-existing conditions. However, it faced strong opposition from congressional Republicans, who characterised it as socialist and repeatedly attempted to repeal it.

Obama's presidency was also marked by his efforts to address climate change, including the Paris climate change agreement and the Clean Power Plan. These initiatives, however, were vulnerable to being rolled back by subsequent administrations, as many of Obama's policies were implemented through executive actions rather than bipartisan legislation.

Another key aspect of Obama's legacy is his commitment to criminal justice reform and reducing incarceration rates, as well as his appointment of two women justices to the Supreme Court, including the first Hispanic justice, Sonia Sotomayor.

In foreign policy, Obama is known for his pursuit of diplomacy and engagement with countries such as Cuba and Iran, which contributed to his winning the Nobel Peace Prize early in his first term. He also oversaw the withdrawal of US troops from Iraq and Afghanistan, although his handling of the Syrian Civil War and the rise of ISIS was criticised.

Overall, Obama's legacy is characterised by his policy achievements and their fragility, as well as his reluctance to engage in political battles, which limited the long-term impact of his administration.

Obama's foreign policy

Barack Obama's foreign policy was chiefly reliant on his two experienced Secretaries of State, Hillary Clinton and John Kerry, and Vice President Joe Biden. The main themes of his foreign policy included a reliance on negotiation and collaboration rather than confrontation or unilateralism.

Obama inherited the Iraq War, the Afghanistan War, and the War on Terror, all of which began under the Bush administration. Obama gradually withdrew troops from Iraq, with the near-total withdrawal of US soldiers from Iraq in December 2011. In Afghanistan, Obama initially increased the US military presence but later withdrew all but approximately 8,400 soldiers.

In 2010, Obama helped organise a NATO-led intervention in Libya, resulting in the fall of Muammar Gaddafi's regime. Obama allegedly chose not to become deeply involved in the Syrian Civil War between the government of Bashar al-Assad, the Syrian opposition, and the Salafi jihadist group, ISIS.

Obama sought to shift the focus of US foreign policy to East Asia and organised the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), a multi-nation free trade agreement. However, the TPP was never ratified by Congress due to election-year politics in 2016.

Obama restored diplomatic relations with Cuba for the first time since the 1960s and became the first sitting US president to visit the country since 1928.

Obama's approach to foreign policy was pragmatic and piecemeal, with no sweeping Obama Doctrine analogous to the Monroe Doctrine or the Bush Doctrine.

Obama's relationship with Congress

Barack Obama's presidency, from 2008 to 2016, was marked by a complicated dynamic of cooperation, disagreement, and party confrontation with Congress. Obama's relationship with Congress was strained by his reluctance to engage with members of Congress, resulting in a distant relationship with both Democrats and Republicans. This dynamic was further exacerbated by record-high polarization in Congress during his administration, with Republicans determined to undermine him at all costs.

During his presidency, Obama faced significant opposition from congressional Republicans, particularly in passing the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and economic stimulus packages. The ACA, also known as Obamacare, was a landmark healthcare reform legislation aimed at expanding healthcare access for millions of Americans. However, it faced strong resistance from Republicans, who devised numerous bills and motions aimed at reversing executive orders and curbing presidential authority. Despite this opposition, Obama was able to pass the ACA and economic stimulus packages, stabilizing the financial markets, creating jobs, and setting the stage for economic recovery.

The relationship between Obama and Congress was also marked by several notable events, including the decision by Senate Republicans to refuse to consider the president's nomination of Merrick Garland to the Supreme Court. Additionally, there was an impasse between Obama and lawmakers that partially shut down the federal government for 16 days in 2013. Obama's legislative legacy includes the adoption of major legislation, such as the Affordable Care Act and the Dodd-Frank financial reform law, as well as failures to address certain issues, such as immigration and weak job growth.

Obama's leadership style was characterized by pragmatism, optimism, and inclusivity, which influenced his approach to governance and working with Congress. He emphasized bipartisanship, transparency, and accountability, and his administration served as an example of how a leader can overcome challenges and lead the country through tumultuous periods. However, Obama's relationship with Congress was also shaped by the structural factors of polarization and ideological rigidity, resulting in a complex and often icy relationship.

Obama's immigration policy

Barack Obama's immigration policy was a mixed bag. While he was criticised by some in the immigrant-rights community as the "deporter in chief", others accused his administration of being soft on unauthorised immigrants.

Obama's policy was a significant departure from the Bush and Clinton administrations. It focused on two key groups: the deportation of criminals and recent unauthorised border crossers. Obama's administration increased penalties against unauthorised border crossers by putting larger numbers into formal removal proceedings. It also made non-citizens with criminal records the top enforcement target.

In 2014, Obama announced changes to immigration enforcement, including policy guidance on which categories of removable non-citizens should be the highest priority for enforcement. These were:

• National security threats, non-citizens apprehended at the border, gang members, and non-citizens convicted of felonies or aggravated felonies.
• Non-citizens convicted of three or more misdemeanours or one serious misdemeanour, those who entered or re-entered the US unlawfully after January 1, 2014, and those who abused visa or visa waiver programs.
• Non-citizens subject to a final order of removal issued on or after January 1, 2014.

Obama's administration also focused on cracking down on illegal immigration at the border, deporting felons instead of families, and prioritising accountability through criminal background checks and taxes. He increased resources for law enforcement personnel to stem the flow of illegal crossings and speed up the return of those who did cross over.

Obama's policy aimed to deal responsibly with the millions of undocumented immigrants already living in the US. He offered a deal to those who had been in the country for more than five years, had children who were American citizens or legal residents, and were willing to register, pass a criminal background check, and pay taxes. They would be able to apply to stay in the country temporarily without fear of deportation.

Obama's policy was not amnesty. He argued that the real amnesty was the existing system, which allowed millions of people to live in the US without paying taxes or following the rules. He believed that mass amnesty would be unfair and mass deportation would be impossible and contrary to American character. Instead, he favoured accountability and a common-sense, middle-ground approach.

Obama's legacy on immigration policy is fragile and mixed. While he took executive actions, such as the creation of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, many of these actions have been or are in the process of being reversed by subsequent administrations.

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