A common refrain among conservatives is that almost every problem in the United States is due to Barack Obama’s eight years of presidency. Many people insist that only a Republican president can restore the nation to perfect working order. However, this myth completely ignores the undeniable facts about Obama’s presidency. There is actually indisputable proof that the nation is better off now than it was eight years ago, and a lot of this success is due to President Obama’s tireless efforts. These seven national problems have been greatly lessened thanks to Obama.
National Unemployment Rates
Starting around 2007, the national unemployment rates soared from about 4.5% to 8.3% in 2009. They continued to peak briefly after Obama was elected, but starting in 2010, the unemployment rate has steadily declined. It is now at just 5.0% which is almost the rate before the recession occurred.
Annual Budget Deficits
A huge deal is made about the government spending encouraged by Obama, but the national budget deficit has actually decreased greatly. With Bush in office, the annual deficit was roughly -$1,400 billion. In the past eight years, the Congressional Budget Office has found that the nation’s deficit is much lower. It is now at only -$426 billion which is less than one third of the deficit created during Bush years.
People Without Health Insurance
Due to the broken mechanics underlying the American system of healthcare, anyone who has a medical emergency without having insurance can end up owing thousands of dollars. When Obama took office, 16.1% of all Americans did not have insurance. Now, for the first time ever, the uninsurance rate has dipped below 10%, and it is at 9.0%. There may still be some issues with Obamacare, but it has definitely helped to improve healthcare for many people.
Troops Deployed to Foreign Wars
Though not all troops fighting overseas are back home, over 90 percent of the combat troops in the Middle East are. When Obama took office, 186,300 American soldiers were fighting in foreign countries. Obama was able to end the Iraq War and work to get as many soldiers back into the United States as possible. As of 2015, only 9,937 soldiers are stationed in Iraq or Afghanistan.
Stock Market Growth
While George W. Bush was president, the United States experienced a massive decline in the stock market that was only slightly better than what occurred during the Great Depression of the 1930s. On the day Obama took office, the DOW closed at just 7,365. Since then, the economic growth of the market has been unprecedented. It is now closing at 17,702.
Improved Consumer Confidence
The Consumer Confidence Index (CCI) measures people’s saving and spending activities to see how optimistic people are about the state of the economy. The American CCI has gone from just 25.3 to 97.6 in the past eight years. This means that not only are people better off, but the majority of the nation feels a sense of security and optimism that was lacking under the previous president.
Boosted GDP Growth
The Gross Domestic Product is the total value of all goods produced and services rendered each year. In the beginning of 2009, the GDP was actually a negative number, -2.8%, which meant that the nation was losing value rapidly. It is now boosted all the way up to 3.9% which is a good indicator of economic growth.