Obama's First 100 Days and a Comparison with F. D. Roosevelt

Introduction

In his first three months in office, President Barack Obama has transformed government into an activist tool that seeks to help American citizens recapture their share of the American dream. Not since Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal or Lyndon B. Johnson's Great Society has an administration acted so boldly and swiftly to rebuild a nation. The result has been a mix of programs--the centerpiece of which is the $787 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, commonly referred to as the stimulus package or bill, which intends to kick-start the economy by providing new jobs, tax breaks, and help for small businesses in addition to extending unemployment and health benefits (Carl, pp. 77-89). According to Recovery.gov, billions have already been dispersed to state and local agencies to engage in projects such as infrastructure repair, environmental cleanup, educational reform, and emergency assistance to disadvantaged families. In a conference call in March, White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel and Senior Advisor and Assistant to the President Valerie Jarrett asserted that citizens must be participants in the process and actively seek out programs and services that offer relief as well as opportunities. That's why our editors developed this package. We want to provide a breakdown of initiatives for job seekers, homeowners and buyers, taxpayers, and small business owners.

Discussion

Franklin Delano Roosevelt is probably enjoying a good laugh at our continuing fascination with a president's first 100 days, perhaps the most meaningless yardstick in all of government. Many of the legislative achievements of Roosevelt's first 100 days have long been forgotten, and one we do remember--the creation of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation to guarantee bank deposits--was strenuously opposed by FDR (Carl, pp. 77-89).

What we most remember about Roosevelt's first 100 days was the optimistic, confident, can-do spirit he brought to the White House--the determination to do something and if it didn't work, to do something else (Carl, pp. 77-89). That strong sense of pragmatism remained the defining characteristic of FDR's entire presidency, and we have been seeing echoes of it from President Obama. On the home front, he has had an extraordinary number of fires to put out: figuring out plans to stem the tide of housing foreclosures, salvage the auto companies, stabilize the banks and spur consumer spending and business activity. On the international stage, in addition to the fallout from a global financial meltdown, he has been immediately confronted with complex diplomatic and military decisions affecting the Middle East, Pakistan, Afghanistan, North Korea and other areas around the world.

Most analyses of Obama's first 100 days take stock of the legislation he has passed, executive orders he has signed and policy changes he has adopted. Have they been bold enough (the banks and the stimulus plan)? Tough enough (foreign policy)? Wise enough (Guantanamo detainees)? Responsible enough (trillion-dollar deficits)? Only time will tell, and undoubtedly adjustments will have to be made. But the questions are all wrong. To get a real sense of ...