thirsting for change: obama’s first 100 days
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InstItute for PolIcy studIes (iPs-DC.Org) strengthens social movements with
independent research, visionary thinking, and links to the grassroots, scholars and elected officials. Since 1963
it has empowered people to build healthy and democratic societies in communities, the United States, and the
world.
Mandate for change (manDate4Change.Org) aims to strengthen the Obama
administration at a time when the need for progressive policies — and appointing progressive people to lead
such efforts — is most urgent.
I PS -DC.ORG
about the authorsChester Hartman is an associate fellow at IPS
and the founding Executive Director of the Poverty & Race Research Action Council.
John Feffer is the codirector of the Foreign Policy In Focus project at the Institute for Policy Studies.
acknowledgMentsErik Leaver for editing and coordinating the report.
Nate Kerksick for design and layout.
Devin West, Mary Tharin, and Alex LaBue for assistance.
Financial support: Wallace Global Fund
Contact: Institute for Policy Studies
Tel: 202 234 9382 x 227
Email: info@ips-dc.org
1112 16th St. NW, Suite 600
Washington, DC 20036
http://www.ips-dc.org
contents
I. IntroductIon ................................................................................................ 3
inaugural aDDress ........................................................................................5
Climate ................................................................................................................5
health Care ....................................................................................................8
eDuCatiOn ....................................................................................................... 10
II. doMestIc PolIcy rePort ....................................................................... 13
POverty ................................................................................................................... 18
hOmelessness ...................................................................................................20
Drugs ........................................................................................................................ 22
inequality ............................................................................................................24
tax POliCy ............................................................................................................ 26
raCe ........................................................................................................................... 28
WOmen’s rights ...............................................................................................30
agriCulture ....................................................................................................... 32
labOr ........................................................................................................................34
OPen gOvernment ........................................................................................36
lOCal DemOCraCy .........................................................................................38
III. foreIgn PolIcy rePort ........................................................................41
aFghanistan ......................................................................................................46
iraq .............................................................................................................................48
COunterterrOrism ......................................................................................50
nuClear .................................................................................................................. 52
military sPenDing .........................................................................................54
traDe anD glObalizatiOn .....................................................................56
human rights .................................................................................................... 58
glObal envirOnment .................................................................................60
aFriCa .......................................................................................................................62
asia .............................................................................................................................64
miDDle east .........................................................................................................66
latin ameriCa ....................................................................................................68
IV. author bIos ...............................................................................................71
IntroductIon
3
the world cheered his victory. The new president
takes office with a mandate for change. But has the
new U.S. president offered the change necessary to
confront the multiple new threats that assail America
and the globe? Or has he only addressed the tip of
the iceberg?
It is difficult to evaluate an administration after only
100 days. George W. Bush, who ended his two terms
with one of the lowest grades of any U.S. president,
received quite positive evaluations after his first three
months in office. The Obama team is still bringing
people on board and identifying its priorities. Still,
the crises facing the United States and the world
require immediate and comprehensive action. And,
as no less an authority as Aristotle once put it, well
begun is half done.
In our book Mandate for Change, we lay out a de-
tailed, progressive agenda for repairing the damage
of the last decade and rebuilding America’s capabili-
The United States is facing the largest economic
crisis since the Great Depression of the 1930s. Un-
employment rates are soaring, people are losing their
houses, and the social safety net is too weak to catch
everyone from slipping into poverty. Meanwhile, on
the global front, the United States faces the threat of
climate change, nuclear proliferation, and diminish-
ing sources of energy to fuel the economy. We are
bogged down in wars abroad and losing the war on
poverty at home.
Anyone who wants to lead the United States at such
a time must be either crazy or very, very confident.
Barack Obama, who comes into office at this peril-
ous moment for his country and for the world,
certainly falls into the second category. During
the presidential campaign, he promised sweeping
changes. Since taking office in January, he has
quickly assembled his administrative team, given
several authoritative addresses to the nation, and
acted very decisively on several fronts. Rolling back
many of the policies of the Bush administration,
the new president has embraced a nuclear abolition
agenda, changed U.S. approach to counterterror-
ism, announced the withdrawal of troops from Iraq,
introduced several large domestic spending packages,
and promised a great deal more.
Many U.S. progressives worked hard to get Barack
Obama elected. And many progressives around
manDate FOr Change gradIng the fIrst 100 days
IntroductIon by John feffer
oVerall
7 Obama scores high on
rhetoric; on action, the
review is mixed.
thirsting FOr Change: obaMa’s fIrst 100 days
4
The president scored high marks for his rhetoric.
At the level of action, however, the record so far
is mixed. In general, the Obama administration
has acted cautiously in its foreign policy even as it
has moved quickly to institute some far-reaching
changes at home.
In our overall evaluation of the first 100 days, we
gave the administration a score of 7. In other words,
President Obama has certainly raised the level of
U.S. foreign and domestic policy. But honestly it
wouldn’t have taken much to improve on the legacy
left by the previous administration. We’re still a long
way off from reaching the top and earning a whole-
hearted “cheers” from our Change Index contributors.
ties at home and reputation abroad. Beginning with
this report on the first 100 days, we will track the
administration’s progress in meeting this ambitious
agenda.
This report will inaugurate our Change Index. Every
administration promises great change and must
deal with the messes created by its predecessor. Our
Change Index represents the administration’s record
as a glass of water. It starts out with the water level at
halfway. Whether the glass is half full or half empty
depends on your perspective. We have asked 35 con-
tributors to evaluate the administration on several
dozen issues according to a variety of indicators in-
cluding appointments, executive orders, legislation,
budgetary actions, and so forth. They scored the
administration’s policies on a scale of 1 to 10, with 5
representing no change.
IntroductIon
5
Inaugural hIghlIghts
clIMateby betsy taylor, 1sky
The Bush White House placed its blind faith and
taxpayer subsidies in big oil, gas, and nuclear com-
panies. The Obama administration, in contrast,
enthusiastically communicated a vision of a clean-
energy revolution that will create five million green
jobs, increase energy independence, and protect the
climate.
This White House has done more to advance the
cause of energy efficiency, renewable energy, green
jobs, and action on climate change in its first 100
days than all the combined actions by local and
state governments over the past 20 years. President
Obama has done this in the context of a global
economic meltdown and despite intense opposition
from fossil fuel companies. He deserves our gratitude
and support.
And yet, despite this exceptional performance, the
president must do more. This isn't an ideological
demand; it's a geologic imperative. When it comes
to climate change, any hint of gradualism (and there
are some recent worrisome signals coming from the
administration) must be challenged. But first the
good news.
In his first 100 days, the president took a series of
extraordinary actions:
He appointed a dream team of energy and •
environmental scientists, regulators, and politi-
cal operatives, most notably Stephen Chu at the
Department of Energy, Lisa Jackson at the Envi-
ronmental Protection Agency, Jane Lubchenco,
Administrator of NOAA, John Holdren as sci-
ence adviser, Ken Salazar at the Department of
Interior, and Carol Browner as the White House
energy and climate czar.
He passed the American Recovery and Rein-•
vestment Act, which contains an estimated $43
billion for direct energy and efficiency programs,
energy-related tax provisions of more than $20
billion supporting renewable energy, and $500
9 Dramatic change in
direction and strong
commitment to green
energy in the stimulus
package.
oVerall
thirsting FOr Change: obaMa’s fIrst 100 days
6
million for green job training. This package also
includes funds for low-income home weatheriza-
tion programs. The bill contains $11 billion for
smart-grid technology, including $4.5 billion
for a federal matching grant program to invest
in smart-technology projects. Notably, the bill
didn't include a loan guarantee package backed
by fossil fuel companies that would have handed
$50 billion to the coal and nuclear industries.
He strongly supported California’s tough •
fuel efficiency standards and also directed the
Environmental Protection Agency to issue a
finding on whether the EPA should regulate
greenhouse gases. That finding was released in
mid-April, when the EPA unequivocally asserted
that greenhouse gases endanger public health
and welfare, and must be regulated. This enables
stronger EPA regulation, possible shutdown of
coal-fired power plants, and a regulatory stick
for pushing reluctant lawmakers and industries
toward support of climate legislation.
He traveled to Europe, Mexico, and Trini-•
dad for meetings with leaders from around the
world, and in each venue called for a global
commitment to clean energy, green jobs, and
action on climate change.
This administration has arrived just in time. As we
celebrate this magnificent momentum, we must
also consider what has happened in these past 100
days, not in the political domain but in the geologic
world:
On January 30, 2009, a group of prominent •
marine biologists from around the world issued
a statement indicating that ocean acidification
may result in the death of most coral reefs by
2050 if atmospheric CO2 levels continue to
increase. This could lead to the collapse of global
commercial fish stocks, threaten food security
for hundreds of millions of people, and kill off a
multibillion-dollar fishing industry.
On February 16, Chris Field, director of •
the Carnegie Institution’s Department of Global
Ecology and a prominent leader of the Nobel
Peace Prize-winning Intergovernmental Panel on
Climate Change, reported that global warming
gases in the atmosphere are rising more rapidly
than expected. He warned that Arctic warming
is expected to speed up the decay of plant matter
and that melting permafrost could release vast
amounts of new climate altering gases. “There
are about 1,000 billion tons of carbon in these
soils,” says Field. “When you consider that the
total amount of carbon released from fossil fuels
Flickr photo by rasmithuk, under a Creative Commons license.
IntroductIon
7
since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution
is around 350 billion tons, the implications for
global climate are staggering.”
On February 25, Senator Barbara Boxer (D-•
CA) gathered some of the world’s preeminent
climate scientists, and they warned of droughts
that could reduce the American Southwest to a
wasteland, and heat waves that could make life
impossible even in northern cities — potentially
in our lifetimes.
On April 3, a new study was released by the •
Joint Institute for the Study of Atmosphere and
the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Admin-
istration predicting that Arctic sea ice is melting
so fast that most of it could be gone in 30 years.
Summer ice in the Arctic may be gone as soon
as 2013.
On April, 5, 2009, an ice-bridge linking a •
shelf of ice the size of Jamaica to two islands in
Antarctica unexpectedly collapsed. Scientists say
this could mean the Wilkins Ice Shelf (which is
the size of Scotland) is on the brink of breaking
away, and provides further evidence of rapid
change in the region.
The president needs an “all hands on deck” approach
to our energy future. In his April 14 keynote ad-
dress on the economy, Obama called for a “gradual”
cap-and-trade program. His senior advisers have
tempered their calls for climate action, seeming
intent on early compromises on critical issues, such
as whether to auction or give away pollution permits
to heavy industry. They have set modest rather than
aggressive targets for short-term CO2 reductions,
potentially jeopardizing successful climate negotia-
tions in Copenhagen later this year. And the United
States has not yet sufficiently stepped up to help
with critical financing for clean-tech transfer, global
forest protection, and adaptation in the developing
world.
These early compromises may ultimately help move
a bill through Congress, but, ominously, one with
so many loopholes that it may not do much in the
short term to reduce carbon emissions or spark
action by China, India, and other nations. The presi-
dent must keep his eye on the ball. We must reduce
carbon emissions deeply and quickly. Period.
We are extraordinarily fortunate to have a president
with the vision, courage, and obvious intellectual
brilliance to lead us toward the promise of a global
green deal with development that lifts people out of
poverty while sustaining our natural world. He must
resist the Beltway-insider calls for moderation, as
well as those who say a price on carbon is too costly
to the economy. This is physics versus politics, and
since we can’t change the physics, it's time to change
the politics. Obama campaigned on "change;" so far,
he's coming through on climate.
thirsting FOr Change: obaMa’s fIrst 100 days
8
coverage, whereas the version that passed the House
overwhelmingly in 2007 did not. Third, he did it
with lightning speed, being clear that SCHIP was
essentially unfinished congressional business, not
systematic health reform.
Then, in his jobs and economic recovery legisla-
tion, he committed $140 billion to health care,
including $87 billion to help states pay the cost of
Medicaid, which provides medical care for the poor
and disabled; and billions more to help unemployed
Americans pay for private insurance and put medi-
cal records online, a move that down the road will
improve patient care and save considerable sums.
The jobs and economic recovery package was the
second step toward quality, affordable health care for
all Americans.
Then, and most importantly, he turned the tables on
the health care debate by proposing a $634 billion
“health care reserve fund” in his 2010 budget. For
the first time, a president said to Congress, “I’ll take
the heat for the money, now you give me a program
health careJeff bluM, usactIon
The year 2009 should go down in history as the year
that the United States finally joins the rest of the
industrialized world and guarantees every American
high quality, affordable health care. Although much
work remains to be done for health care legislation
to be enacted later this year, three key advances al-
ready are taking us down the road of comprehensive
health care reform, even as President Obama marks
his 100th day in office.
That health care is such a priority should surprise no
one; in October, two-thirds of Obama’s campaign
advertising dollars were spent on the issue of health
care — an issue that was prominent in the collective
mind of the country even before economic crisis
added millions of people to the rolls of the under-
and uninsured.
One of the first bills he pushed through Congress
was for a $32.8 billion expansion of the State
Children’s Health Insurance Program, SCHIP,
extending the program for 7 million children whose
benefits were set to expire and expanding it to
cover 4 million children currently without cover-
age. Three things stand out about this bill’s speedy
passage, signed into law on just the 15th day of his
presidency. First, he raised taxes to pay for services
whose primary beneficiaries are low-income work-
ing families. Second, he included all citizens in the
Building a plan for
comprehensive health
care, providing funding,
and building political
capital to make it real.
oVerall
10
IntroductIon
9
and support the funding to pay for it.” Equally im-
pressive, he proposed two roughly equal progressive
sources of funding — raising revenues on wealthy
Americans, and squeezing waste out of the health
insurance system itself.
Finally, he has put forward the essential building
blocks of a national system that can do all the things
we need:
Bring affordable care to all, under-insured •
and uninsured alike;
Expand quality initiatives that will move •
our system in the direction of promoting and
protecting health, not just treating disease;
Bring down the overall cost of health care •
in ways that will promote American economic
growth and security in a globalized world, while
reducing the differential burden of health care
felt by unionized vs. non-union companies. One
of the main ways to do this is to make a high-
quality public health care plan an option for
every American individual and business. This is
the critical building-block for a more simplified,
efficient, accountable system over the long run.
As important as Obama’s leadership has been in tak-
ing these first steps, it’s worth recalling what Frank-
lin Delano Roosevelt once said to a group of people
urging him to take action: “I agree with you, I want
to do it, now make me do it.”
Flickr photo by bright strangely, under a Creative Commons license.
thirsting FOr Change: obaMa’s fIrst 100 days
10
educatIonglorIa ladson-bIllIngs unIVersIty of wIsconsIn-MadIson
Now that the glow of the election and inauguration
has faded, the hard work of governing reminds us
that no administration, no matter how popular,
can avoid obstacles to its policymaking and imple-
mentation. The fact that the Obama administration
continues to identify education among its priorities
is encouraging. However, those good intentions may
not turn into reality in the short term. The lingering
economic downturn that has resulted in the deepest
recession since the 1940s is more than cyclical; it's
structural. Thus, rather than merely trying to jump-
start the economy, this administration must remake
a number of systems to create greater transparency
and regulatory responses.
In addition to the dismal economic situation, the
United States remains embroiled in two wars in Iraq
and Afghanistan. These events reduce optimism
about education finding a place on the administra-
tion’s docket. However, President Barack Obama has
pleasantly surprised education professionals with a
series of proposals to improve education.
On March 10, 2009, just 50 days after taking office,
Obama addressed the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of
Commerce to urge a revamping of the U.S. public
education system from “cradle to career.” The specif-
ics of these changes include the following:
An additional $5 billion for Head Start in •
the $787 billion stimulus package;
A proposal to offer $55,000 to first-time •
parents to have regular visits from trained
nurses, to make sure their children are healthy
and able to benefit from schooling;
Plans to increase federal support in the form •
of “Early Learning Challenge” grants to states
that develop plans to strengthen early education
programs;
A call for higher and clearer state standards •
for teaching and learning;
A pledge to fund investment in innovation •
as a part of the “No Child Left Behind” initia-
tive of the previous administration;
Federal money in the stimulus package to •
prevent teacher layoffs;
A promise to support merit pay, as well as •
extra pay for mathematics and science teachers,
in order to end shortages in those subject areas;
8 Education funding in
the stimulus suggests
forward thinking about
education.
oVerall
IntroductIon
11
A call for “innovation and excellence” •
through increasing the number of charter
schools;
A promise to increase college access by rais-•
ing the maximum Pell Grant award to $5,500 a
year (and indexing it above inflation);
A push to provide $2,500 a year tuition tax •
credit for students from working families.
This is an ambitious agenda, and the biggest fly in
the education policy and implementation ointment
is that the Department of Education continues to
be unstaffed in a number of key positions. Thus,
the actual work of changing these policies will take
considerable time. Some educators see the selection
of Arne Duncan as a nod toward a more corporate
model of education rather than a respect for the
increasing body of knowledge on teaching, learning,
and school leadership that is emerging from learning
theory, policy, and administrative literatures. Howev-
er, the Duncan selection could be a good public rela-
tions move, wherein the general public appreciates
the appointment of a big-city school superintendent
who is a close friend to the president as a signal that
education will indeed receive a fair hearing.
The greatest concerns with the priorities laid out
in the March address are about merit pay, charter
schools, and alternative teacher certification. In
general, the idea to provide more incentives to
good teachers is an excellent one. However, the
complications of the enterprise are such that we have
to consider who in the current system is capable of
truly judging merit. Should this be a judgment made
by administrators and test scores, or could there be a
more robust assessment of teachers that includes peer
review? And is pay the only possible incentive? Of
course teachers want to be adequately compensated,
but there are additional perks that could be given,
such as university credit, time, leadership opportuni-
ties, and teacher exchanges.
Second, the issue of charter schools is a concern be-
cause they vary so widely in emphasis and effective-
ness. Just calling a school a charter does not make
it excellent. In some cases, the creation of charter
schools has created the same school segregation gen-
erations of people fought to dismantle. Thus, while
charter schools can bring innovation we would ex-
pect that school districts, states, and the Department
of Education place them under increased scrutiny
to ensure that students are receiving a higher quality
of education than they could at their local public
school.
Finally, the issue of teacher certification (which was
not specifically called for in the March address but
has been mentioned by Secretary Duncan and For-
mer House Speaker Newt Gingrich) is worrisome.
Flickr photo by barnabywasson, under a Creative Commons license.
thirsting FOr Change: obaMa’s fIrst 100 days
12
The wholesale embrace of a specific alternative—
Teach for America — is puzzling because the evi-
dence doesn't support its claims of effectiveness. The
data suggest that Teach for America program teach-
ers are performing (in terms of student outcomes)
at the same level as unqualified teachers. In no other
profession would this be a mandate to expand. We
must raise the public regard for teachers and their
professionalism. Yes, we need to find multiple paths
for helping knowledgeable and willing people to
enter teaching, but this doesn't mean the only thing
poor children, particularly poor children of color, are
entitled to are well-intentioned missionaries. They
need expert teachers who are committed to their
success.
At this juncture in the administration the air of
optimism and hope remain, and we want to give
President Obama a fair chance to make good on
his promises. We also want to remind the electorate
that its role didn't evaporate with the counting of
the votes. This may be one of the more participatory
administrations we have seen in some time, and
we must do our part at every level — local, state,
national, and international.
doMestIc PolIcy
13
In the wake of the Recovery Act, Obama put for-
ward his budget request, which has many positives
and many negatives. On the plus side, the budget
finally opens the door to higher taxes on the very
doMestIc POliCy
At various points over the first 100 days of the
Obama administration, domestic media and political
attention focused heavily on the economic stimulus
package and the budget.
Specifically there has been a lot of attention paid
to the mortgage meltdown and consequent fore-
closures, which caused displacement of thousands
of both homeowners and renters. Of course it will
be awhile until we can ascertain the longer-range
impacts of measures taken to deal with this wide
range of issues. And many of these domestic issues
are linked: job loss leads to foreclosures and loss of
health care; sudden forced displacement damages
children’s education; joblessness can produce criminal
behavior, etc.
Obama started his presidency with great success, as
he worked with Congress to craft and pass the huge
(close to $800 billion) Recovery Act within four
weeks of his inauguration. The bill provides critical
relief to people in distress (through more money for
food stamps, food banks, unemployment insurance,
and Medicare) and it will create a lot of new jobs,
many of them "green jobs." The big tension to
watch is how the administration tempers the pres-
sure to get the money out quickly, which will favor
traditional funding routes that favor white commu-
nities, with the need to target a lot of the money to
people of color and those who are most vulnerable.
IntroductIon by chester hartMan
doMestIc aVg.
doMestIc PolIcy
Topic Score Topic Score
Climate 9 Tax Policy 7
Health Care 10 Racial Equality 6
Education 8 Women’s Rights 7
Poverty 9 Agriculture 7
Homelessness 8 Labor Rights 7
Drug Policy 8 Open Government 7
Inequality 6 Local Democracy 6
Average 7.4
Cautious optimism
through troubled waters
7.4
14
thirsting FOr Change: obaMa’s fIrst 100 days
Gilded Age. The president supports passage of the
Employee Free Choice Act but hasn't spoken out
against recent serious attempts to undermine its
effects through damaging amendments. Passage of
this act, unweakened, can bring about higher wages
and needed medical, retirement, and other benefits
for millions of workers as a product of strong
unionization.
Reinstituting a truly progressive income tax system
can both provide additional government revenue to
support a range of anti-poverty programs and reduce
current levels of inequality.
The administration needs to do more to acknowledge
the importance of these steps.
wealthy and it suggests cutting a number of obsolete
weapons programs. On the negative side, it actually
would increase defense spending, and the tax code it
recommends is still far from fair.
As is inevitable, appointments to high places pro-
duce mixed reactions. It's disturbing that so many
key economic advisors and appointees derive from
the very actors that created the present economic
miasma. In other domestic areas — housing/urban
development, labor, interior, environment, justice,
energy, education, to name some — appointments
have been imaginative and progressive. At least
on the promise level, access and accountability are
in the offing. We sincerely hope that the destruc-
tive policies of the former administration will be
reversed.
The three areas the president stressed in his February
24 message to Congress were education, health, and
climate change. Beyond these, there are three other
key domestic issues. Our evaluation is as follows:
reducIng PoVerty and endIng current leVels of extreMe InequalIty
Here, job creation is essential, and our hope is that
the economic stimulus package — particularly the
president's emphasis on green jobs — will begin the
process of lowering the nation's totally unacceptable
level of poverty and begin to close the equally unac-
ceptable vast inequality gap — the largest since the
Photo Credit: Mandate for Change
doMestIc PolIcy
15
funds for food, medical care, transportation, child
care, and other necessities. A high proportion of
those families have more than one of these problems.
For some, their plight is outright homelessness — a
situation nothing short of obscene in 21st-century
America. The administration has said and done all
too little about this basic social problem.
We need the administration to come up with pro-
grams to meet the National Housing Goal — passed
by Congress in 1949 — of "a decent home and suit-
able living environment for every American family."
housIng
The housing issue has obviously been prominent,
almost exclusively as a result of the mortgage crisis
and extraordinarily high rates of foreclosure. The
administration must do more to ensure that renters
as well as homeowners are not forced to move, with
all the damage that does to families. Moving all too
often means moving to substandard quarters and
even homelessness.
But the nation's housing problems extend well
beyond the recent mortgage/foreclosure issues. Some
one-third of the nation still is ill-housed — echo-
ing FDR's lament in his second inaugural address
in 1937. Tens of millions of American families are
living in housing that is physically substandard,
overcrowded, or in derelict neighborhoods. And
many families are forced to pay half or more of their
income for their housing — leaving insufficient
achIeVeMents &
1) Pushing through a sizable stimulus package
2) Signing into law a bill on health care for chil-
dren that the Bush administration twice vetoed
3) Significant investments into green jobs and
clean technologies
dIsaPPoIntMents
1) Financial bailout has put taxpayers on the line
for mega-billions while failing to jump start lending.
2) Waiving the stricter rules on the appointment
of corporate lobbyists (such as the appointment
of Raytheon’s William Lynn at the Pentagon)
3) Reluctance to confront structural racism,
exemplified by refusal to participate in United Na-
tions conference on racism in Geneva.
16
thirsting FOr Change: obaMa’s fIrst 100 days
racIsM
We understand President Obama's dilemma: He
wants and needs to be president for all Americans.
But we will never achieve true democracy until we
acknowledge the ways in which racial hierarchies
and racism are structured into every important facet
of our lives, individually and collectively: our health
system, our job structure, our criminal justice sys-
tem, our housing and consequently school patterns.
Obama did bring out this essential truth in his great
Philadelphia speech. But now that he is president, he
must follow up as the nation's teacher and put for-
ward ideas, policies and programs — not only at the
federal level, but for states, cities, and the private sec-
tor — to tear down these structural barriers and bring
to fruition a truly egalitarian, democratic America.
Finally, we would like to see the president add
more of the USA to his travels, taking with him key
members of Congress from both parties and relevant
cabinet members. His international trips have been
extraordinarily successful, and his (and his family’s)
presence around his home city is a real turn-on for
those living in Washington, DC. Adding visits to
New Orleans, Sacramento’s tent city for the homeless,
Detroit’s sagging auto plants, the comeback borough
of The Bronx, Texas’ border colonias, and Baltimore’s
failing schools would go a long way to focus needed
public and political attention on all that needs to be
done at home. These visits could re-stimulate Barack
Obama’s past as a community organizer, so that we
get the kind of specific policies and programs detailed
in each of the 47 chapters in Mandate for Change that
deals with major domestic issues.
doMestIc PolIcy
17
doMestIc POliCy rePort cards
doMestIc rePort
POverty ................................................................................................................... 18
hOmelessness ...................................................................................................20
Drugs ........................................................................................................................ 22
inequality ............................................................................................................24
tax POliCy ............................................................................................................ 26
raCe ........................................................................................................................... 28
WOmen’s rights ...............................................................................................30
agriCulture ....................................................................................................... 32
labOr ........................................................................................................................34
OPen gOvernment ........................................................................................36
lOCal DemOCraCy .........................................................................................38
18
thirsting FOr Change: obaMa’s fIrst 100 days
MeasurIng PoVertyby Peter edelMan
executIVe orders
-The stimulus package has created
immense investment funds, as
well as an expansion of programs
and assistance to vulnerable people. This
includes a significant increase from reforming
the unemployment compensation system. The
stimulus package and the budget include items
that will be beneficial for low-income people.
legIslatIon
This is covered above in the legis-
lation section.
sPendIng
oVerall
9
The Obama administration hasn’t
publicized in detail the extent of the
steps it has taken or proposed that are
helpful for low-income people.
coMMunIcatIons
7
The people appointed to signifi-
cant positions in Obama’s cabinet
and the White House whose
responsibilities include issues regarding low-
income people are extremely impressive. These
appointments include people such as Arne
Duncan and Melody Barnes.
aPPoIntMents
10
10
10
doMestIc PolIcy
19
The administration’s achievements
and proposals with regard to low-
income people will be cost-effective.
These include programs such as the Earned
Income Tax Credit, the child credit, and unem-
ployment reform.
cost / regulatIon
9The Recovery Act and budget contain
significant items that will have the
effect of raising income at the bottom
and causing the wealthiest people to contribute
a fairer portion of their responsibility to our
society.
econoMIc equIty
9
Strengthening the economic position
of low-income people will enable
them to participate more fully in our
democracy, but the administration has been
less communicative than it might have been
in calling attention to his achievements and
proposals in this area.
deMocracy / transParency
8
The administration’s proposals for
green jobs appear to have positive
implication for low-income people,
but the extent of this isn’t entirely clear.
green / enVIronMent
6 The administration’s achievements
and proposals thus far contribute
extensively to human dignity and hu-
man rights in the United States.
huMan dIgnIty / huMan rIghts
9
20
thirsting FOr Change: obaMa’s fIrst 100 days
MeasurIng hoMelessnessby MarIa foscarInIs
executIVe orders
-The stimulus provides $1.5 billion in
funding for new homeless re-housing
programs. Smaller amounts were al-
located for ameliorating homelessness. But this
will only provide, at most, 18 months of rental
support; longer term assistance is needed, with
greater levels of funding.
legIslatIon
8
See above comments regarding the
stimulus — still waiting to see details
of the budget request.
sPendIng
8
oVerall
8
During a prime-time press confer-
ence Obama responded to a question
about homeless children by saying
he’d like to see a changed national attitude, rec-
ognizing that homelessness is unacceptable, a
presidential first in over 20 years. This is pretty
close to change we can believe in.
coMMunIcatIons
9
Shaun Donovan was a very good
choice for HUD secretary: He has
knowledge of and commitment to
low-income housing and homelessness. But
an Interagency Council appointment is still
outstanding, whether it’s the current director or
a new appointee.
aPPoIntMents
8
doMestIc PolIcy
21
cost / regulatIon
-Stimulus funding for homeless
prevention was an important step,
showing receptiveness to some of the
recommendations of a national homelessness
advocacy coalition. But with new increases
in homelessness, it’s not enough. And HUD’s
oversight of housing provisions in the 2006
Violence Against Women Act is lax.
econoMIc equIty
7
deMocracy / transParency
-
green / enVIronMent
- Obama hasn’t yet framed homeless-
ness as a human-rights issue.
huMan dIgnIty / huMan rIghts
6
22
thirsting FOr Change: obaMa’s fIrst 100 days
MeasurIng drug PolIcyby sanho tree
Obama has come through on his
promise to support needle-exchange
programs and has taken steps to ban
medical marijuana raids. However, his commit-
ment to harm reduction policy isn’t at the same
level as most leaders of the European Union.
executIVe orders
8legIslatIon
-
sPendIng
-
oVerall
8
Most of Obama’s drug policy
changes have been done under the
radar, which is smart considering
their highly controversial nature. However, in
the incident with the online poll and public
press conference, when marijuana policy was
brought up as a top issue by the American
public, Obama was rather dismissive.
coMMunIcatIons
7
Obama’s pick of Gil Kerlikowske
as drug czar was inspired. As police
chief in Seattle, Kerlikowske was on
the cutting edge of drug reform in the United
States.
aPPoIntMents
8
doMestIc PolIcy
23
Obama has moved to cut back on
costly, ineffective drug initiatives.
However, he has not yet made any
changes to the drug war bureaucracy, which
costs the federal government approximately
$23 billion per year.
cost / regulatIon
7Obama has emphasized alternative
development policies in Colombia to
replace strict eradication, but hasn’t
submitted any concrete proposals as of yet.
econoMIc equIty
6
deMocracy / transParency
-
The administration has indicated a
desire to shift away from the failed
aerial fumigation policy which has
scorched millions of acres of both legal and
illicit crops in Colombia.
green / enVIronMent
7 Obama had blocked the Colombia
FTA because of human rights viola-
tions, and has indicated that he cares
deeply about these issues, however, negotiations
have recently resumed.
huMan dIgnIty / huMan rIghts
8
24
thirsting FOr Change: obaMa’s fIrst 100 days
MeasurIng InequalItyby saM PIzzIgatI
Obama announced a $500,000 cap
on executive pay but it didn’t apply
to most enterprises getting bailout
dollars. And even “capped” bankers could still
eventually pocket millions in stock awards. The
Washington Post revealed that Treasury was cir-
cumventing the pay restrictions that had passed
in Congress.
4The economic stimulus package
includes a series of meaningful limits
on bailout-related executive pay.
But the best pay-limit provisions came from
lawmakers, not the administration, and Trea-
sury Secretary Geithner, in negotiations with
Capitol Hill, pressed to weaken the pay-limit
legislative language.
6
The White House budget actually
calls for stiffer taxes on the nation’s
rich than the Obama campaign tax
plan. The welcome new addition to the Obama
tax agenda: a new limit on the deductions the
rich can claim off their taxes.
7
oVerall
6
Obama and his administration
have consistently linked the con-
centration of income and wealth
to our nation’s economic ill-health, most nota-
bly in the budget narrative. The budget holds
the rich and powerful responsible for making
the “ladder into the middle class and beyond”
ever “harder and harder to climb.”
Only one of the key economic posi-
tions in the administration has gone
to a veteran advocate of policies that
can counter America’s growing concentration
of income and wealth, Jared Bernstein. Most
of the other picks, most notably Treasury Sec-
retary Timothy Geithner, have long histories
carrying Wall Street’s water.
aPPoIntMents
5
10
executIVe orderslegIslatIon
sPendIng coMMunIcatIons
doMestIc PolIcy
25
-The administration has championed
greater equity as a core American
value. In the inaugural address
Obama stated “a nation cannot prosper long
when it favors only the prosperous.” But actual
proposals and behaviors have not caught up
with the spirit of equity the administration has
radiated.
7
The Treasury Department’s ongo-
ing, behind-the-scenes attempts to
weaken and end-run bailout limits on
executive pay have not been consistent with the
administration’s overall commitment to open
and transparent government.
2
- -
cost / regulatIoneconoMIc equIty
deMocracy / transParency
green / enVIronMent huMan dIgnIty / huMan rIghts
26
thirsting FOr Change: obaMa’s fIrst 100 days
MeasurIng tax PolIcyby chuck collIns
-Obama campaigned on significant
changes, many of which are included
in his budget. For example, President
Obama and his wife earned $2.73 million
last year and paid $855,323 in federal taxes,
an amount that would be higher by about
$102,000 if his budget plan were in effect, as
reported by Bloomberg News.
7
The administration is talking about
real tax increases and has sent good
proposals to Congress. 7
oVerall
7
Instead of shying away from discus-
sion about taxes, Obama has used the
presidential bully pulpit to talk about
the rationale for taxes.
8
Few appointments have been made for
those in charge of tax policy. Obama
loses points as many of his cabinet-
level appointments, most notably Tom Daschle
but also Timothy Geithner, Kathleen Sebelius,
and Hilda Solis all had problems with failure to
pay their taxes.
5
executIVe orderslegIslatIon
sPendIng coMMunIcatIons
aPPoIntMents
doMestIc PolIcy
27
Given the immense deficits and
neglect of social structure spending,
much more can be done to raise
government revenues. According to a new Tax
Day report by IPS, if the top 400 taxpayers of
2006 had paid taxes at 1955 rates, the Federal
Treasury would have collected an additional
$35.9 billion in revenue.
5Communications around economic
inequality have been backed up by
proposals to shift the disparities
between rich and poor. Implementing the tax-
haven abuse act and the progressive estate tax
are important contributions to shrinking the
income gap. Yet, a more progressive estate tax
is needed.
7
Recovery.gov and other oversight
mechanisms are raising oversight to a
whole new level.9
The new cap-and-dividend plan in
the budget sets the stage for a greener
tax policy.7 Over the last 30 years, the tax bur-
den has shifted off wealth and onto
wages, off the federal tax system and
onto the regressive tax systems of states and
localities. Obama’s budget and tax plan seeks to
address this growing gap.
8
cost / regulatIoneconoMIc equIty
deMocracy / transParency
green / enVIronMent huMan dIgnIty / huMan rIghts
28
thirsting FOr Change: obaMa’s fIrst 100 days
MeasurIng racIal equalItyby bIll fletcher and dedrIck MuhaMMad
Establishing the White House Office
of Urban Affairs is a positive step in
the long run, but the appointment of
Adolfo Carrion as director is a weak offering
to inner city communities that have been dis-
enfranchised for generations. Continuing the
faith-based initiatives offer the same band-aid
solutions to critical injuries.
6The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act pro-
vides an opportunity for those who
have faced pay discrimination. The
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act is
a good example of legislation that is more fo-
cused on making political rather than practical
progress in dealing with an economic crisis that
is devastating to the middle and working class.
6
There haven’t been any administra-
tion initiatives specifically targeting
race, except for the stimulus package.
The fact that about $8 trillion dollars has gone
to bail out the financial sector – compared to
$700 billion going to the real economy with
half going to tax cuts of little practical signifi-
cance – brings down the score.
6
oVerall
6
President Obama has more effectively
embodied the symbolism of change
than any presidential candidate
since Rev. Jesse Jackson’s run in 1988 and has
utilized modern technology very effectively.
Holder has been very powerful rhetorically;
however there has not been a lot of substance.
6
Cabinet appointments have been av-
erage, not a substantial improvement
from the Clinton era. However Erik
Holder’s appointment and comments on race
have been very good.
6
executIVe orderslegIslatIon
sPendIng coMMunIcatIons
aPPoIntMents
doMestIc PolIcy
29
There have been positive outlines
of stronger financial regulations but
little concrete action.7
Obama’s rhetoric around spreading
the wealth and strengthening an
economy from the bottom up is a
major departure from Bush. Obama has also
promised to allow the Bush tax cuts, which
disproportionately benefited the rich, to end in
2010 or 2011.
6
Obama’s budget is more transparent
than past budgets and is utilizing the
web well to highlight what has been
done. During the campaign, there was also a
large increase in non-traditional voters.
7
Obama has put in environmentally
friendly aspects to the American Re-
covery and Reinvestment Act as well
as in the outline of his first budget.
6 Signing an order to close Guan-
tánamo Bay detention center was an
important symbolic first action.6
cost / regulatIoneconoMIc equIty
deMocracy / transParency
green / enVIronMent huMan dIgnIty / huMan rIghts
30
thirsting FOr Change: obaMa’s fIrst 100 days
MeasurIng woMen’s rIghtsby kIM gandy
Obama repealed the Global Gag Rule,
restored international family planning
aid, acted to rescind Bush’s health care
refusal rule, and created the Council on Women
and Girls. His Middle Class Task Force takes on
important work and family issues. But only the
Faith-Based Initiative is publicly charged with
addressing abortion and family planning.
8Obama signed the Lilly Ledbetter
Fair Pay Act and the reauthorization
of the State Children’s Health Insur-
ance Program, including important provisions
for lawfully present immigrant children and
pregnant women. Stimulus programs targeting
education and healthcare jobs will help balance
mostly-male oriented “shovel-ready” projects.
8
Affordable birth control for campus
and low-income health clinics was re-
stored. The Medicaid Family Planning
State Option is now in the 2010 budget, but
only after pressure from advocates. The budget
also funds comprehensive, age-appropriate and
medically-accurate sex education, but doesn’t cut
much from discredited abstinence-only programs.
7
oVerall
7
President Obama has been vocal about
the importance of women’s rights, al-
though the new White House Council
on Women and Girls has yet to begin its work.
Economic Justice, violence against women, and
exploitation of women in the media are areas
where communicating his commitment would
have an impact and set an example.
7
Appointments of women have been
high-quality, but far short of gender
parity. Of the 16 cabinet positions,
only four were filled by women — although
all are top choices. If you count all high-level
presidential positions, appointments so far are
about 32 percent are women.
6
executIVe orderslegIslatIon
sPendIng coMMunIcatIons
aPPoIntMents
doMestIc PolIcy
31
There has been enormous focus on
the recovery plan, as there should be,
but the administration must quickly
halt all funding for misleading and ineffective
abstinence-only education, as well as so-called
Faith-Based Initiatives that lack meaningful
restrictions against discrimination and prosely-
tizing.
6The first piece of legislation President
Obama signed into law was the
Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. He has
indicated that he will champion and sign ad-
ditional legislation necessary to ensure equal
pay for women. Welfare reform is up next, and
much more. We have a long way to go, but the
president is off to a great start.
8
So far, decisions have been publicly
available, and many advocates are
included in regular meetings and con-
ference calls. But the process for actually reach-
ing those decisions, and who is included in the
decision-making, has been less transparent.
8
The administration has made a com-
mitment to millions of “green jobs”
and has consulted with a variety of
women’s organizations to identify ways of mak-
ing sure that women are fairly included. Com-
munity and outreach efforts in low-income
communities will be a key element.
8 The administration has taken action
to fund family planning here and
abroad, the availability of which is a
major factor contributing to women’s dignity
and human rights. The choice of Secretary of
State Hillary Clinton was an important indica-
tion of the president’s commitment to this
issue.
7
cost / regulatIoneconoMIc equIty
deMocracy / transParency
green / enVIronMent huMan dIgnIty / huMan rIghts
32
thirsting FOr Change: obaMa’s fIrst 100 days
MeasurIng agrIcultureby ben lIllIston and JIM harkness
--
The president’s budget supports some
positive changes for agriculture,
including funding for child nutrition,
renewable energy, organic farming, conserva-
tion programs, food safety, and local food
systems. It also includes greater enforcement
of the Packers and Stockyards Act, legislation
essential for restoring competitive markets.
8
7
Vilsack is much more open to meet-
ing with family farm and sustainable
agriculture organizations. The White
House garden and the USDA’s community
garden project show commitment to a better
food system. But there is still a push for geneti-
cally engineered seeds, both domestically and
internationally.
7
New Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vil-
sack seems eager for change, despite his
previous support for agribusiness and
biotechnology. Deputy Secretary Kathleen Mer-
rigan is a supporter of sustainable agriculture.
Appointing National Farmers Union economist
Jim Miller as foreign food and agriculture service
undersecretary was also positive.
7oVerall
executIVe orderslegIslatIon
sPendIng coMMunIcatIons
aPPoIntMents
doMestIc PolIcy
33
The administration’s budget includes
increased support for competition in
agriculture. This is a good start. Coor-
dinating with the Justice Department on stron-
ger antitrust enforcement in agriculture would
help. Greater enforcement of environmental
and public health regulations on confined ani-
mal feeding operations is a next step.
8Support for child nutrition, food
stamps, and the WIC program are all
positive steps. However, the adminis-
tration has yet to support or propose strategies
to ensure fair prices for farmers, essential to
strengthening the U.S. food system.
5
Thus far, the administration has been
very open in discussing and getting
feedback on its proposals and budget.
This is a good start.
8
Obama supports sustainable practices
and renewable energy. But the poten-
tial inclusion of agriculture as a pol-
luter-offset source is troubling. Also disturbing
is strong administration support for genetically
engineered crops, which are resource intensive,
environmentally risky, and don’t work well for
local food systems.
5 Vilsack and Obama pledged to ad-
dress decades-long racism towards
African-American farmers in admin-
istering USDA programs. Hillary Clinton’s
decision to seek a Human Rights Council seat
is a strong statement on the importance of
human rights. Attention to the treatment of
farm-workers should come next.
8
cost / regulatIoneconoMIc equIty
deMocracy / transParency
green / enVIronMent huMan dIgnIty / huMan rIghts
34
thirsting FOr Change: obaMa’s fIrst 100 days
MeasurIng labor rIghtsby kate bronfenbrenner
Obama reversed four Bush executive
orders on federal contracts. Highlights
include: federal contractors cannot
get reimbursed for expenses used in anti-union
campaigns, and federal contractors are now
required to offer jobs to current workers when
contracts expire.
7Obama and Congress have already
shown their commitment to helping
American workers by passing the Lilly
Ledbetter Fair Pay Act and the Paycheck Fair-
ness Act. Obama is supporting the Employee
Free Choice Act, but isn’t expending any politi-
cal capital for its prompt passage.
6
The Labor Department was one of
the few agencies with a significantly
increased budget of 4.7%. Increased
funding will help restore labor standards and
reverse the problems created by the gutting of
staff allocated to labor law enforcement agen-
cies during the Bush administration.
8
7
Labor feels warmth from the president
after decades of being out in the cold.
But a seat at the table hasn’t resulted
in enough action.
7
The Labor Department is now led
by Hilda Solis, who is committed
to making the department fulfill its
mission of protecting the rights and interests of
workers. But the dominant role played by free-
traders such as Ron Kirk on Obama’s economic
team will stand in the way of the real reform
needed for labor rights and economic reform.
7oVerall
executIVe orderslegIslatIon
sPendIng coMMunIcatIons
aPPoIntMents
doMestIc PolIcy
35
The stimulus package could have been
built to offer stronger worker rights.
It could have provided much stronger
economic support to the working class, creat-
ing the foundation for a stronger economy.
An opportunity was lost to provide a greater
stimulus to the economy at a cheaper price.
6While the nation’s gross domestic
product has tripled in the last two
decades, workers have witnessed the
steady erosion of their economic security and
workplace rights. We have yet to see if Attorney
General Eric Holder will take action against
the employment law violators, including wage
and hour laws, civil law, and child labor laws.
6
While Obama’s labor team looks like
a significant improvement, his entire
trade team supports free trade. Many
of the decisions that will likely be made at in-
ternational agencies such as the WTO, World
Bank, and IMF will likely favor big business
over workers. Labor must be included in these
decisions if this score is to rise.
5
Obama is working on legislation to
create 5 million “green jobs.” The
administration plans to invest $150
billion over 10 years to deploy clean technolo-
gies, protect our existing manufacturing base,
and create millions of new jobs.
8 Since the 1935 National Labor
Relations Act passed, the right to
organize, the right to collective
bargaining, and the right to strike have been
under attack and severely curtailed by capital-
ism and the political right. By failing to step
out in front on the Employee Free Choice Act,
Obama is sending the wrong signal to workers.
5
cost / regulatIoneconoMIc equIty
deMocracy / transParency
green / enVIronMent huMan dIgnIty / huMan rIghts
36
thirsting FOr Change: obaMa’s fIrst 100 days
MeasurIng oPen goVernMentby PatrIce McderMott
Obama called for new guidelines to
be issued governing the Freedom of
Information Act. He also released
a broad statement directing key agencies to
develop recommendations for an “Open Gov-
ernment Directive” that moves government
toward being “transparent,” “participatory,” and
collaborative.”
9With the stimulus package, Obama
didn’t fulfill his pledge to allow five
days of public comment before sign-
ing bills. During the campaign, he pledged he
“will not sign any non-emergency bill without
giving the American public an opportunity
to review and comment on the White House
website for five days.”
5
-
7
The administration has focused on
moving forward on social media proj-
ects, but the process is slow-going.7
Many key positions such as the
chief of information policy at OMB
have not yet been filled, but Barack
Obama’s appointments so far show promise.
Vivek Kundra will energize the executive
branch to get its data up and out to the public.
7oVerall
executIVe orderslegIslatIon
sPendIng coMMunIcatIons
aPPoIntMents
doMestIc PolIcy
37
Open government will lower overall
costs in numerous ways: making in-
formation and records easily available
online cuts FOIA requests and processing; let-
ting the public help put information to creative
uses allows agencies to learn from them, and
use their ideas and products; open-source soft-
ware will decrease government costs.
6-
The lobbyist disclosure policy is on
the wrong track and will encourage
less transparency; those who don’t
have to register will not do so. On whistleblow-
ers, the White House has not yet taken a posi-
tion, and this is troubling.
6
The administration has taken im-
portant steps to restore the position
of science and create openness on
environmental topics.
9 -
cost / regulatIoneconoMIc equIty
deMocracy / transParency
green / enVIronMent huMan dIgnIty / huMan rIghts
38
thirsting FOr Change: obaMa’s fIrst 100 days
MeasurIng deMocracyby karen dolan and ben ManskI
There is potential for strengthening
democratic federalism, with a move-
ment for Obama to pass an executive
order acknowledging the positive role of state
and local governments. The OMB has made
a positive move forward by soliciting public
comments on regulation reform to be con-
tained in upcoming executive orders.
6The administration has continued
the unlawful Bush-era policy federal-
izing state National Guard units for
deployment to Iraq and Afghanistan. Fur-
thermore, the new administration, along with
congressional leaders, hasn’t yet signaled any
move toward preemption reform.
5
The stimulus bill puts forward much-
needed funds for state and local
governments, but fails to mandate
local citizen participation regarding the use of
those funds, or to provide significant additional
support for cooperatives or other forms of
democratic economic development.
7
6
Obama took a positive step forward
in meeting with state and local elected
officials early on. And the creation of
the Office of Urban Policy is also a move in the
right direction.
6
The new Director of Intergovern-
mental Affairs, Cecelia Muñoz, is
progressive. She has great potential for
forward movement in Intergovernmental Af-
fairs. The creation of the Office of Urban Policy
is a step in the right direction. Former Bronx
Borrough President Adolfo Carrión is a moder-
ate appointment.
7oVerall
executIVe orderslegIslatIon
sPendIng coMMunIcatIons
aPPoIntMents
doMestIc PolIcy
39
On questions of war and peace, the
administration is continuing the
Bush-Clinton policy of state National
Guard federalization without authorization.
5-
There are signs of limited movement
toward greater federal support for
democratic federalism. The adminis-
tration is moving to review implied preemption
and regulatory preemption of local and state
laws. But Obama has failed to end the misuse of
the National Guard overseas. Overall, there has
been less progress in this arena than in others.
6
- -
cost / regulatIoneconoMIc equIty
deMocracy / transParency
green / enVIronMent huMan dIgnIty / huMan rIghts
foreIgn PolIcy
41
cated a more cooperative relationship with Iran and
indicated, in general, a willingness to use diplomacy
over force.
This change in tone extends to a more positive at-
titude toward multilateral treaties and institutions.
While visiting Prague in early April, Obama pledged
The Bush administration transformed the way the
United States dealt with the world. It invaded two
countries, began a war on terror that had no geo-
graphic or time limits, boosted military spending,
acted unilaterally, and ignored international law. Al-
though his second term was more pragmatic than his
first — with an important reversal on North Korea
policy and rapprochement with Libya — George W.
Bush generally emphasized military force over dip-
lomatic negotiations and acted more like a cowboy
than a statesman.
Barack Obama promised a different foreign policy:
more diplomatic, more modest, more in keeping
with international institutions and international law.
On some issues, such as torture, nuclear weapons
policy, and climate change, he has made an early
down-payment on his promises. But whether he's
adding to an already gargantuan Pentagon budget or
sending more troops to Afghanistan, the president
has also maintained some disturbing continuities
with Bush-era policies.
Perhaps the most important change the Obama ad-
ministration brought to the White House has been
its new tone. The president has reached out to the
Muslim world, giving his first press interview to al-
Arabiya and telling Turkish audiences in his first trip
to a Muslim country that the United States "is not
and never will be at war with Islam." He has indi-
foreIgn PolIcy aVg.
You might call the glass
“half full.”
foreIgn POliCyIntroductIon by John feffer
foreIgn PolIcy
Topic Score Topic Score
Afghanistan 4 Human Rights 7
Iraq 6 Global Environment 6
Counterterrorism 6 Africa 6
Nuclear Policy 6 Asia 5
Military Spending 6 Middle East 6
Trade & Globalization 5 Latin America 7
Average 5.8
5.8
42
thirsting FOr Change: obaMa’s fIrst 100 days
In another promising change towards multilateral-
ism, the United States is poised to reverse the Bush
administration policies on climate change. The U.S.
Congress, both houses of which are controlled by
the Democratic Party, is likely to introduce a cap on
U.S. carbon emissions for the first time. Obama is
leaning toward a cap-and-trade system, by which the
government auctions off carbon emission permits
and raises an estimated $650 billion that would
offset the higher energy costs to consumers. While
a straightforward carbon tax would avoid the many
problems associated with cap-and-trade, the admin-
istration at least wants to bring the United States
into compliance with the Kyoto Protocol and, more
importantly, advance efforts to replace Kyoto with a
stricter treaty.
to seek the abolition of nuclear weapons, a break
with several decades of U.S. foreign policy. This
commitment, if followed up with vigorous negotia-
tions with Moscow and support for multilateral
agreements like the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty,
would go a long way toward making the United
States a responsible global actor. At the same time,
however, the president renewed his conditional
support for missile defense, a still largely hypotheti-
cal system that has undercut past efforts to reduce
nuclear arsenals.
On his first European trip, Vice President Joe Biden
made a speech at the Munich conference on security
promising European allies a "new era of coopera-
tion." But he also warned that the United States
would "work in a partnership whenever we can, and
alone only when we must." This phrase echoed the
Clinton administration's commitment to "multilat-
eralism when we can, unilateralism when we must."
In other words, the Obama administration will con-
tinue to act unilaterally in situations where it can't
get international support.
achIeVeMents &
1) Executive orders on closing the Guantánamo Bay
detention center and ending torture
2) Declared commitment to nuclear abolition
3) More respectful tone and more diplomatic ap-
proach coming from the White House
dIsaPPoIntMents
1) Increase in troops sent to Afghanistan
2) Increase in military budget by 4%
3) Falling back on the International Monetary Fund
to bail out the global economy
foreIgn PolIcy
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On other multilateral issues, the administration
lifted a ban on U.S. funding for international groups
that perform abortions. It has supported the Six
Party Talks in Northeast Asia. And although U.S.
ratification of the Rome Treaty isn't in the offing,
Obama has pledged to work more closely with the
International Criminal Court.
MIlItary sPendIng
The U.S. military budget increased more than 70%
under the Bush administration. At a time when the
federal government is scrambling to locate enough
money to bail out banks, stimulate the economy,
and maintain current social services, the Pentagon
budget would seem to be a perfect target for reduc-
tion. The United States is currently spending more
than $700 billion a year on the military, which is
roughly equal to the economic stimulus package.
Yet, when the new administration released its first
budget figures, the Pentagon still got a raise. For
2010, the Obama administration is requesting $20
billion more in military spending than Congress
allocated for 2009. Pentagon chief Robert Gates
was overjoyed. He had expected the budget to grow
"only at the pace of inflation," and instead he did
better than that.
In early April, Gates did take aim at a couple weap-
ons systems — such as the F-22 Raptor and the
DDG-1000 Destroyer — which is an important
step toward ending the Cold War force posture. But
the overall Pentagon budget will, for the time being,
remain high.
global war on terror
In his first decisions as president, Obama fulfilled his
election pledge by recasting counterterrorism policy.
In a series of executive orders, the new president
mandated the closure of the Guantánamo detention
facility in Cuba within a year, outlawed the use of
torture in interrogations, and put the CIA out of
the secret prisons business. Obama announced that
he wanted to "send an unmistakable signal that our
actions in defense of liberty will be as just as our
cause."
Flickr photo by Rick Galvan, under a Creative Commons license.
44
thirsting FOr Change: obaMa’s fIrst 100 days
nates extraordinary rendition, the larger framework
of the war on terrorism remains. The Obama ad-
ministration has maintained the policy of airstrikes
within Pakistan that have killed numerous civilians
and enraged Pakistanis for the violations of their sov-
ereignty. Then there's Afghanistan, which will be the
new epicenter of U.S. counterterrorism strategy. The
Obama administration has backed a "surge" in U.S.
troops in Afghanistan and is trying hard to persuade
its NATO allies to also increase troop levels. In Iraq,
although the administration announced the with-
drawal of soldiers, as many as 50,000 "non-combat"
troops will remain in the country. We're still selling
arms to Indonesia, Israel, and Colombia as part of an
overall counterterrorism approach. The Pentagon's
new Africa Command (AFRICOM) still looks at
counterterrorism through a military lens.
In short, the United States is still using terrorism as
a justification for the maintenance of a worldwide
network of military bases, a set of alliances sustained
by a high level of military assistance, and a set of
strategic relationships with often unsavory regimes
around the world.
After 100 days, the Obama administration has right-
ed the most egregious of the Bush administration's
wrongs in the realm of foreign policy. But whether
it's the surge in Afghanistan, the ever-rising tide of
military spending, or the continued commitment to
missile defense, the new president hasn't yet escaped
the long shadow of his predecessor.
These immediate changes were part of an overall
effort to signal a change in U.S. image in the world.
During the eight years of the Bush administration,
U.S. popularity in the world plummeted to new
lows. U.S. reputation suffered tremendously because
of the violations of international law committed
at Guantánamo, the revelations of torture at Abu
Ghraib, and the extraordinary renditions by which
the CIA secretly abducted suspects and transferred
them to third countries without trial. The Obama
administration restored a good deal of confidence
by bringing U.S. policy in line with the norms of
international law.
Although the Obama administration acted cou-
rageously with these executive orders and retired
the aggressive phrase "global war on terrorism" in
favor of "overseas contingency operations," it didn't
fundamentally change U.S. counterterrorism policy.
On the civil liberties front, for instance, the admin-
istration retains the right to use renditions, a policy
introduced by the Clinton administration. Also,
the inmates at the Bagram Airbase in Afghanistan,
which holds more prisoners than Guantánamo, and
the thousands held in Iraq won't get the case-by-
case review accorded to their counterparts in Cuba.
Although the administration courageously released
Bush-era memos on torture techniques and the
complicity of high-level officials, the new president
has been cool to the idea of prosecuting those
responsible or even holding an independent inquiry
into these violations of international law.
Even if Obama holds to his word on torture, closes
Guantánamo within the year, applies the same yard-
stick to detainees at Bagram and in Iraq, and elimi-
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foreIgn POliCy rePort cards
foreIgn PolIcy rePort
aFghanistan ......................................................................................................46
iraq .............................................................................................................................48
COunterterrOrism ......................................................................................50
nuClear .................................................................................................................. 52
military sPenDing .........................................................................................54
traDe anD glObalizatiOn .....................................................................56
human rights .................................................................................................... 58
glObal envirOnment .................................................................................60
aFriCa .......................................................................................................................62
asia .............................................................................................................................64
miDDle east .........................................................................................................66
latin ameriCa ....................................................................................................68
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MeasurIng afghanIstanby erIk leaVer
While Obama was swift to act on
closing the prison at Guantánamo
Bay and has asked for policies and
funds to close it, he hasn’t said a word about
the 550 or more prisoners in the Bagram
Prison held without any legal recourse, many of
whom have been subjected to similar torture.
executIVe orders
4No major legislation has been passed.
legIslatIon
-
Obama has requested $83 billion for
the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan be-
tween now and October. The request
includes billions for building additional bases, a
new mega-embassy in Pakistan, and unneeded
weapon systems such as the F-22.
sPendIng
4
oVerall
4
Unlike domestic policy, where Obama
has included large groupings of civil
society in discussions at the White
House, little input has been sought on military
policy and Afghanistan specifically. Obama gets
a bump over Bush, as he has properly put the
issue of Afghanistan front and center on the
U.S. policy landscape.
coMMunIcatIons
6
Led by Lieutenant General Karl
Eikenberry as ambassador, Obama’s
Afghanistan team is dominated by
the military: Gen. Petraeus, head of Central
Command; Gen. McKiernan, top commander
in Afghanistan; and Gen. Jones, national secu-
rity adviser. Special Envoy Richard Holbrooke
recycles a long-time friend of dictators.
aPPoIntMents
4
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In the nine months the oversight
agency, SIGAR, has been in place,
they’ve only managed to grow their
staff to 21. They’ve issued two reports but have
not completed any audits or investigations.
Obama has requested additional funding but
hasn’t used the bully pulpit to try to get better
results.
econoMIc equIty
5The international meeting marking
NATO’s 60th anniversary presented a
good opportunity to refocus Afghani-
stan policy. However, by announcing a new
U.S. policy just days before the meeting, he
lost the chance of getting greater buy-in from
the alliance. As a result, there are few commit-
ments of increased troops or resources.
InternatIonal dIPloMacy
6
Troop increases are supposed to
bolster the chances for peaceful elec-
tions this summer. But the upcoming
elections don’t seem to be a key element in the
administration’s plans. Keeping Bagram open
while closing Guantánamo keeps the United
States outside the bounds of international law.
huMan rIghts / deMocracy
4
Before many of the policy reviews
were complete or a strategy was
developed, Obama ordered 17,000
more troops into Afghanistan. When his review
was completed and policy was announced, it
lacked timelines, deadlines, costs, or exit strate-
gies. Worse, the plan outlined follows the same
prescriptions of a failed Iraq policy.
war / Peace
3 Ambassador Holbrooke noted that
the counter-narcotics program has
been “wasteful and ineffective.” Un-
der Bush, a key element included aerial fumiga-
tion, which can cause environmental damage.
Obama’s funding request includes $129 million
for counternarcotics, but doesn’t indicate if
aerial fumigation will continue.
green / enVIronMent
5
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MeasurIng Iraqby erIk leaVer and PhyllIs bennIs
Ordering the closure of the Guan-
tánamo Bay facility and banning the
use of torture are the first steps to re-
storing U.S. adherence to international law and
respecting human rights. Other facilities across
the globe, including Bagram in Afghanistan,
should also be shuttered.
8-
Calling for the end of war spending
in supplementals is fiscally respon-
sible. But the final Iraq supplemental
tops $85 billion, includes unneeded weapon
systems, and doesn’t include funding for
withdrawal planning. Most importantly, it con-
tinues the funding for the war and occupation
of Iraq.
5
6
Obama’s first interview was with the
Arabic station al-Arabiya. Allowing
photography of returning fallen
soldiers at Dover illustrates the human price of
war. But Obama’s trip to Iraq was only for four
hours, during which he didn’t leave the U.S.
military base. He hasn’t communicated well to
the people that matter most — the Iraqis.
8
Choosing Christopher Hill over Gen.
Anthony Zinni (ret.) as the U.S. am-
bassador to Iraq was a wise decision.
Long-term stability can only come from the
political negotiations needed on the way out.
Hill has the experience to do this. And George
Mitchell is an important choice for envoy to
the Middle East.
7
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Levels of economic assistance to Iraq
have been very low, and the supple-
mental continues this trend. With a
planned withdrawal, a long-term commitment
for aid is needed. What aid is given is chan-
neled through U.S. institutions primarily to
U.S.-based contractors and war profiteers, and
the U.S. continues to pressure Iraq to pass laws
friendly to privatization.
3Middle East Envoy Mitchell has
visited key regional countries Jordan
and Saudi Arabia, as well as Egypt,
Israel and the West Bank, but it’s unclear what
the plan is for engaging regional partners into
a long-term solution. More importantly, the
United Nations has not been consulted.
5
Calling for the closure of the Guan-
tánamo Bay detention facility is a
great step forward. No statements
have been made concerning the Iraqi refer-
endum on the status of the upcoming SOFA
agreement. The size of the embassy and the
large military footprint reinforce the notion
that the U.S. is calling the shots on the ground.
6
Obama’s withdrawal plans call for
a gradual withdrawal of troops, al-
lowing the war to continue for three
more years. General Ray Odierno, has ques-
tioned the terms of withdrawal since the SOFA
was signed. However, his April statement say-
ing it was certain that the U.S. would be out by
the end of 2011 provides room for optimism.
7No plans have been detailed for the
environmental cleanup for the bases
being left behind. Historically, U.S.
military bases are highly toxic and the U.S. has
a poor record of environmental cleanup.
3
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MeasurIng counterterrorIsMby John feffer
Obama fulfilled his promise to close
Guantánamo within a year and ban
the use of torture. But he hasn’t
conclusively ended extraordinary rendition, the
status of prisons like Bagram remains unclear,
and Gates is in charge of the Gitmo review.
8-
-
6
Obama dropped references to the
“Global War on Terror,” reached out
to Muslim communities in his inau-
gural address, gave his first interview to Arab
newspaper al-Arabiya, and made his first phone
call to a foreign leader, the head of the Palestin-
ian Authority. But he has still retained some of
the warlike language (“We will defeat you”).
8
Eric Holder as Attorney General was
an excellent choice, and Leon Panetta
at the CIA isn’t bad; but keeping
Robert Gates on at the head of the Pentagon
brings down the score.
7
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-At Munich, Biden stressed the im-
portance of diplomacy, development,
and democracy over military inter-
vention. The administration has reached out to
Iran and there is talk of negotiating with mod-
erate elements of the Taliban. Adding troops in
Afghanistan and escalating the conflict with the
Somali pirates bring down the score.
5
The appointment of George Mitchell
as Middle East envoy was a good
choice, but the administration is still
isolating Hamas, a democratically elected party.
4
Obama followed through on his
pledge to set in motion the plan to
withdraw troops from Iraq within 16
months, but has backed the surge in Afghani-
stan and airstrikes in Pakistan. These actions
will likely encourage more terrorist recruitment
and potentially acts of terrorism.
2 -
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thirsting FOr Change: obaMa’s fIrst 100 days
MeasurIng nuclear PolIcyby bob alVarez and Marcus raskIn
--
The president has set forth the
elements of a positive energy plan,
but no action has been taken yet.
Dangerous funds for the nuclear weapons
infrastructure were stripped out of the stimulus
bill. Despite Obama’s campaign pledge to cut
nuclear arms, spending for bombs won’t come
down that much.
5
6
Obama’s call for the elimination of
nuclear weapons is a much needed
shift in favor of comprehensive arms
control agreements and international coopera-
tion. His speech and meeting with Russian
President Dmitry Medvedev set a new course
of cooperation for nuclear reductions.
8
The president’s science adviser, Dr.
John Holdren, recommended reduc-
ing U.S. and Russian nuclear forces
to 1,000 warheads and exploring going lower,
taking nuclear weapons off hair-trigger alert,
and adopting a no-first use policy. Energy Sec-
retary Steven Chu has the right stuff but will be
challenged to reform the Energy Department.
6
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For most of its existence, two-thirds
of Energy’s annual spending has gone
to maintaining the U.S. nuclear weap-
ons complex. Until the complex is cleaned up
and seriously downsized, the poor communities
nearest to the plants will continue to be nega-
tively impacted.
5Obama has ordered the administra-
tion to “immediately and aggressively
pursue U.S. ratification of the Com-
prehensive Test Ban Treaty.” He also called for
strengthening the nuclear Non-Proliferation
Treaty. Both these steps move in the right di-
rection toward international arms control and
reductions, rather than unilateral agreements.
8
By calling for greater support for
international regulation and oversight
of global nukes, the administration
is taking a much-needed step toward democ-
ratizing arms control and disarmament — a
critical step in stemming the dangers of nuclear
proliferation.
5
Secretary of Defense Gates an-
nounced a plan to cut 15% of the
missile defense budget. Yet the
administration has waffled on the construc-
tion of a missile defense base in Poland. The
administration should be commended for not
overreacting to North Korea’s missile launch.
7 Obama’s proposed budget all but
kills the Yucca Mountain project, a
planned nuclear waste storage facility.
Killing the project is a good move, but a long-
term plan for dealing with the nuclear waste is
still needed.
6
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thirsting FOr Change: obaMa’s fIrst 100 days
MeasurIng MIlItary sPendIngby MIrIaM PeMberton
The administration is sending mixed
signals on whether the “Global War
on Terror” is inoperative. Obama
should issue an order calling an official end
to the Global War on Terror, which could lay
the groundwork for a security policy that puts
more emphasis on non-military approaches.
5The recovery package is strong on
civilian job creators and largely rejects
a “military stimulus.”9
The administration gains points for
presenting the most ambitious pro-
posed cuts in Cold-War weapons sys-
tems since the early 90s, but they are couched
in a military budget that’s larger than any from
the Bush administration. The overall budget
includes a strong investment in domestic needs
but without a clear plan to pay for them.
6
6
The administration is reaching out
much more to NGOs — a recogni-
tion that they’re needed to push a
change agenda.
6
The appointment of William Lynn,
a former vice president of Raytheon,
as deputy defense secretary takes the
wrong direction for rethinking military spend-
ing. The appointment of a climate change czar
who actually cares about climate change, how-
ever, signals that the new administration may
be prioritizing alternative kinds of job creation.
3
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The administration’s intent to reform
the defense contracting process holds
considerable promise to reduce Penta-
gon waste.
7While the U.S. still spends more on
the military than the next 25 coun-
tries put together, the first Obama
budget does invest more security resources
in engaging the world through non-military
means.
6
-
Spending requests for the wars we
are actually fighting have begun to
decline, and “emergency” requests to
pay for them are being phased out.
6 The military — still the largest insti-
tutional producer of greenhouse gases
in the world--is taking steps to reduce
its emissions.
5
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thirsting FOr Change: obaMa’s fIrst 100 days
MeasurIng trade and globalIzatIon
by sarah anderson and John caVanagh
-The USTR has not yet pushed Con-
gress to approve pending free-trade
agreements. As a senator, Obama was
a strong supporter of legislation to cancel impov-
erished country debts. But with Geithner and
former World Bank economist Larry Summers
in key positions, Obama will not likely try to
overhaul the international financial institutions.
6
-
5
In light of the global crisis, Obama
decided to postpone decisions on
NAFTA renegotiation. Obama has
spoken powerfully about the need to “put an
end to the bubble-and-bust economy.” The
steps taken so far are insufficient, but at least
he’s recognized the need for stronger financial
regulation.
6
The appointments of Timothy Geith-
ner, a former IMF official, at Treasury
and a NAFTA promoter, Ron Kirk,
as Office of the United States Trade Represen-
tative, were not encouraging. Labor Secretary
Hilda Solis may have a chance to bring her
progressive internationalist vision to bear on
the globalization debate.
4
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See International Diplomacy
5Obama has called for a global green
stimulus and has acknowledged
that there should be a North-South
resource transfer to help poorer nations. But he
couldn’t deliver on the global green stimulus.
And Treasury has taken the lead in pumping in
new resources to the IMF, whose fiscal austerity
measures have traditionally made matters worse.
5
-
- See International Diplomacy
5
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thirsting FOr Change: obaMa’s fIrst 100 days
MeasurIng huMan rIghtsby catherIne albIsa, Martha f. daVIs, cynthIa soohoo
Executive orders established a White
House Office of Health Reform and
removed barriers to stem-cell research.
A presidential memorandum restored states’
ability to set higher income limits for SCHIP
eligibility. But the administration loses points
for failing to adopt a rights-based framework or
setting up stronger monitoring mechanisms.
7In the healthcare debate, cost control
and protecting private insurers appears
to have greater weight than human
rights. However, a vigorous public plan sup-
ported by the administration could outweigh
these troubling factors. On housing and educa-
tion, the administration has set important goals,
but a change in policy has not yet occurred.
7
The stimulus package provided real
support for education, health care, and
jobs — all of which involve funda-
mental human rights issues. Also commendable
are the proposed changes in taxation to make the
system more equitable. However, the adminis-
tration loses points for failing to undertake a hu-
man rights assessment of the stimulus package.
8
7
The administration receives high
marks for communicating the
importance of international human
rights and the need for America to live up to its
values. But the administration has so far failed
to explicitly communicate the need for the gov-
ernment to protect and ensure human rights in
the United States.
8
In prior positions, Secretary of State
Clinton called repeatedly to “bring hu-
man rights home.” Attorney General
Holder has been less outspoken, but previous ex-
perience in the Justice Department exposed him
to human rights issues. Koh’s nomination to the
State Department gets high marks, but Obama
must do more to defend the nomination.
6
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Obama’s first official act was to sign
the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act
restoring the ability of plaintiffs to
recover for wage discrimination, followed by
reauthorization and expansion of the CHIP
program, providing healthcare coverage to low
income children. But the administration hasn’t
articulated a broad, human-rights agenda for
economic equity that would engage and lift up
the poorest Americans.
7The new administration has had a
stellar start, with great openness to
domestic human rights advocates,
gradual release of the notorious “torture
memos,” and user-friendly web access to a wide
range of information. Developments at Guan-
tánamo are addressed elsewhere in the 100 Day
report and are not included in this score.
9
Though the Obama administration’s
actions have generally been positive,
it has so far failed to affirmatively
articulate a human rights agenda for the nation
or take concrete steps to develop the domestic
human rights institutions necessary to move
that agenda forward.
7
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thirsting FOr Change: obaMa’s fIrst 100 days
MeasurIng global enVIronMentby daPhne wyshaM and Janet redMan
-The draft American Clean Energy and
Security Act allows for 2 billion tons
of carbon offsets a year, meaning U.S.
emissions could continue to rise until 2026. The
bill includes technology giveaways to polluters
and waivers for the Clean Air Act. But it also
establishes funds for low-carbon technology
transfer to developing countries.
6
The FY09 budget included $10 mil-
lion to finance poor countries’ adap-
tation to climate change, but at least
$2 billion is needed. Treasury officials have
signaled that Obama will fulfill Bush’s com-
mitment to put $2 billion in the World Bank’s
Climate Investment Funds, despite opposition.
5
6
The new administration gets high
marks for a recent ruling by the EPA
that greenhouse gases are harmful to
human health, and for urging G-20 leaders to
coordinate stimulus spending on a green new
deal.
8
Obama’s appointments overall sug-
gest support for a global climate deal
and recognition that environmental
justice issues are critical. Obama’s Treasury
Department thus far has clung to a naïve belief
that the World Bank will be induced to trans-
form its fossil-fuel-heavy portfolio with a small,
new climate fund.
7
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The administration is turning a deaf
ear to G-77 leaders who want a global
climate fund under the authority of
the more democratic UNFCCC, not the World
Bank.
5Special Envoy on Climate Change
Todd Stern announced that the U.S.
“recognizes our unique responsibil-
ity…as the largest historic emitter of green-
house gases.” But the administration claims it
can only return U.S. greenhouse gas emissions
to 1990 levels by 2020, when we need cuts of
25-40% below 1990 levels by 2020.
7
The administration remains silent on
implementing the UN Declaration
on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.5
- The strong White House environme-
nal team must focus more attention
on eliminating subsidies to fossil fuels
via multilateral development banks and export
credit agencies and show global leadership in
making deep emissions cuts.”
7
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thirsting FOr Change: obaMa’s fIrst 100 days
MeasurIng afrIcaby eMIra woods
President Obama enacted Deferred
Enforced Departure for Liberians,
which prevents the forced deportation
of Liberians living in the United States.
6-
-
6
Little communication has been forth-
coming from the Obama administra-
tion on overall Africa policy. Similar
to the Bush administration, there seems to be
no comprehensive policy articulated as of the
first 100 days.
5
Special Envoy to Sudan Scott Gra-
tion’s meeting with the Darfur
advocacy community before a trip
to Sudan was welcome. Assistant Secretary of
State for Africa Johnnie Carson has already
reached out to the Africa advocacy community
before his confirmation. But many key posts
relating to Africa, however, remain unfilled.
6
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The Obama administration joined
other wealthy nations in giving addi-
tional power, leverage, and resources
to the International Monetary Fund, the very
institution that caused the severe economic
crisis in Africa and much of the world.
5The administration has supported
the indictment of Sudan’s President,
Omar Al Bashir, by the International
Criminal Court for crimes against humanity,
war crimes, and possibly genocide. Yet, the
United States still hasn’t signed on to the Rome
Statute to participate in and strengthen this
global tribunal.
5
The administration condemned
the coup in Madagascar. It has also
supported the African Union’s call
for sanctions against the coup leaders in Mau-
ritania. This is a change from the Bush admin-
istration, where U.S. interests in oil and other
strategic resources often led to deal-making
with undemocratic governments.
6
There is no clear position from the
Obama administration on AFRI-
COM. The Obama administration
has done little to address the conflict in the
Congo. Remarks on Somali piracy didn’t address
root causes or recommend positive solutions to
the crisis, but the administration recognizes that
there can be “no purely military solution.”
6 Obama administration pledges
toward a new global green economy
make little mention of the African
continent.
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5
The administration has been careful
with its policy toward China and
has begun to repair the relationship
with Japan. But it overreacted to North Korea’s
rocket launch.
5
Stephen Bosworth was a good choice
for North Korea envoy but, unbeliev-
ably, he’s only part-time. Kurt Camp-
bell as assistant secretary of state for East Asian
and Pacific affairs brings a strong environmen-
tal concern to his position. Actor Kal Penn as
liaison to the Asian-American community was
an inspired choice.
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-Discussions with all sides in the
Burma conflict point to a more nu-
anced diplomatic approach, but the
administration failed to engage North Korea to
preempt the rocket launch.
5
Hillary Clinton’s underemphasizing
of human rights in her discussions
with China was a smart geopolitical
move but sends the wrong signal on the prior-
ity of human rights for the administration. The
same holds true for the failure to bring up West
Papua and other human rights concerns on the
Indonesia leg of her trip.
4
The Pentagon fortunately decided
not to try to shoot down North Ko-
rea’s April rocket launch. But the sub-
sequent overreaction to Pyongyang’s gambit, as
well as the confrontation with China over the
USNS Impeccable, drops the score.
4 Hillary Clinton made environmental
concerns a major part of her discus-
sions with China, and Kurt Campbell
in the State Department will keep this a focus
of administration concern.
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Obama agreed to continue imple-
menting the $30 billion in U.S.
military aid to Israel committed to by
President George W. Bush.
5
6
The administration has not appointed
or met with serious critics of U.S.
military aid to Israel. Obama pledged
to the Muslim world a “new way forward”
based on “mutual interest and respect” in his
inaugural address. Obama signaled an opening
for U.S. dialogue with Tehran in his March
video greeting to Iran’s “people and leaders.”
7
Senator George Mitchell as special
envoy to the Middle East indicates a
serious commitment to future diplo-
macy; But Obama’s selection of Dennis Ross as
his special adviser for Iran is dangerous. Ross’s
hawkish views on Iran contradict Obama’s
efforts to seek engagement based on “mutual
respect.”
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Despite the economic embargo on
Syria, the Treasury Department in
February authorized the transfer of
$500,000 raised by Syrians in the U.S. to a
Syrian cancer charity, a goodwill gesture from
the Obama administration. Obama provided a
large-scale aid package to the Palestinians after
the Gaza assault, but two-thirds of the $900
million package is going to the West Bank-
based Palestinian Authority leadership, with no
requirement that it be used for poverty allevia-
tion or rebuilding in Gaza.
6The administration invited Iran to
attend the international conference
on Afghanistan, and opened the
door to engagement with Syria by sending the
highest-ranking U.S. officials to visit Damascus
since 2005. So far, Obama refuses to talk to the
elected Hamas leadership (or Hezbollah) and is
continuing uncritical support for Israel.
7
Obama missed a major opportunity
to criticize Israel’s violations of U.S.
and international law during the
Gaza assault that ended on the eve of his in-
auguration. He has still failed to acknowledge
those violations or hold Israel accountable by
cutting U.S. military aid, leading to Israeli as-
sumptions of continued impunity.
5
Obama didn’t criticize Israel’s war on
Gaza and continued full support for
Israel’s military. The escalation of war
in Afghanistan risks sidelining any potential
effort to press Israel in Palestinian-Israeli and
Syrian-Israeli negotiations.
5 There is no announcement yet of
any plans for taking seriously and
providing resources to help resolve
the Middle East water crisis, the dependence
on oil exports of one-commodity countries
closely tied to the U.S. (like Saudi Arabia), and
the environmental catastrophe caused by U.S.
military installations across the Middle East.
5
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Announcing plans to close the Guan-
tánamo detention facility was a big
step forward, while Obama’s removal
of Cuban Americans’ travel and remittances
restrictions was a baby step toward lifting the
embargo, which has only inflicted suffering on
the Cuban people.
7-
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7
At the Summit of the Americas,
Obama spoke favorably of Cuba’s
medical programs, acknowledged the
U.S. role in the drug trade, condemned efforts
to overthrow Bolivian President Evo Morales,
and deflected criticism of his polite interaction
with Hugo Chávez. And in perhaps his most
eloquent statement, he spoke for only one min-
ute, explaining that he preferred to listen.
9
Obama hasn’t yet named a new as-
sistant secretary of State in charge of
Latin America, but the Bush admin-
istration holdover, Thomas Shannon, has made
efforts to be even-handed and tamp down,
rather than inflame, rhetorical skirmishes that
have been a distraction in U.S. relations with
some countries.
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Obama’s decision to avoid talking
about alternatives to the discredited
“free trade” model at the summit was
a missed opportunity to build on the common
ground that exists between his own critiques
of U.S. trade policy and proposals coming out
of many Latin American countries. Coming
on top of the administration’s support for a big
blank check to the IMF to handle the global
economic crisis, this was a disappointment.
5“There is no senior partner and junior
partner in our relations,” Obama
told 33 other heads of state from the
Americas. Time will tell whether the Obama
administration will actually function as a more
cooperative partner in the hemisphere, but it
was a welcome opening line.
8
Closing Guantánamo was positive,
but a White House announcement
on April 17 indicating plans to move
ahead with a U.S.-Colombia Free Trade Agree-
ment was bad news for human rights and labor
groups. Obama also called for increased sup-
port to the Mexican military, despite evidence
of human rights violations.
6
- At the summit, Obama announced
a new clean-energy partnership
between nations of the Americas
to fight global warming. The details of this
partnership are not yet clear, but this appears
to be a positive step toward broadening a U.S.
agenda that has been fixated on drugs and free
trade.
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authors
71
Catherine Albisa is the Executive Director of the
National Economic and Social Rights Initiative in
New York City.
Robert Alvarez is a Senior Scholar at the Institute
for Policy Studies, where he is currently focused on
nuclear disarmament, environmental and energy
policies. His articles have appeared in many publica-
tions, including Science Magazine, the Bulletin of
Atomic Scientists, Technology Review, and The Wash-
ington Post.
Sarah Anderson is the Director of the Global
Economy Project at the Institute for Policy Studies.
She is co-author (with John Cavanagh and Thea Lee)
of The Field Guide to the Global Economy (New Press,
2004) and numerous studies and articles on the
global economy.
Phyllis Bennis is a Fellow at the Institute for Policy
Studies, where she directs the New Internationalism
Project. Her recent books include Understanding the
US-Iran Crisis: A Primer (Olive Branch Press, 2008)
and Ending the Iraq War: A Primer (Olive Branch
Press, 2008).
Jeff Blum is Executive Director of USAction, a
progressive grassroots advocacy organization with
affiliates in twenty-four states.
authors
Kate Bronfenbrenner is Director of Labor Educa-
tion Research at Cornell ILR. A former organizer
and union representative with the United Woodcut-
ters in Mississippi and SEIU in Massachusetts, her
most recent publication is the edited volume, Global
Unions: Challenging Transnational Capital through
Cross-Border Campaigns (ILR Press, 2007).
John Cavanagh is the Director of the Institute for
Policy Studies and co-author (with Robin Broad)
of Development Redefined: How the Market Mets its
Match (Paradigm Publishers, 2009).
Flickr photo by Zoriah, under a Creative Commons license.
72
thirsting FOr Change: obaMa’s fIrst 100 days
Bill Fletcher, Jr. is the Executive Editor of the Black
Commentator and Co-Founder of the Center for La-
bor Renewal. He serves as Director of Field Services
& Education for the American Federation of Gov-
ernment Employees in Washington, D.C. His new
book is Solidarity Divided: The Crisis in Organized
Labor and a New Path Toward Social Justice (Univ. of
California Press, 2008).
Maria Foscarinis is the founder and Executive Di-
rector of the National Law Center on Homelessness
& Poverty in Washington, D.C., the legal arm of the
national movement to end and prevent homeless-
ness. She is a primary architect of the landmark
McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act; has
litigated to enforce critical legal rights of homeless
people; and written widely on homelessness and
poverty.
Kim Gandy is serving her second term as President
of the National Organization for Women in Wash-
ington, D.C., elected by the group’s grassroots mem-
bers in 2001 and 2005. An attorney, she oversees
NOW’s multi-issue agenda, which includes: ending
sex discrimination, advancing reproductive freedom,
promoting diversity and ending racism, stopping
violence against women, winning LGBT rights and
ensuring economic justice.
Jim Harkness is the President of the Institute for
Agriculture and Trade Policy in Minneapolis. Before
joining IATP he lived for sixteen years in China,
working on rural development and sustainability
issues.
Chuck Collins is a Senior Scholar at the Institute
for Policy Studies, where he directs the Program on
Inequality and the Common Good and the Working
Group on Extreme Inequality. He is a contributor to
Ten Excellent Reasons Not to Hate Taxes (New Press,
2008).
Martha F. Davis is a Professor of Law and Co-
Director of the Program on Human Rights and the
Global Economy at Northeastern University. She is
co-editor of Bringing Human Rights Home (Praeger,
2008), a three-volume series chronicling the U.S.
human rights movement.
Karen Dolan is a Fellow at the Institute for Policy
Studies and Director of its Cities for Peace program,
working with citizens, national peace and human
needs organizations, locally elected officials and
federal lawmakers.
Peter Edelman is a Professor of Law at the
Georgetown University Law Center and directs the
Georgetown Center on Poverty, Inequality and Pub-
lic Policy. He co-chaired the Center on American
Progress Task Force on Poverty.
John Feffer is Co-Director of Foreign Policy In
Focus at the Institute for Policy Studies. He is the
editor of Power Trip: U.S. Foreign Policy After Septem-
ber 11 (Seven Stories Press, 2003) and the author of
North Korea/South Korea: U.S. Policy & the Korean
Peninsula (Seven Stories Press, 2003).
authors
73
Patrice McDermott is the Director of OpenThe-
Goverment.org, a coalition of journalists, consumer
and good government groups, environmentalists,
library groups and others united to make the federal
government a more open place in order to make us
safer, strengthen public trust in government and sup-
port democratic principles. She is the author of Who
Needs to Know? The State of Public Access to Federal
Government Information (Bernan Press, 2007).
Dedrick Muhammad is the Senior Organizer and
Research Associate for the Program on Inequality and
the Common Good at the Institute for Policy Stud-
ies. He formerly was National Field Director for Rev.
Al Sharpton’s National Action Network and Coordi-
nator for the Racial Wealth Divide Project of United
For A Fair Economy. He is author of the report “40
Years Later: The Unrealized American Dream”.
Miriam Pemberton is a Research Fellow at the
Institute for Policy Studies, writing and speaking on
demilitarization issues for its Foreign Policy In Focus
project. She leads a group that produces the annual
“Unified Security Budget for the United States.”
With William Hartung of the New America Foun-
dation, she is co-editor of Lessons from Iraq: Avoiding
the Next War (Paradigm Publishers, 2008).
Manuel Pérez-Rocha is an Associate Fellow at the
Institute for Policy Studies, where he directs an ad-
vocacy and research project, “The Security and Pros-
perity Partnership and the NAFTA Plus Agenda.”
He works in coordination with the Alliance for Re-
sponsible Trade in the United States and is a member
of the Mexican Action Network on Free Trade.
Chester Hartman is the Director of Research at the
Poverty & Race Research Council in Washington,
D.C. and an Associate Fellow at the Institute for
Policy Studies. His recent books include There Is
No Such Thing As a Natural Disaster: Race, Class
and Hurricane Katrina (Routledge, 2006), A Right
to Housing: Foundation for a New Social Agenda
(Temple Univ. Press, 2006) and City for Sale: The
Transformation of San Francisco (Univ. of Calif. Press,
2002).
Farrah Hassen is the 2008 Carol Jean and Edward
F. Newman Fellow at the Institute for Policy Studies.
She writes and researches on U.S.-Syrian relations
and the Middle East.
Gloria Ladson-Billings is the Kellner Family Chair
in Urban Education at the Univ. of Wisconsin-
Madison. She is the author of The Dreamkeepers:
Successful Teachers for African American Children
(Jossey-Bass, 1994).
Erik Leaver is a Research Fellow at the Institute
for Policy Studies. He writes about and organizes
around the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Ben Lilliston is the Communications Director at
the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy in
Minneapolis and editor of IATP’s Think Forward
blog.
Ben Manski is a Wisconsin attorney and Executive
Director of the national pro-democracy group, the
Liberty Tree Foundation for the Democratic Revolu-
tion in Madison, WI.
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thirsting FOr Change: obaMa’s fIrst 100 days
Sanho Tree is a Fellow and Director of the Drug
Policy Project at the Institute for Policy Studies. The
project works to end the domestic and international
“War on Drugs” and replace it with policies that
promote public health and safety as well as economic
alternatives to the prohibition drug economy.
Emira Woods is Co-Director of Foreign Policy In
Focus at the Institute for Policy Studies and serves
on the Board of Directors of Africa Action, Just
Associates, Global Justice, and the Financial Policy
Forum. She is also a member of the Network Coun-
cil of Jubilee USA.
Daphne Wysham is a Fellow and Board member
at the Institute for Policy Studies. She is founder
and director of its Sustainable Energy and Economy
Network. She serves on the board of Nuclear In-
formation and Resource Service, is on the advisory
board of the Carbon Free Nuclear-Free Alliance, and
co-hosts the one-hour weekly broadcast of Earthbeat
Radio, which airs on 50 radio stations in the U.S.
and Canada.
Sam Pizzigati, an Associate Fellow at the Institute
for Policy Studies, edits “Too Much,” an online
weekly on excess and inequality. His most recent
book, Greed and Good: Understanding and Overcom-
ing the Inequality That Limits Our Lives (Apex Press,
2004), won an “outstanding title” of the year rating
from the American Library Association.
Marcus Raskin is Co-Founder and Distinguished
Fellow at the Institute for Policy Studies and cur-
rently directs its Paths for the 21st Century project.
He was a member of the special staff of the National
Security Council in President Kennedy’s Administra-
tion, as is the author of over a dozen books.
Janet Redman is a Research Associate for the
Sustainable Energy and Economy Network at the
Institute for Policy Studies. She is the author of the
recent reports “World Bank: Climate Profiteer,” and
“Dirty is the New Clean”.
Cynthia Soohoo is the Director of the Domestic
Legal Program at the Center for Reproductive Rights
in New York City.
Betsy Taylor is the President of 1Sky, a Takoma
Park, MD-based national campaign of over 100
diverse organizations working to ensure that the next
President and Congress enact bold policies at the
scale of the climate change problem.
Members of the IPS community were invited to share
their comments on Obama’s first 100 days. Here are
some of the responses:
Not sure what to think. Part of me wants justice,
right now. On the other side I want the Obama
administration to be able to solidify their presence to
start tackling strategic issues.
-Gustavo Rearte
Sadly, without accountability from officials to the
rule of law, Obama/Holder reaffirm the precedent
that deciding whether or not to torture is subject to
a policy decision of whomever is president and AG.
It is not good enough for a new president to reject a
policy that uses torture. It must be enforced under
domestic and international law.
-Margaret Swedish
Overall, President Obama has made a good start
on handling our country’s and the world’s terrible
dilemmas, but I hope he can back away from causing
further carnage and suffering in the Middle East.
-Kathleen Conway
IPs reader grades
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