PROGRESSIVE ASSESSMENT
THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION’S
FIRST 100 DAYS
Please click here to see a full description of the panelists remarks. To see event video, click here.
National leaders gathered with activists from Massachusetts at Suffolk University on Saturday, May 2, 2009 to assess President Obama's first one hundred days of leadership, his Administration’s accomplishments and what are opportunities for progressive systemic change.
The panel discussion was organized by the Jobin-Leeds Partnership for Democracy & Education and Suffolk University School of Government and included panelists:
Professor Teri Fair
Suffolk University, School of GovernmentThe Honorable Barbara Lee
U.S. House of RepresentativesBob Borosage
Campaign for America's FuturePage Gardner
Women's Voices, Women Vote
CONGRESSWOMAN BARBARA LEE — View Video
Congresswoman Barbara Lee (CA-9), Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, said the agendas of the Progressive Caucus — "Progressive Promise"- and CBC are very similar and call for changes "that every American should be proud of and every American should embrace whether they are progressive because it speaks to the core values of our country”, according to Lee.
Regarding the Obama Administration, Congresswoman Lee gave the President "an A or an A+ for the first 100 days." She cited Obama's pledge to end torture and close Guantanamo, signed the Lily Ledbetter Act for equal pay for women, extended the children's health care program, ended the "global gag rule" on abortion counseling and international family planning funding, allowed federal funds for stem cell research, lifted restrictions on the Environmental Protection Agency imposed by the Bush Administration, and targeted funds in the economic recovery act to distressed communities facing high rates of foreclosure.
PAGE GARDNER: WOMEN’S VOICES, WOMEN VOTE — View Video
Page Gardner, President of Women’s Voices, Women Vote defined the "rising American electorate" and outlined its importance to President Obama’s election, the progressive agenda, and the 2010 mid-term elections.
Obama's presidency is "like no other." The President "hit the ground running" with a “bold agenda and many promises." She said his presidency is "about remaking America" and "rebuilding the social infrastructure, repairing the environment, preventing discrimination in the workplace and doing the smart thing about heath care." She encouraged the audience to "remember those Members of Congress who refuse to reach out to help this president rebuild America, those very same Congress people who were so eager to help the last [Bush] Administration. They should be ashamed of themselves and, in a very nonpartisan way we should get rid of them." She cautioned that progressives have their work cut out for them because after 100 days of President Obama's leadership and Democratic majorities in the House and Senate, only 1 out four new voters (27%) indicated they would likely not vote, compared with 23% of other voters.
ROBERT BOROSAGE: CAMPAIGN FOR AMERICA’S FUTURE — View Video
Bob Borosage, Co-Director of Campaign for America's Future
"[President] Obama has done much more than most people expected in the first 100 days. The Recovery Plan made the greatest contribution to poverty spending since the Great Society,” said Borosage. “It’s an extraordinary thing. He doubled the education budget at the national level. Tripled the energy budget, and made significant investments in infrastructure.” When President
Obama put together his first budget, “they took on just about every entrenched interest in Washington from agribusiness to the military industrial complex, to the private student lending industry.” He’s leading a transformation of our foreign policy, at least by gesture, and he’s created a sense of optimism and pride in America. People like the fact that we elected this man to be president, and we like the fact that he represents us in the world,” Borosage said. Borosage argued that “while we have an extraordinary leader as president, he will need powerful independent progressive movements to go out and make him do what needs to be done."
For the next hour, the panelists and audience engaged in a lively discussion.
Please click here to see a full description of the panelists remarks. To see event video, click here.
Congresswoman Lee speaks with emerging leaders of color prior to the panel.
Maria Jobin-Leeds, Congresswoman Lee, Myron Miller, Professor Teri Fair, & Joel Barrera
Caprice Mendez — Emerge MA, Congresswoman Lee, & Alejandra St. Gullien — ¿Oisté?
Jeffrey Thomas, Remona Davis, Michael Fogelberg of the Partnership, Congresswoman Lee, Page Gardner — Women’s Voice, Women Vote, Bob Borosage — Campaign for America’s Future, and Maria Jobin-Leeds of the Partnership
