Two wars. A crumbling economy. Domestic and international instability. All these challenges and more faced President Barack Obama when he was inaugurated on Jan. 20, leading many to follow his first 100 days in office with bated breath, waiting to see how he would perform as the new president of “change.”
Today marks Obama’s 100th day in office, officially ending a period that has taken on symbolic significance.
“The first 100 days can be quite significant, as they give us clues for understanding how the president is likely to operate,” said Larry Berman, professor of political science at UC Davis and director of the UC Davis Washington Program.
On the other hand, a president’s first 100 days may not accurately reflect the rest of his term.
“It’s really kind of arbitrary,” said Mark Sawyer, professor of political science at UCLA. “We’ve come to create this first-100-days concept, but in real time, in particular regarding the way things move, like the economy and changes in foreign policy, most administrations haven’t gotten all their stuff in place. It’s hard to do a lot in 100 days, but it’s now become an important benchmark.”
Regardless of the importance of the first part of his term, Obama has taken a lot of action in a short period of time. He has made a significant number of policy changes that have addressed a variety of different issues, from economic reform to international relations.
Arguably the most significant policy change of the Obama administration has been the economic stimulus package, Berman said. The economic stimulus bill, officially termed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, pledges to “preserve and create jobs and promote economic recovery, assist those most impacted by the recession, and provide investments needed to increase economic efficiency by spurring technological advances in science and health.”
The bill will disperse $787 billion towards various relief funds and programs to stimulate the economy, including more than $212 billion in tax breaks, $100 billion on funding for education, and various other amounts to fund health care and environmental initiatives.
Andrew Kreitz, the president of Bruin Republicans, said he and many others agree that this amount of spending far exceeds what they were expecting.
“We are going to wind up paying for it,” Kreitz said.
He said he believes the package shows similar traits to the economic policies implemented before the Great Depression.
On the other hand, some observers are in favor of Obama’s economic actions.
“The road to economic recovery begins in this stimulus bill,” Berman said.
As part of the stimulus bill’s education funding package, the government will provide $40 billion for states to avoid cuts to education, and contribute $17 billion to the Pell Grant, enabling many students to more easily finance their education. The funding extends to other educational sectors, including school districts, child care centers and early childhood education programs.
Aaron Hayden, a third-year history student, said he finds the bill’s funding for education heartening. As a recipient of a Stafford Loan and other forms of financial aid, Hayden said he barely manages to finance his education, and having additional federal funding would help him and other students.
“If students can’t get enough money from federal funding or the school, then they have to go to private loans, which don’t have fixed interest rates or a grace period after graduation before payments begin,” Hayden said. “Getting additional governmental funding will reduce the chance for students to take these risky steps.”
Kecia Nason, a fifth-year history and anthropology student, said she appreciates Obama’s education funding packages for different reasons.
As a veteran who served in the Navy for more than seven years, Nason said she appreciates the Obama administration’s revamped GI Bill, which covers expenses beyond the cost of tuition, such as books and housing, making education more affordable than before for veterans.
The Obama administration has taken steps to support larger research opportunities that will affect the University of California system, such as stem cell research initiatives. On March 9, Obama repealed a Bush-era policy that limited funding for stem cell research, allowing the National Institutes of Health to fund embryonic stem cell research.
Berman said the stem cell research initiative has already made a big impact on the University of California system because the UC “is at the center of some of the most important and innovative work in stem cell research.”
While Obama has made a significant effort to increase funding for education, Berman said the stimulus bill only marks the beginning steps towards solving the educational budget problems in California.
“The education funding in the stimulus bill can only help, but it’s not going to be nearly enough,” he said. “Our state is facing a severe economic crisis, and we have a special election coming up that will determine, in many ways, the future of education in our state. The stimulus bill is a nice booster shot, but that’s really it. We’re holding out on a greater range of things.”
Obama’s other policy changes include a 2010 budget that aims to direct funds toward reforming health care, creating more jobs, financing education, and creating clean energy initiatives. He has also proposed a plan to withdraw fully from Iraq by Dec. 31, 2011.
While Kreitz said he does not agree with Obama on his economic decisions, he is satisfied with his decisions on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Berman said that while it is impossible to talk about an Obama legacy at the moment, looking back over history can help shed some light on the future performance of Obama’s administration.
“We can look back at the legacy of other historic presidents and see what they did in the first 100 days,” he said. “Obama is their echo; he is fitting a pattern set up by past presidents such as (Franklin Delano Roosevelt), John Kennedy, and Ronald Reagan in some cases. This is a very crucial time, and history will likely judge him.”