Obama's Second 100 Days
See what Obama has been up to during his second 100 days.
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The Economy - The president, his advisors and members of his administration have spent a lot of time drafting and implementing plans to pull the economy out of the worst recession since the great depression. A number of hotly debated government cash programs under the American Recovery Act have been pumped into the ailing U.S. economy.
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Taking Over - Since taking over the Oval Office from George W. Bush, President Obama and his team have wasted no time in getting to work. Driving an agenda critics have called "too ambitious," the President has tackled a range of issues from nuclear proliferation and closing the Guantanamo Bay detention center to tackling health care reform and saving U.S. banks and auto companies.
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Economic Recovery - The Economic Recovery and Investment Act was the first bill the Democrats in Congress passed and sent to the desk of President Obama. It promised to save more than 3 million jobs.
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Jobs - So how many have been saved? The White House says those numbers will not be ready until the fall. However, the latest unemployment numbers, following months of large job losses, show that things have started to improve. Just last week most of the nation's largest businesses all reported greater earnings than expected, the stock market finished July up toward historic numbers, and a new report on Consumer Confidence has been welcome news for Wall Street.
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"Green" Cars - Obama's latest mission is to show that the costly stimulus plan he lobbied for is producing tangible help -- $2.4 billion in taxpayer grants to create electric cars and tens of thousands of jobs, The Associated Press reports. The Detroit Free Press reports that Michigan will get a "larger slice of the federal dollars to stimulate the development and production of advanced batteries for electric and hybrid vehicles than any other state."
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Health Care - Meanwhile, the president has promised that there will be an overhaul of the health care system before the end of the year and said it doesn’t have to be a bipartisan effort. In a new CNN poll, 50 percent say they support the president's health care plans, with 45 percent opposed. It is more popular with younger voters and less popular with seniors.
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Division - The debate over health care reform has exposed divisions among Senate Democrats -- including a divide between those elected in the anti-Bush referendum of 2006 and the Obama wave of 2008, Politico reports.
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Education - The Obama administration has put billions of dollars into education. In fact, it is likely that this action saved many education departments around the country. He has long called for higher teacher qualifications and with that, higher teacher pay.
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Tougher Standards - In a recent speech at the Department of Education, Obama put $4.5 billion on the table for which states can compete. His plan issued a challenge to states and local school districts to not only put in place tougher education standards, but to meet them and enforce them.
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Sotomayor - President Obama's first nominee to the nation's highest court was hailed Tuesday by Democrats as a fair and impartial jurist who represents the ideals of equal opportunity, while Republicans warned she would be a “judicial activist for liberal positions,” CNN reports.
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Russia Visit - President Obama made his first official visit to Russia and said he wants to “reset” relations between the two former Cold War opponents.
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Beer Dialogue - In his latest primetime press conference, President Obama responded to a question about the arrest of his pal, Harvard professor Henry Louis “Skip” Gates, Jr. Obama said the Cambridge Police “acted stupidly,” causing headlines and prompting him to invite Gates and the arresting officer to the White House for a “teachable” moment drinking beer.
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Back to His Roots - The president reverted back to his campaign days, holding a series of town hall meetings in which he stumped for support for his health care reform in cities around the country.
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All-Star Game - An avid Chicago White Sox fan, Obama took a break from pitching his health care plan to take the mound at the Major League Baseball All-Star Game.