WHY NOT GET IT RIGHT?

So, April 29, 2009 represents the first 100 days in office for the new President or to put it much more accurately and in meaningful terms, the first 14.16% (I included the extra day for the coming leap year) of the President’s term. It’s just as meaningful and arbitrary to express it that way as it is to express it in terms of days. Using percentages does however sound more sophisticated. It’s just as meaningless, but it sounds better. In any event since everyone will be vomiting their opinion on the first 14.16% of the current administration somebody ought to be at least accurate (as far as possible) so I’ll fill that void.

Before I continue I need to make a thing or two perfectly clear. First of all, grading the first 14.16% of this, or any other administration is totally arbitrary without exception. There simply is no standard to measure performance against, most “observations” are merely biased opinion and it simply doesn’t matter. The most significant evaluation can only be made at the conclusion of the other 85.84% of his term.
Second, I have my own, obviously superior ideas as to how certain aspects of the government should be run but I’ll try and restrain myself and be as objective as possible. So here is the best evaluation of the President’s first 14.16% of his term:

1) He doesn’t come off as a complete blabbering idiot. After the last two (actually more) administrations we and the rest of the world aren’t being subjected to phony, folksy “man-of-the-people” bullshit. We actually have some one who is “Presidential” and doesn’t create a universal cringe when he opens his mouth. That’s inarguable quite a relief!
2) On the world stage he has repaired our image to some degree. He has engaged various world leaders, opened dialogues, and firmly stated the position of the US on a variety of issues. Even if some people refuse to accept it, he has demonstrated a higher degree of statesmanship then almost any predecessor in the last thirty-plus years.
3) He’s closing GITMO, removing troops from Iraq and boasting our forces in Afghanistan, allowing stem cell research and, basically, focusing on things that really matter. A lot of what he’s already done or proposed makes sense.
4) Personally, I can’t agree with his approach to alleviating the Bush Depression, but at least he’s doing something and seems to be slowing things down. At least the stock market has stabilized and he’s helped keep a few million people employed, at least temporarily. The shit may still hit the fan on that one, it’s simply too soon to tell.
5) Instead of slowly bleeding us to death he’s proposed massive spending (and borrowing) to alleviate the economic problems and create a stable economy to cultivate. Of course, only time will tell on this one. But, it’s better to inject massive funds in to the economy and hope things get better rather then to simply ignore things as the last administration proved.

In generally I’d have to say the first 14.16% of the current administration has been a positive effort compared to the pathetic cretins of past administrations that have created our current mess. President Obama has at least acknowledged our problems, instituted policies to alleviate them and proposed new legislation that if properly enacted would actually improve the country. That isn’t going to happen, of course. But, if you want to go through the nonsense of grading a President on his first 14.6%, Obama has to get a “B” for above average. It’s just been way too long since a President acknowledged not only that we have problems but are capable of much better. By the end of his term (barring some unforeseeable blunder) the worst he can do is a “C” (still vastly superior to any previous moron) and may actually rate an “A”…but that would require a minor miracle.

Oh yeah, one more thing: As you have noticed (and many will) instead of that idiotic “First 100 days” I’ve been more accurately using the 14.16% standard. I’m a little late in posting this but, undoubtedly, some one will steal that and try and make it their own. Go right ahead, but I’ll call you on it.