Patterico's Pontifications

12/14/2009

Grading Obama

Filed under: Obama — DRJ @ 10:24 pm



[Guest post by DRJ]

In Oprah’s Christmas special with the Obamas, President Obama graded his performance during his first year in office:

“During the tour of the White House at Christmas that Oprah Winfrey gave viewers last night, she also got the president of the United States to give himself a grade.

After nearly a year in office, Winfrey asked President Barack Obama on her ABC special, what grade would he give himself?

“Good, solid B-plus,” Obama said. *** “If I get health care passed, we tip into A-minus.”

That’s pretty generous. After all, even Saturday Night Live listed Obama’s accomplishments as President as Jack and Squat.

Of course, Obama attended Ivy League schools Columbia and Harvard Law. The Ivy League is notorious for grade inflation and Harvard Law recently acknowledged that its mandatory downward grading curve wasn’t downward or mandatory. So I guess it’s not that surprising Obama continues to practice grade inflation as President.

— DRJ

58 Responses to “Grading Obama”

  1. If this is his “B” quality I hope for our sake when never get a glimpse of the “C” work.

    RIP Ford (1c743c)

  2. “grade inflation”? Well, causing inflation IS one of the things his party does best.

    Personally, I think he doesn’t know Jack; and he Squat & took a dump on the economy, foreign policy, and the Constitution.

    There you go. Plenty of things to be proud of.

    Icy Texan (5a64d2)

  3. DRJ

    What grade would you give him

    me I cant give him an F – I cannot justify raising his grade

    EricPWJohnson (9b7688)

  4. Being an effective & successful POTUS is above his grade.

    Icy Texan (5a64d2)

  5. This guy actually makes Hitler appear harmless.

    Eric is correct, we need a real different grading system for him.

    TC (0b9ca4)

  6. The only grade is could/should have given himself was an ‘I’ for incomplete.

    steve sturm (369bc6)

  7. meant to say ‘he’ could…

    steve sturm (369bc6)

  8. “This guy actually makes Hitler appear harmless. ”

    Let’s talk about intent:

    http://scienceblogs.com/insolence/upload/2009/04/have_the_conservatives_in_just_two_and_a/ObamaOven.jpg

    imdw (490521)

  9. Do you feel discouraged, demoralized, almost hopeless. Obama has done his job. Are you uneducated, jobless, homeless and in debt? Then the dems have done their jobs. Heck, I’m surprised they don’t give themselves an A plus!

    J (2946f2)

  10. Half the country with pitchforks in hand ready to skewer the idiot – obviously a “B+”

    DaveinPhoenix (6f6037)

  11. I will say I have never been aware of such a terrible president in my life. i am using those words carefully, because i was too young as of 1980 to be “aware” of how good or bad carter had been, or even reagan for most of his term. still being the history geek that i am, i think it would be generous to give obama a D.

    A.W. (e7d72e)

  12. I remember Carter all too well, and at this point in his term in office, Obama is actually performing at a lower level than the depths to which Carter sank quite quickly.

    Dmac (a964d5)

  13. I am sort of surprised that Obama would give
    himself a grade, after all he won’t release
    his grades from college or law school.

    Jack (e383ed)

  14. The delusions of grandeur… the arrogance of his delivery… the over-preening self-confidence…

    I bet he can’t even change a flat tire without some help.

    GeneralMalaise (a38f27)

  15. Ronald Reagan said: Trust but verify. Accordingly, I refuse to accept the urban legand that somehow a person who can not not speak without the aid of teleprompter actually attended two Ivy League schools.

    Mr. President show me your college transcripts, or admit that you alleged education was as fraudulent as your campaign promises.

    DavidL (02e14f)

  16. #9, J, is on the right track. Obama’s grade depends entirely on what it is, specifically, that you’re grading.

    If you assume the grade is for what Obama has done to improve the lot of American citizens, then he gets low marks.

    However, if it’s his accomplishments toward reducing America’s ability to protect itself from attack, maintain its economic system, or provide for the freedom and liberty of its citizens, then Obama does deserve a good solid B+ and if he gets Obamacare then the extra credit does justify an A-.

    His grade depends on his goals. Not yours.

    ropelight (5883b5)

  17. Why couldn’t Oprah follow up with the polls that have Obama’s popularity at an all time low. That is more objective. My wife watched that show but all I could see was the two “O’s” spooning.

    Alta Bob (e8af2b)

  18. […] that struck you as a tad high, you’re not alone. Jokes about grade inflation have been pretty common. I couldn’t help but crack a joke about the curve he’s grading […]

    Grading on a curve (139676)

  19. I give him an A for Arrogance. As for leadership, a C-. He did host a beer summit after all.
    His own review was given to stir the pot further. His goal is an economic and social meltdown – and I doubt he’ll be stopped.

    Corwin (ea9428)

  20. Narcissism is NOT a “leadership” quality.

    mojo (8096f2)

  21. I think Obama is more like Khrushchev than Hitler, Stalin or Mao. A bumbling fool too full of himself to see what a fool he is.

    PCD (1d8b6d)

  22. He has an unassailable sense of his superiority. Mentally, I doubt that he was thinking B+ really. That was what passes for modesty for him.

    Mike K (2cf494)

  23. Mojo, I think Obama really believes that self praising self awe is leadership. Leadership, to Obama, may really be just a nice pose.

    I don’t recall Bush having Oprah Specials for Christmas where he tells us that he thinks he is edging into an A or deserves a B+.

    That would have been called unpresidential, I think.

    I can’t imagine the American people agree. Employment is down, unapproval is up. The people get to grade you, Mr Obama. Your successes include having beer with the cop you called stupid for no reason and getting a peace prize while annoying even Norway.

    Dustin (44f8cb)

  24. […] What will Nelson’s payoff be?; MoveOn to hold counter-protest Patterico’s Pontifications: Grading Obama and Hiltzik: Hey, Let’s Prevent Banks from Repaying TARP Money and CBO confirms ObamaCare is a […]

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  25. Mentally, I doubt that he was thinking B+ really. That was what passes for modesty for him.

    Comment by Mike K

    One the one hand, I think… he has been making a mess all over the place. On the other hand, he doesn’t seem to be trying to change his style or direction. He’s been on a lot of trips and his golf game is probably getting very good. I’m wondering if he has nothing but an insulated circle of fans around him, and only reads GQ and Newsweek.

    He couldn’t even find the time for months to figure out what to do with Afghanistan. But maybe he really thinks this is a good thing. No idea. He’s a very strange president. The democrats would have won with Hillary, and she would have had some idea how to build a coalition and put on a good face overseas. she sure as hell wouldn’t be on Oprah telling us how she deserves an A or a B, giving all the voters a nice memory about what grade the admin deserves during a tough economy.

    Dustin (44f8cb)

  26. Cannot wait for all the F’s that are going to be given out next year when we go to the polls in 2010 and throw these idiots out…

    WOW…this moron gives himself a B+…oh…I forgot…grace and class don’t have any meaning for a narcissist.

    What a classless jerk. I think he actually DOES believe his own press. BIG MISTAKE LITTLE MAN!!!

    Charlotte (dad663)

  27. Is this Obama’s fault? how is he supposed to know. This is his very first time in a leadership job, and coming up with a network of advisers is hard work that should take years. He can’t manage the time requirements of his job without having someone assigned to getting him the news he needs to stay informed.

    His circle responds to negative news coverage by denying such coverage is legitimate. That’s why Obama thinks he deserves a B+ or A-. George W Bush read the New York Times and Washington Post, or at least an intern put stories from those papers and many others throughout the country in a folder for him to read every morning. I don’t think Obama has that luxury. He doesn’t know any better. A successful Chicago politician doesn’t need this skill. I bet most chicago politicians would give Obama at least a B.

    Dustin (44f8cb)

  28. With that ego, I’m surprised he didn’t give himself an A. I give him an FF for frightful failure.

    Rochf (ae9c58)

  29. Dustin

    my understanding is bush didn’t read the NYT at all. but rove did and gave him the thumbnail view.

    fwiw…

    A.W. (e7d72e)

  30. AW, when I worked in DC, I actually knew the person who cut up pages from newspapers and put it in a stupid folder in the early morning every day.

    I honestly cannot recall which papers he was given to read, though I know he read a lot more than I did at the time. I couldn’t cite a single article without this intern having already read it. I read the NYT then (I deserve to be bashed for this!), which is probably why I think Bush did, because those are the articles I used to complain about with this unpaid intern.

    Anyway, my basic point is that W actually did read actual newspaper articles from left wing newspapers. Granted, Karl Rove was the political strategist, but political strategy was clearly not the only thing on W’s mind.

    Wouldn’t you be crazy NOT to read critical news of your administration? Obama always appears to have thin skin, but how silly would he really be to not know what his critics think of him? And yet, I think this is a real possibility.

    Dustin (44f8cb)

  31. Dustin

    Maybe what i read was wrong. who knows?

    > Wouldn’t you be crazy NOT to read critical news of your administration?

    mmm, i don’t know, i think it depends on the critic. If i was GWB, for instance, i wouldn’t give a rat’s behind what the NYT thought. i would know nothing would be good enough for them. the WAPO was better so i would consider their views more legit, but whatever.

    I mean how many times have the liberals said bush was going it alone when that was factually untrue. how many papers said he called iraq an imminent threat when he specifically denied that they were? if i was him, i would have a very hard time giving any of them any creedence at all.

    A.W. (b1db52)

  32. btw, on the topic, am i the only person who thinks that obama secretly believes he deserves an A?

    A.W. (b1db52)

  33. btw, on the topic, am i the only person who thinks that obama secretly believes he deserves an A?

    A.W. (b1db52)

  34. sorry for the double post… grrr.

    A.W. (b1db52)

  35. AW, I wouldn’t discount what you said about the NYT. I only know an intern prepared a folder for a voracious reader.

    And really, did Bush need to read the latest made up story about how our troops are baby killing rapists? Nearly every story about our troops that was debunked made it above the fold on the NYT. I think Bush was right to have a basic feel for the country’s newspapers, though you have a strong point that it’s hard not to simply ignore a trollpaper like the NYT.

    Still, my point is that Obama appears to have no idea how his administration looks. They just aren’t getting the job done. Obama should be saying that there is a need for major improvement and give himself an incomplete or something. Instead, everyone knows that he secretly wants to give himself an A and is trying to pretend he’s humble.

    Dustin (44f8cb)

  36. Dustin

    Well, to be fair, there really is no good answer to that kind of question. its sort of like the dreaded job interveiw question: what is your greatest flaw?

    “Gee, sir, they say i just work too hard.” lol

    But yeah, Obama is the the worst president in a long time. yike.

    A.W. (b1db52)

  37. Oh, AW, it is so much more fun to bash Obama than to admit he was asked a bad question.

    But it’s not like Oprah isn’t part of his administration. If he didn’t want to answer this question, he could have said “I will continue to serve as long as the people will have me, but it’s up to them to grade me and I think they will always ask for improvement.”

    that would have been something Palin or Bush might have said.

    Dustin (44f8cb)

  38. dustin

    i agree it is the best of a lousy set of options to say what you suggest, but there is no good answer to that question.

    A.W. (e7d72e)

  39. My hunch is that Obama doesn’t truly believe he has done anything close to a “Good, solid B+”

    The faker-in-chief has been bluffing his whole life. I’ve worked for folks like that. They are keenly aware of their technical incompetence, so they become experts at ceremony, process, and deflection, and exude arrogance as cover.

    Obama doesn’t confuse activity with accomplishment, he substitutes activity for accomplishment.

    He knows, better than any of his critics, that he sucks at his job. This B+ nonsense is just more bluffing.

    Matador (176445)

  40. Obama makes Jimmy Carter look good.

    Dave Surls (7daa3f)

  41. His grade makes sense if the class was “Beginning Cheerleadering”.

    But for “Advanced Leadership”, he’s pretty much an “Incomplete” on its way to an “F”.

    SPQR (26be8b)

  42. “His grade makes sense if the class was “Beginning Cheerleadering”.”

    He should have done this in college.

    imdw (a91996)

  43. He should have done this in college.
    Comment by imdw — 12/15/2009 @ 1:06 pm

    Do you have transcripts that show he didn’t?

    (okay, low-hanging fruit) 😉

    Stashiu3 (44da70)

  44. Actually, Matador, like several previous Democratic Presidents, Obama confuses talking about something with doing something.

    This is because he’s never actually accomplished anything.

    SPQR (26be8b)

  45. no matter what he thinks his grade is, he should be expelled from the program for academic dishonesty and honor code violations, and therefore receive no grade at all.

    redc1c4 (fb8750)

  46. Bravo, Stash !

    JD (408d81)

  47. SPQR, how dare you suggest Obama hasn’t accomplished anything. This man won the Nobel Peace Prize, just like Al Gore Jr. and Jimmy Carter! Are you suggesting these men did not accomplish great things? Time’s magazine’s Man of the Year. Oprah’s The One. You have clearly lost your mind.

    Where’s your peace prize? Bet you don’t even have any Grammys. Obama has two. He’s also won an honorary degree from Notre Dame. He is truly the most accomplished man in America. Al Gore took the initiative in inventing the internet, but Barack Obama used reverse psychology to lead Bush into the Surge Victory in Iraq.

    Say what you will, but truly, accomlishment starts with the letter ‘O’.

    Dustin (44f8cb)

  48. B minus, tops so far and currently C-plus work, when factoring in the mangled messes he was handed, but his ‘grade year’ doesn’t really end until January 20. Still, given the failings of his immediate predecessor, who actually was a ‘cheerleader,’ it remains refreshing to hear a President of the United States speak English in complete, coherent sentences, be it good news or bad. But then, it took decades to dig this hole and Americans, for better and worse, have always been an impatient people so expecting to get out of the pits in ten months or so is not very realistic, but very much in character.

    DCSCA (9d1bb3)

  49. I give the orderlies at the mental health facility a big fat F, for their inability to keep track of their patients.

    JD (8607be)

  50. it remains refreshing to hear a President of the United States speak English in complete, coherent sentences as long as his teleprompter is turned on.

    Another Chris (2d8013)

  51. DCSCA, actually you show your ignorance with the line about it being “refreshing” that the President speaks english in complete, coherent sentences.

    Because Obama has not demonstrated that skill in fact. He’s only demonstrated the ability to read sentences off a teleprompter. When off teleprompter, his english is not any actual improvement over that of George W. Bush.

    Which you would know if you paid any actual attention.

    SPQR (26be8b)

  52. Sigh. JD, you called it.

    “…it remains refreshing to hear a President of the United States speak English in complete, coherent sentences..”

    Like:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eHgH5i8ug6E

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CpM_Pv430Qg

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ThEAO0lt4Dw

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omHUsRTYFAU

    Yup. Complete, coherent sentences.

    Eric Blair (0b61b2)

  53. #53. Misunderestimated Bush tops worst English poll – 10 September 2009. Former US president George W Bush has topped a poll of the worst examples of mangled English released, followed closely by Arnold Schwarzenegger and Donald Rumsfeld. source, http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/1087862/Misunderestimated-Bush-tops-worst-English-poll. Yup, Julius.

    DCSCA (9d1bb3)

  54. Based on your long history of, um, unusual posts, DCSCA, I would strongly recommend you change the subject.

    Because you know that Obama isn’t what you say he is. He is just a teleprompter reading fraud.

    But then, you know all about being a fraud, right?

    Eric Blair (0b61b2)

  55. We have a long list of your tall tales, remember. Perhaps JD is right and you have gotten away from your keepers again.

    Eric Blair (0b61b2)

  56. The Won is still living in those Wonderful Days Of Affirmative-Action Yesteryear, when he rated a C+ just for showing up regularly – plus, you’ve got to remember, he’s scoring himself on the Socialism/Communism Redistribution Curve…

    Meanwhile, back in the real world, where measurement of accomplishment is supposed to based on – y’know – actually accomplishing things through your own efforts…

    SNL was much too generous – I’d give him roughly two-thirds of the way south of “diddley” towards “dick”.

    At his present rate of “progress”, in another three years, his “overall approval” rating is going to be into negative numbers – possibly in double digits. He’s already made a fair number of folks nostalgic for George W. – now, he’s actually starting to make ol’ Jimmeh P-Nut look almost acceptable, by contrast…

    Absolute.Worst.President.Evah

    J.S.Bridges (6f63cf)

  57. Ah, the legacy of people growing up believing that all progressives live in their very own version of Lake Wobegon “where all the women are strong, all the men are good-looking and all the children are above average.

    in_awe (a55176)


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