Barack Obama News
Read news, analysis, and commentary on Barack Obama, his administration’s legacy, and his continuing impact on national debates.
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opinion
Don’t Get Distracted by 2016ers. We Still Have 22 Months Left of Obama’s Presidency.
It’s exciting to talk about 2016. But Congress and the White House still need to be watched—closely. -
opinion
Did 14.1 Million People Gain Health Coverage? Fact Checking the Obama Administration’s Claim
Last week, the Department of Health and Human Services issued a two-page “fact sheet” that stated: Since several of the Affordable Care Act’s coverage provisions took effect, about 16.4 million uninsured people have gained health insurance coverage. That includes: 14.1 million adults who gained health insurance coverage since the beginning of open enrollment in October… -
opinion
The $7.2 Trillion Difference Between Obama’s Budget and House GOP Budget
Sometimes in Washington it seems as George Wallace used to grouse: “There ain’t a dime’s worth of difference between the two parties.” Well when it comes to the latest budgets of the two parties, the difference is closer to $2.6 trillion over the next 5 years or $7.2 trillion over the next 10 years. On… -
opinion
Obama Can’t Bypass the Supreme Court
News flash to the legal academy: No, President Obama can’t refuse to implement an (at this point purely conjectural) adverse ruling by the Supreme Court in King v. Burwell. That wouldn’t be merely “bypassing” the Supreme Court. Such an action would constitute defying the Court. Neither the Constitution nor prior court decisions would allow the… -
opinion
Obama’s Wrong: It’s a Bad Idea to Force Ignorant Americans to Vote
President Obama suggested Wednesday that the U.S. should consider forcing all citizens to vote in elections. “In Australia, and some other countries, there's mandatory voting," Obama said in a question and answer session in Ohio. "It would be transformative if everybody voted. That would counteract money more than anything." Obama is right: it would be… -
opinion
Contra Obama, Americans Have the Right Not to Vote
In a potentially troubling sign for the First Amendment, President Barack Obama told a town hall meeting in Cleveland Wednesday that it would be “transformative” if we had “mandatory voting” to ensure that “everybody voted.” Apparently, he wants to follow the example of a very small number of other countries and implement a reverse poll… -
opinion
Obama Schooled on Constitution by His Former Law Professor
President Obama has defended his knowledge and commitment to the Constitution by reminding Americans he used to teach constitutional law courses. When it comes to Obama’s Clean Power Plan, one of his former law professors disagrees. Laurence Tribe joins the long list of individuals, organizations, and local and state governments opposing the Clean Power Plan…. -
opinion
What the Next President Can Do to Clean Up Obama’s Middle East Mess
President Obama sure knows how to get the world’s attention. His public tantrum over Benjamin Netanyahu being invited to speak before a joint session of Congress pretty much assured that the entire globe would tune in to hear the Israeli prime minister enumerate his concerns over a nuclear deal with Iran. This soap opera offers… -
news
History Shows Obama Doesn’t Need Congress to Seal Iran Deal
In a letter to Iran this week, nearly four dozen Republican senators showcased the limitations of a potential unilateral nuclear deal by President Obama, rightly warning that the future U.S. president could reverse the agreement. But in trying to assert their power, the senators skirted over the fact that presidents have executive authority to make… -
opinion
Crackdown on Protesters Raises Questions about Obama Administration’s Burma Policy
Student protests on Tuesday turned sour after police violently broke up a peaceful protest in Letpadan, Burma. Police arrested an estimated 120 protesters, journalists, and Buddhist monks. This crackdown is the latest evidence that the Obama Administration’s headlong embrace of the regime has been misguided from the start. Demonstrators were protesting an education bill passed… -
opinion
What We Can Learn From Obama’s Reaction to the Senate’s Iran Letter
President Obama has not been this mad since last week when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed a joint session of Congress raising key concerns over the nuclear negotiations with Iran. In response, the White House marshalled as many voices as it could muster to demonize and delegitimize Netanyahu’s address and the concerns he raised…. -
opinion
Obama’s Plan Will Kill Jobs, Hike Heating Costs
Any Wisconsinites starting to wonder whether they are living through “The Long Winter,” as described by Laura Ingalls Wilder, will find no comfort in President Obama’s plans to cut the use of our most affordable and reliable sources of energy. Though we may not be relegated to heating our homes by burning twisted bundles of… -
opinion
Cartoon: Obama on King v. Burwell
Earlier this week, we ran a Q&A with Heritage experts Ed Haislmaier and Andrew Kloster about the King v. Burwell case, which was heard by the Supreme Court Wednesday: What is the King v. Burwell case about? The question before the Supreme Court is whether the Obama administration overstepped its authority in issuing an IRS… -
news
Senate Fails to Override Obama’s Keystone XL Veto. See How Your Senators Voted.
On Wednesday, the Senate failed to override President Obama’s veto of legislation authorizing construction of the Keystone XL pipeline. Sixty-two senators voted to authorize construction of the pipeline, five short of the 67 votes needed to override a presidential veto. Thirty-seven voted to sustain the veto. President Obama's ridiculous veto of #Keystone prevented a great… -
news
Can Obama Raise Your Taxes Without Congressional Approval?
The U.S. Constitution requires that tax bills originate in the House of Representatives. So could President Obama really impose a tax hike on Americans through executive action? White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said Monday that Obama is “very interested” in raising taxes without congressional approval, according to a report by Townhall. Recently, Sen. Bernie… -
news
What Rick Perry Calls Obama’s Greatest Indictment
Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry visited The Daily Signal’s studio at CPAC to critique President Obama’s actions on immigration. The likely 2016 candidate criticized Obama’s disregard for the rule of law and said as president he would work with Congress to craft a solution. So why doesn’t Obama do it? Perry said the president’s greatest… -
opinion
Obama Administration: Leaving Fracking to States?
Although the White House Council of Economic Advisers’ annual report to Congress largely restates the President’s State of the Union address on “middle-class economics,” it includes a welcome suggestion. This glimmer of hope is a lone, but surprising sentence in the report’s energy chapter: “The regulatory structure for addressing local environmental concerns, especially around land… -
news
How Obama’s Veto of the Keystone XL Pipeline Unfolded in Real Time
After its passage in both the House and the Senate, legislation authorizing construction of the Keystone XL oil pipeline reached President Obama’s desk today. But, in his first rejection of major legislation as president, Obama didn’t sign it. Twitter users tracked the entire veto process throughout the day. The proposed pipeline would stretch 1,179 miles,… -
opinion
Six Years in, Obama Finally Focuses on ‘Countering Violent Extremism’
Last week, leaders of 60 nations, including some Muslim countries, participated in President Obama’s “Summit on Countering Violent Extremism” in Washington. Unfortunately, regardless of the content of Obama’s speech and the purpose of the conference, the administration's lack of effective action over the last six years undercuts his credibility as a global leader on these… -
opinion
Cartoon: Obama’s Handouts
From Heritage Action CEO Mike Needham's column earlier this week: Allow funding for the Department of Homeland Security to lapse or engage in the legislative process. Those are the only two options Senate Democrats have at this point. Everything else transcribed in the press or recited by television pundits is nothing more than a distraction….