TOW #14 - Eight Years Later: The Economy and President Obama's Legacy

     As 2017 will bring a new face in the White House, it is important to reflect upon President Obama's accomplishments during his eight-year tenure in office. Although Obama's presidential decisions caused disagreements among Americans on numerous occasions, many people can agree that the president's two terms were more beneficial to the country than destructive.  In an economy article by NBC's Martha White, the author effectively reviews the President's major accomplishments and weighs the extent to which America productively developed as nation.
     Many economist agree upon the idea that President Obama took the office during one of the most disastrous economic time periods in American history. 2008 was a catastrophic period for American citizens as the United States faced its worst recession since the Great Depression. White points out that by the end of President Obama's tenure, "178,000 jobs were created the previous month, bringing the unemployment rate to 4.6 percent, the lowest since August of 2007". However, the author also weighs the other side of the argument by pointing out, " Some economists even contend that the pace of the recovery was slowed by cutbacks in government spending and a divided Congress's inability to make infrastructure spending".  By reviewing both aspects of the miraculous recovery, White effectively reveals President Obama's success all while not crediting him entirely for achieving the economic feat.
     In nearly a decade, the American society not only made economic developments, but also huge strides in the technology field. When President Obama first took office, "the iPhone had only been around for one year and Twitter for two, Facebook wouldn't go public for another four years". After just two presidential terms, almost every single American transformed into depending on all forms of technology.  The country developed a whole new social media and app economy that are currently acting as gigantic markets globally.  America's economy truly revolutionized in the mere eight years that President Obama was in office. We can only wonder what the United States will be like after President Trump's final days in the White House.


http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/president-obama-the-legacy/eight-years-later-economy-president-obama-s-legacy-n703616