As part of my academic class, I critiqued the article, "In defense of Obama" which was published in Rollingstone

1. Devang Doshi
October 08, 2015
Presented by
PSY350: Mindful Leadership
Faculty: Dr. Persephone Brown
Image source: https://pbs.twimg.com/media/B0Q7sK2CcAA5-_D.jpg

2. devangdoshi.com
BACKGROUND
AUTHOR
1
HEALTHCARE
4
THE ENVIRONMENT
2
FINANCIAL REFORM
6
SOCIAL CHANGE
3
THE ECONOMY
5
NATIONAL
SECURITY

3. devangdoshi.com
Background
In Defense of Obama
 BY PAUL KRUGMAN
Issue 1220 >> October 23, 2014
Rolling Stone is a biweekly magazine that focuses on popular culture.
Founded in San Francisco in 1967, first known for its musical coverage
and for political reporting. Later shifted focus to a younger readership
interested in youth-oriented television shows, film actors, and popular
music. [Source: Wikipedia]
 Online:
http://www.rollingstone.com/
politics/news/in-defense-of-
obama-20141008

4. devangdoshi.com
About Author
Paul Robin Krugman
PAUL KRUGMAN
 An American economist
 Distinguished Professor of Economics at the Graduate
Center of the City University of New York
 An op-ed columnist for The New York Times
 In 2008, awarded the Nobel Memorial Prize in
Economic Sciences for his contributions to New Trade
Theory and New Economic Geography
 Ranked among the most influential economic
thinkers in the US
 Written over 20 books, published over 200 scholarly
articles, and contributed more than 750 columns on
economic and political issues to The New York Times,
Fortune and Slate
[Source: Wikipedia]

5. devangdoshi.com
Initial Opinion
“When it comes to Barack Obama,
I've always been out of sync”
“when many liberals were wildly
enthusiastic about his candidacy
and his press was strongly
favorable, I was skeptical.”
“I worried that he was naive.”
And I wasn't wrong. Obama was
indeed naive.”
- Paul Krugman
(Extracts from the article)

6. devangdoshi.com
Healthcare
“The enactment and implementation of the
Affordable Care Act has been a perils-of-
Pauline experience
“Then it survived a Supreme Court challenge
“Then technical difficulties with the
HealthCare.gov website seemed to threaten
disaster
“It's true that the Affordable Care Act will still
leave millions of people in America
uninsured
1.
Healthcare
Obamacare
means a huge
improvement in
the quality of life
for tens of
millions of
Americans.

7. devangdoshi.com
Healthcare
“Health reform is looking like a major policy
success story
“It's worth pointing out that some criticisms
of Obamacare from the left are also looking
foolish
“This big improvement in American society is
almost surely here to stay.
“Health reform has made America a different,
better place
1.
Healthcare
contd...
Achievement(s):
• Passed Health Care
Reform after 60
years of Democratic
efforts

8. devangdoshi.com
Financial Reform
2.
Financial R…
“Let's be clear: The financial crisis should
have been followed by a drastic crackdown
on Wall Street abuses, and it wasn't
“Obama bears a considerable part of the
blame for this disappointing response
“It may not prevent the next financial crisis,
but there's a good chance that it will at least
make future crises less severe and easier to
deal with
Achievement(s):
• Passed the Stimulus
and prevented the
U.S. from falling
into a second Great
Depression
•
Passed Wall Street
Reform, and Dodd-
Frank for Consumer
and Bank Financial
Protection

9. devangdoshi.com
Financial Reform
2.
Financial R…
“This may not be the full overhaul of finance
we should have had, and it's not as major as
health reform. But it's a lot better than
nothing
contd...

10. devangdoshi.com
The Economy
3.
The
Economy
An overwhelming
consensus among
economists says
that Obama’s
stimulus plan
helped revive the
economy
“It's very disappointing that six years into his
presidency, the U.S. economy is still a long
way from being fully recovered.
“The bottom line on Obama's economic
policy should be that what he did helped the
economy
“The United States coped with the financial
crisis better than most countries facing
comparable crises have managed

11. devangdoshi.com
The Economy
3.
The
Economy
“When conservatives accuse Obama of
redistributing income, they're not
completely wrong – and liberals should give
him credit.
Achievement(s):
• Saved and turned
Around US Auto
Industry
• Kicked Banks Out of
Federal Student
Loan Program
contd...

12. devangdoshi.com
The Environment
4.
Environment
“There has been much more progress on the
use of renewable energy than most people
realize
“The share of U.S. energy provided by wind
and solar has grown dramatically since
Obama took office
“Nor is it just about renewables; Obama has
also taken big steps on energy conservation,
especially via fuel-efficiency standards
Achievement(s):
• Boosted Fuel
Efficiency Standards
• Created Conditions
to Begin Closing
Dirtiest Power
Plants

13. devangdoshi.com
The Environment
4.
Environment
“The administration announced the first-ever
fuel-efficiency standards for medium and
heavy vehicles
contd...

14. devangdoshi.com
National Security
5.
National
Security
“Let's face it – many of his original
enthusiasts favored him so strongly over
Hillary Clinton because she supported the
Iraq War and he didn't
“He has defended the prerogatives of the NSA
and the surveillance state in general
“It's hard to get excited about a policy of not
going to war gratuitously, but it's a big deal
compared with the alternative
Achievement(s):
• Ended the War in
Iraq
• Eliminated Osama
bin Laden

15. devangdoshi.com
Social Change
6.
Social
Change
“Democrats have turned these social issues –
especially women's rights – against
Republicans; gay marriage has been widely
legalized with approval or at least
indifference from the wider public
“Barack Obama has been more a follower
than a leader on these issues
“At least he has been willing to follow the
country's new open-mindedness
Achievement(s):
• Won new-found
worldwide respect
for America's
reputation

16. devangdoshi.com
Social Change
6.
Social
Change
“In each case, Obama delivered less than his
supporters wanted, less than the country
arguably deserved, but more than his
current detractors acknowledge
contd...

17. devangdoshi.com
Obama’s Leadership Traits
INTEGRITY RESPECT FAIRNESS
CARING CONFIDENCE
MINDFUL DECISION MAKING
COLLABORATION DECISIVENESS
THINKER HONESTY LISTENING
COMPASSION FEARLESS
VISIONARY PERSEVERANCE
ENERGY SELF AWARENESS

18. devangdoshi.com
Final Impact

19. devangdoshi.com
QUESTIONS & COMMENTS?

20. devangdoshi.com
THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME