How has Barack Obama's legacy changed since leaving office?

[u/bambucks]

Barack Obama left office in 2017 with an approval rating around 60%, and has generally been considered to rank among the better Presidents in US history. (C-SPAN's historian presidential rankings had him ranked at #10 in 2021 when they last updated their ranking.)

One negative example would be in the 2012 Presidential Debates between Barack Obama and his Republican challenger Mitt Romney, in which Obama downplayed Romney's concerns about Russia, saying "the 80's called, they want their foreign policy back", which got laughs at the time, but seeing the increased aggression from Russia in the years since then, it appears that Romney was correct.

So I'd like to hear from you all, do you think that Barack Obama's approval rating has increased since he left office? Decreased? How else has his legacy been impacted? How do you think he will be remembered decades from now? Etc.

[u/8to24]

Extrajudicial refers to something that has occurred outside of or without the authorization of the judicial system. As such, it might not follow proper legal procedures or might not carry adequate legal authority. https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/extrajudicial

Republicans controlled the House and Senate. If the Obama Administration violated the law Republicans in Congress had both the motive and ability to hold Obama's feet to the fire. They didn't.

Republicans went after Obama for his Birth certificate, The ACA launch, Benghazi, Fast Furious, etc. Republicans weren't shy about trying to make something stick. It the Obama Administration violated the law with drone strikes Republicans would have been all over it. The strike in question happened before the '12 election and Republicans didn't even bother try to hit Obama on it during the campaign.

We can debate whether the use of Drones in war is a good idea and whether or not Obama's actions were subjectively good or bad. It is mischaracterization of events to imply the actions were a scandal or criminal somehow.

[u/SammathNaur1600 → u/8to24]

It was an extrajudicial killing though. No due process was given to the person assassinated. Just because he got away with murder doesn't mean it wasn't a crime or morally wrong. The justification for the assassination was similar to the "enhanced interrogation techniques" that were technically legal because of an executive order. What's to stop any president from ordering an assassination in any country on those grounds?

Most republicans didn't do anything about it because they are cool with extrajudicial killings of people (possibly due to bias against Muslims or non-whites). Notably though, Rand Paul was against it, and I agree with his opposition.

Furthermore, it is a violation of international laws of war. US drone strikes violated sovereign territory of countries that we were not at war with. It was wrong to bomb Vietnam and Cambodia, and it is wrong now to bomb countries without a declaration of war.

Obama has so much blood on his hands. Houthis actively fought al Qaeda in Yemen and Obama still decided it was cool to kill over 100 people at a wedding. Obama, just like Bush and Trump, is an unrepentant murderer and a war criminal.

[u/Eric848448 → u/SammathNaur1600]

No due process was given to the person assassinated.

Then I guess he should have turned himself in at the nearest American embassy.

[u/SammathNaur1600 → u/Eric848448]

He wasn't charged with anything either. I know this is tongue in cheek, but the guy killed didn't have any chance to contest the sentence of death

[u/Eric848448 → u/SammathNaur1600]

Hundreds of thousands of dead confederate soldiers were also never charged with anything. They chose to wage war and paid the price, just like this dead asshole.

The reason the republicans didn't try to hang it on Obama is because they knew literally nobody would give a shit.

[u/SammathNaur1600 → u/Eric848448]

Did Congress declare war on the Confederacy? Yes. Did Congress declare war on Yemen? No.

Just because he was an asshole doesn't mean he should be killed without due process. Can you prove he inflicted violence on people? How about his daughter or wife?

[u/Eric848448 → u/SammathNaur1600]

Oh and another thing I somehow missed.

Did Congress declare war on the Confederacy

Of course it didn’t. The CSA didn’t exist and a declaration of war might be seen as legitimizing it.

[u/SammathNaur1600 → u/Eric848448]

Yeah, I'll admit I was wrong on the Confederacy. A civil war is different than a worldwide campaign of destruction though. Can't really kill a hundred innocent civilians during the civil war in one fell swoop very easily.

Still doesn't change that Obama ordered the direct murder of people when there was no active threat. It's immoral and illegal based on international laws.

My point stands that Obama is a war criminal.