Before reading this article, go to the link provided and review the results.

As of October 10, 2009, here are the results as listed at http://reportcard.cnn.com. Letter grades in “( )” are from the first 100 days in office for comparison.

• Economy: C- (B)
• Health Care Reform: D (NA)
• Foreign Affairs: C (B+)
• Secretary of State Clinton: C+ (B)
• Vice President Biden: C- (B)
• Your Senators: C- (C+)
• Congress: D (NA)
• Republican Leadership: D (C-)
• The Media: D (NA)
• President Obama: C- (B)

To be fair, I am a registered Republican. Not to sound “wishy washy” or “non-committal” but I like parts of both the Republican and Democratic parties. I’m more of a middle of the road politician. Some would want me to draw a line in the sand and commit to one party or the other. I say there is nothing wrong with owning one’s beliefs and being non-conformist. I’d rather stand firm for the right reasons than bend with the breeze to fit in a crowd or political party.

The genesis of the Democratic control we see today began some time ago.  You need to go back to the when Nancy Pelosi took the reigns as the House Speaker.  Many promises were made.  Nancy Pelosi and some of her Democratic colleagues promised to right the wrongs of the previous Republican controlled House. To date, not much has happened and in fact, Mrs. Pelosi is enjoying an all-time low approval rating that makes her the least popular member of the Democratic Party. No need to blame it all of this on Nancy. Congress, whether controlled by the Republicans or Democrats, can be an inactive group marred in greasy political pork – the kind of pork that clogs your financial arteries.

After President Obama won the presidential election, clearly the Democrats were riding high on a wave of hope, reform, and change. Out with the Republicans and in with the new. Here we go again. Another “cleaning house” that will make our country better. Better? Better than what? Than who? This would be the time to remind everyone of the old saying “people in glass houses should not throw stones”.

Former President Bush’s administration reminded me of Barnum and Bailey’s circus at best.  At times, the left hand simply didn’t know what the right was doing. Disjointed planning, incomplete estimates, lack of focus on the real issues. Remember, hindsight is 20/20. Any armchair politician can sit back and find plenty of Republican failures. So, back to my original question: How is the Obama administration doing after their second 100 days in office?

The economy, foreign affairs, Vice President Biden, Secretary of State Clinton, and President Obama: All of these areas scored a full letter grade lower today than after the first 100 days in office. The honeymoon is over folks! Rhetoric is being replaced with proof. In other words, don’t talk about it – Americans want proof. Sadly the democrats can’t do it – or at least to “our” collective satisfaction. Give them time. Rome wasn’t constructed in a day and these highly complex issues will not be resolved in 100 days, 200 days, over even 400 days.

A controversial Colombian senator who has obtained the release of 16 hostages held by Marxist guerrillas is the leading candidate to receive this year’s Nobel Peace Prize

I think it interesting that President Obama was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize yet there are no scores for the second 100 days that warrant such an award. I’m glad he received this honor but clearly President Obama’s achievement was a surprise to most Americans and others around the world. CNN reported on Friday, October 9, that “a controversial Colombian senator who has obtained the release of 16 hostages held by Marxist guerrillas is the leading candidate to receive this year’s Nobel Peace Prize.” CNN – you might want to check that headline.

Columbian Senator Piedad Cordoba

I admire President Obama and his intentions. I cannot remember a more refreshing approach to the Presidency. His plain talk and commonsensical way of thinking coupled with his charisma make him a modern President poised to take on a variety of issues. The problem is we can’t afford to pay for everything that needs to be fixed. America simply can’t overload our butt’s with eternal debt payments.  The public debt increased from $5,629 billion to $9,926 billion during the Bush presidency from 2000 to 2008. The debt is now projected to double under the Obama presidency to a level close to 97% of GDP (Gross Domestic Product).

I know how to increase the Obama Administration grades for the third 100 days. President Obama, here is your step-by-step plan to higher grades and souring approval ratings.  In short, this will make my life (a voter’s life) better:

• Find a way to end our involvement in these wars.
• Focus on the economy.
• Lower our debt and increase our GDP and exports.
• Focus on health care reform.

Mr. President, I did not vote for you in the last election. I would gladly consider voting for you in the next election if your administration would clearly communicate your vision by priority and how I’m going to pay for it with realistic numbers without the smoke and mirrors.

Friends, you see it really doesn’t matter who is in office – Republican or Democrat. What matters is how government goes about doing the work of the people by fixing the problems affecting our daily lives. President Obama has the ability and desire.  How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time. We can’t tackle every ill affecting America.  Prioritize and finalize.

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As a crowd of protesters shouted “kill the bill,” House Republicans on Thursday rallied opposition against the Democrats’ health care legislation, even as President Obama touted two major endorsements from doctors and seniors groups.

The president interrupted the daily press briefing Thursday to note that the American Medical Association and AARP had just endorsed House Democrats’ health care plan.

“This is no small endorsement,” Obama said of the AARP’s backing. “They know it’s a good deal for our seniors.”

Democrats’ Plan to Help ‘Uninsurables’ Requires 6-Month Wait

Majority Leader Predicts House Will Pass Health Bill

At the same time, Republicans decried the bill on the steps of Congress in a last-ditch bid to derail or at least delay the legislation heading toward a possible vote Saturday.

Thousands of protesters arrived by bus for the rally, which the GOP is calling an emergency “House Call.”  The event drew the conservative “tea party” activists but unlike past rallies was officially sanctioned by House Republicans.

Republicans want those who attend to track down their elected representatives in Congress and put pressure on them to think twice about voting for the more than $1 trillion health care overhaul pushed by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

“They’re going to listen,” said Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., who originally called for the rally. “The biggest voice in the United States is your voice.”

Republicans were formally unveiling their version of a health care reform bill Thursday.

They are looking to reprise the kind of grassroots resistance that boiled up during the August recess at town hall meetings across the country. That resistance seemed to temper Democrats’ ambitions for health care reform and just about dash any hope for passing a government-run insurance plan as part of the package — but just a few months later, both the House and Senate have included so-called public options in their bills.

Bachmann said before the rally that the “lessons” of the town halls have been lost.

“Republicans are in the minority, but a minority in Congress plus the American people equals the majority,” Rep. Mike Pence, R-Ind., told Fox News Thursday.

Actors Jon Voight and Jon Ratzenberger stirred up the crowd in the early afternoon. Ratzenberger warned about “socialism” creeping in, as Voight decried the “radical Chicago tactics” of the Obama administration. Meanwhile, nine protesters reportedly were arrested in a Senate office building.

Republicans say they want to kill the bill with Thursday’s rally. But it’s unclear how much of an impact the “House Call” can have so late in the process. Pelosi needs to unify Democrats around the package but does not need Republican support given the Democratic majority in the House.

The Republicans have put forward their own version of health care reform as an alternative, but the Congressional Budget Office estimated that their plan — while keeping premiums down and costing a mere fraction of the cost of the Democrats’ bill — would cover only 3 million more Americans. The Democrats’ bill is projected to cover 36 million.

“That’s a very big difference,” Pelosi told reporters Thursday, criticizing the GOP version for not prohibiting insurance companies from discriminating against those with pre-existing conditions.

Pelosi spokesman Nadeam Elshami blasted the GOP plan in a brief memo Wednesday night.

“Bottom line: Americans lose and insurance companies win under the Republican plan,” he said.

The AARP endorsement could help blunt some of the criticism directed at them over planned Medicare cuts. Democratic sources confirmed to Fox News that President Obama plans to meet with House Democrats Friday on Capitol Hill.

But Pelosi and her deputies are still trying to secure Democratic votes, with disputes over federal funding for abortion and other issues causing a split. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer told wire reporters Thursday that Democrats will have the 218 votes needed when the bill comes up.

Republicans, though, are hoping their wins Tuesday in the Virginia and New Jersey gubernatorial races will give moderate Democrats pause about supporting the 1,900-page bill. They continue to warn that the plan will drive up the cost of private plans and lead to crippling and persistent deficits.

“A lot of Blue Dogs in this country are going to have a lot of ’splaining to do back at home in their districts, where people do not want the health care that’s being peddled by this administration,” Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele told Fox News. “They don’t want government control. They don’t want a government option.”

The Senate, where Democrats have a slighter majority, is not progressing quite as fast. There are emerging doubts over whether the Senate can bring a bill to the floor by the end of the year.

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