George Washington vs Barack Obama: How Low We’ve Sunk

Being a student of history, especially the Revolutionary War era, and being a conservative, I can’t help but contrast the stark differences between our first president, George Washington, and our latest president, Barack Obama.

This is going to be painful.

First, let’s look at Obama’s resume:

Barack Obama

He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned after his election to the presidency in November 2008.

A native of Honolulu, Hawaii, Obama is a graduate of Columbia University and Harvard Law School, where he was the president of the Harvard Law Review. He was a community organizer in Chicago before earning his law degree. He worked as a civil rights attorney in Chicago and taught constitutional law at the University of Chicago Law School from 1992 to 2004.

Obama served three terms in the Illinois Senate from 1997 to 2004. Following an unsuccessful bid against a Democratic incumbent for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives in 2000, he ran for United States Senate in 2004. Several events brought him to national attention during the campaign, including his victory in the March 2004 Democratic primary and his keynote address at the Democratic National Convention in July 2004. He won election to the U.S. Senate in November 2004. His presidential campaign began in February 2007, and after a close campaign in the 2008 Democratic Party presidential primaries against Hillary Rodham Clinton, he won his party’s nomination. In the 2008 general election, he defeated Republican nominee John McCain and was inaugurated as president on January 20, 2009.

• President of the United States, 2008-present. First African-American elected to presidency. Highlights of his presidency to date:

1. Passing of a national health care bill.
2. Passed the largest ever “stimulus” bill of $787 billion, titled “American Recovery and Reinvestment Act”
3. Ordering 21,000 additional troops to Afghanistan.
4. Appointed the first Latina to the US Supreme Court
5. Signed a hate crime bill aimed at stopping “hate crimes” against gays and transgendered.
6. Banned offshore drilling until parameters for deep well safety procedures are clarified.
7. Funded the design of a new Smithsonian National Museum of African American History scheduled to open on the National Mall in 2015
8. The first bill President Obama signed into law, on January 29, 2009, was the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which expands the rights of workers to sue employers over wage discrimination claims.

• U.S. Senator 2005 to Present State of Illinois, Chicago, IL / Washington, DC, from 2005-2007. Accomplishments:

1. Provided $100+ million in tax cuts to families over 3 years through legislative changes to state tax law.
2. Provided permanent health care coverage to 154,000 low-income residents (including 70,000 children).
3. Reformed the state’s notorious death penalty laws to help prevent wrongful convictions.
4. Honored as a Keynote Speaker at the 2004 Democratic National Convention.

• State Senator State of Illinois, Chicago, IL. 1997-2004
• Associate Attorney Davis, Miner & Barnhill, Chicago, IL, 1993-2002
• Lecturer / Senior Lecturer University of Chicago Law School, 1992-2004
• Grassroots organizer, early 1990s. Accomplishments:

1. Planned and orchestrated grassroots effort targeting unregistered voters throughout the Chicago metro area. Resulted in 150,000 new African-American voters.
2. Improved living conditions in poor neighborhoods plagued with crime and high unemployment through work with a church- based group.

Education:

• J.D., Magna Cum Laude, HARVARD LAW SCHOOL, 1991 President, Harvard Law Review (first African-American ever elected)
• B.A., Political Science, COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY, 1983

Publications:

• The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream, Crown Publishers, 2006
• Dreams From My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance, Times Books, 1995 (reprint 2004)

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George Washington

George Washington is perhaps the best-known and loved American ever, and for good reason. The man was not only of impeccable character, but also a man of honor, dignity, sacrifice, duty, reverence and accomplishment. Washington was a much-loved and respected figure in his time, and still is today. He commanded an audience just by walking into a room, so magnanimous was his person. At 6′ 4″, he was usually always the biggest man in the room. He had many, many accomplishments, including innovations in farming, as it was a passion of his. He often remarked that he would love to give up public life and make a living being a farmer, but so great was his sense of duty to country, that he forego his interests for the interests of his country. He often prayed and spoke of divine providence, and indeed, it was often seen in his life. In one battle, Washington was shot four times, and two horses shot out underneath him; but each bullet missed his body, and went through only his clothes or hat! He often rode in the front lines, much to his soldiers pleas as to not do so.

• President 1789-1797 United States of America, Philadelphia, PA
Served two 4-year terms as president of the United States, winning the elections with unanimous votes. Sought to create a great united nation and lead the post-war recovery efforts. Highlights include:

1. Assisted Congress with the adoption of the Bill of Rights (the first 10 amendments to the Constitution) in 1791, guaranteeing the rights of the American people.
2. Organized the first United States Cabinet and the Executive Branch, building an infrastructure capable of supporting future presidents.
3. Issued the Proclamation of Neutrality, establishing the United States as a neutral nation in the conflict between Britain and France, and freeing the nation from unnecessary involvement in foreign conflicts.
4. Adopted measures to resolve the escalating debt crisis, such as support of a program that helped repay the states’ Revolutionary War debts.
5. Suppressed the Whiskey Rebellion, an uprising by farmers who were displeased by the government’s imposed excise on whiskey. Raised more than 12,000 troops to quell the uprising and convince people of the merit of the tax.
6. Signed the Treaty of San Lorenzo, opening the Mississippi River to American navigation.
7. Signed Jay’s Treaty with Great Britain, forcing the British to evacuate western forts and stabilizing relations with Great Britain.
8. Negotiated peace treaties with southeastern Indian tribes. Proclaimed the first National Day of Thanksgiving.
9. Turned down the opportunity to serve a third term, setting a precedent for future presidents to limit their terms to avoid potential abuse of power.

President 1787 Constitutional Convention, Philadelphia, PA

1. Helped organize and presided over the Constitutional Convention in 1787, during which time the US Constitution was written.
2. Recognized as one of two presidents who signed the US Constitution.

Commander-in-Chief 1775 – 1783 Continental Army, Philadelphia, PA

Created the Continental Army and served as its commander-in-chief. The Continental Army fought and won the American Revolution (1775-1783), forcing the British to grant independence to America. Highlights:

1. Motivated troops during the cold winter of 1777-1778 at Valley Forge, PA, building a mature army ready for battle.
2. Launched a brilliantly planned and executed Yorktown Campaign in 1781, securing an American victory.
3. Attacked the British near Monmouth Courthouse, NJ, on their withdrawal from Philadelphia to New York.
4. Orchestrated a brilliant attack by the capture of Trenton, NJ, as troops crossed the Delaware River and surprised and defeated the enemy troops.
5. Took command of troops surrounding British-occupied Boston, training a 14,000-man army and securing needed supplies.
6. Occupied Dorchester Heights, effectively commanding the city and forcing the British to evacuate.

Education

Self-Taught, Mount Vernon, NY

1. Professional
2. Mostly studied mathematics, surveying, mapmaking, the classics and “rules of civility.”

Early Career Chronology

1774-1775 First and Second Continental Congress. Served as a delegate to the First and Second Continental Congress; was Congress’s unanimous choice as commander-in- chief of the Continental forces in June 1775.

1759-1774 Virginia’s House of Burgesses. Became a radical patriot leader, serving in Virginia’s legislature for 15 years.

1753-1759 Commander, Virginia Militia. Commanded the Virginia militia during the French and Indian War.

1749-1753 Lord Fairfax’s Lands (Shenandoah Valley). Helped design the layout of the Virginia town of Belhaven (now Alexandria) in 1749 and was appointed surveyor for Culpeper County.