Fact #37
President Obama has found ways to move forward on critical environmental and employment issues despite conflicting priorities.
Legislation designed to develop employment opportunities often brings accompanying environmental penalties... making decisions difficult. The unemployment numbers were particularly bad in September of 2011, so President Obama abandoned a contentious new air pollution rule in favor of business interests, angering environmentalists. The President, however, pledged to move ahead with proposed environmental regulations (affecting utilities and factories) and proposed raising of raising CAFE standards. From day one, President Obama has faced a Republican Party that openly declared "their top priority" was to make him "a one term president". They've fought Democratic initiatives ever since, particularly in 2011 after gaining control of the House. Somehow the president, has almost always found a way to move forward (hence his record of keeping most of his campaign promises). So now, when the Republicans cause congressional gridlock, President Obama continues this forward progress by bringing his argument to "the people", and counts on voter pressure to win the day.
Sources
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/03/science/earth/03air.html?pagewanted=all
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/04/opinion/sunday/friedman-this-is-a-big-deal.html?_r=1