Subscribe
NewsOne Featured Video
CLOSE

President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama will be leaving the White House for good in just five weeks. He, of course, holds the distinction of being the first African-American President of the United States, but will history judge him as one of the most successful commanders-in-chief?

A Pew Research study finds President Obama’s approval ratings are high as he ends his presidency. Of all presidents to win a second term in the White House, Obama’s approval rating is ranked third.

Second-term presidential approval ratings are as follows:

    • Ronald Reagan – 63 percent
    • Bill Clinton – 61 percent
    • Barack Obama – 58 percent
    • George W. Bush – 24 percent

First Lady Michelle Obama’s favorability rating is higher than the President’s at 72 percent, with 22 percent of Americans viewing her as unfavorable.

On Friday morning, NewsOne Now guest host Michelle Bernard and the NewsOne Now panel discussed the approval ratings of President Barack Obama and how history will judge the nation’s 44th Commander-in-Chief.

Barbara Arnwine, president and founder of the Transformative Justice Coalition, touted some of Obama’s greatest accomplishments, which include steering the nation away from financial ruin as a result of the Great Recession.

She said, “There is no way that history can ignore that he inherited an economy that was on the brink––that was about to collapse, that was, in fact, collapsing––and that he was successful in restoring that economy.

“There is no way that history could ignore that 26 million people were able to get Obamacare … which they needed,” Arnwine said, adding, “There is no way that history is going to ignore that he brought millions of new voters into the electorate.

“These are just so many of the things that he did [and] he’s done a really remarkable job.”

NewsOne Now panelist Dr. Cleo Manago, a behavioral health expert, explained he hoped Obama “would have been demonstratively affirming or did something that was directly responsive that meant that ‘I care about you’ in direct ways.”

One area in particular Manago thought President Obama missed revolves around the rash of violent killings in Chicago. Manago said, “He [President Obama] didn’t show up and when Sandy Hook occurred, he showed up.”

Manago continued, “Because of the historical gap in relevance on that level, we’re hungry for him to be more demonstratively supportive and say things that were in line with Black struggle.”

Watch NewsOne Now guest host Michelle Bernard and the NewsOne Now panel discuss Obama’s legacy and the areas he should have focused more attention on in the video clip above.

PHOTO CREDIT: Getty

Watch NewsOne Now with Roland Martin, in its new time slot on TV One.

SEE ALSO:

How Obama Changed The Definition Of ‘Hope’ For Me