Unemployment Nearing 5% Mark. Is It Time For Haters To Give The POTUS Some Credit?!?

[Editor's Note: This blog post was refashioned from my Twitter account. If you aren't following me there, why are you still here?]

I criticize President Obama for a lot of things, but let's give him credit where it's due. The unemployment rate is now %6.1. The Dow is pushing 17,000. Long term unemployed rolls have dropped by 1/3 this year. The Black unemployment rate is at lowest since he took office. My 401k is awesome! Everything is awesome!

Now imagine if he'd actually had one iota of help from the GOP the past 6 years. The economy's finally rebounding despite total obstruction. I'm sorry, if you're a Republican, how do you honestly justify your party doing little more than collecting paychecks for half a decade? Sure, hating Obama and obstructing everything he tries to pass is fun and gets you on TV, but it doesn't help a single person that voted for you.

I wonder how history will view this Presidency. Has any President ever gotten so little help from the opposing party? Ever?

I've blamed the President (and caught plenty of flack for doing so) for his leadership style and total lack of attention to the black community. Those criticisms stand. But if you look at the bigger picture, it's hard to believe anyone would deem the Obama presidency as a failure. He's done much with little.

Am I personally better off now than I was when Obama was elected? Yes, by far.

And that's the ultimate measure.

Question: Has your life personally gotten better or worse since Obama took office?