How has Barack Obama done in his first term as a "progressive president," especially in relation to his campaign assertions? This book analyzes the performance of Obama and his administration in promoting progressive causes in a wide range of policy areas, including the economy, education, immigration, healthcare reform, criminal justice, and foreign affairs. Grading the 44th President: A Report Card on Barack Obama's First Term as a Progressive Leader is written in clear language that is free of jargon and from a leftist perspective, offering a comprehensive analysis and critique of Obama's performance as a progressive president during his first term. The authors provide in-depth analyses with respect to Obama's handling of specific issues, including the economy, education, healthcare, criminal justice policy, the environment, immigration, Iraq and Afghanistan, race relations, gender issues, and gay/lesbian issues, covering topics in detail that general biographies of Obama and examinations of his political career miss. This book presents clear, accessible information for general readers, and contains in-depth discussion of topics useful to high school, college, and university students of sociology, government, political science, philosophy, and history.

ForewordLeonard PittsAcknowledgmentsIntroduction Obama and the Promise of ChangeLuigi Esposito and Laura L. FinleyChapter 1 Progressivism and Economics: The Case of President ObamaSteven L. Arxer, Matthew Babcock, and Walter BorgesChapter 2 Educating the "Education President"Jung Min Choi, Tashina J. Vavuris, and Mariko OnoChapter 3 Negotiating Health: The Challenges of Progressive Healthcare Reform in the United StatesLisa KonczalChapter 4 Obama, Progressivism, Harm Reduction, and Drug Policy: From War to Health and RightsFernando M. PerezChapter 5 "In the Land of the Blind": Evaluating Obama's Environmental RecordKent D. ShifferdChapter 6 Rating the 44th President on ImmigrationRandall Amster and Margaret GroarkeChapter 7 Obama at WarNicolas J. S. DaviesChapter 8 Race and the Obama PresidencyVictor Romano and Melanie Sberna HinojosaChapter 9 The First Female President? Assessing Obama's First-Term Work on Women's IssuesLaura L. FinleyChapter 10 Waiting for Change: Obama and the LGBT CommunityP. Tom Semm and Christina Sanchez-WestonChapter 11 Being Progressive on National Security: The Rolling Back of Bush Administration Policies and Keeping America SafeChristian A. I. Schlaerth, Aaron Puhrmann, Katelyn Rozenbroek, and Hilary H. CookConclusion: Obama and the Future of Progressivism in the United StatesLaura L. Finley and Luigi EspositoAbout the Editors and ContributorsIndex