US voters' views: Tom Taber

As Barack Obama marks one year since he was elected US president, we ask Republican and Democratic voters from across the US to reflect on his performance.

Tom Taber Retired | Democrat

I can't remember a president with such a high level of expectation

Age: 59 Lives: San Mateo, California Occupation: Retired Last election voted: Green In 10 words or less: Optimistic, outdoor-oriented, physically fit, unconventional, non-conformist, sceptical of authority US voters' views: main page

"President Obama looks really good compared to his predecessor.

The problem is that he should be compared to presidential candidate Obama, who ran on a platform of change.

I can't remember a president with such a high level of expectation. President Johnson once said that a president needs to accomplish his highest priorities in the first year in office.

After that, the honeymoon wears off and Congress focuses its attention on getting re-elected. Fortunately, President Obama still has until 20 January 2010 before completing his first year in office, so maybe my concerns are premature.

The president has changed America's foreign policy to one built on more international co-operation.

However, I don't think his record of achievement justified a Nobel Peace Prize.

I am hoping he will put our country at the forefront of efforts to curb climate change and other environmental problems.

I am also hoping to see health care reforms that go far beyond the watered-down legislation now in Congress. I am also very concerned about the federal government's soaring debt. We might be trading one economic crisis for another.

So far, I am disappointed by not seeing the level of change that candidate Obama promised. My impression is that he is not tough enough to be effective. He wants too much to be liked. I hope to be proven wrong."

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