Working with France’s renowned Sciences Po, the Centre for the Study of the United States (CSUS) has launched a series of events designed to enrich discussion of the 2016 U.S. presidential election. On January 19 – using video conference technology – capacity audiences in both Canada and France heard experts share perspectives on the Obama presidency.
Speakers included Mario del Pero, professor of International History at the Institut d’Etudes Politiques; and Barton Gordon, former member of the U.S. House of Representatives (Democrat-Tennessee) who currently teaches a course on U.S. politics at Sciences Po.
CSUS director Peter Loewen, coordinator of a major polling project focused on the 2016 U.S. election campaigns, and Ron Pruessen, a history professor who is currently writing a study of Obama and U.S. foreign policy traditions, also spoke.
The panel graded Obama’s performance between a B+ and A-, though there was also agreement that his legacy will be best judged after more time has passed. Speakers weighed Obama’s successes, including Obamacare,support for gay marriage, and renewed relations with Cuba against various disappointments, including lack of a vigorous economic recovery, questionable responses to ISIS, and increasing use of drones.
