First Hundred Days

There is a great deal of discussion about what Obama’s first hundred days as President will include. I have even seen an article on the web about his first hundred hours. Where did this idea of evaluating the first hundred days originate and why it is it important?

This seemingly arbitrary evaluation by the press and nation of a President’s first hundred days began with Franklin D. Roosevelt. The nation was in a real economic crisis during the Great Depression and people wanted action fast. In 1933 Richard Norton Smith reported on the wave of reform that was designed to improve the nation’s mood and psyche.

In reality the President needs a Congress that will support and pass these changes. Since Roosevelt the expectation of action, particularly campaign promises, has increased. How a new President handles the issues passed down from the former President and how that new President sets out to accomplish his own goals in the first hundred days, often is a first real indicator of his leadership skills and what his four years will be like.

What will Obama accomplish in his first hundred days? Check out one of my favorite web sites WhiteHouse.Gov for weekly messages from Obama and his entire agenda. (I really love the changes I found there this week!) Additionally, many groups are challenging him to accomplish their own agenda like on the energy crisis. Much like when Roosevelt became President, the nation today wants immediate action and has high hopes for Obama to accomplish the “change” he promised. Only time and history will tell.