The Official Obama 2015 Report Card

Today marks the six-year anniversary of President Barack Obama taking up the most powerful governing seat on the planet. And he's gotten a hell of a lot grayer since 2009.

Obama has boosted a struggling economy, dealt with threats from Iran and North Korea, saw the rise of a new terrorist network, responded to domestic shootings and bombings, and contended with a reinvigorated Republican party that's backed by the borderline psychotic Tea Party. The calls for "Hope" and "Change" during the 2008 campaign are now fading into the distance—and with only two years to go until there's a new leader in 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, Obama's time to solidify his legacy is ticking by.

His responses to the crises of the last six years have cemented how Americans will view him for the next hundred. So, how's he done so far? It depends who you talk to. SpeakerJohn Boehner's answer won't be the same as a young college student in California. There's only so much a president can do when an opposing party is in full control of Congress. But winning his reelection at least tells us that the nation believes he's better than the alternatives, even if he hasn't entirely lived up to his promises. Here is The Official Obama 2015 Report Card.

The president used his executive power in November to provide temporary immigration protections for unauthorized parents of U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents—though this came far later than immigration groups initially wanted. Before that, he used DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) to stop the deportations of people brought to the U.S. as children (Dreamers) in 2012. The law allowed for children of undocumented immigrants to apply for status that's renewable every two years. Yet, a future president can change or revoke these policies.

While activists wanted the president to defer ALL deportations, it was going to be next to impossible to get done. Instead, Obama focused on a specific group (young people) who make up just less than half of all undocumented immigrants in the country—and that's no small feat. In this sense, these promising young people can seek higher education and contribute to the country in a variety of fields. Because Democrats and Republicans couldn't come to a compromise on reform, this was the best that Obama could do considering the political climate.

Overall, he's helped undocumented immigrants and their children gain greater security in their lives—although it might only be temporary.

Grade: A-

Before Edward Snowden leaked classified documents in 2013, we usually thought of privacy as keeping your Facebook password safe and making sure your bedroom blinds were closed.

Snowden's documents revealed that the government used programs to collect data about phone calls and suck up warrantless information from Facebook, Google, Apple, and other tech companies. Privacy suddenly became a lot more complicated. Obama responded to the Snowden leaks by introducing proposals to make the NSA more transparent and setting up an independent review panel to address surveillance programs.

While many of the programs were started under Bush after the September 11 attacks, we still don't know how much Obama was aware of what was going on. He could have been left in the dark about a lot of details, or he could have willingly let the programs continue. Yet he announced plans to dismantle the NSA bulk phone collection program in March 2014. We likely wouldn't have seen any changes if Snowden never leaked the documents. Snowden is now one of the most wanted men in the world, and whistleblowers in the intelligence community don't have very many laws protecting them. Some have called for clemency for Snowden, but it doesn't look like Obama will do that.

On a separate issue, the president has voiced support for net neutrality—a significant issue that'll affect the future of the Internet—and proposed reclassifying the Internet as a telecommunication service (here's a quick video to catch you up to why net neutrality is important).

Grade: D+

Climate change is an issue where the solution doesn't just rely on what happens within America's borders.

The administration has sought to reduce pollution from cars and trucks, minimize emissions from power plants, and developed policy to protect ocean waters around the country. Green energy has also received a lot of love; the government supports renewable energy companies with billions of dollars thanks to the stimulus package.

While Obama has done a lot to lower U.S. pollution levels, there are competing arguments about whether our appetite for exporting coal to other countries hurts global emission reductions. The administration had a #fail on its hands with Solyndra, and Republicans used this as an example that the government shouldn't back companies with taxpayer money.

What may be the christening moment for Obama will be what happens with the Keystone XL pipeline. The president promised to veto the recent legislation that's headed to his desk. A recent poll by CNN shows that 57 percent of 1,011 people polled were in favor of the 1,179-mile pipeline. Those for the pipeline argue that it would create jobs, and environmentalists say that the pipeline would contribute to climate change and hurt the local environment (leaks happen, and they're ugly).

Grade: B+

Last year was the best year for hiring since 1999, and Obama's approval rating has seen a bump. A recent Washington Post-ABC News poll estimates that Obama's approval rating is currently at 50 percent—that's a 9 percent climb from December, and the biggest bump since the announcement of Osama bin Laden's death in 2011.

The economy was at its worst in 80 years during 2008. It's improved since then, but much of the boost hasn't been felt by the average American. Many people have dropped out of the labor force (so they aren't counted in unemployment stats), wages haven't increased, and much of the recovery has benefited wealthy Americans and not the middle class. Ironically, the people taking advantage of Obama's economic plan are those who vote for and contribute to Republicans.

The stimulus package is largely considered a success, with many economists agreeing that the unemployment rate would have been higher without it. With opposition in Congress, getting more than the initial $800 billion was wishful thinking. Things haven't been a breeze (there are still tax loopholes that haven't been touched), but the economy has grown stronger under Obama's watch. It just needed time.

Grade: A-

Obama's approval ratings have risen, but his foreign policy ratings are a different story. There have been high points, like the end of the war in Iraq, the death of Osama bin Laden, weakening Al Qaeda, a new arms control treaty with Russia, ​new relations with Cuba—and things would be awesome if this was all the administration had to juggle.

Today drones have become as much a symbol overseas of America as the bald eagle; Snowden's NSA leaks showed that the government sweeps up data on foreigners; and a nuclear deal with Iran could be far from being finalized. Obama's response to Russia's annexation of Crimea consisted mostly of sanctions against the country (Putin likely anticipated them beforehand), and they weren't enough to stop the invasion. So far, attempts to negotiate with Putin have flopped, and he continues to defy the West.

Obama hoped to make ISIS a "manageable problem," and relied on the Iraqi army to defeat the extremist group. However, their threat is now even greater than before, troops have been sent back to Iraq, and several Americans have been beheaded by ISIS.

When it comes to foreign policy issues, it seems Obama opts to wait things out before reacting (and potentially overreacting like Bush), and his decisions have been full of unintended consequences.

Grade: C+

The 2009 stimulus package gave $5 billion to early childhood programs, and an extra $77 billion to support elementary and secondary education. One of the most significant things to come from the package was Race to the Top, which supports successful teachers and principals, and offers states incentives when they fulfill performance-based standards. Upwards of $4 billion has already been given to about 11 states and D.C., which made efforts to reform education standards and prepare students for career readiness.

Obama also introduced the Promise Neighborhood Grants. It encourages access to effective schools and parental and community support, to help students transition to a career as smooth as possible. Just this month, Obama introduced plans to make two years of community college free to some students.

Science, technology, engineering, and math programs also got a boost. In 2014 Obama allocated $3.1 billion to federal STEM programs, $80 million of which was to recruit 100,000 educators. And if there's one move that reflects our tech-focused society, Obama kicked off an "Hour of Code" event to encourage kids to learn computer programming.

Yet, these policies won't likely show their effects until years down the road—and the gap between the education of kids from wealthy families and those from middle or lower class families is increasing.

Grade: B+

During his first year in office, Obama signed the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, which expanded a 1969 federal hate crime law to include crimes motivated by gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, and disability.

Obama has encouraged states to create policies to compel cops to video record interrogations and confessions, and the FBI announced it would start recording in some cases. In December of 2014, Obama asked Congress for $75 million to help police departments purchase body cameras. Over three years, it should add 50,000 cameras to the nation's police force. This was in response to the protests after Michael Brown was killed by an officer in Ferguson.

The administration has worked on making drug sentences less severe by signing the 2010 Fair Sentencing Act, and using it in combination with the Smarter Sentencing Act. This helps guide prosecutors away from seeking maximum sentences for low-level offenders.

The number of people incarcerated in prisons across the U.S. is still higher than most other countries (we incarcerate almost 25 percent of all the world's prisoners). Prisoner numbers have dropped in the last few years, but much of that is thanks to changes in just a few states, and not the nation as a whole.

Grade: B

Obama named "openness in Government" one of his priorities after he won the 2008 election. In comparison to Bush, this was exactly what the White House needed to repair its relationship with the American people. While Obama has made things transparent on a surface level, like releasing his financial numbers and hiring an "ethics czar," most things have been kept under lock and key.

The Associated Press reported that federal agencies under the administration are 50 percent more likely to deny Freedom of Information Act requests than they were under Bush. The administration regularly censors and denies FOIA requests based on national security purposes, citing "national security" 8,496 times in 2013 as a reason to deny information—that's double the amount during Obama's first year in office. “The government’s efforts to be more open about its activities last year were their worst since President Barack Obama took office," the report said.

Journalists have been consistently shut out from access to officials. Last March a directive signed by Director of National Intelligence James Clapper barred intelligence officials from talking to any member of the media without permission—even if the information isn't classified.

Then there's the secretive use of drones overseas, which have killed four American citizens and countless civilians since Obama took over; his change of heart on super PACs (a loosely regulated way for donors to contribute money to a candidate and stay anonymous) just before the 2012 election; and the prosecution of whistleblowers, which have occurred at a higher rate than other administrations. Stephen Kim, the sixth leaker to be convicted under the Obama Administration, was sentenced to 13 months in prison just last April for giving information about North Korea to a Fox News reporter. Chelsea Manning, who leaked classified documents in 2010, received a 35-year sentence. Edward Snowden likely won't see any less a punishment if he's brought back to the U.S.

But there have been small steps made toward transparency. The White House launched Ethics.gov to showcase the President and Vice President's daily logs, visitor data, and financial disclosures. The administration also created a consumer-friendly credit card rating system.

If you want irony, look no further than Obama winning a "transparency" award in 2011. He refused to accept it in public, and the meeting where he was given the award didn't appear in his public itinerary.

Grade: D

Obama's views on gay marriage have dramatically reversed course since he came into office. Before he ran for president, Obama believed marriage was strictly between a "man and a woman." But after the gay rights movement picked up after he was elected, Obama said his views were "evolving," but wouldn't give his full support.

That changed in 2012, when he announced in an interview with ABC that he backed same-sex marriage. "It is important for me to go ahead and affirm that I think same-sex couples should be able to get married," he said. It probably wasn't a coincidence that he made the announcement just before an election.

This makes him the first sitting president to voice support for gay marriage. But while he's said there's a constitutional right for gay marriage, he still supports states deciding on their own to allow it. “What you're seeing is a profound recognition on the part of the American people that gays and lesbians and transgender persons are our brothers, our sisters, our children, our cousins, our friends, our co-workers, and that they've got to be treated like every other American," Obama told NBC. "And I think that principle will win out.”

Grade: A

A month after the Sandy Hook shooting in December 2012, Obama signed 23 executive orders and proposals to strengthen gun control. They sought to impose limits on ammunition magazines, background checks on all guns, banned armor-piercing bullets, and brought harsher penalties for gun traffickers.

He also expanded research into gun-related violence and made mental illnesses available in background checks. “My biggest frustration so far is the fact that this society has not been willing to take some basic steps to keep guns out of the hands of people who can do just unbelievable damage,” Obama said in June 2014. “We should be ashamed of that."

But the NRA and other gun rights activists have made things difficult for lawmakers who back tighter gun laws. “Most members of Congress—and to some degree this is bipartisan—are terrified of the NRA," he said. We're still far from having gun laws that curb violence in a major way.

Grade: B

Obama introduced a 1,017-page plan to reform the U.S. healthcare system back in 2009. This was the start of what would be known as "Obamacare," or the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, that Obama eventually signed in March 2010 after it was passed by Congress.

More people have healthcare under the plan thanks to a remodeled individual insurance market and an expansion of Medicaid. It's thought that nearly 25 million people will receive healthcare directly from the help of Obamacare. Sounds good, right? Well, there have been more than 50 votes in the House of Representative to repeal it, and even one Supreme Court case. Many conservatives say that Obamacare increases government regulation and spending. (The Affordable Care Act will spend nearly $1 trillion on insurance expansion over the decade.) Much of the criticism about Obamacare came from the individual mandate, which requires all Americans to have health insurance or face penalties. The Affordable Care Act has been divisive, but many Americans have benefited from it.

There was that huge misstep when HealthCare.gov rolled around, and weeks flew by before it was finally fixed. But at least we had Obama go on Between Two Ferns.

Grade: A-

With two years to go before Obama's administration comes to an end, presidential hopefuls have already started to come out of the woodwork. We may be looking at a third Mitt Romney campaign, or another Bush in the White House. Hillary Clinton will likely announce her candidacy in the next year, and she might have competition from Elizabeth Warren and Joe Biden.

But before we start thinking about the new blood, Obama still has time to flex what muscle he has left. “I can always do better in every aspect of my job,” Obama told NPR in December after Republicans took over Congress. “Now I suspect there are going to be some times where I’ve got to pull that pen out. And I’m going to defend gains that we’ve made in health care; I’m going to defend gains that we’ve made on environment and clean air and clean water."

Aside from these issues, Obama needs to follow through on his promise to close Guantanamo Bay, seek action against the Bush administration for torture, do more to defeat ISIS, and pardon NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden—though I wouldn't hold my breath on any of these being fulfilled. What Obama can do without any Congressional approval is talk directly to Americans about the issues at hand, and address our values, as he admitted he needed to work on back in 2010. He didn't exactly have a way with words during responses to national crises like the Michael Brown shooting:

Ultimately, Obama needs to keep things on track so that he hands over the country in better shape than when he got it. Regardless of the anger conservatives throw at him, it looks like Obama will do just that. But we don't know what tomorrow has in store.

Hopefully it won't be beige.