President Barack Obama has had many ups and downs so far in his presidency. Currently in his fifth year of presidency, Obama has been looking to turn the tables in his downward spiral of a second term. Obama’s career has been a whirlwind of both successful yet sometimes controversial events. Some news sources like CNN have suggested that the bad has overshadowed the good, while others like ABC have suggested otherwise. It is important for Americans to recognize both qualities in each president before looking ahead in voting for a new one in order to know what would better the nation.

No one is perfect, but sometimes things can get out of hand and it is necessary for the president to do something about various situations. CNN describes Obama’s presidency as one with “a series of controversies . . . that eroded Obama’s credibility.” Obama’s administration has recently become marred with anger and secrets that have caused his approval rating to decline. CNN mentioned “Polls show Obama’s support at the lowest levels of his presidency.” This was not startling to many Americans. Business Insider developed a chart that describes the president’s job rating on the economy in particular and the results were significant. About half way between 2011 and 2012, his disapproval rating increased considerably. Secrets arose just recently as Obama recognized The Patriot Act of 2001and its full capabilities. He now claims that this act allowed surveillance of phone records throughout the country. But before he acknowledged his knowing of the surveillance, the NSA had long been in the process. This is when a previous member of the NSA, Edward Snowden, made headlines. Snowden is a United States fugitive, currently residing in Russia, and on one day in June, he reportedly “leaked a trove of classified documents” about the NSA surveillance, says CNN. This infuriated some Americans as they feared their own country was spying on them on an everyday basis. More Americans grew angry at the Republicans over the 16-day government shutdown. This shutdown caused government-run websites to not function and even caused national parks to close. On top of this, President Obama’s launch of Obamacare was riddled with a series of problems. All of these downfalls do not mean the president is unfit to run the country. Obama has also had undeniable good moments in his career.

Even though there have been some mishaps during Obama’s presidential terms, it is necessary that Americans not have a closed mind towards each of his actions. After all, America has recognized that there is still hope with the economy. ABC noted that the “economy grew at a solid 4.1 percent annual rate from July through September, the fastest pace since late 2011 and significantly higher than previously believed.” It does seem like the United States’ economy is on the fast track to stabilizing and leaving the current recession. As for security and health care, Obama has shed light how success was always in the future. Obama responded to the NSA misdemeanor with, “We may have to refine this further to give people more confidence.” Obama has also confronted his mistakes with the health care law. He admitted, “we screwed it up … I’m going to be making appropriate adjustments once we get through this year.” With this variety of changes, Obama holds promise as he continues his second term. ABC noted that Obama sees 2014 as a turning point and “a breakthrough year for America.” Therefore, Obama will have his share of good and bad moments, but Americans must first understand each aspect of his presidency with open mindedness.