Paul Glastris claims most of Obama's accomplishments are underappreciated because – by design – they take full effect down the road:
Obama’s biggest accomplishments function, like FDR’s, with a built-in delay. Some are structured to have modest effects now but major ones later. Others emerged in a crimped and compromised form that, if history is a guide, may well be filled out and strengthened down the road. Still others are quite impressive now but create potential for even greater change in the future. At this point, it’s hard to get a sense of these possibilities without lifting the hood and looking deeply into the actual policies and programs. Hence, there’s no reason to think that today’s voters would be aware of them, but every reason to think historians will.
Greg Sargent situates Glastris' argument in the context of the Great Recession:
Obama is one of the best public communicators of our generation, but getting the American people to take the long view of his presidency amid continued economic suffering is going to be a formidable political challenge. His entire legacy may rest on whether he can pull it off.
The Dish 