How Obama lost 2013

It may well have been the most disappointing year of his tenure

Obama
(Image credit: (Alex Wong/Getty Images))

Earlier this month, a grim-faced President Obama held a news conference that was sorely lacking in holiday cheer. It's hard to get in the spirit of things when the first question is this: "Has this been the worst year of your presidency?"

Obama dismissed the claim — but it wasn't hard to see where the reporter was coming from. Obama's approval rating recently fell to 41 percent. Democrats argue that Obama had some wins this year — economic growth, the recent bipartisan budget deal in the wake of a government shutdown that hurt Republicans, and foreign policy achievements in Iran and Syria — but thanks to brutal opposition from Republicans in Congress, many of Obama's 2013 promises tanked.

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Dana Liebelson is a reporter for Mother Jones. A graduate of George Washington University, she has worked for a variety of advocacy organizations in the District, including the Project on Government Oversight, International Center for Journalists, Rethink Media, the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, and Change.org. She speaks Mandarin and German and plays violin in the D.C.-based Indie rock band Bellflur.