The inaugural parade on pennsylvania avenue. Live coverage throughout the day friday. Welcome to washington journal for this sunday morning, january 15. We want to begin with your perspective on the last eight years. What is the president s legacy . Are you better off today than you were eight years ago . 0, that is our line for democrats. 2027488001 hour line for republicans. For independents, 2027488002. Be sure to join us on twitter. Or join usweet online at facebook. Com cspan. Good sunday morning to you. Thank you for being with us. A busy week in washington, d. C. Inaugural coverage throughout the week and all they friday beginning 7 00 a. M. On cspan. Want to share with you the editorial page of the New York Times. It reads as follows. Americans will miss mr. Obamas negotiation skills onto issues on tough issues. They will miss an impassioned speaker whose eloquence rings with that of mr. Lincoln. He would have never gained Office Without that optimism which inspired a generation of young voters, who saw him as a new kind of leaders. That this morning from the editorial of the New York Times. Last week in chicago, the president had this to say. [video clip] if i told you eight years ago that america would reverse the great recession, reboot our auto thestry, and unleash longest stretch of job creation in our history [applause] if i told you we would open up a new chapter with the cuban people, shut down Irans NuclearWeapons Program without firing a shot, take out the , if i had of 9 11 told you we would win Marriage Equality and secure the rights for another 20 million of our american citizens [applause] obama if i told you that, you may have said our sights were set a little too high. Did. Hat is what we [applause] president obama that is what you did. You were the change. The answer to peoples hopes. Because of you, by almost every measure, america is a better, stronger place than it was when we started. Att the president s speech Mccormick Place in chicago as he prepares to return to chicago for the weekend and coming back to live in northwest washington , as his youngest daughter finishes up high school. A number of editorials and Opinion Pieces on this sunday morning looking back at the obama years. National review is riding on his failed presidency. This Available Online. It reads as follows. The president is correct that the largest issue in the election was the obama legacy. 125 increase in the federal debt while the workforce shrank by 10 your thoughts on the obama legacy eight years later. On our twitter page, many of you already waiting in. I remember when bush was leaving. There was no discussion of his failed policies. He said he would invade iraq again. Eight years later, i am better off, and it has nothing to do with barack obama. My work on my decisions. Lets go to bob from duluth, minnesota. Caller good morning. Thanks for taking my call. I think he did a pretty good job if you consider the obstruction int he had with the congress cleaning up bushs mess. He took a lot of heat a lot of heat for the things bush actually did. I think that the next presidency, the only thing we and see whatt wait happens, but i think he will remove all doubt. Maybe we will get rid of the republicans in congress once he does that. Thank you. Host lets hear from david, who is joining us this morning from michigan. Good morning, david. You are on the. The air. Caller hello . Host good morning. Caller i called on the independent line. Host go ahead. Caller i am not better off. I live on social security. Anyway, somer me of my food i used to buy is twice what it was eight years ago. Andpay is , my so on is more. I do medicare through the v. A. I do not feel i am better off. I had a heart dr. And so on and bluerth, and Blue Cross Shield almost quadrupled their premium for me. I am 79. I am back working again and going to the food bank. I am in a unique situation perhaps, but in my case, i am not doing as well. Host david from michigan. Inside the Washington Post a photograph of harry truman and incoming president Dwight Eisenhower. Their icy relationship and cool conversation on pennsylvania avenue on january 20, 1953, when Dwight Eisenhower took over the presidency. Washington post points out that barack obama and fdr share something in common. The revolt sworn in on four separate occasions they both were sworn in on four separate occasions. Obama was sworn in on january 2009, and then some miscues forced a redo the next day. The full ceremony on january 21. That of trivia from Washington Post this morning. We talked to joe mccutchen, who is joining us on the republican line. Good to hear from you. Caller steve, you are the best. Just want to say you are always great to all of your c allers, but i just want to comment. I think obama is a fine man. We never got more than 2 growth under the eight years under obama. Under trump, i am confident we will get 4 . Maybe even 5 growth. I think i have never in my life, i am 77 years old, i have never been more fired up about the future of the country. I think under trump, the stock market will hit 20,000 this week. That will be in every newspaper in the country. I am extremely optimistic. I think trump has the best cabinet, the most probusiness cabinet in american history. Obamas a good man but he had to many regulations, too much antibusiness. The trump tax cuts and cutting the Corporate Income tax will bring in millions of dollars from all over the world. Also, in america, when he cuts taxes for the 25 million businesses, it will create the biggest economic boom in american history. I am fired up. Obama is a nice man. I do have anything against him personally, but i think trump will be the best president history. Host how do you deal with the tax cut and the president saying he wants to spend billions in infrastructure and bring down a 20 trillion debt . Caller yes. That is a very valid point. When reagan cut taxes, that brings in tremendous revenue. Unfortunately, when reagan cut taxes, the congress continued to spend too much money. In my opinion when they cut these taxes, that will bring in a lot more money, a lot more revenue, and you will be able to cut the work on cutting the deficit as well as during the kind of spending i think the tax reagan, weke under had a super economy. The stock market was 800. Now it is nearly 20,000. I think cutting taxes and we need to work on the deficit. There is so much waste in government. To nowhere in alaska, that needs to be cut off. Cutting the taxes and looking that istting spending totally unnecessary, that will lead to the best economy in american history. Host Joe Mccutcheon from georgia. Always a pleasure. We will talk to you in 29, 30 days. Caller yes sir. You are the best. Host front page of the New York Times. Obama of eight in his early reticence. A look back at the obama presidency. The author of a book on the obamas will join us in the next hour. Washington post also reflecting on the obama legacy. The distance between obamas first words as president elect and his final words as president as the, as vast difference between a leader in more allies by a cleaning monument on the mall in washington audrey is joining us from macon, georgia. Good morning, democrats line. Caller good morning, steve. How are you . Host i am good. Caller you really do not have enough time for me to say what i think of president obamas eight years because i think he was absolutely fantastic. I feel sorry for him. Had president obama had more help from congress, he could have done so much more. They did not help him. They did not want a black family in the white house. That is just the bottom line. You have a great day. Obama years, a look back at the last eight years of the 44th president Available Online at nytimes. Com. Rob on the democrats line in boca raton, florida. Are you better off today than you were eight years ago . Caller yes i am. And so are you, steve, by the way. I went on obamacare almost right away. Selfemployed. I was not eligible for any subsidy. Thet the cadillac plan, best plan i could find on obamacare. Around it is not cheap. Around six and a 70 a month. Around 670 a month. Host for just you . Caller it is cheap. Before obamacare, i could not find insurance for myself as a selfemployed guy. The brokers wanted 1000 1100 a 1,100 a month before obamacare. I could have opted for similar coverage when obamacare came out for 430 a month. 670se to spend the because i can afford it and want to be the best policy. Obamacare, as far as i concerned, should be improved and not illuminated. As far as im concerned, should be improved and not eliminated. I dont need or want the tax breaks. It will not trickle down to anybody but me. I think it is crazy to Start Talking about giving tax breaks. For millionaires and billionaires, we have such needs paying off the debt. It will not trickle down. It never works. Thank you for cspan. Host thank you. Eight years ago president george w. Bush sitting in the oval office with then president elect barack obama. Obama reciprocating, doing the same thing as trump did as a thing with him a few days after the election. Time magazine looking at the transition process. Tyler from austin, texas, republican line. Better off than you were eight years ago . Caller i would say i told the person that i was, but i dont think i could be. That is accurate. Before obama, was doing pretty well for myself. As the taxes have gotten worse and worse and Health Care Prices have gone up, i really feel that he was he did good for us. Host mike joining us from byron, minnesota. Good morning. Caller good morning. I would say i am better off. I am a veteran. My health care at the minneapolis v. A. Is extremely good. I prefer it very much. I live near the mayo clinic. They did a lot of cancer research. Today, they are having an eagles cancer telethon. The money they raise is donated for cancer research. It is a real good program. I would like to give them a plug. It is a wonderful event. It lasts for about 20 hours. They have done a lot for cancer research. I got a sister that has cancer. That is why i wanted to give it a plug. I would say i am better off. I am on disability also. I had an accident and a traumatic brain injury. I have been very well taken care of at the minneapolis ba. Veterans callf and complain about bva Health Health the v. A. System, but it has been fabulous. Thep has never served for v. A. Health care system. I dont care about that. Does. Just to see what he if he does all the things he says he will do, he will be a good president. Host thanks for the call. Let me share with you a couple tweets. This one saying my fellow georges seem to forget the tax cuts eight years ago that broke america. Another tweet from a viewer saying th now that president obama is leaving, republicans are not interested in fiscal responsibility. Allen, you are next, wilmington, delaware. Are you better off than you were eight years ago . Caller yes. I am definitely better off than i was eight years ago. Like most people that had 401k hit duringok a huge 2008, 2009. It has recovered and is healthy now. When i look at it, you will remember that obama gave a tax cut during his first term that was on either fica or the income tax. The odd thing about that is when i saw towas in play party people complaining about being taxed when they were already getting a tax cut. The market is just about tripled. Folks that lost money doing that the housing industry is recovering. Yes, better off. The Auto Industry is back. When you have 20 Million People who now have health care that is in danger of losing it because of the republicans, you have to think, what is wrong with the Republican Leadership that they away fromke something 20 Million People and not replace it with anything . Yes, the country is better off under the eight years of obama. Would just look at things logically, they would understand that. You would see that we are headed in the right direction considering the mess that obama had to clean up when he came into office. Host thanks for the call from wilmington, delaware. The obama legacy . The end of the democratic party. Time magazine is out with this cover story this week. The Survival Guide for the white house from team obama for team trump. Land atne prepares to the white house. The president will have his final trip on marine one in air force one shortly after ceremonies get underway friday morning. Leaving withma the first family, we will have all of that getting at 7 00 a. M. Inoculation at noon. Noone inauguration at eastern time. Jersey,from edison, new on the republican line. Eight years later, are you better off . Caller unfortunately not. Obama came in and said he was going to be the great uniter and ended up being the great divider. Look at the crime, the gangs, the drugs in his own hometown of chicago. He ignores it. We have illegals and terrorists pouring into this country. Obamacare is imploding by itself. A lot of divide. Because Law Enforcement to stand caused Law Enforcement to stand down. Obamacare is a disaster. We are trillions of dollars in debt. He said when he was running against george bush, how can you add so much to the debt . He has added more than any president combined. White, he could have done a lot with that. He written off to a totally bad direction. His legacy is unfortunately a failure. Have a nice day. Host thank you for the call. Politico is running about the democrats plotting their departure for donald trump at the inauguration. 18 members of congress will skip the inauguration. Yesterday, a lot of attention on congressman john lewis. An appearance on meet the press, one of the five programs we carry every sunday afternoon. Michael has this tweet. Whatever the gop puts up as a placement for the Affordable Care act will have to pass with 60 votes in the u. S. Senate. Why weer viewers saying, protect the republicans do not destroy the economy . Pretend thato think there obama hatred isnt based on racism. Should have mentioned this to counter the last week. Now that obama is gone, democrats are suddenly interested in fiscal responsibility. Albert from delaware, independent line. Good morning. Caller good morning. Thank you for cspan. I just want to say that the that no one in corporate prayer fails to point out is the president stopped tracks. Their they appropriated money for a cure. It is coming out now. He did that, and nobody gives him credit for it. Most of these people like the caller that just call, they are afraid of the dark. They never got over that. Thank you to cspan. Host democrats cannot wait until they realize how bad obamas financial responsibility was. The piece by matt stoler reads as follows. In nearly every sector of the economy from pharmaceutical to telecom to the internet platforms to airline and the power to concentrate in the administration before did not prosecute a single significant monopoly under section two of the sherman act. That is a big factor as to why trump won in november. James is joining us from sierra vista, arizona, as we get your reflections on the obama legacy. Good morning. Caller how are you doing . Host fine. Caller thank you for cspan. I am not better off. I live in a very Small Community in arizona. We are being overrun by this porous border. A the aspect, it is causing lot of having around our neighborhoods because of the drug trafficking, the gunrunning, and all of this the illegal, activity that is going to our neighborhoods now has become rampant. I live in a town that has 55,000 people in it. Is about 30 miles from the border. Is getting out of control. I have Border Patrol agents that have been sold to stand down. They are not doing their jobs because they are not allowed to do their jobs. These are the things that are serious issues to me because i have lived here for the better part of 30 years. That we haves me people running this country that they dont even come down to this border to see what is really going on down here. It just frustrates me because of the amount of crime being committed in this area and enjoy drugicking the trafficking and the destruction of our natural habitat. The people leaving things out in our desert. I am honest, in some ways better off, but in some ways, the city i live in is not better off. Thank you. Host lets go to debbie joining us next from flint, michigan. Good morning. Caller good morning, steve. Thanks for cspan. Host thank you. Caller if we are all honest, we are better off than we were eight years ago or better off than we would have been had obama not taken the steps he did. We were circling the drain, folks. We could have been standing inbred lines. He does not in bread lines. He does i get enough credit. He saved the Auto Industry and the people in detroit voted against him. I cannot believe trump michigan after obama went out, got so much criticism for saving the Auto Industry, and they dont even back him up. I very disappointed with my fellow michigan voters. The first caller had part of a quote, and i would like to give you the whole quote. This is a message to trump. Better that you keep your mouth shut and let people think you are ignorant than open your mouth and remove all doubt. Host thanks for the call. The Pew Research Center looking at an Extensive Research of the obama legacy. How america changed during obamas legacy. The gallup organization. You can read that survey online at gallup. Com. Raton. Ning us from boca good morning, independent line. Caller thank you. Thank you cspan. Commend, i just want to president obama. I think he was a very effective president in what he tried to accomplish, especially getting elected. Back in 2008, that was a very special time. He really didnt captivate the country at that time did captivate the country at that time. I think his legacy will make it similar to past bush president almost whe