"The last time any president did this much in office, booze was illegal. If you believe in policy, if you believe in government that addresses problems, cheers to that".(Rachel Maddow)
In a world where big, tangible progress is appreciated in real time - a president signing two of the most enormous and significant laws in history - in a span of 4 months - would be hailed. But by now, it's pretty clear that in the case of Barack Obama, this sort of a world will exist only in future history books.
Therefore, it was hardly a surprise to see how little attention and almost zero hype attached today's signing of the most comprehensive, sweeping and toughest financial regulation reform since the 1930s - including the strongest consumer financial protection in history.
The same history that one day will make justice with the gigantic achievements of this president - the first African-American president - while facing one of the most vicious hate-machine to ever operate against a sitting president.
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Benen:
President Obama this morning signed into law the most sweeping reforms of the financial industry since the New Deal. In an 18-month stretch that includes a variety of historic achievements, Wall Street reform has to rank pretty high on the accomplishment list.
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Wall Street reform now joins health care reform, an economy-saving Recovery Act, a long-sought overhaul of the nation's student-loan system, the Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, the Hate Crimes Prevention Act, new regulation of the credit card industry, new regulation of the tobacco industry, a national service bill, expanded stem-cell research, and the most sweeping land-protection act in 15 years, among other things, on the collection of breakthrough accomplishments of the last 18 months.
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All these by AP
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