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After months of feeling disappointed that too little “Yes We Can!” progress was coming out of Congress and the White House, we once again have many a pundit telling us that in historical terms, President Obama has gotten and extraordinary amount accomplished in a relatively short time. Blogs and opinion columns chiding Obama supporters for being too impatient have been coming out for months now.

Personally, I run hot and cold on these. I can see where the analysis makes sense when Obama is compared against other presidents by historians and others who claim to understand the Big Picture better than I do. On the other hand, I look at the supposedly historic accomplishment of passing health care reform legislation and see that not all that much reform has taken place. As a self-employed person trying to afford health care reform, I’m struggling to pay the premiums on a policy that provides minimal benefits beyond protection against catastrophic illness. I’ve seen no relief and see little evidence that further implementation of the law will do anything to either cut my costs or improve my choices. Maybe it qualifies as a foot in the door for reform, but that’s only worthwhile if there will be further progress to follow.

Still, the last couple of weeks have been encouraging. In the very last hours of the Democratic majority in Congress, we’ve seen a burst of productivity — and some signs that Obama may prove more aggressive in the next two years of his presidency. I hope so.

Here are a couple of accounts of what’s happened and what may be to come from the Atlantic Monthly.

The Most Productive Lame Duck Since WWII — and Maybe Ever

It didn’t just feel like the lame duck session of Congress got an unusual amount done. It’s a fact, say congressional observers.

The Return of Barack Obama, Economic Populist

As he heads to Hawaii, Obama sounds like he’s looking for a fight.