So did Kagan and Sotomayor just sneak into the SCOTUS an no one asked them to leave?
Sure, and only achieved by Obama playing next level games via fossil fuels to weaken all sides (Iran, Saudi Arabia, Israel) economically to the point where Iran needed to capitulate and the disenters could only bitch so much for fear of further marginalization. It, along with the handicapping of Russia economically to prevent further expansionism, should go down as the masterstrokes of Obama's foreign policy resulting in substantial disentanglement of the U.S. from foreign affairs.
But his loading of the lower benches with progressive judges, stacking the decks for all future nominations, while also appointing two young, progressive judges himself was. He's set the table for all of this and someone was going to die eventually. He's stacked the future deck of nominees so well that even finding another Scalia who has the credentials will be increasing tough for any future GOP POTUS. Back him up with 4-8 years of Clinton and there might not be a high ranking federal judge in the nation who still clings to the conservative side of constitutional interpretation.
And building the economy back took a hell of a lot more than the bailout, which was basically just the fall arrest harness for someone falling off a roof.
It isn't perfect, but 17 million people who had literally no coverage now have something. That is a huge first step. Also, depending on who you ask the ACA is either the gateway to a more robust marketplace based system that will eventually get everyone covered or the poison pill that will expose the structural problems in the healthcare system and escalate the need for, if nothing else, a single payer option.
It isn't perfect, but it's damn good and perfect wasn't on the menu.
Then you should go read up on it and the CFPB, both are huge wins for the general citizenry and financial regulation without resorting to extreme and likely unnecessary actions like blanket anti-trust breakups for every major bank.
