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PROMISES

How Many Campaign Promises Has Obama Kept?

45% of them, claims Politifact. But others say 15% is more like it.

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by Mary Noble

Senior Editor t

Image: AP

Obama has kept 45% of his campaign promises in his first term, according to the fact-checkers at Politifact. He's broken 22% of his promises, and compromised on 24%.

Obama has ended the Iraq war, ended torture, introduced new financial regulations, and signed healthcare reform, says Politifact.

He's failed to close Guantanamo, to restrict revolving-door lobbyists, and to bring Republicans and Democrats together.

The Washington Post gives Obama a much lower score on campaign pledges kept - they claim he's achieved only 2 out of 12 major campaign promises - ending the Iraq war and bringing diversity to the Supreme Court.

WaPo gives Obama partial credit for some other major pledges: financial reform, healthcare reform, improving US standing overseas, making government more transparent, and ending the Afghan war. (Some would quibble with whether Obama has even "partially achieved" the last few objectives.) And WaPo gives the POTUS a fail grade on the economy and Guantanamo.

Via Politifact and the Washington Post.
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Comments (view in Forum)

  • PolitixMary K
    Mary Noble, Senior Editor
    !
    That's a great idea! I've now included DADT in the poll, if you'd like to vote. I don't know why I overlooked it to begin with.

  • View all 6 replies >

  • PoliticalSpice
    !
    The article left out that he promised to he would go into Pakistan if necessary without permission to get Bin Laden, something he was strongly criticized for saying during the campaign, a goal he acheived.

    It also left put he failed to keep his promise not to renew the Patriot Act, perhaps the most important promise that he broke.
  • PayThatCEO
    !
    Makes me wonder WHY he renewed the Patriot Act. Could an even larger power be in control of this?

    If he promised and failed at such a offer, let's ask ourselves who or what persuaded him to change his mind.
  • PayThatCEO
    !
    @harold_lloyd

    In the case of campaigning, Obama would be no different from any candidate. But I'm still curious as to what influences within the military and White House might have made him change his mind once he was elected.
  • PoliticalSpice
    !
    @PayThatCEO
    Sorry for the late reply. I found this message with a bunch of messages in my bulk mail I hadn't received in my regular in box.

    Well certianly influence and pressure from the militrary and intelligence community was brought to bear, they always see a need for such solutions. This legislation was sitting there ready to go, that is why it happened so fast, they tried to get this type of thing after oklahoma city but republicans, who supported it this time cause it came from a republican administration, opposed it then because they recognized it as a threat to and because a democrat was in the white house.

    As to why he did it, like I said pressure was brought to bear, but also, when one is in the white house themselves they look at things very differently. After all, they are for a time, the ones who have the option to use all the legal tools provided by the law they once opposed, and they don't want to
    losr that power. This is one of the things hoover relied on to continue illegal surveillance and political spying from administration to administration...
  • methinks
    !
    @PayThatCEO Most likely, he wasn't aware of many things before taking the oath in 2009. There is information out there that ONLY the POTUS can see, not even POTUS-elect. I'm sure that's why Gitmo wasn't shut down and Afghanistan was ramped up. He just didn't have all the information. After the inauguration in 2009, an envelope with a note stating "44" was left on the Resolute Desk. No one knows what information was passed onto Obama from Bush.

    This is true for any incoming president.

  • View all 14 replies >

  • u
    XLP
    !
    Who can tell? He is all over the place. But you can not blame Obama. Ha was elected. If you voted for him once..shame on you. If you did it twice...hit yourself in the face.
  • DARSB
    !
    With the GOP (Gaggle of Obstructionist Politicians) in control of the House and filibustering at historic rates in the Senate I'm amazed anything got done.
  • harold_lloyd
    !
    Yeah, that's got to change.
    And I think you will see that happen, because the GOP leadership is getting over their fear of the radical right.
  • u
    BelinKS
    !
    He actually hasn't completely ended it. As long as our troops are on Iraqi soil, then it's not ended. As far as ending the war in Afghanistan, those are just words right now. He has not ended it yet. As for transparency, he's as transparent as a brick wall. As for bringing democrats and republicans together, I've never seen a wider divide. He and the democrat ruled senate may have well said "nanny nanny boo boo". Giving nothing to republicans until his last minute fiscal deal that didn't really cover it and is only good for two months. Thank God he had Hillary Clinton! If not he would have alienated almost every country by acting like Bertha Better Than You. He sat back and let Americans in Benghazi get slaughtered.(and don't say that was the defense departments deal. Obama already admitted he knew they were asking for more security and he refused to act!). He sort of kept a campaign promise to illegal immigrants, but those are just words right now too. He seems to have forgotten about the people on a waiting list trying to come here legally.
    I really can't find any of the campaign promises that I can remember that he fully kept.
  • u
    IMAQT
    !
    We still have tens of thousands of troops in Germany and Japan. Why do we still have troops there, 68 years after the war ended? It certainly is not in defense of our country. And we still haven't brought our troops home from the Korean war where we have secured their border, but can't secure ours. It is well pass time to bring our troops home.
  • PoliticalSpice
    !
    @IMAQT the reason we have military bases in those other countries is political. It is to project military power for the benefit of multi-national u.s. based corporations, to remind countries we can invade at will and intimidate other countries into mot, for example, nationalizing copper, as chile did before the cia brought there elected government down.

    All u.s. military bases outside the u.s. should be closed. There are over 100 such bases. It is disgusting, anti-liberty, and against the origininal principles espoused by the founders to avoid foriegn entanglements. Closing them and bringing the military personal back would save tons of money. We could divide that money 50/50 to provide jobs and fund needed infastructure and to pay down the debt.
  • u
    BelinKS
    !
    @IMAQT
    I'm not sure why there are troops in Germany, maybe the Russian threat. As for Japan, we may need the naval support that adds because of North Korea. That war between North Korea and South Korea never ended. Just a cease fire. We promised South Korea that we would be with them. North Korea inches closer to full on attack every day. They have already lobbed missles at a South Korean Island and torpedoed a South Korean fishing vessel that was in South Korean water and sunk it, killing all onboard. I fully support us being in South Korea. South Korea's border is only secure because US troops are there. Also South Korea wants us there. Iraq and Afghanistan don't!
  • u
    BelinKS
    !
    @PoliticalSpice
    You already know my views on Iraq and Afghanistan. Obama has been in office for four years and yet we're still there. It would be great to get out of there and quit giving Pakastan billions for their unreliable routes. You can read my other comment to remind you of the rest. I have not found what before you said were 120 countries and now say are 100; I can't find anywhere near those numbers.

  • View all 35 replies >

  • PolitixMary K
    Mary Noble, Senior Editor
    !
    Hey @RobertJHarsh, There is in fact a "none of the above" option, color-coded red. I try to make sure we don't forget that option in our polls :)
  • bsking
    !
    He didn't end the war in Iraq. the idiot Joe Biden failed to negotiate a troop presence and we were kicked out of Iraq in shame.

    Iraq is even now being taken over by al Qaeda.

    All the blood in Treasure for naught.

    Bars I can tell the only thing he's kept his word about is raising everyone's taxes and destroying,... fundamentally changing, our once great and proud nation.
  • u
    jules61
    !
    Good bye to our wonderful country. We loved you. Excuse me, can we bring back RWR. even dead he would be a better more effective president.
  • Post Removed by Moderators
  • u
    akita96th
    !
    He said he would not raise taxes on middle to low income earners...Yup...Just look at your pay check now...I take home $30 less a week now thanks to his no tax lie...He said he was going to raise taxes on the rich ..That never happened and never will its the working poor who always pay the bills and get nothing in return....He is a typical lie and get elected politician he is bought and paid for just like ol GW was. He has done nothing to keep our freedoms intact he still votes yes for swat teams to kick you door in ransack your house without a warrant and drag you to jail in the name of national security..Watch out for the rhetorical battle cry every time they wave that flag another freedom is abolished..Now he wants our guns..You didn't hear him running on that issue did ya if he had he would have lost.