http://www.dailykos.com/story/2009/3/2/93722/39975/501/690044
Mon Mar 02, 2009 at 06:37:22 AM PST
Note: This is an occasional update of the original diary on the same subject.
OK, I have no idea whether the St. Petersburg Times trends progressive, conservative, neutral or whatever, so I can't say how biased/unbiased this is.
What I can say is that it's a pretty cool concept!
The Obameter: Tracking Obama's Campaign Promises
PolitiFact has compiled about 500 promises that Barack Obama made during the campaign and is tracking their progress on our Obameter. We rate their status as No Action, In the Works or Stalled. Once we find action is completed, we rate them Promise Kept, Compromise or Promise Broken.
So, in the first 40 days of Obama's presidency, according to this site, Obama has already fully kept 16 promises, has 28 others in the works, and has compromised on 6. PolitiFact also claims that he's broken 2 promises (more on this below).
In other words, he's already either completed or made serious progress on 46.5* of his campaign promises. Out of 510 total promises, that's 9.1% of them!!**
Considering that 40 days / 1,460 = 2.74%, that means that at this rate, he'll complete every single item on his checklist in just 440 days, or around late April, 2010!!
OK, yeah, I don't see that happening either, but he's still off to a hell of a start...
*(Assumes 1/2 point for compromises).
**(Alternate score: if you also assign a half point for those "in the works", that's 33/510, or 6.5%, still pretty impressive!)
(NOTE: In a previous update, I noted that PolitiFact had mentioned that the stimulus bill could potentially fulfill as many as 50 promises in one shot. However, they aren't officially counting these until they're actually enacted in some way, so I'm going back to the more solid numbers going forward).
For those who don't want to read the whole thing, here's their current tally:
PROMISES ALREADY KEPT:
#15: Create a foreclosure prevention fund for homeowners
#40: Extend and index the 2007 Alternative Minimum Tax patch
#58: Expand eligibility for State Children's Health Insurance Fund (SCHIP)
#125: Direct military leaders to end war in Iraq
#134: Send two additional brigades to Afghanistan
#239: Release presidential records
#241: Require new hires to sign a form affirming their hiring was not due to political affiliation or contributions.
#278: Remove more brush, small trees and vegetation that fuel wildfires
#307: Create a White House Office on Urban Policy
#327: Support increased funding for the NEA
#411: Work to overturn Ledbetter vs. Goodyear
#427: Ban lobbyist gifts to executive employees
#452: Weatherize 1 million homes per year
#458: Invest in all types of alternative energy
#503: Appoint at least one Republican to the cabinet
#507: Extend unemployment insurance benefits and temporarily suspend taxes on these benefits
PROMISES COMPROMISED ON OR STALLED:
#3: Eliminate capital gains taxes for small businesses and start-ups
#5: Expand the earned income tax credit
#32: Create a tax credit of $500 for workers
#240: Tougher rules against revolving door for lobbyists and former officials
#257: Create the American Opportunity Tax Credit to offset college costs
#434: Set a three-month moratorium on foreclosures
#508: Allow penalty-free hardship withdrawals from retirement accounts in 2008 and 2009
IN THE WORKS:
#1: Increase the capital gains and dividends taxes for higher-income taxpayers
#27: Change standards for determining broadband access
#38: Repeal the Bush tax cuts for higher incomes
#39: Phase out exemptions and deductions for higher earners
#59: Invest in electronic health information systems
#84: Double federal funding for cancer research
#114: Reduce the Veterans Benefits Administration claims backlog
#126: Begin removing combat brigades from Iraq
#128: Launch robust diplomatic effort with Iraq and its neighbors
#135: Increase the size of the Army and Marine Corps
#175: End the use of torture
#176: End the use of extreme rendition
#177: Close the Guantanamo Bay Detention Center
#178: Develop an alternative to President Bush's Military Commissions Act on handling detainees
#203: Develop a comprehensive cyber security and response strategy
#313: Allow bankruptcy judges to modify terms of a home mortgage
#373: Encourage community service through online outreach and social networking
#392: Expand broadband's reach
#393: Double federal funding for basic science research over 10 years
#405: Create White House performance team and chief performance officer
#421: Appoint an American Indian policy adviser
#449: Raise fuel economy standards
#455: Work with UN on climate change
#463: Require more energy-efficient appliances
#469: Require federal fleet to be half hybrids or electrical cars
#476: Modernize the nation's electricity grid and use "smart grid" practices
#502: Get his daughters a puppy
As for the two campaign promises that PolitiFact claims he's broken, they would be:
#234: Allow five days of public comment before signing bills
#505: Create a $3,000 tax credit for companies that add jobs
I'm willing to cut Obama some slack on these two, since the first one seemed a bit unnecessary anyway, and the second one was one he tried hard on but which got squashed by Congress, but if I'm gonna use PolitiFact to tout his successes, I suppose I should be fair and admit a demerit for this one. Of course, if Obama does stick to the 5-day policy for the rest of his term, and/or ever does get the business tax credit through, I would expect PolitiFact to list them as at least a "Compromise" at some point.
Mon Mar 02, 2009 at 06:37:22 AM PST
Note: This is an occasional update of the original diary on the same subject.
OK, I have no idea whether the St. Petersburg Times trends progressive, conservative, neutral or whatever, so I can't say how biased/unbiased this is.
What I can say is that it's a pretty cool concept!
The Obameter: Tracking Obama's Campaign Promises
PolitiFact has compiled about 500 promises that Barack Obama made during the campaign and is tracking their progress on our Obameter. We rate their status as No Action, In the Works or Stalled. Once we find action is completed, we rate them Promise Kept, Compromise or Promise Broken.
So, in the first 40 days of Obama's presidency, according to this site, Obama has already fully kept 16 promises, has 28 others in the works, and has compromised on 6. PolitiFact also claims that he's broken 2 promises (more on this below).
In other words, he's already either completed or made serious progress on 46.5* of his campaign promises. Out of 510 total promises, that's 9.1% of them!!**
Considering that 40 days / 1,460 = 2.74%, that means that at this rate, he'll complete every single item on his checklist in just 440 days, or around late April, 2010!!
OK, yeah, I don't see that happening either, but he's still off to a hell of a start...
*(Assumes 1/2 point for compromises).
**(Alternate score: if you also assign a half point for those "in the works", that's 33/510, or 6.5%, still pretty impressive!)
(NOTE: In a previous update, I noted that PolitiFact had mentioned that the stimulus bill could potentially fulfill as many as 50 promises in one shot. However, they aren't officially counting these until they're actually enacted in some way, so I'm going back to the more solid numbers going forward).
For those who don't want to read the whole thing, here's their current tally:
PROMISES ALREADY KEPT:
#15: Create a foreclosure prevention fund for homeowners
#40: Extend and index the 2007 Alternative Minimum Tax patch
#58: Expand eligibility for State Children's Health Insurance Fund (SCHIP)
#125: Direct military leaders to end war in Iraq
#134: Send two additional brigades to Afghanistan
#239: Release presidential records
#241: Require new hires to sign a form affirming their hiring was not due to political affiliation or contributions.
#278: Remove more brush, small trees and vegetation that fuel wildfires
#307: Create a White House Office on Urban Policy
#327: Support increased funding for the NEA
#411: Work to overturn Ledbetter vs. Goodyear
#427: Ban lobbyist gifts to executive employees
#452: Weatherize 1 million homes per year
#458: Invest in all types of alternative energy
#503: Appoint at least one Republican to the cabinet
#507: Extend unemployment insurance benefits and temporarily suspend taxes on these benefits
PROMISES COMPROMISED ON OR STALLED:
#3: Eliminate capital gains taxes for small businesses and start-ups
#5: Expand the earned income tax credit
#32: Create a tax credit of $500 for workers
#240: Tougher rules against revolving door for lobbyists and former officials
#257: Create the American Opportunity Tax Credit to offset college costs
#434: Set a three-month moratorium on foreclosures
#508: Allow penalty-free hardship withdrawals from retirement accounts in 2008 and 2009
IN THE WORKS:
#1: Increase the capital gains and dividends taxes for higher-income taxpayers
#27: Change standards for determining broadband access
#38: Repeal the Bush tax cuts for higher incomes
#39: Phase out exemptions and deductions for higher earners
#59: Invest in electronic health information systems
#84: Double federal funding for cancer research
#114: Reduce the Veterans Benefits Administration claims backlog
#126: Begin removing combat brigades from Iraq
#128: Launch robust diplomatic effort with Iraq and its neighbors
#135: Increase the size of the Army and Marine Corps
#175: End the use of torture
#176: End the use of extreme rendition
#177: Close the Guantanamo Bay Detention Center
#178: Develop an alternative to President Bush's Military Commissions Act on handling detainees
#203: Develop a comprehensive cyber security and response strategy
#313: Allow bankruptcy judges to modify terms of a home mortgage
#373: Encourage community service through online outreach and social networking
#392: Expand broadband's reach
#393: Double federal funding for basic science research over 10 years
#405: Create White House performance team and chief performance officer
#421: Appoint an American Indian policy adviser
#449: Raise fuel economy standards
#455: Work with UN on climate change
#463: Require more energy-efficient appliances
#469: Require federal fleet to be half hybrids or electrical cars
#476: Modernize the nation's electricity grid and use "smart grid" practices
#502: Get his daughters a puppy
As for the two campaign promises that PolitiFact claims he's broken, they would be:
#234: Allow five days of public comment before signing bills
#505: Create a $3,000 tax credit for companies that add jobs
I'm willing to cut Obama some slack on these two, since the first one seemed a bit unnecessary anyway, and the second one was one he tried hard on but which got squashed by Congress, but if I'm gonna use PolitiFact to tout his successes, I suppose I should be fair and admit a demerit for this one. Of course, if Obama does stick to the 5-day policy for the rest of his term, and/or ever does get the business tax credit through, I would expect PolitiFact to list them as at least a "Compromise" at some point.
