2012 U.S. Presidency

[DeletedUser]

Obama actually has been about 50/50 with the promises he made while campaigning, he has just been failing with the choices of which promises to keep, in my opinion.

Hmm, Politifact provides a clearer picture of promises kept and broken, which firmly debunks your 50/50 claim:

http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/promises/obameter/

http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/promises/gop-pledge-o-meter/

Now, it must be said the GOP provided only 57 promises since 2010, as compared to Obama's 508 promises since 2008. Obama provided almost 10 times more promises than the GOP. Now, let's review the numbers, rather than merely the misleading tactic of arguing percentages:

Promises Kept: GOP = 10 vs Obama = 182. A 1:18 ratio.
Not that good for GOP, with only one kept promise for every 18 promises kept by Obama.

Promises In the Works: GOP = 14 vs Obama = 134. A 2:19 ratio.
Still not that good for GOP, with only two promises in the works for every 19 promises in the works by Obama.​

Let's add an additional bit of information: The GOP being considered in these promises, consists of all the GOP Representatives and Senators in Congress, as opposed to One man in the White House. Not only is that so few promises for so many, but so poor a track record considering they control the House of Representatives and have swing capacity in the Senate.

And now let's demonstrate how Obama has "worked" with the GOP, through presentation of compromises:

Compromises: GOP = 1 vs Obama = 58. A surprising 1:58 ratio.
Yes, Obama compromised on 58 of his promises, to get things addressed and passed through a hostile Congress, as opposed to the GOP compromising only once. And what did the GOP compromise on? Webcasting of committee meetings. They are now webcast, but no transcript is provided. I hardly call that a compromise.​

Now for the broken: Promises broken by GOP = 2, vs Obama = 69. That's a heartbreak to Democrats, no doubt, but then we examine one of the two promises broken by the GOP --- "Will not bundle bills into 'must-pass' legislation." This broken promise is exactly what I was referring to in my earlier post <click here>, in which the GOP repeatedly (and still) bundles bills into 'must-pass' legislation, thus resulting in promises broken by Obama specifically BECAUSE the GOP directly caused such promises to be broken (such as the continuation of Bush's wealthy tax cut, which was bundled with necessary employment/unemployment funding bills).

These are the core issues here on the reasons why many promises have not been fulfilled by Obama --- GOP obstructionism and national sabotage through political shenanigans (record filibusters, bill bundling, etc). Thus, while it is correct to recognize Obama for his accomplishments (182 kept, 58 compromises, 134 in the works = 74%) it is grossly improper to argue Obama's fail promise ledger is due to Obama, as it is instead largely due to probably the worst run of GOP officials to hit Congress since the Civil War (do consider GOP Congressional record-low disapproval ratings, so this isn't merely my personal opinion). Indeed, 63 of Obama's promises are presently being stalled, almost exclusively by the GOP, in Congress. Compare this to only 5 GOP promises stalled, two of which are due to no actions committed by the GOP to address them (i.e., no bills or proposals).

I would like to close by pointing out, despite the record number of GOP filibusters, the GOP bundling of bills into 'must pass' legislation, and the corporate-backed smear campaign (inclusive of FOX news' four minute anti-Obama ad), it is incredible Obama has been able to fulfill 182 promises (plus compromised on 58 promises, thus having successfully addressed 240 promises, and don't forget the additional 134 still in the works). It is indisputable, 182 fulfilled promises is more than ANY U.S. President in history during their 1st term in office.

Hard facts to swallow, I'm sure.

 

[DeletedUser]

After posting the clear presentation of Obama, who has fulfilled 183 promises and compromised to fulfill 58 more, we can then review Clintons track record, who fulfilled 106 out of 160 of his promises during his first term <click here>. Reviewing other Democratic President's, you'll be surprised to see they, as well posed many promises and fulfilled most (although never as many promised and fulfilled as Obama).

And then, we review Bush Jr's track record, who fulfilled an astonishing ... *drum roll* ... zero. In his first term he made 10 promises, all of which he did not fulfill. And while we can excuse his inability to fulfill promises in his first term due to 9/11 in 2001, there really is no excuse why Bush Jr. couldn't fulfill the 12 promises he made (some reiterated from his previous term) in his 2004 speech at the Republican National Convention. All in all, Bush Jr. posed 18 promises, delivered on none and, in fact, did the exact opposite on most of his promises.

So... how about other Republican Presidents? Reagan posed 12 specific promises, just 12. 10 of them he directly broke, 2 were stalled until his 2nd term. Thus, it could be argued that Reagan fulfilled two promises in 8 years. And then there's Bush Sr., who made the famous "read my lips, no new taxes" promise, which he quickly broke in his 1st and only term. And how about Nixon, with his campaign gimmick of promising to end the Vietnam war?

Historically, Republicans have been notorious for breaking campaign promises. In fact, the last 5 Republican Presidents fulfilled, in total, no more than 4 promises. Ouch! Part of this comes with Republican Presidential candidates working very hard NOT to pose any specific promises, instead posing vague promises like Reagan's promise of an, "era of national renewal." But still -- four ?!?

In stark contrast, Democrats have historically presented specific promises and for the most part delivered. Indeed, it's quite safe to say, when it comes to promises, the Democrats both step up and deliver.

Does this mean I'm for Democrats? Nope, but I'm sure as hell not for Republicans, not with that track record.

So then, here it is. How many promises has Romney presented during his run for Presidency and what was his track record in fulfilling promises during his tenure as Massachusetts Governor? I did the homework and the answer is not good.

Stay tuned.

 

[DeletedUser16008]

Rather than pretending making 500 odd promises that include buying the family dog or having orange juice for breakfast is in the slightest bit relevant. More quality points and promises rather than silly quantity would have been far better.

What really concerns me about Obama is the amount of lobbyists and fund raisers hes dropped into positions.

Such as Appointing Goldman Sachs lobbyist Mark Patterson as chief of staff to treasury secretary Geithner.

Appointing lobbyist Leon Panetta as director of the CIA

Over 200 lobbyists and fundraisers in fact. I would be a little more than concerned about that. Its even less now ( if thats possible ) about whos capable and more about ill scratch your back and you'd better scratch mine.

 

[DeletedUser]

Rather than pretending making 500 odd promises that include buying the family dog or having orange juice for breakfast is in the slightest bit relevant. More qualitys points and promises rather than silly quantity would have been far better.

Mebbe. But quantity is what you can acually measure. There is no measure for quality;it's so subjective that it becomes almost impossible to debate.
I think it's fairer on the voters too if candidates make explicit measurable committments against which their performances can be measured. Otherwise, they're just BS merchants aren't they?

 

[DeletedUser16008]

Agreed but would you not rather have 100 promises of substance, rather than another 400 either pointless and so minor as to be irrelevant or splitting the same subject into many minor promises, so when one is done you can tick 10 to look better ?

They are all just BS merchants to be honest but every 4 years out come the suckers and the BS artists anyway. Don't get me wrong what we have here is no better, just can't get excited by it any more let alone put faith in them.

 

[DeletedUser]

Agreed but would you not rather have 100 promises of substance, rather than another 400 either pointless and so minor as to be irrelevant or splitting the same subject into many minor promises, so when one is done you can tick 10 to look better ?

I don't think I would. I don't see why standing for office should be so different to competing for a sevice contract. You wouldn't want your builder to just quote for a new roof, you'd want materials specified, disposal of waste, minimisation of nuisance etc. etc. That way, when you evaluate the work there is less wriggle room and more accountability. Atm politicians can get away with their vague promises because the devil is in the detail and they can waffle away a wooly manifesto.
Also - it may be more accurate. If a POTUS promised, say, better road safety in every state, but only achieved it in 43 then he would have failed that promise. But if he promised it for each single state as 50 promises, then he would have delivered 86%, which seems to me a fairer reflection of what was achieved.

A pet hate of mine is when politicos blame the previous administration as an excuse for their own failures. I mean, could they really not have foreseen that they would inherit what the incumbents, whom they roundly condemn as incompetents, would leave them?
Doh?

 

[DeletedUser]

Rather than pretending making 500 odd promises that include buying the family dog or having orange juice for breakfast is in the slightest bit relevant.

I've heard this argument in the past. The list of promises was collated by Politifact from his speeches during his campaign trail and also from a book he wrote in 2006. It includes only one odd promise regarding purchasing a dog for his daughters. Politifact thought it prudent to include that promise only because it was a gesture pertaining to Obama not forgetting to be a parent while serving as President. I, personally, would have preferred they left it out, as it became a laughing point for people like you, who use it to try and belittle the issue.

As it is, the bulk of the promises were not actually promises posed by Obama, but instead were excerpts of comments he made in his 2006 book that he mentioned during his campaign, of what the country needs in order to turn around. Politifact nonetheless decided it warranted posing as if he had made promises. I, frankly, think it's a bit unfair to hold it against him, since they were not posed as campaign promises.

Still, it is important to recognize he is, and has been, delivering, which is more than I can say for most other nation leaders, past and present.

What really concerns me about Obama is the amount of lobbyists and fund raisers hes dropped into positions.

The issue of ex-lobbyists being assigned into positions within the government isn't something that agrees with me either, although it should be noted that Obama did pose an executive order preventing any lobbyist (or ex-lobbyist) from participating in anything which is a conflict of interest. They are required to recuse themselves of an such instances.

They are all just BS merchants to be honest but every 4 years out come the suckers and the BS artists anyway. Don't get me wrong what we have here is no better, just can't get excited by it any more let alone put faith in them.

Right, you're jaded. While I do as well have issues with the revolving door policy that seems to exist in governments, of business as usual, I am not blind to the fact this particular administration made ample headway in a multitude of issues. And while it was not able to reverse all of the crap that was instituted during the Bush administration, it took out a pretty good chunk. It even reversed some of the crap posed during the Clinton administration, such as the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy of the U.S. military.

Victor, I'm not going to criticize you for being jaded. I've been on the edge many a time and can sympathize with your leanings, but do consider that you are jaded and thus you're dismissing what has been done in favor of focusing on what hasn't.

 

[DeletedUser17143]

All I'm getting from this is that the US are some sort of amazing superpower with the ability to smite any country off of the earth at the drop of a hat. The reality would be far less favourable for the US. In my own opinion, America could not handle a war on their own soil. The American population is comprised of pampered men and women who have never known hardships. Sure, some remember the war and some even fought in it. But the people have no idea what it is like to actually have your house on the frontline. To not know which day you'll be invaded. Where the bombs will fall next. From experience countries in Europe and Russia have grown up in a world that has not had it easy. All of our countries are scarred by the effects of war. Where I live they still find WWII bombs quite often. In the US you have the craters of two buildings and a ship at the bottom of Pearl Harbour. Wow. America shows it's military strength by bullying countries smaller and far less equipped than they are until they get what they want.

It all comes down to the fact that the US talks a good war, but in the end they never really seem to deliver on the action side. When the US joined WWII the friendly fire rate tripled. Nice one. And you speak as though the US won the war. If any country came out of that war as a winner it was Russia. The war wasn't won by the US. It was a combined effort of many surrounding countries. But in all seriousness, I don't think there is ever a winner in war. Its not so much what we gained from the war as what we lost. And all of Europe suffered a lot worse than the US whilst they stood by thinking they were untouchable on their self made pedestal. But that's just how I see things. The view may be quite different from the back of your high horse up in your ivory tower.

 

[DeletedUser]

All I'm getting from this is that the US are some sort of amazing superpower with the ability to smite any country off of the earth at the drop of a hat. The reality would be far less favourable for the US. In my own opinion, America could not handle a war on their own soil. The American population is comprised of pampered men and women who have never known hardships. Sure, some remember the war and some even fought in it. But the people have no idea what it is like to actually have your house on the frontline. To not know which day you'll be invaded. Where the bombs will fall next. From experience countries in Europe and Russia have grown up in a world that has not had it easy. All of our countries are scarred by the effects of war. Where I live they still find WWII bombs quite often. In the US you have the craters of two buildings and a ship at the bottom of Pearl Harbour. Wow. America shows it's military strength by bullying countries smaller and far less equipped than they are until they get what they want.

It all comes down to the fact that the US talks a good war, but in the end they never really seem to deliver on the action side. When the US joined WWII the friendly fire rate tripled. Nice one. And you speak as though the US won the war. If any country came out of that war as a winner it was Russia. The war wasn't won by the US. It was a combined effort of many surrounding countries. But in all seriousness, I don't think there is ever a winner in war. Its not so much what we gained from the war as what we lost. And all of Europe suffered a lot worse than the US whilst they stood by thinking they were untouchable on their self made pedestal. But that's just how I see things. The view may be quite different from the back of your high horse up in your ivory tower.

Jealous much?

 

[DeletedUser16008]

I don't think I would. I don't see why standing for office should be so different to competing for a sevice contract. You wouldn't want your builder to just quote for a new roof, you'd want materials specified, disposal of waste, minimisation of nuisance etc. etc. That way, when you evaluate the work there is less wriggle room and more accountability. Atm politicians can get away with their vague promises because the devil is in the detail and they can waffle away a wooly manifesto.
Also - it may be more accurate. If a POTUS promised, say, better road safety in every state, but only achieved it in 43 then he would have failed that promise. But if he promised it for each single state as 50 promises, then he would have delivered 86%, which seems to me a fairer reflection of what was achieved.

A pet hate of mine is when politicos blame the previous administration as an excuse for their own failures. I mean, could they really not have foreseen that they would inherit what the incumbents, whom they roundly condemn as incompetents, would leave them?
Doh?

No I don't have to see the breakdown of materials, all i want is the roof fixed and to stop leaking, no point telling me it only leaks in a few places now, nor do you need to be detailed as you eg on road safety overall 86% improvement is fine, to slap yourself on the back by cheering 43 times out of 50 is to my mind egotistical to extreme, but hey ho thats what press offices are for, bigging you up. As for blaming other administrations its just not possible sometimes for a term to fix the crap from previously, it can take a long time but aye i don't like the cop out excuse thats used a a lot either.

I've heard this argument in the past. The list of promises was collated by Politifact from his speeches during his campaign trail and also from a book he wrote in 2006. It includes only one odd promise regarding purchasing a dog for his daughters. Politifact thought it prudent to include that promise only because it was a gesture pertaining to Obama not forgetting to be a parent while serving as President. I, personally, would have preferred they left it out, as it became a laughing point for people like you, who use it to try and belittle the issue.

Ok I picked on the obvious, I didn't put it there but some idiot did, and as for the excuse about it highlighting him as a father etc that for me is a cheap puke moment. Like kissing babys on a campaign, tacky and cheap.

As it is, the bulk of the promises were not actually promises posed by Obama, but instead were excerpts of comments he made in his 2006 book that he mentioned during his campaign, of what the country needs in order to turn around. Politifact nonetheless decided it warranted posing as if he had made promises. I, frankly, think it's a bit unfair to hold it against him, since they were not posed as campaign promises.

Still, it is important to recognize he is, and has been, delivering, which is more than I can say for most other nation leaders, past and present.

I can only speak from outside looking in, Obama himself dosn't carry any weight or by the general non US population is even taken much seriously, we see him as just a puppet token president with a spin on his background suckering everyone in the process but having little substance, real quality or capability.

The issue of ex-lobbyists being assigned into positions within the government isn't something that agrees with me either, although it should be noted that Obama did pose an executive order preventing any lobbyist (or ex-lobbyist) from participating in anything which is a conflict of interest. They are required to recuse themselves of an such instances.

And I would like to bet that no one that breaks it has or will be prosecuted, sorry I don't buy it for a second, once a salesman always a salesman. Lip service token rules not regulated nor policed, just as the financial thieves have all walked away.

Right, you're jaded. While I do as well have issues with the revolving door policy that seems to exist in governments, of business as usual, I am not blind to the fact this particular administration made ample headway in a multitude of issues. And while it was not able to reverse all of the crap that was instituted during the Bush administration, it took out a pretty good chunk. It even reversed some of the crap posed during the Clinton administration, such as the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy of the U.S. military.

Victor, I'm not going to criticize you for being jaded. I've been on the edge many a time and can sympathize with your leanings, but do consider that you are jaded and thus you're dismissing what has been done in favor of focusing on what hasn't.

Like i said its not always possible to clear up all the crap in one term. However here is a president that continues to strip away your constitution and your freedoms. The reforms hes made are small potatoes in comparison to the world sized ones he inherited and hasn't done anything I've seen to make a dent in them...eg guantanamo bay still open ?

Ill also admit I was furious to see Obama get the Nobel peace prize instead of rightly refusing it as he should... talk about conceited, from that moment on my apathy of him turned to dislike, further compounded by his shady personal background, not that it matters where he originates from but rather the BS trying to spin it and cover it... if he had honour and pride all that would have come out and said quite rightly it has nothing to do with delivering the goods.... but he didnt.

Your deficit is growing your overseas image is still in tatters, nothing has changed visibly nor economically. The US economy is bleeding into the waters and the smell of blood is still getting stronger, soon the sharks will return in bigger numbers and I see nothing in Obama or to be fair any policy or party there with an answer other than lets bleed it some more... if you get my drift.

If I had to try and nail it down ? To me he just dosn't come across as a leader of men let alone a nation. As for Micky mouse Romney ? meh is all i have to say to that option....America is well and truly stuffed, until further notice I will it seems stay jaded.

 

[DeletedUser]

Hi yidboi, not sure why you're rambling on about that, but it's not on topic so I'm not going to bother replying to your U.S. hating post.

No I don't have to see the breakdown of materials, all i want is the roof fixed and to stop leaking, no point telling me it only leaks in a few places now, nor do you need to be detailed as you eg on road safety overall 86% improvement is fine, to slap yourself on the back by cheering 43 times out of 50 is to my mind egotistical to extreme, but hey ho thats what press offices are for, bigging you up. As for blaming other administrations its just not possible sometimes for a term to fix the crap from previously, it can take a long time but aye i don't like the cop out excuse thats used a a lot either.

This is the misstep in understanding the issues. The scene of pointing at the previous administration is an effort to remind people of where the problems started in the first place, because propagandists are trying to blame the present administration for the actions of the previous administration.

It's ironic really, when you hear people saying, "i hate it when try to lay the blame on the previous administration," but their knee-jerk actions are to blame the present administration for what was initiated in the previous administration. So let's see if we can understand this. JackA does something wrong, JoeB takes over to fix the wrong, everyone blames JoeB for what JackA did, and then when JoeB corrects them, they yell out, "stop blaming JackA, you're in power now."

It's so idiotic, it's not even laughable, it's sad. Actions by administrations lasts for years and the actions of the Bush Jr. administration caused such tremendous harm (as I've evidenced in multiple earlier posts in the D&D section) that it will take decades to fix some of the more damaging actions, such as the deficit (longer still when you have a floundering political party attempting to reassert themselves through obstructionism).

Ok I picked on the obvious, I didn't put it there but some idiot did, and as for the excuse about it highlighting him as a father etc that for me is a cheap puke moment. Like kissing babys on a campaign, tacky and cheap.

But irrelevant and only one out of 508, so very disproportionate in the amount of attention you're giving it.

It is, in fact, quite telling when you focus on something like that, rather than examine what Obama has accomplished in his 3 years in office.

I can only speak from outside looking in, Obama himself dosn't carry any weight or by the general non US population is even taken much seriously, we see him as just a puppet token president with a spin on his background suckering everyone in the process but having little substance, real quality or capability.

No, you're not speaking for the non-U.S. population, you're just speaking for yourself. Let's not bloat your importance here.

Like i said its not always possible to clear up all the crap in one term. However here is a president that continues to strip away your constitution and your freedoms. The reforms hes made are small potatoes in comparison to the world sized ones he inherited and hasn't done anything I've seen to make a dent in them...eg guantanamo bay still open ?

Obama repeatedly attempted to remove Guantanamo Bay, but has been repeatedly thwarted by Congress. You need to understand something here Victor, the U.S. President is not a supreme dictator. His authority is of the Executive Branch of a three part government. The greater power lays with Congress, which consists of 100 Senators and 435 Representatives. So, it is a failure to understand the tri-power structure of the U.S. government when you try and blame everything on the President.

The rest of your post is metaphorical editorializing, I won't address it.

 

[DeletedUser16008]

Naa im not misunderstanding anything, I happen to agree just not the kind of person to count every single daisy I avoid tripping over and get kudos for it. I know how time works and what it needs to fix an economic disaster, people are just dumb and have no staying power so easy in a few years to spin, even though itll take a decade to fix. In short they become bored of fasting and want to binge like before, even if the intention of the required fast is to allow a steady healthy diet they still want to binge. Problem is no ones fasting at all yet anyway.

Im really not going to debate Obama's capability with you, I just don't see a leader thats all, and no i'm not speaking for myself when I say he's not really taken seriously. You get a sense of the power of a man and how he's viewed quite easily and so does the general population. After 4 years I can say hes just seen as being weak.

He promised a lot, very vocally, very positively and very internationally. Possibly more than any previous candidate. Certainly used the internet and you tube masterfully with his speeches etc. Big mistake to crow so loud and not just as visibly make that change he shouted about all the time... what change ?

Unfortunately I have to tell you it was a mistake to be so vocal, visible and then not deliver ( able or not is irrelevant )on Guananamo. That was his watershed moment, its shown him to be powerless and the world knows it. You know Obama had people lining the streets in countries when he toured some just after being elected ? well they do not exist now. So don't tell me it's just a personal view I have of him ( not that I believed he was gods gift in the first place ) its very easy to see. He's not really talked about, he's not revered any longer, hes not the great black hope. Hes simply seen now as just another politician spanking the podium and talking a good job. Certainly Internationally I don't think the "Image" of the man and the reality "of" the man has improved US overseas relations other than a sigh of at least theres not a nutter in the seat, weak and powerless but not a nutter.

I don't pretend to understand your congress and system etc but theres a lot of excuses used yet stuff pushed through. Im sure there is a presidential power he could invoke if so chosen. One I believe Mr bush put in place maybe that Obama used on 31st December that he had previously said he would never do ? Sorry HS but when hypocracy runs so high as in that a president can strip away your rights on one hand but cannot shut a torture camp he promised to I don't think hes fit to run anything. Its that simple, for a large % of the world judging this mans metal was closing Guantanamo, that was his promise, he failed and excuses are not required just the truth that the torture camps still exist today.

Oh one other little thing that really bugged me when he came into office. He had the opportunity to enforce the "change" he'd been crowing about and yet half his staff were the same old tat from the bush administration... that was when i was sure Obama was just another puppet.

 

[DeletedUser]

Right, unfortunately Victor, all you've demonstrated is that you're a sucker for the GOP spin, the propaganda. Let's cover what Obama has succeeded in doing and you'll see that you've been swallowing a lot of falsehoods:

• Extend child tax credits and marriage-penalty fixes
• Create an advanced manufacturing fund to invest in peer-reviewed manufacturing processes
• Increased minority access to capital
• Require economic justification for tax changes
• Impemented "women owned business" contracting program
• Changed standards for determining broadband access
• Created a consumer-friendly credit card rating system
• Established a credit card bill of rights
• Expanded loan programs for small businesses
• Extended the Bush tax cuts for lower incomes
• Extended and index the 2007 Alternative Minimum Tax patch
• Closed the "doughnut hole" in Medicare prescription drug plan
• Expanded the Senior Corps volunteer program
• Required insurance companies to cover pre-existing conditions
• Gave tax credits to those who need help to pay health premiums
• Required large employers to contribute to a national health plan
• Required children to have health insurance coverage
• Expanded eligibility for Medicaid
• Expanded eligibility for State Children's Health Insurance Fund (SCHIP)
• Required health plans to disclose how much of the premium goes to patient care
• Established an independent health institute to provide accurate and objective information
• Implemented and fund proven health intervention programs
• In non-competitive markets, forced insurers to pay out a reasonable share of their premiums for patient care
• Eliminated the higher subsidies to Medicare Advantage plans
• Expanded funding to train primary care providers and public health practitioners
• Increased funding to expand community based prevention programs
• Reinstated executive order to hire an additional 100,000 federal employees with disabilities within five years.
• Created a best practices list for private businesses in accommodating workers with disabilities
• Launched educational initiative for employers on tax benefits of hiring employees with disabilities
• Increased the Veterans Administration budget to recruit and retain more mental health professionals
• Expanded Veterans Centers in rural areas
• Fully funded the Veterans Administration
• Assured that the Veterans Administration budget is prepared as 'must-pass' legislation
• Expanded the Veterans Administration's number of "centers of excellence" in specialty care
• Expanded housing vouchers program for homeless veterans
• Launched a supportive services-housing program for veterans to prevent homelessness
• Appointed a special adviser to the president on violence against women
• Fully funded the Violence Against Women Act
• Directed military leaders to end war in Iraq
• Began removing combat brigades from Iraq
• No permanent bases in Iraq
• Provided $30 billion over 10 years to Israel
• Sent two additional brigades to Afghanistan
• Increased the size of the Army and Marine Corps
• Increased special operations forces and civil affairs
• Created a military families advisory board
• Made military deployments predictable for troops and families
• Ended the "Stop-loss" program of forcing troops to stay in service beyond their expected commitments
• Made National Guard leader a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
• Strengthened and expand military exchange programs with other countries
• Made greater investment in advanced military air technology
• Ended the abuse of supplemental budgets for war
• Increased non-military aid to Afghanistan by $1 billion
• Made U.S. military aid to Pakistan conditional on anti-terror efforts
• Opened "America Houses" in Islamic cities around the globe
• Ended the use of torture
• Allocated Homeland Security funding according to risk
• Created a real National Infrastructure Protection Plan
• Increased funding for local emergency planning
• Seeked verifiable reductions in nuclear stockpiles
• Extended monitoring and verification provisions of the START I Treaty
• Stood down nuclear forces to be reduced under the Moscow Treaty
• Organized successful Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference in 2010
• Appointed a White House Coordinator for Nuclear Security
• Expanded federal bioforensics program for tracking biological weapons
• Initiated a grant and training program for law enforcement to deter cyber crime
• Improved relations with Turkey, and its relations with Iraqi Kurds
• Launched an international Add Value to Agriculture Initiative (AVTA)
• Created a rapid response fund for emerging democracies
• Granted Americans unrestricted rights to visit family and send money to Cuba
• Restored funding for the Byrne Justice Assistance Grant (Byrne/JAG) program
• Established an Energy Partnership for the Americas
• Expanded the Nurse-Family Partnership to all low-income, first-time mothers
• Centralized ethics and lobbying information for voters
• Required Cabinet officials to host Internet town hall meetings
• Released presidential records
• Required new hires to sign a form affirming their hiring was not due to political affiliation or contributions.
• Promoted more pre-school education
• Provided affordable, high-quality child care
• Reformed No Child Left Behind
• Recruited math and science degree graduates to the teaching profession
• Expanded teacher mentoring programs and provide incentives for more planning time
• Promoted innovative ways to reward good teachers
• Reduced subsidies to private student lenders and protect student borrowers
• Improved water quality
• Encouraged water-conservation efforts in the West
• Increased funding for national parks and forests
• Increased funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund
• Encouraged farmers to use more renewable energy and be more energy efficient
• Expanded Pell grants for low-income students
• Created a community college partnership program
• Pursued a wildfire management plan
• Removed more brush, small trees and vegetation that fuel wildfires
• More controlled burns to reduce wildfires
• Increased funding for progams that conserve lands and habitat for select species such as the Osceola turkey
• Expanded access to places to hunt and fish
• Pushed for enactment of Matthew Shepard Act, which expands hate crime law to include sexual orientation and other factors
• Repealed "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy
• Restored funding to the EEOC and the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs
• Reformed mandatory minimum sentences
• Created a White House Office on Urban Policy
• Fully funded the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG)
• Supported regional innovation clusters
• Established program to convert manufacturing centers into clean technology leaders
• Created a Homeowner Obligation Made Explicit (HOME) score for mortgage comparisons
• Established 'Promise Neighborhoods' for areas of concentrated poverty
• Expanded public/private partnerships between schools and arts organizations
• Created an artist corps for schools
• Supported increased funding for the NEA
• Promoted cultural diplomacy
• Added another Space Shuttle flight
• Used the private sector to improve spaceflight
• Worked with international allies on space station
• Partnered to enhance the potential of the International Space Station
• Used the International Space Station for fundamental biological and physical research
• Explored whether International Space Station can operate after 2016
• Conducted robust research and development on future space missions
• Increased spending to prepare for longer space missions
• Worked toward deploying a global climate change research and monitoring system
• Improved climate change data records
• Enhanced earth mapping
• Appointed an assistant to the president for science and technology policy
• Supported commercial access to space
• Established school programs to highlight space and science achievements
• Strengthened the levees in New Orleans
• Established special crime programs for the New Orleans area
• Rebuilt schools in New Orleans
• Funded a major expansion of AmeriCorps
• Created a Social Investment Fund Network
• Bolstered the military's ability to speak different languages
• Opened new consulates "in the tough and hopeless corners of the world"
• Appointed the nation's first Chief Technology Officer
• Provided grants to early-career researchers
• Strengthened antitrust enforcement
• Protected American intellectual property abroad
• Reformed the patent system
• Attracted more students to science and math
• Increased efforts to reduce unintended pregnancy
• Created White House performance team and chief performance officer
• Worked to overturn Ledbetter vs. Goodyear
• Stopped the development of new nuclear weapons
• Created a national declassification center
• Appointed an American Indian policy adviser
• Created new financial regulations
• Increased funding for land-grant colleges
• Banned lobbyist gifts to executive employees
• Signed a "universal" health care bill
• Created new criminal penalties for mortgage fraud
• Required 10 percent renewable energy by 2012
• Released oil from Strategic Petroleum Reserve
• Raised fuel economy standards
• Worked to build natural gas pipeline from Alaska
• Invested in all types of alternative energy
• Enacted tax credit for consumers for plug-in hybrid cars
• Required more energy-efficient appliances
• Created a 'Green Vet Initiative' to promote environmental jobs for veterans
• Created job training programs for clean technologies
• Required states to provide incentives for utilities to reduce energy consumption
• Supported high-speed rail
• Supported airline service in small towns
• Invested in public transportation
• Equalized tax breaks for driving and public transit
• Seeked more accommodations of bicycles and pedestrians
• Helped states and localities address sprawl
• Shared enviromental technology with other countries
• Doubled federal spending for research on clean fuels
• Provided grants to encourage energy-efficient building codes
• Increased funding for the Environmental Protection Agency
• Fully funded federal contribution to the preservation of the Everglades
• Raised the small business investment expensing limit to $250,000 through the end of 2009
• Extended unemployment insurance benefits and temporarily suspend taxes on these benefits
• Supported network neutrality on the Internet
• Reversed restrictions on stem cell research
• Reproductive health care now "at the heart" of health care reform.
• Enacted choice on health care via a new plan on a health insurance exchange
• Killed bin Laden
• Temporarily eliminated capital gains taxes for small businesses and start-ups
• Expanded and extended the earned income tax credit.
• Increased funding for the Manufacturing Extension Partnership, a program that encourages manufacturing efficiency
• Added many environmental and labor standards in trade agreements
• Boosted small businesses through through use of Stimulus Package
• Created tax credits for workers
• Created more public-private business incubators for poor communities
• Created state-based health care exchanges
• Enacted a qualified tax credit for small businesses to buy health insurance
• Imposed penalties for health providers that fail to collect & report data (an initiative to manage affordable health care)
• Provided incentives and penalties for health providers to report ‘hospital acquired conditions’
• Award five-year "demonstration grants" to states to develop, implement and evaluate alternatives to current tort litigations (reducing malpractice insurance)
• Launched a grant program to fund projects that help reduce medical lawsuits and promote patient safety
• Provided limited reimbursement on employer health plans for a portion of catastrophic costs
• Investing $7 billion per year in early intervention educational and developmental programs
• Relaxed income thresholds to allow more and more Priority 8 veterans to be eligible for health care benefits over time
• Increased National Guard and Reserve Budget
• Partially rebuilt contract officer corps to better manage contracts
• Implemented a requirement that, when library or bookseller records are sought via a Section 215 order for business records, a statement of specific and articulable facts showing relevance to an authorized investigation must be produced
• Adopted a policy requiring the FBI to retain a statement of facts showing that the information sought through a National Security Letter (NSL) is relevant to an authorized investigation, to facilitate better auditing and accountability
• Adopted procedures to provide notification to recipients of NSLs of their opportunity to contest any nondisclosure requirement attached to the NSL
• Justice department now required to ensure that NSL recipients who challenge nondisclosure orders are notified by the FBI when compliance with such nondisclosure orders are no longer required
• Adopted procedures for the collection, use and storage of information derived from National Security Letters, which were approved by Attorney General Holder on October 1, 2010.
• Created a national cyber coordinator to coordinate security of electronic infrastructure
• Increased funding for the National Endowment for Democracy (NED)
• Increased disclosure requirements for earmarks
• Created support for teacher residency programs through a variety of initiatives and grants.
• Created the American Opportunity Tax Credit to help offset college costs
• Created some incentives for tree planting
• Provided additional protection for forest service lands from more roads
• Provided more funds to educate young hunters and anglers
• Doubled funds for a youth-in-nature program
• Implemented the E-Verify program to help crack down on government contractors who hire undocumented immigrants
• Performed audits on 625 major businesses to locate undocumented immigrant hiring practices
• Increased U.S. aid to Mexico to crack down on drug problem
• Reduced disparity in sentencing for crack and cocaine
• Amended law that limits the sharing of gun-tracing data
• Provided assistance to restore housing in New Orleans
• Provided tax and loan incentives to expand broadband's reach
• Updated patent laws
• Extended Production Tax Credit to encourage renewable energy
• Required drilling on current offshore oil and gas leases
• Created stimulus program to weatherize homes
• Worked to modernize air traffic system
• Obtained additional funding for transportation security
• Announced major changes in lighting standards that will phase out the least efficient bulbs
• Created clean technology loan guarantees
• Created tax credits for companies that add jobs

And that's just part of the list of accomplishments. As to leadership, it is based on people demonstrating proper respect for authority. GOP congressional officers have demonstrated tremendous disrespect for the President, something that is unprecedented and much of it is based on racial prejudice. This isn't about leadership, it is about racism and desperation, an effort to rescue a floundering GOP that is under siege by tea partiers.

Here's a more recent example of GOP shenanigans --- http://www.cnn.com/2012/06/05/politics/senate-pay-equity-bill/index.html

 

[DeletedUser15641]

Wow that is a lot of reading!

You guys are really not busy these days..well stop wasting your time by voting all of them gives blank(they don't mean what they say) just to get to be a president...

Well trust me or not its all true unfortunately ...

Obama got slapped in the face for telling that he will be closing down guantanamo bay prison resort ....

Its not an actual prison its actually a nightmare for man kind!

 

[DeletedUser]

Alright. Now that I've finished my will, it's time to question Hellstromm.

Hopping backwards a bit to this post, I fail to see how making more promises, even if you follow through with a larger percentage of them, makes you more successful. I'd rather have a group that is more focused on a smaller amount of promises being fulfilled than throwing out lots of promises.

Let's make this into a sob story. There's 565 orphans who don't get Christmas this year. The GOP promises to provide 57 of them with gifts, while Obama promises to help out 508 of them. The GOP only gets 10 gifts, while Obama gets 182, but this leaves 47 sad orphans for the GOP to deal with and 326 empty handed orphans for Obama. I'd much rather be the GOP here, since they have less loose ends to tie up.

And of course you're going to get a larger percentage of promises filled when the same party is in control of the Executive and Legislative branches. The majority in the House switched in 2011 and Senate has remained under Democratic control, meaning for two years President Obama had the luxury of a Democratic House and Senate.

So I guess what I'm getting at here is two things.

A: Does more promises make you a better person, even if that means more broken promises as well? That's still a lot of unhappy people that are waiting for promises to be fulfilled.

B: When the same party is in control of the House, Senate, and Executive branches, is a 35.8% pass rate really all that good? I haven't looked up past presidents' numbers here, but just looking at the number, it doesn't look too appealing. I find it interesting that in this day and age we consider breaking only 65% of our promises to be an achievement.

Hopping to your most recent post, I was briefly scanning and saw "end the use of torture" on the list, then kept scrolling and saw "Killed Bin Laden." Ironically Obama ended the use of torture by the US government, yet waterboarding was used to interrogate information as to Bin Laden's whereabouts from prisoners. I find that to be a bit ironic and contradictory, and fail to see how its role in his death can be simply ignored. It may be morally wrong, but in this instance, it proved to be useful. And when you're locating a terrorist who has orchestrated the deaths of thousands, is torturing a couple of POW's really a big deal, considering the possible carnage being prevented?

 

[DeletedUser]

Your analysis is faulty. Obama posed promises according to what he deemed needed to be done and has been working diligently to accomplish such. It's not whether it's one or many promises, it's about getting things done. Unlike many previous Presidents, Obama has been running on the platform of transparency. So unlike previous Presidents, Obama at the onset indicated what he was going to attempt to accomplish during his time in office. Previous Presidents didn't care to let their constituents know, and thus what constituents ended up with usually ended up being far less, and far different, than what they anticipated.

Obama stated what he was going to attempt to accomplish, and you seem to be having an issue with the fact he's been working to deliver exactly what he intended at the onset. This isn't about numbers, it's about being open, transparent, sincere. He's attempting to do what he was voted in to do.

The incidents where he was not able to deliver were not due to his actions, but due to obstructionism from the GOP. Guantanamo Bay is a prime example of GOP obstructionism, preventing Obama alternatives, preventing him from being able to effectively close the Bay, relocate the prisoners, etc. He is tasked to maintain Guantanamo precisely because the GOP in Congress has repeatedly thwarted his efforts to close it. This is a demonstration of the problem in the U.S. Government, in Congress, and I do not consider it a failure on Obama's part. Review the information on this, the history, the proceedings that have transpired over the past 3+ years, and you'll see it is quite clear the GOP is directly to blame for why Guantanamo Bay is still an active detention facility.

But it is typical, and unfortunate. Despite the lengthy list I posed about what Obama has accomplished, as he indicated he would attempt to accomplish, you focus on the things he has not been able to accomplish, as if by pointing out the GOP's handful of dirty successes at obstructionism, you somehow demonstrate that Obama is incapable of doing his job. That sort of logic is so distorted as to cause my head to hurt.

 

[DeletedUser]

In my opinion, 508 "promises" in four years is ridiculous. Who is going to be able to follow through with a new promise every 2.87 days? Or, in the case that he gets reelected and doesn't create any more promises, there's still about one "promise" every five days to get passed (I know the math sounds funny here, but his time per promise has actually decreased with the prospected addition of four years pertaining to starting and current promises to be fulfilled). Sure you can likely bundle many of these, but it still sounds impractical, and that is why I focused on what he hasn't done versus what he has.

I don't think a promise should be simply what you want to attempt to accomplish some time in the next four years, but what you can carry out on. I know a lot of it's about getting elected and making as many people happy as you can, so the more promises the better, but some people actually expect others to carry out on promises. With 508, how many promises can fully be attempted with one's complete effort? Maybe I differ from the political scene, but I'm not in favor of making so many promises that it is impossible to go through with them all, and if we're operating on a basis where we don't even plan on fulfilling every promises, maybe they shouldn't be called promises at all.

As for your GOP obstructionism remarks, you just claimed that every promise he hasn't been able to follow through on is due to the GOP trying to force him out of it. Isn't that how politics works?

 

[DeletedUser]

Well, let's see about your argument.

He is on his 4th year. He has completed 182+58 with 134 in the works. That's 374, which is likely to be completed by the end of his term, or shortly thereafter if he gets a second term.

This leaves 134. Of those, 62 have been stalled in Congress by the GOP, 70 were forced into being broken, again by the GOP, and 2 have not been acted upon due to the prerequisite of a natural disaster or catastrophe (which hasn't happened yet).

So, you want to keep arguing this point?

Or perhaps you should try and argue the other point, which is that the Congressional GOP, consisting of 242 Representatives and 47 Senators, made only 57 promises and delivered on just 10, with no actions whatsoever made on 25 of those promises?

 

[DeletedUser16008]

Methinks your just quoting a list of the whitehouse press spin. I see a lot there not to be proud of, sorry m8 but I still don't see.

Ill say again same as others this isnt a tick box of who can make up as many points as possible, half of that list is claiming to be an achievement when it shouldn't even be on there as one.... its just daily stuff nothing more and certainly not anything special.


Directed military leaders to end war in Iraq
Began removing combat brigades from Iraq
No permanent bases in Iraq
Provided $30 billion over 10 years to Israel
Sent two additional brigades to Afghanistan
Increased the size of the Army and Marine Corps

As an example ... this is like a flipping diary in the life of government. Sorry bubba but Obama is no hero and no reformer... you know this already.

Lack of substance and trying to class things like this as an achievement does nothing for convincing me of anything.GOP i assume means Grand Old Party, whatever the heck that means..As im not an american all i have to do is decide from the outside looking in and i dont see any one of substance there atm whatever party, more of a lack of everything and what to do next. For that i feel sorry for all there and the world in general as it usually rubs off everywhere else too.

 

[DeletedUser]

Methinks your just quoting a list of the whitehouse press spin. I see a lot there not to be proud of, sorry m8 but I still don't see.

Nice try, but I obtained that information from Pulitzer prize winning Politifact. You can verify each and every one of those by reviewing the links I provided earlier.

Pretty obvious to me you were thrown for a loop by that list, so much so that you knee-jerked into trying to discredit it. I would say it's time for you to throw in the towel there Victor.