Stand up for the facts!

Our only agenda is to publish the truth so you can be an informed participant in democracy.
We need your help.

More Info

I would like to contribute

$

Updating the Obameter and the GOP Pledge-O-Meter

By Bill Adair
November 9, 2012

With the election over, we’re now turning our attention to another important aspect of our work — tracking campaign promises.

Four years ago, we launched the Obameter, our feature on President Barack Obama’s promises from the 2008 campaign. We identified 508 promises and have been rating them on a scale from In the Works to Promise Broken. Two years ago, we created the GOP Pledge-O-Meter, which tracks the promises of the House Republicans.

In the next few weeks, we’ll be updating our ratings on the 2008 Obameter and the Pledge-O-Meter and collecting new ones from President Obama’s 2012 campaign.

We’d love your help.

For the Pledge-O-Meter and our original Obameter, we’ll be updating the promises now rated In the Works or Stalled. If you know of any progress — or a lack of progress — on any of them, please let us know by emailing truthometer@politifact.com or tweet us with the hashtags #obameter or #goppledge.

For the 2012 campaign, we’re compiling a list of every promise that Obama made. We’re scouring his campaign website, speeches and comments from debates and interviews. If you know of specific promises you believe we should include, please email us at the same address — truthometer@politifact.com or tweet with the hashtag #obameter2012.

Our Sources

Browse the Truth-O-Meter

More by Bill Adair
John Kitzhaber
stated on July 18, 2014 a campaign debate:
Oregon "is the most trade-dependent state in the nation"
False
Donald Rumsfeld
stated on February 17, 2013 an op-ed in the "Washington Post":
Says wrestling was a favorite sport of Abraham Lincoln.
True
Rick Perry
stated on January 8, 2012 a Republican debate in New Hampshire.:
Says President Barack Obama "is a socialist."
Pants on Fire!
C.W. Bill Young
stated on February 20, 2010 a speech to Pinellas County Republicans.:
The Democratic health care plan is a "government takeover of our health programs."
Pants on Fire!
Barack Obama
stated on January 27, 2010 his State of the Union address:
The "pay-as-you-go law ... was a big reason why we had record surpluses in the 1990s."
Half-True
Dick Cheney
stated on December 30, 2009 a statement to Politico.:
President Obama "doesn't ... want to admit we're at war."
Pants on Fire!
Barack Obama
stated on September 20, 2009 an interview on Meet the Press:
"Mathematically, the White Sox can still get in the playoffs."
True

Updating the Obameter and the GOP Pledge-O-Meter





Donald Trump
stated on May 4, 2026 a White House event:








Donald Trump
stated on April 23, 2026 remarks at the White House:







Chris Wright
stated on April 19, 2026 an interview on CNN's "State of the Union":