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

$

Promises, promises

By Bill Adair
September 23, 2009

It’s been a summer of exaggerations and falsehoods in the health care debate. If you’ve been following PolitiFact, it probably seemed like all the action was on the Truth-O-Meter.

But we’ve also been updating lots of campaign promises for our Obameter feature. With each one, the Obameter becomes a richer and more fascinating database that explores the status of President Barack Obama’s promises — all 515 of them.

The Obameter not only provides a convenient tally of how Obama is doing, but each article provides an interesting glimpse into Obama’s agenda and his vision for government. For example, here are a few we’ve rated recently.


Promise No. 510

— Obama promised to support “Net neutrality,” the concept that all Internet traffic should be treated equally. We’ve rated that one

In the Works

.


Promise No. 229

— He vowed to expand the Nurse-Family Partnership, which provides home visits to low-income expectant mothers, to all low-income, first-time mothers. That one also earned an

In the Works

.


Promise No. 119 

— Obama has

Kept

his promise to appoint a special adviser on violence against women.


Promise No. 517

— Obama promised to develop his health care plan during open meetings with the health care industry that would be televised on C-SPAN. But like any other piece of major legislation in Washington, this one was developed largely behind closed doors at the White House and Congress before it emerged. So we rated that one a

Promise Broken

.

Our Sources

See Obameter items.

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

Promises, promises





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":