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Crunch time: the Obameter is turning red

By Martha M. Hamilton
August 17, 2010

Nineteen months into his presidency, Barack Obama is finding it tougher to fulfill his campaign promises.

By our count he’s fulfilled 120 of them, including many that were in the economic stimulus bill and the Democratic overhaul of health care. He’s also fulfilled many through simple presidential muscle, by issuing executive orders or taking other actions that don’t need congressional approval.

But as Obama faces a polarized Congress with limited political capital, it has become increasingly difficult to keep his promises. Some of our recent ratings:

* Promise Broken for his pledge to push hard for immigration reform in his first year. We didn’t catch this promise when we first put together our list, but it wasn’t fulfilled in his first year because of the emphasis on health care.

* Compromise for his promise to eliminate the disparity between crack and powder cocaine. We found the disparity was reduced but not eliminated.

* Promise Broken for his pledge to provide an annual report on the state of our energy future.

To keep up with his promises, check our Obameter page, which has a running tally with our latest ratings. Our latest count:

Kept — 120
Compromise — 39
Broken — 22
Stalled — 81
In the Works — 241

Our Sources

See Obameter items

Browse the Truth-O-Meter

More by Martha M. Hamilton
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stated on October 27, 2010 an interview on "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart":
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Mark Tapscott
stated on August 23, 2010 an opinion column in "The Washington Examiner":
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stated on July 1, 2010 a Fox News interview with Greta Van Susteren:
"Law enforcement in the state of Arizona supports" the state's new immigration law.
Half-True

Crunch time: the Obameter is turning red





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