Catching up with campaign promises on the Obameter

We’ve activated the Obameter to see how President Barack Obama is doing on his campaign promises. We checked in recently on four of Obama’s specific promises. (Links will take you to full reports that also list our sources.)

Set a standard for utility companies that 80 percent of the nation’s electricity comes from clean sources by 2035. We found that congressional inaction is making new standards unlikely. We rated the promise Stalled.

Support repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). The U.S. Supreme Court sent this one from Promise Broken to In the Works. But part of the law still stands.

Lead the world in college graduates by 2020. This goal will be hard to meet, but we also found some positive signs. We rated it In the Works.

Close the Guantanamo Bay Detention Center. We’ve been following this promise closely since 2009. We found a few new developments to report, but congressional opposition is keeping this one at Promise Broken.

We rate outcomes on our Obameter, not intentions. So if Congress doesn’t move on Obama’s wishes, it still gets a Promise Broken.

Overall, Obama’s record on campaign promises leans positive. He’s kept 45 percent of his promises, and he won a rating of Compromise for another 25 percent. About 22 percent of his promises are rated Broken.

The current tally:

Promise Kept 241 (45%)                      

Compromise 131 (25%)                 

Promise Broken 118 (22%)             

Stalled 5 (1%)                      

In the Works 26 (5%)                 

Not yet rated 11 (2%)

Want to see all of Obama’s promises? You can browse them all from our Obameter homepage.