While Obama Campaigns In Ohio And Virginia, His Broken Promises Continue To Hurt The Country

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ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL IN 2008, CANDIDATE OBAMA PROMISED TIGHTENING THE BELT ON FISCAL SPENDING

Obama: “I won’t stand here and pretend that any of this will be easy – especially now. The cost of this economic crisis, and the cost of the war in Iraq, means that Washington will have to tighten its belt and put off spending on things we don’t need. As President, I will go through the federal budget, line-by-line, ending programs that we don’t need and making the ones we do need work better and cost less.” (Senator Barack Obama, Remarks, Columbus, OH, 11/2/08)

Three Years Later, Obama Has Come Up Short On His Promise To Rein In Federal Spending

The CBO Projects The Deficit At The End Of Obama’s First Term Will Be $1.253 Trillion, Obama’s Fourth Straight Trillion Deficit. (“An Analysis Of The President’s 2013 Budget,” Congressional Budget Office, 3/16/12)

Obama Will Fall “Far Short Of His Goal To Halve The Deficit In Four Years.” “President Obama’s proposed 2013 budget will forecast a $901 billion deficit for next year, falling far short of his goal to halve the deficit in four years.” (Richard Wolf, “Obama Budget To Miss Deficit Goal,” USA Today’s “The Oval,” 2/10/12)

• Los Angeles Times: Obama “Offers No Real Solution To The United States’ Long-Term Fiscal Problems.”  “The day after the Greek Parliament approved another round of deep spending cuts in the face of violent protests, President Obama released a budget proposal for the coming fiscal year that offers no real solution to the United States’ long-term fiscal problems.” (Editorial, “What About The U.S. Debt?” Los Angeles Times, 2/14/12)
• The Washington Post: “The Final Budget Of His First Term Does Not Reflect The Leadership On Issues Of Debt And Deficit That Mr. Obama Once Vowed.”  (Editorial, “Obama’s Budget Falls Short, But It Beats Many Alternatives,” The Washington Post, 2/13/12)

After Two Months In Office, Obama Signed A $410 Billion Omnibus Spending Bill In March 2009 Containing Over 8,500 Earmarks Worth $7.7 Billion. “Obama signed a $410 billion spending bill Wednesday … that includes more than 8,500 pet projects worth $7.7 billion.” (Jonathan Weisman and Greg Hitt, “Obama Outlines Plan To Curb Earmarks,” The Wall Street Journal, 3/12/09)

• In FY2010, Appropriations Bills Contained Over 9,000 Earmarks Worth Almost $16 Billion. “For that fiscal year, the group says, appropriations bills contained 9,499 congressional earmarks worth $15.9 billion.” (Louis Jacobson, “Earmarks Continue Unabated,” Politifact, 2/19/10) 

President Obama Promised That PAYGO Would Force The Government To “Live Within Our Means” By Requiring Spending To Be Paid For. OBAMA: “And that’s why last week, I signed into law the PAYGO bill—says very simply that the United States of America should pay as we go and live within our means again, just like responsible families and businesses do.” (President Barack Obama, Remarks on Signing an Executive Order Establishing the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform and an Exchange With Reporters, Washington, D.C., 2/18/10)

• The Washington Post: Obama’s So-Called PAYGO Rule Has “$2.8 Trillion Loophole.”  “First, as under existing House and Senate rules, what is known as the PAYGO law would not apply to discretionary spending programs, which account for about 40 percent of the federal budget … Second, Mr. Obama would write into the law four whopping exceptions to the pay-as-you-go rule … This adds up to a $2.8 trillion loophole over 10 years.” (Editorial, “The Obama Diet,” The Washington Post, 6/12/09)

Obama Promised To Pay For His Deficits With A Three-Year Discretionary Spending Freeze. OBAMA: “So tonight I’m proposing specific steps to pay for the trillion dollars that it took to rescue the economy last year.  Starting in 2011, we are prepared to freeze Government spending for 3 years.” (President Barack Obama,Address Before A Joint Session Of Congress On The State Of The Union, Washington, D.C., 1/27/10)

• White House Official Admitted So-Called Spending Freeze Mainly For “Larger Symbolic Value.” “It is the growth in the so-called entitlement programs — Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security — that is the major factor behind projections of unsustainably high deficits, due to rapidly rising health costs and an aging population. But one administration official said that limiting the much smaller discretionary domestic budget would have larger symbolic value.” (Jackie Calmes, “Obama Seeks Freeze On Many Domestic Programs,” The New York Times, 1/25/10)

The White House “Strongly” Opposed A Balanced-Budget Amendment. “The Obama administration said Tuesday that a balanced-budget amendment heading for a House vote this week could impose serious risks on the economy and force cuts to essential programs such as Medicare and Social Security. The White House, in a statement, said it strongly opposed the balanced budget amendment being considered by the House.” (Jim Abrams, “White House Opposes Balanced-Budget Amendment,” The Associated Press, 11/15/11)

CANDIDATE OBAMA PROMISED MILLIONS OF NEW JOBS

Obama Promised Virginians He Would Put Two Million Americans To Work Rebuilding American Infrastructure. OBAMA: “I’ll also put two million more Americans to work rebuilding our crumbling roads, schools, and bridges – because it is time to build an American infrastructure for the 21st century. And if people ask how we’re going to pay for this, you tell them that if we can spend $10 billion a month in Iraq, we can spend some money to rebuild America.” (Senator Barack Obama, Remarks, Richmond, VA, 10/22/08)

Obama Promised Ohioans He Would Create Five Million Green Energy Jobs. OBAMA: “We’ll create two million new jobs by rebuilding our crumbling roads, and bridges, and schools. And I will invest $15 billion a year in renewable sources of energy to create five million new energy jobs over the next decade – jobs that pay well and can’t be outsourced.” (Senator Barack Obama, Remarks, Columbus, OH, 11/2/08)

But More Than Three Years Later, The Promised Jobs Are Nowhere To Be Found

“Rising Layoffs, Falling Home Sales And Slowing Manufacturing Activity Are Sparking Fears That The Economic Recovery Is Headed For A Springtime Stall For The Third Year In A Row.” (Ben Casselman and Nick Timiraos, “Economic Reports Fan Fears,” The Wall Street Journal, 4/19/12)

• “‘It’s Been The Weakest Recovery In The Post-World War II Period, And That Hasn’t Changed,’ Said David Rosenberg, Chief Economist For Investment Firm Gluskin Sheff.” (Ben Casselman and Nick Timiraos, “Economic Reports Fan Fears,” The Wall Street Journal, 4/19/12)

Since President Obama Took Office, The Nation Has Lost 572,000 Jobs And The Unemployment Rate Has Increased From 7.8 Percent To 8.1 Percent. (Bureau Of Labor Statistics, Accessed 5/4/12)

The Unemployment Rate Has Remained Above Eight Percent For A Record 39 Straight Months. (Bureau Of Labor Statistics, Accessed 5/4/12)

• Congressional Budget Office: Unemployment Has Remained Above Eight Percent For The Longest Stretch Since The Great Depression. “The rate of unemployment in the United States has exceeded 8 percent since February 2009, making the past three years the longest stretch of high unemployment in this country since the Great Depression.” (“Understanding And Responding To Persistently High Unemployment,” Congressional Budget Office, 2/16/12)

“The Participation Rate, Which Indicates The Share Of Working-Age People In The Labor Force, Fell To 63.6 Percent, The Lowest Since December 1981, From 63.8 Percent.” (Shobhana Chandra, “Payrolls In U.S. Rose 115,000 In April; Jobless Rate At 8.1%,” Bloomberg, 5/4/12)

• The Number Of Workers Not In The Labor Force Reached An All-Time High Of 88,419,000. (Bureau Of Labor Statistics, Accessed 5/4/12)

The Washington Post’s Ezra Klein: “Unemployment Rate Down To 8.1%, But For The Wrong Reason: People Dropping Out Of Labor Force.” (Ezra Klein, Twitter Feed, 5/4/12)

Despite The Binge Spending, Green Technology Jobs Account For Just Two Percent Of Employment Nationwide. “A study released in July by the non-partisan Brookings Institution found clean-technology jobs accounted for just 2 percent of employment nationwide and only slightly more — 2.2 percent — in Silicon Valley. Rather than adding jobs, the study found, the sector actually lost 492 positions from 2003 to 2010 in the South Bay, where the unemployment rate in June was 10.5 percent.” (Aaron Glantz, “Number Of Green Jobs Fails To Live Up To Promises,” The New York Times, 8/18/11)

• Biden’s Former Economic Advisor, Jared Bernstein, Admitted “It Doesn’t Take A Ton Of People” To Run Solar Plants. “Can I make two points? First of all, when I worked for the administration, I was very active in the implementation of the Recovery Act, and one thing we found about clean energy was that if you build a solar plant, you’re going to hire a lot of people. If you run a solar plant, it doesn’t take a ton of people to run some of these plants. They’re very – the labor saving technology around the actual production of clean energy is quite intense. So, some of these firms don’t employ as many people as you might hope.” (Jared Bernstein, American Action Forum’s Housing Event, Washington, D.C., 4/4/12)

The Job Market Is Losing Momentum.“New data Thursday provided fresh evidence that the job market is losing the momentum it built earlier this year, which could pressure fragile housing markets that have been showing signs of life. Separate reports this week suggested that the factory sector, a source of strength in the recovery, now is being hurt by weak growth overseas.” (Ben Casselman and Nick Timiraos, “Economic Reports Fan Fears,” The Wall Street Journal, 4/19/12)

• Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke Warns That The Economy Is Not Growing Fast Enough To Sustain The Hiring Gains. “Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, meanwhile, has warned that the economy is not growing fast enough to sustain the hiring gains.” (Vickie Needham, “Weak March Jobs Report Could Spell Trouble For Obama’s Reelection Bid,” The Hill’s ”On The Money,” 4/6/12)

Those Lucky Enough To Find Jobs Are Finding They Don’t Pay The Bills Like They Used To

“The Jobs Are Lousy, And There Aren’t Enough Of Them.” “The job market these days is sort of like that old Catskills joke: The food is terrible, and the portions are so small. The jobs are lousy, and there aren’t enough of them.” (Mark Gongloff and Bonnie Kavoussi, “Job Market Recovery Led By Low-Wage Sectors,” The Huffington Post, 4/5/12)

• “The Problem Is That Most Of The Decent Job Growth We’ve Seen In The Past Few Months Has Been In Sectors That Do Not Pay All That Well.” “The problem is that most of the decent job growth we’ve seen in the past few months has been in sectors that do not pay all that well. The economy has created 1.2 million nonfarm payroll jobs in the past six months — great news. But nearly 668,000 of those jobs — more than 55 percent — have been created in the retail, temp, ‘health care and social assistance’ and ‘leisure and hospitality’ sectors, notes Brusuelas.” (Mark Gongloff and Bonnie Kavoussi, “Job Market Recovery Led By Low-Wage Sectors,” The Huffington Post, 4/5/12)

“More Than Half Of All The Jobs Created During The Past Six Months Have Been In Low-Paying Industries Such As Retail And Temporary Help, Joseph Brusuelas, Senior Economist At Bloomberg LP, Noted On Thursday.” (Mark Gongloff and Bonnie Kavoussi, “Job Market Recovery Led By Low-Wage Sectors,” The Huffington Post, 4/5/12)

The Average Hourly Earnings Grew 1.9 Percent In February From The Previous Year, Not Enough To Keep Up With Inflation And Meaning “Real” Earnings Are Shrinking. “The average hourly earnings of American workers grew just 1.9 percent in February from the year before, according to the February jobs report. That’s better than nothing, and certainly better than during the recession, when wage growth dipped to, well, nothing. But wage growth was not enough to keep up with consumer price inflation, which rose 2.9 percent year-over-year in February, according to the Labor Department. That means ‘real’ earnings, or earnings that are adjusted for inflation, are actually shrinking. A lot. That needs to change in order for the economy to keep recovering.” (Mark Gongloff and Bonnie Kavoussi, “Job Market Recovery Led By Low-Wage Sectors,” The Huffington Post, 4/5/12)

CANDIDATE OBAMA PROMISED HOMEOWNERS RELIEF SO THEY COULD “GET BACK ON THEIR FEET”

Obama: “I’ll put a three-month moratorium on foreclosures so that we give homeowners the breathing room they need to get back on their feet.” (Senator Barack Obama, Remarks, Richmond, VA, 10/22/08)

President Obama Has Failed To Follow Through On His Housing Promise

As Of March 2012, Over 5,591,000 Million Mortgages Are Either In Foreclosure Or 30 Or More Days Delinquent. (Press Release, “LPS ‘First Look’ Mortgage Report,” Lender Processing Services, 4/24/12)

Since President Obama Took Office, Over 7.9 Million Properties Have Received A Foreclosure Filing. (RealtyTrac, Accessed 3/31/12)

“The Share Of Underwater Mortgages Is At Its Highest Level Since 2009.” “Many homeowners still owe more than their houses are worth. The share of underwater mortgages is at its highest level since 2009, according to a report released earlier this month by CoreLogic. There are 11.1 million homeowners underwater, accounting for 22.8 percent of mortgages.” (Jia Lynn Yang, “Housing Sales Report Disappoints,” The Washington Post, 3/21/12)

•  “Housing Remains The U.S. Economy’s Albatross.” (Justin Lahart, “Number Of The Week: The Economy’s Housing Albatross,” The Wall Street Journal’s Real Time Economics, 10/1/11)

Only 62 Percent Of Americans Own Homes, “A New Low Since Gallup Began Tracking Self-Reported Homeownership In 2001.” “The 62% of Americans who say they own their own home marks a new low since Gallup began tracking self-reported homeownership in 2001. The current level of homeownership marks a decline from 68% in 2011. For most of the prior decade, roughly seven in 10 Americans reported owning their own home. While the recession and financial crisis took place in 2008-2009, homeownership rates didn’t begin to reflect the bursting of the housing bubble until 2010, when 65% of Americans reported owning their own home — the lowest level recorded before this year.” (Dennis Jacobe, “U.S. Homeownership Hits Decade Low,” Gallup, 4/26/12)

“This Summer At The White House, Obama Offered A Rare Acknowledgment That His Response To The Housing Crisis Had Fallen Short.” (Zachary A. Goldfarb, “Obama’s Efforts To Aid Homeowners, Boost Housing Market Fall Far Short Of Goals,” The Washington Post, 10/23/11)

• Obama Said That Housing Has Been The “Most Stubborn To Us Trying To Solve The Problem.” OBAMA: “We’ve had to revamp our housing program several times to try to help people stay in their homes and try to start lifting home values up.  But of all the things we’ve done, that’s probably been the area that’s been most stubborn to us trying to solve the problem.” (President Barack Obama, Twitter Town Hall, Washington, D.C., 7/6/11)

CANDIDATE OBAMA PROMISED TO RID THE WHITE HOUSE OF LOBBYIST INFLUENCE

Obama: “Most of all, I knew the American people were a decent, generous people willing to work hard and sacrifice for future generations. I was convinced that when we come together, our voices are more powerful than the most entrenched lobbyists, or the most vicious political attacks, or the full force of a status quo in Washington that wants to keep things just the way they are.” (Senator Barack Obama, Remarks, Columbus, OH, 11/2/08)

Obama’s Pledge On Lobbyists Is His “Biggest Broken Promise”

PolitiFact: “We Rate Obama’s ‘Revolving Door’ Policy For Former Lobbyists His Biggest Broken Promise.” (Angie Drobnic Holan, “Not So Fast On Obama Revolving Door Policy,” PolitiFact, 1/23/09)

PolitiFact Rated Obama’s Promise To Bar Lobbyists From His Administration As “Broken.” “We rated that one a Promise Broken because his policy has substantial loopholes that have allowed Obama to essentially decide when he wants to ignore the rule. He’s right that on his first day in office, he signed an executive order to bar lobbyists from his administration. But the order also included a loophole — a ‘waiver’ clause that allows former lobbyists to serve. Waivers are granted by the administration itself, so they are little more than the administration saying it’s okay for the lobbyist to work for the administration.” (“Obama Says Lobbyists Have Been Excluded From Policy-Making Jobs,” PolitiFact, 10/7/11)

PolitiFact Gives Obama A “False” On His Claim To Have “Excluded Lobbyists From Policymaking Jobs.” “Obama said that he has ‘excluded lobbyists from policymaking jobs.’ But that’s not the case. We know of at least four that have taken on policymaking roles in the Obama administration — Frye’s title even contains the word ‘policy.’ While these appointments may be few and far between, and while those who made the cut have signed special waivers, we give Obama a False on this claim.” (“Obama Says Lobbyists Have Been Excluded From Policy-Making Jobs,” PolitiFact, 1/27/11)

• The White House Has Released 13 Ethics Pledge Waivers. (“Ethics Pledge Waivers Released By The White House,” The White House, Accessed 4/11/12)

“It’s Well-Known That President Barack Obama Has Surrounded Himself With Lobbyists.” (John Carney, “Obama’s Lobbyist-Heavy Administration,” CNBC, 11/1/11)

The Washington Post’s Dana Milbank: “The president came here to change Washington and Washington has changed him.” (CNN’s “Anderson Cooper 360,” 3/8/12)

President Obama Has Granted Numerous Exceptions To His Lobbyist Ban. “Yet in the past few days, a number of exceptions have been granted, with the administration conceding at least two waivers and that a handful of other appointees will recuse themselves from dealing with matters on which they lobbied within the two-year window.” (Kenneth P. Vogel And Mike Allen, “Obama Finds Room For Lobbyists,” Politico, 1/30/09) 

• The Washington Post’s Dana Milbank: “Earlier, Obama Administration Officials Got Around Their Self-Imposed Rule (Which Prevents A Lobbyist From Serving For Two Years) By Granting Waivers To People Obama Sought To Appoint, Such As Former Raytheon Lobbyist William Lynn, Who Got A Top Job At The Pentagon.” (Dana Milbank, Op-Ed, “Settling In To Washington’s Ways,” The Washington Post, 3/6/12)
• “As A Candidate, Obama Pledged That Lobbyists ‘Will Not Run My White House.’ But On Monday, The President Brought In One Of This Town’s Most Prominent Lobbyists To Run His White House — Or At Least A Nice Piece Of It.” (Dana Milbank, Op-Ed, “Settling In To Washington’s Ways,” The Washington Post, 3/6/12)

The Center For Responsive Politics Finds Over 300 Individuals In The Obama Administration Who Have Been Through The Revolving Door, With 113 Individuals Who Are Current Or Formerly Registered Lobbyists. (Center For Responsive Politics, Open Secrets, Accessed 4/11/12)

Some Activists Are “Deeply Disappointed” By Obama’s Lack Of Attention To Lobbyist Influence And That “His Focus On Waging An Expensive Reelection Campaign May Be Clouding His Priorities.” “But some activists say they are deeply disappointed in what they see as Obama’s lack of attention to the issue in the latter part of his term, and they suggest that his focus on waging an expensive reelection campaign may be clouding his priorities.” (Dan Eggen, “The Influence Industry: Obama’s Ban On Lobbyist Bundlers Has Unclear Prospects,” The Washington Post, 2/1/12)

CANDIDATE OBAMA PROMISED LOWER PREMIUMS BY THE END OF HIS FIRST TERM

As A Candidate, Obama Promised That ObamaCare Would Lower Premiums By $2,500 Per Family By The End Of His First Term. OBAMA: “If you are ready for change, then we can stop talking about the outrage of 47 million people without health insurance and start doing something about it. I’ve put forward a plan that says everybody will have the same health care if they want it that I have as a member of Congress, that you can’t be excluded for pre-existing conditions, we’ll negotiate with the drug companies for the cheapest available prices. If you’re 25 or younger you can stay on your parents’ health insurance. If you’ve got health insurance, we’re going to work with you to lower your premiums by $2500 per family per year. And we will not wait 20 years from now to do it or 10 years from now to do it. We will do it by the end of my first term as president of the United States of America.” (Senator Barack Obama, Remarks, Columbus, OH, 2/27/08)

Under Obama, Americans Are Seeing Higher Premiums

Under Obama, The Cost Of Family Health Care Premiums Have Increased From $13,375 To $15,073. (Phil Galewitz And Andrew Villegas, “Workers Face Higher Costs For Employer-Sponsored Insurance,” Kaiser Health News, 9/15/09; Julie Appleby, “Cost Of Employer Insurance Plans Surge In 2011,” Kaiser Health News, 9/27/11)

Kaiser Study Found That Family Coverage Premiums Climbed 9 Percent In 2011. “A new study by the Kaiser Family Foundation, a nonprofit research group that tracks employer-sponsored health insurance on a yearly basis, shows that the average annual premium for family coverage through an employer reached $15,073 in 2011, an increase of 9 percent over the previous year.” (Reed Abelson, “U.S. Health Insurance Cost Rises Sharply, Study Finds,” The New York Times, 9/27/11)

• Workers Paid An Average Of $132 More For Family Coverage In 2011 Than They Did In 2010. “Although premiums rose, employers kept the percentage of the premium workers pay about the same: An average of 18 percent for single coverage and 28 percent for family plans. Still, with rising costs, workers paid more, up an average of $132 a year for family coverage. Since 1999, the dollar amount workers contribute toward premiums nationally has grown 168 percent, while their wages have grown by 50 percent, according to the survey.” (Julie Appleby, “Cost Of Employer Insurance Plans Surge In 2011,” Kaiser Health News, 9/27/11)

The Wall Street Journal: Health Insurance “Costs Are Rising As Fast As Ever.” “In other words, Americans heard the President’s promises, over and over again, most of all that the bill would lower insurance costs. Those costs are rising as fast as ever, more so in some places as insurers and providers anticipate the price controls and other regulation to come.” (Editorial, “Less Popular All The Time,” The Wall Street Journal, 10/29/11)

• The Cost Of Health Insurance For Americans Climbed, Outpacing “Any Growth In Workers’ Wages.” “The cost of health insurance for many Americans this year climbed more sharply than in previous years, outstripping any growth in workers’ wages and adding more uncertainty about the pace of rising medical costs.” (Reed Abelson, “U.S. Health Insurance Cost Rises Sharply, Study Finds,” The New York Times, 9/27/11)

Six Of Ten Americans Are Seeing Higher Insurance Premiums.  “Many say they are feeling the impact:  six of 10 people with private insurance are seeing higher premiums; half cite increases in their co-pays and deductibles.” (Jordan Rau, “Poll Finds Americans Gloomy On Some Promises In Health Law, Kaiser Health News, 7/28/11)

• One In Five Families Pay Over $18,000 In Premiums A Year. “Even though the average family premium is about $15,000, coverage for one in five families tops $18,087.” (Jane M. Von Bergen, “Health Insurance Costs Skyrocketing,” The Philadelphia Inquirer, 9/27/11)

Nearly Two Years After ObamaCare Was Enacted, A Government Study Found That More Americans Are Struggling To Pay Their Medical Bills Due To The High Cost Of Health Care.“While politicians and soon, the Supreme Court, are fighting about the fate of the Affordable Care Act, a new government study finds that a growing number of Americans are having difficulty coping with the high cost of health care.” (Julie Rovner, “1 In 3 Americans Is Having A Hard Time Paying Medical Bills,” NPR, 3/7/12)

• Centers For Disease Control And Prevention Found “1 In 3 People Lived In A Family That Had Trouble Paying Its Medical Bills.” “During the first six months of 2011, 1 in 3 people lived in a family that had trouble paying its medical bills within the previous year; was currently paying a medical bill over time; or currently had a medical bill the family was unable to pay at all. That’s according to a survey of more than 50,000 people by the National Center for Health Statistics, part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.” (Julie Rovner, “1 In 3 Americans Is Having A Hard Time Paying Medical Bills,” NPR, 3/7/12)

FactCheck.org: ObamaCare “Falls Short Of Making Health Care ‘Affordable And Available To Every Single American,’ As Promised.” “Furthermore, the law falls short of making health care ‘affordable and available to every single American,’ as promised. The law provides subsidies to help some Americans buy insurance, expands Medicaid and doesn’t allow insurance companies to exclude persons with preexisting conditions. But still, the director of the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office projected 23 million persons will remain uninsured — some because they can’t afford coverage.” (D’Angelo Gore, “Promises, Promises,”FactCheck.org, 1/4/12)

• FactCheck.org: ObamaCare Is Actually Making Health Care “Less Affordable.” “At the moment, the new law is making health care slightly less affordable. Independent health care experts say the law has caused some insurance premiums to rise. As we wrote in October, the new law has caused about a 1 percent to 3 percent increase in health insurance premiums for employer-sponsored family plans because of requirements for increased benefits. Last year’s premium increases cast even more doubt on another promise the president has made — that the health care law would ‘lower premiums by up to $2,500 for a typical family per year.’” (D’Angelo Gore, “Promises, Promises,” FactCheck.org, 1/4/12)

• The Washington Post’s The Fact Checker: “Moreover, at this point it is debatable whether the law has made health care more affordable. Insurance premiums have gone up, in part because of new benefits mandated by the law.” (Glenn Kessler, “The Fine Print In Obama’s ‘Promises Kept’ Ad,” The Washington Post’s “The Fact Checker,” 1/6/12)

CANDIDATE OBAMA PROMISED LEADERSHIP AND AN END TO NEGATIVE ATTACKS

In 2008, Candidate Obama Told Virginians That “What We Need Now Is Not Misleading Charges And Divisive Attacks.” OBAMA: “Well, what we need now is not misleading charges and divisive attacks. What we need is honest leadership and real change, and that’s why I’m running for President of the United States.” (Senator Barack Obama, Remarks, Richmond, VA, 10/22/08)

In 2008, Obama Warned Ohioans Of “Slash And Burn, Say-Anything, Do-Anything Politics That’s Calculated To Divide And Distract.” OBAMA: “So I expect we’re going to see a lot more of that over the next few days. More of the slash and burn, say-anything, do-anything politics that’s calculated to divide and distract; to tear us apart instead of bringing us together. Well, that’s not the kind of politics the American people need right now.” (Senator Barack Obama, Remarks, Columbus, OH, 11/2/08)

In 2008, Obama Told Ohioans That He Would “Put An End To The Politics That Would Divide A Nation Just To Win An Election.” OBAMA: “In two days, you can put an end to the politics that would divide a nation just to win an election; that tries to pit region against region, city against town, Republican against Democrat; that asks us to fear at a time when we need hope.” (Senator Barack Obama, Remarks, Columbus, OH, 11/2/08)

But President Obama Doesn’t Hold Himself To Candidate Obama’s Standards

The Washington Post’s Ruth Marcus: “Forget Hope And Change,” Obama’s Campaign Is Based On “Fear And Loathing.” “Forget hope and change. President Obama’s reelection campaign is going to be based on fear and loathing: fear of what a Republican takeover would mean, and loathing of whomever the Republican nominee turns out to be. Of course the Obama campaign will attempt to present the affirmative case for his reelection, citing legislative achievements, foreign policy successes and the current flurry of executive actions. But his strategists have clearly concluded that selling the president will not be enough, and the contours of the ugly months ahead are becoming increasingly apparent.” (Ruth Marcus, “Campaign 2012: Welcome To The Slugfest,” The Washington Post, 11/2/11)

• Marcus: “And As Much As Obama Presented Himself As Above The Regular Partisan Fray During The 2008 Campaign, He Was Not Averse To Taking The Lower Road When It Appeared The Advisable Route.” (Ruth Marcus,  “Campaign 2012: Welcome To The Slugfest,” The Washington Post, 11/2/11)

The Wall Street Journal: “He Was Elected On Hope And Change, But Now His Only Hope Is To Change The Subject To The Ogres He Claims Are The Disloyal Opposition.” (Editorial, “Paul Ryan’s Hunger Games,” The Wall Street Journal, 4/4/12)  

2012 Will Be About “Dragging Down His Republican Opponent” Rather Than Lifting Obama Up. “If 2008 was about lifting Mr. Obama up, 2012 will have at least some strong element of dragging down his Republican opponent (who the campaign believes will most likely be Mitt Romney).” (Jim Rutenberg, Op-Ed, “Team Obama Gears Up For 2012,” The New York Times, 11/26/11)

Former Clinton Communications Director Don Baer: “It Seems As Though What They Want To Run Is A Classic Negative Campaign From The White House.” “’I don’t know why they have gone negative and political so early. … It seems as though what they want to run is a classic negative campaign from the White House,’ Baer said.’ Fair or not, people don’t think of the president being a politician, they want him to be their leader, and it’s hard to do that when the basic message is: Screw the other guys.’” (Josh Gerstein, “Governing Grounds Obama’s Rhetoric,” Politico, 1/20/12)

• “Instead, Obama Has Ramped Up The Bellicosity Of His Rhetoric. The President Who Campaigned On Hope And Change Is Now Bashing Congress More Forcefully And More Often.” (Josh Gerstein, “Governing Grounds Obama’s Rhetoric,” Politico, 1/20/12)

Going Negative May Be Obama’s Only Strategy

Democrat Pollsters Pat Caddell And Doug Schoen: Obama Can Only Win By Running “The Most Negative Campaign In History.” “Put simply, it seems that the White House has concluded that if the president cannot run on his record, he will need to wage the most negative campaign in history to stand any chance. With his job approval ratings below 45% overall and below 40% on the economy, the president cannot affirmatively make the case that voters are better off now than they were four years ago. He—like everyone else—knows that they are worse off.”(Patrick H. Caddell and Douglas E. Schoen, “The Hillary Moment,” The Wall Street Journal, 11/21/11)

Obama And Biden Have Been Delivering Stump Speeches “Smacking At Their Opponents.” “Both the president and the vice president have been stepping up the number of campaign fundraisers they’ve been attending in recent months, and they’ve delivered early version of their stump speeches at all of them — promoting the administration’s record, talking about the unfinished work ahead and smacking at their opponents.” (Glenn Thrush and Jennifer Epstein, “Kick-Off Day For Obama Campaign,” Politico, 3/15/12)

• CNN’s John King: Obama And Biden Are “Getting Personal And More Aggressive Because They Know How Vulnerable They Are.”  “Here’s tonight’s ‘Truth.’ The vice president and the Obama campaign aren’t just getting personal for kicks. They’re getting personal and more aggressive because they know how vulnerable they are, just how tough the state-by-state Electoral College map is.” (CNN’s “John King USA,” 3/15/12) 

Obama Will “Run A Much More Negative Campaign” To Combat A Jobless Rate That Has Not Allowed For A President’s Reelect “Since The Great Depression.” “The jobless rate will stand at levels that have not led to a president’s re-election since the Great Depression. Largely because of that, Obama will run a much more negative campaign, his aides acknowledge, even if it threatens to demoralize some supporters who were inspired by his 2008 message of hope.” (Charles Babington, “2012 Race Likely To Be Close, Tough, Maybe Brutal,” The Associated Press, 11/5/11)

President Obama’s Strategy: Divide And Conquer

 “Today, Obama’s Campaign Is Very Much Playing The Usual Political Game Of Divide And Conquer.” “With Obama, though, we have more of a special case. This is the guy, after all, who eight years ago created his political brand with a stemwinder of a Democratic National Convention speech decrying the divisiveness of politics, and who four years ago ran a campaign defined by a positive vision of ‘hope’ and ‘change.’ Today, Obama’s campaign is very much playing the usual political game of divide and conquer.” (Aaron Blake, “Can The Campaign Of ‘Hope’ Go Negative?” The Washington Post, 4/9/12)

• “The Stark Change In Tone Is Notable.” “It has gone with a populist message that is already being used to cast Mitt Romney as the candidate of the elites. The campaign is also doing its best to make that case that the Republican Party is anti-woman, attempting to turn half the electorate on its opponent. Both are sound political strategies, to be sure, but next to the Obama campaign’s previous, more positive slogans, the stark change in tone is notable.” (Aaron Blake, “Can The Campaign Of ‘Hope’ Go Negative?” The Washington Post, 4/9/12)

• The Wall Street Journal: “It Is A Long, Long Way From His ‘There’s No Red America, There’s No Blue America’ Stuff Of 2004, Much Less The Inspiration Of 2008.” (Editorial, “Paul Ryan’s Hunger Games,” The Wall Street Journal, 4/4/12)  

In A Speech About Rep. Paul Ryan’s (R-WI) Budget Obama “Managed To Invoke Social Darwinism And A Trojan Horse In The Same Paragraph.”  “Even in this hyperpartisan age, President Obama’s speech to the Associated Press yesterday was a parody of the form. This was a diatribe that managed to invoke ‘Social Darwinism’ and ‘a Trojan Horse’ in the same paragraph, amid the other high crimes that Mr. Obama says Paul Ryan wants to commit.” (Editorial, “Paul Ryan’s Hunger Games,” The Wall Street Journal, 4/4/12)  

• Obama Called The GOP Budget A “Trojan Horse” That Is “Really An Attempt To Impose A Radical Vision On Our Country.” OBAMA: “This congressional Republican budget is something different altogether.  It is a Trojan Horse.  Disguised as deficit reduction plans, it is really an attempt to impose a radical vision on our country.” (President Barack Obama, Remarks By The President At The Associated Press Luncheon, Washington, DC, 4/3/12)

• Obama: “It Is Thinly Veiled Social Darwinism” (President Barack Obama, Remarks By The President At The Associated Press Luncheon, Washington, DC, 4/3/12)

•  “The President’s Depiction Of The Wonkish And Formerly Obscure House Budget Chairman As Some Political Monster Is Itself Telling.” (Editorial, “Paul Ryan’s Hunger Games,” The Wall Street Journal, 4/4/12)
• Obama Has Created A “Political Fable” To “Erase The Record Of The Last Three Years And Blame Every Current Anxiety On A GOP House That Has Been In Office For All Of 14 Months.” “All of this is a political fable carefully constructed to erase the record of the last three years and blame every current anxiety on a GOP House that has been in office for all of 14 months.” (Editorial, “Paul Ryan’s Hunger Games,” The Wall Street Journal, 4/4/12)  

In A Recent Speech, Obama “Repeatedly Veered Of The Script Of His Prepared Remarks To Mock His Republican Opponents.” “At his event in Largo, Md., Obama was equally bellicose, if not quote as overtly electoral. Still, he repeatedly veered off the script of his prepared remarks to mock his Republican opponents and drive home his points.” (Glenn Thrush and Jennifer Epstein, “Kick-Off Day For Obama Campaign,” Politico, 3/15/12)

• “Among The Most Overt Ad-Libs: The ‘Professional Politicians, A Lot Of The Folks Who, You Know, Are Running For A Certain Office, Who Shall Go Unnamed’ Who Have Been Attacking His Plans For Alternative Energy Development.” (Glenn Thrush and Jennifer Epstein, “Kick-Off Day For Obama Campaign,” Politico, 3/15/12)

• Obama Mocked The Republican Presidential Candidates Comparing Them To “Members Of The Flat Earth Society” Because They Don’t Agree With His Green Energy Agenda. OBAMA: “Some of these folks want to dismiss the promise of solar power and wind power and fuel-efficient cars.  In fact, they make jokes about it.  One member of Congress who shall remain unnamed called these jobs ‘phony’ — called them phony jobs.  I mean, think about that mindset, that attitude that says because something is new, it must not be real.  If these guys were around when Columbus set sail, they’d be charter members of the Flat Earth Society.”(President Barack Obama, Remarks On Energy, Boulder City, NV, 3/21/12)

Instead Of Showing Leadership, Obama Blames Everyone And Everything For His Own Failed Economic Policies

Reuters: “Part Of [Obama’s Campaign] Pitch Will Include Steering Attention To Outside Forces As Causes For Economic Woes At Home.” “That bump is a political challenge for the president, whose re-election in 2012 may depend on his ability to convince voters that his economic policies have been successful. Part of his pitch will include steering attention to outside forces as causes for economic woes at home. The president did just that in his weekly radio and Internet address, broadcast Saturday, by highlighting ‘head winds’ that are affecting the United States.” (“Obama Blames Europe, Japan For U.S. Economic Woes,” Reuters, 6/4/11)

“So Far, He Has Blamed The Stagnant Economy On ATMs, Ditches, Slurpees, Corporate-Jet Owners, The Tea Party, Republicans, Japan’s Earthquake, The Arab Spring, The Arab Summer, George Bush, And ‘Fat-Cat’ Wall Street Something-Or-Others. The Kitchen Sink May Be Next.” (Salena Zito, “Battlegrounds Of Resentment,” Pittsburgh Tribune-Review 8/28/11)

• Obama Blamed ATMs And Airport Kiosks For His Failure To Create Jobs. “[T]here are some structural issues with our economy, where a lot of businesses have learned to become much more efficient, with a lot fewer workers. You see it when you go to the bank and use an ATM — you don’t go to a bank teller. Or you go to the airport, and you’re using a kiosk, instead of checking in at the gate.”  (NBC’s “Today,” 6/14/11)
• Obama: The Republicans Are “Sipping On A Slurpee” And “Kicking Dirt” Onto Democrats. OBAMA: “And we’ve been pushing that car, pushing it, pushing it, pushing it.  The whole time the Republicans have been standing on the sidelines.  They’ve been looking down, fanning themselves, sipping on a Slurpee.  Kicking dirt down into the ditch.  Kicking dirt in our faces.  But we kept on pushing” (President Barack Obama, Remarks, Minneapolis, MN 10/23/10)
• Obama Tried To Blame The Japanese Earthquake And Arab Spring For Poor Economic Numbers. OBAMA: “Let me start by saying a few words about our economy.  There is no doubt this has been a tumultuous year.  We’ve weathered the Arab Spring’s effect on oil and gas prices, the Japanese earthquake and tsunami’s effect on supply chains, the extraordinary economic uncertainty in Europe.  And recently, markets around the globe have taken a bumpy ride.” (President Barack Obama, Remarks, Washington, D.C., 8/5/11)
• Obama Says He “Inherited” A Bad Economy. “Lately, Obama and his aides have taken to saying that they ‘inherited’ a troubled economy, a more subtle reference to the past at a time that many voters increasingly see Obama as being part of the problem.” (Peter Wallsten, “Obama: Bush Put Us In A Hole,” The Washington Post, 8/30/11)
• Obama: Problems In Europe “Wash Over Into Our Shores.” “But the truth of the matter is, is that we now live in a global economy where everything is interconnected, and that means that when you have problems in Europe and in Spain and in Italy and in Greece, those problems wash over into our shores.” (President Barack Obama, Remarks by the President at a DNC Event in Washington, DC, 8/8/11)

EXCUSE: Obama Blames Congress For The Sluggish Recovery. OBAMA: “Well, look, we anticipated that the recovery was slowing. The economy is still growing, but it’s not growing as fast as it needs to.  I’ve got things right now before Congress that we should move immediately. And I said so before I went on vacation and I’ll keep on saying it now that I’m back. We should be passing legislation that helps small businesses get credit.” (NBC’s “Nightly News” 8/29/10)

• REALITY: Obama Got Almost Everything He Wanted Out Of The Democrat-Controlled Congress.  “He passed $830 billion in stimulus, $3 billion for cash for clunkers, $30 billion in small business loans, $30 billion for mortgage modification, the GM-Chrysler bailouts, ObamaCare, Dodd-Frank, credit card price controls, Build America Bonds, jobless benefits for a record 99 weeks, and more. The only priorities that a Democratic Congress blocked were cap-and-tax and union card check, and both of those would have further damaged growth and jobs. Even last December, after Republicans had retaken the House, Mr. Obama won his one-year payroll tax cut, more jobless benefits and most of what he wanted.” (Editorial, “The Latest Jobs Plan,” The Wall Street Journal, 9/9/11)

EXCUSE: President Obama Claims “We Understood That It [The Economy] Was Bad, But We Didn’t Know How Bad It Was.” “President Barack Obama said Tuesday he wishes he knew the full extent of the economic crisis when he took office, if only so he could have let Americans know just how tough the coming years would be. ‘I think we understood that it was bad, but we didn’t know how bad it was,’ Obama said in an interview with KIRO in Seattle. ‘I think I could have prepared the American people for how bad this was going to be, had we had a sense of that.’” (Jennifer Epstein, “Barack Obama On Economic Crisis: ‘We Didn’t Know How Bad It Was,” Politico’s ”44″, 12/13/11)

• REALITY: September 2008: Obama: “We Are Going Through The Worst Financial Crisis Since The Great Depression.” (Sen. Barack Obama, Remarks During First Presidential Debate, Oxford, MS, 9/26/08)
  
• A 2008 Report By Larry Summers Described The Economic Crisis As “Grim And Deteriorating Rapidly” And Predicted America Could Lose 4 Million More Jobs Within The Year. “The initial debate was framed by a fifty-seven-page memo to the President-elect, dated December 15, 2008, written by Larry Summers, his incoming director of the National Economic Council. Marked ‘Sensitive and Confidential,’ the document, which has never been made public, presents Obama with the scale of the crisis. ‘The economic outlook is grim and deteriorating rapidly,’ it said. The U.S. economy had lost two million jobs that year; without a government response, it would lose four million more in the next year. Unemployment would rise above nine per cent unless a significant stimulus plan was passed. The estimates were getting worse by the day.” (Ryan Lizza, “The Obama Memos,” The New Yorker, 1/30/12)