Obama Travels To Kansas Tomorrow To Channel Teddy Roosevelt, But There Is One Part Of Teddy’s Speech That Obama Will Skip

President Theodore Roosevelt: “A Broken Promise Is Bad Enough In Private Life. It Is Worse In The Field Of Politics. No Man Is Worth His Salt In Public Life Who Makes On The Stump A Pledge Which He Does Not Keep After Election; And, If He Makes Such A Pledge And Does Not Keep It, Hunt Him Out Of Public Life.”(President Theodore Roosevelt, “New Nationalism,” Osawatomie, Kansas, 8/31/1910)

OBAMA MADE NUMEROUS PROMISES TO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE WHICH HE HAS FAILED TO KEEP

Obama Promised To End Special Interest Access

PROMISE: When Announcing His Campaign For Presidency, Obama Pledged To End Special Interest Access. “Special interests have turned our government into a game only they can afford to play … They get the access while you get to write a letter … The time for that kind of politics is over. It’s through.” (Sen. Barack Obama, Remarks Announcing Campaign For President, Springfield, IL, 2/17/07)

FAILURE: Bundlers Meet With Obama In The White House To Talk About Policy And Later Host Fundraisers For Obama’s Campaign. “They glide easily through the corridors of power in Washington, with a number of them hosting Mr. Obama at fund-raisers while also visiting the White House on policy matters and official business.” (Eric Lichtblau, “Obama Backers Tied To Lobbies Raise Millions,” The New York Times, 10/27/11)

• Obama’s Promises Of Change Were “Either Hopelessly Naïve” Or Were “A Little Bit Of A Shell Game.” “‘Any president who says he’s going to change this is either hopelessly naïve or polishing the reality to promise something other than can be delivered,’ said Paul Light , a New York University professor and expert on presidential transitions. ‘At best it’s naïve and a little bit of a shell game.’” (Fred Schulte, John Aloysius Farrell, And Jeremy Borden, “Obama Rewards Big Bundlers With Jobs, Commissions, Stimulus Money, Government Contracts, And More,” IWatch, 6/15/11)

Obama Is Ignoring His Pledge To Not Take Money From Special Interests, Raising Millions From “Prominent Supporters Who Are Active In The Lobbying Industry.” “Despite a pledge not to take money from lobbyists, President Obama has relied on prominent supporters who are active in the lobbying industry to raise millions of dollars for his re-election bid.” (Eric Lichtblau, “Obama Backers Tied To Lobbies Raise Millions,” The New York Times, 10/27/11)

At Least 15 Of Obama’s Bundlers Are In The Lobbying Industry And Have Raised Over $5 Million For Obama’s Reelection Campaign. “At least 15 of Mr. Obama’s ‘bundlers’ — supporters who contribute their own money to his campaign and solicit it from others — are involved in lobbying for Washington consulting shops or private companies. They have raised more than $5 million so far for the campaign.” (Eric Lichtblau, “Obama Backers Tied To Lobbies Raise Millions,” The New York Times, 10/27/11)

The Bundlers Show The Obama Ethics Policies Do Not Match The “On-The-Ground Practices.” “But the prevalence of major Obama fund-raisers who also work in the lobbying arena threatens to undercut the president’s ethics push, raising questions about whether the campaign’s policies square with its on-the-ground practices, some of those same watchdogs say.” (Eric Lichtblau, “Obama Backers Tied To Lobbies Raise Millions,” The New York Times, 10/27/11)

Obama’s Stimulus Failed To Keep Unemployment Below 8 Percent As Promised

PROMISE: The White House Predicted Unemployment Would Not Rise Above Eight Percent With Stimulus. (Christina Romer and Jared Bernstein, “The Job Impact Of The American Recovery And Reinvestment Plan,”1/9/09)

• Obama: “That is why I have moved quickly to work with my economic team and leaders of both parties on an American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan that will immediately jumpstart job creation and long-term growth.” (President Obama, “Remarks Of President–Elect Obama on American Recovery And Reinvestment, 1/8/09)  

FAILURE: Since Obama’s $825 Billion Stimulus Passed, The Unemployment Rate Has Remained Above Eight Percent For A Post-WWII Record 34 Straight Months. (Bureau Of Labor Statistics, BLS.gov, Accessed 12/2/11)

Obama Promised To Cut The Deficit In Half In His First Term

PROMISE: “President Barack Obama Plans To Cut The U.S. Budget Deficit To $533 Billion By The End Of His First Term …” (Hans Nichols, “Obama Plans To Reduce Budget Deficit To $533 Billion By 2013,” Bloomberg, 2/21/09)

• The President Believed That A Failure To Control The Deficit Would “Make It Harder For The Economy To Grow.” “Obama wants to reduce the deficit because he’s concerned that over time, federal borrowing will make it harder for the U.S. economy to grow and create jobs, said the official, speaking on the condition of anonymity.”  (Hans Nichols, “Obama Plans To Reduce Budget Deficit To $533 Billion By 2013,” Bloomberg, 2/21/09)

FAILURE: The National Debt Is Now Over $15 Trillion Dollars. (US Department Of The Treasury, TreasuryDirect.gov, Accessed 12/3/11)

Since President Obama Took Office, The National Debt Has Risen $4.4 Trillion, An Increase Of Over 41 Percent. (US Department Of The Treasury, TreasuryDirect.gov, Accessed 12/3/11)

• Under Obama’s Watch, Each Citizen’s Share Of The National Debt Has Risen By Over $14,250. (US Department Of The Treasury, TreasuryDirect.gov, Accessed 12/3/11)

Even Though He Promised To Tackle The Deficit, Obama Has “More Mundane Political Imperatives, Like Positioning Himself For His 2012 Re-Election Campaign.” “As a candidate, Obama promised to deal with the exploding deficit – so committed to tackling the underlying issue of entitlement reform that he told the Washington Post he’d make the ‘hard decisions… under my watch’ shortly before his inauguration almost 27 months ago. But as president, such high-minded goals have run headlong into a tanking economy and more mundane political imperatives, like positioning himself for his 2012 re-election campaign.” (Carol Budoff Brown, Glenn Thrush and David Nather, “Showtime For President Ambivalent About Deficit,” Politico, 4/12/11)

Obama Promised That No One Would Take Away Your Health Care Plan

PROMISE: President Obama Promised That “If You Like Your Health Care Plan, You Will Be Able To Keep Your Health Care Plan. Period. No One Will Take It Away. No Matter What.” (President Barack Obama, Address To The American Medical Association, Chicago, IL, 6/15/09)

FAILURE: Towers Watson Survey Finds That “One Out Of Every 10 Midsized And Large Companies Say They’ll Stop Offering Health Insurance Once Federal Insurance Exchanges Kick Off In 2014.” (Ryan Jaslow, “Is Employer-Sponsored Health Insurance On Life Support?” CBS News, 8/24/11)

• “For Retirees, More Than Half Of Employers (54%) That Offer Health Care Benefits Plan To Discontinue Them For Both Pre-65 And Post-65 Retirees.” (“Employers Committed To Offering Health Care Benefits Today; Concerned About Viability Of Insurance Exchanges,” Towers Watson, 8/24/11)

Union Leader: New Hampshire Medicare Advantage Beneficiaries Were Lied To. “Remember when President Obama said that if his health care ‘reform’ law passed, you’d still get to keep your doctor? Medicare Advantage participants in the Granite State are finding out what a lie that was.” (Editorial, “A Small Taste: New Hampshire Samples ObamaCare,” Union Leader, 12/1/11)

• Union Leader: Americans Will Lose Coverage Along With Their Health Providers As Well. “Its regulations will so skew the private insurance market that millions will lose the coverage they have and be forced into plans preferred by bureaucrats in Washington. They will lose access to their doctors, too. It would make a lot more sense to reform the health insurance market by working to give people more control over their own care, not less.” (Editorial, “A Small Taste: New Hampshire Samples ObamaCare,” Union Leader, 12/1/11)

FactCheck.org: The White House Ad Promising Medicare “Benefits Will Remain The Same” Is False. “Currently, about 1 in every 4 Medicare beneficiary is enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan. For many of them, the words in this ad ring hollow, and the promise that ‘benefits will remain the same’ is just as fictional as the town of Mayberry was when Griffith played the local sheriff.” (Brooks Jackson, “Mayberry Misleads On Medicare,” FactCheck.org, 7/31/10)

Obama Promised That Lobbyists Would Not Find A Job In His White House

PROMISE: Obama Promised That Lobbyists Would Not “Find A Job In [His] White House.” “President Obama promised during his campaign that lobbyists ‘won’t find a job in my White House.’ … Formalized in a recent presidential executive order, it forbids executive branch employees from working in an agency, or on a program, for which they have lobbied in the last two years.” (Kenneth P. Vogel & Mike Allen, “Obama Finds Room For Lobbyists,” Politico, 1/30/09) 

• Obama’s Anti-Lobbyist Promise “Is The Cornerstone Of President Obama’s Campaign Theme About Limiting The Influence Of Special Interests.” “Of the 513 promises we’re tracking, this one has become the most controversial. It is the cornerstone of President Obama’s campaign theme about limiting the influence of special interests.  During the campaign, Obama said many times that lobbyists would not run his White House, and the campaign delighted in tweaking rival John McCain for the former lobbyists who worked on McCain’s campaign.” (Angie Drobnic Holan, “Former Lobbyist In The White House? It’s Okay If They Say It’s Okay,”Politifact, 3/17/09)

FAILURE: 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 & Mike Allen, “Obama Finds Room For Lobbyists,” Politico, 1/30/09)  

• 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 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,10/7/11)

The Center For Responsive Politics Finds Over 300 Individuals In The Obama Administration Who Have Been Through The Revolving Door, With 98 Individuals Who Are Current Or Former Registered Lobbyists. (Center For Responsive Politics, Opensecrets.org, Accessed 10/7/11)

BUT THERE’S ONE POST-STUMP PROMISE AMERICANS WILL HOLD OBAMA TO

In 2009, Obama Said If “I Don’t Have This Done In Three Years, Then There’s Going To Be A One-Term Proposition.”  OBAMA: “That’s exactly right. And — and, you know, a year from now I think people — are going to see that — we’re starting to make some progress. But there’s still going to be some pain out there. If I don’t have this done in three years, then there’s going to be a one-term proposition.” (NBC’s “The Today Show,” 2/2/09)

• Obama: “And there’s no excuse–I’m not going to make any excuses. If stuff hasn’t worked and people don’t feel like I’ve led the country in the right direction, then you’ll have a new president.” (President Barack Obama, Remarks on Economic Stabilization and a Question-and-Answer Session, Fort Myers, Florida, 2/10/09)