Promise Kept rulings on the Obameter
Posted by James O'Rourke on June 13, 2009
Promise Kept rulings on the Obameter
No. 15: Create a foreclosure prevention fund for homeowners
Create a $10 billion fund to help homeowners refinance or sell their homes. “The Fund will not help speculators, people who bought vacation homes or people who falsely represented their incomes.”>>More
No. 33: Establish a credit card bill of rights
The credit card bill of rights would “ban unilateral changes … apply interest rate increases only to future debt … prohibit interest on fees … prohibit ‘universal defaults’ (whereby a credit card raises its rates because the consumer was late paying a different creditor … require prompt and fair crediting of cardholder payments.”>>More
No. 36: Expand loan programs for small businesses
Expand “the Small Business Administration’s loan and micro-loan programs which provide start-up and long-term financing that small firms cannot receive through normal channels.”>>More
No. 40: Extend and index the 2007 Alternative Minimum Tax patch
Extend and index the temporary fix to the Alternative Minimum Tax that was passed in 2007>>More
No. 58: Expand eligibility for State Children’s Health Insurance Fund (SCHIP)
“Expand eligibility for the Medicaid and SCHIP programs and ensure that these programs continue to serve their critical safety net function.”>>More
No. 76: Expand funding to train primary care providers and public health practitioners
“Expand funding—including loan repayment, adequate reimbursement, grants for training curricula, and infrastructure support to improve working conditions— to ensure a strong workforce that will champion prevention and public health activities.”>>More
No. 125: Direct military leaders to end war in Iraq
On “my first day in office, I would give the military a new mission: ending this war”.>>More
No. 134: Send two additional brigades to Afghanistan
“As Obama removes our combat brigades from Iraq, he will send at least two additional brigades to Afghanistan, where the Taliban is resurgent. He will also provide our armed forces with the reset capability that they need. He will replace essential equipment, and he will ensure that our men and women in uniform get the care and support they have earned.”>>More
No. 174: Give a speech at a major Islamic forum in the first 100 days of his administration
“Obama will personally lead diplomacy efforts beginning with a speech at a major Islamic forum in the first 100 days of his administration. He will make clear that we are not at war with Islam, that we will stand with those who are willing to stand up for their future, and that we need theireffort to defeat the prophets of hate and violence.”>>More
No. 222: Grant Americans unrestricted rights to visit family and send money to Cuba
“Cuban American connections to family in Cuba are not only a basic right in humanitarian terms, but also our best tool for helping to foster the beginnings of grassroots democracy on the island. Accordingly, as president, Obama will grant Cuban Americans unrestricted rights to visit family and send remittances to the island.”>>More
No. 224: Restore funding for the Byrne Justice Assistance Grant (Byrne/JAG) program
“The (Bush) administration has consistently proposed to cut or eliminate funding for the Byrne Justice Assistance Grant (Byrne/JAG) program, which funds anti-drug and anti-gang task forces across the country. …Since 2000, this program has been cut more than 83 percent. … As president, Obama will restore funding.”>>More
No. 239: Release presidential records
“Will nullify the Bush attempts to make the timely release of presidential records more difficult.”>>More
No. 241: Require new hires to sign a form affirming their hiring was not due to political affiliation or contributions.
“Will issue an executive order asking all new hires at the agencies to sign a form affirming that no political appointee offered them the job solely on the basis of political affiliation or contribution.”>>More
No. 278: Remove more brush, small trees and vegetation that fuel wildfires
“Will place a high priority on implementing cooperative projects to remove brush, small trees and other overgrown vegetation that serve as fuel for wildfires. Barack Obama will focus the Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management’s efforts on working with local communities on hazardous fuels projects to make communities safer and forests healthier.”>>More
No. 290: Push for enactment of Matthew Shepard Act, which expands hate crime law to include sexual orientation and other factors
“Will place the weight of (his) administration behind the enactment of the Matthew Shepard Act to outlaw hate crimes.”>>More
No. 307: Create a White House Office on Urban Policy
“Will create a White House Office of Urban Policy to develop a strategy for metropolitan America and to ensure that all federal dollars targeted to urban areas are effectively spent on the highest-impact programs. The Director of Urban Policy will report directly to the president and coordinate all federal urban programs.”>>More
No. 327: Support increased funding for the NEA
Will “support increased funding for the National Endowment for the Arts, the support of which enriches schools and neighborhoods all across the nation and helps to promote the economic development of countless communities.”>>More
No. 346: Appoint an assistant to the president for science and technology policy
“Will appoint an Assistant to the President for Science and Technology Policy who will report directly to the president, and be deeply involved in establishing research priorities that reflect the nation’s needs based on the best available advice from experts around the country.”>>More
No. 371: Fund a major expansion of AmeriCorps
“Will expand and fund AmeriCorps from 75,000 slots today to 250,000 and they will focus this expansion on addressing the great challenges facing the nation.” These additional slots will enable AmeriCorps to establish five new Corps: Classroom Corps to help teachers and students, with a priority placed on high-need and underserved schools; Health Corps to improve public health information and outreach to areas with inadequate health systems such as rural areas and inner cities; Clean Energy Corps to promote energy independence through efforts like weatherization, renewable energy projects and educational outreach; Veterans Corps to help keep America’s sacred trust with its veterans; and Homeland Security Corps to help communities plan, prepare for and respond to emergencies.>>More
No. 411: Work to overturn Ledbetter vs. Goodyear
“Obama will work to overturn the Supreme Court’s recent ruling that curtails racial minorities’ and women’s ability to challenge pay discrimination.”>>More
No. 427: Ban lobbyist gifts to executive employees
“Barack Obama will issue an executive order banning registered lobbyists or lobbying firms from giving gifts in any amount or any form to executive branch employees.”>>More
No. 452: Weatherize 1 million homes per year
“Will make a national commitment to weatherize at least 1 million low-income homes each year for the next decade, which can reduce energy usage across the economy and help moderate energy prices for all.”>>More
No. 458: Invest in all types of alternative energy
“We’ll invest in research and development of every form of alternative energy – solar, wind, biofuels.”>>More
No. 459: Enact tax credit for consumers for plug-in hybrid cars
“We will leverage private sector funding to bring these cars directly to American consumers. We’ll give consumers a $7,000 tax credit to buy these vehicles.”>>More
No. 480: Support high-speed rail
Will “Support development of high-speed rail networks across the country. Providing passengers with safe high-speed rail will have significant environmental and metropolitan planning advantages and help diversify our nation’s transportation infrastructure. Our domestic rail freight capacity must also be strengthened because our demand for rail transportation has never been greater, leaving many key transportation hubs stretched to capacity. Obama and Biden are committed to renewing the federal government’s commitment to high speed rail so that our nation’s transportation infrastructure continues to support, and not hinder, our nation’s long-term economic growth.”>>More
No. 498: Provide grants to encourage energy-efficient building codes
“Will create a competitive grant program to award those states and localities that take the first steps in implementing new building codes that prioritize energy efficiency, and provide a federal match for those states with leading-edge public benefits funds that support energy efficiency retrofits of existing buildings.”>>More
No. 502: Get his daughters a puppy
“The pledge is (Sasha and Malia) will get their dog, win or lose.”>>More
No. 503: Appoint at least one Republican to the cabinet
Interview with Steve Kroft of “60 Minutes”: Question: “Will there be Republicans in the Cabinet?” Obama: “Yes.” Question: “More than one?” Obama: “You’re not getting any more out of me.”>>More
No. 507: Extend unemployment insurance benefits and temporarily suspend taxes on these benefits
“Obama and Biden believe Congress should immediately extend unemployment insurance for an additional 13 weeks to help families that are being hit hardest by this downturn. In addition, they believe we should temporarily suspend taxes on unemployment insurance benefits as a way of giving more relief to families.”>>More
No. 513: Reverse restrictions on stem cell research
“I believe that the restrictions that President Bush has placed on funding of human embryonic stem cell research have handcuffed our scientists and hindered our ability to compete with other nations. As president, I will lift the current administration’s ban on federal funding of research on embryonic stem cell lines created after August 9, 2001 through executive order … ..”>>More
