|
Three times, he
told the group at a fundraiser late last month that he won't be satisfied until more has been done
-- to create jobs, to improve the country's education system, to bring troops home from Afghanistan. "So I'm going to work harder than I did in 2008, and if you guys are willing to join me, then we're going to have four more years to be able to finish what we started," he said. It's a different tone from Obama's 2008 campaign, with its blizzard of ambitious promises and "yes-we-can" optimism. Politifact.com compiled a list of more than 500 promises that Obama made during that campaign, and gives this status report: 35 percent kept, 11 percent compromised, 13 percent broken, 12 percent stalled and 27 percent in the works. If re-elected, Obama is sure to have plenty of big carry-over items from his first term to-do list: a still-unfulfilled promise for immigration overhaul, the ongoing drawdown of U.S. troops in Afghanistan and elusive efforts to achieve greater tax fairness among them. Plus, the health care overhaul that was the signature achievement of Obama's first term could well be back on the agenda if it fails to survive a challenge pending before the Supreme Court. Unsurprisingly, Obama makes precious little mention of promises broken, such as his failure to close the U.S. detention center at Guantanamo Bay. Other failures, such as his inability to repeal the Bush tax cuts for higher-income Americans, are brought up to paint Republicans as obstructionists. "Time after time, the Republicans have gotten together and they've said no," Obama told construction workers last week. What new promises Obama adds to his list in 2012 will depend on the arc of the campaign. An incumbent who's cruising to re-election doesn't need to sweeten the pot much. Ronald Reagan's re-election race against Democrat Walter Mondale, says Buchanan, was easy enough that "there was no need to make promises that might be uncomfortable to keep." Bill Clinton, in his smooth re-election race against Republican Bob Dole, dangled a string of small-bore proposals such as school uniforms and extended school days. As for Obama, says Buchanan, "They have stuff to wheel out. They'll do so if they need to."
[Associated
Press;
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
News | Sports | Business | Rural Review | Teaching & Learning | Home and Family | Tourism | Obituaries
Community |
Perspectives
|
Law & Courts |
Leisure Time
|
Spiritual Life |
Health & Fitness |
Teen Scene
Calendar
|
Letters to the Editor