White House Watch

Now that the Janes have picked their new president, what's left to compare? How about rhetoric vs. reality? Based on the old-fashioned notion that promises are meant to be kept, we at CJP will now be following how President-elect Obama does when it comes to making good on his campaign promises. We've already logged his commitments on education, judicial nominations, social issues, Iraq, health care, the economy, energy and the environment, and immigration, so we'll keep a tally of how the campaign rhetoric stacks up to the stickier reality of actually running the government.

The Economy and Taxes

	General Position	Tax cuts/ increases	Jobs	Trade	Also
Candidate Obama	"We are all in this together. From CEOs to shareholders, from financiers to factory workers, we all have a stake in each other's success because the more Americans prosper, the more America prospers."	Raise income taxes for $250,000+ earners. Raise taxes on capital gains and dividends. Apply payroll tax to income over $250K. Give middle and low-income earners $500/individual or $1K/family tax credit. Eliminate all income taxes for seniors earning less than $50K. Against summer gas tax holiday.	Eliminates capital gains taxes for start-ups. Eliminates incentives to off-shore companies. Believes that requiring use of renewable energy will create "hundreds of thousands" of new jobs through innovation.	Generally wants to seek trade deals to open markets for U.S. goods and access cheaper goods for U.S. consumers, but said he'll renegotiate NAFTA.	In June 2008, Obama told CNBC that he could "possibly defer" some of his tax increases if the health of the economy warranted it. In July 2008, announced payroll tax increases would not be phased in for 10 years.
President Obama	TBD	TBD	TBD	TBD	TBD

The War in Iraq

	General Position	Troops Stay or Go	Experience to Know About	FYI	Military Service
Candidate Obama	Obama criticizes the President for going to war and the Congress for letting him do it. He wants most American troops out and wants Iraqi leaders to decide their own future.	Opposed the "surge." He said would begin pulling troops out at the rate of one to two brigades a month over a period of 16 months from the day he's sworn in. In July 2008, said he wants to increase American troops in Afghanistan.	Obama has been on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee for three years.	Obama opposed the war in 2002, although he was not in the Senate at the time. He said he does not oppose all wars, just "dumb wars."	None
President Obama	TBD	TBD	TBD	TBD	TBD

*At the debate at Dartmouth college on Sept. 27, 2007, none of the top Democrats could commit to having all troops out of Iraq by 2013 under all circumstances. On Aug. 22, 2008, the U.S. and Iraq agreed to a timetable pulling American troops out by 2011.

Energy and the Environment

	General Position	Cap 'n Trade	Fuel efficiency for cars	Alt. Fuel proposals	Also
Candidate Obama	Obama sees reducing reliance on foreign oil as a way to also create jobs and strengthen the U.S. economy. He would reduce oil consumption 35% by 2030.	Would enact cap 'n trade to reduce greenhouse emissions 80% from 1990 levels by 2050.	Wants cars to get 40 mpg by 2020. Provide loans and tax breaks to auto industry to upgrade plants.	Will require 25% of electricity to come from renewable sources by 2025. Wants to invest heavily in cellulosic ethanol.	Also wants a $150 billion fund to "deploy green technologies." Will launch a "Green Job Corps" for disadvantaged youth. Obama says he is against offshore drilling, but would allow it to get a bi-partisan agreement on an energy plan.
President Obama	TBD	TBD	TBD	TBD	TBD

Education Policy

	Charter Schools	Vouchers	Federal Funding for Pre-K	Other Key Issues
Candidate Obama	Supports them, although most Democrats typically do not support them, no do most teachers' unions.	Doesn't support them. He has said he, "We need to invest in our public schools and strengthen them, not drain their fiscal support."	Wants to create Early Learning Challenge Grants to promote state "zero to five" efforts and help states move toward voluntary, universal pre-school.	Wants No Child Left Behind reformed and fully funded; wants more emphasis on recruiting, retaining, and rewarding good teachers. For college, would give $4K tax credit for college education.
President Obama	TBD	TBD	TBD	TBD	TBD

Judicial nominations

Candidates	Judicial philosophy	Vote on John Roberts and Sam Alito	Role in "Gang of 14," a bi-partisan effort to avoid judicial filibusters in the Senate.	Legal background	Response to Guantanamo/ Habeas decision
Candidate Obama	"I want people on the bench who have enough empathy, enough feeling, for what ordinary people are going through."	Voted "no" on both. When explaining his Alito vote, Obama said, "He consistently sides on behalf of the powerful against the powerless."	Obama was not a part of the Gang of 14.	Obama graduated from Harvard Law School, was the editor of the Harvard Law Review and lectured on constitutional law at the University of Chicago.	"This is an important step toward re-establishing our credibility as a nation committed to the rule of law, and rejecting a false choice between fighting terrorism and respecting habeas corpus."
President Obama	TBD	TBD	TBD	TBD	TBD

Social Issues

	Abortion	Stem cell research	Gay marriage	Flag Burning	Also
Candidate Obama	Obama is pro-choice and wants to preserve Roe v. Wade. He wasn't in the Senate when partial-birth abortion was banned, but said he disagreed with Supreme Court's decision to uphold the ban. NARAL endorsed Obama over Hillary Clinton.	Supports stem cell research. Like McCain, voted to expand federal funding to more stem cell lines.	Supports civil unions. Against gay marriage, but voted against federal definition of marriage as between a man and a woman, telling the Chicago Tribune, "I do believe that tradition, and my religious beliefs say that marriage is something sanctified between a man and a woman."	Voted against Constitutional amendment to ban flag burning.	Obama says he would repeal "Don't Ask/ Don't Tell" policy on gay members of the military.
President Obama	TBD	TBD	TBD	TBD	TBD

Health Care

	General Position	Who would be covered?	Major features	How much will it cost?	How is it paid for?
Candidate Obama	“Quality, affordable healthcare for all” through a mix of private and expanded public plans.	All children would be required to have coverage, all adults would have access to insurance.	Expand S-CHIP and Medicaid. Create new National Health Insurance Exchange to oversee insurers and help people and small businesses buy coverage. Require employers to offer coverage or pay for it. Children up to 25 could stay on their parents’ insurance.	He estimates between $50 billion and $60 billion every year.	Tax increase on incomes over $250,000 and from efficiencies gained through modernizing hospitals.
President Obama	TBD	TBD	TBD	TBD	TBD

Immigration

	General Position	Border Plan	Plan for immigrants already in U.S.	Guest worker plan	Also
Candidate Obama	"The time to fix our broken immigration system is now… We need stronger enforcement on the border and at the workplace… But for reform to work, we also must respond to what pulls people to America… Where we can reunite families, where we can bring in more foreign-born workers with the skills our economy needs, we should”	Obama voted for 700-mile long fence along the U.S./ Mexican border.	Obama has said, "Those who enter our country illegally, and those who employ them, disrespect the rule of law." Supports a system that requires illegal immigrants to pay a fine, learn English, and go to the back of the line for the opportunity to become citizens.	Supports closely regulated guest worker program, along with penalties for companies that employ illegal workers.	Obama's father came to study in the U.S. from Kenya. Unlike Clinton, endorsed the idea of drivers’ licenses for illegal immigrants. Also voted for Bush immigration reform bill.
President Obama	TBD	TBD	TBD	TBD	TBD

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