Obama will be hard pressed to deliver promises
Wednesday, November 12, 2008 1:17 AM PST
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It’s 70 days now before Barack Obama takes the oath of office. Few of his 43 predecessors began their presidencies saddled with greater challenges or higher expectations. The expectations, of course, are largely of Obama’s making — pledges made during what turned out to be the longest presidential campaign in the nation’s history. There were promises of tax relief for the elderly and the middle class, affordable and comprehensive health care for all and a new spirit of bipartisanship in the nation’s capital.
Making good on some of these promises may be a bigger challenge than President-elect Obama anticipated at the time he gave voice to them. The financial meltdown, tanking national economy and soaring deficit have complicated the task significantly.
But the expectation that Obama will deliver on his major campaign promises remains, as it should. Indeed, several constituencies this week moved to ratchet up expectations with regard to health care reform. The AARP, Business Roundtable, National Federation of Independent Businesses and Service Employees International Union issued a joint letter to Obama urging him to make health care reform a priority in his administration’s first 100 days.
Health care reform was a primary issue Obama raised again and again during his campaign. He promised to expand coverage and lower consumer costs, saying a typical American family would save up to $2,500 a year under his plan. Obama said he would lower drug costs by allowing the importation of prescription drugs from abroad and increasing the use of generic drugs in public programs. He vowed to reduce the costs of catastrophic illnesses for employers and their workers, require hospitals to report medical cost and quality data and reform the insurance market to increase competition.
Tax cuts for the middle class was another central pledge by the Obama campaign. Cuts were promised for 95 percent of workers — a tax cut of $500 for individuals and $1,000 for working couples. Obama promised that no family earning less than $250,000 annually would see their taxes increase. He said he would eliminate income taxes for seniors earning less than $50,000 a year. Obama pledged to eliminate capital gains taxes for small businesses and cut corporate taxes for firms that invest and create jobs in the United States. He would pay for the promised tax relief by retaining the estate tax at its 2009 level and raising income taxes, dividend taxes and capital gains taxes on those making more than $250,000 annually.
Obama will be hard-pressed to deliver on his promises designed to stop the country from bleeding jobs and righting the economy. Those calling for results within his administration’s first 100 days are likely to be disappointed. But citizens ought to hold the Obama administration to account should it abandon any of these core campaign pledges. We’re sure that’s as the president-elect and the Democrat-controlled Congress would want it.
cheney119 wrote on Nov 12, 2008 8:32 AM:
Hauskapoika wrote on Nov 12, 2008 11:21 AM:
randydutton wrote on Nov 12, 2008 11:58 AM:
His promise obliterates every state and local law that protects the unborn, including parental notification, conscience protections, bans on taxpayer-funded abortion, bans 3rd term abortions, and much more. Under FOCA an individual who tries to limit abortion could be sued. This could mean anyone from state and federal legislators who work to pass abortion restrictions to pro-life protestors. "
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