Obameter: Keeping Track of Our New President's Promises

The folks at the St. Petersburg Times' PolitiFact.com have created the "Obameter" -- a handy list of President-elect (one more day) Barack Obama's 510 campaign promises. PolitiFact.com will

… rate their status as No Action, In the Works or Stalled. Once we find action is completed, we rate them Promise Kept, Compromise or Promise Broken.

Promises include:

1: Increase the capital gains and dividends taxes for higher-income taxpayers

No. 2: Eliminate all oil and gas tax loopholes

No. 8: Include environmental and labor standards in trade agreements

No. 43: Sign the Employee Free Choice Act, making it easier for workers to unionize

No. 59: Invest in electronic health information systems

No. 80: Mandate insurance coverage of autism treatment

No. 126: Begin removing combat brigades from Iraq

No. 177: Close the Guantanamo Bay Detention Center

No. 234: Allow five days of public comment before signing bills

No. 280: Increase funding for progams that conserve lands and habitat for select species such as the Osceola turkey

No. 288: Provide a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants

No. 300: Reform mandatory minimum sentences

No. 502: Get his daughters a puppy

PolitiFact notes that promise No. 502 is still "in the works."

Go here for the whole list.

Comments

[Nick]

502. Staffordshire terrier?

(kidding, kidding)

[TallDave]

What about his promise to make the oceans recede? (actually, we might be seeing progress on that front)

[PantsFan]

I assume paying for my gas and and my mortgage are on this list?

[sage]

I thought #1 was a magical flying pony for everyone. Even undocumented immigrants.

[TallDave]

Pantsfan,

Sadly, that's pretty much what the daughter would have been taught at school, too.

[Warty]

No. 503: To teach the nation a valuable lesson about sharing.

No. 504: To eat that 64 oz. steak in under an hour so the taxpayers don't have to pay.

[|]

I wonder how many Obamabots have stopped paying their mortgage thinking Dear Leader has taken care of that now.

[Warty]

I guess those should be 511 and 512.

[Episiarch]

No. 504: To eat that 64 oz. steak in under an hour so the taxpayers don't have to pay.

If that sucker is any more done than "bloody" he'll never get it down. Just throw it on the grill for 30 seconds, waiter, and then bring it to me.

[R C Dean]

No. 59: Invest in electronic health information systems.

Correction. This should read "Subsidize the electronic health information systems of private health care providers."

No. 126: Begin removing combat brigades from Iraq.

Unless I'm mistaken, the drawdown has already begun. So they can check this one off tomorrow.

Should Obama get credit for this in any event, since the SOFA calling for US withdrawal was signed and approved last year?

No. 177: Close the Guantanamo Bay Detention Center.

Gaping Loophole Alert: Gitmo can be closed without any detainees having been tried, sentenced, released, etc.

For this to be meaningful, rather than purely symbolic, shouldn't it read "Provide for a final disposition consistent with due process and human rights of all Gitmo detainees"?

502. Staffordshire terrier?

That would be a truly awesome choice. A well-raised Staffie is about the most placid dog in the world, and would do great in the White House.

Plus, the sight of a 100 lb Staffie lolling in the Oval Office, grinning at visiting dignitaries, or striding out to the chopper would be truly wonderful. I'd probably vote for the man if he had the stones to do this.

[joe]

I wonder how many Obamabots have stopped paying their mortgage thinking Dear Leader has taken care of that now.

I wonder why you keep writing this, without being able to find a single example of someone who's done so.

[Warty]

Holy shit, it's actually 72 ounces. I should have done my research.

America, fuck yeah.

[|]

"I wonder why you keep writing this, without being able to find a single example of someone who's done so."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P36x8rTb3jI

[joe]

...but there's nothing left but fat and gristle!

[Episiarch]

You're making me hungry, Warty, you bitch.

[robc]

Does anyone even know Obama's daughters' names?

How are we supposed to make fun of them like we did with Amy, Barbara, Jenna, and Chelsea?

[joe]

"I won't have to worry about..." = "Obama is going to pay for..."

Mmmmmmm-kay.

I'm now going to return to my 72 hour-long continuous performance of "Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah."

Yes, it's true!
It's actual!

[robc]

Anyone seen that Man vs Food tv show?

The 5 lb burger (10 .5 lb patties, 10 slices of cheese and 20 strips of bacon) plus 5 lbs of fries challenge was, um, interesting.

[Nick]

Well-raised is the obvious distinction. If Obama is the miracle worker he promises to be, I think Sasha and Malia should each take on at least one of Michael Vick's Staffies.

[Paul L.]

I don't trust PolitiFact.com to not go the extra mile to excuse as many promises they can.

They cite this where Obama repeats his opponents arguments and then pivots as supporting Gun rights.
I think it's important for us to recognize that we've got a tradition of handgun ownership and gun ownership generally. And a lot of people - law-abiding citizens use it for hunting, for sportsmanship, and for protecting their families. We also have a violence on the streets that is the result of illegal handgun usage?We can have reasonable, thoughtful gun control measures "that I think respect the Second Amendment and people's traditions.

[oldtimer]

I thought after 420 everything would just kinda wind down.

[Neu Mejican]

Paul L.

Are you saying that this statement is logically impossible?

Serious question.

Do you see it as impossible because you believe that the 2nd provides for the right to carry any and all arms making the category "illegal handguns" impossible?

Or, do you see any regulation/registration requirement as disrespectful of the 2nd and people's traditions?

FWIW, I think this is mostly a state issue and I believe that Obama will stay away from it, for the most part. He just won't take federal action to limit state level regulations.

imho

[R C Dean]

If Obama is the miracle worker he promises to be, I think Sasha and Malia should each take on at least one of Michael Vick's Staffies.

I just saw one of those very dogs on Animal Planet this weekend. Fully rehabbed, lolling and grinning as only a pit bull* can. The host, a vet, mentioned that pits make excellent therapy dogs, which I can confirm.

*For the uninitiated, the American Staffordshire Terrier is a sub-class of pit bulls. The AKC won't recognize pits, so they created the Staffie "breed." They do tend to run a little bigger than many pits, but other than that, there's no difference.

[Jamie Kelly]

Amid all the celebrations and promises of new hope and a new America, there is only one thing that we can actually expect from this administration:
A cluster-fuck of entitlements and a whole new generation of pierced, lazy fucks who think they deserve everything at everyone else's expense.
The fact that people can't see this is absolutely fucking amazing to me.
Most people are absolutely mesmerized by this fucking loon, just because he's well-spoken and black.

[Neu Mejican]

Jamie,

How does body piercing relate to sense of entitlement and laziness?

[Neu Mejican]

Jamie,

Is the whole "well spoken and black" thing your way of saying you think Obama is using jungle voodoo to control people?

[joe]

Them people.

[BDB]

Careful, Jamie. You're channeling Joe Biden there!

[Episiarch]

jungle voodoo

I have to give you credit for that one. Well done.

[robc]

Does Biden have to resign his Senate seat before noon tomorrow or is it just taken away when he oaths up?

[Neu Mejican]

Regarding traditions and voodoo.

Obama's family does not come from the region in Africa where voodoo comes from...Vodoun would be a product of Dahomey culture (now called Benin) rather than Kenyan culture.

[Jamie Kelly]

How does body piercing relate to sense of entitlement and laziness?

It's one of the great mysteries of our time.

Is the whole "well spoken and black" thing your way of saying you think Obama is using jungle voodoo to control people?

No. Though I suspect he might install a chicken coop in the West Wing to have a steady supply of bones.

[BDB]

"robc | January 19, 2009, 1:12pm | #
Does Biden have to resign his Senate seat before noon tomorrow or is it just taken away when he oaths up?"

He resigned on the 15th.

jungle voodoo?

ZOMBIES!!!

*hair straightens and stands on end, eyes get big, flash of white teeth*

"Feets, Do yo' stuff!"

[R C Dean]

He resigned on the 15th.

About 20 years too late.

[robc]

BDB,

Thanks, I was wondering if he did and I missed it.

[Neu Mejican]

Jamies,

So then why did you pair "well spoken" AND "black?"

Is there something magical about words when they come out of a black man's mouth that allows them to become mesmerizing?

[Gilbert Martin]

I know one promise that he broke even before he was elected: the promise to stick to public campaign financing.

Obama flat out lied about that.

[Neu Mejican]

Gilbert,

Did he 1)lie, or 2) change his mind based on new circumstances.

If 1, then that bodes poorly for his adminstration if 2, then, it seems, he has demonstrated one of the qualities that an effective manager needs.

[Barack Obama]

I loves me sum fried chickenz

[Gilbert Martin]

"A cluster-fuck of entitlements and a whole new generation of pierced, lazy fucks who think they deserve everything at everyone else's expense"

Yeah - all the while yapping a bunch of nonsense about everybody's going to have to "step up" and "take responsibility" , etc. etc.

A concept that apparantly doesn't include any of his natural constituency of the parasite class of actually pulling their own weight and taking care of themselves.

In Obamaspeak, such talk only means steal more money from the people who actually earned it to hand it out to people who didn't to buy their political support.

[Nick]

RC, that's great. Did the show give any info about any of the other dogs? When the Vick case first broke there were all sorts of people saying the dogs would be put down, and then I know PETA and some sane groups recommended rehab.

Do Staffies eat sea kittens?

[Neu Mejican]

the parasite class

Fleas and leeches and tape worms unite!

[symbiosis]

the parasite class

We're all in this together, each playing our role in the great organism of life.

[Phagocytosis]

the parasite class

http://courses.washington.edu/conj/bloodcells/phagocytosis.htm

[Seer]

Mejican, that was a change in circumstance, but it was a "I can make a lot more ****ing money" change, and since liberals have a hard-on for public financing, he picked money over principle.

[TMOF]

Nixonian retread moment ... "We are all parasites now".

[Nooge]

No. 43 forgot to include ...by making it easier for union leaders to harass, threaten, and intimidate employees who don't want to unionize.

[Neu Mejican]

Seer,

How enlightening.
Thanks.

For the record, what Obama promised:

"Senator John McCain has already pledged to accept this fundraising pledge. If I am the Democratic nominee, I will aggressively pursue an agreement with the Republican nominee to preserve a publicly financed general election."

I believe there were aggressive negotiations on the topic that came to naught.

nit picked

[Jacob]

Jamie Kelly,

I call bullshit. I'm 24, and all I hear from people is how my generation is the worst one who thinks they are entitled to everything and are so selfish and blah blah blah. You know what I can promise you is going to come out of this administration?

A cluster-fuck of entitlements and a whole same old generation of fat, lazy fucks who think they deserve everything at everyone else's expense.

[joe]

Is there something magical about words when they come out of a black man's mouth that allows them to become mesmerizing?

Oh, come on, NM. The dude can give a hell of a speech. It's not like Jamie is Bill O'Reilly, surprised that Barack Obama doesn't talk like Mushmouth and say "Give me some motherfuckin iced tea, ho."

[Gilbert Martin]

"Fleas and leeches and tape worms unite!"

They already have.

They call themselves liberal Democrats.

[Jamie Kelly]

Is there something magical about words when they come out of a black man's mouth that allows them to become mesmerizing?

Ask your friendly neighborhood guilty white liberal.

[Jamie Kelly]

Jacob,
I'm from a youngish generation -- Gen X -- and I couldn't agree more. I was just pickin' on you youngins for a change.

[cunnivore]

No. 234: Allow five days of public comment before signing bills

...unless there's an exception for "emergencies", I see this promise being broken as soon as the economic sledgehammer to the head stimulus is passed (if not before).

[short, fat bastard]

Breaking news, President-Elect panders to his constituents. Opposing party stands horrified.

[ClubMedSux]

For the record, most overpierced and/or overtattooed people I know are actually quite active and entrepreneurial.

And Joe, it's "motherfuckin sweet tea, ho." Or, in the alternative, I would also accept grape pop. I suspect you need to brush up on your stereotypes.

[EJM]

Jamie,

How does body piercing relate to sense of entitlement and laziness?

I guess I now know of one book that JK will never want to read.

[joe]

ClubMedSux,

No, Bill O'Reilly specifically singled out "iced tea" when expressing his shock that people in Harlem restaurants order their meals just like everybody else.

[joe]

If there's one thing somebody in a small town in Montana (but I repeat myself) knows, it's liberals.

And if there are two things somebody in a small town in Montana can speak about with authority, it's liberals and black people.

[Some Guy]

I wonder how many Obamabots have stopped paying their mortgage thinking Dear Leader has taken care of that now.

About the same as the number of anti-Obama people who will do so (and have been for 2 years now.) It's probably a pretty good bet.

I call bullshit. I'm 24, and all I hear from people is how my generation is the worst one who thinks they are entitled to everything and are so selfish and blah blah blah. You know what I can promise you is going to come out of this administration?

I'm 28 and I forsee ours becoming the most fucked over generation in history. We'll be lucky to erase half of the debt the Boomers have given us by the time the last of us has died.

[Boomer]

I'm 28 and I forsee ours becoming the most fucked over generation in history.

Bend over baby

[R C Dean]

Did the show give any info about any of the other dogs?

All or nearly all where taken in by what must be an extraordinary animal rescue group, and had been/would be placed in new homes.

Did he 1)lie, or 2) change his mind based on new circumstances.

If 1, then that bodes poorly for his adminstration if 2, then, it seems, he has demonstrated one of the qualities that an effective manager needs.

True, perhaps, but if the "changed circumstances" are no more than "doing something different now benefits my ambitions", then count me out.

If I am the Democratic nominee, I will aggressively pursue an agreement with the Republican nominee to preserve a publicly financed general election.

/sniff, wipes tear/ Really, it makes me proud of the old alma mater. Obama consistently demonstrates a mastery of the weasel word, the exception that consumes the rule, the trapdoor, that can only come from a first-class legal education.

Of course, leading people to believe you will do one thing while giving yourself an out to do whatever you want isn't really Change I Can Believe In. More like, Meet the New Boss, etc.

[Jamie Kelly]

If there's one thing somebody in a small town in Montana (but I repeat myself) knows, it's liberals.

And if there are two things somebody in a small town in Montana can speak about with authority, it's liberals and black people.

Oh, go slide a puppy on your greasy pole, joe, you disingenuous brown stain.
Missoula, MT, is not exactly a tiny town, you colon lining. It's 120,000 people, and well-known as the liberal center of the Inland Northwest, you dick turd.
And why do I have to be surrounded by "black people" to understand "black people"? Are you saying that "black people" are fundamentally different than white people? Fuckin' racist.

[joe]

Why is it that the only people I ever hear saying how disappointed Obama's supporters should be are his opponents?

[joe]

And why do I have to be surrounded by "black people" to understand "black people"?

It's a cosmopolitan thing. You wouldn't understand.

Are you saying that "black people" are fundamentally different than white people? Fuckin' racist. Oh, look, Jamie's going to tell us who THE REAL RACISTS are. Thank goodness.

[En passant]

I would pay good money to hear Barry say "Give me some motherfuckin' iced tea, ho."

[Episiarch]

"Give me some motherfuckin' arugula, ho."

I don't know if that works as well.

[Jamie Kelly]

joe gets all teary-eyed with guilty white shame to think that a man his great great grandfather would have owned is now about to become president.
joe thinks that's just peachy and quaint, because black people are inferior to white people.
That's what drives joe.

[bigbigslacker]

I call bullshit. I'm 24, and all I hear from people is how my generation is the worst one who thinks they are entitled to everything and are so selfish and blah blah blah.

Jacob, I think you misunderstood them. They were talking about boomers.

Your generation is pretty kick-ass, and second only to mine...

[BakedPenguin]

It's not like Jamie is Bill O'Reilly, surprised that Barack Obama doesn't talk like Mushmouth and say "Give me some motherfuckin iced tea, ho."

If it was Mushmouth, wouldn't it be "Gi-bah me-bah somb mubberfubkin i-bised teabah, h-bo?"

[joe]

Jamie,

Your tears are so yummy and sweet.

Remember, it's only people who are happy to see color barriers broken who are racists.

If you aren't a racist, people who are made happy by signs of racial progress drive you to profanity-laden tirades.

[Nigel Watt]

"I won't have to worry about..." = "Obama is going to pay for..."

What the bajesus else do you take that for?

[joe]

O-bee kay-bee, Baked Puh-begenuin!

Man, you're like a school on a Sunday.

[joe]

What the bajesus else do you take that for?

A statement of optimism, that her circumstances are going to improve. I think you'd really have to bend over backwards to see what you want to see in order to think that the woman in that video expects Barack Obama to stroke a check for her utility bills.

[PC]

"joe | January 19, 2009, 2:33pm | #

Why is it that the only people I ever hear saying how disappointed Obama's supporters should be are his opponents?"

Because they fail to see that the Obama supporters are no different than the Bush supporters, total blinders on when they see their guy, but amazing clarity when they look at the other guy. That and both sides pretend to have a shred of principles but we all know that's a whole lot of bunk too.

I could care less about the Obama supporters lack of principles, they voted in a shiny object and that is exactly what they got, I'm a little more worried about all the propaganda thrusting this shiny object on the masses. I think the only thing that I will end up missing about Bush is that he was not fawned over by the other parts of the establishment, media and pop culture. I really hope this old school "unity" propaganda doesn't work like it used to, but that is just a hope, and hope as we have and will continue to learn doesn't amouont to much.

[|]

Joe doesn't want you to see this:

http://www.howobamagotelected.com

[BakedPenguin]

joe, you're just like summer vacation...

[joe]

Personally, I love the shot of Sarah Palin vamping above the words "How Obama Got Elected."

[joe]

*screechy, nasally voice* Summer vacation?

[Russell]

No class.

[joe]

*squints, frowns, laugh track*

[phalkor]

ewww

[R C Dean]

Why is it that the only people I ever hear saying how disappointed Obama's supporters should be are his opponents?

In that case, he has a whole lot of opponents on the left, who were banging the drums for him (can I still say that?) before the election.

[Neu Mejican]

joe,

"There wasn't one person in Sylvia's who was screaming, 'M-Fer, I want more iced tea.' You know, I mean, everybody was -- it was like going into an Italian restaurant in an all-white suburb in the sense of people were sitting there, and they were ordering and having fun. And there wasn't any kind of craziness at all."

Hadn't seen that.
Wow.

Oh, come on, NM. The dude can give a hell of a speech.

But, apparently, it isn't the speech that mesmerizes people, it is the fact that he is "well spoken and black" that results in the mesmerizing.

Jamie,

me: Is there something magical about words when they come out of a black man's mouth that allows them to become mesmerizing?

Jamie: Ask your friendly neighborhood guilty white liberal.

Are you saying that *"most people" are guilty white liberals?

*original quote above

The fact that people can't see this is absolutely fucking amazing to me.
Most people are absolutely mesmerized by this fucking loon, just because he's well-spoken and black.

[Neu Mejican]

RC Dean,

/sniff, wipes tear/ Really, it makes me proud of the old alma mater. Obama consistently demonstrates a mastery of the weasel word, the exception that consumes the rule, the trapdoor, that can only come from a first-class legal education.

=/;^)

The average pedant upset with the change in position needs Obama to be consistent with the promise, but, somehow, doesn't care about the details of the promise. They see a dishonesty or an abandonment of principle when Obama doesn't conform to the promise he didn't make, rather than putting that pedantic energy towards the details of what he actually promised.

[Neu Mejican]

And if there are two things somebody in a small town in Montana can speak about with authority, it's liberals and black people.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Missoula,_Montana

The racial makeup of the city was 93.57% White, 2.35% Native American, 1.23% Asian, 0.36% African American, 0.10% Pacific Islander, 0.51% from other races, and 1.87% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.76% of the population....Missoula is known as a more liberal area than the rest of the state, having 14 Democrats and one Republican in its state legislative delegation.

[joe]

NM,

A lot of us grew up in lily-white places. A lot of us had that "wow, all these black people are acting just like everybody else" moment Bill-O describes.

But most of us had it at, I don't know, age 7. Or 12. Or, in an extreme case, 17.

Bill-O is a sixty-something year old man, who has a years-long record opining about racial issues in the media.

Crazy.

[R C Dean]

They see a dishonesty or an abandonment of principle when Obama doesn't conform to the promise he didn't make, rather than putting that pedantic energy towards the details of what he actually promised.

But that's the genius of the man, joe. He doesn't actually promise anything concrete. Any apparent promise is rife with loopholes and trapdoors. There are no details of what he actually promised to evaluate.

You gotta admire the way he fools people into thinking he's promising what they want, when actually, as you note and apparently admire, he actually says no such thing.

The fun is in watching him do it, and (especially) in watching people react to it, generally by blithely ignoring that they've just been scammed, and coming back for more, or, for the more cynical partisans, admiring his skill at manipulating The Masses.

[The Bearded Hobbit]

I, for one, hope that the 19th Century concept of "race" disappears from mankind forever, preferably in my lifetime.

.. Hobbit

[joe]

But that's the genius of the man, joe.

Um, ok. But that was Neu Mejican.

[Neu Mejican]

RC Dean,

You gotta admire the way he fools people into thinking he's promising what they want, when actually, as you note and apparently admire, he actually says no such thing.

Noting that Obama is successful as a politician for exactly the same reason all previously successful politicians have been successful is not the same as saying I admire that particular trait in successful politicians.

I was making fun of partisan pseudo-pedants that pretend they have a "gotcha" moment.

Campaign promises, if we are honest, are not specific terms in a contract, but general vague statement indicating goals that the politician hopes the majority of voters will share.

Voters, I think, know that, for the most part.

[Neu Mejican]

I'm 24,...

Well, it is not your generation that they are talking about...it is your age group...you'll think the same thing in 10 or 15 years.

8^)

[R C Dean]

I was making fun of partisan pseudo-pedants that pretend they have a "gotcha" moment.

I, sir, am neither perticularly partisan (many harsh words for both Obama and Bush, some positive observations on both), nor a pseudo-pedant. I pride myself on actual pedantry.

Nor was I pretending to have a a gotcha moment. As I noted above, I was marvelling at his skill at not committing to anything, while convincing millions of the gullible (those voters you have such faith in) that he was.

I have very little doubt, based on observation, that a great many of his supporters thought he was going to reverse the course set by Bush overseas (he won't) and that he would bring real change to Washington (he won't). The vast majority of his supporters believed this, and were suckered. They aren't the discerning political cynics that you and I both wish they were, no, indeed.

[Neu Mejican]

RC Dean,

I was referring to one Gilbert Martin, who brought up the topic up thread.

To the tape:

I know one promise that he broke even before he was elected: the promise to stick to public campaign financing.

Obama flat out lied about that.

[Neu Mejican]

RC Dean,

thought he was going to reverse the course set by Bush overseas (he won't)

In what way will he continue this course?
I don't even buy that Bush would continue it if he had another 4 years.

that he would bring real change to Washington (he won't)

Agreed, unless moving us back towards the mean is real change. The last 8 years have been clear outliers in a lot of ways.

[joe]

Neu Mejican,

As a survival mechanism, RC Dean has convinced himself that George Bush always intended to withdraw American combat forces from Iraq on a timeline with a date certain, to leave behind no permanent bases full of troops from which to project force in the region, and to ramp up activity in Afghanistan.

Barack Obama changed his positions - apparently, he was always against the above actions - late in the Summer of 2008, to bring them into line with Bush's long-established withdrawal plans.

No, I am not making this up.

[joe]

Forgot to add, because Bush agreed to this timeline-based withdrawal regardless of conditions on the ground AFTER the Iraqis insisted on it, the withdrawal isn't unilateral, and therefore...uh...Progressives Must Be Very Disappointed.

[Notorious]

Is there something magical about words when they come out of a black man's mouth that allows them to become mesmerizing?

Yes. There's a movie coming out about it.

[You Knew It Would Happen]

Inevitably, every criticism of Obama ends with the criticizer being called racist.

[Employee Free Choice Act Now .]

Employee Free Choice Act - Union Civil Rights Activists Vow to Keep King's Dream Alive.

by James Parks, Jan 19, 2009

Union civil rights activists this weekend celebrated the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr., by committing to hold the new administration and Congress accountable and carry on the work they did in the 2008 election to mobilize workers in support of a strong progressive agenda.

More than 800 participants in the annual AFL-CIO King Day celebration in New Orleans, which ends today, also responded to President-elect Obama's call to honor King with community service. They joined with hundreds of area union members to roll up their sleeves in more than 20 different community service projects in a city that continues to suffer three years later from the effects of Hurricane Katrina. Over two days, the activists helped repair an African American museum, churches and homes in hard-hit St. Bernard Parish.

Transport Workers President James Little told the participants that Obama's election opens the door for more progressive economic and social policies, but workers must be vigilant in keeping the Obama White House and the new Congress focused on workers' issues.

One way Obama can make a big difference in the lives of working families is to ensure every worker has the freedom to choose a union and that labor laws are enforced, says Kim Bobo, executive director of Interfaith Worker Justice. Bobo, the author of Wage Theft in America: Why Millions of Working Americans Are Not Getting Paid-And What We Can Do About It, says Obama can help fulfill King's vision of a society where workers are treated fairly by bolstering and stepping up enforcement of wage laws.

Another top priority, she says, should be passing the Employee Free Choice Act.

Wage theft is a national crisis. As many as 2 or 3 million workers are not being paid minimum wage, millions are denied overtime pay.

As Dr. King preached, wage theft was wrong in biblical times. It was wrong during slavery. It was wrong in Memphis for the sanitation workers he was fighting for when he died, and it is wrong today.

Nat LaCour, former secretary-treasurer of AFT and a resident of New Orleans, says the city still is feeling the effects of Katrina, but some progress has been made in rebuilding. LaCour, who moderated a panel on the current conditions in New Orleans for the conference, says the Obama administration should make sure that its economic stimulus package includes plans to strengthen New Orleans' levees and rebuild housing.

The conference theme, "Civil Rights, Labor Rights-Turning America Around," says it all, according to Richard Womack, former assistant to AFL-CIO President John Sweeney:

We're all about change, but change of a positive nature. We can celebrate our victories, but we can't forget that the battle goes on. Dr. King died to make this a better world for all of us and we can't let that dream die.

For More Information on EFCA please visit our website and blog

http://www.employeefreechoiceactnow.org

http://efcanow.blogspot.com/

http://www.LaborUnionResources.Org

[Neu Mejican]

You Knew It Would Happen | January 19, 2009, 8:24pm | #
Inevitably, every criticism of Obama ends with the criticizer being called racist.

Let's see.

On this thread, RC Dean, TallDave, Pantsfan, Sage, Warty, Paul L., Gilbert Martin et al. have managed to criticize Obama without being called racist.

Only Jamie Kelly seems to have been (indirectly) hung with that label and that after he said introduced the idea that Obama's message only resonated because he was "well spoken and black."

So, I guess maybe you are incorrect in your analysis, based on this thread.

[Neu Mejican]

Oh, wait.

joe got called racist for claiming that people in Montana may not understand liberals and black people.

But not, I think, for criticizing Obama.

[Assholio]

"Is there something magical about words when they come out of a black man's mouth that allows them to become mesmerizing?"

In terms of political speech? yes. When political notions that aren't completely retarded come out of a black man's mouth on the national stage, the mesmerizing bit is the situations novelty. Given a steady diet of "Fancy Al" someone you can actually understand, let alone agree with, is a pretty fucking mesmerizing experience.

[Gilbert Martin]

"I was referring to one Gilbert Martin, who brought up the topic up thread."

I did bring it up and I was absolutely correct about Obama lying about it.

http://blog.washingtonpost.com/fact-checker/2008/06/obama_reneges_on_public_financ.html

"There is some dispute over whether Obama ever formally pledged to participate in the public financing system if his Republican opponent agreed to do the same. As I have reported in a previous post, the closest he came was in response to a September 2007 questionnaire from the Midwest Democracy Network, which included the question, "If you are nominated for President in 2008 and your major opponents agree to forgo private funding in the general election campaign, will you participate in the presidential public financing system?"

Obama highlighted the answer "Yes," and elaborated as follows:

I have been a long-time advocate for public financing of campaigns combined with free television and radio time as a way to reduce the influence of moneyed special interests.... My plan requires both major party candidates to agree on a fundraising truce, return excess money from donors, and stay within the public financing system for the general election....If I am the Democratic nominee, I will aggressively pursue an agreement with the Republican nominee to preserve a publicly financed general election.
While the "Yes" seemed unequivocal, the Obama camp could (and did) argue that the fine print of the deal remained to be worked out with the eventual Republican nominee."

In point of fact, answering "yes" in indeed unequivocal and no amount of weaseling about any negotiations negates that fact.

Obama is a flat out liar on the matter - end of story.

[domoarrigato]

He in no way negotiated in good faith to take public financing. Of course the reason is that it would have put him at a disadvantage. very practical, and hardly a sentiment that I can be angry about. public financing is for losers!

[John C. Randolph]

I'm now going to return to my 72 hour-long continuous performance of "Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah."

Gee, I wonder if reduced racial tensions mean that Disney will finally release Song of the South on DVD?

-jcr

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[????? ?????]

good

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