[DEBATE] : (Fwd) Obama promises

[Patrick Bond]

Barack Obama's promises: Our Top 10

By Angie Drobnic Holan
Published on Monday, January 19th, 2009 at 05:34 p.m.

As Barack Obama takes the oath of office to become the nation's 44th 
president, he has an ambitious agenda that touches every aspect of 
government. He's promised new approaches to foreign policy, health care, 
the environment and energy, and pledged to increase government 
efficiency and transparency.

We examined our database of 510 campaign promises to find the most 
sweeping and significant -- the most change from the new president who 
made change his signature. We'll be tracking their progress -- not just 
the Top 10, but all 510 -- and rating them on our Obameter over the 
coming months.

Below are the promises we've selected as the ones most likely to define 
the Obama presidency:

• No. 15: Create a foreclosure prevention fund for homeowners

Obama proposed a $10 billion foreclosure fund to help struggling 
homeowners hold onto their homes. Speculators, people who bought 
vacation homes or people who falsely represented their incomes would not 
qualify.

• No. 32: Create a tax credit of $500 for workers

Obama's Making Work Pay tax credit that would equal 6.2 percent of up to 
$8,100 of earnings, yielding a maximum credit of about $500 for most 
workers. It's included in the economic stimulus bill that Congress is 
considering; we rated the promise In the Works.

• No. 38: Repeal the Bush tax cuts for higher incomes

Obama said he wants to raise taxes on roughly the top 3 percent of 
taxpayers in order to help pay for his health care plan. That translates 
to increases for single people making more than $200,000 or couples 
making more than $250,000.

• No. 52: Create a National Health Insurance Exchange

This is part of Obama's comprehensive health care reform, which includes 
many other health promises. Under Obama's plan, the creation of a 
National Health Insurance Exchange would allow all Americans to select a 
private plan or enroll in a new public one.

• No. 126: Begin removing combat brigades from Iraq

Obama said he would work with military commanders to bring troops home, 
with combat troops out in roughly 16 months.

• No. 177: Close the Guantanamo Bay Detention Center

Obama said closing the prison created after 9/11 will "send a message to 
the world that we are serious about our values."

• No. 422: Create new financial regulations

Obama wants "common-sense regulations and rules" to "restore 
accountability and responsibility in our corporate boardrooms."

• No. 439: Create 5 million "green" jobs

Changing the country's orientation from foreign oil to renewable energy 
should invigorate the "green" energy sector. That means 5 million jobs, 
Obama said.

• No. 441: Reduce oil consumption by 35 percent by 2030

The timeframe is long -- more than 20 years -- but Obama hopes his 
policies will cut U.S. oil consumption by more than a third.

• No. 456: Create cap and trade system with interim goals to reduce 
global warming

This is a regulatory plan to curb carbon emissions that contribute to 
global warming. Under the plan, polluters have to pay according to what 
they emit.