Thursday, August 18, 2011

Obama, Obamacare, and Pledges

During another campaign-style event in Illinois yesterday, President Obama criticized Republicans for signing pledges not to raise taxes, or to hold other policy positions:

I take an oath.  My pledge is to make sure that every day I’m waking up looking out for you, for the American people.…I don’t go around signing pledges because I want to make sure that every single day, whatever it is that’s going to be best for the American people, that’s what I’m focused on, that’s what I’m committed to.

This statement may come as a surprise to many people, not least the citizens of Dover, New Hampshire, where on September 12, 2008, candidate Obama said the following:

I can make a firm pledge.  Under my plan, no family making less than $250,000 a year will see any form of tax increase.  Not your income tax, not your payroll tax, not your capital gains taxes, not any of your taxes.

This “firm pledge” lasted a whopping 15 days into the Obama Administration – because on February 4, 2009, only two weeks after taking office, President Obama signed SCHIP legislation raising cigarette taxes, which disproportionately affect families with lower incomes.  That move was followed a year later by Obamacare itself, which broke candidate Obama’s “firm pledge” not to raise taxes on the middle class 12 more times.  And of course, Obamacare also violated:

Given this record, some might argue there’s a good reason why the President doesn’t want to sign any new pledges – because it’s no good making pledges if you just end up breaking them.