200 Iron-Clad Positions of
Mitt
Romney on the Issues
Reposted from the Daily Kos
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There are some voters who are still undecided in this election.
Some voters believe there's no difference between the candidates. There are
voters in red states who think there's no point in voting and there's voters in
blue states who think there's no point in voting. Across the country, some
voters are leaning toward just sitting this one out.
This post is for them.
There are fundamental policy differences between the candidates
and only one of them deserves your vote. This post isn't going to get into the
snark or fluff that too often dominates election coverage. You'll find no
section on strapping a dog to a roof, or silly gaffes, or which candidate is
more fun to have a beer with. This is, for the most part, straight up policy,
compiled to present to why Barack Obama not only deserves your
vote but needs it to keep moving our country forward.
The list, far from
exhaustive, continues below the fold and lists the first 400 reasons. The next
100 listed are from a collaborative effort in the comments. Read it, share it,
and add your own suggestions in the comments below.
SOME SAY THAT ROMNEY SIMPLY CAN'T BE TRUSTED ON THE ISSUES. OR THAT HE FLIP-FLOPS AND
WILL SAY ANYTHING HE THINKS VOTERS WANT TO HEAR.
NOT SO. HERE ARE HIS POSITIONS ON DOZENS OF ISSUES (WITH DOZENS OF POSITIONS ON THEM)
1. Mitt Romney on whether he's a moderate or a conservative.
1. Mitt Romney on whether he's a moderate or a conservative.
"Relative to the leading candidates, some
people see me as
being more conservative." (source)
"[I am] just as conservative as I was four years ago. Maybe more so." (source)
"I think people recognize that I'm not a partisan Republican. That I'm someone who is moderate and that my views are progressive." (source)
"I'm severely conservative." (source)
being more conservative." (source)
"[I am] just as conservative as I was four years ago. Maybe more so." (source)
"I think people recognize that I'm not a partisan Republican. That I'm someone who is moderate and that my views are progressive." (source)
"I'm severely conservative." (source)
2. Mitt Romney on protecting choice.
"Roe v. Wade has gone too far." (source)
"I believe that since Roe v. Wade has been the law for 20 years we should
sustain and support it." (source)
"I will preserve and protect a woman's right to choose and am devoted and dedicated to honoring my word in that regard." (source)
"I respect and will protect a woman's right to choose." (source)
"I never really called myself pro-choice." (source)
"There's no legislation with regards to abortion that I'm familiar with that would become part of my agenda." (source)
- (later the same day) "Governor Romney would of course support legislation aimed at providing greater protections for life." (source)
"I believe that since Roe v. Wade has been the law for 20 years we should
sustain and support it." (source)
"I will preserve and protect a woman's right to choose and am devoted and dedicated to honoring my word in that regard." (source)
"I respect and will protect a woman's right to choose." (source)
"I never really called myself pro-choice." (source)
"There's no legislation with regards to abortion that I'm familiar with that would become part of my agenda." (source)
- (later the same day) "Governor Romney would of course support legislation aimed at providing greater protections for life." (source)
3. Mitt Romney on stem cell research.
"I will work and fight for stem cell
research." (source)
"In the end, I became persuaded that the stem-cell debate was grounded in a false premise." (source)
"In the end, I became persuaded that the stem-cell debate was grounded in a false premise." (source)
4. Mitt Romney on whether he'd embrace failed Reagan policies.
5. Mitt Romney on the minimum wage.
"My view has been to allow the minimum
wage to rise with the [Consumer Price Index] or with another index so that it
adjusts automatically over time." (source)
"There's probably not a need to raise the minimum wage." (source)
"There's probably not a need to raise the minimum wage." (source)
6. Mitt Romney on healthcare mandates.
"I like mandates. The mandates
work." (source)
"I think it's unconstitutional on the 10th Amendment front." (source)
"I think it's unconstitutional on the 10th Amendment front." (source)
7. He didn't have a clear position on killing Osama bin Laden.
"It's not worth moving heaven and earth
spending billions of dollars
just trying to catch one person." (source)
"He's going to pay, and he will die." (source)
just trying to catch one person." (source)
"He's going to pay, and he will die." (source)
8. Mitt Romney on whether he'd put your Social Security in the
hands of risky Wall Street investors.
"I'm not in favor of privatizing Social
Security or making cuts." (source)
"You call it privatization, I call it a private account." (twenty-nine seconds later) (source)
"Social Security's the easiest and that's because you can give
people a personal account." (source)
"You call it privatization, I call it a private account." (twenty-nine seconds later) (source)
"Social Security's the easiest and that's because you can give
people a personal account." (source)
9. Mitt Romney on immigration reform.
"Those… paying taxes and not taking
government benefits should begin a process toward application for
citizenship." (source)
"Amnesty only led to more people coming into the country." (source)
"Amnesty only led to more people coming into the country." (source)
10. Mitt Romney on Don't Ask, Don't Tell.
Q: Governor Romney, you said in nineteen
ninety four that you look forward to the day when gays and lesbians could serve
and I quote, "openly and honestly in our nation's military". Do you
stand by that?
Romney: This isn't that time. This is not that
time." (source)
"When I first heard of the Don't Ask,
Don't Tell policy, I thought
it sounded awfully silly." (source)
"Don't Ask, Don't Tell has worked well." (source)
it sounded awfully silly." (source)
"Don't Ask, Don't Tell has worked well." (source)
11. Mitt Romney on civil unions.
Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney said yesterday
he was ready to work with lawmakers to craft a 'civil union'-style law to give
some marriage rights to homosexual couples, even though he also supports a
constitutional amendment to preserve traditional marriage. [...] Mr. Romney
yesterday told TV news stations that he would support a Vermont-style civil
union law in Massachusetts..." (source)
KONDRACKE: He was never specifically for
marriage, but it was never an issue. But he pretty clearly was in favor of
something like Vermont-style civil unions, which he now denies that he was in
favor. But he is in favor, to his credit, of domestic partnership provisions
for hospital visitation and inheritance rights and stuff like that. So he's not
as far right as you can get, but he's definitely tilting right for the purposes
of running for president. (source)
12. Mitt Romney on marriage equality.
Mitt Romney, in b-roll at the end of his
interview with a Colorado reporter with whom he got testy for not asking him
about issues of "significance" as she pressed him on civil unions,
medical marijuana and other issues, clearly describes marriage as a "state
issue," in a catch by Andrew Kaczynski. The problem with this, as
Allahpundit notes, is that Romney has told conservatives he will fight for a
federal amendment banning gay marriage, which is contrary to considering it a
state issue. (source)
13. Mitt Romney on gay adoption.
"If two people of the same gender want to
live together, want to have a loving relationship and even want to adopt a
child, in my state individuals of the same sex were able to adopt
children," "In my view that's something which people have the
right to do..." (source)
(a day later) Republican presidential
candidate Mitt Romney on Friday backed away from his support of adoptions by
same-sex couples, saying that he simply "acknowledges" the legality
of such adoptions in many states. (source)
14. Mitt Romney on banning assault weapons.
"I support the assault weapons ban...I
would have supported the original assault weapon ban...I signed an assault
weapon ban in Massachusetts governor..." (source)
"I don't support any gun control legislation, the effort for a new assault weapons ban, with a ban on semi-automatic weapons, is something I would oppose. There's no new legislation that I'm aware of or have heard of that I would support. In regards to guns, I think we have enough legislation and should enforce the laws as they exist." (source)
"I don't support any gun control legislation, the effort for a new assault weapons ban, with a ban on semi-automatic weapons, is something I would oppose. There's no new legislation that I'm aware of or have heard of that I would support. In regards to guns, I think we have enough legislation and should enforce the laws as they exist." (source)
15. Mitt Romney on whether he supports the National Rifle
Association.
"I don't line up 100% with the NRA." (source)
"I support the NRA. I'm a member of the NRA." (source)
"I support the NRA. I'm a member of the NRA." (source)
16. Mitt Romney on election reform and campaign spending limits.
" I would like to have campaign spending
limits and to say we're not going to spend more than this in certain campaigns.
I also would abolish PACS. I don't like them. I don't like the influence of
money--whether it's business, labor, or any other group. I do not like that
kind of influence." (source)
"The American people should be free to advocate for their candidates and their positions without burdensome limitations." (source)
"The American people should be free to advocate for their candidates and their positions without burdensome limitations." (source)
17. Mitt Romney on bank bailouts.
"TARP was the right thing to do." (source)
"When government is… bailing out banks… we have every good reason to be alarmed."(source)
"When government is… bailing out banks… we have every good reason to be alarmed."(source)
18. Mitt Romney on whether Muslims should serve in the
president's cabinet.
"Based on the numbers of American
Muslims… I cannot see that a cabinet position would be justified." (source)
"A person should not be elected because of his faith nor should he be rejected because of his faith." (source)
"A person should not be elected because of his faith nor should he be rejected because of his faith." (source)
19. Mitt Romney on helping the nation's auto industry.
"Let Detroit go bankrupt." (source)
"I'm going to take burdens off the back of the auto industry." (source)
"Detroit needs a turnaround, not a check." (source)
"I'm going to take burdens off the back of the auto industry." (source)
"Detroit needs a turnaround, not a check." (source)
20. Mitt Romney on flat taxes.
"It's a tax cut for fat cats." (source)
"When he unveiled his economic agenda
this year, Romney said he would pursue a 'long-term goal' of a 'flatter,
fairer, simpler structure.'... On Wednesday in Fairfax, Va., he said, 'I'll lay
out some additional ways to make the tax code more flat.'" (source)
21. Mitt Romney on the payroll tax cut.
"Look, I don't like temporary little
Band-Aids." (source)
"I would like to see the payroll tax cut extended." (source)
"I would like to see the payroll tax cut extended." (source)
22. Mitt Romney on the stimulus.
"The all-Democrat stimulus that was
passed in early 2009 will accelerate the timing of the start of the
recovery…" (source)
"The all-Democrat stimulus passed in early 2009 has been a failure." (source)
"The all-Democrat stimulus passed in early 2009 has been a failure." (source)
23. Mitt Romney on his Massachusetts health care law.
"…the costs of health care will be
reduced." (source)
"We were unable to deal with and didn't have any pretense that we would somehow be able to change health care costs in Massachusetts." (source)
"If Massachusetts succeeds in implementing it, then that will be a
model for the nation." (source)
"What works in one state may not be the answer for another." (source)
"We were unable to deal with and didn't have any pretense that we would somehow be able to change health care costs in Massachusetts." (source)
"If Massachusetts succeeds in implementing it, then that will be a
model for the nation." (source)
"What works in one state may not be the answer for another." (source)
24. Mitt Romney's position on climate change.
""I believe that climate change is
occurring — the reduction in the size of global ice caps is hard to ignore. I
also believe that human activity is a contributing factor." (source)
"These carbon emission limits will provide real and immediate
progress." (source)
"My view is that we don't know what's causing climate change on this planet. And the idea of spending trillions and trillions of dollars to try to reduce CO2 emissions is not the right course for us." (source)
"Republicans should never abandon pro-growth conservative principles in an effort to embrace the ideas of Al Gore." (source)
"We should not take extreme measures when we are unsure of the human role in global warming." (source)
"These carbon emission limits will provide real and immediate
progress." (source)
"My view is that we don't know what's causing climate change on this planet. And the idea of spending trillions and trillions of dollars to try to reduce CO2 emissions is not the right course for us." (source)
"Republicans should never abandon pro-growth conservative principles in an effort to embrace the ideas of Al Gore." (source)
"We should not take extreme measures when we are unsure of the human role in global warming." (source)
25. Mitt Romney's position on the Iraq War.
In an interview with MSNBC's Chuck Todd today,
Mitt Romney asserts that "of course" invading Iraq was a bad idea now
that we know Saddam Hussein had no weapons of mass destruction. ("If we
knew at the time of our entry into Iraq that there were no weapons of mass
destruction, if somehow we had been given that information, obviously we would
not have gone in.") Four years ago, Romney said just the opposite.
("It was the right decision to go into Iraq. I supported it at the time; I
support it now.") I can't think of any important substantive facts
that have changed between now and then that would lead Romney to alter his
opinion. (source)
26. Mitt Romney to try and get hunter's votes.
"I've been a hunter pretty much all my
life." (source)
"Any description of my being a hunter is an overstatement of capability." (source)
"Any description of my being a hunter is an overstatement of capability." (source)
27. Mitt Romney on Vietnam service.
"It was not my desire to go off and serve
in Vietnam." (source)
"I longed in many respects to actually be in Vietnam and be representing our country there."(source)
"I longed in many respects to actually be in Vietnam and be representing our country there."(source)
28. Mitt Romney
on whether his father marched with Martin Luther King.
"I saw my father march with Martin Luther
King." (source)
"I did not see it with my own eyes." (source)
"I did not see it with my own eyes." (source)
29. Mitt Romney on federal spending.
According to memos, emails, and other records
now housed in the state archives, the Romney administration made the pursuit of
federal funding a top priority, establishing a federal grants office to scour
for opportunities and bolstering its presence in DC by retaining a powerful
lobbying shop for help. Internal documents show the administration bemoaning
its low ranking in an annual "pork list" detailing which states
brought home the most federal bacon, and aggressively planning to boost that
ranking. Which they did: Between 2003, when Romney took office, and 2006,
Massachusetts climbed as high as nine spots in the pork rankings. (source)
30. Mitt Romney on the whether our students need more
teachers.
"He [Obama] says we need more firemen,
more policemen, more teachers. Did he not get the message of Wisconsin? The
American people did. It's time for us to cut back on government and help the
American people." (source)
"I reject the idea that I don't believe in great teachers or more teachers...I'm not going to cut education funding." (source)
"I reject the idea that I don't believe in great teachers or more teachers...I'm not going to cut education funding." (source)
31. Mitt Romney on Pell Grants for college.
He previously praised the Ryan budget that
gutted the Pell Grant program (even picked Ryan as his running mate),
"criticized President Obama for doubling funds for Pell grants," and
lambasted the program's "expanding entitlement mentality." (source)
"I want to make sure we keep our Pell Grant program growing." (source)
"I want to make sure we keep our Pell Grant program growing." (source)
32. Mitt Romney on FEMA and disaster relief funding.
"We cannot -- we cannot afford to do
those things without jeopardizing the future for our kids. It is simply
immoral, in my view, for us to continue to rack up larger and larger debts and
pass them on to our kids, knowing full well that we'll all be dead and gone
before it's paid off," Romney responded. "It makes no sense at
all." (source)
Yesterday, we noted that even as a massive
super storm was bearing down on the East Coast, Mitt Romney's campaign was
standing by his suggestion in a GOP debate last year that he would end FEMA and
make the states handle disaster relief on their own. But how much has changed
in 24 hours. As we wake up to see the disaster Hurricane Sandy had wrought, we
also find a new position for Romney, who now says he wants to keep FEMA.(source)
33. Mitt Romney on whether he supports a timetable for
withdrawal from Afghanistan.
"Announcing a withdrawal date, that was
wrong,...The Taliban may not have watches, but they do have calendars." (source)
"Gov. Romney supports the 2014 timetable as a realistic timetable and a residual force post-2014..." - Romney campaign spokesperson. (source)
"Gov. Romney supports the 2014 timetable as a realistic timetable and a residual force post-2014..." - Romney campaign spokesperson. (source)
34. Mitt Romney on signing tax pledges.
"Republican Mitt Romney says he will not
sign a no-new-taxes pledge." A campaign spokesperson called such pledges
"government by gimmickry." (source)
"I'm proud to be the only major candidate for president to sign the tax pledge." (source)
"I'm proud to be the only major candidate for president to sign the tax pledge." (source)
35. Mitt Romney's position on his own tax rate.
"I don't pay more than is legally due and
frankly, if I had paid more than are legally due I don't think I'd be qualified
to become president. I'd think people would want me to follow the law and pay
only what the tax code requires." (source)
"Even though Mitt Romney paid a low tax
rate, he actually voluntarily paid more in taxes than he had to... this year,
it turns out Romney did pay more than is legally due. A lot more."(source)
36. Mitt Romney on the role of government in creating
jobs:
"As president, I will create 12 million
new jobs." (source)
"Government does not create jobs. Government does not create jobs." (source)
"Government does not create jobs. Government does not create jobs." (source)
37. Mitt Romney on whether he's consistent.
"I'm a strong believer in stating your
position and not wavering."
"I changed my position." (source)
"I don't remember what I said, but I stand by it." (source:
"I changed my position." (source)
"I don't remember what I said, but I stand by it." (source:
ROMNEY ABOUT HIS WEALTH, TAX LIABILITIES, AND OVERSEAS ACCOUNTS
AND INVESTMENTS
38. According to the assets Mitt Romney has actually disclosed, he's worth almost a quarter billion dollars. (source)
38. According to the assets Mitt Romney has actually disclosed, he's worth almost a quarter billion dollars. (source)
39. Romney refuses to release his full tax returns. (source) This is in stark contrast to
presidential candidates in the past. Indeed, when Romney's own father was
running for president, he released 12 years of tax returns. Romney hasn't even
releases one full year. (source)
40. Republicans have called on Romney to release his full
returns and he has refused. (source)
41. In the returns he has released (2010 and 2011), he has not
released the required Report on Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts. (source), (source), (source)
42. In 2011, from the materials Romney did release, Romney
manipulated his taxes and paid a 14.1% effective tax rate on an income of over
$13.7 million in 2011. That's actually higher than what he was supposed to pay.
Had he taken all his deductions, his tax rate would have been slightly over
10%. He didn't fully deduct all his charitable contributions for PR purposes
in order to make sure his effective rate stayed above 13 percent. (source)
43. Mitt Romney had a Swiss bank account worth $3 million. (source)
44. He established his corporation, Sankaty High Yield
Asset Investors Ltd., in Bermuda but only transferred it out of his name the
day before he became Massachusetts. (source)
45. He failed to disclose his Bermuda interests on seven
different financial disclosure forms. (source)
46. Romney holds interests in at least a dozen Bain
Capital funds organized in the Cayman Islands. (source)
47. These investments are worth as much as $30 million and
are shielded by confidentiality disclaimers. (source)
48. Romney held interests in Bain Capital in Luxembourg. (source)
49. He claims "I have inherited nothing. Everything
Ann and I have we have earned the old-fashioned way." Romney in fact is
the son of George Romney, who as president of American Motors, governor of
Michigan, and funded and supported Mitt Romney's education at Harvard and
helped Romney buy his first home in an affluent Boston suburb. (source)
MORE FACTS ABOUT Mr. ROMNEY
50. Mitt Romney's Middle East strategy: "We kick the
ball down the field and hope that ultimately, somehow, something will happen
and resolve it." (source)
52. Romney won't give details on his economic plan and
won't specify which tax loopholes he'd close. "Asked yesterday which tax
deductions he would eliminate to offset his massive proposed tax-cuts for the
rich, Romney refused to offer any specifics on a plan that he has admitted is
so vague it cannot even be scored, saying only, 'We'll go through that process
with Congress.'".(source)
53. He was a bully. "His campaign spokeswoman, Andrea
Saul, said in a statement that 'anyone who knows Mitt Romney knows that he
doesn't have a mean-spirited bone in his body. The stories of fifty years ago
seem exaggerated and off base and Governor Romney has no memory of
participating in these incidents.' Campaign officials denied a request for an
interview with Romney. They also declined to comment further about his years at
Cranbrook. [...] Saul, Romney's campaign spokeswoman, said the candidate has no
recollection of the incident." (source)
54. "I cannot see that a Cabinet position would be
justified" for an American of Muslim faith.(source)
55. Flamed false conspiracy theories about Obama's birth:
"I love being home in this place where Ann and I were raised, where both
of us were born. Ann was born in Henry Ford Hospital, I was born in Harper
Hospital. No one has ever asked to see my birth certificate. They know that
this is the place that we were born and raised." (source)
56. Mitt Romney made millions investing in companies that
did business in Iran. (source),(source). Also, "Mitt Romney's trust
invested in Cnooc at a time when the US was growing concerned about the Chinese
oil company's multibillion-dollar dealings with Tehran." (source),(source)
57. "Though he left the firm in 1999, Romney has
continued to receive large payments from it—in early June he revealed more than
$2 million in new Bain income." (source)
58. As Romney continues to receive money from Bain
investments, Bain maintains its China ties.(source)
59. As Romney continues to receive money from Bain
investments, Sensata, one of those Bain investments, is offshoring American
jobs and forcing American workers to train their Chinese replacements. (source)
CIVIL RIGHTS
63. Romney has said he opposed a law ending workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity because the law, ENDA, "would be an overly broad law that would open a litigation floodgate & unfairly penalize employers..." (source), (source)
63. Romney has said he opposed a law ending workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity because the law, ENDA, "would be an overly broad law that would open a litigation floodgate & unfairly penalize employers..." (source), (source)
64. As governor of Massachusetts, Romney got rid of
"the state's long-standing affirmative action policy." (source).
65. "Romney … I can't remember one person of color he
had in a high-ranking position in his administration." He had just 3.6%. (source)
66. He does not have agenda or plan on his website for
protecting civil rights. (source)
67. "Some people have said we ought to close
Guantanamo. My view is we ought to double Guantanamo." (source)
DEFENSE / HOMELAND SECURITY / FOREIGN POLICY
68. Almost all of Romney's foreign policy team members served in the Bush-Cheney administration. (source)
68. Almost all of Romney's foreign policy team members served in the Bush-Cheney administration. (source)
69. Adam Smith at Foreign Policy Magazine: "As Romney
considers possible running mates, it's worth remembering that he pointed to
Dick Cheney as the "kind of person I'd like to have" working with
him. Likewise, the policies that Romney has advocated -- like indefinitely leaving
our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, for example -- are continuations of the
Bush-Cheney doctrine, version 2.0....The idea of Bolton and other Bush-Cheney
officials serving in a Romney administration should be a scary prospect for all
Americans." (source)
70. "Romney has called Russia our 'number one
geopolitical foe' -- an outlandish statement that stunned foreign policy
experts across the political spectrum." (source)
71. "Romney's team? These are the guys who brought us
torture, black sites, damaged alliances, open sneering at international
institutions, and two bloody, financially ruinous wars. And in this uncertain
world, you can be sure of one thing: If Mitt Romney wins, they'll do their best
to bring it all back." (source)
72. Romney wants to dramatically increase defense
spending, even above the levels asked for by the Pentagon. (source) He wants America to
spend a minimum of 4 percent of the U.S. gross domestic product on defense. He
would pay for that massive increase by slashing domestic programs here at home. (source).
73. "Guided by a Republican Party virtually devoid of
moderate centrists, Romney has embraced a global assessment distorted by
ideological excess, pledged to wield power in a way that will leave the nation
weakened and isolated, and demonstrated a failure to appreciate the key
linkages between strength at home and influence abroad." (source)
74. Colin Powell has said "I have concerns about his
views on foreign policy...I'm not sure which Governor Romney we would be
getting with respect to foreign policy...My concern is that sometimes I don't
sense that he's thought through these issues as thoroughly as he should
have...I think there are some very strong neo-conservative views that are
presented by the governor that I have problems with." (source)
75. Madeleine K. Albright, former U.S. secretary of State,
and Samuel R. Berger, former U.S. national security adviser, believe Romney has
"demonstrated the flawed nature of his approach to national security"
and has failed to offer "a clear and coherent vision of what he would do
as commander in chief." (source).
76.
DISABILITIES
77. As governor, Romney "pushed to eliminate or gut more than 20 state programs serving veterans, disadvantaged children, and adults with severe physical disabilities." (source)
77. As governor, Romney "pushed to eliminate or gut more than 20 state programs serving veterans, disadvantaged children, and adults with severe physical disabilities." (source)
78. "He
also sought to cut money for breast cancer screenings, suicide prevention and
programs that assisted the blind and the deaf. [(source) He also sought to cut
money for breast cancer screenings, suicide prevention and programs that
assisted the blind and the deaf]
79. "These cuts would have totaled $26.8 million --
2.2 percent of the $1.2 billion state budget deficit that Romney inherited upon
taking office. None of these cuts were necessary for balancing the state's
budget. All were overriden by the Democratic state legislature, and the state
still closed its budget gap with room to spare." (source)
80. "Romney successfully slashed services for people
living with AIDS/HIV by 23 percent during his time in office." (source)
81. "Romney wanted hundreds of thousands of dollars
in cuts for services for adults with intellectual and physical disabilities.
The cuts included reductions in funds for agencies that link disabled adults
with jobs, day programs and transportation." (source)
82. "Romney's failure to maintain mental health
services for poor children in Massachusetts landed him in a historic court
battle. For nearly all of his tenure in office, Romney aggressively fought a
class-action lawsuit seeking to improve services for more than 30,000 of the
state's poor children. Romney lost, with a federal judge ordering the governor
to end shortcomings in the state system, which was breaking up families and
wasting taxpayer money." (source)
83. The non-partisan Center on Budget and Policy
priorities has found that Romney's economic plan would result in "cuts in
programs such as veterans' disability compensation, Supplemental Security
Income (SSI) for poor elderly and disabled individuals, the Supplemental
Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly food stamps), school lunches and
other child nutrition programs, and unemployment compensation would cause the
incomes of large numbers of households to fall below the poverty line.
Many who already are poor would become poorer."(source)
ECONOMY & TAXES
84.
84.
85. Romney believes corporations and the wealthiest
Americans to pay too much in taxes.(source)
86. According to his website, he wants to cut taxes for the
wealthy by 20% and lower the corporate tax rate to 25%. (source)
87. Romney wants to dramatically lower corporate tax even
though the 10 most profitable U.S. corporations paid an average effective tax
rate of just 9% in 2011. (source)
88. Romney wants to dramatically lower corporate tax rates even
though 26 companies on the Fortune 500 list paid zero federal income tax in
each of the last four years (companies like General Electric, Boeing, Verizon,
and Mattel). (source) (source) (source)
89. Romney wants to dramatically lower corporate tax rates
even though some 280 companies on the Fortune 500 list pay only about half of
the corporate tax rate. (source)
90. Romney believes corporations are people:
"Corporations are people, my friend." (source)
91. Nonpartisan analysts have tried and tried to make
sense of Romney's economic plan but they agree the math simply doesn't add up. (source) (source) (source) (source) (source)(source) (source) In other words, Mitt Romney
has no viable plan for the economy.
92. Even Romney's "revised" plan announced at
one of the debates would still disproportionately benefit the wealthy and the
super wealthy top .01%, studies have concluded. (source)
93. Even Republican Bruce Bartlett, who served in the
Reagan and George H.W. Bush administrations, has called Mitt Romney's economic
plan "nonsense." (source)
94.
95. He thinks that veterans, seniors, the unemployed,
students and any one else who voted for Barack Obama "believe they are
victims" (source):
"There are 47 percent of the people who
will vote for the president no matter what. All right, there are 47 percent who
are with him, who are dependent upon government, who believe that they are
victims, who believe the government has a responsibility to care for them, who
believe that they are entitled to health care, to food, to housing, to
you-name-it. ... My job is not to worry about those people. I'll never convince
them they should take personal responsibility and care for their lives."
He also has said "I am not concerned about the very
poor." (source)
96. Mitt Romney thinks those who are do not pay federal income tax,
such as the working poor, the disabled, U.S. military personnel deployed in war
zones, seniors on Medicare and Social Security, etc. will "kill the
country." (source)
97.
98. Romney's position on foreclosures: "Don't try to
stop the foreclosure process. Let it run its course and hit the bottom."
(source)
99. Romney's claim that his plan creates 12 million jobs has
been thoroughly debunked as false.(source), (source), (source), (source), (source)
100.
101. Under Mitt Romney's leadership, Massachusetts ranked
47th among the 50 states in job creation. (source)
102.
103. Greg Mankiw is one of Mitt Romney's top economic
advisors and a leading candidate to become chairman of the Federal Reserve if
Romney is elected. (source) Mankiw has said the
"offshoring" of American jobs is a positive thing and that
"Outsourcing is just a new way of doing international trade." (source)
104. Mitt Romney would repeal the Dodd-Frank bill, which
regulates the risky practices that led to the 2008 crisis. (source)
105. As governor, Mitt Romney vetoed a minimum wage
increase to $8 an hour. (source)
106.
107. The economies that benefit most from Romney's job
plan are in foreign countries. (source)
108.
ROMNEY'S OUT OF TOUCH WITH MIDDLE CLASS AMERICANS
109. He casually made a $10,000 bet on live TV during a debate. (source)
109. He casually made a $10,000 bet on live TV during a debate. (source)
110. "[My wife] drives a couple of Cadillacs." (source)
111. "I have some friends who are NASCAR team
owners." (source)
112. "I get speaker's fees from time to time, but not
very much." (he earned $374,000 in speaking fees in one year) (source)
113. Romney, who is worth almost a quarter billion
dollars, believes that "middle-income" is $200,000 to $250,000 a
year. (source). The median U.S. household income
is around $50,000.
EDUCATION
114. "He
[Obama] says we need more firemen, more policemen, more teachers. Did he not
get the message of Wisconsin? The American people did. It's time for us to cut
back on government and help the American people." (source)
115. "More spending is the last thing our schools
need," writes Romney in his campaign whitepaper. (source)
116. Mitt Romney has endorsed Paul Ryan's budget and
selected him as his running mate. Ryan's budget " The Ryan budget would
both cut Pell benefits and eligibility and freeze the maximum grant at $5,550
per student per year, apparently on a permanent basis. … It would repeal the
entire $101 billion in existing mandatory funding for Pell over the next ten
years—both the permanent, open-ended funding and the temporary pools of fixed
funding." (source)
117. Romney doesn't think we need smaller classroom sizes.
He says there is "no relationship" between class size and student
performance. (source)
118.
119. "Paul Toner, president of the Massachusetts
Teachers Association, says there were no policy or funding initiatives under
Romney - in fact, he says, state support for public schools and colleges was actually
cut during Romney's time as governor." (source)
120. "People viewed his [education] proposals as
political talking points, and no one took Romney seriously..." (source)
121. As governor, Romney abolished bilingual education.
The Boston Globe reports that "the effort proved to be a failure." (source).
122. "Romney did not adequately account for the
complexities of language acquisition, and without providing adequate money to
train teachers, non-English speaking students quickly floundered." (source)
123. Romney thinks political contributions by teachers
should be limited, but has no problems with corporations, lobbyist and other
professions donating what they'd like. (source)
124. Romney's
plan for students struggling with the skyrocketing cost of college is that they
should "shop around" or "borrow money from your parents."
ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT
125. "Romney's plan caters heavily to oil and coal
interests, and oil executives are some of his biggest benefactors." (source)
126. "Under the plan, the federal government would
remove or loosen environmental statutes and regulations..." (source)
127.
128. Mitt Romney opposes regulating carbon dioxide, even
though the EPA found that such greenhouse gas emissions "threaten the
public health and welfare of the American people."(source) He mocked efforts to
regulate the harmful emission: "I know there is also a movement to say
that carbon dioxide should be guided or should be managed by the Environmental
Protection Agency. I disagree with that. I exhale carbon dioxide...I don't want
those guys following me around with a meter to see if I'm breathing too
hard." (source)
129. Mitt Romney wants to allow leading of and drilling in
the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.(source)
130. Mitt Romney's campaign is influenced by what analysts
have called "the dirty dozen," "the lobbyists, CEOs and
advisers" who are driving his agenda. The list includes the Koch brothers,
who made their billions off of dirty energy, Harold Hamm, an advocate of
fracking and mining on federal lands, Jim Talent, a top lobbyist for the coal
industry, Jack Gerard, president of the American Petroleum Institute and more. (source)
131. "Both Romney's plan and the House-passed Ryan budget
would retain $2.4 billion in annual tax breaks for the big five oil companies –
BP, Chevron, ConocoPhillips, ExxonMobil, and Shell – that made a record $137
billion in profits last year, and over $60 billion so far in 2012." (source)
132. "The Romney-Ryan proposed cut in the corporate
tax rate would provide a $2.3 billion tax cut for the big five oil
companies. With the existing tax breaks, the big five companies would skim over
$4 billion annually from the U.S. Treasury." (source)
133. "Romney plan gives Americans' lands and waters
to dirty energy interests." (source)
134. "Romney and Ryan oppose the extension of the
Production Tax Creditto encourage wind energy. The PTC helped the U.S. double
its wind electricity generation over the past four years, and ending it could
cost at least 37,000 jobs this year." (source)
135. "Romney plan won't reduce oil and gasoline
prices". (source)
136. Romney and Ryan support rolling back regulations like
those implemented by the Obama administration to reduce mercury and cancer
causing pollutants from power plants. (source)
137. "Ryan's latest budget would slash those
allocations an additional 14.8%, cutting $380 million (and over 70,000 jobs)
starting in 2014 and forcing hundreds of parks to shut down for part of the
year. It would also cut funding to national forests by up to $678 million a
year starting in 2014, threatening programs designed to fight wildfires,
provide clean drinking water and support recreational hunting and
fishing." (source)
ETHICS
138. Romney's campaign is propped up by millionaires,
billionaires and mega-rich corporations.(source), (source)
139. His campaign is funded the financial sector, banks,
oil & gas companies, etc. (source) :
140. That includes Wall Street (source):
141. Romney refuses to release the names of campaign
bundlers -- those who raise millions for his campaign. Obama discloses the
names of each and every one of his bundlers. (source)
142. Through its own independent research, USA Today
discovered that 1 out of every 4 bundlers on Romney campaign hail from the
financial sector. (source)
143. Romney's campaign is funded by the wealthy while
Obama's is funded by average Americans. 45% of Obama's campaign money comes
from people donating $200 or less while just 9% of Romney's money comes from
that bracket. In fact, 66% of Romney's campaign money comes from people who can
afford to donate the maximum $2,500 to his campaign. (source)
144. 69% of outside money spent during this election has
benefited Mitt Romney and Republicans.(source)
HEALTH CARE
145. Romney has promised to repeal the Affordable Care Act
(Obamacare), which has saved and will save countless of lives. (source)
146. "72 million Americans would be uninsured by 2022
if Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney wins the election and has his health
care plan enacted." (source)
147. "Romney's plan would cost Americans more money.
People who choose to buy health insurance on their own would pay 14 percent of
their income, compared to only 9 percent under the ACA." (source)
148. Families USA finds in its own study that Romney's
plan would cost families 92 percent more than the ACA by 2016. (source)
149. "The Congressional Budget Office and the Joint Committee
on Taxation added that repealing the ACA would cost a federal budget deficit of
$109 billion between 2013 and 2022." (source)
150. Romney's plan does not cover pre-existing conditions. (source)
151. Romney's plan would empower insurers again to scour
through your medical records and find reasons to turn you down. (source)
152. When asked what he would do about Americans who lack
health insurance, Romney says "that the country already had a system in
place for them: emergency rooms. 'We pick them up in an ambulance and take them
to the hospital and give them care.'" (source)
153. Romney's plan would, according to Reuters,
"mak[e] consumers pay more of their own medical bills." (source)
154. Reuters also found that Romney's use of "heath
savings accounts favors the affluent, while statistics indicate that
high-deductible plans can mean big out-of-pocket costs for people with lower
wages and little disposable income." (source)
155. Medicaid provides health care for the poorest
Americans, including millions of children. Romney "plans steep reductions
to Medicaid's with no weighing of the consequences for human life. Of all
the cuts that Romney proposes, what he would do to Medicaid is the cruelest and
it would hit Americans hard." (source)
156. Indeed, the plan would "end Medicaid as we know
it - forcing many seniors to be kicked out of their nursing homes and leaving
low-income infants and children with no health coverage at all."(source)
157. Romney's Medicare voucher plan would raise healthcare
costs for most seniors, according to studies. (source)
158. Romney's Medicare plan would shift "more costs
onto seniors and handing out $4.6 trillion in tax breaks over the next decade
to big corporations and millionaires." (source)
159. "Senior's healthcare costs would double under
Romney/Ryan. For example, in ten years, 65-year-olds would be forced to pay
twice as much for care than they would under current Medicare: $12,500 compared
to $6,150." (source), (source)
FEMA
160. "At a Republican primary debate in June of 2011, CNN's John King asked Mitt Romney for his views on disaster relief. "FEMA is about to run out of money, and there are some people who say, 'Do it on a case-by-case basis.' And there are some people who say, 'You know what, maybe we're learning a lesson here that the states should take on more of this role.' How do you deal with something like that?" Mr. Romney responded ""Absolutely. Every time you have an occasion to take something from the federal government and send it back to the states, that's the right direction. And if you can go even further and send it back to the private sector, that's even better."(source)
160. "At a Republican primary debate in June of 2011, CNN's John King asked Mitt Romney for his views on disaster relief. "FEMA is about to run out of money, and there are some people who say, 'Do it on a case-by-case basis.' And there are some people who say, 'You know what, maybe we're learning a lesson here that the states should take on more of this role.' How do you deal with something like that?" Mr. Romney responded ""Absolutely. Every time you have an occasion to take something from the federal government and send it back to the states, that's the right direction. And if you can go even further and send it back to the private sector, that's even better."(source)
IMMIGRATION
161. "Romney promised to make life so miserable for
undocumented immigrants that they would "self-deport.": At the
Florida Republican Debate, Romney said that he would enforce stringent
documentation policies that would make it difficult for illegal immigrations to
find work, eventually spurring them to "self-deport." According to
Romney, "If people don't get work here they're going to self-deport to a
place where they can get work." [January 2012, Huffington Post] The answer
is self-deportation, which is people decide they can do better by going
home." (source)
162. Romney attacked Governor Rick Perry for supporting
the DREAM Act, calling it a 'magnet for illegal immigration.' (source)
163. Romney pledged to veto the DREAM Act. (source)
164. "Romney consults author of extreme
anti-immigrant legislation on immigration issues."(source)]
165. "My dad, as you probably know, was the governor
of Michigan and was the head of a car company. But he was born in Mexico... and
had he been born of, uh, Mexican parents, I'd have a better shot at winning
this. But he was unfortunately born to Americans living in Mexico. He lived there
for a number of years. I mean, I say that jokingly, but it would be helpful to
be Latino."(source)
166. "I'm running for office for Pete's sake, we
can't have illegals" –Mitt Romney describing his reaction when he learned
that his lawn company employed undocumented immigrants. (source)
VETERANS
167. Romney didn't mention American troops once during his
speech at the Republican National Convention. (source)
168. He didn't think it was a thing that "was
important": "When you give a speech you don't go through a laundry
list, you talk about the things that you think are important." (source)
169. "Romney and Ryan might gut by up to 20 percent
investments in the Department of Veterans Affairs...Let's be clear, Romney and
Ryan would be disastrous for America's service members, veterans and military
families," says former Republican Senator and veterans advocate Larry
Pressler. (source)
171. "Romney Proposed Increasing Fees On Hospitalized
Veterans" (source)
172. "Romney Proposed Cutting State Hiring
Preferences For Veterans" (source)
173. "Legislators Overturned Romney Veto Of Tens Of
Thousands In Funding For Veterans Cemetery." (source)
174. "Romney Tried To Cut $165,000 From Veterans
Outreach In 2003." (source)
175. "From all accounts, Mitt Romney's visit to that
veterans shelter just behind Boston's City Hall Plaza was not one of the
brighter moments of his campaign for US senator. When director Ken Smith told
him that one of the things the shelter needed was fresh milk,Romney replied
jokingly that maybe the veterans should be taught how to milk cows." (source)
SOCIAL SECURITY
176. Romney's plan for Social Security is to raise the retirement age, cut benefits and benefit the top earners. (source)
176. Romney's plan for Social Security is to raise the retirement age, cut benefits and benefit the top earners. (source)
177. According to Bloomberg's analysis, "Romney's
approach will hit middle-income workers harder than the wealthiest..." (source)
178. Under Romney's Social Security plan, "Romney
would implicitly raise taxes on the middle class." (source)
WOMEN
178. "I went to a number of women's groups and said
'Can you help us find folks?' and they brought us whole binders full of
women." —Mitt Romney, on staffing his cabinet while he was governor of
Massachusetts. (source)
179. Romney lied about asking for female candidates when
he took office as governor. He tried to take credit for women's groups work in
Massachusetts. (source)
180. "A UMass-Boston study found that the percentage
of senior-level appointed positions held by women actually declined throughout
the Romney administration, from 30.0% prior to his taking office, to 29.7% in
July 2004, to 27.6% near the end of his term in November 2006." (source)
181. When Rush Limbaugh bullied Sandra Fluke, a female
student who testified about contraception on Capitol Hill, by calling her a
"slut" and a "prostitute" on national radio, Romney refused
to address the matter. When he finally did, he did not condemn Limbaugh's
attack, simply saying instead that "It's not the language I would have
used." (source)
182. Almost 90% of the people Romney nominated to become
judges during his term as governor were men. (source)
183. Romney did not hire a single female partner as CEO of
Bain Capital during the 1980s and 1990s. (source)
184. "Planned Parenthood, we're going to get rid of
that." (source)
185. Romney's top legal advisor says won't aren't
discriminated against anymore. (source)
186. Romney's position on choice has evolved so much it's
hard to know exactly what his exactly what his plan will be for choice as
president, except that it will focus on limiting choice and perhaps even
appointing justice who will ban abortion all together. (source) (source)
187. Romney has said that Roe v. Wade is
"bad law and bad medicine" and "a misguided ruling that was the
result of a small group of activist federal judges legislating from the
bench." (source)
188.
VICE-PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE PAUL RYAN
189. Paul Ryan has consistently scored low on interest group scorecards on the environment, education issues, women's issues, legal issues, worker's rights issues, and health issues. (source)
189. Paul Ryan has consistently scored low on interest group scorecards on the environment, education issues, women's issues, legal issues, worker's rights issues, and health issues. (source)
190. In the annual scorecard by the Human Rights Campaign,
"vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan scored zero percent every year,
except the 110th Congress, when he scored 10 percent. While Ryan received a 10
percent that Congress for voting for the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, it
is important to note that he first voted to reject the legislation by voting
for a procedural motion Republican leaders put forward to kill the bill. " (source).
191. The American Civil Liberties Union gave a 0% score to
Paul Ryan for 2011. (source)
192. Paul Ryan
made his name on the national stage by presenting a budget that would slash
programs for seniors, the poor and students.
193. Paul Ryan's budget plan would have cut SNAP grants by
18%. (source)
194. Paul Ryan voted to ban same-sex marriage. (source)
195. He voted to ban adoption by gay couples. (source)
196. He voted against repealing Don't Ask, Don't Tell. (source)
197. "Ryan heaped praise on Ayn Rand, a 20th-century
libertarian novelist best known for her philosophy that centered on the idea
that selfishness is "virtue." (source)
198. Ryan proposed a budget that "would extend the
Bush tax cuts, which are due to expire at the end of this year, he would not
extend President Obama's tax cuts for those with the lowest incomes, which will
expire at the same time." Households "earning more than $1 million a
year, meanwhile,could see a net tax cut of about $300,000 annually." (source)
199. Ryan co-sponsored a "personhood" amendment,
an extreme anti-abortion measure.(source)
PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA DESERVES A SECOND TERM
In just four years, President Obama and his administration have
accomplished so much for Americans. It's easy to forget just how much with
the 24/7 news cycles. Here is a compilation of accomplishments from various
government websites. These are taken verbatim from sources like WhiteHouse.gov
and factsheets published by various government bodies. You can pour through all
the data yourself at WhiteHouse.gov, Data.gov, Recovery.gov,
and other government websites.
200.
CIVIL RIGHTS
201. Signed into law the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, which extends the coverage of Federal hate crimes law to include attacks based on the victim's actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity. (source)
201. Signed into law the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, which extends the coverage of Federal hate crimes law to include attacks based on the victim's actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity. (source)
202. Pushed for and signed into the Don't Ask, Don't
Tell Repeal Act of 2010 into law. Now gay men and women can serve openly in the
U.S. military. (source)
203. Decided that his administration would no longer
defend Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) against equal protection
constitutional challenges brought by same-sex couples married under state law. (source)
204. Supports the Respect for Mrraige Act, that would
repreal DOMA (source)
205. First sitting president to voice support for same-sex
marriage. (source)
206. Issued a presidential memorandum which led to the
framework allowing same-sex domestic partners to visit their sick loved ones in
the hospital. (source)
207. Expanded federal benefits to all same-sex partners of
Foreign Service and executive branch government employees. (source)
208.
I don't know what it's like to be picked on
for being gay, but I do know what it's like to grow up feeling that sometimes
you don't belong. It's tough. And for a lot of kids the sense of being alone or
apart, I know it can just wear on you. And when you're teased or bullied it can
seem like somehow you have brought it on yourself for being different or for
not fitting in with everybody else. But what I want to say is this: You are not
alone, you didn't do anything wrong, you didn't do anything to deserve being
bullied, and there's a whole world waiting for you filled with possibilities.
There are people out there that love you and care about you just the way you
are...The other thing you need to know is things will get better, and more than
that, with time you are going to see that your differences are a source of
pride and a source of strength. You'll look back on the struggles you've faced
with compassion and wisdom, and that's not just going to serve you, but it'll
help you get involved and make his country a better place. [...] As a
nation, we're founded on the belief that all of us are equal and each of us
deserves the freedom to pursue our own version of happiness, to make the most
of our talents, to speak our minds, to not fit in; most of all, to be true to
ourselves. That's the freedom that enriches all of us. That's what America is
all about,and every day it gets better.
209.
I want to start off by saying, first and
foremost, I'm proud of you. There's not a single thing about you that's not
normal, good and decent. And you are not alone. There are tens of millions of
people around the world and millions of people right here in America, and
people right in your neighborhood, who may be or are perceived to be gay,
lesbian, bisexual, transgender. They are normal people, but so many people - so
many people in your circumstance are experienced being bullied or ridiculed.
And I know it's not only hurtful, but sometimes it can be literally frightening
and there's absolutely no justification for it.
210. Signed the Fair Sentencing Act, which reduces the
disparity in the amounts of powder cocaine and crack cocaine required to
trigger certain penalties in the federal system, including imposition of
mandatory minimum sentences. For years, this arbitrary discrepancy had an
unfair and a disproportionate impact on racial minorities. (source). Also supports funding for
drug courts, which give first-time, non-violent offenders a chance to serve
their sentence, if appropriate, in drug rehabilitation programs that have
proven to work better than prison terms in changing behavior. (source)
DEFENSE / HOMELAND SECURITY
211. Authorized raid to kill Osama bin Laden, mastermind behind the September 9/11 attacks and countless other acts of terror.
211. Authorized raid to kill Osama bin Laden, mastermind behind the September 9/11 attacks and countless other acts of terror.
212.
Today, at my direction, the United States
launched a targeted operation against that compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan. A
small team of Americans carried out the operation with extraordinary courage
and capability. No Americans were harmed. They took care to avoid civilian
casualties. After a firefight, they killed Osama bin Laden and took custody of
his body. For over two decades, bin Laden has been al Qaeda's leader and
symbol, and has continued to plot attacks against our country and our friends
and allies. The death of bin Laden marks the most significant achievement to
date in our nation's effort to defeat al Qaeda. (source)
213. Ended the combat mission in Iraq. (source)
214. Ratified a landmark nuclear arms treaty with Russia,
New START. (source)
DISABILITIES
215. Signed into law the National Alzheimer's Project Act to accelerate research on Alzheimers and to improve care for those current suffering from the disease. (source)
215. Signed into law the National Alzheimer's Project Act to accelerate research on Alzheimers and to improve care for those current suffering from the disease. (source)
216. Signed into law the Christopher and Dana Reeve Paralysis
Act, the first piece of comprehensive legislation aimed at improving the lives
of Americans living with paralysis. (source)
217. Signed into law the reauthorization of the Early
Hearing Detection and Intervention Act.(source)
218. Through the Affordable Care act, established
the Community Living Assistance Services and Supports (CLASS) program, a
self-funded and voluntary long-term care insurance choice that would help
people with disabilities remain in their homes, communities and jobs through
cash benefits to pay for community support services. (source)
219. His Department of Labor proposed a new rule that
would require federal contractors and subcontractors to set a hiring goal of
having 7 percent of their workforces be people with disabilities. (source)
220.
ECONOMY
221. The president's stimulus prevented a second Great Depression. (source), (source),(source)
221. The president's stimulus prevented a second Great Depression. (source), (source),(source)
223.
224. American businesses have added 5.4 million jobs in
the past 32 months. (source)
225. Rescued the American auto industry from collapse,
saving more than 1 million jobs around the country. U.S. automakers have added
nearly 250,000 jobs since June of 2009 -- the best period of growth in more
than a decade. (source)
226. Federal spending growth has actually been slower
under President Obama than under any other president since Eisenhower. (source)
227.
228. Strengthened trade relationships with countries
around the world to help U.S. businesses boost their exports by 33.5% and
support 1.2 million additional jobs since 2009.(source)
229. Helped small businesses expand and hire by increasing
access to loans and signing 18 tax breaks, including tax credits for hiring
unemployed workers and veterans with disabilities. (source)
230. Freed up $473 million in unspent earmarks for states
to spend on infrastructure projects.(source)
231.
232. Directed federal agencies to use the Do Not Pay tool
to prevent payment errors like sending funds to dead people or contracting with
companies who have attempted to defraud the government. (source)
233. Directed the federal government to increase the
purchase of products made from materials produced by American Farmers. (source)
234. Announced new resources for companies that want to
hire and invest in America. (source)
235. Launched Summer Jobs+ to provide employment
opportunities for nearly 180,000 young people. (source)
236. Launched two initiatives to provide startup companies
with $2 billion in resources. (source)
237. Announced four new actions to help further reduce
waste and fraud in Medicare and Medicaid.(source)
238. Introduced new rules to help responsible borrowers
with little or no equity in their homes take advantage of current low mortgage
rates. (source)
239. Launched a centralized, one-stop shop
(BusinessUSA.gov) to make it easier than ever for businesses of all sizes to
access services to help them grow, hire, and export. (source)
240. Supported lending to more than 166,000 small
businesses through community banks, state-run loan programs, and the Small
Business Administration. (source)
241. Reformed patent law to help entrepreneurs bring their
inventions to market sooner, reduce patent application backlog, and protect
U.S. intellectual property abroad. (source)
242. Cut red tape to help small businesses and
entrepreneurs raise capital from investors more efficiently so they can expand
and hire more quickly. (source)
243. Small business tax credit: Jumpstarted small business
hiring by cutting taxes for businesses that hire new workers or pay higher
wages. (source)
244. Renew tax breaks that allow companies to immediately
write off the total cost of certain purchases like computers and machines to
encourage investment (100% expensing). (source)
245. In 2014, small business will be able to shop for
affordable health insurance plans through state-based marketplaces, and be
eligible tax credits that cover up to 50% of the cost of providing health care
for employees. (source)
246. The Recovery Act provided a one-time payment of $250
to retirees, other Social Security beneficiaries, disabled veterans, and SSI
recipients. Fifty-six million retirees and other individuals received this
one-time payment, totaling $14 billion. (source)
247. Fought for and implemented historic financial reforms
to create a more stable and responsible financial system that holds Wall Street
accountable, discourages irresponsible financial risk-taking, and ends
taxpayer-funded bailouts.(source)
248. Ended more than $60 billion in wasteful subsidies for
big banks and used the savings to put the cost of college within reach for more
families. (source)
249. Helped launch the Startup America Partnership, an
independent alliance of entrepreneurs, corporations, universities, foundations,
and other leaders that has mobilized well over $1 billion in business services
available through a national network, designed to serve as many as 100,000
startups over the next few years. (source)
250. President Obama signed the Dodd-Frank Wall Street
Reform and Consumer Protection Act into law (source):
251. Signed The Credit CARD Act (the Credit Cardholders
Bill of Rights) into law. (source)
252. Signed the Fraud Enforcement and Recovery Act, which
gives the federal government more tools to crack down on the kind of fraud that
put thousands of hardworking families at risk of losing their homes despite
doing everything right to live within their means, into law. (source)
253. Implemented the first Consumer Financial Protection
Bureau (CFPB) to make sure that the financial products and services that
Americans depend on every day —including credit cards, mortgages, and
loans—work better for the people who use them. (source)
254. Supported and signed the Credit Card Accountability,
Responsibility, and Disclosure (CARD) Act of 2009, marking a turning point for
American consumers and ending the days of unfair rate hikes and hidden fees. (source). The act bans unfair rate
increases, prevents unfair fee traps, has plain sight/plain language disclosure
requirements and have increased protections for students and young people.
EDUCATION
255. Expanded Pell Grants to reach an additional 3 million students and raised the current maximum award to $5,550, up from $4,730 in 2008. (source)
255. Expanded Pell Grants to reach an additional 3 million students and raised the current maximum award to $5,550, up from $4,730 in 2008. (source)
256. Capped monthly student loan payments for responsible
borrowers who make their payments on time so they aren't held back by debt as
they start their careers. (source)
257. Ended more than $60 billion in wasteful subsidies for
big banks and used the savings to put the cost of college within reach for more
families. (source)
258. Created a tax credit worth $10,000 over four years
that helps 9 million families cover the cost of college. (source)
259. Race to the Top: President Obama's Race to the Top
initiative has dedicated over $4 billion to 19 states that have created robust
plans that address the four key areas of K-12 education reform as described
below. These states serve 22 million students and employ 1.5 million teachers
in 42,000 schools, representing 45 percent of all K-12 students and 42 percent
of all low-income students nationwide. (source)
260. With President Obama's leadership, rates on new
subsidized Stafford loans remained at 3.4 percent — instead of doubling to 6.8
percent — this past summer. (source)
261. The Department of Education and the Consumer
Financial Protection Bureau is designing a College Scorecard containing key
indicators of student success and financial outcomes about every institution of
higher education nationwide. (source)
ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT
262. Domestic oil and natural gas production has increased every year since President Obama took office. In 2011, U.S. oil production reached the highest level in 8 years and natural gas production hit an all-time high. On Federal lands and waters alone, oil production is up 13%. (source)
262. Domestic oil and natural gas production has increased every year since President Obama took office. In 2011, U.S. oil production reached the highest level in 8 years and natural gas production hit an all-time high. On Federal lands and waters alone, oil production is up 13%. (source)
263. U.S. dependence on foreign oil has decreased every
year since President Obama took office. We now import less than half of the oil
we consume and in 2011, imports as a share of total consumption declined to a
16-year low. (source)
264. New fuel economy standards for cars and trucks, the
first in 30 years, will cut oil consumption by 2.2 million barrels a day, slash
emissions by 6 billion metric tons, and save the average driver $8,000 at the
pump by 2025. (source)
265. New programs to improve energy efficiency in our
homes, buildings, factories, and transportation systems will reduce pollution
and save money for businesses and families. (source)
266. The U.S. has doubled renewable energy generation from
wind, solar, and geothermal sources since 2008 thanks to the President's record
investments in clean energy. (source)
267. His Better Building Initiative will create jobs, save
money, and cut pollution by improving energy efficiency in our non-residential
building space. (source)
268. Wants to make more than 75% of our potential offshore
oil and gas resources available for exploration and development and permit
clean energy projects on public lands that will generate enough renewable
energy to power 3 million homes. (source)
269. Signed the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of
2009, the most extensive expansion of land and water conservation in more than
a generation, designating more than 2 million acres of federal wilderness,
thousands of miles of trails, and protecting more than 1,000 miles of rivers.(source)
270. Directed the Federal Government – the largest energy
consumer in the U.S. economy – to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions from
direct sources such as building energy use and fuel consumption by 28 percent
by 2020. (source)
271. He also directed Federal agencies to reduce their
greenhouse gas emissions from indirect sources, such as those from employee
commuting, by 13 percent by 2020.
272. (source)
272. (source)
273. Through a Memorandum of Understanding signed by EPA,
the Department of the Interior and the Army Corps of Engineers on June 11,
2009, Federal agencies are taking action to minimize adverse environmental and
health impacts of mountaintop coal mining. (source)
274. The Administration established the first-ever
national limits for mercury and other toxic air pollution from power plants,
which will prevent up to 11,000 premature deaths, 4,700 heart attacks, and
130,000 cases of childhood asthma symptoms each year. (source)
275. After more than a decade of inaction, the
Administration reconvened the Environmental Justice Interagency Working Group
and engaged more than 100 environmental justice leaders at a White House forum. (source)
276. Established the first comprehensive National Policy
for the Stewardship of the Ocean, our Coasts, and the Great Lakes. (source)
ETHICS
277. By Executive Order, set forth the strictest ethics rules in this history of the office. (source)
277. By Executive Order, set forth the strictest ethics rules in this history of the office. (source)
278. Launched
Ethics.gov to help make the government more accountable and open [(source)
ethics.gov]
279. Signed an Executive Order on Regulation said the
following: Always consider costs and reduce burdens for American businesses and
consumers when developing rules; expand opportunities for public participation
and public comment; simplify rules; promote freedom of choice; and ensure that
regulations are driven by real science. (source)
280. Classification: The executive order on
"Classified National Security Information" (the Order) addresses the
problem of over-classification in numerous ways and allows the public to gain
timelier access to formerly classified records. (source)
FOREIGN POLICY
281.
282. Announced a plan to responsibly end the War in Iraq
and kept our promise to end combat operations there by August 31, 2010 and to
remove all US troops by the end of 2011. (source)
283. Built an international coalition to stop a massacre
in Libya, and to support the Libyan people as they overthrew the regime of
Moammar Qadhafi. (source)
284. Announced a strategy to address the international
nuclear threat and convened a Nuclear Security Summit that took concrete steps
toward securing nuclear material worldwide. (source)
285. Announced new policy steps towards Cuba. (source)
286. Built a broad coalition to pressure Iran to abandon
its nuclear program, including unprecedented sanctions by Congress, the UN
Security Council, and a host of other nations and regional bodies. (source)
287. Refocused American foreign policy on the Asia Pacific , the
world's fastest-growing region.(source)
288. Announced a comprehensive international strategy for
cyberspace issues. (source)
289. Reaffirmed our unwavering support for the military as
well as their families. (source)
HEALTH CARE
290. 105 million Americans no longer have lifetime dollar limits on their coverage. (source)
290. 105 million Americans no longer have lifetime dollar limits on their coverage. (source)
291. More than 17.6 million children with pre-existing
conditions can no longer be denied coverage. (source)
292. Private insurers
that provide coverage for nearly 174 million Americans must now justify
double-digit premium increases, and nearly 76 million Americans are covered by
insurers that are now required to spend at least 80% of premium dollars on
health care.
293. 360,000 small businesses received a tax credit in
2011 to help them pay for health insurance for an estimated 2 million workers. (source)
294. 54 million Americans now can receive a free
preventive service, such as cancer screenings, through their private insurance
plan. (source)
295. 3.1 million young adults have coverage on a parent's
plan through age 26. (source)
296. More than 50,000 Americans with pre-existing
conditions have gained coverage through the new Pre-Existing Condition
Insurance Plan. (source)
297. 3.6 million people received a 50% discount—worth an
average of $604 each—on brand name prescription drugs after hitting the
Medicare donut hole in 2011. (source)
298. More than 32.5 million seniors received one or more
free preventive services. (source)
299. The average person with Medicare will save about
$4,200 from 2011 to 2021. (source)
300. Those with high prescription costs will save up to
$16,000. (source)
301. Starting in 2014, no American can be discriminated
against due to a pre-existing condition.(source)
302. Insurance companies can no longer drop your coverage
when you get sick due to a mistake you made on your application. (source)
304. Thanks to the Affordable Care Act's 80/20 rule, if
insurance companies don't spend at least 80 percent of your premium dollar on
medical care and quality improvements rather than advertising, overhead and
bonuses for executives, they will have to provide you a rebate. The first
rebates were made in the summer of 2012. (source)
305. In every State and for the first time ever, insurance
companies are required to publicly justify their actions if they want to raise
rates by 10 percent or more. (source)
306. Small businesses have long paid a premium price for
health insurance – often 18 percent more than larger employers. The tax credit
will benefit an estimated 2 million workers who get their insurance from an
estimated 360,000 small employers who will receive the credit in 2011 alone.(source)
307. Insurers are now required to cover a number of
recommended preventive services, such as cancer, diabetes and blood pressure
screenings, without additional cost sharing such as copays or deductibles.
Already, 54 million Americans with private health coverage have gotten better
preventive services coverage as a result. (source)
308. Under the law, most young adults who can't get
coverage through their jobs can stay on their parents' plans until age 26 – a
change that has already allowed 3.1 million young adults to get health coverage
and given their families peace of mind. (source)
309. Affordable Insurance Exchanges are one-stop
marketplaces where consumers can choose a private health insurance plan that
fits their health needs. Starting in 2014, they will offer to the public the
same kinds of insurance choices members of Congress will have. (source)
310. In 2010, nearly four million people in the donut hole
received a $250 check to help with their costs. (source)
311. In 2011, 3.6 million people with Medicare received a
50 percent discount worth a total of $2.1 billion, or an average of $604 per
person, on their brand name prescription drugs when they hit the donut hole. (source)
312. Seniors will see additional savings on covered
brand-name and generic drugs while in the coverage gap until the gap is closed
in 2020. (source)
313. Under the new law, seniors can receive recommended
preventive services such as flu shots, diabetes screenings, as well as a new
Annual Wellness Visit, free of charge. (source)
314. The health care law helps stop fraud with tougher
screening procedures, stronger penalties, and new technology. (source)
315. The administration recovered $4.1 billion in taxpayer
dollars in 2011 pursuing health care fraud, the second year recoveries hit this
record-breaking level. (source)
316. Prosecutions are way up, too: the number of
individuals charged with fraud increased from 821 in fiscal year 2008 to 1,430
in fiscal year 2011 – nearly a 75 percent increase. (source)
317.
I criticized the Affordable Care Act, and the
very thing that I criticized is what is going to save my life.
Because President Obama signed the Affordable Care Act, I get to
keep my house. I won't go bankrupt. My kids are going to go to college.
And I'm going to live.
HOMELAND SECURITY
318. Launched a comprehensive, cutting-edge strategy to
fight transnational organized crime.(source)
319. Presented President Obama's National Strategy for
Counterterrorism in a speech at SAIS named "Ensuring al-Qa'ida's
Demise." (source)
320. The Administration successfully has managed several
natural disasters and ongoing relief efforts, including deadly tornados in
Joplin, MO and Tuscaloosa, AL. The DHS played a lead role in federal response
efforts following the BP oil spill in the Gulf. (source)
IMMIGRATION
321. Announced a new Department of Homeland Security policy that will allow certain young people who were brought to the United States as young children, do not present a risk to national security or public safety, and meet several key criteria to be considered for relief from removal from the country or from entering into removal proceedings. (source)
321. Announced a new Department of Homeland Security policy that will allow certain young people who were brought to the United States as young children, do not present a risk to national security or public safety, and meet several key criteria to be considered for relief from removal from the country or from entering into removal proceedings. (source)
322. Supports the DREAM Act. (source)
323.
TAXES
324. Launched a Federal Taxpayer Receipt to help American taxpayers understand exactly how their federal tax dollars are being spent. (source)
324. Launched a Federal Taxpayer Receipt to help American taxpayers understand exactly how their federal tax dollars are being spent. (source)
325. Increased the value of a tax credit that helps
workers keep more of what they earn by expanding the credit for married couples
and larger families. (source)
326. Overcame fierce opposition to extend the payroll tax
cut for 160 million American workers, saving the typical worker earning $50,000
a year about $40 with each paycheck. (source)
327. Expanded a credit that provides tax relief for 35
million families with children. 12 million working families receive a larger
credit, including 5 million previously ineligible families. (source)
328. Ensure the wealthiest Americans do their fair share
by paying at least the same tax rate as middle class families so we can reduce
the deficit in a balanced way while preserving investments in education, clean
energy, manufacturing, and small businesses. (source)
RURAL
329. The USDA and Department of Labor (DOL) partnered to
offer job training information and better utilize the rural footprint of the
USDA field offices across the country to provide them with greater access to
job search resources by reducing the driving times and distances for rural
customers seeking program information. (source)
330. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
expanded eligibility for the National Health Service Corps loan repayment
program so that Critical Access Hospitals, those with 25 beds or fewer, can
recruit new physicians, using student loan repayment incentives. (source)
331. The Navy, the Department of Energy, and USDA have
joined forces to spur the creation of an advanced biofuels industry that will
support commercial aviation, with a pledge of $510 million, over three years,
under the Defense Production Act of 1950. (source)
332. USDA's Forest Service, in conjunction with the White
House Rural Council, released a strategy to increase the scale of restoration
treatments like forest thinning, reforestation, and other activities to restore
and sustain the health of our forests. (source)
333. On January 19, the President signed an Executive
Order creating a Task Force charged with developing a National Travel and
Tourism Strategy with recommendations for new policies and initiatives to
promote domestic and international travel opportunities throughout the United
States.(source)
334. The Administration extended more than $400 million in
FY 2011 of investments in rural America through the Small Business Investment
Company (SBIC) Impact Investment Program, at no cost to taxpayers. Nearly $2
billion in additional funding will be invested by the end of fiscal year 2016. (source)
335. On June 14, 2012 President Obama signed an Executive
Order to make broadband construction along Federal roadways and properties up
to 90 percent cheaper and more efficient. (source)
VETERANS
336. During Obama's first term, businesses had a new Returning Heroes Tax Credit for firms that hire unemployed veterans (maximum credit of $2,400 for every short-term unemployed hire and $4,800 for every long-term unemployed hire). (source)
336. During Obama's first term, businesses had a new Returning Heroes Tax Credit for firms that hire unemployed veterans (maximum credit of $2,400 for every short-term unemployed hire and $4,800 for every long-term unemployed hire). (source)
337. They also had a Wounded Warriors Tax Credit which
will increase the existing tax credit for firms that hire veterans with
service-connected disabilities who have been unemployed long-term (maximum
credit of $9,600 per veteran) and continue the existing credit for all other
veterans with a service-connected disability (maximum credit of $4,800). (source)
338. The President challenged businesses to commit to hire
or provide training to unemployed veterans or their spouses. In August of 2012,
First Lady Michelle Obama announced the Joining Forces initiative had blown
past that goal -- 2,000 private sector businesses had already hired or trained
125,000 veterans and military spouses. (source)
339. The White House Rural Council partnered with the U.S
Department of Education to deliver a new online community of practice groups
for rural schools. (source)
340. The President has also proposed the Veterans Jobs
Corps, with a goal of putting 20,000 servicemembers to work rebuilding American
infrastructure and serving as cops and firefighters. (source)
341. The Administration
launched the Veterans Jobs Bank, at National Resource Directory (NRD.gov), an
easy to use tool to help veterans find job postings from companies looking to
hire them. It already searches over 500,000 job postings and continues to grow.
[(source) NRD.gov]
TECHNOLOGY
343. The Administration has created an Internet Policy Task Force to bring together industry, consumer groups, and policy experts to identify ways of ensuring that the Internet remains a reliable and trustworthy resource for consumers and businesses. (source)
343. The Administration has created an Internet Policy Task Force to bring together industry, consumer groups, and policy experts to identify ways of ensuring that the Internet remains a reliable and trustworthy resource for consumers and businesses. (source)
344. President Obama signed the America Invents Act into
law on September 16, 2011 after nearly a decade of effort to reform the
Nation's outdated patent laws. The patent reform law helps companies and
inventors avoid costly delays and unnecessary litigation—letting them focus instead
on innovation and job creation. (source)
345. Launched a series of new "Lab to Market"
initiatives. The initiatives are aimed at helping to achieve the
President's goal of strengthening "commercialization of the nearly $148
billion in annual federally-funded research and development", as first
proposed in January 2011 at the launch of the White House-led Startup America
campaign. (source)
346. Obama has committed to making high-speed wireless
services available to at least 98 percent of Americans. The availability of new
wireless broadband services will allow more Americans to use the Internet to
learn, work and play—regardless of where they live. (source)
347. Through $7 billion in targeted investments from the
Recovery Act, the Administration has expanded broadband access nationwide,
improved high-speed connectivity in rural areas and public computer centers,
and increased Internet capacity in schools, libraries, public safety offices,
and other community buildings. (source)
348. As part of the Recovery Act, this Administration
invested $4.5 billion in electricity delivery and energy reliability
modernization, with total public-private investment amounting to over $10
billion.(source)
349. Launched in May 2009, Data.gov has increased access
to information that the public can readily find and use. (source)
350. As part of this initiative, the National Science
Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, NASA, and the Department of
Agriculture are funding $70 million of research for next-generation robotics. (source)
351. Part of being efficient involves shutting down
projects that are no longer performing, and one responsibility of the Federal
CIO and his office has been to use so-called TechStat sessions to look into
such projects and figure out how to either fix them or terminate them. (source)
WOMEN
352. "I didn't run for President so that the dreams
of our daughters could be deferred or denied. I didn't run for President to see
inequality and injustice persist in our time. I ran for President to put the
same rights, the same opportunities, and the same dreams within the reach for
our daughters and our sons alike. I ran for President to put the American Dream
within the reach of all of our people, no matter what their gender, or race, or
faith, or station." -President Obama, March 8, 2010 (source)
353. "Equal pay is by no means just a women's issue
-- it's a family issue....And in this economy, when so many folks are already
working harder for less and struggling to get by, the last thing they can
afford is losing part of each month's paycheck to simple and plain
discrimination." - President Obama, Upon Signing the Lilly Ledbetter Bill (source)
354. Signed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act into law as
his first bill signed into law. (source)
355. Created the National Equal Pay Task Force to crack
down on violations of equal pay laws. Since then, "Enforcement actions
have increased, the government has recovered unprecedented monetary recoveries,
and investments in education and outreach for both employers and employees are
paying huge dividends." (source)
356. The President continues to advocate for the passage
of the Paycheck Fairness Act, which is common sense legislation that gives
women the tools they need to fight pay discrimination. (source)
357. In the Recovery Act, the President extended
expansions of the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) for larger families and
reduced the marriage penalty, benefiting over 7 million people and making the
Child Tax Credit (CTC) available to more low income families, benefiting 14
million children. (source)
358. In December 2010, the President signed the Tax
Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization, and Job Creation Act of 2010.
The expansions in the EITC and the CTC that were extended as part of this
legislation benefitted an estimated 12 million women – 4 million of them single
mothers. (source)
359. President Obama has proposed a rule to provide
minimum wage and overtime protections for workers who are employed providing
in-home care services for the elderly and infirm. (source)
360.
361. As a result of the Affordable Care Act the President
signed into law, many women will now be provided reasonable break times and
private space at work to express breast milk, up until a child's first
birthday. (source)
362. As part of the Affordable Care Act, in 2014, it will
be illegal for insurance companies to discriminate against anyone with a
pre-existing condition. Before the law, insurance companies could deny coverage
to women due to pre-existing conditions, such as having cancer, or being
pregnant. (source)
363. In 2014, many insurers will not be able to charge
women higher premiums than they charge men. (source)
364. For the first time, the Institute of Medicine has set
forth guidelines for women's preventive health care, and, as part of the
Affordable Care Act, new insurance plans must cover these services with no
deductibles, copayments, or coinsurance, including mammograms, HIV testing and
counseling, domestic violence counseling, and testing for gestational diabetes. (source)
365. Starting in 2014, many health plans will be required
to cover the cost of a pregnancy–a monumental win for women because 68 percent
of enrollees in individual market plans today lack such coverage. (source)
366. Obama has consistently supported and defended Title X
Family Planning clinics that provide crucial health services to persons from
low-income families. In both FY 2011 and FY 2012 funding bills, he refused to
allow language barring funding for Planned Parenthood to be included in the
Federal budget. (source)
367. The SBA has opened 10 new Women's Business Centers
around the country, for a total of 110 centers that trained and/or counseled
over 139,000 people in 2011, primarily underserved and economically
disadvantaged women. (source)
368. The administration has implemented the Women-Owned Small
Business Federal Contract program, which helps level the playing field for
women-owned small businesses in over 300 industries where women are
underrepresented by giving them greater access to Federal contracting
opportunities. (source)
369. Signed the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act
which provides funding for nearly 1,700 shelters and service programs for victims
of domestic violence and their children. (source)
370. Released new rules that provide protection to victims
living in subsidized housing and allow landlords to evict perpetrators of abuse
and ensure victims do not lose their housing due to crimes committed against
them. (source)
371. In February 2012, the Department of Defense announced it
intends to eliminate the "co-location exclusion" barring women U.S.
military service members from being co-located with ground combat units, a
change that will open over 13,000 new positions to women soldiers. (source)
372. In December 2011, President Obama released the first-ever
U.S. National Action Plan on Women, Peace, and Security and signed Executive
Order 13595 directing the Plan's implementation. (source)
373. 1.1 million women between the ages of 19 and 25 who would
have been uninsured currently receive health coverage under a parent's
health insurance plan or through an individually purchased health insurance
plan. (source)
374. More than 16,000 Small Business Administration Loans
totaling more than $4.5 billion were granted to women- owned small businesses. (source)
375. $62.5 million in monetary relief has been obtained for
victims of sex-based wage discrimination by the Equal Employment Opportunity
Commission since January 2010. (source)
376. Through the Recovery Act, more than 185,000 low-income
young women received summer employment and more than 215,000 women were placed
in subsidized jobs. (source)
377. Additionally, through the Recovery Act and the
Education Jobs Fund, the President supported more than 400,000 teacher jobs,
the majority of which were held by women. (source)
378. The Administration has also invested in employment
and training programs to put women to work in under-represented industries. (source)
379. The president advanced $260 million for teen
pregnancy prevention and related efforts.(source)
380. His administration funded the National Dating Abuse
Helpline to provide services by phone, chat, or text message 24 hours a day.
Teens can text "LOVEIS" to 77054 to talk to a peer advocate. (source)
381. Publishing the First Ever Report on Economic Benefits
of Workplace Flexibility. (source)
382. Signed the Telework Enhancement Act, which requires
federal agencies to take steps to promote teleworking, including appointing a
senior telework managing officer in each federal agency. (source)
383. Launched the Equal Futures Partnership to expand
women's political and economic participation (source)
VICE-PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN
384. Biden was tasked with implementing the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and chaired the Middle Class Task Force which has set out numerous proposals to strengthen and protect the middle class. (source)
384. Biden was tasked with implementing the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and chaired the Middle Class Task Force which has set out numerous proposals to strengthen and protect the middle class. (source)
385. Has traveled to Iraq eight times since being elected
VP to help end the war in a responsible fashion. (source)
386. For example, Biden's task force has focused on
collage affordability, green jobs, and getting Americans back to work. (source)
389.
390. The Vice President has taken a lead role in
preventing dating violence and sexual assault on college campuses nationwide.
In April 2011, Vice President Biden and Secretary of Education Arne Duncan
introduced comprehensive guidance to help schools, colleges, and universities
nationwide better understand their obligations under federal civil rights laws
(Title IX) to prevent and respond to campus sexual assault. (source)
MICHELLE OBAMA & JILL BIDEN
391. The First Lady has made reversing America's obesity trend a cornerstone of her works in the White House. (source), (source)
391. The First Lady has made reversing America's obesity trend a cornerstone of her works in the White House. (source), (source)
392. To promote the effort, she planted a vegetable garden
at The White House, the first one since Eleanor Roosevelt's victory garden in
World War II. (source), (source)
393. Michelle Obama and Jill Biden launched Joining
Forces, and initiative to aid military families. (source)
394. Their initiative this fall included a program to
include information about military children in the training curriculums for
student teachers (source)
395.
P.S. A huge thank goes out to all the sources that were used in
the compilation, including the Daily Kos staff and community, MultipleChoiceMitt.com, MittRomneyFlipFlops.com,WhichMitt.com, TheMittFlops.com, the great research teams
at ThinkProgress.org andMediaMatters.org, HuffingtonPost.com,
the team over at OFA and the DNC,OpenSecrets.org and
many more.
