August 5, 2009

PROMISES MADE
As Obama Visits Elkhart, Indiana For 4th Time In 15 Months,
Citizens There Realize Promises Made Are Promises Broken
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Indiana Democratic Party Chairman Dan Parker On Obama’s 4th Elkhart Trip Since April 2008: “[I]t
highlights his following through on promises he made not only during the campaign, but also during his first
visit when he was president …” (Ed Ronco, “Frequent Trips To Elkhart Could Affect Elections,” The South Bend Tribune, 7/31/09)
PROMISES MADE VS. PROMISES BROKEN
PROMISE: With Elkhart’s RV Industry In Shambles, Obama Pledged Immediate Help. “Folks here in Elkhart and all across
America need help right now.” (President Barack Obama, Remarks By The President At Town Hall, Elkhart, Indiana, 2/9/09)
• CRISIS: “The collapse of Elkhart’s RV industry has left unemployment rates pushing 20% … Fourteen hundred
people lost their jobs at just one manufacturer. About a dozen others have also shut down. Now, hundreds of
walk-ins appear every day at the Faith Mission for a free meal.” (NBC’s “Nightly News,” 5/18/09)
• DELIVERY: Obama’s Fuel Emissions Standards Would Be Costly To Motor Vehicle Industries. “The
Transportation Department last year estimated that requiring auto makers to achieve 31.6 mpg by 2015 would cost the
industry $46.7 billion, among the most expensive rule makings in U.S. history … The technology required to make the
cars and trucks able to meet the proposed standard could add $1,300 to the average cost of making a vehicle …”
(Stephen Power & Christopher Conkey, “U.S. Orders Stricter Fuel Goals For Autos,” The Wall Street Journal, 5/19/09)

PROMISE: Obama Pledged Help For Elkhart To Recover From Recession. “I promised you back then that, if elected, I’d do
everything I could to help this community recover, and that’s why I came back today, because I intend to keep my promise.”
(President Barack Obama, Remarks By The President At Town Hall, Elkhart, Indiana, 2/9/09)

• DELIVERY: Unemployment Has More Than Doubled In Elkhart In Last Year. In June 2009 unemployment in
Elkhart hit 16.8%, up from 6.8% in June 2008. (Bureau of Labor Statistics Website, www.bls.gov, Accessed 8/3/09)
PROMISE: Obama Pledged Stimulus Bill Would “Jumpstart” Economy. “[The stimulus bill] is the right size, the right scope,
and has the right priorities to create jobs that will jumpstart our economy and transform it for the twenty-first century.” (President
Barack Obama, Remarks By The President At Town Hall, Elkhart, Indiana, 2/9/09)

• DELIVERY: Obama Now Claims Stimulus Is Two-Year Project Never Intended To Fully Restore Economy. "The
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act was not expected to restore the economy to full health on its own but to
provide the boost necessary to stop the free fall. So far, it has done that. It was, from the start, a two-year program,
and it will steadily save and create jobs as it ramps up over this summer and fall." (President Barack Obama, "Rebuilding
Something Better," The Washington Post, 7/12/09)

PROMISE: Obama Claimed Stimulus Will “Create Or Save Nearly 80,000” Jobs In Indiana. “[B]etween the investments
our plan makes and the tax relief for small businesses it provides, we’ll create or save nearly 80,000 badly needed jobs for
Indiana right here over the next couple of years.” (President Barack Obama, Remarks By The President At Town Hall, Elkhart, Indiana, 2/9/09)
• DELIVERY: Since Stimulus Passed, More Than 24,000 Jobs Have Been Lost In Indiana. (U.S. Bureau of Labor
Statistics Website, www.bls.gov, Accessed 8/3/09)

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PROMISE: Obama Said Stimulus Would Be Used To Create Long-Term Jobs, Provide Funds For Infrastructure
Projects. “The plan that we’ve put forward will save or create 3 million to 4 million jobs over the next two years, but not just any
jobs … jobs that lay the groundwork for long-term economic growth … jobs repairing our roads and our bridges and our levees
…” (President Barack Obama, Remarks By The President At Town Hall, Elkhart, Indiana, 2/9/09)
• DELIVERY: Infrastructure Projects Receiving Very Small Percentage of Stimulus Funds. “According to the
report, 90% of the money distributed has come in the form of increased federal education and health-care grants to
state governments. This money has helped many state governments to partially offset budget shortfalls. A much
smaller portion has been spent on transportation infrastructure projects, the GAO said.” (Corey Boles, “Flow of Stimulus
Funds Slightly Exceeds Forecast,” The Wall Street Journal, 7/8/09)

PROMISE: Obama Said Stimulus Funds Will Be Spent Quickly But Wisely. “Look, we’ve got to get the bill passed, but we
also have to make sure that the money is well spent, which means we’re doing some things that are unprecedented to make
sure that the money gets out quickly, but it gets out wisely.” (President Barack Obama, Remarks By The President At Town Hall, Elkhart,
Indiana, 2/9/09)

• DELIVERY: Shovel-Ready Projects Haven't Been Allowed To Start By Federal Government. "As of July 10, more
than 3,600 of the 5,600 road projects approved by Washington -- including six of the 10 largest approved projects --
had not been given the green light to start construction ... In Florida, not a single highway project had been given the
go-ahead to start construction by July 10 -- even though the state, with an unemployment rate of 10.6%, had 272
projects valued at more than $1 billion approved by the federal government." (Don Lee, "Highway Spending Isn't The Stimulus
It Was Envisioned To Be," The Los Angeles Times, 7/20/09)

• DELIVERY: Hard Hit Areas Not Receiving Funds Despite Requirements In Stimulus Package. "Under the Obama
administration's economic stimulus plan, needy communities were supposed to be a priority when doling out money to
rebuild highways and jump-start the economy. It hasn't worked out that way. The rules required that states give priority
to counties considered 'economically distressed.' Yet less than half the federal highway money announced so far is
directed toward those high-unemployment, low-income areas according to an Associated Press analysis of more than
$16 billion in spending announced by the U.S. Transportation Department." (April Castro, "Stimulus Watch: Neediest Areas Not
First For Money," The Associated Press, 7/19/09)

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