Has Obama Lived Up To His Campaign Promises? (VIDEO)

Last November, the United States elected a president who campaigned on the promise of change. Critics called President Obama's rhetoric simultaneously soaring and vague, but many of Obama's pledges - like closing Guantanamo Bay and "finishing the job" in Afghanistan - were concrete. It is not clear if or when they will be fulfilled.

President Obama acted swiftly on his promise to close Guantanamo, but just this month his administration unsuccessfully fought a British High Court in an attempt to hide documentation alleging American torture of prisoners, echoing Bush-era claims that transparency endangers the public.

On Afghanistan, the President's pre-election promise to send as many troops as possible to end the war is losing traction and public approval at home.

Domestically the president's progress is equally ambiguous. Days after he signed into law an act making crimes against homosexuals federal hate crimes, his administration argued in court that the federal government should continue denying benefits to same-sex couples wedded in states where such arrangements are legal. Obama had pledged to end both inequalities in an open letter released last February and aimed at the LGBT community in which he stated: "I'm running for President to build an America that lives up to our founding promise of equality for all - a promise that extends to our gay brothers and sisters."

Today, on the one-year anniversary of Obama's election, how well has Obama stuck to his campaign promises? Has the president met your expectations? Choose one topic, whether a policy or social stance, and tell us what you think in a video blog that's under 90 seconds. We'll feature the most insightful videos on HuffPost Politics.

Here's the video blog from the first person to send one in. Pick up a camera phone or webcam and share what you think.

Comments

[vexact]

YES, a resounding YES! despite all the puffing bufoonery of the pseudoconservative radical right wing. DON'T FORGET: YA LOST, Get it? Get over it.

[juliewolves]

Has Obama lived up to his campaign promises? No. We have to start at the bottom for a real Progressive candidates. Find and support and work for progressive candidates at the city council, county board, school board, and state legislature level. At the same time we need to achieve public financing of elections. This is going to take some time; our political system is so corrupted.

[piggybackmom]

End the wars. Bring the troops home. Use most of that money from defense to rebuild America.
Work with Americans that wish to move US into new technology and out of our dependence on oil.
Invest in jobs here at home and on education.

[Ventura Co California]

Obama, promised us the world and gave us only debt.

[JUSTJAMESBOND]

Did he live up to the hype? You be the judge...th­e truth hurts.

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

Don't say it's not fair....he­'s just a loser.

[MARNIE2]

...TO BE FAIR...THE­Y ..ALL MAKE ...PROMISE­S ...SAME THEY CAN KEEP....
....BUT ..IT'S OBAMA'S LACK OF ...ACTION.­..ALL-ROUN­D... ?
....AS IF..HE'S A ..DEER ... CAUGHT... IN THE HEAD-LIGHTS !!!!...

[maine-e-ack]

Obama is clealy not standing up to the multinationals, nor is he leading Congress to do so. First we have our money turned over to the big banks, then we have our health care left in the incapable hands of profit-seekers whose business it is NOT to insure US (i.e., spend our premiums on our behalf) because that would interfere with their profits. Next I understand we are turning our food and the FDA, over to the pesticide and chemical companies, and the three corporations that "own" most of the world's food supply (Novartis, Con-Agra and Cargill). What next? This pyramid game that places a few rich corporations, wrongly defined by law as "people," at the top, and the rest of us on or rapidly falling to the bottom is out of control. Today in Maine we have a vote that will, hopefully, affirm the rights of gay citizens. Where is Obama's voice for the constitutional rights of all of our citizens? Where is the Maine OFA (Orgamizing for America, Obama's network) in support of "No on 1?" Silence. All it would take is an executive order and gay military personnel could rest easy. Silence. I worked so hard to get this man elected. Pity.

[thrdr]

You're basically right. Time to find an alternative.

[Chris Matthews 1]

Let's keep things in perspective: he's not a miracle worker. And he inherited a mess. It's going to take time to fix things. It's only been one year. How much have other presidents done in one year, which, technically, doesn't start until January 20, 2010? Yes, we expect a lot because of his campaign. But that was a glorified job interview. He's got the job. And, like most jobs once you get into them, he has found the landscape to be different on the inside of the door. Let's not go bananas after one year.

[MARNIE2]

...W H A T.. !...HE'S NOT THE .....MESSI­AH ?....OMG !...LOL

[patrickgarret]

Name the AMAZING accomplishments within 1 year for Bush, Clinton, Bush, Reagan, just one!:) Let me know.

[TheStreamAlwaysWins]

That's it right there! Fanned!

[Ventura Co California]

When people put him on a pedestal treating him like the messiah he better produce what he said he would and fast because the American people have no patience at all.

[patrickgarret]

Name ONE THING Obama could do that doesn't require Congress approval. I love all the "DRAMA" today over unenthused Dems in the races in NJ, NY, VA and so on. Gee..WAKE UP DEMS. Pass health care the entire naritive changes. You pay people big money to tell NOT TELL YOU THIS? VERY SIMPLE. Do what you were elected to do and your #'s skyrocket. GENIUS!

[thrdr]

"Name ONE THING Obama could do that doesn't require Congress approval."

Close GITMO. Not in January, but two weeks from today.

[annshirley]

We did not vote Barack Obama in to perform a miracle. Yet this is what everyone wants from him. Here is a man who inherited 2 wars, housing market bust, and a host of many more Bush problems. We are not children who should expect a quick fix for all these problems. We allowed Bush & Cheney eight years to wreck havoc on this country. We sat on our hands and duct taped our voices while they destroyed our economy and the trust of the rest of the world. We closed our eyes to their torture. We let them spy on us. We expect this president to solve all this country ills in one short year. We are constantly criticizing this man for not acting quick enough. So my answer is yes he is. But my question is did Bush do what he promise the first year? Did Clinton? Were we so quick to judge these former presidents? We voted Obama in to change things from the previous president. This is a man who thinks before he acts.
This is a man who does not broadcast his way or no way. This a man who realizes that there are three branches of the government and he knows how they work. May be we should all take a class on how our government works. Maybe then we would not want things done yesterday.

[nana4g]

It is unreasonable to expect much more in terms of concrete accomplishment or the ticking off an item on a long list, after 1 year in office, at a time when there are unprecedented issues of challengling levels of priorities. Not every issue can be Priority #1, though, behind the scenes work on any given issue is possible, practical, and is being done.

Some critique comes from Republican­s/Conserva­tives who began the process of criticism, obstruction, and sabotage on Jan 21, 2009, simply as political strategy. The level of divisiveness and rancor is unprecedented and, in my opinion, any effort to "proove" anything to this group is a foolish waste of time and energy.

Some come from all the rest of us who expected our pet issue would be Job #1. During the primary campaign, when I supported Hillary, I feared that these most ardent and fervent supporters would be the first to "ditch" the first time he HAD to do something not to their liking.

And most of this comes from the MSM, the print and broadcast media, who began on Jan 21, looking for a new story with which to obsess and get us addicted to. They have given credence to some of the most outrageous lies, radicals, and "disturbed" wing nuts that have ever crawled from under the rock.

This President is doing just fine. The rest of us need to stop and evaluate ourselves.

[thrdr]

Pure obscurantism.

[SYR]

President Obama is doing a remarkable job at governing this country given the absolute mess he was handed at the White House door. He's not a miracle worker. It takes time to realize the extreme makeover this country needs after the destruction dumped on us by the republicans. I have never seen any President confronted with the bu##sht he is confronted with on almost a daily basis. He's damned if he does, and damned if he doesn't. What the losing side doesn't realize is that this President is actually smart and well educated. He is a multi-tasker, able to do more than one thing at a time unlike his predecessor. Give him some time and we will see progress.

Keep up the good work, Mr. President.

[yourmonscalling]

NO HE HAS NOT PEOPLE RIGHT NOW ARE SUFFERING SEVERELY BECAUSE OF THIS DEPRESSION AND HE REALLY DOES NOT GIVE TWO HOOTS ABOUT THE AMERICAN PEOPLE ONLY HIS OWN BEHIND>IF PEOPLE WOULD JUST CHECK THE FACTS ON SOME THINGS ABOUT WHAT HE HAS DONE(ESPECIALLY IN THE FINANCIAL SIDE) THEY WOULD BE ASTOUNDED TO FIND OUT HOW CORRUPT THEY REALLY ARE.

CHANGE WE CANT BELIEVE IN THAT'S FOR DAMN SURE

[cybexg]

Lack of grammar, lack of lower case letters, lack of sites, references, or any meaningful content.

[TheStreamAlwaysWins]

I read your pain but it is misdirected and not fully thought out.

[OldNHdude]

A one term President. If the Military/Pentagon and Wall Street could dump him now without adverse effect, they would. Get ready for Romney, and I am not a Republican.

[whiteboyblues]

Thanks for the laugh man!

[thrdr]

Yeah. Obama couldn't be doing a bettter job of handing the Presidency over to the Republicans than he is now.