Obama breaks promise on 'sunlight before signing'

Politifact.com ^ | 1-29-09 | Angie Drobnic Holan

[Kleebo151]

Barack Obama signed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act on Jan. 29, 2009, keeping a longstanding promise to counter a Supreme Court decision that limited workers' ability to sue for pay discrimination. We moved the Obameter and gave him a Promise Kept.

But we also had to give him his first Promise Broken for the same signing. As part of his agenda to bring more transparency to government, Obama said he would institute "sunlight before signing" -- posting laws to the White House Web site for five days of public comment before he signed off on them.

The Ledbetter Act was passed two days ago, yet the request for public comment was posted after he signed the bill. For that, he earns his first Promise Broken.

Read details on the Ledbetter Act here and "sunlight before signing" here.

[Kleebo151]

Bah, the elections are over. Who cares about a stinking promise?

[Sioux-san]

NOw that this is law, Small Businesses beware - Hire no Women! Law of unintended consequences will prevail...

[Bhoy]

Trial lawyers will love this one. Statute of Limitations for “discrimination” removed. Lot of mone to make here. Mr Obama owes people.

[Boogieman]

Well, he said it would be posted on the White House web site for public comment 5 days before he signed it. He never said there would be a link to the frontpage so that people could actually get to the comment page before he signed the bill. The devil is in the details with these politicians.

[wac3rd]

I wonder if men have the right to sue that women were given their jobs in compensation for Affirmative Action?

[MaxMax]

As a working company owner, I'll never train a female Tech now. She'll sue me
because I "even as owner" will always make more money than she does.

This whole concept is insanity.

[Secret Agent Man]

Maybe men in female-dominated fields may be able to sue if they are paid less than their female counterparts....

[Jeff Gordon]

Bah, the elections are over. Who cares about a stinking promise?

Obama started breaking promises long before he was elected. Remember his Public Financing promises? His promises to debate McCain anytime or anyplace?

[blueplum]

Trial lawyers will love this one. Statute of Limitations for “discrimination” removed.

this isn't just about women, women are the smokescreen - it's about minorities - reparations have begun...

[jwparkerjr]

They are like children. As soon as they find out they can break promise or do something wrong without being held accountable it's on to the next promise or act.

Most parents know, or used to know, it's not the severity of the punishment that counts but rather the certainty of punishment. Of course there has to be some balance.

Bill Clinton proved early on in his administration that if you have big enough balls you can get away with almost anything. Obama is just picking up where Clinton left off.

[CodeToad]

The skinny little kid is as much a liar as any politician. “Change”?? Nope.

[rollo tomasi]

I thought hiring/banning lobbyist in his administration was the “first promise” broken as Pres.