President Clinton's First Term: Matching Campaign Promises with Presidential Performance

In every Presidential campaign, candidates make policy promises on a wide variety of issues. Often a newly elected president finds it difficult to fulfill these promises even if he has good intentions to do so. This leads many voters to the assumption that presidents do not fulfill their campaign promises. Since voting theories, however, suggest that voters do listen to campaign promises, candidates must carefully consider their promises as well as the barriers they will face when translating their promises into policy once in office. This article examines the content of Clinton's 1992 campaign promises as well as his policy initiatives during his first term in office indicating that there is a notable degree of correspondence between them. This analysis of Clinton is then placed in perspective with the analyses of previous presidents' promises and policies. It is evident that not only the number of promises, but also their content and specificity can both assist and constrain the president when he attempts to fulfill his campaign promises.