---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Though President Obama promised during…"
description: "\"Though President Obama promised during the 2008 campaign to pass the DREAM Act, he never made it a priority and failed to bring Republicans and Democra..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/98d/juan-williams-7909_act_though-president-obama-promised-during-t_1649713.png"
---

#  Though President Obama promised during the 2008 campaign…

![“Though President Obama promised during the 2008 campaign to pass the DREAM Act, he never made it a priority and failed to bring Republicans and Democrats together to do it in his first term.” quote by Juan Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/98d/juan-williams-7909_act_though-president-obama-promised-during-t_1649713.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/98d/juan-williams-7909_act_though-president-obama-promised-during-t_1649713.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/98d/juan-williams-7909_act_though-president-obama-promised-during-t_1649713.png)

> “Though President Obama promised during the 2008 campaign to pass the DREAM Act, he never made it a priority and failed to bring Republicans and Democrats together to do it in his first term.”

[Juan Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juan-williams/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Obama promised the DREAM Act but did not prioritize it, leading to legislative failure.

**In simple terms:** Obama promised DREAM Act but didn’t act.

Key Takeaway

Prioritize promises to achieve change.

Themes

politics legislation immigration leadership policy

Mood

frustrated critical reflective

Type

analysis commentary

When to use this quote

- election campaigns
- legislative sessions
- advocacy meetings

Key Concepts

policy implementation bipartisan negotiation campaign promises

Questions to Reflect On

- How can leaders ensure campaign promises become policy?
- What mechanisms promote bipartisan cooperation?

A Different Perspective

Political realities can impede even well‑intended reforms.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Democrats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/democrats/) [Dream](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dream/) [Dreams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dreams/) [President](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/president/) [Republicans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/republicans/)

## Related quotes

> [Obama promised a return to competence and confidence and asked the nation to believe again that the government could do big things well. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-gibbs/obama-promised-a-return-to-competence-and-confidence-and-asked-the/)

[Nancy Gibbs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-gibbs/)

> [Remember the Dreamers whose patriotism was praised when the Democratic House passed, and the Senate filibustered - the DREAM Act in 2010? Washington promised…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-pelosi/remember-the-dreamers-whose-patriotism-was-praised-when-the/)

[Christine Pelosi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-pelosi/)

> [On taking office, Obama promised the 'most transparent' administration in history; yet his record as president has been anything but transparent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-barr/on-taking-office-obama-promised-the-most-transparent-administration/)

[Bob Barr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-barr/)

> [During the 2008 campaign, Hillary Clinton ran a blunt television ad asking whether Barack Obama could handle a foreign policy crisis.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dickerson/during-the-2008-campaign-hillary-clinton-ran-a-blunt-television-ad/)

[John Dickerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dickerson/)

> [“almost $3 million into a group running television ads trying to tie Obama to the 1960s radical Bill Ayers during the 2008 campaign. “If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-mayer/almost-3-million-into-a-group-running-television-ads-trying-to-tie/)

[Jane Mayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-mayer/)

> [“In one month, he earned in free media about what John McCain spent on his entire 2008 campaign.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megyn-kelly/in-one-month-he-earned-in-free-media-about-what-john-mccain-spent-on/)

[Megyn Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megyn-kelly/)

> [My long-held fear is that Mr. Obama is hiding something about his education. During the endless 2008 campaign, Mr. Obama would not release his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-breitbart/my-long-held-fear-is-that-mr-obama-is-hiding-something-about-his/)

[Andrew Breitbart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-breitbart/)

> [In fundamental ways, the 2016 Democratic primary has been a litigation of the Obama years, and of whether the president's 2008 campaign vow of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joy-reid/in-fundamental-ways-the-2016-democratic-primary-has-been-a-litigation/)

[Joy Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joy-reid/)

> [Obama supporters pretended that his 2008 campaign was some sort of populist uprising even as Wall Street overwhelmingly supported his candidacy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-greenwald/obama-supporters-pretended-that-his-2008-campaign-was-some-sort-of/)

[Glenn Greenwald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-greenwald/)

> [During the 2008 campaign, I strongly endorsed Barack Obama for president. I did so early, when many Democratic leaders - including many prominent African-American…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-wilder/during-the-2008-campaign-i-strongly-endorsed-barack-obama-for/)

[Douglas Wilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-wilder/)

> [Today, President Barack Obama promised to 'detect and pursue' American tax evaders, as opposed to his first 100 days, in which he detected and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/today-president-barack-obama-promised-to-detect-and-pursue-american/)

[Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/)

> [One thing that Barack Obama promised, one thing that we all know we must do is evolve our industry and our technology to being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ani-difranco/one-thing-that-barack-obama-promised-one-thing-that-we-all-know-we/)

[Ani DiFranco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ani-difranco/)

> [President Obama promised to begin to slow the rise of the oceans and heal the planet. My promise... is to help you and your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitt-romney/president-obama-promised-to-begin-to-slow-the-rise-of-the-oceans-and/)

[Mitt Romney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitt-romney/)

> [Obama has placed himself in perfect political position: he spent the 2008 campaign convincing the American people that he's a racial unifier rather than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-shapiro/obama-has-placed-himself-in-perfect-political-position-he-spent-the/)

[Ben Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-shapiro/)

> [“On Saturday, Obama said, “I don’t think we’re going to solve this problem in weeks. This is going to be a long-term project.” That’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/on-saturday-obama-said-i-don-t-think-we-re-going-to-solve-this/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

## More by Juan Williams

> [ I think the president's \[Barack Obama\] position has been very clear on Syria. He wants more aggressive, he's put the Special Ops on the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juan-williams/i-think-the-president-s-barack-obama-position-has-been-very-clear-on/)

[Juan Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juan-williams/)

> [Cable would not translate into the public radio universe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juan-williams/cable-would-not-translate-into-the-public-radio-universe/)

[Juan Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juan-williams/)

> [When I get on a plane, I got to tell you, if I see people who are in Muslim garb and I think, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juan-williams/when-i-get-on-a-plane-i-got-to-tell-you-if-i-see-people-who-are-in/)

[Juan Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juan-williams/)

> [The Republicans want to turn Medicare into a voucher plan that will end guaranteed coverage of medical bills for the elderly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juan-williams/the-republicans-want-to-turn-medicare-into-a-voucher-plan-that-will/)

[Juan Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juan-williams/)

> [Republicans get a lot of money from big business, but they are not tied to the union dollar. As a result they have been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juan-williams/republicans-get-a-lot-of-money-from-big-business-but-they-are-not/)

[Juan Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juan-williams/)

> [In the 2000 presidential election, Al Gore got more votes than George W. Bush, but still lost the election. The Supreme Court's ruling in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juan-williams/in-the-2000-presidential-election-al-gore-got-more-votes-than-george/)

[Juan Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juan-williams/)

> [In 2008, when the real estate market blew up, it principally hurt older people who saw the value of their houses go down, along…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juan-williams/in-2008-when-the-real-estate-market-blew-up-it-principally-hurt-older/)

[Juan Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juan-williams/)

> [Alaska and Montana are not in the south but they definitely form part of the crimson tide of red states where Republicans are dominant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juan-williams/alaska-and-montana-are-not-in-the-south-but-they-definitely-form-part/)

[Juan Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juan-williams/)

> [While Planned Parenthood provides abortions at some of their clinics, it also provides healthcare services for poor women, including checkups, mammograms, cervical cancer screenings…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juan-williams/while-planned-parenthood-provides-abortions-at-some-of-their-clinics/)

[Juan Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juan-williams/)

> [Israel, in terms of Jewish values, and what I have been reading in Jewish papers, and hear from Jewish around the country, they are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juan-williams/israel-in-terms-of-jewish-values-and-what-i-have-been-reading-in/)

[Juan Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juan-williams/)

> [Years ago, NPR tried to stop me from going on "The Factor." When I refused, they insisted that I not identify myself as an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juan-williams/years-ago-npr-tried-to-stop-me-from-going-on-the-factor-when-i/)

[Juan Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juan-williams/)

> [When you hear someone delivering a divisive message, that's endangering our country that you stay up and say, you know, as an American, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juan-williams/when-you-hear-someone-delivering-a-divisive-message-that-s/)

[Juan Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juan-williams/)

> [Apparently, the heart of opposition to new gun regulations is in the white community. Yet white people face far less daily violence with guns.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juan-williams/apparently-the-heart-of-opposition-to-new-gun-regulations-is-in-the/)

[Juan Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juan-williams/)

> [In 2008, Obama won 56 percent of the women's vote to John McCain's 43 percent. It was the critical difference in the race.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juan-williams/in-2008-obama-won-56-percent-of-the-women-s-vote-to-john-mccain-s-43/)

[Juan Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juan-williams/)

> [I am not a conservative but I have spoken out for years against the staggering amount blind hatred directed at black conservatives by liberals.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juan-williams/i-am-not-a-conservative-but-i-have-spoken-out-for-years-against-the/)

[Juan Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juan-williams/)

[Explore all 86 Juan Williams quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juan-williams/)

## More Act quotes

> [I once told someone I could act. They totally bought it. I've been getting away with it ever since.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/akshay-kumar/i-once-told-someone-i-could-act-they-totally-bought-it-i-ve-been/)

[Akshay Kumar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/akshay-kumar/)

> [Teachers' unions don't act in the interest of most teachers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sal-khan/teachers-unions-don-t-act-in-the-interest-of-most-teachers/)

[Sal Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sal-khan/)

> [“I take my actions because of my passion not because of compulsion.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/i-take-my-actions-because-of-my-passion-not-because-of-compulsion/)

[Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/)

> [People take years learning how to act; it's a skill, not just a job. If I tried it out and thought I'd be OK,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/travis-fimmel/people-take-years-learning-how-to-act-it-s-a-skill-not-just-a-job-if/)

[Travis Fimmel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/travis-fimmel/)

> [Self-discipline is an act of cultivation. It require you to connect today's actions to tomorrow's results. There's a season for sowing a season for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-ryan-blair/self-discipline-is-an-act-of-cultivation-it-require-you-to-connect/)

[Gary Ryan Blair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-ryan-blair/)

> [“Don’t turn your face away. Once you’ve seen, you can no longer act like you don’t know. Open your eyes to the truth. It’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vashti-quiroz-vega/don-t-turn-your-face-away-once-you-ve-seen-you-can-no-longer-act-like/)

Vashti Quiroz-Vega

> [I always advise people not to act upon the advice that I give them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/i-always-advise-people-not-to-act-upon-the-advice-that-i-give-them/)

[Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/)

> [I have no interest in watching myself act.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-wesley/i-have-no-interest-in-watching-myself-act/)

[Paul Wesley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-wesley/)

> [“Don't wait, just sweat.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/don-t-wait-just-sweat/)

[Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/)

> [I do believe some people can naturally act and don't know it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-arnold/i-do-believe-some-people-can-naturally-act-and-don-t-know-it/)

[Andrea Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-arnold/)

> [Regardless of what I do, whether I write a book or whether I act or whether I host, I'll always do stand-up comedy because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howie-mandel/regardless-of-what-i-do-whether-i-write-a-book-or-whether-i-act-or/)

[Howie Mandel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howie-mandel/)

> [On 'Workaholics,' I feel like I'm just hanging out with my buddies being filmed, but on 'Mindy,' I'm around professional funny people who act.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anders-holm/on-workaholics-i-feel-like-i-m-just-hanging-out-with-my-buddies-being/)

[Anders Holm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anders-holm/)

> [I'm not an artist, and I want to take risks, and when the possibility of failure occurs, it's because the idea is all exciting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-morgan/i-m-not-an-artist-and-i-want-to-take-risks-and-when-the-possibility/)

[Peter Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-morgan/)

> [I don't have a huge amount of gear, but on the software side, I have a number of plug-in chains that act as abstracted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-hopkins/i-don-t-have-a-huge-amount-of-gear-but-on-the-software-side-i-have-a/)

[Jon Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-hopkins/)

> [I honestly didn't know that I wanted to act until I was probably 12.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miranda-rae-mayo/i-honestly-didn-t-know-that-i-wanted-to-act-until-i-was-probably-12/)

[Miranda Rae Mayo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miranda-rae-mayo/)

Browse all 1,802 Act quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Though President Obama promised during the 2008 campaign to pass the DREAM Act, he never made it a priority and failed to bring Republicans and Democrats together to do it in his first term.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Juan Williams"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juan-williams/though-president-obama-promised-during-the-2008-campaign-to-pass-the/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Act"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juan-williams/though-president-obama-promised-during-the-2008-campaign-to-pass-the/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/98d/juan-williams-7909_act_though-president-obama-promised-during-t_1649713.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/98d/juan-williams-7909_act_though-president-obama-promised-during-t_1649713.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/98d/juan-williams-7909_act_though-president-obama-promised-during-t_1649713.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Though President Obama promised during the 2008 campaign to pass the DREAM Act, he never made it a priority…” — Juan Williams",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Juan Williams",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juan-williams/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Though President Obama promised during the...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juan-williams/though-president-obama-promised-during-the-2008-campaign-to-pass-the/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juan-williams/though-president-obama-promised-during-the-2008-campaign-to-pass-the/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
