Letters to the Editor

• In writing

  [Read the article: Hillary's time of troubles]
  [Read more letters about this article: Here]

  I WOULD BE MORE THAN HAPPY TO SEE AN OBAMA SUPPORTER PROVIDE ME WITH FULL DETAILS OF THEIR CANDIDATES WORK FOR ALL AMERICANS. (I DO NOT WANT A LINK TO AN OBAMA SITE. I WANT YOU TO PUT IT IN WRITING.)

  -- ncawley

  Ncawley,

  I thought your post was well written and effective. You mentioned positives about Clinton that should be talked about more, and you reminded me of why I will be glad to vote for her if she is the nominee. The only thing I don't understand is why Clinton's defense of the poor is mentioned as if Obama had done nothing for poor people.

  I've posted many times about Obama's record, without making people go to other websites, let alone his to learn about him. But let me try again.

  1. Community organizer in Chicago. For some reason, some people don't think this is a legitimate experience for a politician? I have experience working with troubled teens, and there's no glory in that kind of work. He took a $10,000 per year job after graduating from Columbia and Occidental, and it wasn't a seat on a commission or a committee. It was hands on experience with poor people and political activism. Its a unique experience that he had before becoming an attorney.

  2. He worked as a civil rights attorney in Chicago after graduating from law school, and he taught at the University of Chicago. Again, he could have had a glory filled position, clerking for the Supreme Court, but he stayed unobtrusive, but hands-on. I can't list an important board or commission here either, because he was apparently not looking for this kind of position--but as editor of the Law Review he could have found something more glamorous if he'd wished to.

  3. He was a Chicago legislator for eight years. Again--he was serving the American people in the legislature. My friends from Chicago--I recently called a friend of mine who has been living in Chicago for more than ten years and is an independent liberal voter--she thinks he's fantastic. Senate work is often done through a gridlock so there aren't always many bills to brag about, but Obama did manage to build bipartisan support for a bill that forced all police interrogations to be videotaped. In a multi-cultural city where many black people thought that they were not getting a fair shot at justice, even white and Republican police officers were eventually convinced to sign on to this bill. Small? I can imagine that people who don't like Obama might think so, but for the American people in the city of Chicago it was a big deal.

  4. In the national Senate, again, he hasn't been there long and typically it is not a place where people very easily "get things done." But he did manage to sponsor and get passed a humanitarian relief bill to the Republic of Congo. I believe that it was important for the American people because sending humanitarian relief to war torn regions was what we were better known for in recent years post-Vietnam, before we re-started in the Iraq debacle.

  5. In the national senate he helped to create a bill that forces the government to publish an online data base showing where your tax money goes. This is also a big deal for those of us who don't want our tax money to get spent on $700 Halliburton hammers or whatever. (the "Coburn-Obama Transparency Act").

  6. In the national Congress he also helped to create the "Lugar-Obama" which benefits the American people by expanding the Nunn-Lugar non proliferation bill to include shoulder-fired missiles and anti-personnel mines.

  7. Obama has worked in Congress with McCain on a bill that would significantly lower greenhouse gas emissions. This is of benefit to all Americans, and the bipartisan aspect is important.

  7. He worked in the national senate on creating comprehensive immigration reform and securing the borders. He worked with Senator McCain in sponsoring the "Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act" that would benefit the American people by not allowing rich corporations to endlessly utilize nearly free illegal immigrant labor--and also by allowing those who are living and working illegally in this country an opportunity to become legal citizens.

  8. Obama worked with Russ Feingold to create the "Honest Leadership and Open Government Act" which stopped the gift of travel on corporate jets by lobbyists to members of Congress, and it also forced members of Congress with bundled campaign contributions to disclose the names of their bundlers to the public.

  9. In 2007 he sponsored an amendment to the "2008 Defense Authorization Act" a safeguard for military personnel with mental health problems. This benefits the American people by providing better protection for our military personnel (one in four of whom, statistically speaking will suffer at least from post traumatic stress disorder after serving in Iraq).

  I could make this list longer, but what I like about Obama is that he has been working in public service and for humanitarian all of his life--as Hillary has for her whole life and career. And those who admire Hillary Clinton for her public service are starting to look strange if they refuse to acknowledge, or worse, when they mock or belittle the experience that Obama has that also is on behalf of every day people. His work, like hers, is textured, layered, and a significant contribution to the well being of our country. I'm sorry if you can't see that or agree that it is.

  Peace.

  Permalink Sunday, February 10, 2008 12:09 PM