Letters to the Editor
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beyond "present"
How do Obama's "present" votes compare to other Illinois state senators? Is 128/4000 high, average or low? Was voting "present" on cetain votes part of a block coalition strategy, or Obama being a "maverick"?
And, what happened to thr bills for which Oama voted "present"? Did they get rewritten in a form he liked better (he has stated his "present" vote was sometimes to protest stupid amendments in an otherwise good bill), which would make voting "present" good strategy; killed entirely (in which case, was voting "present" seems less savvy); or passed anyway?
Clearly, more context is needed to understand if Obama was being heroic, or cautious, or craven. Perhaps someone could report on this?
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Actually Obama's ``present'' votes tell a deeper story
And that is his unwillingness to take a stand on thorny issues. Be it the Iran vote, or taking a picture with G. Newsom; he comes out to be a senator whose heart may be in the right (as his words) but clearly his actions are contrary to his beliefs.
In other words, his actions do not justify the liberal ``swooning'' that is going on around him. And I really count myself as liberal.
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Women young enough to still utilize Planned Parenthood...
...will never fall for this NOWboating. See, we also know how to utilize the internet.
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What did NOW think about sexual harassment allegations made against Bill Clinton?
Did HRC stand up for women then? Did she say, "Hey, let's let these things work their way through the courts, let's not sic the Clinton PR machine on them and try to totally destroy their reputations?"
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"Anyway. That's the story"
What story. He voted against the abortion bills.
If this this is all the pro-Hillary feminists have on Obama on the abortion issue, he can breath a sigh of relief.
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Present
I am amazed at the varied ways Obama supporters justify their hero. I'm wondering if all these people are enchanted because of the way he looks, his gender, his race, because he sounds like a Southern Baptist preacher?? It certainly isn't because he has given specific information on his stand on important issues. Obviously this man does not ever feel confident taking a stand...he seems to measure every decision based on political outcome. Blind worship will not last....to which many American Idol winners can testify.
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Splitting Hairs
"Or should we quit splitting hairs, given that anyone's better on, well, everything than John "'Moderate' My Ass" McCain?"
Splitting hairs is fine now, I suppose, as long as we abortion rights-supporters get in line come November, because, most assuredly, McCain will nominate judges like Alito and Scalia and lord knows we can't expect the Senate to help. Simply put, another Republican presidency and abortion rights are dust. Support the Democratic ticket!
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NOW vs. Obama
This points to the real problems we have seen in this election from special interest groups over-playing their hand.
Anyone remember the hilarious letter from NY NOW about how Ted Kennedy was a Benedict Arnold for supporting Obama? Now this crap about present votes when Obama was working to support reproductive rights?
The same thing happened with some of the Union endorsements. Any of the three (now two) candidates were supportive of the Unions. The Unions decided they supported one candidate, then started lambasting the other two, even though the others also support their cause. This is stupid and counterproductive.
NOW should stop this scorched earth policy- both the Democratic contenders are a thousand times better than the Repubs. Stop trying to pick fights with your friends. Feel free to endorse and support whoever you like, but don't smear your friends.
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"Present" accounted for
The "present" votes never were objectionable to me. What is objectionable is pretending that Obama is a candidate of change when he engages in the same kind of horsetrading, strategic voting, pulling of punches, and preservation of deniability that Hillary is accused of. In other words, he's a politician, and more particularly, a legislator.
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Comments like Lezah2's really make me feel for all of the candidates
At this point, all of the candidates have talked about their positions on various issues. When I hear people repeating that old chestnut "I just don't know where X or Y stands." People said stuff like that about Kerry and it really makes me...just weary, I guess. What are the candidates supposed to do if voters don't inform themselves? On the other hand, I'm personally offended when people assume that if you haven't had a person's policy position spoon fed to you?
Have people who say things like that ever thought of visiting a candidate website or searching Google for primary documents?
http://www.barackobama.com/issues/
http://www.hillaryclinton.com/issues/
That's one place to look when you're done saying, "Nyah, nyah, I can't hear you!"
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Lezah
read, much? says lezah
"I am amazed at the varied ways Obama supporters justify their hero. I'm wondering if all these people are enchanted because of the way he looks, his gender, his race, because he sounds like a Southern Baptist preacher?? It certainly isn't because he has given specific information on his stand on important issues. Obviously this man does not ever feel confident taking a stand...he seems to measure every decision based on political outcome. Blind worship will not last....to which many American Idol winners can testify."
Obama was one of two - TWO- individuals to stand up on the floor of the senate and loudly condemn the passing of execrable habeus corpus act in 2006. this was a measure that a number of even democrats actually voted yes on, for fear of looking weak on terror. not only did he vote no, he decried it publicly, and when it was extremely politically risky for him to do so. where was your hero hilary then?
obama has as well condemned waterboarding as torture. can you say the same for hilary? one might suggest she's not confident taking a stand on this, until we can measure what most americans think.
how about the ridiculous vote last fall to designate iran as a terrorist state? once again your hero hillary caved and voted to support bush. i'm sure this had nothing to do with her fear of appearing weak on terror.
and oh yeah - iraq. obama loudly voiced his opposition to the war in the months leading up to it - again, when it was politically risky for him to do so. remind me again what hillary opted to do ? she took the courageous stand, right?