Letters to the Editor
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@ Peter Maranci: If Only Obama Would Come Clean
I can just never resist replying to posts that raise the "other" issues about Hillary Clinton that prevent people from voting for her. This poster has done just that. However --and here is where it gets really troubling -- Sen. Obama has some questions to answer, also:
Energy: In 2005, Obama voted for the "clean energy bill" that gave $14.5 billion in tax breaks to the oil and gas industry.
http://www.vote-smart.org/voting_category.php?can_id=9490 (Energy)
Class Action Fairness Act: In 2006, Sen. Obama voted in favor of this bill to limit class action lawsuits against corporations, like Enron (and Bear Stearns). This bill was heavily-lobbied by business interests, Chamber of Commerce, and President Bush.
http://www.govtrack.us/congress/vote.xpd?vote=s2005-9
Bankruptcy Bill: In 2005, Sen. Obama voted against an amendment that would have limited the amount of interest charged to credit card consumers as part of the Bankruptcy Bill. Sen. Clinton voted for the amendment and against the Bankruptcy Bill:
http://votesmart.org/voting_category.php?can_id=55463 (Business and Consumers)
Patriot Act: In 2006, Sen. Obama voted to reauthorize Patriot Act:
http://vote-smart.org/voting_category.php?can_id=9490 (National Security)
Iraq: Since his election to the U.S. Senate in 2004, Sen. Obama has voted in favor of funding for the war and voted twice against amendments to set a firm timetable for withdrawal of U.S. troops. One such amendment was introdoced by Sen. John Kerry (who has endorsed Obama).
http://www.vote-smart.org/voting_category.php?can_id=9490
Washington Post legislative database
Other: Sen. Obama has the fourth highest missed vote record of any U.S. Senator. He has missed crucial votes:
-- to implement recommendations from the 911 Commission Report
-- the "No Confidence" vote on AG Alberto Gonzales
-- to authorize funds for extending grants to low-income college students eligible for PELL Grants
BTW: Sen Clinton is ranked 9th out of 100 in the U.S. Senate for her leadership, her legislative efforts, and the ability to work with her Senate peers to get things done.
http://www.congress.org/congressorg/power_rankings/index.tt
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@ Fredrick Bernanke: And Obama Is...
The "Ready From Day One" nonsense that served as the foundation for her candidacy has crumbled. Her "experience" assertions have proven to be illusions, padded accounts of typical First Lady duties. And beyond her First Lady experience lies nothing.
An inexperienced "dilletante" (to quote his own U.S. Senate colleagues) who changes his position and his words every time he gets caught in a lie; who has the fourth highest missed votes record of any U.S. Senator; who has spent most of his time since he was elected in 2004 running for POTUS; who said nothing to his "friend" Tony Rezko about cleaning up his South Chicago slums; who took a powder on 'controversial' issues in the Illinois Senate by voting "Present", according to his colleagues; and who apparently said nothing to Rev. Jeremiah Wright, his 20-year "close friend and spiritual advisor", about his "hate speech."
I think I'll stay with Clinton.
BTW: Sen. Obama isn't doing very well in Pennsylvania polls, in national Democratic polls, in significant states polls, and in national matchups with Sen. McCain.
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/ 2008/latestpolls/index.html
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08078/866068-100.stm
http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/election_20082/2008_presidential_election/favorable_ratings_for_presidential_candidates
I think I'll stay with Clinton.
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Clinton has already lost.
Her only remaining chance is a coup by character assassination. The nation is absorbed in the spectacle of the democrats using the full-republican-monty on themselves. We are gripped by the daily images of Mrs. Clinton out W-ing W in her stubborn refusal to admit a mistake or accept defeat.
Putting the war back on the frontpage, exposing John McCain as a pandering politician with a nineteenth century wordlview, and fighting corporate corruption of our government -- the democratic 2008 general election campaign -- must wait. The party can't organize a campaign, and the media won't make any bandwidth available for other topics while the Clintons make the rest of the country share their misery.
It's time for her friends and supporters to tell her to end it and to try using those brass-knuckles on the republicans in the Senate.
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Hillary and the War Pigs
War pigs carry on, roll 'round in your mud, that wet earth you roll in, swims in our blood.
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Strategy versus Honesty
Hillary's weakness as a candidate is that every statement she utters appears to be calculated and strategic -- just like her Iraq Vote.
She has already admitted that her vote was poor judgment (because she trusted Bush). How can she go beyond that? If she were to apologize, the news media would justifiably skewer her into revealing at what point her honest appraisal of the war occurred, and why she concealed it/lied about it for so many years afterward.
Her Iraq 'Regret' is probably the best strategy for handling the matter, tho it clearly stimulates voters' craving for a different set of qualities in a leader.
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@ ljwalker53 - That's it? That's all you've got?
So your defense of those four terrible votes that Hillary made is not a defense at all, but instead a claim that Obama made some bad votes, too?
Good strategy there. That'll really fire everyone up to vote for Hillary!
Come on. Defend your candidate. Iraq, Iran, the PATRIOT Act, the bankruptcy bill. One vote after another from Senator Clinton, D-NY. And all of them WITH George W. Bush and the Republicans, and AGAINST the Democrats and the interests of the people of the United States of America.
She's so brilliant and wonderful and experienced, right? That's what she and all her supporters keep telling us. So explain those votes!
Yeah, we know, you hate Obama. He eats babies. He's an intellectual lightweight who can barely walk and chew gum at the same time. He sucks. WE GET IT!
But explain to us why we should vote for someone who on so many crucial votes has sided with George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, and Joe Lieberman. WHY?
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Dorothy and her ruby red slippers
Clinton didn't need permission from wizard Penn or anyone else to apologize for her vote on the war.
She needed only to look at the camera and say, "I voted to give George Bush permission to invade Iraq. I regret my vote." Penn works for her, not the other way around.
Despite what Walsh writes, Kerry, Edwards and other men (and women) did apologize for their votes and/or support for the war.