Obama Was Hit Last Night For Voting Present 130 Times As A Senator In Illinois. Are There Any .....

[global1]

numbers available for Hillary's, John's and Barack's voting record in the U.S. Senate. How many times did they duck the vote while a Senator.

I realize that Hillary has been in the Senate the longest - but it would still be interesting to see what each candidates voting record is in the Senate.

I gotta think that each candidate has not voted Yea or Nay in every vote in the U.S.Senate and though they couldn't vote 'present' - they could have avoided the vote altogether.

[rateyes]

None of them showed up to vote on the Mukasey nomination...

and, had they come and filibustered, they could have stopped him in his tracks.

[sjdnb]

1. See Project Vote Smart

http://www.vote-smart.org/

Voting records and much more.

And, then there is the Congressional Record

http://www.senate.gov/pagelayout/legislative/d_three_sections_with_teasers/congrecord.htm

[sunonmars]

2. All i know is that

Since she started Hillary has missed 6% of her votes and Obama has missed 16%.

I think i know which ones worse.

Mr Senator "never there in the senate" from Illinois

[Windy]

6. You know, I responded to you earlier. PLEASE get your facts straight!

Voting present is a strategic move in Illinois. PLANNED PARENTHOOD SALUTED OBAMA FOR HIS PRESENT VOTES ON ABORTION ISSUES...

Please for the love of god, get educated before you open your "mouth".

A lack of facts and education got us into the position we have been in for the last 8 years.

For the sake of my country, our country, and our children and grandchildren, start paying FULL attention and quit listening to soundbites!!!!

[sunonmars]

9. and if you were smart, you'll know i'm talking about the US Senate

[JackORoses]

22. what a load of fuzzy math

You are average Hillary's over 7 years and Obama's over 3. Of course his percentage appears to be higher.
Of course she missed less votes during her first term, she wasn't running for President.

Why don't you do a real comparison of both over the last 3 years?
At least then your numbers will be credible.

[sunonmars]

24. haha, you obviously failed maths

Obama's hardly been there

[Kittycat]

3. There's a difference between not showing up to vote and voting present.

[ccpup]

4. here you go:

Sen. Barack Obama has missed the most votes of any Democratic presidential hopeful in the Senate over the last two months, including a vote on an Iran resolution he has blasted Sen. Hillary Clinton for supporting.

The Illinois Democrat has missed nearly 80 percent of all votes since September.

The other Democrats in the Senate running for president have missed a high percentage of votes as well.

Sen. Joe Biden of Delaware has missed 68 percent of the votes during the same period, Sen. Christopher Dodd of Connecticut 65 percent and Clinton of New York 63 percent.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/11/02/obama.missed.votes/index.html

[BlackVelvet04]

18. SNAP!!!!!!!!! n/t

[emilyg]

19. Not good.

[itsrobert]

5. He was called to the carpet because of his hypocrisy of calling Edwards and Hillary out

for their votes they took a stand on, while he chose to coward with the "Present" vote.

[Windy]

7. THe Iraq are and Kyl/Lieberman. Says alot about "stands". And the bankruptcy bill...

talk about hypocrisy!!!

[jackson_dem]

10. Yeah, voting against a 30 percent cap on credit card rates. Now there is no limit. Who did that?

Who voted for Cheney's energy bill which was chock full of tax breaks for big corporations, the same tax breaks Obama now decries? Who voted in favor of corporations and against the right for average folk to sue corporations? Who voted against raising the minimum wage?
Who ran against the Patriot Act but then voted for it after winning? Who ran against funding the war and then voted consistently to fund the war after winning--until he began running for the White House? These are just some of Barack's greatest flyspecked hits.
Fact Sheet: Sen. Obama's 129 Present Votes

1/15/2008 3:39:13 PM

Today, Sen. Obama’s campaign held a conference call to defend his record of voting present on choice issues. But the Obama campaign failed to address the fact that Sen. Obama voted present 129 times on a wide array of issues, including choice, privacy for victims of sexual assault, and school violence. In fact, the Obama campaign claimed that Sen. Obama’s present votes were part of a legislative strategy but failed to mention that Sen. Obama was the lone present vote on a number of key issues.

Sen. Obama’s Present Votes By The Numbers

Sen. Obama voted 'present' 129 times while in the State Senate.

In 1999, Sen. Obama voted 'present' more often than he voted 'no': According to state records, Obama voted 'present' 43 times in 1999, while voting 'no' just 29 times.

At least 36 times, Sen. Obama was either the only State Senator to vote present or was part of a group of six or fewer to vote that way.

Other Present Votes of Interest:

Sen. Obama was the only State Senator to vote 'present' on a bill that sought to protect the privacy of sex-abuse victims, and the only state senator to not support the bill.

Sen. Obama was the only State Senator to vote 'present' on an adoption bill that imposed stricter requirements for parental fitness, and the only State Senator to not support the bill.

Sen. Obama voted 'present' on a bill that would increase penalties for the use of a firearm within 1,000 feet of a school. The bill called for the mandatory adult persecution of a minor at least 15 years of age being tried for using a firearm within 1,000 feet of a school.

Sen. Obama voted 'present' on a bill to prohibit the presence of adult sex shops near schools, places of worship, and day care facilities; bill allows local governments to regulate the presence of adult sex shops.

Illinois Now on Obama's Present Votes On Choice:

During Sen. Obama’s 2004 Senate campaign, the Illinois NOW PAC did not recommend the endorsement of Obama for U.S. Senate because he refused to stand up for a woman’s right to choose and repeatedly voted ‘present’ on important legislation.

As a State Senator, Barack Obama voted ‘present’ on seven abortion bills, including a ban on 'partial birth abortion,' two parental notification laws and three 'born alive' bills. In each case, the right vote was clear, but Sen. Obama chose political cover over standing and fighting for his convictions.

“When we needed someone to take a stand, Sen. Obama took a pass,” said Grabenhofer. “He wasn’t there for us then and we don’t expect him to be now.”


http://facts.hillaryhub.com/archive/?id=5191

[stillcool]

21. I believe that is in reference to...

his time as an Illinois State Senator

It’s Not Just ‘Ayes’ and ‘Nays’: Obama’s Votes in Illinois Echo
Published: December 20, 200

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/20/us/politics/20obama.html?ei=5088&en=8385d348acbab84e&ex=1355806800&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss&pagewanted=all


Mr. Obama’s aides and some allies dispute the characterization that a present vote is tantamount to ducking an issue. They said Mr. Obama cast 4,000 votes in the Illinois Senate and used the present vote to protest bills that he believed had been drafted unconstitutionally or as part of a broader legislative strategy.

“No politically motivated attacks in the 11th hour of a closely contested campaign can erase a record of leadership and courage,” said Bill Burton, Mr. Obama’s spokesman.

An examination of Illinois records shows at least 36 times when Mr. Obama was either the only state senator to vote present or was part of a group of six or fewer to vote that way.

In more than 50 votes, he seemed to be acting in concert with other Democrats as part of a strategy.

For a juvenile-justice bill, lobbyists and fellow lawmakers say, a political calculus could have been behind Mr. Obama’s present vote. On other measures like the anti-abortion bills, which Republicans proposed, Mr. Obama voted present to help more vulnerable Democrats under pressure to cast “no” votes.

In other cases, Mr. Obama’s present votes stood out among widespread support as he tried to use them to register legal and other objections to parts of the bills.

In Illinois, political experts say voting present is a relatively common way for lawmakers to express disapproval of a measure. It can at times help avoid running the risks of voting no, they add.

“If you are worried about your next election, the present vote gives you political cover,” said Kent D. Redfield, a professor of political studies at the University of Illinois at Springfield. “This is an option that does not exist in every state and reflects Illinois political culture.”

The vote on the juvenile-justice bill appears to be a case when Mr. Obama, who represented a racially mixed district on the South Side of Chicago, faced pressure. It also occurred about six months before he announced an ultimately unsuccessful campaign against a popular black congressman, Bobby L. Rush.

State Senator Christine Radogno, a Republican, was a co-sponsor of the bill to let children as young as 15 be prosecuted as adults if charged with committing a crime with a firearm on or near school grounds.

The measure passed both houses overwhelmingly. In explaining his present vote on the floor of the Senate, Mr. Obama said there was no proof that increasing penalties for young offenders reduced crime, though he acknowledged that the bill had fairly unanimous support.

“Voting present was a way to satisfy those two competing interests,” Ms. Radogno said in a telephone interview

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/20/us/politics/20obama.html?ei=5088&en=8385d348acbab84e&ex=1355806800&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss&pagewanted=all

[Adelante]

8. Clinton-Edwards-Obama: Senate voting frequency comparison

Clinton is in the Senate the longest, so I list her first. She also has the best record on missed votes. Her rating on voting attendance is "Average"; Edwards' rating on voting attendance is "Extremely Poor"; Obama's is "Very Poor." Edwards and Obama have similar records on missed votes. In three years, Obama sponsored 48 more bills than Edwards did in six years. In three years, one bill sponsored by Obama was successfully enacted; while two bills sponsored by Clinton in seven years were successfully enacted; and zero bills sponsored by Edwards in six years were successfully enacted. In terms of results, meaning enacted legislation, given the different time spans, Clinton and Obama performed similarly.

Clinton 7 years

Sponsored 350 bills; 2 enacted
Co-sponsored 1706 bills
Missed 6%; 143 votes of 2394
Average relative to peers

http://www.govtrack.us/congress/person.xpd?id=300022




Edwards 6 years

Sponsored 81 bills; 0 enacted
Co-sponsored 531 bills
Missed 15%; 311 votes of 2019
Extremely poor relative to peers

http://www.govtrack.us/congress/person.xpd?id=300039





Obama 3 years

Sponsored 129 bills; 1 enacted
Co-sponsored 529 bills
Missed 16%; 177 votes of 1086
Very poor relative to peers

http://www.govtrack.us/congress/person.xpd?id=400629

[sunonmars]

12. So he really has missed 1/7 of votes since he arrived

Of course, he immediately started running for President to actually work for the people of Illinois.

Pathetic attendance really.

[LisaM]

14. I don't think it's fair to ding Edwards on not sponsoring bills

When the Senate wasn't always Democratic when he was there. I believe that it's been Democratic the entire time Obama has been there. What's the point of sponsoring legislation that won't make it to the floor?

[sunonmars]

16. because you do, thats your job, its a record

whether it passes or not, you are putting it out there, embarrass the bastards, make them defeat a good bill. You get them on record.

[thunder rising]

11. This "Present" smear is for morons who will look no further than that headline.

Is relying the White House and the Republican author to "interpret" a bill the best way for our Senator (and now candidate) to decide to vote to go to war?

Barack Obama voted Present on bills he thoroughly understood and understood the reasons for the votes. There is political calculus at play. In many instances Obama voted Present to provide cover for embattled democrats to vote no. Voting Present is tantamount to voting no since only Yea votes count positively towards passage.

[jackson_dem]

13. So why not take a stand and vote no? He did it 129 times. You have explanations for all 129?

For a year Obama and his cronies attacked Edwards and Hillary for their records. Now his record is finally being questioned and Obambi and his supporters can't handle it. Maybe Obama shouldn't have been a hypocrite for a year?

[sunonmars]

15. Like Edwards says, its yes or no, get on record

This present thing is bullshit, its a ploy to get out of being on record.

Do we really want a president, who we have no idea is going to vote one way or another, let alone watch your back.

[madmunchie]

23. .0377% on voting present. Considering there are over 4,000 votes

130+ is a very very small percentage that can be explained with more than a 30 second soundbite explanation. Can your attention span take it?

[thunder rising]

17. LIke I said ... for morons that will ... thanks for your spin bye now

[jackson_dem]

20. Post 7 plays the Obambi game against Ed/Hill. Why can't it be done to Obambi too?

[sunonmars]

25. Obama's big mistake

http://worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=59828

Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., may have finally blown his chance at the Democratic nomination during Monday night's debate in South Carolina. For the first time, Obama got testy on national television – and he didn't look good doing it.........................

What Obama cannot afford – and what he did in South Carolina – is to look angry or mean. By attacking Hillary Clinton, Obama looked angry and mean. He seemed petulant in New Hampshire when he sneered that Hillary was "likable enough." He seemed unpleasant in South Carolina when he blasted Hillary's legal career. And he seemed downright nasty when he blasted Bill's involvement in her campaign.

Hillary Clinton can afford to look mean on occasion – the American public is used to it. And Hillary is keeping that meanness to a minimum by deploying Bill as her campaign attack dog.

Obama, by contrast, cannot afford to look mean. The moment the smile comes off his face, Obama becomes just another negative candidate, overshadowed by Clinton star power and political prowess.

"We're just getting warmed up," Hillary chuckled as Obama's ire began to rise. Hillary may be getting warmed up, but as Obama's temper heats up, his campaign cools down.