Obama an effective mediator in Illinois Senate

[Leo 9]

Obama an effective mediator in Illinois Senate

By Steven Thomma | McClatchy Newspapers
Posted on Thursday, March 27, 2008


SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Facing the challenge of overhauling the death-penalty law in a state rocked by revelations of botched prosecutions, Illinois state Sen. John Cullerton made a tactical political decision.

The chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee decided to separate one controversial proposal from the broader package, one that would require videotaping interrogations in murder cases. Police and prosecutors opposed it so much that keeping it in the broader package threatened to sink the whole effort.

The state senator who later took on the task of pushing the proposal to videotape interrogations was Barack Obama.

Obama worked with Democrats, Republicans and especially with police and prosecutors to fashion a bill that all of them could support. By the time it reached the Senate floor, everyone was on board. It passed in a unanimous vote, and is now Illinois law.

How Obama did it reveals a lot about his political style, which is at the core of his appeal. It defines an approach to political problem solving that he vows can change how Washington does business.

snip

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/227/story/31759.html

[Araxen]

1. Another fine example of why Obama should be POTUS

[Leo 9]

2. I used it to promote that idea in this other thread.

You may remember The McClurkin Affair.

I remembered something said about it which I found here.

The McClurkin Affair

The criticism surrounding this incident has been some of the most frustrating and quite frankly most ridiculous I have ever seen and shows both political ineptitude and also just poor empathy across the entire Netroots. Before we can attack a man, we need to walk a mile in his shoes. The story is here http://findarticles.com/... The basic outline is the Donnie McClurkin was raped twice when he was very young, survived Leukemia and went on to be a gospel singer. Mr. McClurkin believes that his Homosexuality was an infliction on him and that he was saved from this infliction. While as progressives we may find this troubling, because it argues against the belief that is scientifically held that Homosexuality is not a choice, For Mr. McClurkin, he believed it to be a choice and for him a wrong and evil choice. This makes him fundamentally different from a James Dobson, or Pat Robertson. He is mostly responding to his own personal story in ways we may not like. However his History and Music have been inspirational to many people and also have been recognized with a Grammy Award for Gospel Music. He is a draw in the African American Community because of his Music. That Senator Obama’s association with such a person whose beliefs about sexuality maybe be misguided, but are obviously deeply personal would cause him to be the subject of such scorn given his overwhelming positive record on GLBT issues, is just frankly sad. Do I agree with Donnie McClurkin, of course not and neither does Senator Obama but the fact that was so obscured by the netroots is the fact that Donnie McClurkin support for Barack Obama means that he is willing to support a candidate who disagrees with him on Homosexuality. In some ways he proved himself more tolerate than us. Donnie McClurkin and Gene Robinson can support the same candidate that is uplifting. The work of uniting this country is difficult and Senator Obama is doing that. Why is the netroots not praising the fact that 2000 South Caroline’s went to a Gospel Concert for a Democratic Presidential Candidate that kind of new outreach of talking to people where they are, not where we would like them to be is to me inspiring.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2007/10/30/132434/36/472/404304


"talking to people where they are, not where we would like them to be"

I remembered this phrase and thought about other controversial figures (particularly controversial religious figures) Obama has talked to where they were, not where we would like them to be.

IMHO it's not only Barack's talking to people where they are, not where we would like them to be that is so inspiring, it's his proven ability to bring them along.

Here's something from today.


Obama an effective mediator in Illinois Senate

By Steven Thomma | McClatchy Newspapers
Posted on Thursday, March 27, 2008

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Facing the challenge of overhauling the death-penalty law in a state rocked by revelations of botched prosecutions, Illinois state Sen. John Cullerton made a tactical political decision.

The chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee decided to separate one controversial proposal from the broader package, one that would require videotaping interrogations in murder cases. Police and prosecutors opposed it so much that keeping it in the broader package threatened to sink the whole effort.

The state senator who later took on the task of pushing the proposal to videotape interrogations was Barack Obama.

Obama worked with Democrats, Republicans and especially with police and prosecutors to fashion a bill that all of them could support. By the time it reached the Senate floor, everyone was on board. It passed in a unanimous vote, and is now Illinois law.

How Obama did it reveals a lot about his political style, which is at the core of his appeal. It defines an approach to political problem solving that he vows can change how Washington does business.

snip

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/227/story/31759.html


Not only has Senator Obama shown great ability in talking to people wherever they are, he has also shown great ability at bringing them along.

I think if we thought about The Rev. Wright Affair in these terms, it might make it easier to understand.


Kindly K&R if you agree.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x528