Political Punch

What a stupid, stupid political smear. We're actually debating the process of Democracy itself? The "present" vote has existed since Democracy was first developed in ancient Athens. Atticus (as wise and fair as the Harper Lee character bearing his name) was an influential, famous Athenian senator who ALWAYS used it, peculiarly enough- yet he was widely respected throughout the land. The present vote is a basic, important part of democracy.

To insinuate that Obama is anti-abortion would be utterly ridiculous. I cannot believe Clinton would resort to this kind of smear, right out of Alan Keyes's playbook! (which backfired, showed Barack's fairness, and actually persuaded many Illinoisans to vote Obama, by a devastating majority)

But after the Kindergate madness, I'm not surprised. Hopefully nobody's so idiotic that this would change their vote.

Update...actually there isn't one. There is something amiss here. The issue of Sen. Obama schematically voting "present" seems to have died prematurely. Has the media actually turned on Sen. Clinton and refuses to give the issue any additional air time? Has Sen. Clinton actually backed off? I would have expected her to have already aired a poltical ad highlighting Sen Obama's "present" votes. Why hasn't Sen. Clinton gone for the jugular on this? Everything Sen. Clinton does or doesn't do, says or doesn't say, is profoundly premediated. So could it be that this was a just test balloon for something even bigger to come later? Interesting!

Yeah, I feel Sen. Obama should have voted yes/no on Iran vote. That would have demonstrated some amount leadership quality in him. Co-sponsoring a bill on the issue a day later does reflect some degree of triangulation on his part. Too bad, the man talks big but does not deliver the goods!

Interesting. While I am rightfully suspicious of anything the Clinton camp puts out, it seems that this issue is a real one. It would be too easy to quip about the nerve of Clinton to criticize Obama for being evasive on tough issues. But, I think Obama's explanation for voting 'present' so many times, years ago, falls short. So far, on this one, he's not 'present'.

To MK,

Obama did not co-sponsor any bill to stop the President to use military action Iran without congressional approval; Hillary Clinton co-sponsored a bill with JIM WEBB. I've seen different version of the bill like Hillary co-sponsored with Jim Webb, Obama's name was not in any of them.

I HOPE OBAMA AT LEAST WILL SHOW UP AND VOTE FOR HIMSELF IN THE ELECTION, I THANK HE MIGHT NEED THAT VOTE, BUT ON OTHER HAND HE COULD VOTE PRESENT,WHO KNOWS? HE MIGHT NOT EVEN SHOW UP.

Obama should claim to have cheated on his wife, this would probably propel him into the lead in national democratic polls. On second thought, that wouldnt work, Hillary would say " I was in the White House when my husband Bill was feeling Monica out with a cigar in the oval office!" and that would put her back in the top spot for experience.

I think abortion is definitely a right that women should be able to have. It's their baby and their life and it's not up to some random politicians to decide what the mother's baby's fate is. They don't know whatever past the mother has or whatever is behind the reason of abortion. Who knows if she got raped and wishes not to live with the dread of the horrific memory. Who knows if she will die, perhaps, giving birth because of some other problems in the way. Who knows if she is too young or too poor to take such a big responsibility. The baby isn't even born yet--can't move, can't breathe, can't think, isn't even alive yet!
At the beginning of this election, I was pro-Obama, but now I'm taking a second stand. I'm pushin' towards Clinton, now. She can understand for those women out there and she actually has the power to stand up for them and make that difference.

It seems that all explanations of Obama's vote come from a strategy Planned Parenthood developed. There is no mention of other women's groups like Illinois NOW, for example. Hmmmm. Maybe the IL NOW folks saw something others didn't see after two terms of present votes. Perhaps they were tired of promises made and not kept.

OBama is a FAKE. He stands up and gives us these pretty Dr. Feelgood speeches but when it comes to taking a stand and doing what he is paid to do he votes PRESENT or NOT AT ALL. There's a stench coming from Obama and it's only gonna get stronger.

Hillary has no room to talk. When the Iraq war was funded, Hillary and Obama stood at the back of the Senate line. They wanted to ensure the war WAS funded before voting to not fund it (just in case they need to vote "yes" to fund the war). Now that is leadership!

He always misses the important votes, then stands up and says he didn't vote for it only because he's a no show. He seems like a fence rider to me and I don't know why any one who vote him for President especially at such a critical time. He has the worst voting attendance record out of all of the canidates. When asked about his record , his says he doesn't keep paper work, if any chooses to believe that that.

Senator Obama is a politician! Just like any other politician he triangulates, is ambitious, is calculating, etc. What I find annoying, however, is his sanctimony. He and his supporters like to portay him as a saint who doesn't even think about politics. This, of course, is not true!

Fascinating that all these respondents are happy to pile into Obama on this, but don't ask why the NOW PAC were happy to endorse Obama until his Senate run. What were the results of these votes? Did any Illinois woman not get an abortion because of Obama's votes? Is it therefore right of the NOW PAC to comment that 'When we needed someone to take a stand...'? Does abortion have to be such a critical issue? I personally not so sure it has to be, even amongst female voters.

And doesn't this kind of go against the Clinton claim that Obama has had presidential aspirations for many years? The Clinton Campaign is going to be in trouble until it figures out exactly what it has against Obama. IS he too ambitious or too conservative?

When it comes to voting on anything controversial, Obama consistently is a "no show" ... it is beyond me why people support him. For what? And anyone breathing could have defeated Alan Keyes in Illinois for the Senate!

Obama missed the vote on the Iranian Resolution too...and has the audacity to criticize Clinton for her vote.

Give us a break Jack - after 8 years of Republican slime I don't think HIllary has to much to worry about.

So when it comes time to vote on the hard issues - Obama wimps out. And it's not just once but many times - just like on the Iran issue. This guy is a fake and more devious than Hillary. He talks a good game - but when it comes time to take a stand he votes "present". How very Presidential!!! NOT!!

WOW Obama really knows how to take a stand on issues doesn't he? Voted "present" huh? He might as well not even have bothered to show up. Just like he did with the "Iran vote" He slams Hillary but he himself didn't even bother to show up for this and these are his words "most important vote". This guy is a FRAUD - he says one thing and does nothing - at least put your money where your mouth is Obama and VOTE on the issues.

While I expect presidential aspirants to be calculating and strategic, I do not expect them to duck important issues. For those of you who think this is just some women's issue - you're wrong. This is about both one's privacy and freedom! If he is only going to vote "present" - what is the purpose of having him in office! Good job, Jake!

Well, now we know. If the only reason you vote for someone is because they are pro-choice, you are already voting for Hillary anyway. How does this hurt Obama? I suspect this won't have an impact.

To RPR,-- The Ever- "Present" Obama article stated well. Quoting Obama ""What's stopped us is the failure of leadership, the smallness of our politics - the ease with which we're distracted by the petty and trivial, our chronic avoidance of tough decisions," Obama said in his announcement speech. But a closer look at the presidential candidate's record in the Illinois Legislature reveals something seemingly contradictory: a number of occasions when Obama avoided making hard choices.-

Here is a rundown on more of Obama's "present" votes that extend beyond the abortion issue.

rmb, I expect my mayor, city councilman, state assemblyman, state senator, Congressman and U. S. Senator to vote "yes" or "no" on controversial issues. Any politician who frequently votes "present" on controversial issues for the sole purpose of shielding against any future criticism doesn't belong in public office.

Jake great reporting, it shows how calculated was Obama in that issue and how old his aspiration for the presidency have been. He has done the same in every single vote on Iraq quietly sneaking around at the last minute with Hillary, never explaining the why of his vote, voting present on other important and possible controversial issues, or a not show as he did on the Iran vote. Now thats a real character, right? or leadership? All that are calculated moves for easy cover. I don't trust Obama, something is telling me he has a lot of flops and lack the character to be President.

First: it's a lie that Obama has missed 80% of his votes in the Senate. He may have missed more votes since the campaign started, but so have the other candidates. Of course, Hillary is not going to come out and say how many votes SHE's missed, so why don't we find that number?

Second: not only did Senator Obama not vote for the Kyl-Lieberman Amendment (which I think if he wanted to vote "yes" on he would have been more likely to race back to Washington to do, than to race back to vote "no"), but a day later he proposed his own co-sponsored resolution to actually prevent the President from taking military action in Iran. That's real leadership.

Third: it's an absurdity of Clinton's campaign and it reflects poorly on organizations of which, as an Illinoisan I once had a high view, to be turncoats on the choice issue. I appreciate Jake bringing the facts to light. The choice community itself says this is what they asked Obama to do, and now some of them - for the supposed political advantage they think they're going to get in backing Clinton - are pretending like they didn't?

Talk about cheap politics. It's really hard to believe at this point that Clinton is not making maneuvers to pressure others of her gender - and groups that support women's initiatives - to vote for her on that basis "or else". It also will be hard for me to believe from now on that these organizations can't be taken advantage of easily, and the things they represent put on the backburner to gain cheap political advantage.

Excuse me, I was typing too fast. I meant to type 76 for and 22 against on the NON-BINDING IRAN amendment.

obviously he did, I mean look at his kindergarten and elementary school papers, he's been putting this together for decades.

Here's a quote from the link in the article. Read it and tell me his "present" vote doesn't make sense:

On the abortion bills, legislators who supported women's rights to the procedure were encouraged to vote "present" on bills that would have required parental notice before minors could obtain abortions and that would have barred what abortion foes call "partial-birth" abortions, a leading abortion-rights advocate said. The goal was to entice moderate Republicans and Democrats to also vote present, helping to defeat the bills.

"The poor guy is getting all this heat for a strategy we, the pro-choice community, did," said Pam Sutherland, president and CEO of the Illinois Planned Parenthood Council.

Sen. Obama's pattern of voting "present" on controversial votes is very problematic. This is a CHARACTER issue. This shows that he is even more calculating than Sen. Clinton. He was thinking of himself -- his future -- when he voted and NOT his constituents. This issue could be Sen. Obama's achilles heal. And his explanation ("...it was a strategy agreed to by abortion-rights advocates to insulate Democrats from political backlash in more conservative areas.") just proves how calculating he really is. I have to hand it to Sen. Clinton for coming up with this issue. This must have been the "goods" that she "had but wasn't going to use" mentioned in Robert Novak's column a few weeks ago.

Jake: That is excellent reporting and very interesting information. I'd like to know more about it and hope you will continue to report on it. I am surprised to learn that he apparently voted in such a calculating way on that issue.

Obama didn't even showed up for the vote in Iran so he would have cover and use the vote against Clinton. Obama has missed 80% of the votes in the US Senate.

Im no Obama fan but Hilary people have not audacity to ask for Obama's papers when Hilary's archives are locked up till today.

U cant live in a glass house and be throwing stones.

Very soon Hilary would try to ask Michel to denounce Obama for having snored during bedtime.

It doesn't surprise Obama calculated political moves back then and now. He did that not only on important votes casted on abortion issues; but recently withe the one in Iran. Voting "present" is the easy way out and it shows the lack of real courage as a leader.
They need to disclose the list of organizations, Illinois corporations that donated to his campaign in Illinois as well las the list of hundreds meeting he had with lobbyist. I don't buy Obama's excuse that his office never kept records of meetings in Illinois because he had no presidential aspiration back then. That's not true and he knows it.