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7 Comments
- Troika37, on 07/04/2008, -4/+6NYT: "This is not the Obama we knew."
- Troika37, on 07/05/2008, -0/+2Obama worked on some bipartisan issues, such as a state version of the earned-income tax credit, after he was elected to the Illinois Senate in 1996. But he also gained a reputation for skipping tough votes. The most famous example was a key gun-control vote that he missed in December 1999 because he was vacationing in Hawaii. The Chicago Tribune blasted him and several other vote-skippers as "gutless." One Chicago pol says that "the myth developed that when there was a tough vote, he was gone."
Obama has been running for president almost since he arrived in the U.S. Senate in 2005, so his Senate colleagues say it's hard to evaluate his record. But what stands out in his brief Senate career is his liberal voting record, not a history of fighting across party lines to get legislation passed. He wasn't part of the 2005 "Gang of 14" bipartisan coalition that sought to break the logjam on judicial nominations, but neither were Clinton or other prominent Democrats. He did support the bipartisan effort to get an immigration bill last year, winning a plaudit from McCain. But he didn't work closely with the White House, as did Sen. Edward Kennedy.
Obama has had several opportunities to demonstrate a willingness to break with his base to bridge the partisan divide. He has refused. McCain has taken a beating from far-right Conservatives for his bi-partisan work on immigration and judicial nominations. Obama bears no such scars. Obama has only been in the Senate for three years, and he voted with his party 97 percent of the time. - Troika37, on 07/05/2008, -0/+2Show me one example of Obama reaching across the aisle to accomplish anything.
Also, if your holding back voicing your policy disagreements, doesn't that mean that perhaps you should consider other options? Saying you disagree with his policies but won't voice those disagreements until he's elected is a bit obtuse, wouldn't you agree?
And for the record - you'll not win this election. Obama may, but you will not. - inactive, on 07/06/2008, -0/+1Why Obama Is A Sure Loser
And A Prelude To The McCain-Lieberman Disaster
http://www.rumormillnews.com/cgi-bin/forum.cgi?nof ... - rtcfrtc, on 07/04/2008, -4/+5I am an independent voter in a blue state, so apparently my vote is unimportant. I never have been tempted to vote republican however, I am rapidly being convinced that I cannot support this center shift of Mr. Obama. At the least I will not volunteer for or financially support the candidacy and for the first time in my 40 years as a voter I contemplate not going to the polls at all. I'm extremely disheartened at this prospect and just as frustrated that my/our voice goes unheard and unheeded.
- voxlisa999, on 07/05/2008, -0/+1He reached across a lot in Illinois. Republican state Senators even did commercials for him. He personally spearheaded mandatory videotaping of confessions which the Repubs and police did not want. He reached across on mandatory health insurance for children, ethics reform and tons of other issues- go look it up. Same thing in the US Senate- although he has not had much time there.
I never said I was holding back voicing disagreements- you misunderstood or perhaps I was not clear. My point was rather than getting into policy arguments now- before he is even President- that if I have issues with policy, I will spend my energy on getting him elected and once he is elected I will spend my energy on policy. What's the point of arguing about policies now? He can't do anything or have much influence unless he is elected, right? No, I don't think it's obtuse at all. As I said, I never said I disagree with him at this point.
You really don't have any idea how I feel to be able to tell me that "I won't win this election"- seriously. What are you my therapist or something? - voxlisa999, on 07/05/2008, -2/+2Who cares what the NYT says? They are the ones who told you that a genuine war hero, Kerry, was a cowardly traitor in 2004. They sold the Iraq War to the American public. For the most part, they are corporate media shills. They endorsed Hillary.
Change doesn't happen overnight. He said it would be hard. He told us we would disagree with him sometimes. He warned us. He always said that the new politics is to stop demonizing the other side and lift the country up rather than tearing each other down. He always said that change meant we have to reach across the aisle and compromise for the greater good. We have the opportunity to begin a national political shake-up that will prosper and thrive if we don't screw it up. The second he is elected I will feel free to scream and yell about policies all I want. But I want to win this election, so for now, he has my full support.
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