Archangel
2008-01-17 02:20:51 UTC
Obama's 'Present' Is Mrs. Clinton's Gift
Newsweek reports on a dispute between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton over
the former's record as a state legislator:
The trouble is that in politics, "the facts" alone don't always make
things clearer. Take Obama's abortion votes. It is true he voted present
several times between 1997 and 2001. But it was part of a strategy designed
by Planned Parenthood. Republicans in the Illinois Senate had repeatedly
tried to pass bills restricting abortion. This put Democrats in a difficult
position. They wanted to vote against the bills, but worried they would be
smeared by Republican opponents for opposing legislation with names like
"The Born Alive Infant Protection Act." So Obama and a group of Democrats
and moderate Republicans cut a deal with Planned Parenthood. The
politicians would vote present as a bloc. The bills wouldn't get enough
votes, and the pols would have political cover. Everybody would win.
Pam Sutherland, president of Illinois Planned Parenthood, tells
Newsweek that the ploy was her idea: "Senator Obama was always a no vote in
committee, but we had other Democrats, and a couple of Republicans, who
were tired of having mailers sent out against them." Sutherland says Obama
could have voted no without suffering any negative fallout, since he came
from a very liberal Chicago district. But, she says, his participation in
the deal helped give cover to his colleagues.
The abortion maneuver is emblematic of a style of politics that shows
up throughout Obama's career, both in Illinois and in Washington. Though in
speeches he sounds like an idealistic revolutionary out to take back the
capital, Obama's record suggests he is actually more of an incrementalist.
That's one way of describing it. A less charitable one is that Obama's vote
reflected not his own convictions but his desire to give cover to dishonest
colleagues.
In any case, this illustrates why Americans seldom elect sitting lawmakers
to the presidency (it's happened only three times: in 1880, 1920 and 1960).
It's easier to campaign when you don't have a voting record to explain.
Archangel
Newsweek reports on a dispute between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton over
the former's record as a state legislator:
The trouble is that in politics, "the facts" alone don't always make
things clearer. Take Obama's abortion votes. It is true he voted present
several times between 1997 and 2001. But it was part of a strategy designed
by Planned Parenthood. Republicans in the Illinois Senate had repeatedly
tried to pass bills restricting abortion. This put Democrats in a difficult
position. They wanted to vote against the bills, but worried they would be
smeared by Republican opponents for opposing legislation with names like
"The Born Alive Infant Protection Act." So Obama and a group of Democrats
and moderate Republicans cut a deal with Planned Parenthood. The
politicians would vote present as a bloc. The bills wouldn't get enough
votes, and the pols would have political cover. Everybody would win.
Pam Sutherland, president of Illinois Planned Parenthood, tells
Newsweek that the ploy was her idea: "Senator Obama was always a no vote in
committee, but we had other Democrats, and a couple of Republicans, who
were tired of having mailers sent out against them." Sutherland says Obama
could have voted no without suffering any negative fallout, since he came
from a very liberal Chicago district. But, she says, his participation in
the deal helped give cover to his colleagues.
The abortion maneuver is emblematic of a style of politics that shows
up throughout Obama's career, both in Illinois and in Washington. Though in
speeches he sounds like an idealistic revolutionary out to take back the
capital, Obama's record suggests he is actually more of an incrementalist.
That's one way of describing it. A less charitable one is that Obama's vote
reflected not his own convictions but his desire to give cover to dishonest
colleagues.
In any case, this illustrates why Americans seldom elect sitting lawmakers
to the presidency (it's happened only three times: in 1880, 1920 and 1960).
It's easier to campaign when you don't have a voting record to explain.
Archangel