Posted on 09/06/2008 7:38:27 AM PDT by flowerplough
There's a little-known parliamentary vote politicians can use to avoid voting for or against a measure. It's called voting "present," and it is equivalent to what local governments often call "abstaining" from a vote. While he was in the Illinois State Senate, Democratic presidential-candidate Barack Obama voted "present" 130 times, according to a 2007 article in The New York Times.
Why would a politician vote "present"? It depends.
According to the article, Obama voted "present" on several pieces of legislation that he felt had provisions he could neither support nor reject. He also voted "present" on legislation he believed was formed unconstitutionally. So rather than voting completely in favor of a measure--or voting to reject it--he instead chose to vote "present," so as not to affect the outcome of the final vote.
( ... )
His opponents say the "present" votes demonstrate a reluctance to make tough decisions--a trait he'll need if he's elected president.
(Excerpt) Read more at diversityinc.com ...
"Obama's allies say the senator used the "present" votes in the Illinois State Senate not to duck issues, but instead to protest bills he believed were poorly formed. In fact, in the article, his aides explain that since he cast votes on more than 4,000 measures, the 130 "present" votes represent a small percentage./
"Yet the article also reveals that on 36 occasions, Obama was the only member of the state senate to vote "present."
Stuff from the article.
I don’t want somebody who can’t make up his mind on a bill and votes present to be the one answering that phone at 3:00AM.
I want someone who has a very quick wit about them. Our lives and our families lives depend on that.
Rudy was all over this during his speech. I loved when he talked about the fact that, as mayor, a vote of present was not an option. He was thoroughly enjoying himself, almost laughing out loud at the thought!
In all positions of oversight, it’s a given that one is “present”. What is sought for/expected is leadership and the ability to make decisions. Zero’s record includes a rather extensive list of times he was unable to do this, yet they think he can lead.
Rudy was right to suggest that Zero’s record is, indeed, laughable.
Wow. Even I could be a journalist! All I have to do is write articles about other peoples’ articles.
From http://www.enterprisemission.com/Chandra-NASA-Accusation.htm
What made all this really special was the fact that the same source also said (and in this same phone call ...) that both presidential campaigns — McCain’s and Obama’s — had just had similar briefings (part of the normal “national security” procedures for every about-to-be-elected president). And that McCain (because of his 26 years of Senate Armed Services and Intelligence Committtee experience ...) already knew most of what the briefing told him. The problem (so I was, again, “informed” ...) was with Obama:
He didn’t know whether to believe the briefing!
Obama’s major concern (according to this phone call) — given the mind-blowing, “history-changing” nature of the information (for most Americans ...) — was that he was being “gamed” by the Bush White House ... in a (literal) “mind-blowing attempt to set him up” ... for some kind of “credibility problem” in the campaign later on!
Sounds like a typical politician.
In other words, Obama did nothing to distinguish himself from the other run-of-the-mill hacks in the IL legislature. THAT'S leadership we're looking for... < /s>
You can’t expect this brilliant man with the new kind of intelligence (as per Mario Cuomo) to decide whether to vote yes or no.
I have Obamas 110th Congress voting record and there are a lot of not votings. It appeasr he voted with the failed Harry Reid 98% of the time, but I need to dissect it some more. If anyone wants an Excel or PDF copy email me at nomsnbc@gmail.com
Funny thing is, this WAS brought up during the primaries and went nowhere. Either Hillary’s campaign was really clueless or, from a media perspective, the fix was in.
Unfortunately it’s hard to bury a story when it’s mentioned in one of the most watched political speeches in US history.
So rather than making a decision that could provide an actual record of his actions, he has established a firm record of indecisiveness.
Achabamanutjob in Iran is going to be able to “game” Nobama easy as can be.
You’d think even Democrats would understand when their candidate believes he’s being ‘gamed’ it’s a pretty fair indicator of how his mind works.
I’ll bet if he marketed “Change - The Game” Democrats would line up round the block to buy it.
They might buy it but they’ll never get it.
I’ve been trying to find out how common voting “Present” is in the Illinois legislature. It’s widely reported that Obama voted “Present” 130 times. But there were lots of votes, and it amounted to one “Present” vote for every 30 or so votes cast. You can also find out that he was alone or nearly alone in voting present on some bills that were otherwise passed unanimously. But I’d like to know how he stacks up against his Illinois legislative peers in regard to the “Present” vote. Is one out of 30 high, low average, or outa-sight?
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