Votes in Senate defy easy labels Barack Obama's critics often hammer the Democratic nominee for the U.S. Senate as being too far to the political left for most Illinois voters, using as evidence what they say is a very liberal voting record over the eight years he has represented the Hyde Park neighborhood in the Illinois Senate. A review of Obama's legislative record shows that the liberal label is not misplaced. He has fought for gun control, worked to expand government assistance to the poor, led efforts to reform the death penalty system, proposed universal health care and opposed legislation...