Obama speaks on the 'present' votes

[peoli]

Obama campaign defends his abortion-rights record
By Mike Dorning

Apparently sharing the conclusion of several analysts that Barack Obama was wounded in New Hampshire in part by direct-mail literature questioning his commitment to abortion rights, the Illinois senator’s presidential campaign launched a new effort shore up his abortion-rights bona fides with a conference call a few minutes ago.

The literature against Obama has focused on a series of “present” votes Obama cast as a state legislator on controversial measures to restrict abortion rights. A present vote allows a legislator to avoid a public stand for or against a measure. The Clinton campaign and two pro-abortion rights groups supportive of her candidacy—EMILY’s List and National Organization for Women—have used those votes to question Obama’s commitment to abortion rights.

The Obama campaign has argued his present votes were part of a legislative strategy devised by the Illinois chapter of Planned Parenthood to counter a Republican leadership strategy to force pro-abortion rights Democrats into politically damaging “no” votes against popular abortion restrictions. The legislators wound then be attacked at election time for voting no legislation with names such as “The Born Alive Infant Protection Act.” The present votes would provide political cover and still have the same effect as a no vote.

The Tribune last year found few lawmakers remembered such a strategy and many of those who joined with Obama to vote present were, like him, in politically safe districts. But leaders of Illinois Planned Parenthood have maintained since the controversy erupted that they did in fact devise the present-vote strategy and asked Obama to participate.

Pam Sutherland, president and CEO of the Illinois Planned Parenthood Council, vouched again in the conference call that Obama’s present votes were made a the request of Illinois abortion-rights advocates.

“It was our strategy from Planned Parenthood,” Sutherland said.

“Sen. Obama was key to that present-vote strategy,” She continued. “He was always gong to be no votes on all of these bills. But we specifically asked him to vote present because he was so respected among his fellow Democrats that, if he did the present vote, they would follow suit. And that ended up being the case. They did follow suit. And not only did many of the Democrats follow suit. So did a couple of Republicans follow suit."

“It actually worked, because the then-Senate President was no longer able to use these votes against candidates in their races,” Sutherland added.

Jan Nicolay, co-chair of the South Dakota Campaign for Healthy Families, also vouched for Obama’s pro-abortion-rights commitment, saying he was the only one of the presidential candidates to send money to aide with a ballot initiative to overturn a nearly complete ban on abortion that the South Dakota legislature passed.

Shortly after the Obama campaign conference call ended, the Clinton camp held its own conference, in which a former leader of the Illinois chapter of the National Organization for Women argued that Obama and other lawmakers should have voted a firm “no” on the abortion restrictions.

“NOW and other pro-choice groups did want a vote on those bills. And it was important….Let’s talk about women and standing up for women, not about strategies to protect other people,” said Gaye Bruhn, who was identified as president of NOW at the time of the voters.

Bruhn acknowledged that there was a difference at the time between the local chapters of Planned Parenthood and NOW over how best to respond to the state legislation.

“We did differ in that strategy,” Bruhn said.

Referring to Planned Parenthood’s Sutherland, Bruhn added, “We talked about it. We still like each other. We still do good work together. But in that case, she (Sutherland) knew that we were opposed to that (Planned Parenthood) strategy and that we in fact lobbied against it.”

Clinton senior adviser Ann Lewis said the votes showed a difference in the depth of the two candidates’ support for abortion rights.

“There is a real difference between his present vote and Hillary standing up and taking the lead time and again in the Senate,” Lewis said.


Posted by Mike Dorning on January 14, 2008 4:20 PM | Permalink

http://weblogs.chicagotribune.com/news/politics/blog/2008/01/obama_campaign_mounts_defense.html

[rodeodance]

1. “There is a real difference between his present vote and Hillary standing up and taking the lead tim

[Connie_Corleone]

4. This is ridiculous.

You search through the article to find that one comment and completely ignore the rest of the article where the ceo of the Illinois chapter of Planned Parenthood asked Obama to do the "present" strategy.

Both candidates are pro-choice and Obama has a 100% rating from NARAL.

I thought you were one of the few people on this board who was above this kind of cherry picking nonsense. I guess not.

On edit: How's this for cherry picking?

"Jan Nicolay, co-chair of the South Dakota Campaign for Healthy Families, also vouched for Obama’s pro-abortion-rights commitment, saying he was the only one of the presidential candidates to send money to aide with a ballot initiative to overturn a nearly complete ban on abortion that the South Dakota legislature passed."

[Barack_America]

9. What? Why does Hillary SUPPORT bans on abortion?

That's what that quote suggests, right?

No it doesn't. I'm just trying to give the "cherry picking" Clinton supporters a stronger taste of their own medicine. They don't just pick these gems, they team up and run with them. :eyes:

("cherry picking", great expression by the way)

Wow. That article just told me a lot about how filthy politics really are. If I had an subconcious interest in ever running for office, it just died.

[William769]

11. Sen. Obama voted 'present' 129 times while in the State Senate

In 1999, Sen. Obama voted 'present' more often than he voted 'no'.

At least 36 times, Sen. Obama was either the only State Senator to vote present or was part of a group of six or fewer to vote that way.

Sen. Obama was the only State Senator to vote 'present' on a bill that sought to protect the privacy of sex-abuse victims, and the only state senator to not support the bill.

Sen. Obama was the only State Senator to vote 'present' on an adoption bill that imposed stricter requirements for parental fitness, and the only State Senator to not support the bill.

Sen. Obama voted 'present' on a bill that would increase penalties for the use of a firearm within 1,000 feet of a school.

Sen. Obama voted 'present' on a bill to prohibit the presence of adult sex shops near schools, places of worship, and day care facilities; bill allows local governments to regulate the presence of adult sex shops.

Now did I cherry pick?

[sunonmars]

2. He just showed the duplicity

So what does he stand for, did he not take a stand. If his concious said vote yes or did his concious want to vote No.

Voting "present" means I am sitting on the fence on this one so as i cant be held accountable. I mean wtf????

Sorry Barack it doesnt fly, you either vote yes or no and get on record on it. This is exactly why i don't trust Obama, he will not give anything away as to his actual true feelings on things, its always ery very shady, dodging the question. He's getting a label of sitting on the fence to see which way the wind blows, i dont want that in a President, i want someone to take a decision.

[Renew Deal]

3. You can't get anything done if you can't get elected.

So if it means that there's more Democrats in the Illinois State House, that's better for everyone (except the republicans).

[ellacott]

6. It was part of a strategy by Planned Parenthood

He wasn't the only person to vote present, because of this strategy.

He has a favorable rating regarding women's rights. NOW can say, today, that they disagreed with this strategy but that doesn't matter. They all, Clinton and NOW knew this was part of a strategy.

[Bodhi BloodWave]

8. Wrong, voting present in Illinois basicly equals a no vote

To pass the yes need a majority, if its 49 yes 48 no and 1 present i don't think it will pass if i understood their rules correctly(the present vote is more a way to say, i do not fully agree with this bill and with some changes i might support it but not as it is)

The numbers was taken out of empty air but it was just to show what i meant

[MethuenProgressive]

5. "real difference between his present vote and Hillary standing up and taking the lead "

Thanks for the link.

[GalleryGod]

7. Cheyney & Scoooter would be proud: Very good " Cherry-Pickin' "

Hey,man that's cherry picking
Toby

[Barack_America]

10. Another reason to like Obama...

He trusts us to understand how politics really work in this country. How downright filthy they really are. He has enough respect for our intelligence that he believes we deserve to know the truth.

You have to admit, a lot of other politicians would just use manipulative spin tactics to divert our attention, instead of saying, "hey, this is the kind of crap that actually happens in legislatures around this country".

[Barack_America]

12. kick! n/t