At least in IL Obama voted present. He doesn't even bother to vote in the Senate.

[rinsd]

Old article but I imagine he has missed even more votes since then as campaigning has heated up.

"The Illinois Democrat has missed nearly 80 percent of all votes since September.

The other Democrats in the Senate running for president have missed a high percentage of votes as well.

Sen. Joe Biden of Delaware has missed 68 percent of the votes during the same period, Sen. Christopher Dodd of Connecticut 65 percent and Clinton of New York 63 percent.

Obama's campaign points out that Biden missed the most votes if the whole year is considered, followed by Dodd, then Obama.

Obama's campaign argues that looking at the last two months is arbitrary.

Obama missed a vote on a resolution that declared the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, an elite part of the Iranian military, a terrorist organization. He has criticized Clinton for voting for it, saying it would give President Bush a "blank check" to invade Iran.

Sen. Barack Obama has missed the most votes of any Democratic presidential hopeful in the Senate over the last two months, including a vote on an Iran resolution he has blasted Sen. Hillary Clinton for supporting."

http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/11/02/obama.missed.votes/index.html

Maybe we should deduct a year from his Senate experience :shrug:

[Tarc]

1. Dumb

This is the same, tired GOP rhetoric that we saw against Kerry in 2004. It doesn't hold water.

[EV_Ares]

9. Concur, Very dumb.

[NewYorkerfromMass]

2. Actually both he and Hillary have just voted

whatever way Chris Dodd came out an announced he was going to do long before a vote was even scheduled.
This happened on numerous issues the past year, because they both were afraid to stick their necks out, whiel the actual leading was left to Dodd.

[annie1]

3. Seems fine. his attendence record for voting has been the same as biden's and dodd's....

before septemeber, and those records are the same as others in the senate. HRC's has been better, but because her's is above average. She's just a meticulous person. i don't see anything wrong with his or dodds or bidens voting attendence.

[donheld]

4. Hillary you should be ashamed

but you have no shame.

[Bitwit1234]

5. The Obamites won't even bother to go to the Congressional Record

they piss and moan and say it ain't so...BUT IF THEY WENT THERE THEY WOULD SEE HE HAS MISSED AT LEAST 150 VOTES THIS YEAR UP THRU SEPTEMBER.

[Nailzberg]

7. I went there. You're incorrect.

From the beginning of the year through September Obama missed 90 votes, 60 less than the figure you state.

For the entire year to date, here is the breakdown of missed votes for Presidential candidates in the Senate.

McCain 55.5%
Biden 39.1%
Obama 37.5%
Dodd 37.5%
Clinton 23.3%

Clinton deserves credit for missing the fewest of the bunch, but she did have the advantage over her Democratic rivals; as a more nationally know persona, her presence was not required on the campaign trail as early.

[EV_Ares]

8. Another nonsensical, nonproductive, negative, hate speech against

Obama from this poster who never makes a postive post.

No credibility from all of those kind of posts.

Say something good about your candidate if you can, evidently you can't.

[Nailzberg]

6. All the Senators running are guilty of this

Obama 81.0%
McCain 74.2%
Biden 71.9%
Dodd 69.6%
Clinton 68.9%

Only sixteen "absents" separate the group.

And for historical context, Kerry was at 80.4% in 2003 from August recess to end of year.