Obama voted for a bill, rose to say he opposed it, then told voters he was "undecided"?

[jackson_dem]

This example captures the slippery essence of Obama and what Hillary said the other night about it being hard to see where Obama stood on things.

-snip-

The measure, pushed by the gambling industry and fought by church groups whose support Obama was seeking for his reelection the following year, passed with only two "yeas" to spare -- including Obama's. But moments after its passage he rose to say, "I'd like to be recorded as a no vote," explaining that he mistakenly voted for it.

Obama would later develop a reputation as a critic of the gambling industry, and he voted against a similar measure two years later. But he was clearly confused about how to handle the issue at the time of his first vote, telling a church group on a 1998 campaign questionnaire that he was "undecided" about whether he backed an expansion of riverboat gambling.

http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-na-obamavotes24jan24,0,4956975,full.story?coll=la-home-center

[tabatha]

1. Have you seen this?

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=385x87210

[Kurt_and_Hunter]

8. You are a spammer. You can't just post this in every thread

and thus now ignored

[desi]

11. Nope

You are ignoring the author of this thread

If you have any questions, please contact the site administrator.
Click here to go back to previous page.

[rodeodance]

24. well, this interesting. Hilliary was definately onto him

[journalist3072]

2. And this is the guy people are fawning all over? Ok...whatever floats people's boats.

[rodeodance]

25. or Yawning

[KennedyGuy]

3. yep..an illusion that crumbles under scrutiny...

[rodeodance]

26. good ol Toto

[IndianaJones]

4. the present button is yellow for a reason. nt.

[Proud2BAmurkin]

5. Jesus that's dishonest nt

[Double T]

6. BO is the extraordinary flip-flopper..........

certainly NOT the kind of candidate that should be elected president. Hey!!! 'truth squad', over HERE!

[rodeodance]

36. a CALCULATING extraordinary flip-flopper.

[desi]

7. He's sooo smooooth

ain't he?

K&R

[Barack_America]

9. At least he recognizes a mistaken vote immediately, and not after thousands of Americans have died.

And at least he can admit his mistakes.

Just sayin.

[jackson_dem]

10. He can't admit his mistakes. He's never admitted he took a wrong position

There is always an "explanation." This example is a case study. He never takes a clear position on the issue and doesn't own up to his past record because he took every possible position: for, against, and maybe.

[Occam Bandage]

12. So he screwed up and gave the wrong vote, and wished to correct the error. OMG shock and horror.

[jackson_dem]

14. He took every possible position on the issue: yes, no, and maybe

[Occam Bandage]

16. He immediately repudiated his "yes" position. Immediately. It was clearly inadvertent.

[jackson_dem]

17. After the bill passed by 2 votes. He then said he was "undecided" to voters

When the chips were down Obama did what the gambling industry wanted and helped the bill narrowly pass. After that it was "safe" to claim you opposed it, which he did. He later switched positions again to "maybe."

[Occam Bandage]

19. Yep. After he realized his mistake, he switched. Later, he said he was

undecided on the general issue, not on that one bill. Everything else you wrote is just your wild-ass guess.

[jackson_dem]

20. After he realized the gambling industry's interests were safe...

[Occam Bandage]

21. Or so you guess.

[jackson_dem]

22. The outcome was in doubt until the vote. Obama was there when it counted for casinos

[Occam Bandage]

23. You're speculating motive on what's pretty obviously a mistake. Hell, even most of the

anti-Obama concern trolls are running with the "OMG HE'S INCOMPETENT AT PRESSING BUTTONS" angle.

[rodeodance]

28. seems it was a CALCULATED "mistake"

[jackson_dem]

30. Obamites want us to believe a former president of the Harvard Law Review can't press a button

[rodeodance]

32. AND here is another "I was not aware that I had voted no"

.Obama's vote on June 11, 2002, sparked a confrontation after he joined Republicans to block Democrats trying to override a veto by GOP Gov. George Ryan of a $2-million allotment for the west Chicago child welfare office.

Shortly afterward, Obama chastised Republicans for their "sanctimony" in claiming that only they had the mettle to make tough choices in a tight budget year. And he called for "responsible budgeting."

A fellow Democrat suddenly seethed with anger.

"You got a lot of nerve to talk about being responsible," said Sen. Rickey Hendon, accusing Obama of voting to close the child welfare office.

Obama replied right away.

"I understand Sen. Hendon's anger at -- actually -- the -- I was not aware that I had voted no on that last -- last piece of legislation," he said.

[joshcryer]

40. That's insane. INSANE. WTF is going on there?

Was Obama silently getting political points by making these votes and then saying that's not what he intended only moments later? Seriously! WTF!

How can you fuck up a vote like that!

[durrrty libby]

13. K & R for truth

[FrenchieCat]

15. You wouldn't know the truth if

it hit you upside your yappy dog's head.

[durrrty libby]

37. Not surprised you condone animal abuse

[AX10]

18. Senator Obama: "Present"

Senator Obama votes Present!

[Rosa Luxemburg]

27. The Swiftboats are here!

[zulchzulu]

29. Nice Lee Atwater impression! Nicely played!

Kudos for cherry-picking a section of the story about the 5 votes where he tapped the wrong button but changed his vote and then...le piece de resistance...using a part of the article (which was a POS) to say he was undecided about riverboat gambling two whole years later.

Actually, it's pretty junior league stuff... better luck trashing Obama next time...

:boring:

[madrchsod]

33. another much to do about something

that happens in every state capital in the nation

never let the facts get in the way of




"No one has accused Obama, now a U.S. senator and a leading candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination, of changing his votes to play both sides...."

[rodeodance]

31. "At least 5 times, the former state senator went on the record as having pushed the wrong button."

http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-na-obamavotes24jan24,0,4956975,full.story?coll=la-home-center

Obama says he bungled some Illinois votes

Charles Rex Arbogast / Associated Press
Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., pauses as he campaigns in Dillion, S.C., Wednesday.
At least 5 times, the former state senator went on the record as having pushed the wrong button.
By Peter Wallsten, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
5:08 PM PST, January 23, 2008
WASHINGTON -- Barack Obama angered fellow Democrats in the Illinois Senate when he voted to strip millions of dollars from a child welfare office on Chicago's West Side. But Obama had a ready explanation: He goofed.

"I was not aware that I had voted no," he said that day in June 2002, a
That misfire was not an isolated case for the young former civil-rights attorney first elected to the state Senate in 1996. At least five times during his eight years in state office, Obama cast a vote and then said he had hit the wrong button, according to transcripts of the proceedings.

The rules allow Illinois lawmakers to clear up a mishap if they suffered from a momentary case of stumbly fingers or a lapse in attention.

But some lawmakers say the unusual practice also offers a relatively painless way to placate both sides of a difficult issue. Even if a lawmaker admits an error, the actual vote stands and the official record merely shows the senator's "intent."

[madrchsod]

34. no one in madison does the same thing

or don`t they use buttons up there?......

[rodeodance]

35. If they do they are NOT running for Pres-and then explaing their vote 3 different ways

at times.

[jackson_dem]

38. And running on "principled leadership"

That is what makes this funny. Obama is as poll driven as he caricatures Hillary as. Bonus question: who has more pollsters? Hillary or Obama?

[joshcryer]

41. Unbelievable, and I refuse to believe his "explaination."

Unbelievable!

[cali]

39. Pathetic and petty

post from you. I'm shocked. Shocked I tell you.

:rofl: