Did Obama really vote AGAINST keeping pedophiles in jail?

[Taxmyth]

I had not realized this before but evidently he was the ONLY State Senator to vote AGAINST keeping sex offenders in jail in an Illinois State Senate measure in 1999.

Edited to add links:

Text of Bill: http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/legisnet91/summary/910SB0485.html

Votes (PDF): http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/votehistory/srollcalls91/pdf/910SB0485_03111999_001000T.PDF

Re-edited to include an explanation by Senator Obama (he pushed the wrong button and stood to take the vote back)

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-obamavotes24jan24,1,7079399.story?track=rss

[sabbat hunter]

1. link n/t

[godai]

2. The inflammatory title is of course false. Here's a link ot the facts.

Obama's Strong Record on Protecting Victims of Sexual Assault
January 22, 2008

Barack Obama: "The bill with respect to privacy for victims of sexual abuse is a bill I had actually sponsored...Nobody has worked harder than me in the Illinois state legislature to make sure that victims of sexual abuse were dealt with, partly because I've had family members who were victims of sexual abuse and I've got two daughters who I want to protect."



http://factcheck.barackobama.com/factcheck/2008/01/22/obamas_strong_record_on_protec.php


I hope this makes the poster better informed.

[Vinca]

3. Facts don't count. nt

[Taxmyth]

8. ONLY State Senator to vote against keeping sex offenders in jail

You're typing about another subject altogether

[godai]

11. So now you're certain but still no link n/t

[Taxmyth]

13. Links are in original message

edited to include them.

[berni_mccoy]

4. Did Clinton Kill Vincent Foster?

[Taxmyth]

18. No proof she did, there is proof of Senator Obama's vote on this measure

The ONLY State Senator to vote against the bill. Was it a mistake? Was there another reason?

[berni_mccoy]

24. There's only proof that you are a Freeper hack.

[Taxmyth]

27. Text of Senate Bill and Votes are included

He was the ONLY Senator to vote NO.......why? That's all I want to know.

[Mass]

37. And I posted the answer in my post downthread

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=5511034&mesg_id=5511208

[Changenow]

53. not as far as I know. nt

[truthpusher]

5. OMFG - this truly is the very slime at the bottom of the barrle....

your bringing this up makes you seem like you have nothing else left?

[Taxmyth]

12. Bringing this up is wrong?

Why? Seems like there is a problem for Senator Obama in his prior voting record, actually more than one.

[Marrah_G]

17. Yes it is. Why give our real enemies ammunition?

[Taxmyth]

19. It's not like this is unknown

I saw it for the first time in a post from this AM and did some reading. Plenty of other people have pointed it out previously if you look through Google.

[Mass]

32. But you could not be bothered posting the simple explanation that I found in 2 sec, on google.com

[Taxmyth]

38. Neither could you, I see

I didn't see a simple explanation while I was looking but please do point me in the right direction if you have one.

[Mass]

41. I posted it twice in this thread. Here it is a third time, just for you

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=5511034&mesg_id=5511208

[TommyO]

6. Provide proof, all you've done is post a spurious allegation.

Then again, I suspect you're not really after the truth, just baseless smears against Obama. I'll bet you also think he's a Muslim.

[Taxmyth]

10. Edited original post to show Illinois Senate text

of the measure and the votes cast on it.

[TommyO]

61. OK, now why did he vote that way?

[cali]

7. Obama loves pedophiles. In fact, he's probably one himself

when he's not busy smoking crack and getting blowjobs from other men. That's the level YOU have attained. Don't choke on your vile shit.

[Taxmyth]

9. Text of the measure and votes cast now attached

Should have done that earlier but it's there now.

[berni_mccoy]

14. You should be banned. You know that lawmakers can vote against a bill for a number of reasons

Many of those reasons will have nothing to do with the intent of the bill.

For example: if you've ever voted against public school funding in your town, I could say, "Taxmyth voted against giving teachers much needed raises", when really your vote may have had nothing to do with the desire to give teachers raises.

If you pretend to not understand this, then maybe you should relocate to a country where they don't vote so it won't hurt your twisted little mind.

[Taxmyth]

15. But the ONLY lawmaker to vote against the measure?

That's the part I don't understand. Does not paint Senator Obama in a positive light.

[berni_mccoy]

21. The Bill was not Constitutional. Let me spell it out for you:

It's called political courage. He did not believe the law was constitutional and did not believe in playing politics just so the law would be turned over on first appeal, wasting the government time and money.

From http://factcheck.barackobama.com/factcheck/2008/01/22/obamas_strong_record_on_protec.php.

Under the bill the trials involving sex crimes would remain open, but upon a conviction, a victim of a sex crime could ask a state's attorney to petition a judge to seal the records of the case. If the judge agreed, the public could not open those records unless someone petitioned the court and showed good cause. The State Journal-Register reported, "But the Illinois Press Association argued that the measure violates the First Amendment. The U.S. Constitution does not allow judges to seal the records of trials that have been held in open court, said association attorney Don Craven. Besides, Craven argued, the legislation does not allow defendants the same opportunity if they're found not guilty. And there's no indication what would happen to the case files if the verdict were appealed. Sen. Barack Obama, D-Chicago, agreed that the bill probably wouldn't pass constitutional muster, although he said it's not unusual for his colleagues to pass such measures to show political resolve." <91st GA, HB 0854, 5/11/99, 3R P; 58-0-1; State Journal-Register, 4/28/1999>

You see, Obama isn't afraid of political hacks like you who have no care or stake in their own society.

[Taxmyth]

36. Your refutation is anything but

The FactCheck article does not discuss this Bill or this Vote. Address the issues and stop trying to obfuscate.

[BadgerLaw2010]

39. How does that agree with "he hit the wrong button?"

[Mass]

22. Google is your friend, if you are honest. This has been explained again and again.

Illinois has an electronic voting and votes cannot be corrected after they are casted, as they can in the US Senate. (See my post below). You can only correct the senate record. He did so in 1999.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=5511034&mesg_id=5511208

[Taxmyth]

49. again, thank you

Edited the post to give that link - There are many MANY people posting that very same message that I used and this information can be used to refute those allegations.

[Mass]

50. Thanks...

[DemVet]

59. Banned? For pointing out someone's legislative record?

Geez. :eyes:

[DemVet]

57. Please....

...let's not be dramatic, huh?

His record is his record. There' no denying that.

[Marrah_G]

16. I really wish you had not posted this- you do our party no good with it.

Obama is probably going to be the nominee. If the RW didn't see this, they will now. Like Dukakis, they will slam him over and over with the "soft on criminals" stick.

Please remember that shit you post here, no matter how trivial it may seem to many of us, will be used against our nominee in November.

This is aimed at people from both camps. Think before you post. The "homerun" you may think you hit against your "opponent" may end up costing you the series in the end.

[Taxmyth]

26. No Apologies

I didn't vote no on the measure, Senator Obama did. All a matter of Public Record so why the urge to "hide" this information when it's so easily available and should be questioned?

[Mass]

30. Good. Here is the explanation

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=5511034&mesg_id=5511208

[Mass]

20. And the Illinois Senate record that year states he pressed the wrong button on this vote.

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-obamavotes24jan24,1,7079399.story?track=rss

He stood on March 11, 1999, to take back his vote against legislation to end good-behavior credits for certain felons in county jails. "I pressed the wrong button on that," he said.

(That happens... More than you realize...)

[myrna minx]

25. Thank you. But I promise this won't dissuade the OP.

This thread has reached a new low.

[Taxmyth]

Looked like a legitimate answer to me

So I edited the post and put the link up also that had shown that Senator Obama made a mistake in voting

[Taxmyth]

46. Looked like a legitimate answer to me

So I edited the post and put the link up also that had shown that Senator Obama made a mistake in voting

[myrna minx]

48. Thank you. n/t

[godai]

31. Thanks for the explanation. This was the same day as his mistaken vote.

Hopefully, this provides the poster with a reason why it appeared Obama was the only vote against but, depends on the poster's original motives.

[susankh4]

35. This answer would have sufficed...

at the beginning.

Thanks for knowing your candidate! It's people like you who give me hope!!

[Taxmyth]

43. Thank you for that

I'll see if I can edit the original text.

[Oleladylib]

56. Pressing the wrong button could start World War III ...Comeon!

[DemVet]

60. Heaven forbid he presses the wrong button as POTUS.

Pressing the wrong button is no excuse. In fact, it shows incompetence.

[susankh4]

23. Apparently he had a reason for voting against....

so why the vitriol from his followers? Don't they want to hear him explain it?

Once again... his followers are his own worst enemy.

[myrna minx]

28. He did answer it, but that won't prevent the kitchen sink from flying...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=5511034&mesg_id=5511208

[EFerrari]

29. I don't think this will go anywhere. Whatever his reason was

for this vote, he worked really hard on this issue.

[myrna minx]

33. His vote was an accident...pressed the wrong vote button, but that won;t stop the gutter allegations

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=5511034&mesg_id=5511208

[EFerrari]

40. Thanks, myrna. I believe that his work on this issue is what

caused such a ruckus inside of some womens' groups when that one NOW group attacked him / supported Hillary, and the groups he worked with in IL came to his defense. Seems like years ago but it was probably just before New Hampshire.

[myrna minx]

47. I find it specious that the OP would like us to believe that

they poured through Obama's IL voting record, but couldn't google to fact check and find the article that Mass found in a few seconds.

[Taxmyth]

51. Went with what I had read this AM

both on Google News and in a post here. Searched for that one particular measure after seeing dozens of posts from other sites about it. Gut reaction much like anyone else who might see that. I'm glad in a way because now if someone mentions this to me, I know the correct answer.

[myrna minx]

54. Thank you. n/t

[Zodiak]

34. OMG! Obama is not "tough on crime"!!!!!1

This ploy would work if this was a Repuke board.

As it stands now, it just makes you look like a freeper.

[Bonobo]

42. It's called the " County Jail Good Behavior Allowance Act". It singled out sex offenders as the ONLY

ones not allowed to get time off for good behavior.

Obama did the right thing, as usual.

[godai]

44. Read #20 n/t

[BadgerLaw2010]

45. Interesting how many Obama supporters blindly defend a technical error Obama corrected.

Cult much?

[Bonobo]

52. Only sex offenders should have no chance at getting "good behavior" allowance?

[JKaiser]

55. Oh my.. Could this hurt him in the GE.. He sure has good judgement..

[MojoMojoMojo]

58. Was the gambling vote related to Rezko payoff?

I heard that Rezko was involved in gambling industry.Anyone know?