Divisive flamebait: Has Obama done anything yet as senator other than campaign for President?

[brentspeak]

:yoiks:
Is it asking too much for Obama to concentrate on his role as a senator for the time being, and worry about campaigning for the White House, either as President or Vice-President, for 2012 or (more likely), for 2016?

[The Count]

1. I'd urge all senators to do that, especially in light of Reid's idiotic statement

of enabling Lil'Boots to escalate this war "if it's temporary"

[undeterred]

19. ..

[ChairmanAgnostic]

2. I'm from Illinois, and I can't think of any.

he sure is purdy, tho, and talks offal good.

[sam sarrha]

3. NO Senator has been allowed to do anything by the Reich Wing and * , if they go somewhere else

and try to do something the Nazi's follow and turn off the mikes and lights and tell them the meeting is over.. that actually happened.

[Dinger]

4. I'm Wondering How He Voted On *'s Supreme Court Nominees

Could someone please refresh my memory?

[The Count]

13. I only remember that he didn't join the short lived filibuster movement

[Dinger]

15. In Other Words, He "Voted" For scalito & roberts (nt)

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

22. He also voted in committee to approve Condalieza for Secy of State. I found that

appalling.

[liberalpragmatist]

33. No

Confirmation of John Roberts as Chief Justice of the United States
Obama: NAY

http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=109&session=1&vote=00245

Confirmation of Samuel Alito as Justice of the Supreme Court
Obama: NAY

http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=109&session=2&vote=00001

Obama also voted to filibuster Alito; he did complain prior to the filibuster that Democrats had failed to effectively make a case against Alito.

[Hippo_Tron]

41. No, Obama voted against Cloture on Alito

Not even sure there was a fillibuster on Roberts. He did go on the Senate floor and say that fillibustering was an ineffective way to block judicial nominees, for what reason I have no idea.

Honestly, Obama's rhetoric can piss off DUers and I understand why but his voting record has been one of the most solidly progressive records in the Senate.

[theHandpuppet]

5. THANK YOU!

Finally, someone not afraid to speak out on this issue.

[diamidue]

49. I second that. n/t

[PsN2Wind]

6. When George Will, David Brooks, et al

tell us how wonderful it would be for him to be the Democratic nominee, how can we not nominate him? We know they have our best interest at heart.

[KoKo]

8. Newt Gingrich likes 'em, too. Said so on Russert this a.m.

:eyes:

[Red Zelda]

7. no, no, no

NO!

[Lurking Dem]

9. He introduced legislation

to criminalize election day fraud. And to help low income children who were victims of Katrina. And to get rid of the surplus and unguarded weapons from the old Soviet Union. And an energy security bill. Etc., etc.

He has sponsored or co-sponsored numerous bills.

[rooshab]

10. All the bills sponsered and co-sponsered by Obama

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x3018870

[wtmusic]

16. Apparently all of them died in committee (except for one)

welcome to DU

:bounce: :toast: :bounce:

[DemocratSinceBirth]

34. Most Bills Initiated By A Minority Member Die In Committee

How many Democratic bills have come out of this Congress?

[BlackVelvet04]

11. here's my take.....

support for Obama just because he's a charismatic guy is like the support bush got because voters thought they would like to drink a beer with him.

I don't know what Obama has done. Don't get me wrong, he IS a charismatic guy but that doesn't mean he would make a good president.

[muriel_volestrangler]

12. He got a bill passed to allow those in bankruptcy to tithe

http://obama.senate.gov/press/061002-obama_bill_to_protect_charitable_and_religious_donations_from_bankruptcy_passes_senate/index.html

Now, personally, I think that's a bad idea - if someone has lost all their money, and still owes money to other people or organisations, I think they should be discouraged from giving up to 15% of their income away.

[The Count]

14. So, protecting churches from the poverty of parishioners? Nice!

Especially in light of the deceptive title - it's not the donations that are protected, it's the receivers.

[wtmusic]

21. But if God helps them get a job they can pay EVERYONE back

see how it works? :crazy:

[The Count]

28. Yup. You gotta have faith! Solid investment!

[DemocratSinceBirth]

37. Tithing Is Very Important To The African American Community

eom

[babylonsister]

17. This may or may not interest you:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=132&topic_id=3018870#3018919

[wtmusic]

18. He's hindered the ethanol movement

by supporting tariffs on imported sugar, which keep American sugar prices 2x higher than elsewhere. At least his sugar farmers are happy.

Strike one in my book.

[Telly Savalas]

47. And if he voted against the tariffs

we could call him a free-trade obsessed corporate whore.

[wtmusic]

48. I guess he's a whore either way

At least by losing the tariffs he helps the environment

[undeterred]

20. No.

[theHandpuppet]

23. Well he DID throw his support behind Joe Leiberman

There's a ringing endorsement!

[treestar]

24. Every senator does this

It's practically become part of the job.

If someone is going to be the people's choice as President, this kind of thing may not matter so much.

Look at Ross Perot, a lot of people actually voted for him, and he had never been in politics.

He's only been doing it for a couple of years, too, look at others, like Biden, he's been campaigning for President for decades but also doing the job of Senator.

Maybe the two things go hand in hand pretty well. Not a real big problem, IMO.

[geek tragedy]

25. As opposed to Hillary and Edwards?

Since their contributions included the Iraq war, I'll take Obama thank you.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

26. .

.

[The Count]

30. If the options are as poor as that, I'm with you. Misjudgement on war is

one I cannot possibly condone.
But we do have better candidates out there.

[Canuckistanian]

27. ...and don't forget, Obama endorsed Lieberman

Not exactly good political instincts there, pissing off the progressive half of the party in a very contentious race.

[The Count]

31. Speaks to more than "political instincts". Lack of integrity more like it.

Compromising on Joementum - big moral stain in my book.

[Canuckistanian]

45. Thank you

My sentiments in a nutshell.

[liberalpragmatist]

39. So is Barbara Boxer on your shitlist too then?

She endorsed and campaigned for Lieberman far more than Obama did.

[Canuckistanian]

43. As a matter of fact, she is...

Published on Friday, July 7, 2006 by the Huffington Post

What the Hell Is Barbara Boxer Thinking?

by Arianna Huffington


From the run up to Shock and Awe to last month's flurry of thrust-and-parry resolutions on Iraq, the junior senator from California has been one of the most consistent and vocal critics of the war. She voted no on the war in 2002 and co-sponsored the latest Kerry bill calling for our troops to be withdrawn by July 2007.

And she was one of only six Democrats to stand against the ambush vote orchestrated by Mitch McConnell and Bill Frist.

So what is she doing heading up to Connecticut to stump for pro-war Joe Lieberman and against his anti-war challenger Ned Lamont?

After all, Tailgunner Joe isn't just one of the staunchest supporters of the war, he's repeatedly and steadfastly spoken out against those who oppose it.

http://www.commondreams.org/views06/0707-26.htm

[Imagevision]

44. don't forget, Obama endorsed Lieberman? - good Lieberman owes Obama 2 now!

[Canuckistanian]

46. And Joe pays off on his debts, now, doesn't he?

Now we'll see whether his principles or his political ledger sheet determine his performance.

[ComerPerro]

29. Well, in his defense, there is not much he could have done as Senator yet

hes only been there two years, and hasn't been able to be part of a majority yet.

But, on the other hand, that's exactly why he shouldn't run for president yet.

[wtmusic]

32. His inconspicuity is conspicuous

He hasn't taken a strong stand on anything controversial, which doesn't require anything but courage (case in point: Feingold's motion for censure).

Obama's record is not one of a leader.

[blm]

35. Well, how did he do on the DSM inquiry? Alito filibuster? Iraq withdrawal vote?

Confirmation votes?

Seems to me there is alot of area to cover on how he uses power when he HAS it. A good way to judge any candidate or lawmaker.

I think those who know his record well should compile the info and post it to share.

I don't think the topic HAS to be divisive regarding any potential candidate, but CAN be informative if we use it that way.

[Warren DeMontague]

36. He made a speech "courting Evangelicals" where he took potshots at atheists

particularly ones who think forcing schoolkids to pledge "Under God" is unconstitutional.. and it is.

[liberalpragmatist]

38. Here's a full record of what he's done in the Senate

Check out this link:

http://obsidianwings.blogs.com/obsidian_wings/2006/10/barack_obama.html

To sum up, here are a few things he's done:

1) Legislation with Dick Lugar to secure loose nukes in the former Soviet Union and expanding the Nunn-Lugar framework to deal with conventional weapons

2) Avian flu preparedness - funding for local planning and preparedness, funding for vaccine research and antiviral stockpiles

3) Regulating genetic testing

From the Genetics and Public Policy Center:

http://www.dnapolicy.org/news.release.php?action=detail&pressrelease_id=53

Obama bill could jumpstart the setting of sound genetic public policy

Washington, DC - August 04, 2006 - Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) yesterday introduced legislation to improve development and appropriate use of genetic tests in the United States, the Genetics and Public Policy Center has learned.

"The Obama bill accelerates advances in the beneficial applications of genetic technologies to human health, while ensuring appropriate safeguards for the quality of genetic testing," says Center Director Kathy Hudson. "After decades of policy lagging behind genetic science, we are hopeful that discussion of this bill will jumpstart the setting of sound genetic public policy."

The bill addresses a number of the Center’s primary concerns, including:

* Supporting and expanding research to extend genomic knowledge;
* Accelerating translation of genetic tests into clinical application and clinical practice;
* Enhancing genetic testing quality by creating a genetic testing specialty under CLIA;
* Promoting transparency by requiring information about genetic tests and their performance characteristics to be publicly available;
* Directing HHS to develop a risk-based framework for review of genetic tests; and
* Supporting the development and dissemination of genetic testing guidelines for health professionals.

4) Reducing medical malpractice costs by requiring hospitals to disclose medical error (sponsored with Hillary Clinton)

The two wrote about in this piece for the New England Journal of Medicine: http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/full/354/21/2205

5) A Ban on no-bid contracts for Katrina reconstruction

6) Raising CAFE standards

From Grist Magazine:

http://www.grist.org/news/muck/2006/07/26/fuel-econ/

The Gas Menagerie
Obama leads bipartisan effort to raise fuel-economy standards
By Amanda Griscom Little
26 Jul 2006

Is the sting of $75-a-barrel oil and the threat of World War III exploding in the Middle East enough to convince Congress to finally boost auto fuel economy? Probably not, but a bipartisan coalition of senators led by Barack Obama (D-Ill.) is launching an admirable new effort anyway -- the Fuel Economy Reform Act.

"It is possibly the best shot we've had of improving fuel economy since the Carter administration, after decades of inaction," said Roland Hwang, vehicles policy director for the Natural Resources Defense Council.

Together with seven other senators -- Joe Biden (D-Del.), Jeff Bingaman (D-N.M.), Norm Coleman (R-Minn.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), Dick Lugar (R-Ind.), and Gordon Smith (R-Ore.) -- Obama introduced legislation last week that would raise fuel-economy standards for cars and light trucks sold in the U.S. by 4 percent, or about one mile per gallon, each year. Its sponsors say the bill would reduce America's oil consumption by 1.3 million barrels daily within a decade; that amounts to 16 percent of the current consumption of America's passenger-vehicle fleet of 8 million barrels per day.

The legislation would significantly revamp the structure of CAFE -- corporate average fuel economy -- standards, which have changed little since they were enacted in 1975. Instead of setting one target that each automaker has to meet for its average fleet-wide fuel economy, the bill would allow manufacturers to meet different efficiency targets based on their fleet mix of different-sized cars and light trucks. It would create a range of weight classes for these vehicles, with different efficiency standards for each classification.

...

There are several other things he's proposed. Because the Republicans have controlled the Senate, only one bill of his passed - that was the bill creating an internet database for all federal spending.

[Hippo_Tron]

40. Here's a better question, why should Obama sit around in the Senate "accomplishing" things

Obama (assuming he decides to run) is saying that he wants to be President. If he decides to run he will say what he wants to do when he is elected President and he will try to convince people that his natural campaign skills and charisma will put him over the top.

Either you like what he says and believe that he can win or you don't like what he says or don't believe he can win and will vote for someone else. If he waits, then he's trading his youth for experience and frankly there are plenty of people that run for Presidnent experience but rarely does a serious candidate enter the race that is under 50.

Personally I think there are plenty of good people that should be elected President but aren't because they have no experience in elected office. So I don't particularly care if Obama is using the Senate to run for President because I have no problem with people who use political office to find the shortest route to the White House.

Some people get into politics because they want to be Senators some because they want to be Presidents and some want a long political career that ends with the Presidency. Obama clearly wants to be a President, not a Senator and not have a long political career. I honestly don't see any problem with that.

[LWolf]

42. The oh-so-obvious answer to your "better question:"

Why should he "sit around accomplishing things" in the Senate if what he really wants is to be president?

Because the voters elected/hired him to work in the Senate. That's his job. If he didn't want to accomplish anything in the Senate, he shouldn't have run for the office. Honesty and integrity with voters.

While I'm not a fan of Obama, I'm sure he became a Senator because he wanted to be a Senator, not because he did not want the job.

[Hippo_Tron]

51. Well then that's the voters of Illinois' problem

If they don't like it, they can refuse to re-elect him next time, assuming he's not in the White House by then. But honestly I have a feeling he'll be re-elected overwhelmingly even though his constituency is well aware that they are using him as a stepping stone to the presidency. Everyone gets a Senator, but having a President from your home state or your home town is a big deal.

[Blu Dahlia]

50. divisive? everyone seems to be in agreement

shitting on Obama. :crazy:

Good job guys :eyes:

[Roland99]

52. What a piece of shit flamebait post based in pure ignorance

I honestly can't believe I'm seeing such a lazy pos thread up here.