MB Civic

Reality Check: Who is Barack Obama?
by Rev. Ian Alterman
Editor, MB-Civic
January 10, 2008

I have moved from annoyance to serious concern about the free pass that Barack Obama has been getting in the media with respect to who he is, what his record is, and what his positions are. He has been finessing his rock star moment with admittedly inspiring rhetoric – “change,” “hope,” “turn the page,” and the sweetly inclusive “we” – without once articulating, clearly and succinctly, what those words mean to him, his candidacy or his potential presidency.

In essence, he has been campaigning on fumes. Yet as heady and intoxicating as those fumes may be, there is no substance to them. In this three-part series, we will take a look at Mr. Obama primarily vis-à-vis Hillary Clinton, his chief rival for the Democratic nomination. As well, we will look at whether claims he has made about his voting record are accurate, and whether it is actually better than Ms. Clinton’s, particularly with regard to military and defense issues.

The first part of the series will look at their Senate voting records. The second part will look at their positions on numerous major (and some minor) issues. The third part will give some alternative general comparisons of the two candidates.

Part I – Senate Voting Records.

Senator Obama has made a great deal of hay out of Senator Clinton’s vote (prior to his arrival in the Senate) to authorize the war in Iraq – which, of course, was nothing of the sort. However, let us accept that her vote was at best a calculated decision (to make her look “tougher,” and thus more palatable as a CIC), and at worst a poor one (knowing that Mr. Bush might well use it to justify going to war). Yet this was only one vote on one issue, albeit an important one.

But what about the rest of their voting records – particularly Mr. Obama’s? The following is a comprehensive exegesis of their voting records during their overlapping terms (i.e., not including Ms. Clinton’s votes prior to Mr. Obama’s arrival, which are certainly relevant, but not within the context of Mr. Obama’s tenure).

During their overlapping tenures, 384 bills came before the Senate. Of those, Mr. Obama and Ms. Clinton voted identically on 361, or approximately 94% of the time; they diverged on only 23 bills. This means they both voted either Yes (Y), No (N) or abstained, voted present, or were absent for the vote (NV).

Far more importantly, this also means that Mr. Obama voted exactly the same way as Ms. Clinton did on every single issue, including immigration, health care, trade, civil rights/liberties, environmental issues – even most of the defense authorization bills. Most notably, despite Mr. Obama’s continued claims to being more anti-war than Ms. Clinton, they both voted Yes on the November 11, 2007 Supplemental Appropriations for the Department of Defense Bill, which authorized additional funding for the Iraq war. And on national security issues, they both voted Yes on the March 17, 2005 bill authorizing additional funding for the Department of Homeland Security, and on the March 2, 2006 USA Patriot Act and Terrorism Prevention Reauthorization.

In fact, with the exception of those bills that are listed under more than one category (i.e., those on which Mr. Obama and Ms. Clinton voted differently, but which appear more than once), Mr. Obama and Ms. Clinton voted identically on every bill in the following categories: abortion (3 bills), agriculture (4), campaign finance (1), congressional affairs (9), crime (3), defense (15), education (8), environment (11), family/children (8), health (15), immigration (26), labor (11), legal (7), reproductive rights (2), science/medicine (3), senior/social security (5), trade (5), transportation (8), veterans (4), welfare/poverty (5), and women’s issues (1). And they diverged only once on each of 32 appropriations bills, 25 business/consumer bills, 3 gun bills, 19 military bills and 24 national security bills.

Yet even those bills on which Mr. Obama voted differently are notable, not only for the bills themselves, but even moreso for Mr. Obama’s votes. Given the seriousness of the charges made by Mr. Obama (and his supporters) against Ms. Clinton re their respective voting records, it is critical that we look at each of those 23 divergent votes. I will make some general observations after I list the votes.

Appropriations

On April 18, 2005, on the Future Military Funding for Iraq Amendment, Ms. Clinton voted Yes, while Mr. Obama had an “NV” vote. [To express the sense of the Senate on future requests for funding for military operations in Afghanistan and Iraq.]

Budget

On November 18, 2005, on the Tax Reconciliation Bill, Ms. Clinton voted Yes, while Mr. Obama voted No. [A mish-mash of positive items (increased taxes on large oil companies whose worldwide production is more than 500,000 barrels a day) and negative items (increased taxes on expatriates and some students; extending reduced rates on capital gains).]

On February 2, 2006, on the reintroduced Tax Reconciliation Bill, Ms. Clinton again voted Yes, and Mr. Obama again voted No.

On July 20, 2007, on the Student Loan Lender Subsidy Cuts and Student Grants, Ms. Clinton voted Yes, while Mr. Obama voted No. [A mish-mash of items, mostly positive, regarding student loans and grants.]

On July 26, 2007, four very important bills came up: Implementing the 9/11 Commission Recommendations Act; Department of Homeland Security Appropriations; Border Fence and Customs Appropriations; and REAL ID Funding. Ms. Clinton voted Yes on all four, while Mr. Obama had “NV” votes on all four.

On September 27, 2007, on the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) Reauthorization, Ms. Clinton voted Yes, while Mr. Obama had an “NV” vote.

On October 3, 2007, on the reintroduced Border Fence and Customs Appropriations, Ms. Clinton again voted Y, while Mr. Obama voted No.

Business and Consumers

On March 10, 2005, on the Bankruptcy Reform Bill, Ms. Clinton had an “NV” vote, while Mr. Obama voted No. [N.B. Many of Mr. Obama’s supporters claim that Ms. Clinton supported this bill, which made filing bankruptcies far more onerous. However, as her vote indicates, she was either absent that day, or chose not to vote on the Bill. So claims that she supported it are unfounded.]

Civil Liberties and Civil Rights

On July 19, 2007, on the Sense of the Senate on Guantanamo Bay Detainees, Ms. Clinton voted Yes, while Mr. Obama had an “NV” vote. [Expresses the sense of the Senate that the detainees at Guantanamo Bay should not be released into American society or transferred into detention facilities on American soil.]

On September 20, 2007, on the Expressing Support for General Petraeus and All Members of the Armed Forces, Ms. Clinton voted No, while Mr. Obama had an “NV” vote. [To express the sense of the Senate that General David H. Petraeus, Commanding General, Multi-National Force-Iraq, deserves the full support of the Senate and strongly condemn personal attacks on the honor and integrity of General Petraeus (particularly via the MoveOn.org ad) and all members of the United States Armed Forces.]

Energy

On July 29, 2005, on the Energy Policy Act of 2005, Ms. Clinton voted No, while Mr. Obama voted Yes. [Due to the complicated nature of this bill, for info on its pros and cons, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Energy_Policy_Act_of_2005, and read the “Criticisms” to see why Ms. Clinton may have voted against it.]

On August 1, 2006, on the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act of 2006, Ms. Clinton voted Yes, while Mr. Obama voted No. [A bill to enhance the energy independence and security of the United States by providing for exploration, development, and production activities for mineral resources in the Gulf of Mexico, and for other purposes.]

Executive Branch

On June 9, 2005, for Richard A. Griffin, US Circuit Court, Ms. Clinton voted Yes, while Mr. Obama voted No. [Not enough info found to determine his credentials. However, his conformation passed almost unanimously.]

On June 14, 2005, for Thomas B. Griffith, US Circuit Court, Ms. Clinton voted No, while Mr. Obama voted Yes. [There was great concern over his nomination, as he had “a strong record of opposition to women's rights” as well as having “actively worked as an attorney after being suspended [twice] from the practice of law” in DC. He apparently also practiced law in Utah (as General Counsel of Brigham Young University) despite not having been admitted to the bar in Utah.]

On June 11, 2007, on the Attorney General No Confidence Vote, Ms. Clinton voted Yes, while Mr. Obama had an “NV” vote. [A joint resolution expressing the sense of the Senate that Attorney General Alberto Gonzales no longer holds the confidence of the Senate and of the American people.]

It should also be noted here that Mr. Obama and Ms. Clinton both voted “Yes” for the confirmations of Michael Chertoff and John Negroponte.

Foreign Aid and Policy Issues

On September 26, 2007, two important items came up: Expressing the Sense of Congress Regarding Iran and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps; and Expressing the Sense of Congress Regarding Federalism in Iraq. Ms. Clinton voted Yes on both, while Mr. Obama had “NV” votes for both.

[The first bill “Expresses the sense of the Congress that the United States should use its military, diplomatic, economic, and intelligence instruments to combat Iranian activities inside Iraq that are designed to destabilize Iraq and expresses the sense of the Congress that the United States should officially designate the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps of Iran as a foreign terrorist organization and assign it to the list of Specially Designated Global Terrorists.” The second votes to “adopt an amendment that expresses the sense of the Senate that the United States should support a political settlement in Iraq that would create a loose federal system, and that the Iranian Revolutionary Guard should be classified as a terrorist organization.”]

It should also be noted here that Mr. Obama and Ms. Clinton both had “NV” votes on the United States-Peru Trade Agreement. [N.B. Ms. Clinton has been accused of supporting it.]

Guns

On July 13, 2006, on the Firearm Confiscation Prohibition Amendment, Ms. Clinton voted No, while Mr. Obama voted Yes. [To prohibit the confiscation of a firearm during an emergency or major disaster if the possession of such firearm is not prohibited under Federal or State law.]

Military Issues

On September 6, 2006, on the Cluster Munitions Amendment, Ms. Clinton voted No, while Mr. Obama voted Yes. [Prohibits any funding from going to cluster munitions, unless it is clearly specified that such munitions will not be allowed near civilian populations.]

National Security Issues

On July 11, 2006, on the USEMA Amendment, Ms. Clinton voted No, while Mr. Obama voted Yes. [To amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to establish the United States Emergency Management Authority.]

Two things seem to jump out here. First, of the above bills (not including the defense appropriations), Mr. Obama voted “wrongly” on as many as did Ms. Clinton: in addition to those on which both of them had questionable votes, his “No” vote on the Student Loan bill, his support for the confirmation of Thomas Griffith, and his support for the USEMA Amendment are clearly wrong-headed – the latter because (i) it adds yet another layer of unnecessary bureaucracy (including the attendant necessary funding), and (ii) given that many of the policies of the DOHS impinge on freedoms and civil liberties, one would think that a champion of civil liberties would not authorize another agency with a similar bent. It is very much to Ms. Clinton’s credit that she voted against this Amendment.

As well, Mr. Obama’s “NV” votes on the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) Reauthorization and the Attorney General No Confidence Vote would seem to undermine some of his claims with regard to his concern for children, insurance and justice.

Most important, however, are his “NV” votes on so many military, defense and civil liberties issues, given that he champions himself as such a “principled” person. In this regard, Mr. Obama’s “NV” votes on the Future Military Funding for Iraq Amendment, Sense of the Senate on Guantanamo Bay Detainees, Expressing Support for General Petraeus and All Members of the Armed Forces, Expressing the Sense of Congress Regarding Iran and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Expressing the Sense of Congress Regarding Federalism in Iraq – and especially the four July 26, 2007 bills (Implementing the 9/11 Commission Recommendations Act, Department of Homeland Security Appropriations, Border Fence and Customs Appropriations, and REAL ID Funding) – show either that he did not show up to vote (which, particularly for the July 26, 2007 vote, would be inexcusable, given the import of the four bills), or that he was present and refused to take a stand on the issues. And although Ms. Clinton can certainly be faulted for her votes on all but the General Petraeus item (her vote on which is a credit to her), Mr. Obama simply cannot hold himself out as such a principled, anti-war, pro-civil liberties candidate if he cannot even be bothered to show up, or refuses to take a stand on such critical bills.

So who is Barack Obama vis-à-vis his Senate voting record? He is someone who voted identically to Ms. Clinton 94% of the time, on almost every conceivable issue; whose record is not without wrong-headed voting; and who claims a mantle of “principle,” yet either does not show up to vote on important bills, or chooses not to take a stand on them, including those having to do with two areas in which Mr. Obama claims his strongest beliefs: war/military, and civil liberties.

In Part II, we will look at Mr. Obama’s positions on many important issues, both vis-à-vis Ms. Clinton, and in general.