Obama has served in the U.S. Senate since 2005 and during that time he has cast 13 votes on abortion and other reproductive rights issues.
Preserving Roe v. Wade and a Woman’s Right to Choose
· Voted against a measure to codify a controversial regulation that allows states to make an embryo or fetus – but not a pregnant woman – eligible for healthcare coverage.
· Voted against two anti-choice U.S. Supreme Court nominees: Alito and Roberts, both who voted to uphold the Federal Abortion Ban that criminalizes some abortion services
· Voted against three anti-choice lower federal court judicial nominees Pryor, Rogers Brown, and Owen
Ensuring Access to Abortion Services
· Voted against a law jeopardizing young women’s health and safety by making it a federal crime for anyone other than a parent – including a grandparent, adult sibling, or religious counselor – to accompany a young woman across state lines for abortion care if the home state parental involvement mandate has not been met.
· Voted against a proposal that would have endangered young women’s health and safety by imposing a new, impossibly complex national patchwork of parental notification mandates on doctors and young women.
Protecting Women and Their Doctors
· Voted to amend bankruptcy laws so perpetrators of violence or harassment at reproductive health clinics can’t cannot evade financial responsibility for illegal activities.
Preventing Unintended Pregnancy
· Voted in favor of funding teen pregnancy prevention programs and ensuring "abstinence only" programs are medically accurate.
· Voted to repeal global gag rule banning overseas health clinics from receiving U.S. family planning aid if they use their own funds to provide legal abortion services, give referrals, or even take a public pro-choice position.
· Voted for legislation preventing unintended pregnancy by investing in insurance coverage of prescription birth control, promoting family planning services, implementing teen pregnancy prevention programs, and developing programs to increase awareness about emergency contraception.
Sponsorship of Selected Pieces of Pro-choice Legislation
· Authored legislation to fix the birth control pricing crisis facing millions of low-income women across the country today.
· Original cosponsor of the Prevention First Act increasing funds for family planning services, assures contraceptive equity in health insurance plans, ensures young people receive accurate sex education, improves women’s access to emergency contraception, and more.
· Cosponsor of Freedom of Choice Act codifies tenets of Roe v. Wade in federal law and protect the right to choose for future generations.
SOURCE: Pro Choice America
http://www.pro-choiceamerica.org/assets/files/obama-fact-sheet.pdf
Pro Choice Voting Record Sen. Barack Obama (D‐IL)
Sen. Barack Obama has served in the U.S. Senate since 2005. During that time, he has cast 13 votes on abortion and other reproductive‐rights issues. All 13 of those votes were pro‐choice.1
In addition to his pro‐choice record, Sen. Obama has cosponsored legislation that would prevent unintended pregnancy and reduce the need for abortion.2
A description of Sen. Obama’s key votes, a selection of pro‐choice bills he has authored and cosponsored, and a selection of his public statements on reproductive‐health issues follow.
�� Voted against a measure to codify a controversial regulation that allows states to make an embryo or fetus – but not a pregnant woman – eligible for health‐care coverage.3
Voted against two anti‐choice U.S. Supreme Court nominees: �� Samuel Alito, nominated to be associate justice.4 After joining the Court, Justice Alito cast the deciding vote upholding the Federal Abortion Ban, a ban that criminalizes some abortion services, with no exception to protect a woman’s health, and carries up to a two‐year prison sentence for doctors.5
�� John Roberts, nominated to be chief justice.6 After joining the Court, Chief Justice Roberts voted to uphold the Federal Abortion Ban, a ban that criminalizes some abortion services, with no exception to protect a woman’s health, and carries up to a two‐year prison sentence for doctors.7
Voted against three anti‐choice lower federal court judicial nominees:
�� William Pryor, nominated to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit,8 called Roe v. Wade "the worst abomination of constitutional law in our history."9
�� Janice Rogers Brown, nominated to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit,10 dissented from a ruling that upheld a law requiring insurance plans that cover prescription drugs to also cover birth contro, suggesting that a corporation’s female employees were free to find "more congenial employment"11 if they did not like being discriminated against.
�� Priscilla Owen, nominated to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit,12 issued a dissent in a parental notification case that her then‐colleague on the Texas Supreme Court, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, characterized as "an unconscionable act of judicial activism."13
Ensuring Access to Abortion Services �� Voted against a law that would have jeopardized young women’s health and safety by making it a federal crime for anyone other tan a parent – including a grandparent, adult sibling, or religious counselor – to accompany a young woman across state lines for abortion care if the home state parental‐involvement mandate has not been met.14
�� Voted against a proposal that would have endangered young women’s health and safety by imposing a new, impossibly complex national patchwork of parental‐notification mandates on doctors and young women.15
�� Voted to amend bankruptcy laws so that perpetrators of violence or harassment at reproductive‐health clinics cannot evade financial responsibility for their illegal activities.16
�� Voted in favor of funding teen‐pregnancy‐prevention programs and ensuring that "abstinence‐only" programs are medically accurate.17
�� Voted to repeal the global gag rule, a policy that bans overseas health clinics from receiving U.S. family‐planning aid if they use their own funds to provide legal abortion services, give referrals, or even take a public pro‐choice position.18
�� Voted for legislation that would have prevented unintended pregnancy by investing in insurance coverage of prescription birth cntrol, promoting family planning services, implementing teen‐pregnancy‐prevention programs, and developing programs to increase awareness about emergency contraception.
Sponsorship of Selected Pieces of Pro‐Choice Legislation
�� Authored legislation to fix the birth‐control pricing crisis facing millions of low‐income women across the country today.20 �� Original cosponsor of the Prevention First Act, a package of proposals that increases funds for family‐planning services, assures contraceptive equity in health‐insurance plans, ensures young people receive honest, accurate sex education, and improves women’s access to emergency contraception, among other provisions.21 �� Cosponsor of the Freedom of Choice Act, which would codify the tenets of Roe v. Wade in federal law and protect the right to choose for future generations.22 SOURCE: Pro Choice America http://www.prochoiceamerica.org/assets/files/obama-fact-sheet.pdf
ANTI-VIOLENCE
Obama Passed Law to Help Combat Violence Against Women. Obama co-sponsored a bill that would authorize increased appropriations for FY2006-FY2010 for grants to combat violent crimes against women, revise provisions specifying purposes for grants to include use for under served populations and for forensic medical exams of sex offense victims, increase set aside amounts for grants to Indian tribal governments and U.S. territories and possessions, prohibit law enforcement officers, prosecutors, or other government officials from requiring sex offense victims to submit to a polygraph examination as a condition for proceeding with an investigation or prosecution of a sex offense. The bill would establish a sexual assault services program, directing the Attorney General to make grants to states, territories, and tribal entities for rape crisis centers or other programs and projects to assist those victimized by sexual assault, culturally specific community-based organizations for various services on behalf of sexual assault victims, and state, territorial, and tribal sexual assault coalitions. The bill would also award grants to accredited schools of medicine to develop interdisciplinary training and education programs that provide health professions students with an understanding of, and clinical skills pertinent to, domestic violence, sexual assault, and dating violence. [109th, HR 3402 (S. 1197), Passed by Unanimous Consent, 12/16/05; PL 109-162, 1/5/06]
Obama Passed A Law To Create The Victims Economic Security And Safety Act(VESSA), Which Helps Victims Of Abuse Seek Treatment Without Losing Their Job. Obama was the chief sponsor and voted to created the Victims' Economic Security and Safety Act. The bill provided that an employee who is a victim of domestic or sexual violence, or who has a family or household member who is a victim of domestic or sexual violence, may take leave from work to address domestic or sexual violence by seeking medical attention or obtaining health or legal services. The Chicago Tribune reported, "But VESSA, as it is known, allows time off for personal issues not covered by the FMLA and is designed to help victims keep their jobs." Obama said he sponsored the bill after being approached by several advocacy group for battered women. "They came to me and indicated how difficult it is for victims of physical and sexual abuse to deal with the repercussions of an assault and then try to balance it with work and everything else." [93rd GA; HB 3486; 3R P 58-0-0, 5/20/03; Signed into law 8/25/03, PA 93-0591; Chicago Tribune, 8/20/03; University Wire, 8/22/03]
Obama Passed Law To Increase Penalties For Repeat Domestic Offenders. Obama was the chief co-sponsor and voted for House bill providing that domestic battery or a violation of an order of protection is a Class 4 felony if the defendant had a prior conviction for certain enumerated offenses, including first degree murder, aggravated domestic battery, and criminal sexual assault. A person commits stalking if he or she has been previously convicted of stalking another person and knowingly (on one occasion) follows that same person or commits certain threatening acts against that person or that person's family. [92nd GA; HB 4081; 2002; Signed into law 8/22/02, PA 92-0827]
Obama Passed Law To Increase Penalties For Committing Battery In Or Near A Domestic Violence Shelter. Obama was the chief co-sponsor of and voted for bill providing that a person commits aggravated battery if he or she (or the person battered) is in a domestic violence shelter, or if the person battered is within 500 feet going to or from the shelter. [92nd GA, SB 0175, 3/29/01, 3R P; 55-0-0; P.A. 92-0516, 1/1/02; 91st GA, SB 1406, Session Sine Die, 1/9/01]
Obama Passed Law Improving "No Contact" Court Procedures in Domestic Abuse Petitions. Obama helped amend the Civil No Contact Order Act, including simplifying the forms for filing a petition. The law allows for the court to appoint counsel to represent the petitioner if the respondent is represented by counsel and changes what a civil no contact order may contain. [93rd, HB4395, 3R: 57-0-0, 5/5/04; PA 93-0811, 7/26/04]
Obama Passed Law Requiring Clear Language be Included in Emergency Orders of Protection. Obama co-sponsored and helped pass a law that requires the government be specific about the restrictions placed on the recipient of an emergency order of protection. This legislation prevents perpetrators of domestic violence from claiming ignorance of the law. [93rd GA, SB2495, 3R: 57-0-0, 3/25/04; Concurrence: 53-0-0, 5/26/04 PA 93-0944, 8/17/04]
Obama Passed Law Raising Standards Related to Domestic Violence. Obama sponsored a bill and voted to amend the Nursing Home Care Act and the Hospital Licensing Act to require licensees under those Acts to comply with standards relating to domestic violence established by the Joint Committee on Accreditation or other accrediting organizations approved by the Department of Public Health. [91st GA, SB0850, 1999, PA 91-0163, 99-07-16]
PROTECTION AGAINST SEXUAL ASSAULT
Obama Passed The Dru Sjodin National Sex Offender Public Database Act of 2005.Obama co-sponsored a bill that would require the Attorney General to make publicly available in a registry via the Internet, from information contained in the National Sex Offender Registry or in state sex offender websites, specified information about sexually violent predators and persons convicted of a sexually violent offense or a criminal offense against a minor, who are required to register with a minimally sufficient state sexual offender registration program; and allow registry users to identify offenders who are currently residing within a specified radius of a given location. Requires registry information to include the offender's name, address, date of birth, physical description, and photograph, the nature and date of commission of the offense, and the date on which the offender is released from prison or placed on parole, supervised release, or probation. Linda Walker, Dru Sjodin's mother, said that Dru's Law "is a step in the right direction, but more work needs to be done to protect women and children. 'I think it has to stay in the forefront of our nation's agenda.' she said." [109th, S. 792, Passed by Unanimous Consent, 7/28/05; Referred to House Subcommittee, 9/19/05; Aberdeen American News, 10/6/06]
Obama Passed A Bill To Protect Children From Known Sex Offenders. Obama co-sponsored a bill to improve the national program to register and monitor individuals who commit crimes against children or sex offenses. The bill would require the Attorney General to maintain a National Sex Offender Registry at the Federal Bureau of Investigation, as well as a National Sex Offender Public Registry. The bill would also require adults or juveniles who are convicted as adults of sexually violent offenses, certain offenses against minors, or other specified crimes (covered individuals) to provide specified information to designated persons in their domicile, work, or school states for the rest of their lives (with specified exceptions). The bill would require such an individual, initially and thereafter as specified, to register with and appear before such designated persons to provide identification, home, work, school, and vehicle information and to have a photograph and fingerprints taken. [109th, S. 1086, Passed by Unanimous Consent, 5/4/06; Held at desk, 5/8/06]
Obama Passed Law Expanding Rights Of Alleged Victims of Sexual Assault. Obama sponsored a bill and voted to amend the Criminal Code of 1961 to eliminate the 48 hour time requirement after the collection of the sample in which an alleged sexual assault survivor must return to the hospital performing the sample analysis of all controlled substances and alcohol ingested by the alleged victim a signed written authorization in order to have the sample analysis performed. [93rd, HB4771, 2004, Third Reading: 5/19/2004, PA 93-0958 8/20/2004]
Obama Passed A Law To Make Administering A Date Rape Drug Aggravated Battery As Well As An Aggravating Offense To Criminal Sexual Assault. Obama sponsored a bill and voted to amend the Criminal Code of 1961 to provide that administering a controlled substance to a person without his or her consent for nonmedical purposes constitutes aggravated battery. The bill provided that delivering a controlled substance to a victim without his or her consent as part of the same course of conduct as the commission of criminal sexual assault or criminal sexual abuse is an aggravating circumstance that enhances these offenses to aggravated criminal sexual assault or aggravated criminal sexual abuse. Further amends the Criminal Code of 1961. [90th GA, SB 1224, 3R P 54-0-0, 3/24/98; HA 1 Concur P 55-0-1, 5/20/98; PA 90-0735, 8/11/98]
Obama Passed A Law to Expand the Definitions of "Sex Offender" and "Sex Offense" and Mandate Offender Disclosure. Obama sponsored a bill and voted to amend the Sex Offender Registration Act to include in the definition of "sex offender" a person who is convicted or adjudicated for a sex offense under the Uniform Code of Military Justice. The bill included in the definition of a "sex offense", a 3rd or subsequent conviction for public indecency or a conviction for custodial sexual misconduct or permitting sexual abuse of a child if these offenses are committed on or after the effective date of this amendatory Act. The bill provided that the sheriff shall disclose sex offender information to the boards of institutions of higher education or other appropriate administrative offices of each non-public institution of higher education located in the county where the sex offender is required to register, resides, or is attending an institution of higher education. [92nd GA, HB 5874, 3R P 55-0-0, 5/7/02; Adopt CC Report P 54-0-1, 5/31/03; PA 92- 0828, 8/22/02]
Obama Passed Law to Require EMS For Sexual Assault Survivors To Include Coverage For Emergency Contraception. Obama was the chief co-sponsor and voted for adding, as an additional criterion for IDPH approval for a hospital's plan for emergency services for sexual assault survivors, that the plan must provide sufficient protections from the risk of pregnancy by the sexual assault survivor. Bill requires that hospitals providing such services develop and implement protocol that ensures that each sexual assault survivor receives medically and factually accurate information about emergency contraception. [92nd GA; SB 0114; 2001; Signed into law 7/25/01, PA 92-0156]
Obama Passed a Bill Eliminating Good Behavior Time For Sex Offenders.Obama sponsored and passed a bill to amend the County Jail Good Behavior Allowance Act by stipulating that any convict may not receive time off for good behavior if he has been incarcerated for sexual assault or aggravated sexual abuse. [91st GA, SB 0485, 3/11/99, 3R P; 54-1-2; P.A. 91-0117, 7/15/99; Senate Floor Transcript, 3/11/99, p. 74]
Obama Passed Law to Extend Statute Of Limitations On Certain Sexual Offenses.Obama was the chief co-sponsor and voted for bill extending the statute of limitations for several criminal sexual offenses, including aggravated criminal sexual assault. [91st GA; HB 0329; 1999; Signed into law 8/11/99, PA 91-0475]
Obama Sponsored Illinois Senate Version Of The Bill That Would Seal Sexual Assault Victim's Records. Obama sponsored a bill that would amend the Criminal Identification Act to provide that the victim of criminal sexual assault, aggravated criminal sexual assault, predatory criminal sexual assault of a child, criminal sexual abuse, or aggravated criminal sexual abuse, may request that the State's Attorney file a petition with the trial judge to have the court records of the case sealed. The bill provided that, upon order of the court for good cause shown, the records may be made available for public inspection. [91st GA, SB 943, 1999, 3R P 58-0-0, 3/23/99, Total Veto Stands, 11/18/99]
SB 943 Was Amended To Include The Exact Bill Language Of HB 854 Before Obama Signed On As A Sponsor. Obama was the chief co-sponsor of and voted for SB 943, which would amend the Criminal Identification Act to provide that the victim of criminal sexual assault, aggravated criminal sexual assault, predatory criminal sexual assault of a child, criminal sexual abuse, or aggravated criminal sexual abuse, may request that the State's Attorney file a petition with the trial judge to have the court records of the case sealed. The bill provided that, upon order of the court for good cause shown, the records may be made available for public inspection. Obama signed onto the bill after the original language was amended to include the same language of HB 854. [91st GA, SB 943, 1999, 3R P 58-0-0, 3/23/99, Total Veto Stands, 11/18/99]
EQUAL OPPORTUNITY
Obama Passed Equal Pay Act In Illinois To Give 330,000 More Women Protection From Pay Discrimination. Obama co-sponsored and voted for the Equal Pay Act which provided that no employer may discriminate between employees on the basis of sex by paying ages solely on the basis of the employee's gender. According to the AP, the "Illinois Equal Pay Act expands the federal Equal Pay Act of 1963 to give about 330,000 more women in the state protection from gender-based discrimination in pay" by applying the law to companies that employee 4 or more people, rather than the federal standard of fifteen. Obama attended the bill signing on Mother's Day of 2003. [93rd GA; SB 0002; 2003; Signed into law, 5/11/03, PA 93-0006; AP, 5/11/03; Chicago Tribune, 5/8/03; Chicago Tribune, 5/12/03]
Obama Passed A Law To Create The Victims Economic Security And Safety Act(VESSA), Which Would Help Victims Of Abuse Seek Treatment Without Losing Their Job. Obama was the chief sponsor and voted to created the Victims' Economic Security and Safety Act. The bill provided that an employee who is a victim of domestic or sexual violence, or who has a family or household member who is a victim of domestic or sexual violence whose interests are not adverse to the employee, may take leave from work to address domestic or sexual violence by: seeking medical attention for, or recovering from, physical or psychological injuries caused by domestic or sexual violence to the employee or the employee's family or household member; obtaining services from a victim services organization for the employee or the employee's family or household member; obtaining psychological or other counseling for the employee or the employee's family or household member; participating in safety planning, temporarily or permanently relocating, or taking other actions to increase the safety of the employee or the employee's family or household member from future domestic or sexual violence or ensure economic security; or seeking legal assistance or remedies to ensure the health and safety of the employee or the employee's family or household member, including preparing for or participating in any civil or criminal legal proceeding related to or derived from domestic or sexual violence. The Chicago Tribune reported, "But VESSA, as it is known, allows time off for personal issues not covered by the FMLA and is designed to help victims keep their jobs." Obama said he sponsored the bill after being approached by several advocacy group for battered women. "They came to me and indicated how difficult it is for victims of physical and sexual abuse to deal with the repercussions of an assault and then try to balance it with work and everything else." [93rd GA; HB 3486; 3R P 58-0-0, 5/20/03; Signed into law 8/25/03, PA 93-0591; Chicago Tribune, 8/20/03; University Wire, 8/22/03]
Obama Passed Into Law a Requirement that Women And Minority Scientists/Engineers Be Represented And Consulted on Specific Technology and Science Efforts. In 2007, Obama sponsored an amendment, which became law, to the America Competes Act requiring that minorities and females be represented and consulted during the development of innovation/competitiveness strategies at the National Science and Technology Summit (NSTS), on the President's Council on Innovation and Competitiveness, and elsewhere. [S.Amdts. 923, Agreed to by unanimous consent, 4/25/07; S. 761, Incorporated into H.R. 2272, which became P.L. 110-289, 8/9/07]
Obama Passed Into Law An Amendment Creating A Mentoring Program For Women And Underrepresented Groups At DOE. In 2007, Obama sponsored an amendment, which became law, to the America Competes Act that established a mentoring program to support women and underrepresented groups as they progress through education programs proposed by the Department of Energy. The amendment was included in the final version of the bill that passed Congress and was signed into law. [S.Amdts. 905, Agreed to by unanimous consent, 4/25/07, S. 761, Incorporated into H.R. 2272, which became P.L. 110-289, 8/9/07]
McCain on Women's Issues
WOMEN’S ISSUES
McCain has voted consistently against women's health, and he supports overturning the landmark U.S. Supreme Court ruling, Roe v. Wade. Following is a summary of his positions on women's issues.
McCain Opposed Equal Pay Bill for Women, Said They ‘Need Education and Training’ Instead. McCain skipped a vote on the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act that would ensure women have the opportunity to recover back pay for discrimination once they discover it. If he had been there to vote, he said he would have voted against it and that women “need education and training” rather than an equal pay bill. The bill addressed a recent Supreme Court decision that said Steelworker Lilly Ledbetter could not recover back pay for 19 years of discrimination at Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. because she had not discovered the unequal pay until she retired. The bill would amend the 1964 Civil Rights Act to allow employees to file charges of pay discrimination within 180 days of the last received paycheck affected by the discrimination. [Source: aflcio.org; H.R. 2831, Vote 110, 4/23/08; Associated Press, 4/28/08]
McCain Voted to Gut the Family and Medical Leave Act. In 1993, before finally voting for the Family and Medical Leave Act, McCain voted to jeopardize leave for millions of workers by gutting the bill. He voted to suspend the Family and Medical Leave Act unless the federal government certified that compliance would not increase business expenses or provide financial assistance to businesses to cover any related costs. [Source: aflcio.org S.Amdt. 16, S. 5, Vote 7, 2/4/93; H.R. 1, Vote 11, 2/4/93]
Source for the following information: Planned Parenthood
McCain opposed spending $100 million to prevent unintended and teen pregnancies. In 2005, McCain voted NO to allocate $100 million to expand access to preventive health care services that reduce the numbers of unintended and teen pregnancies and reduce the number of abortions.
McCain opposed legislation requiring that abstinence-only programs be medically accurate and scientifically based.McCain voted NO on legislation that would help reduce the number of teen pregnancies by providing funding for programs to teach comprehensive, medically accurate sexuality education and other programs to prevent unintended teen pregnancies.
McCain opposed Title X, the nation's family planning program.In 1990, McCain voted NO on legislation to extend the Title X federal family planning program, which provides low-income and uninsured women and families with health care services ranging from breast and cervical cancer screening to birth control.
McCain opposed requiring insurance coverage of prescription birth control.In 2003, McCain voted NO on legislation to improve the availability of contraceptives for women and to require insurance coverage of prescription birth control.
McCain opposes comprehensive sex education.In an interview aboard the "Straight Talk Express," McCain struggled to answer questions about comprehensive sex education and HIV prevention. He also stated that he supported "the president's policy" on sex education.
McCain unsure where he stands on government funding for contraception. "Whether I support government funding for them or not, I don't know," McCain said about contraceptives.
McCain opposed repealing the "global gag rule."In 2005, McCain voted NO on legislation to overturn the "global gag rule," which bars foreign nongovernmental organizations from receiving U.S. family planning assistance if the organization (using its own, non-U.S. funds) provides abortion services or information or advocates for pro-choice laws and policies in its own country.
McCain supports overturning Roe v. Wade. In February 2007, the AP quoted McCain stating, "I do not support Roe v. Wade. It should be overturned." In May 2007, he reiterated his desire to overturn Roe v. Wade during an appearance on Meet the Press stating, "My position has been consistently in my voting record, pro-life, and I continue to maintain that position and voting record."
Democratic Voting Record Far surpasses the Republicans see below
The results? Democrats' support for the troops far surpasses that of Republicans. Democrats are all at the top, Republicans all at the bottom.
Source: http://www.blueoregon.com/2006/10/democrats_outfl.html
"...We cannot let this moment slip away. We have come too far and accomplished too much.
Now, the journey ahead will not be easy. Some will say we can't do it, that it's too hard, we're just not up to the task. But for as long as America has existed, it has been the American way to reject can't-do claims and to choose instead to stretch the boundaries of the possible through hard work, determination, and a pioneering spirit.
It is this belief, this optimism that Senator Obama and I share and that has inspired so many millions of our supporters to make their voices heard. So today I am standing with Senator Obama to say: Yes, we can!
And that together we will work -- we'll have to work hard to achieve universal health care. But on the day we live in an America where no child, no man, and no woman is without health insurance, we will live in a stronger America. That's why we need to help elect Barack Obama our president.
We'll have to work hard to get back to fiscal responsibility and a strong middle class. But on the day we live in an America whose middle class is thriving and growing again, where all Americans, no matter where they live or where their ancestors came from, can earn a decent living, we will live in a stronger America. And that is why we must help elect Barack Obama our president.
We'll have to work hard to foster the innovation that will make us energy independent and lift the threat of global warming from our children's future. But on the day we live in an America fueled by renewable energy, we will live in a stronger America. And that is why we have to help elect Barack Obama our president.
We'll have to work hard to bring our troops home from Iraq and get them the support they've earned by their service. But on the day we live in an America that's as loyal to our troops as they have been to us, we will live in a stronger America. And that is why we must help elect Barack Obama our president.
...The changes we're working for are changes that we can only accomplish together. Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness are rights that belong to us as individuals. But our lives, our freedom, our happiness are best enjoyed, best protected, and best advanced when we do work together.
That is what we will do now, as we join forces with Senator Obama and his campaign. We will make history together, as we write the next chapter in America's story. We will stand united for the values we hold dear, for the vision of progress we share, and for the country we love.
There is nothing more American than that."
Income and voting - Paul Krugman - Op-Ed Columnist - New York Times Blog: And one more before the day’s round of media stuff begins. Another weirdly persistent myth is that rich people vote Democratic, while working stiffs vote Republican. Here’s Tucker Carlson:
MYTH: Democrats win rich people. Over 100,000 in income, you are likely more than not to vote for Democrats. Rich people vote liberal. FACT: Actually, people mention this alleged fact all the time — but the truth is just the opposite. From the 2006 exit polls:
VOTE BY INCOME TOTAL Democrat Republican Less Than $100,000 (78%) 55% 43% $100,000 or More (22%) 47% 52%
Myth of Republican Fiscal Conservatism, a myth that is a fallacy that needs to be discarded for political dialog and to provide data proving this assertion.
One of the main themes of the Republican Party since 1980 has been that Democrats are profligate spenders of tax dollars, irresponsibly incurring immense debt, and that electing Republican Administrations is a simple remediation for this vexing problem. Presidents Reagan, Bush (Father) and Bush (Son) all vigorously campaigned using these arguments in their platforms. This has been repeated ad nauseum by the talk radio pundits echoing this fallacy. Repeating a lie does not make it true, even if it is believed.
Republican Administrations have accrued, more than 3 fold, the debt that Democrats have. This demonstrates that the self-applied rubric of "fiscal conservative" is not true for Republican Administration’s unless we invert the accepted meaning of these words.
What about inflation? Will the varying value of the dollar (downward sadly) skew these results unfavorably? Since I am using Fed data, I will use another government statistic to gauge inflation, the consumer price index (CPI). The basis year is 1967 as 100, which is close enough, for my argument to 1966. The data I used found 1966 at 97, and 1998 at 475. I will be generous and blame Bill Clinton for another 125 points to be tacked onto the Bush years since 2001 to total 600 (a nice Rovian touch). Thus the initial Democratic debt in 1966, in 2006 dollars is 1.8 trillion which when added to the unadjusted since 1966 dollars totals 3.6 trillion. This is still a long way short of the Republican debt of 6.4 trillion dollars of just six Republican Administrations (Nixon, Ford, Reagan, Bush I, Bush II).
These results demonstrate the mendacious nature of the assertion of Republican Fiscal Conservatism. What does this bode for the republic? I cannot tell since I am not clairvoyant; however, in the known history of the world a debt this large has never been paid off.http://www.lewrockwell.com/giles/giles14.html
And the fact that people with higher incomes are more likely to vote Republican has been consistently true since 1972. The interesting question is why so many pundits know for a fact something that simply ain’t so.
http://delong.typepad.com/sdj/2007/10/paul-krugman-in.html
Democratic and Republican presidents over the past half-century have presided over dramatically different patterns of income growth. On average, the real incomes of middle- class families have grown twice as fast under Democrats as they have under Republicans, while the real incomes of working poor families have grown six times as fast under Democrats as they have under Republicans. These substantial partisan differences persist even after allowing for differences in economic circumstances and historical trends beyond the control of individual presidents. They suggest that escalating inequality is not simply an inevitable economic trend— and that a great deal of economic inequality in the contemporary United States is specifically attributable to the policies and priorities of Republican presidents.
When a Republican president is in power, people at the top of the income distribution experience much larger real income gains than those at the bottom--a difference of 1.5 percent per year going from the bottom to the top quintile in the income distribution. 1948 to 2005http://economistsview.typepad.com/economistsview/2008/04/the-presidents.html
also see http://www.libertyunbound.com/archive/2004_11/bradford-spending.html
http://www.eriposte.com/economy/tax/tax_n_spend_truths.htm
There is no question and a lot of mathematical proof that the steepest upward rises in debt since the end of World War II, started with President Reagan and continued with other so called Neo-Conservatives. http://www.cedarcomm.com/~stevelm1/usdebt.htm
Rich ARE getting richer under repubs. http://bigpicture.typepad.com/comments/2006/06/the_increasing_.html
http://www.princeton.edu/~bartels/income.pdf
Get ready and be prepared - there are endless rumors, inuendos and downright lies being circulated throught the internet and by word of mouth around the country. Get ready to respond to these by educating yourself on the suppositions and the actual facts:
FACT CHECK - Barack Obama's website http://factcheck.barackobama.com/
Those Nasty Spam Emails Debunked http://www.snopes.com/politics/obama/obama.asp
MYTH: Obama is a Radical Muslim
FACT: Obama is a practicing Christian and has never been a practicing Muslim
MYTH: Obama won't say, or doesn't know the Pledge of Allegiance
FACT: Obama has led the Senate numerous times in the Pledge of Allegience as well as countless other times in other venues including Illinois.
There are COUNTLESS MYTHS DEBUNKED BY hard facts on the snopes site. Check them out: http://www.snopes.com/politics/obama/obama.asp
