For me it's a tough one.
I see these as the top four, but I'm wondering if some other people can help me out with this crucial day to day potential debate winning topic... I hear McCain supporters use this as ammo, and I want people to be prepared for this question, and I want more answers from you, if you're reading.
Please let me know if you have anything to add to the list....
1. On September 8, 2006, a tide-turning law was passed in congress. While the Bush/Cheney administration continued to slash provisions that would allow for any accountability for anything the government or financial institutions did, the "Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act" passed in congress.
The Transparency Act is a law written by Republican Senator Tom Coburn (Oklahoma) and Barack Obama (Illinois). The passing of Obama and Coburn's Transparency Act requires all federal contracts be made transparent and available online to the public. The bill required the building of a Google-like search engine and database to track approximately $1 trillion in federal grants, contracts, earmarks and loans to be made available to the American public.
2. At 31 years old, coming from Harvard Law school, while he could be looking for work at a successful law firm or as a federal judge, Barack Obama shifted Chicago's voter landscape and directed one of the most effective political campaigns for decades - <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Px1Ut433xPU" target="blank">Project Vote</a>. At the time, Project Vote a small organization that instead of using money as a motivator (which most voter registration drives used, yielding high registrations but no votes), organized and mobilized more than 20 congregations of insistent citizens to do what insistent citizens do best - confront people with the issues. In 1992, project vote helped to register more than 150,000 new voters in the Chicago area alone. Because of Project Vote, the number of new voter registrations before the election hit an all-time record high. Regardless of whether Project Vote had anything to do with helping Clinton beat the incumbent George Bush, (Bush won Illinois in '88, but Clinton won in '92) this record voter turn-out changed the electoral landscape for Illinois.
Additionally, previous to project vote, at 24 years old, Obama was the director of DCP (Developing Communities Project), a church-based community organization helping poor and disadvantaged black residents on Chicago's South Side.
During the 3 years he was director of DCP he grew the organization from a staff of 1 to 13, increased the budget from $70,000 to $400,000, and put together a job training program, a college preparatory tutoring program, and a tenants' rights organization.
3. Obama, as an Illinois State Senator, spoke out against the Iraq war since before it happened, and continued to do so in anti-war rallies leading up to the US lead invasion of Iraq. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sXzmXy226po">Watch this interview</a> . Although he didn't have the merit badge of being a US Senator yet in time to make his voice count in a congressional vote, what counts to me is that he wasn't just against it, he spoke with foresight and perspective of the larger picture. In a dangerous world, To quote the New York Times, "Americans need a president who knows that real strength requires serious thought and preparation". Obama's unpopular judgement on Iraq in 2002 could have saved this country from a lot of unpopular misery from 2003-present.
Obama was elected to the Illinois state Senate in 1996, when Democrats were in the minority. During his time as an Illinois Senator, Obama wrote more than 800 bills
One of Senator Barack Obama's top accomplishments, although many people find it difficult to quantify,is standing up and making things happen for the better. Support for Barack Obama in the United States is rekindling respect for the United States around the globe. This is not because he somehow became "the world's biggest celebrity" by chance. Barack Obama stands for the United States people standing up against the policies of George W. Bush, who made poor decisions based on poor judgment, giving the United States of America a badly tarnished image around the world. Bush wasn't -always- wrong, but he was wrong more than he was right. I believe one of Obama's top accomplishments (which might still yet be an unwritten story...) is standing up to the policies of George W Bush.
Furthermore, for me, what Barack Obama stands for is a vote for revamping the system that has been fueled by greed instead of prosperity for the majority.
Please add to this list if you'd like to. Thank you.
A few things strike me. I still hear Obama referred to as a "do-nothing-senator". You'd think people would look this information up before making a complete fool of themselves and try to bolster support for McCain by comparing Senate records.. Lets look at this, shall we?
I was looking at John McCain's Committee membership and see he is a member of only the Committee and subcommittees on Armed Services, Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation and he's a member of the Committee on Indian Affairs.
If John McCain is running for president...
Why isn't he a member of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs??
That's a pretty important Committee. Barack Obama is a member.
Why isn't McCain a member of the Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs?? Obama is.
Why isn't McCain a member of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, or the subcommittees on either European Affairs, African Affairs, East Asian Affairs or Pacific Affairs? Guess who is? Yep, Barack Obama.
McCain has sponsored 537 bills since 1993, a rate of 35.8 bills a year.
Obama has sponsored 136 bills since 2005, a rate of 45.3 bills a year.
McCain has co-sponsored 1232 bills since 1993, a rate of 82.13 bills a year.
Obama has co-sponsored 659 bills since 2005, a rate of 219 bills a year.
Barack Obama missed 301 of 1282 roll call votes (23%) since Jan 6, 2005
John McCain missed 733 of 4099 roll call votes (18%) since Feb 4, 1993
Both of these percentages are quite high, but a look at the missed votes by month for both candidates (<a href="http://www.govtrack.us/congress/person.xpd?id=300071&tab=votes" target="blank">McCain</a>, <a href="http://www.govtrack.us/congress/person.xpd?id=400629&tab=votes" target="blank">Obama</a>) clearly indicates that their presidential campaign has driven them both to miss more than a majority of votes since 2007. It is staggering to note that when you add up McCain's missed votes since Obama took a seat in the Senate, McCain has missed 39.7% of roll call votes.
And with that in mind,
John McCain has sponsored 38 pieces of legislation this term.
Barack Obama has sponsored 129 pieces of legislation this term.
Call Obama a do-nothing Senator one more time, McCain. I love watching you try to keep a straight face while you try to detract the country from how you fall short miserably.
source - www.govtrack.us.
Did you know that McCain's chosen VP, Sarah Palin from Alaska has gone on the record, supporting Obama's judgement on energy policy over McCain's and expressing excitement that Obama was pulling ahead in her homestate???
<a href="http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0808/Palin_praisesObama.html" target="blank">j</a><a href="http://www.ireport.com/docs/DOC-71266" target="blank">u</a><a href="http://adventurebooks.newsvine.com/_news/2008/08/30/1807216-sarah-palins-own-words-speak-for-themselves-she-supports-obamas-call-for-change" target="blank">s</a><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/08/30/palin-was-excited-that-ob_n_122632.html" target="blank">t</a> <a href="http://www.newyorker.com/talk/2008/09/08/080908ta_talk_gourevitch" target="blank">w</a><a href="http://www.gov.state.ak.us/archive-59841.html" target="blank">o</a><a href="http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008103325_alaskatax07.html" target="blank">n</a><a href="http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/politics/2008147909_palinsidebar30.html" target="blank">d</a><a href="http://digg.com/2008_us_elections/Palin_Supports_Obama_s_Energy_Plan_but_don_t_tell_anyone" target="blank">e</a><a href="http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2008/08/29/1304936.aspx" target="blank">r</a><a href="http://www.newyorker.com/talk/2008/09/08/080908ta_talk_gourevitch/">ing</a>.
(you wont want to miss any of those links above, especially the last one.)
Palin did question Obama's proposal to tax oil company profits... <a href="http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4182/is_19961010/ai_n10099532" target="blank">because the state of Alaska's JACKPOT is windfall tax from oil profits!!!</a> No brainer.
Not taxing oil profits might be reallllly good for the state of Alaska, but not so good for the rest of the country who rely on other industries that have been completely neglected and not offered the incentives and loop holes available for oil companies. This is a big "screw you" to blue collar workers who don't work for the oil industry. Palin might be "experienced with working in the energy business" but that doesn't mean she's not in tight with the oil business no matter how hard the McCain camp tries to spin her away from it... her self-before country politically charged stance on windfall taxes are a crystal clear demonstration of exactly why she is a pawn of the oil industry, and not the "she-maverick" the McCain camp is trying to paint her out to be.
Palin claims: “Windfall profits taxes alone prevent additional investment in domestic production. Without new supplies from American reserves, our dependency and addiction to foreign sources of oil will continue,” A strong talking point for Republicans is their believe that stubbornly not taxing profits REGARDLESS of economic situations (believe me we have an economic SITUATION) reduce the incentive to invest in industries... TOTAL BS. Oil is a COMMODITY. Currently, our country completely relies on it. believe me, there is incentive to get involved with the oil industry. If you ask me, Windfall profits taxes ENCOURAGE technological developments and advancements in streamlining our economy instead of putting our economy in molasses thick stalemate. It places incentive and encourages investments on ALTERNATIVES to relying on Oil PERIOD. Windfall taxes encourage advancement and... you guessed it.... change.
If Obama did implement windfall tax on oil profits he would prevent oil companies from being able to bump up the price because of the tax, something Palin wasn't able to do when she originally voted to (HELLO) raise taxes on oil profits in August 2006 because she wasn't also president of the country. Bush allowed speculators AND oil companies to raise prices with the taxes taken into account, which raised Alaska's gas prices after she voted FOR the tax. All of this will come out to the public eye soon. I certainly hope Obama makes a point of this before McCain can try to spin it. I can only imagine it's comin' big time.
Obama knocked the ball out of the park on Thursday. Both Bidens as well as John Kerry knocked it out the night before.
So then.. McCain tries to steal the thunder by announcing his VP pick the day after Obama's historic nomination acceptance speech at the DNC, which undeniably detracted from people otherwise going to the news to see recaps. Nice, McCain, I gotta hand it to ya.. you DO know how to play politics. BUT. considering the fact that McCain's most significant talking point against Obama is a so-called "lack of experience", McCain's decision to pick an unknown, completely inexperienced VP, this choice displays just one thing: political panic.
Well... not to mention gender based manipulation, irresponsibility, and politically motivated judgement to benefit John McCain, and not the United States.
I can't speak for women, but I find his pick horridly insulting. It's all the guise of exalting women in leadership... which I don't argue, is a good thing. My woman boss is easily the best boss I've ever had. I have no idea what her wage is but It certainly BETTER be higher than any male boss I've ever had. But even she, who is on the fence politically couldn't help bringing this topic up with me first thing Friday morning, expressing her complete disgust with both McCain for selling out women and insulting their ability to follow politics enough to care about the issues, but also she was utterly sickened by Palin for accepting to be such an obvious pawn. I have to agree completely, I can't see how this pick won't backfire.
He'll probably forget her name publicly and call her Michelle or something. (he met her in person ONCE before choosing her as VP)
If I were a McCain supporter I might be blind to the fact that putting this inexperienced pawn into a vice presidential position demonstrates extremely poor judgement as it's a terribly irresponsible decision, but I really don't think McCain supporters are blind.
