Ok THIS IS 150% a good post today. I blogged about the candidates not being here in FLorida and low and behold they show up here on monday and tuesday ...YOU GUYS LISTEN LOL
I saw Hillary today and she was great in FORT LAUDERDALE.
SO heres what happened in Fort LAUDERDALE TODay..Early voting started..so after the Hilary rally i went across the street to vote early at the main library..the line was in the hundreds out the doo... I HAVENEVER EVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE IT.... so I decided to go to a local branch near by house... cars everywhere.. people lined up to the street..waiting time 4 hours... so i say WHAT THE HELL this is unbelievable is everybody this fired up? so i go to Wilton manors to vote same thing lines to the street waiting time in hours not minutes... so i run do my errands and say ill go back at 4 .. at 4 pm same lines and now they are posting the line wait outside as 2 hours forty minutes... at the same time i arrive at the voting place about 30 other poeple do and all of us decide to come back tomorrow ... which I will do...
but heres the best thing... It wasnt islotaed on the news it was like that EVERYWHERE..
and People arent waiting in line for 4 hours for more of the same so i would say its 90% or more obama voters ... better yet i bought an obam button at the hillary function and everyone that saw me when i went shopping to the market and other places asked me if i voted and how fired up they were about voting for obama ... i mean if there was a Mccain votr anywhere near they never showed themselves and the register clerk at walgreens and publix both said they were first time voters and voting for obama and they were in their 40's... I REALLY DO NOT THINK THE POLLS ARE REFLECTING HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE GOING TO VOTE THAT NEVER VOTe and all of them today were voting for obama in Broward County Florida..
SO THIS IS A 150 % great day in fort LAuderdale for BArrack.. GREAT JOB BRINGING HILLARY HERE they playedd inall over the news ... and IN MY ENTIRE LIFE I HAV NEVER SEEN SO MANY PEOPLE COME OUT WITH ONE PURPOSE TO VOTE.. TO VOTE FOR BARRACK..
GREAT JOB OBAMA CAMPAIGN ..IT LOOKS REAL GOOD HERE REALLY GOOD..and if you read my other blogs you know im not a RAH RAH..lol
To My Fellow American,
We environmentalist have been fighting long and hard the last eight years to make sure that our environment, the environment we will pass down to our children, grandchildren and greatgrandchildren is still a good and healthy environment with nature given a chance to flourish and man right with nature because we are a part of nature.We environmentalist and conservationists are not anti business or industry. We need to work, and we also like to have our cars and other things that businesses and industries make and sell just like anyone else, but we have to sometime just slow down and stop and think, do we need to pollute that river or kill those animals or worsen global warming to help business. There are ways that we can help business and not harm our environment.
John McCain, it seemed like the last few years has seemed to change his attitue concerning the environment. Before 2000, McCain was a very traditional Conservative Republican Senator from Arizona. After losing in two thousand to Bush, he seemed to pull a different attitude especially towards the environment. He and Sen. Lieberman wrote a bill to help combat global warming. Although it was a weak bill it still was a bill to get things started. Lateley he seems to be going back to his old ways. The League of Conservation Voters lifetime score for John McCain is a low 24%. The best score he has recieved from that organiations was from the early 2000"s of 53%, which is not a great score either. McCain's stance on off shore drilling certainly doesn't say that he is a strong environmental advocate. McCain'sstance on nuclear energy is a little worrismoe too. Nuclear does not add any pollution to global warming there is always the concerns of a meltdown is always justified. If you asked anyone at the Department of Energy what are the chances of a meltdown, they might answer not as high as it was in the seventies with three mile island but it certainly isn't zero either. Plus the question of what we do with the spent fuel afterwards id a question that the answer is still being sought out. McCains is against the spent fuel rods from going through Arizona on its way to Yucca Mountain in Nevada. What does that tell you? I have my doubts about Nuclear. I am not against it, I just have my reservation about it.
Several months ago, John McCain, after recieving a big endorsement check from the oil companies, is when John McCain seemed to change his stance on the subject of drilling off shore 180 degrees.Therefore, I am taking everything that McCain says, especially on the subject of the environment, with a grain of salt.
I am voicing my concern regarding voters who are voting by absentee ballot through the mail and, where their state requires it, do not send in a copy of ID, and subsequently their vote will not be counted. This may only apply to first-time voters, of which Obama has recruited many, or others as well. I don't know.I first became aware of this after listening to Greg Palast and Bobby Kennedy, Jr. speak on Amy Goodman's show, Democracy Now!, which aired on Thursday October 9th. Greg Palast is the investigative journalist reporting on this crucial matter. Here is a short excerpt, the third paragraph is crucial:GREG PALAST: Altogether, an estimated 100,000 black voters in just one swing state, Indiana, will lose their vote to the new law. Now what we see is a nationwide kind of Floridation of the nation, under something called the Help America Vote Act, because, you know, Bush is now trying to help us vote. It’s under the Help America Vote Act, where it’s like a whole series of things. So we have the mass purges. We have new ID laws. How many new voters in America that have just signed up and all of those Obamaniacs realize that if you mail in your ballot on a first-time vote, almost every state requires you to also include a photocopy of your government ID? Obama is going to lose a million votes from absentee ballots which are mailed in without ID. It’s a new requirement. They don’t tell you that. In some cases, like Kentucky, you’ve got to serve—you have to notarize it. I mean, it’s completely out of control, the mass purging. Here is the link http://www.democracynow.org/2008/10/9/greg_palast_on_vote_rigging_andI feel strongly it is something for the lawyers for Obama to investigate. Please pass on to the legal department! It must be addressed nationwide, not just New Mexico.
Now what we see is a nationwide kind of Floridation of the nation, under something called the Help America Vote Act, because, you know, Bush is now trying to help us vote. It’s under the Help America Vote Act, where it’s like a whole series of things. So we have the mass purges. We have new ID laws.
How many new voters in America that have just signed up and all of those Obamaniacs realize that if you mail in your ballot on a first-time vote, almost every state requires you to also include a photocopy of your government ID? Obama is going to lose a million votes from absentee ballots which are mailed in without ID. It’s a new requirement. They don’t tell you that. In some cases, like Kentucky, you’ve got to serve—you have to notarize it. I mean, it’s completely out of control, the mass purging.
Here is the link http://www.democracynow.org/2008/10/9/greg_palast_on_vote_rigging_and
When I ended up at the wrong debate watching party (hosted by [shudder] Republicans), I saw that the signs they held said "Ticket for Change." Now where had I heard that word before? Watching the debate tonight I see just how much they want to copy the Democrat's principles, until after the election of course. Why, to listen to Mrs. Sarah (would you keep your baby up till Midnight for a TV OP??) you would think there really wasn't one bit of difference between the Republicans (oops, they are calling themselves GOP now, and if you mention Bush you are looking backward, but if you mention past voting records, that is looking forward--huh?). Anyway, I am posting here the letter I sent to newspapers through this web site, not regarding the debate but regarding McCain/Palin's continued claims that they are the new GOP Party (Grand OLD Party Party), and they will do in the next four years what Republicans have never done in the 40 plus years I have been alive. Here's the letter:
DeRegulation helped to create the financial mess thru which we are suffering and will suffer for some time. John McCain has always supported DeRegulation, all through his long career. Just last month he said he would deregulate the health care industry "as we have done over the last decade in banking."
I work in the health care industry, and have for 40 years. I've seen insurance companies, part of the financial corporate structure of America, line their pockets while people went bankrupt or died trying to afford needed health care. John McCain is now proposing we give insurance companies free reign, we give health care prices our blessing to continue to rise to the point that only the rich will be able to afford health care.
To show you how out of touch John McCain is, John is now proposing a $5000 per year benefit to cover health insurance. With minimal insurance running about $500 per month, that's the basics, and when I say basic I mean a few doctor visits a year and high co-payments and nothing for catastrophic care. Employer based health benefits, which will disappear with the McCain health proposal, pay upwards of $10,000 per year for health care that covers hospitalization, medications, tests and some aspects of rehabilitation. Let me tell you, I have seen firsthand what "Basic Health" covers. I had a patient with a double amputation of her legs that couldn't get rehabilitation because it was not a benefit.
We need change in health care, but it is not in providing more for the rich and less for the poor and middle class. We need a comprehensive plan that provides health care for every child, and support for businesses that want to keep their employees healthy without themselves going broke. Trickle Down Economics doesn't work, and neither does Trickle Down Health Care.
McCain tries over and over again to distance himself from Bush and the last eight years of Republican Rule. But to define the Republican idea of change you have to look at how Republicans change things. They changed us from a nation respected throughout the world to a country reviled and mistrusted everywhere. They changed us from a nation other countries turned to in times of need for financial assistance to a nation owing trillions of dollars to China (a communist State). They changed us from a nation with a strong working middle class that made America strong to a nation with a widening gap between the rich and the poor, with the dwindling of the middle class. They changed us from a nation that understood the Geneva Convention and took the moral high ground of refusing to torture prisoners to a nation that imprisons without charge or trial and then tortures without conscience. It took us from a nation that worked with other nations and with diplomacy to avoid war first to a nation that pre-emptively strikes a sovereign foreign nation without cause and without the support of our allies.
I'd rather not sign on to McCain's version of change. I'll take Senator Barack Obama and Senator Joe Biden's version of change, because they have spelled out and defended what they would do for America. I'll look at their record for myself and not just believe the lies the Republicans tell with unblinking eyes looking directly at you. I've been watching Republicans for many years. If McCain and Palin represent change, why have we not seen it before August of 2008?
Vote for real change!! (not a co-opted slogan). Vote for Barack Obama and Joe Biden.
Nanci L. Warner, RN
Washington
From CNN: Fact Check: Does McCain almost always agree with Bush?
Does McCain almost always agree with Pres. Bush?.
The Statement:
At a presidential debate Friday, September 26, in Oxford, Mississippi, Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama attempted to tie Republican opponent Sen. John McCain to President Bush. "John, it's been your president, who you said you agreed with 90 percent of the time, who presided over this increase in spending," he said.
The Facts:
According to an analysis by Congressional Quarterly, McCain has voted for bills favored by President Bush 90 percent of the time. The nonpartisan publication, which has analyzed voting by members of Congress since 1953, said the report took into account all legislation that Bush had taken a clear position on. It spans from the beginning of Bush's term to Congress's recess in August.
In the 100-member Senate, 14 current members — all Republicans — voted with Bush more than 90 percent of the time, according to the report. Six others have a 90 percent rating like McCain's. The report shows Obama voting with Bush 40 percent of the time and his running mate, Sen. Joe Biden, voting with Bush 52 percent of the time during the course of his presidency.
Obama surrogates also frequently say McCain voted with Bush 95 percent of the time. This is a reference to the Republican senator's record in 2007. That was the highest percentage in the seven years studied. In 2005, McCain voted with Bush 77 percent of the time — his lowest percentage in those years. "The president and I agree on most issues," McCain said in a May 22, 2003 interview on Fox's "Your World with Neil Cavuto." "There was a recent study that showed that I voted with the president over 90 percent of the time, higher than a lot of my even Republican colleagues."
Verdict: True
If Obama and Biden do not go to Washington this week, especially if they miss the Vote on the Toxic Bail-Out, my family will be extremely disappointed. I would think that he could prepare for the first Debate there as well as in Florida. I don't think any of the Rallys and Discussions would object to some special advisor shows up instead when the economy needs immediate attention.
I also expect that Palin will not leave the campaign trail to waste electioniering time on something like a fiancial crisis, which shows what I've observed of her. Even if McCain shows up, it will only point out how many votes of importance he showed up for: talk about "voting present".
What do you think ?
How can Obama brag about his voting record when, according to the Washington Post, "Barack Obama has missed 295 votes (45.9%) during the current Congress"?
I thought that's what we elected our senators and congressmen to do....represent their constituency!
Vote yes or vote no.....but VOTE!
I hate to repeat myself again but Biden and Obama need to quit reminding the nation what a great guy McCain is. If I hear Biden tell me one more time that McCain is a friend and a nice guy I may have to vote for the slimy Republican. I do trust Joe Biden's opinion.
This campaign needs to hit harder on the fact that McCain wanted to privatize social security and give another windfall to Wall Street. They need to bring out McCain's voting record and the Keating Five scenario. They should not squander this opportunity. They need to start naming names on his staff. They need to bring up Phil Gramm more often......maybe everyday!!
This campaign needs to bring McCain's voting record regarding veterans .minimum wage, equal pay for equal work and deregulation of the corporate criminals.
Let's get this show on the road. Tell the truth and tell it often. All the opposition can do is tell a lie and tell it often but we know that works too. If truth prevails then its time to scream it from the rooftops before it is too late.
BARACK OBAMA ON MILITARY FAMILIES & VETERANS
BARACK OBAMA WILL LISTEN TO MILITARY FAMILIES
Restoring educational opportunities for veterans and military families
Barack Obama co-sponsored the GI Bill for the 21st Century, re-establishing America's sacred trust to never forget the service and sacrifice of our military. The bill includes a transferability feature for spouse or child education, allowing members to use the benefit while continuing to serve and alleviating a significant burden for military families who want to get ahead.
Easing the burden of multiple deployments
Obama will establish regularity in deployments so families will know what to expect. He will increase dwell time between deployments to allow military families to spend more time together. Finally, he will fight for additional support for military families who are struggling to cope with long separations by increasing mental health services for military families.
Modernizing our military health care system
Obama sponsored and pushed through legislation supporting screenings for Traumatic Brain Injuries for all military personnel returning from OIF and OEF. He voted in favor of extending Tricare benefits and reimbursements, saving them from scheduled cuts that were tied to Medicare decreases.
Protecting military families from predatory lending
Obama voted in favor of an amendment to the bankruptcy bill that would help protect active duty, veterans, and National Guard members and their families from financial scams and predatory lending.
Lighten the Burdens on Our Brave Troops and Their Families
An Obama administration will create a Military Families Advisory Board to provide a conduit for military families' concerns to be brought to the attention of senior policymakers and the public. Obama will end the Bush administration's stop-loss policy and establish predictability in deployments so that active duty and reserves know what they can and must expect.
Improve Mental Health Treatment:
Obama will improve mental health care at every stage of military service. He will recruit more health professionals, improve screening, offer more support to families and make PTSD benefits claims fairer.
Expand Vet Centers:
Obama will expand and strengthen Vet Centers to provide more counseling for vets and their families.
Compare this to John McCain's Record on Veterans and Military Families
· Voted against Webb amendment calling for adequate troop rest between deployments.
· Opposed the new GI Bill and failed to show up for the vote on the proposal
· Voted against an amendment providing an additional $20 billion to VA medical facilities.
· He was one of only 13 Senators voting against a VA bill for $430 million outpatient care and treatment funding for veterans
· Voted against closing corporate loopholes to increase VA funding by $1.5 billion
· Voted against closing "abusive tax loopholes" to increase VA funding by $1.8 billion
· McCain has only a 20% rating from Disabled Veterans of America and received a D from the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America.
I came to this year’s Presidential race somewhat apathetic and believed that neither Party really represented my views. Both Candidates now have had their opportunity to voice what they believe in and how they would spend the next four years as President.
As Thomas Paine said 232 years ago, "These are the times that try men's souls." We each have a personal responsibility to ourselves and to our children to maintain our democracy by casting our ballot on Election Day.
The Republican Party spent at least 50% of their time this past week highlighting Mr. McCain’s heroic experience as a POW. From my personal count, Mr. McCain mentioned the phrase “POW” no less than 46 times during his acceptance speech. They spent 99% of their time touting their military expertise and applauding the Iraqi “surge” with the other 1% on “drill, baby,drill.”
So, let’s look at the facts and determine who is really the most naïve on foreign policy and supporting our troops and our Country.
In Mr. McCain’s Acceptance Speech for the Republican Party, he stated: “ I’ve fought for the right strategy and more troops in Iraq, when it wasn't a popular thing to do.”
Fact 1. On November 29, 2002 on CNN’s Late Edition, Sen. McCain said, "We’re not going to get into house-to-house fighting in Baghdad. We may have to take out buildings, but we’re not going to have a bloodletting of trading American bodies for Iraqi bodies....I don’t think it’s easy, but I believe that we can win an overwhelming victory in a very short period of time."
In contrast, Obama made a prominent speech around the same time, October 2, 2002, in which he said, "But I also know that Saddam poses no imminent and direct threat to the United States, or to his neighbors, that the Iraqi economy is in shambles, that the Iraqi military a fraction of its former strength, and that in concert with the international community he can be contained until, in the way of all petty dictators, he falls away into the dustbin of history. "I know that even a successful war against Iraq will require a U.S. occupation of undetermined length, at undetermined cost, with undetermined consequences. I know that an invasion of Iraq without a clear rationale and without strong international support will only fan the flames of the Middle East, and encourage the worst, rather than best, impulses of the Arab world, and strengthen the recruitment arm of Al-Qaeda." Obama correctly foresaw the consequences of the biggest foreign policy blunder in American history.
DO ANY OF US TAKE AWAY THE COURAGE IT TOOK MR. OBAMA TO STATE THESE LOGICAL WORDS DURING THIS TIME OF EXTREME EMOTION AND PAIN FOR THE AMERICAN PEOPLE? This is the mark of a true leader and something that cannot be forgotten.
Fact 2. Where does Mr. McCain really stand on supporting our Country, our Troops, and the American people?
John McCain skipped close to a dozen votes on Iraq, and on at least another 10 occasions, he voted against arming and equipping our troops, providing adequate rest for the troops between deployments and for health care or other benefits for our Veterans. This compilation is thanks to the website: http://www.veteransforcommonsense.org
a. September 2007: McCain voted against the Webb amendment calling for adequate troop rest between deployments. At the time, nearly 65% of people polled in a CNN poll indicted that "things are going either moderately badly or very badly in Iraq.
b. July 2007: McCain voted against a plan to drawdown troop levels in Iraq. At the time, an ABC poll found that 63% thought the invasion was not worth it, and a CBS News poll found that 72% of respondents wanted troops out within 2 years.
c. March 2007: McCain was too busy to vote on a bill that would require the start of a drawdown in troop levels within 120 days with a goal of withdrawing nearly all combat troops within one year. Around this time, an NBC News poll found that 55% of respondents indicated that the US goal of achieving victory in Iraq is not possible. This number has not moved significantly since then.
d. February 2007: For such a strong supporter of the escalation, McCain didn’t even bother to show up and vote against a resolution condemning it. However, at the time a CNN poll found that only 16% of respondents wanted to send more troops to Iraq (that number has since declined to around 10%), while 60% said that some or all should be withdrawn. This number has since gone up to around 70%.
e. June 2006: McCain voted against a resolution that Bush start withdrawing troops but with no timeline to do so.
f. May 2006: McCain voted against an amendment that would provide $20 million to the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) for health care facilities.
g. April 2006: McCain was one of only 13 Senators to vote against $430,000,000 for the Department of Veteran Affairs for Medical Services for outpatient care and treatment for veterans.
h. March 2006: McCain voted against increasing Veterans medical services funding by $1.5 billion in FY 2007 to be paid for by closing corporate tax loopholes.
i. March 2004: McCain once again voted for abusive tax loopholes over veterans when he voted against creating a reserve fund to allow for an increase in Veterans' medical care by $1.8 billion by eliminating abusive tax loopholes. Jeez, McCain really loves those tax loopholes for corporations, since he voted for them over our veterans' needs.
j. October 2003: McCain voted to table an amendment by Senator Dodd that called for an additional $322,000,000 for safety equipment for United States forces in Iraq and to reduce the amount provided for reconstruction in Iraq by $322,000,000.
k. April 2003: McCain urged other Senate members to table a vote (which never passed) to provide more than $1 billion for National Guard and Reserve equipment in Iraq related to a shortage of helmets, tents, bullet-proof inserts, and tactical vests.
l. August 2001: McCain voted against increasing the amount available for medical care for veterans by $650,000,000. To his credit, he also voted against the 2001 Bush tax cuts, which he now supports making permanent, despite the dire financial condition this country is in, and despite the fact that he indicated in 2001 that these tax cuts unfairly benefited the very wealthy at the expense of the middle class.
So there it is. John McCain is a former military veteran who likes to talk a big game when it comes to having the support of the military. Yet, time and time again, he has gone out of his way to vote against the needs of those who are serving in our military. If he can’t even see his way to actually doing what the troops want, or what the veterans need, and his record clearly shows this, then how can he be a credible commander in chief?
We have many veterans who were not able to come home, marry into great wealth that funded the beginning of a political career. We are proud of Mr. McCain for his good fortune. However, our great Country has veterans who have lost their families, their jobs, their homes when they returned from service. They need medical care, and cannot get it. They need education, and are denied.
No one that I know would ever take this away from Mr. McCain his POW status and we all applaud him as a hero from a war nearly 50 years ago. But just using one period of his life as the common theme should not be considered the entirety of his ability to run the Free World. Clearly, his record shows he is not.
John McCain's Time for Action tour arrived in New Orleans Thursday, where McCain toured the hurricane-damaged 9th Ward and criticized both the Bush Administration and Congress for its handling of the disaster. Lamenting the pace of recovery, McCain said, "I want to assure you it will never happen again in this country. You have my commitment and my promise."
But McCain's record on Hurricane Katrina suggests that he was part of the problem, not the solution. McCain was on Face the Nation on August 28, 2005, as Katrina gathered in the Gulf Coast. He said nothing about it. One day later, when Katrina made landfall in Louisiana, McCain was on a tarmac at Luke Air Force Base in Arizona, greeting President Bush with a cake in celebration of McCain's 69th birthday. Three days later, with the levees already breached and New Orleans filling with water, McCain's office released a three-sentence statement urging Americans to support the victims of the hurricane.
While out reading the latest news/blog sites daily, one comment caught my eye. It was in response to an article talking about some asking exactly what Obama's record was or something... the point is that the article was negative, but the commentor, instead of using words like McCain't or McSame and attacking with passion, simply provided FACTS about McCain's record to refute and discredit the actual claims by the article.
I've been thinking about how easy it is to want to McName "their" candidate when you get riled up by completely moronic posts, blogs and articles about Obama. I freely admit my guilt in doing it. However, I have come to the point where I realize that when you do so, it just just shuts down your intended audience.
If the goal is to educate the unenlightened -- to give them some sound facts with which they may weigh the issues and the candidates -- starting your post or comment with McMoron is like saying Yo' Momma... and expecting the kid on the playground to stand there and listen. It's just not going to happen. And, I am beginning to believe, it only serves to fuel the claim that Obama's supporters are a bunch of temper tantrum, name-calling kids.
Given that I am well over 50 years old, I know I'm not, but I have come to the conclusion that I will avoid McNaming McCain. And where I am going on this is to give you the information I read and realized was the more POWERFUL way to fight the smears and lies out there. The FACTS, just the FACTS. His record speaks for itself.
I reposted those facts but their author had not included a name that I could credit... but after I vetted some of these, I felt compelled to get it all out there as fodder for informing the public.
(from my blog at http://nobushthirdterm.com/mccains-voting-record)
In case anyone has forgotten what McCain does or doesn’t support, stop listening to ads and take a look at his VOTING RECORD. Actions speak louder than words.
8/2/07 Vote 307: H R 976: Expansion of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program. The bill increases total funding for the program to $60 billion over the next five years and provides health insurance for 9 million currently uninsured American children.
July 29, 2005, H. R. 6; Energy Policy Act of 2005 - The bill called for increase use of alternative fuels such as ethanol and offered incentives for development of alternative energy sources (such as wind and solar), tax breaks for hybrid cars, construction of more energy efficient buildings.
3/13/08 Vote 49: S CON RES 70: Salazar Amdt. No. 4196 as Modified; To reform the estate tax to avoid subjecting thousands of families, family businesses, and family farms and ranches to the estate tax.
9/20/07 Vote 343: H R 1585: Boxer Amdt. No. 2947; To reaffirm strong support for all the men and women of the United States Armed Forces and to strongly condemn attacks on the honor, integrity, and patriotism of any individual who is serving or has served honorably in the United States Armed Forces, by any person or organization.
9/19/07 Vote 341: H R 1585: Webb Amdt. No. 2909; To specify minimum periods between deployment of units and members of the Armed Forces deployed for Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom.
9/19/07 Vote 340: On the Cloture Motion: Motion to Invoke Cloture on the Specter Amdt. No. 2022; To restore habeas corpus for those detained by the United States.
Vote 307: H R 976: H.R.976 As Amended; Small Business Tax Relief Act of 2007 - The bill increases total funding for the State Children’s Health Insurance Program to $60 billion over the next five years and provides health insurance for 9 million currently uninsured American children, paid for by a 61-cent increase in the federal tobacco tax.
7/20/07 Vote 272: H R 2669: H.R. 2669 as Amended; College Cost Reduction Act of 2007
7/19/07 Vote 254: H R 2669: Murkowski Amdt. No. 2329; To increase the amount appropriated for the college access partnership grant program.
7/18/07 Vote 253: On the Motion to Proceed: Motion to Proceed to H.R. 2669; College Cost Reduction Act of 2007
7/11/07 Vote 243: H R 1585: Hagel Amdt. No. 2032; To limit the length of deployment of members of the Armed Forced for Operation Iraqi Freedom.
7/11/07 Vote 241: On the Cloture Motion: Motion to Invoke Cloture on the Webb Amdt. No. 2012; To specify minimum periods between deployment of units and members of the Armed Forces for Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom.
1/17/07 Vote 14: S 1: Bennett Amdt. No. 81, As amended; To permit travel hosted by preapproved 501(c)(3) organizations.
1/11/07 Vote 7: On the Motion: Motion to Instruct Sgt. at Arms; A bill to provide greater transparency in the legislative process.
9/28/06 Vote 256: S 3930: Rockefeller Amdt. No. 5095; To provide for congressional oversight of certain Central Intelligence Agency programs.
9/13/06 Vote 246: H R 4954: Menendez Amdt. No. 4999; To improve the security of cargo containers destined for the United States.
9/6/06 Vote 232: H R 5631: Feinstein Amdt. No. 4882; To protect civilian lives from unexploded cluster munitions.
7/25/06 Vote 214: S 403: Lautenberg Amdt. No. 4689; To authorize grants to carry out programs to provide education on preventing teen pregnancies, and for other purposes.
6/21/06 Vote 179: S 2766: Kennedy Amdt. No. 4322; To amend the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to provide for an increase in the Federal minimum wage.
6/20/06 Vote 176: S 2766: Dorgan AMdt. No. 4292; To establish a special committee of the Senate to investigate the awarding and carrying out of contracts to conduct activities in Afghanistan and Iraq and to fight the war on terrorism.
5/4/06 Vote 112: H R 4939: H.R. 4939, As Amended; Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act for Defense, the Global War on Terror, and Hurricane Recovery, 2006
5/4/06 Vote 111: H R 4939: Thune Amdt. No. 3704; To provide, with an offset, $20,000,000 for the Department of Veterans Affairs for Medical Facilities.
4/26/06 Vote 98: H R 4939: Akaka Amdt. No. 3642 as Amended; To provide an additional $430,000,000 for the Department of Veteran Affairs for Medical Services for outpatient care and treatment for veterans.
4/26/06 Vote 95: H R 4939: Reid Amdt. No. 3604; To provide, with an offset, emergency funding for border security efforts.
3/16/06 Vote 67: S CON RES 83: Kerry Amdt No. 3143; To prevent the imposition of excessive TRICARE fees and co-pays on military retirees.
3/16/06 Vote 64: S CON RES 83: Akaka Amdt No. 3071; To increase funding for Title I grants and reduce debt by closing corporate tax loopholes.
3/16/06 Vote 63: S CON RES 83: Stabenow Amdt No. 3141; To provide an assured stream of funding for veteran’s health care that will take into account the annual changes in the veteran’s population and inflation to be paid for by restoring the pre-2001 top rate for income over $1 million, closing corporate tax loopholes and delaying tax cuts for the wealthy.
3/16/06 Vote 61: S CON RES 83: Dorgan Amdt No. 3102; To increase funding by $1 billion for various tribal programs and provide necessary additional funding based on recommendations from Indian country, by closing corporate tax loopholes.
3/16/06 Vote 60: S CON RES 83: Sarbanes Amdt No. 3103; To restore funding for the civil works programs of the Corps of Engineers, the Federal Water Pollution Control State Revolving Fund, the National Park Service, the Forest Service, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Federal conservation programs, and other natural resource needs, through an offset achieved by closing corporate tax loopholes.
3/16/06 Vote 59: S CON RES 83: Lieberman Amdt No. 3034; To protect the American people from terrorist attacks by providing $8 billion in additional funds for homeland security government-wide, by restoring cuts to vital first responder programs in the Departments of Homeland Security and Justice, by providing an additional $1.2 billion for first responders, $1.7 billion for the Coast Guard and port security, $150 million for chemical security, $1 billion for rail and transit security, $456 million for FEMA, $1 billion for health preparedness programs, and $752 million for aviation security.
3/16/06 Vote 58: S CON RES 83: Specter Amdt No. 3048; To increase the advance appropriations allowance in order to fund health, education and training, and low-income programs.
3/16/06 Vote 57: S CON RES 83: Reed Amdt. No. 3074; To increase funding for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program by $3,318,000,000 for fiscal year 2007, increasing the funds available to carry out that program to the fully authorized level of $5,100,000,000, to be paid for by closing corporate tax loopholes.
3/16/06 Vote 55: S CON RES 83: Conrad Amdt No. 3133; To increase funding to combat avian flu, increase local preparedness, and create a Manhattan Project-like effort to develop a vaccine to inoculate the U.S. Population against a pandemic by $5 billion in FY 2007 paid for by requiring tax withholding on government payments to contractors like Halliburton.
3/15/06 Vote 47: S CON RES 83: Menendez Amdt. No. 3054; To provide an additional $965 million to make our ports more secure by increasing port security grants, increasing inspections, improving existing programs, and increasing research and development, and to fully offset this additional funding by closing tax loopholes.
3/15/06 Vote 45: S CON RES 83: Stabenow Amdt. No. 3056; To provide $5 billion for our emergency responders so that they can field effective and reliable interoperable communications equipment to respond to natural disasters, terrorist attacks and the public safety needs of America’s communities and fully offset this by closing tax loopholes and collecting more from the tax gap.
3/15/06 Vote 43: S CON RES 83: Murray Amdt. No. 3063; To restore funding for the Community Development Block Grant Program to the fiscal 2004 level by closing tax loopholes previously slated for elimination in Senate-passed legislation.
3/14/06 Vote 41: S CON RES 83: Akaka Amdt. No. 3007; To increase Veterans medical services funding by $1.5 billion in FY 2007 to be paid for by closing corporate tax loopholes.
3/14/06 Vote 39: S CON RES 83: Kennedy Amdt. No. 3028; To support college access and job training by: (1) restoring program cuts slated for vocational education, TRIO, GEAR UP, Perkins Loans, and other student aid programs; (2) increasing investment in student aid programs, including increasing the maximum Pell Grant to $4,500; and (3) restoring cuts slated for job training programs; paid for by closing $6.3 billion in corporate tax loopholes.
3/8/06 Vote 35: S 2349: Reid Amdt. No. 2932; To provide additional transparency in the legislative process.
3/7/06 Vote 34: S 2320: Snowe Amdt. No. 2913; To improve the distribution of funds to States under there Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program.
2/2/06 Vote 7: On the Motion: Motion to Waive CBA Dodd Amdt. No. 2735; To support the health needs of our veterans and military personnel and reduce the deficit by making tax rates fairer for all Americans.
2/2/06 Vote 6: On the Motion: Motion to Waive CBA Clinton Amdt. No. 2716; To establish a congressional commission to examine the Federal, State, and local response to the devastation wrought by Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf Region of the United States especially in the States of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and other areas impacted in the aftermath and make immediate corrective measures to improve such responses in the future.
May 11, 2006: H.R.4297 Conference Report; Tax Relief Act of 2005.
The Washington Post reported that “the tax agreement would cut revenue to the Treasury by $90 billion over the next five years, but other measures would raise about $21 billion — for a net loss to the Treasury of about $69 billion.” The Washington Post reported that “middle-income households would receive an average tax cut of $20 from the agreement, according to the joint Urban Institute-Brookings Institution Tax Policy Center, while 0.02 percent of households with incomes over $1 million would receive average tax cuts of $42,000.”
December 21, 2005, S. 1932, With an Amdt.; Work, Marriage, and Family Promotion Reconciliation Act of 2005 - This bill cut nearly $40 billion over five years from the federal budget by imposing substantial changes on welfare, child support and student lending programs. Women on welfare would face longer hours of work, Medicaid recipients would face higher co-payments and deductibles, and more affluent seniors would find it more difficult to qualify for Medicaid-backed nursing care.
March 10, 2005, S. 256 As Amended: Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 2005 - This law made it harder for people to erase debt by declaring bankruptcy. A Washington Post report said the law represented the most significant change to bankruptcy law in 25 years. The bill was backed by the White House, the credit card industry, retailers, and financiers. The Washington Post reported that the “banking, credit card, and retail” industries, supporters of the bill, gave more than $56 million to candidates and parties during the 2004 elections, most of it going to Republicans.
3/23/07 Vote 102: S CON RES 21: Kyl Amdt. No. 583; To reform the death tax by setting the exemption at $5 million per estate, indexed for inflation, and the top death tax rate at no more than 35% beginning in 2010; to avoid subjecting an estimated 119,200 families, family businesses, and family farms to the death tax each and every year; to promote continued economic growth and job creation; and to make the enhanced teacher deduction permanent.
1/18/07 Vote 17: S 1: Bennett Amdt No. 20; To strike a provision relating to paid efforts to stimulate grassroots lobbying.
9/7/06 Vote 237: H R 5631: Motion to Table (Kill) Schumer Amdt. No. 4897; To make available up to an additional $700,000,000 for Drug Interdiction and Counter-Drug Activities to combat the growth of poppies in Afghanistan, to eliminate the production and trade of opium, and heroin, and to prevent terrorists from using the proceeds for terrorist activities in Afghanistan, Iraq, and elsewhere, and to designate the additional amount as emergency spending.
9/7/06 Vote 236: H R 5631: Motion to Table (Kill) Menendez Amdt. No. 4909; To prohibit the use of funds for a public relations program designed to monitor news media in the United States and the Middle East and create a database of news stories to promote positive coverage of the war in Iraq.
9/6/06 Vote 233: H R 5631: Motion to Table (Kill) Kennedy Amdt. No. 4885; To include information on civil war in Iraq in the quarterly reports on progress toward military and political stability in Iraq.
8/2/06 Vote 222: H R 5631: Motion to Table (Kill) Durbin Amdt. No. 4781 As Modified; To appropriate, with an offset, an additional $2,000,000 for Research, Development, Test and Evaluation, Army for the improvement of imaging for traumatic brain injuries.
6/14/06 Vote 169: S 2766: Motion to Table (Kill) Dorgan Amdt. No. 4230; To improve Federal contracting and procurement by eliminating fraud and abuse and improving competition in contracting and procurement and by enhancing administration of Federal contracting personnel.
5/23/06 Vote 141: S 2611: Motion to Table (Kill) Kennedy Amdt. No. 4106; To enhance the enforcement of labor protections for United States workers and guest workers.
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Feel free to "steal" this content and spread it around. I am sure the original author of the comment would OK that, too. Get the word out.
John McCain said he has abstained from voting on laws that affect his wife's beer distributorship.
John McCain was a member of the House of Representatives in 1984 when the National Minimum Drinkling Age Act was passed and became Pulic Law 98-363 and codified in 23 U.S.C. 158. I've looked and can't find whether John McCain abstained from the vote in 1984 on this bill.
He DOESN'T care about equal pay, or paying a living wage EITHER.
McCain Repeatedly Voted Against Minimum Wage Increases
McCain Voted Against An Amendment To Raise The Minimum Wage. McCain voted against an amendment to raise the minimum wage to $7.25 per hour in three steps. According to the Bureau Of Labor Statistics, 62.4% of all minimum wage earners were women in 2006.
Too Busy On The Campaign Trail To Help Minimum Wage Earners; McCain Missed Vote To Increase Minimum Wage. McCain missed a vote to increase the minimum wage by $1 an hour over three years, to $5.50 an hour beginning March 1, 2000, to $5.85 an hour beginning March 1, 2001, and to $6.15 an hour beginning March 1, 2002. According to the Bureau Of Labor Statistics, 62.9% of all minimum wage earners were women in 2000.
McCain Voted Against An Amendment To Raise The Minimum Wage. McCain voted against an amendment to increase the minimum wage to $5.65 an hour beginning January 1, 1999, and $6.15 an hour beginning January 1, 2000. According to the Bureau Of Labor Statistics, 64% of all minimum wage earners were women in 1998. [1998 Senate Vote #278, 9/22/1998;
McCain Voted Against An Amendment To Raise The Minimum Wage. McCain voted against passage of the bill to increase the minimum wage from its current level of $4.25 per hour to $4.75 per hour on July 1, 1996, and to $5.15 per hour on July 1, 1997. According to the Bureau Of Labor Statistics, 64.3% of all minimum wage earners were women in 1996.
McCain Voted Against An Amendment To Raise The Minimum Wage. McCain voted against minimum wage increases to $4.55/hr in 3 annual steps by 10/1/91. According to the Bureau Of Labor Statistics, 63.1% of all minimum wage earners were women in 1989.
I saw this post on the PA Democratic Party's message board. It is a comparison between Mrs. Clinton's legislative record and Mr. Obama's. I believe this, along with Mrs. Clinton's shady track record, is the ammunition needed to defeat her in April.
Here is the posting.
I had to jump through a few hoops, but I got my vote in. I recently moved from Dallas to Houston, so I was only able to vote on a limited ballot. I had to participate in early voting and go to the downtown tax office, but it was worth it. I also found an excellent article about some of the great things Obama has done as a senator. This is an excellent, excellent resource for Hillary supporters who buy into the "Where's the Beef?" b.s. Hillary's been spewing.
http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/20.../807/36/458633
An excerpt:
I was blown away as I started going through his record. I've already mentioned his bills on health care and energy. In addition he had introduced bills on Iran, voting, veterans, global warming, campaign finance and lobbyists, Blackwater, global poverty, nuclear proliferation, and education. On Iran: S.J.RES.23 : A joint resolution clarifying that the use of force against Iran is not authorized by the Authorization for the Use of Military Force Against Iraq, any resolution previously adopted, or any other provision of law. On votingPassed out of Committee and now on the Senate Calendar for Feb. 22, 2008 S.453 : A bill to prohibit deceptive practices in Federal elections Please check this out! This is a great bill. We need this. I can't believe that this time voter intimidation is not already illegal. On veterans and military personnel: S.1084 : A bill to provide housing assistance for very low-income veterans; On global warmingS.1324 : A bill to amend the Clean Air Act to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from transportation fuel sold in the United States;S.1389 : A bill to authorize the National Science Foundation to establish a Climate Change Education Program; S.AMDT.599 to S.CON.RES.21 To add $200 million for Function 270 (Energy) for the demonstration and monitoring of carbon capture and sequestration technology by the Department of Energy. (This last one passed both the House and the Senate as part of the budget bill.) On campaign finance and lobbyists S.2030 : A bill to amend the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to require reporting relating to bundled contributions made by persons other than registered lobbyists; and S.AMDT.41 to S.1 To require lobbyists to disclose the candidates, leadership PACs, or political parties for whom they collect or arrange contributions, and the aggregate amount of the contributions collected or arranged. On Blackwater S.2044 : A bill to provide procedures for the proper classification of employees and independent contractors, and for other purposes, and S.2147 : A bill to require accountability for contractors and contract personnel under Federal contracts, and for other purposes. On global poverty S.2433 : A bill to require the President to develop and implement a comprehensive strategy to further the United States foreign policy objective of promoting the reduction of global poverty, the elimination of extreme global poverty, and the achievement of the Millennium Development Goal of reducing by one-half the proportion of people worldwide, between 1990 and 2015, who live on less than $1 per day. On global nuclear proliferation S.1977 : A bill to provide for sustained United States leadership in a cooperative global effort to prevent nuclear terrorism, reduce global nuclear arsenals, stop the spread of nuclear weapons and related material and technology, and support the responsible and peaceful use of nuclear technology. I counted nine education bills, but it's getting late and I've got to get my kids ready for bed. As I mentioned earlier, Clinton is a frequent co-sponsor on many of Obama's bills. So is Ted Kennedy. So are a number of Republicans. Finally, Obama appears to have a better record last year in the Senate on getting his bills and amendments passed than does Clinton. I've listed everything that passed the Senate for each them at the end in boxes. But check out Thomas.loc.gov for yourself. I may have missed something.
I really do not like how the media repeats things that candidates say verbatim without verifying it. McCain and Hillary are both completely off the mark when they claim that Barack Obama does not have substance. All one has to do is look at the legislation he has written and voted on and compare that to any other candidate to be convinced that Obama truly is a candidate of change!Here is an amazing article on that topic:
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/2/20/201332/807/36/458633
I even recommended it as a topic for NPR!Read it, it is a great tool.Thanks,~Paul
From the Daily Kos:
The next President is going to have some MAJOR challenges. I refuse to buy into the hype, on either side, but especially on that of Obama. However the "empty rhetoric" v. "history of accomplishments" arguments have prompted me to check it out on my own, not relying on any candidate's website, book, or worst of all supporters' diaries, like this one.
I went to the Library of Congress Website. The FACTS of what each did in the Senate last year sure surprised me. I'm sure they will surprise you, too. Whether you love or hate Hillary, you will be surprised. Whether you think Obama is the second coming of JFK or an inexperienced lightweight, you will surprised. Go check out the Library of Congress Website. After spending some time there, it will be clear that there is really only one candidate would is ready to be the next president, even better than Gore. If you don't want to spend an hour or two doing research, then I'll tell you what I discovered on the jump.
I looked up Obama and looked up Clinton. I looked at the bills that they both authored and introduced. Anyone who has been around politics, and is honest, realizes that there are a lot of reasons why a Senator votes one way or another on bills or misses votes. However an examination of the bills that each of these Senators cared enough about to author and introduce revealed much to me: what they care about, what their priorities are, how they tackle problems. And the list of co-sponsors showed something about how they lead, inspire and work with others. Finally, looking at which bills actually passed is pretty indicative of how effective each would be at getting things done.
Before I get into the nitty gritty, let's all be honest here. It is damn hard to get anything through Congress these days. And Obama and Clinton care about the same issues and have obviously worked together on a lot of legislation, whatever Sen. Clinton's campaign may imply. She is a frequent co-sponsor on his bills, and he on hers. They are both completely competent senators.
I started with Sen. Clinton.
I'm not a Hillary Hater, but I certainly didn't like her much either. I didn't like her DLC history; her votes on Iraq, Iran or the bankruptcy bill; her characterization of the years she spent as First Lady as "executive experience." Hillary Clinton is no Eleanor Roosevelt. Perhaps more like Lady Bird Johnson. Hillary claims to have brought us SCHIP (with a little help from Ted Kennedy). Lady Bird brought us Head Start as well as cleaner, nicer highways. Anyone 40 or older probably remembers when the nation's highways were basically disgusting garbage dumps lined with billboards. But no one thinks Lady Bird should have been president. Might as well argue for Barbara Bush because of her efforts on family literacy, or Nancy Reagan and the War on Drugs.
Hillary Clinton does have a solid record in the Senate, however.
I came away from my research really knowing a lot more about what is important to Hillary in her heart: kids and their well being. My research changed my feeling about her significantly. About 40% of her bills dealt with health care and/or kids. As a mom with small kids, I like her passion for children's issues. But curiously, her big bill to deliver health care to every child, the one she lauds on her website, S.895 : "A bill to amend titles XIX and XXI of the Social Security Act to ensure that every child in the United States has access to affordable, quality health insurance coverage, and for other purposes" had not a single co-sponsor. Not one, according to the Library of Congress. Why is that? Is it a bad bill? Or is she not able to recruit support for her signature issue? Or did she just submit it simply to put in the hopper, so to speak, so she could claim she was working on it. I honestly don't know the answer, but I find it curious and suspicious that not even Ted Kennedy co-sponsored it. Its sister bill in the house, H.R. 1535, introduced by John Dingell has 42 co-sponsors. It's just weird. I honestly don't know what to make of it.
S.895 was major. But most of her other bills are much smaller in scale and scope — more targeted and more careful.
For example, she introduced one bill that offered tax credits for building owners who clean up lead paint. Which is a very good thing. And Obama is a co-sponsor. "S.1793 : A bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to provide a tax credit for property owners who remove lead-based paint hazards."
Obama's anti-lead bill (S. 1306) directed the Consumer Product Safety Commission to classify certain children's products containing lead as banned hazardous substances. He had another bill prohibitting the interstate transport of children's products containing lead. (S.2132) And Hillary co-sponsored each of these.
In other words, they both care about protecting children from lead.
The difference is in the scope and the approach.
Obama's bill shows how he thinks big: do everything we can to make sure that lead-painted Thomas the Tank Engine toys don't get into the hands and mouths of millions of toddlers in this country.
Or Hillary: encourage people by offering tax credits to clean up lead paint in old buildings. People have been talking about lead paint in old buildings hurting kids in living in inner cities, since, well when I was a kid — for decades. If it is still a big problem, is offering tax credits for clean up, i.e. scrape down the walls and repaint, the best way to protect kids from lead?
How many of you parents have lead paint problems? How many have (or had) toxic Thomas the Tank Engine Toys? They are everywhere. The local bookstore and kid's shoe store and the doctor's office and the preschool and the toystore all have train tables. There is nowhere you can go anymore with toddlers that doesn't have a Thomas the Tank Engine train table covered with toxic toys. But that's just my feeling.
Obama's bills risk pissing off the toy industry and the Chinese. Hillary's risks nothing.
A lot of Clinton's health bills focus on children. Or women. She introduced a billl for research in the causes of gestational diabetes, for more pediatric research (S.895) and a rural agriculture bill to get farm-fresh veggies into schools (S.1031).
Her bill dealing with the crisis in foreclosure is actually S.2114 : "A bill to amend the Truth in Lending Act, to provide for enhanced disclosures to consumers and enhanced regulation of mortgage brokers, and for other purposes." Again, no co-sponsors. Obama also introduced a bill in the face of the mortgage foreclosure crisis: S.1222 : "A bill to stop mortgage transactions which operate to promote fraud, risk, abuse, and under-development, and for other purposes." Sponsor: Sen Obama, Barack [IL] (introduced 4/25/2007), co-sponsored by Dick Durbin.
In her ads and speeches, Clinton claims that she's fighting to stop foreclosure while implying that Obama is empty rhetoric. Actually, Clinton is calling for "enhanced disclosures to consumers and enhanced regulation", while Obama's bill will "stop mortgage transactions which operate to promote fraud, risk, abuse, and under-development." After looking at the two bills, Obama's appears to be tougher, more directly addressing the problem.
Speaking of Obama, here's a list of some of his proposed legislation.
Four bills on energy including • S.1151 : A bill to provide incentives to the auto industry to accelerate efforts to develop more energy-efficient vehicles to lessen dependence on oil; •S.115 : A bill to suspend royalty relief, to repeal certain provisions of the Energy Policy Act of 2005, and to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to repeal certain tax incentives for the oil and gas industry; and •S.133 : A bill to promote the national security and stability of the economy of the United States by reducing the dependence of the United States on oil through the use of alternative fuels and new technology, and for other purposes.
Clinton had only one bill that I could find that addressed the same issue, S.701 : A bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to impose a temporary oil profit fee and to use the proceeds of the fee collected to provide a Strategic Energy Fund and expand certain energy tax incentives, and for other purposes.
Obama wants to "repeal certain tax incentives for the oil and gas industry". Clinton sees the answer in a "temporary oil profit fee" and to "expand certain energy tax incentives" for alternative energy. Obama's alternative energy bill (S.133) was co-sponsored by Harkin, Lugar and Salazar. Clinton's bill again had no co-sponsors.
On health care he introduced ten bills/amendments, including one amendment that passed: S.AMDT.1041 to S.1082 To improve the safety and efficacy of genetic tests. Other issues addressed in his proposed health care legislation were AIDS research (S.823 ), hospital report cards (S.692 — the V.A., and S.1824 — Medicare), better emergency care (S.1873), and drug price controls (S.2347).
Clinton's health care bills, for the most part, didn't impress me much, although she introduced many more bills in this area than Obama did:
S.CON.RES.63 : A concurrent resolution expressing the sense of the Congress regarding the need for additional research into the chronic neurological condition hydrocephalus, and for other purposes. S.RES.176 : A resolution recognizing April 30, 2007, as "National Healthy Schools Day". S.RES.222 : A resolution supporting the goals and ideals of Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month. S.201 : A bill to establish a grant program for individuals still suffering health effects as a result of the September 11, 2001, attacks in New York City and at the Pentagon. S.907 : A bill to establish an Advisory Committee on Gestational Diabetes, to provide grants to better understand and reduce gestational diabetes, and for other purposes. S.993 : A bill to improve pediatric research. S.982 : A bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to provide for integration of mental health services and mental health treatment outreach teams, and for other purposes. S.1065 : A bill to improve the diagnosis and treatment of traumatic brain injury in members and former members of the Armed Forces, to review and expand telehealth and telemental health programs of the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs, and for other purposes. S.1075 : A bill to amend title XIX of the Social Security Act to expand access to contraceptive services for women and men under the Medicaid program, help low income women and couples prevent unintended pregnancies and reduce abortion, and for other purposes. S.1343 : A bill to amend the Public Health Service Act with respect to prevention and treatment of diabetes, and for other purposes. S.1712 : A bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to improve newborn screening activities, and for other purposes.
and on and on. Plenty of these have plenty of co-sponsors. Obviously, Hillary Clinton really knows her stuff on the issues of health care. None of them passed, however. On Obama's side, one of his health care initiatives passed in the Senate, the aforementioned amendment to Kennedy's S.1082, the FDA Revitalization Act.
Truth be told, it was very depressing doing this research to see all these great ideas and how little actually gets done. Looking at the legislative history of Kennedy's bill is a good example. It finally passed but its sister bill in the House, H.R.2900, was the one that was finally enacted, and with it, Obama's amendment for safe and effective genetic testing. Clinton submitted two amendments to this bill, one of would have eliminated the sunsetting of pediatric data collection; the other would have begin the process to approve generic versions of complex and expensive drugs called biologics or biotech drugs. Neither were adopted.
Now let's look more closely at Obama.
I was blown away as I started going through his record. I've already mentioned his bills on health care and energy. In addition he had introduced bills on Iran, voting, veterans, global warming, campaign finance and lobbyists, Blackwater, global poverty, nuclear proliferation, and education. On Iran: S.J.RES.23 : A joint resolution clarifying that the use of force against Iran is not authorized by the Authorization for the Use of Military Force Against Iraq, any resolution previously adopted, or any other provision of law.
On votingPassed out of Committee and now on the Senate Calendar for Feb. 22, 2008 S.453 : A bill to prohibit deceptive practices in Federal elections Please check this out! This is a great bill. We need this. I can't believe that this time voter intimidation is not already illegal.
On veterans and military personnel: S.1084 : A bill to provide housing assistance for very low-income veterans;
On global warmingS.1324 : A bill to amend the Clean Air Act to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from transportation fuel sold in the United States;S.1389 : A bill to authorize the National Science Foundation to establish a Climate Change Education Program; S.AMDT.599 to S.CON.RES.21 To add $200 million for Function 270 (Energy) for the demonstration and monitoring of carbon capture and sequestration technology by the Department of Energy. (This last one passed both the House and the Senate as part of the budget bill.)
On campaign finance and lobbyists S.2030 : A bill to amend the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to require reporting relating to bundled contributions made by persons other than registered lobbyists; and S.AMDT.41 to S.1 To require lobbyists to disclose the candidates, leadership PACs, or political parties for whom they collect or arrange contributions, and the aggregate amount of the contributions collected or arranged.
On Blackwater S.2044 : A bill to provide procedures for the proper classification of employees and independent contractors, and for other purposes, and S.2147 : A bill to require accountability for contractors and contract personnel under Federal contracts, and for other purposes.
On global poverty S.2433 : A bill to require the President to develop and implement a comprehensive strategy to further the United States foreign policy objective of promoting the reduction of global poverty, the elimination of extreme global poverty, and the achievement of the Millennium Development Goal of reducing by one-half the proportion of people worldwide, between 1990 and 2015, who live on less than $1 per day.
On global nuclear proliferation S.1977 : A bill to provide for sustained United States leadership in a cooperative global effort to prevent nuclear terrorism, reduce global nuclear arsenals, stop the spread of nuclear weapons and related material and technology, and support the responsible and peaceful use of nuclear technology.
I counted nine education bills, but it's getting late and I've got to get my kids ready for bed.
As I mentioned earlier, Clinton is a frequent co-sponsor on many of Obama's bills. So is Ted Kennedy. So are a number of Republicans.
Finally, Obama appears to have a better record last year in the Senate on getting his bills and amendments passed than does Clinton. I've listed everything that passed the Senate for each them at the end in boxes. But check out Thomas.loc.gov for yourself. I may have missed something.
In my eyes Obama is the superior choice in every way. He cares about more of the issues that matter to me. Kids and health care are important but so is the issue of global warming, on which Clinton introduced not a single bill last year.
Obama is a leader. With bigger majorities in Congress, much of his agenda should sail through. He can inspire this country to change course on so many things, from health care to global warming, where attitudes have to be changed first. I remember Bill Clinton's endless laundry lists of small, focus group approved initiatives. For those who say Hillary will not govern like Bill did, I respond that the people who were doing the market testing of his proposed policies were Dick Morris, of course, and Mark Penn, who is now running Hillary's campaign.
It's Obama for me! I just sent him $100. My first donation this election.
Yes, We Can!
Clinton's Successes: S.694 : A bill to direct the Secretary of Transportation to issue regulations to reduce the incidence of child injury and death occurring inside or outside of light motor vehicles, and for other purposes. (This is currently in conference committee to reconcile difference with the House bill) Passed in the Senate: S.CON.RES.27 : A concurrent resolution supporting the goals and ideals of "National Purple Heart Recognition Day". S.RES.21 : A resolution recognizing the uncommon valor of Wesley Autrey of New York, New York S.RES.92 : A resolution calling for the immediate and unconditional release of soldiers of Israel held captive by Hamas and Hezbollah. S.RES.141 : A resolution urging all member countries of the International Commission of the International Tracing Service who have yet to ratify the May 2006 amendments to the 1955 Bonn Accords to expedite the ratification process to allow for open access to the Holocaust archives located at Bad Arolsen, Germany. S.RES.222 : A resolution supporting the goals and ideals of Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month. S.AMDT.666 to H.R.1591 To link award fees under Department of Homeland Security contracts to successful acquisition outcomes under such contracts. S.AMDT.2047 to H.R.1585 To specify additional individuals eligible to transportation for survivors of deceased members of the Armed Forces to attend their burial ceremonies. S.AMDT.2108 to H.R.1585 To require a report on the planning and implementation of the policy of the United States toward Darfur. S.AMDT.2390 to H.R.2638 To require that all contracts of the Department of Homeland Security that provide award fees link such fees to successful acquisition outcomes. S.AMDT.2474 to H.R.2638 To ensure that the Federal Protective Service has adequate personnel. S.AMDT.2823 to H.R.3074 To require a report on plans to alleviate congestion and flight delays in the New York/New Jersey/Philadelphia Airspace. S.AMDT.2917 to H.R.1585 To extend and enhance the authority for temporary lodging expenses for members of the Armed Forces in areas subject to a major disaster declaration or for installations experiencing a sudden increase in personnel levels.
Obama's Success: S.AMDT.1041 to S.1082 To improve the safety and efficacy of genetic tests. S.AMDT.3073 to H.R.1585 To provide for transparency and accountability in military and security contracting. S.AMDT.3078 to H.R.1585 Relating to administrative separations of members of the Armed Forces for personality disorder. S.AMDT.41 to S.1 To require lobbyists to disclose the candidates, leadership PACs, or political parties for whom they collect or arrange contributions, and the aggregate amount of the contributions collected or arranged. S.AMDT.524 to S.CON.RES.21 To provide $100 million for the Summer Term Education Program supporting summer learning opportunities for low-income students in the early grades to lessen summer learning losses that contribute to the achievement gaps separating low-income students from their middle-class peers. S.AMDT.599 to S.CON.RES.21 To add $200 million for Function 270 (Energy) for the demonstration and monitoring of carbon capture and sequestration technology by the Department of Energy. S.AMDT.905 to S.761 To require the Director of Mathematics, Science, and Engineering Education to establish a program to recruit and provide mentors for women and underrepresented minorities who are interested in careers in mathematics, science, and engineering. S.AMDT.923 to S.761 To expand the pipeline of individuals entering the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics fields to support United States innovation and competitiveness. S.AMDT.924 to S.761 To establish summer term education programs. S.AMDT.2519 to H.R.2638 To provide that one of the funds appropriated or otherwise made available by this Act may be used to enter into a contract in an amount greater than $5 million or to award a grant in excess of such amount unless the prospective contractor or grantee certifies in writing to the agency awarding the contract or grant that the contractor or grantee owes no past due Federal tax liability. S.AMDT.2588 to H.R.976 To provide certain employment protections for family members who are caring for members of the Armed Forces recovering from illnesses and injuries incurred on active duty. S.AMDT.2658 to H.R.2642 To provide that none of the funds appropriated or otherwise made available by this Act may be used to enter into a contract in an amount greater than $5,000,000 or to award a grant in excess of such amount unless the prospective contractor or grantee makes certain certifications regarding Federal tax liability. S.AMDT.2692 to H.R.2764 To require a comprehensive nuclear threat reduction and security plan. S.AMDT.2799 to H.R.3074 To provide that none of the funds appropriated or otherwise made available by this Act may be used to enter into a contract in an amount greater than $5,000,000 or to award a grant in excess of such amount unless the prospective contractor or grantee makes certain certifications regarding Federal tax liability. S.AMDT.3137 to H.R.3222 To provide that none of the funds appropriated or otherwise made available by this Act may be used to enter into a contract in an amount greater than $5,000,000 or to award a grant in excess of such amount unless the prospective contractor or grantee makes certain certifications regarding Federal tax liability. S.AMDT.3234 to H.R.3093 To provide that none of the funds appropriated or otherwise made available by this Act may be used to enter into a contract in an amount greater than $5,000,000 or to award a grant in excess of such amount unless the prospective contractor or grantee makes certain certifications regarding Federal tax liability. S.AMDT.3331 to H.R.3043 To provide that none of the funds appropriated or otherwise made available by this Act may be used to enter into a contract in an amount greater than $5,000,000 or to award a grant in excess of such amount unless the prospective contractor or grantee makes certain certifications regarding Federal tax liability. Senate Resolutions Passed: S.RES.133 : A resolution celebrating the life of Bishop Gilbert Earl Patterson. S.RES.268 : A resolution designating July 12, 2007, as "National Summer Learning Day". http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/2/20/201332/807/36/458633 Obama '08Yes, We Can!
Obama's Success: S.AMDT.1041 to S.1082 To improve the safety and efficacy of genetic tests. S.AMDT.3073 to H.R.1585 To provide for transparency and accountability in military and security contracting. S.AMDT.3078 to H.R.1585 Relating to administrative separations of members of the Armed Forces for personality disorder. S.AMDT.41 to S.1 To require lobbyists to disclose the candidates, leadership PACs, or political parties for whom they collect or arrange contributions, and the aggregate amount of the contributions collected or arranged. S.AMDT.524 to S.CON.RES.21 To provide $100 million for the Summer Term Education Program supporting summer learning opportunities for low-income students in the early grades to lessen summer learning losses that contribute to the achievement gaps separating low-income students from their middle-class peers. S.AMDT.599 to S.CON.RES.21 To add $200 million for Function 270 (Energy) for the demonstration and monitoring of carbon capture and sequestration technology by the Department of Energy. S.AMDT.905 to S.761 To require the Director of Mathematics, Science, and Engineering Education to establish a program to recruit and provide mentors for women and underrepresented minorities who are interested in careers in mathematics, science, and engineering. S.AMDT.923 to S.761 To expand the pipeline of individuals entering the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics fields to support United States innovation and competitiveness. S.AMDT.924 to S.761 To establish summer term education programs. S.AMDT.2519 to H.R.2638 To provide that one of the funds appropriated or otherwise made available by this Act may be used to enter into a contract in an amount greater than $5 million or to award a grant in excess of such amount unless the prospective contractor or grantee certifies in writing to the agency awarding the contract or grant that the contractor or grantee owes no past due Federal tax liability. S.AMDT.2588 to H.R.976 To provide certain employment protections for family members who are caring for members of the Armed Forces recovering from illnesses and injuries incurred on active duty. S.AMDT.2658 to H.R.2642 To provide that none of the funds appropriated or otherwise made available by this Act may be used to enter into a contract in an amount greater than $5,000,000 or to award a grant in excess of such amount unless the prospective contractor or grantee makes certain certifications regarding Federal tax liability. S.AMDT.2692 to H.R.2764 To require a comprehensive nuclear threat reduction and security plan. S.AMDT.2799 to H.R.3074 To provide that none of the funds appropriated or otherwise made available by this Act may be used to enter into a contract in an amount greater than $5,000,000 or to award a grant in excess of such amount unless the prospective contractor or grantee makes certain certifications regarding Federal tax liability. S.AMDT.3137 to H.R.3222 To provide that none of the funds appropriated or otherwise made available by this Act may be used to enter into a contract in an amount greater than $5,000,000 or to award a grant in excess of such amount unless the prospective contractor or grantee makes certain certifications regarding Federal tax liability. S.AMDT.3234 to H.R.3093 To provide that none of the funds appropriated or otherwise made available by this Act may be used to enter into a contract in an amount greater than $5,000,000 or to award a grant in excess of such amount unless the prospective contractor or grantee makes certain certifications regarding Federal tax liability. S.AMDT.3331 to H.R.3043 To provide that none of the funds appropriated or otherwise made available by this Act may be used to enter into a contract in an amount greater than $5,000,000 or to award a grant in excess of such amount unless the prospective contractor or grantee makes certain certifications regarding Federal tax liability. Senate Resolutions Passed: S.RES.133 : A resolution celebrating the life of Bishop Gilbert Earl Patterson. S.RES.268 : A resolution designating July 12, 2007, as "National Summer Learning Day".
http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/2/20/201332/807/36/458633
Obama '08
You have to love Project VoteSmart for it tells you every little detail about a candidate. In regards to Senator Hillary Clinton’s voting record:
