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The Obama Nation
Barack Obama Votes With President Bush
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The Barack Obama campaign is running their campaign on the scare tactic that John McCain is the same as President Bush. This assertion is based on Senator McCain’s voting record in 2007 where Team Obama touts that McCain votes with Bush 90% of the time.
But what is Obama failing to say?
First of all, George Bush is not in the Legislative Branch, and doesn’t actually vote on laws with McCain, Obama and Biden.
As you (hopefully) know, Congress votes on bills and they go to the desk of the President to either be signed or vetoed.
So, if we are going to be intellectually honest, nobody is ever voting with President Bush.
The numbers we keep hearing are based on votes where the Bush administration had taken a clear position on before the vote, as estimated by the Congressional Quarterly.
The same report from the Congressional Quarterly reveals that Obama voted “with Bush” 40 percent of the time.
Joe Biden voted “with Bush” 52 percent of the time.
It’s also important to note that these sorts of tallies can only count when a Senator votes yes or no on a law.
Obama didn’t vote over 40 percent of the time since he’s been in the Senate - that’s 228 of the 568 times he could have voted, according to Project Vote Smart.
Rather than taking a stance on issues, he voted “NV”, which means Not Voting, Excused, Absent, or Present.
Based on the Project Vote Smart records, some areas where Obama likes to avoid having an opinion:
- Abortion Issues - 75% NV
- Agriculture Issues - 86% NV
- Budget, Spending and Taxes - 54% NV
- Business and Consumers - 47% NV
- Civil Liberties and Civil Rights - 44% NV
- Defense - 29% NV
- Education - 55% NV
- Energy Issues - 35% NV
- Environmental Issues - 64% NV
- Family and Children Issues - 50% NV
- Foreign Aid and Policy Issues - 56% NV
- Gun Issues - 25% NV
- Health Issues - 67% NV
- Housing and Property Issues - 100% NV
- National Security Issues - 39% NV
- Reproductive Issues - 75% NV
- Technology and Communication - 33% NV
- Trade Issues - 38% NV
- Transportation Issues - 63% NV
- Veterans Issues - 34% NV
- Welfare and Poverty - 64% NV
- Women’s Issues - 67% NV
I’ve got to wonder how closely aligned Barack Obama would be with Bush if he was showing up and voting for a full work week.
