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.
Obama Flip Flops and Now Favors Off-Shore Drilling?
Barack Obama stated yesterday he would be willing to open Florida’s coast for more oil drilling, according to the Palm Beach Post.
Back in June 2008, Obama stated, “We can’t drill our way out of the problem.”
Yet now he’s open to drilling our way out of the problem?
In his interview with The Palm Beach Post, Obama stated, “My interest is in making sure we’ve got the kind of comprehensive energy policy that can bring down gas prices.”
I guess Obama had some time to reflect on the announcement by President George W. Bush, on July 14, 2008, that he would lift the ban on offshore drilling.
After the announcement from President Bush indicated to the world that the U.S. was prepared to take action on the escalating gas prices, the prices of crude oil plummeted.
Crude oil had traded as high as $147 a barrel on July 11. This month, crude oil was at $124.08 a barrel.
So basically, Obama is on the same page with Bush and McCain now?
