Guest
09-09-2008, 12:20 AM
While I understand the use of the PRESENT vote in Illinois, the article below from theNY Times dated 12/2007 is very interesting and it is not all bad for Sen Obama...I would accent these two sentences...
"In 1999, Barack Obama was faced with a difficult vote in the Illinois legislature — to support a bill that would let some juveniles be tried as adults, a position that risked drawing fire from African-Americans, or to oppose it, possibly undermining his image as a tough-on-crime moderate.
In the end, Mr. Obama chose neither to vote for nor against the bill. He voted “present,” effectively sidestepping the issue, an option he invoked nearly 130 times as a state senator"
And also...."If you are worried about your next election, the present vote gives you political cover,” said Kent D. Redfield, a professor of political studies at the University of Illinois at Springfield. “This is an option that does not exist in every state and reflects Illinois political culture.”
In any case,the entire article which as I said is not all bad for Sen Obama but it sure, to me anyway, fly in the face of how he potrays himself !
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/20/us/politics/20obama.html
"In 1999, Barack Obama was faced with a difficult vote in the Illinois legislature — to support a bill that would let some juveniles be tried as adults, a position that risked drawing fire from African-Americans, or to oppose it, possibly undermining his image as a tough-on-crime moderate.
In the end, Mr. Obama chose neither to vote for nor against the bill. He voted “present,” effectively sidestepping the issue, an option he invoked nearly 130 times as a state senator"
And also...."If you are worried about your next election, the present vote gives you political cover,” said Kent D. Redfield, a professor of political studies at the University of Illinois at Springfield. “This is an option that does not exist in every state and reflects Illinois political culture.”
In any case,the entire article which as I said is not all bad for Sen Obama but it sure, to me anyway, fly in the face of how he potrays himself !
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/20/us/politics/20obama.html