hey 240,no comment?

[BM OUT]

Far from her home state and the controversy she left behind, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin traveled to Indiana Thursday and reminded Republicans why she remains a party heavyweight and a top prospective presidential candidate in 2012.

Palin drew approximately 3,000 people to the Vanderburgh County Right to Life fundraising dinner in Evansville, an annual banquet that typically attracts some of the GOP’s top national talent. Her sold-out appearance in a local exhibition hall prompted organizers to set up a paid closed-circuit broadcast at a nearby auditorium for a large spill-over crowd and led local authorities to close down nearby streets.

“This is always a large event,” said David O’Steen, executive director of National Right to Life. “There was a lot of excitement about this among pro-life people. She is very well known and respected in the pro-life movement.”

Palin was mobbed by autograph seekers and picture takers as she tried to get into the fundraiser .

Jane Abraham, the general chairwoman of the Susan B. Anthony List, a group that supports female politicians who oppose abortion rights, called the dinner a “very high profile event” for opponents of abortion rights.

“It’s very exciting that she is doing this," Abraham said. “It’s very refreshing to me as someone who has been involved in the pro-life movement for a long time.”

The Alaska governor received a warm reception from Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele, also in attendance, at a news conference ahead of the dinner.

“I think she is a standard-bearer right now,” Steele said. “She and Mitt Romney and Governor Pawlenty, Governor Sanford, Rudy Giuliani, Eric Cantor, Mike Pence. We have a significant number of men and women in our party who are in a very good position right now to carry forward the standard of the GOP.”

Upon taking the stage, Palin criticized President Barack Obama's position on abortion and stem cell research. She chided the president's campaign trail response to a question from Pastor Rick Warren about when life begins, saying that the answer was not above her pay grade.

For Palin, the event came at the tail end of a tough week back home.

Her controversial nominee for state attorney general, Wayne Ross, was rejected Thursday in a 35-23 vote by the Republican-controlled state legislature after a week of damaging confirmation hearings that revealed a string of past controversial comments. Ross came under fire for his past defense of a Ku Klux Klan statue and a 1991 quote that said: "If a guy can’t rape his wife… who’s he gonna rape?"

Palin said in a statement that she was “surprised” by Ross's rejection. “Mr. Ross is a fine Alaskan,” she said. “He is held in high esteem by many Alaskans. I appreciate his willingness to serve the public.”

The legislature also made clear this week that it will rebuff the governor's effort to reject more than $400 million in federal stimulus funds and instead will accept all the money.

Palin was skewered by her Alaska rivals for leaving the state during the last week of a contentious legislative session to come to Indiana.

“We need a full-time governor who is thinking about our issues all the time, who is working and negotiating with the legislators and getting the job done we need done,” Alaska Democratic Party Chairwoman Patti Higgins declared at a press conference Wednesday. “Where is Sarah Palin? She is going to be halfway across the country. She’s at a Right to Life fundraiser and another event.”

Palin will attend a second fundraiser Friday morning for S.M.I.L.E., a support organization for family members of people who have Down syndrome. The governor traveled to Indiana with her husband Todd and youngest son, Trig, who will attend the S.M.I.L.E. event.

“The Governor personally received and accepted this invitation. I don't need to tell you that this personal and quick trip to Indiana reflects who she is,” Palin spokeswoman Meg Stapleton told POLITICO Thursday. “Tonight is a celebration of life and tomorrow morning is a celebration of Trig's life along with other families blessed with special needs children. We are all thrilled to

[240 is Back]

who's obsessed now? lol

anyway, she dipped out on the last 72 hours of legislative debate over how to spend the Stim money to travel to indiana to coddle with the religious base that newt and jindal are chipping away.


She didn't want to be on record making plans for the money she claims she is against, but will happily spend.  She's getting a lot of flak in her own state for disappearing during this crucial legislative period.  She knows that clips of her saying "I will use obama's free money for this and this" make her look bad.



Hey BILLY, no comment? 

[BM OUT]

who's obsessed now? lol

anyway, she dipped out on the last 72 hours of legislative debate over how to spend the Stim money to travel to indiana to coddle with the religious base that newt and jindal are chipping away.


She didn't want to be on record making plans for the money she claims she is against, but will happily spend.  She's getting a lot of flak in her own state for disappearing during this crucial legislative period.  She knows that clips of her saying "I will use obama's free money for this and this" make her look bad.



Hey BILLY, no comment? 

You mean the way Obama voted present about 1000 times when he was in the state senate?

Thre bottom line is,you knock her but cant give credit when she does something good.Your just pissed that she kills your oinion of her everytime she speaks and Joe Biden confirms my opinion of him everytime he speaks.

[240 is Back]

You mean the way Obama voted present about 1000 times when he was in the state senate?

And as we all know, Obama spent his whole Senate career running for President.  This was a very bad thing.

Palin is now doing the exact same thing BILLY.

[The True Adonis]

You mean the way Obama voted present about 1000 times when he was in the state senate?

Thre bottom line is,you knock her but cant give credit when she does something good.Your just pissed that she kills your oinion of her everytime she speaks and Joe Biden confirms my opinion of him everytime he speaks.

Uh, That is just not true.
http://www.factcheck.org/askfactcheck/how_many_times_did_obama_vote_present.html
Q:
How many times did Obama vote 'present' as a state senator?
I keep reading that Obama has "no legislative accomplishments" and at the GOP convention, Palin kept saying he voted "present" 123 times, or something like that. Can you please fact-check this?


A:
He did so 129 times, which represents a little more than 3 percent of his total votes.
We've received a number of questions from readers asking us how many times Sen. Barack Obama voted "present" in the Illinois state Legislature. The issue was raised by Hillary Clinton in January, when she accused Obama of "taking a pass" on tough issues. Clinton's line of attack has now been picked up by Republicans. It was renewed Sept. 3 in a speech to the Republican convention, not by vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin as our questioner recalls, but by former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani.

Giuliani, Sept. 3: And nearly 130 times, he couldn't make a decision. He couldn't figure out whether to vote "yes" or "no." It was too tough. (Laughter, Applause) He voted -- he voted "present." (Boos) I didn't know about this vote "present" when I was mayor of New York City. Sarah Palin didn't have this vote "present" when she was mayor or governor. You don't get "present." It doesn't work in an executive job. For president of the United States, it's not good enough to be present.

Palin and others have picked up this applause line since. As reported by the Chicago Tribune blog "The Swamp":

Palin (Sept. 4): "We don't have a 'present' button as governor,'' Palin said after an appearance before fellow Republican governors in Minneapolis. "We are expected to lead, we are expected to take action and not just vote 'present.' "

Four days later, the attack was repeated by GOP presidential candidate John McCain:
McCain (Road to Victory Rally, Sept. : One hundred and thirty times as a member of the Illinois state senate, [Obama] refused to vote. He voted present.

Here are the facts: According to reports by both The New York Times and the Associated Press, Obama voted "present" 129 times as a state senator. The AP reported that Obama said the votes represented a small portion — a little more than 3 percent — of the "roughly 4,000" votes he cast as a member of the state Senate.

The Illinois state Legislature allows members to vote "present" rather than "yes" or "no." The Times reported in December that "present" votes provide a way for lawmakers to voice opposition to an issue. Such votes can also help them avoid the political fall-out of voting "no":

The New York Times (Dec. 20, 2007): In Illinois, political experts say voting present is a relatively common way for lawmakers to express disapproval of a measure. It can at times help avoid running the risks of voting no, they add. “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.”

Obama's allies and supporters have argued that his votes were not an attempt to dodge difficult issues. Instead, according to the Times, they claim Obama "used the present vote to protest bills that he believed had been drafted unconstitutionally or as part of a broader legislative strategy."

The Times found a mixed record:

The New York Times (Dec. 20, 2007): Sometimes the "present" votes were in line with instructions from Democratic leaders or because he objected to provisions in bills that he might otherwise support. At other times, Mr. Obama voted present on questions that had overwhelming bipartisan support. In at least a few cases, the issue was politically sensitive.

In a Sept. 4 report, the AP weighed in on the issue again, reporting that a "present" vote, while not the same as a "yes" or "no" vote, could have the same effect:

The Associated Press (Sept. 4): It's true that Obama voted "present" dozens of times, among the thousands of votes he cast in an eight-year span in Springfield. Illinois lawmakers commonly vote that way on a variety of issues for technical, legal or strategic reasons. ...Voting this way also can be a way to duck a difficult issue, although that's difficult to prove.

We leave it up to our readers to determine whether Obama's "present" votes were a sign of political weakness or deftness. But the figure McCain cited on the stump is just one vote off.

- by Emi Kolawole

Sources
McCain, John and Sarah Palin. "Remarks by Presidential Nominee Senator John McCain (R-Az) and Vice Presidential Nominee Governor Sarah Palin (R-Alaska) At a Road to Victory Rally." The Pavilion At JohnKnoxVillage, Lees, Summit, Missouri. 8 Sep. 2008. (Federal News Service)

Hernandez, Raymond and Christopher Drew. "It's Not Just 'Ayes' and 'Nays': Obama's Votes in Illinois Echo." The New York Times. 20 Dec. 2008.

Wills, Christopher. "Fact Check: Obama's 'present' votes." The Associated Press. 24 Jan. 2008.

Kuhnhenn, Jim. "Attacks, praise stretch truth." Associated Press Worldstream. 4 Sep. 2008.

[LurkerNoMore]

Damn.  TA bringing the pain of facts once again.

[BM OUT]

Uh, That is just not true.
http://www.factcheck.org/askfactcheck/how_many_times_did_obama_vote_present.html
Q:
How many times did Obama vote 'present' as a state senator?
I keep reading that Obama has "no legislative accomplishments" and at the GOP convention, Palin kept saying he voted "present" 123 times, or something like that. Can you please fact-check this?


A:
He did so 129 times, which represents a little more than 3 percent of his total votes.
We've received a number of questions from readers asking us how many times Sen. Barack Obama voted "present" in the Illinois state Legislature. The issue was raised by Hillary Clinton in January, when she accused Obama of "taking a pass" on tough issues. Clinton's line of attack has now been picked up by Republicans. It was renewed Sept. 3 in a speech to the Republican convention, not by vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin as our questioner recalls, but by former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani.

Giuliani, Sept. 3: And nearly 130 times, he couldn't make a decision. He couldn't figure out whether to vote "yes" or "no." It was too tough. (Laughter, Applause) He voted -- he voted "present." (Boos) I didn't know about this vote "present" when I was mayor of New York City. Sarah Palin didn't have this vote "present" when she was mayor or governor. You don't get "present." It doesn't work in an executive job. For president of the United States, it's not good enough to be present.

Palin and others have picked up this applause line since. As reported by the Chicago Tribune blog "The Swamp":

Palin (Sept. 4): "We don't have a 'present' button as governor,'' Palin said after an appearance before fellow Republican governors in Minneapolis. "We are expected to lead, we are expected to take action and not just vote 'present.' "

Four days later, the attack was repeated by GOP presidential candidate John McCain:
McCain (Road to Victory Rally, Sept. : One hundred and thirty times as a member of the Illinois state senate, [Obama] refused to vote. He voted present.

Here are the facts: According to reports by both The New York Times and the Associated Press, Obama voted "present" 129 times as a state senator. The AP reported that Obama said the votes represented a small portion — a little more than 3 percent — of the "roughly 4,000" votes he cast as a member of the state Senate.

The Illinois state Legislature allows members to vote "present" rather than "yes" or "no." The Times reported in December that "present" votes provide a way for lawmakers to voice opposition to an issue. Such votes can also help them avoid the political fall-out of voting "no":

The New York Times (Dec. 20, 2007): In Illinois, political experts say voting present is a relatively common way for lawmakers to express disapproval of a measure. It can at times help avoid running the risks of voting no, they add. “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.”

Obama's allies and supporters have argued that his votes were not an attempt to dodge difficult issues. Instead, according to the Times, they claim Obama "used the present vote to protest bills that he believed had been drafted unconstitutionally or as part of a broader legislative strategy."

The Times found a mixed record:

The New York Times (Dec. 20, 2007): Sometimes the "present" votes were in line with instructions from Democratic leaders or because he objected to provisions in bills that he might otherwise support. At other times, Mr. Obama voted present on questions that had overwhelming bipartisan support. In at least a few cases, the issue was politically sensitive.

In a Sept. 4 report, the AP weighed in on the issue again, reporting that a "present" vote, while not the same as a "yes" or "no" vote, could have the same effect:

The Associated Press (Sept. 4): It's true that Obama voted "present" dozens of times, among the thousands of votes he cast in an eight-year span in Springfield. Illinois lawmakers commonly vote that way on a variety of issues for technical, legal or strategic reasons. ...Voting this way also can be a way to duck a difficult issue, although that's difficult to prove.

We leave it up to our readers to determine whether Obama's "present" votes were a sign of political weakness or deftness. But the figure McCain cited on the stump is just one vote off.

- by Emi Kolawole

Sources
McCain, John and Sarah Palin. "Remarks by Presidential Nominee Senator John McCain (R-Az) and Vice Presidential Nominee Governor Sarah Palin (R-Alaska) At a Road to Victory Rally." The Pavilion At JohnKnoxVillage, Lees, Summit, Missouri. 8 Sep. 2008. (Federal News Service)

Hernandez, Raymond and Christopher Drew. "It's Not Just 'Ayes' and 'Nays': Obama's Votes in Illinois Echo." The New York Times. 20 Dec. 2008.

Wills, Christopher. "Fact Check: Obama's 'present' votes." The Associated Press. 24 Jan. 2008.

Kuhnhenn, Jim. "Attacks, praise stretch truth." Associated Press Worldstream. 4 Sep. 2008.

If you ever REALLY examined when he voted present,it was ALWAYS on the toughest votes that could have hurt his political future.It isnt the amount,its the type of votes that mattered.He already had his career worked out and refused to vote on issues that would have a negative impact later in his future political career.Much like Palin is doing now.

[240 is Back]

If you ever REALLY examined when he voted present,it was ALWAYS on the toughest votes that could have hurt his political future.It isnt the amount,its the type of votes that mattered.He already had his career worked out and refused to vote on issues that would have a negative impact later in his future political career.Much like Palin is doing now.

LOL. 

1) TA just provided some great documentation.  I'd LOVE to see your analysis of which votes were "more important" than others.  Sounds like you're just limpingo ut with a vague excuse after TA just proved you wrong.

2) Obama took heat for missing valuable votes, but he did stand up against iraq- the biggest issue of the last 10 years.  Palin, when facing her biggest issue (the stim package) is hiding.

[OzmO]

If you ever REALLY examined when he voted present,it was ALWAYS on the toughest votes that could have hurt his political future.It isnt the amount,its the type of votes that mattered.He already had his career worked out and refused to vote on issues that would have a negative impact later in his future political career.Much like Palin is doing now.

Got any proof/link of that?  (BTW:  I'm neither for or against Obama right now)

[BM OUT]

Got any proof/link of that?  (BTW:  I'm neither for or against Obama right now)

Id have to look it up.I heard a breakdown of it at least a year ago.Its too hard to look up.

[OzmO]

Id have to look it up.I heard a breakdown of it at least a year ago.Its too hard to look up.

I'd imagine it would be.  But someone some where might have already done the work for you.

[The True Adonis]

If you ever REALLY examined when he voted present,it was ALWAYS on the toughest votes that could have hurt his political future.It isnt the amount,its the type of votes that mattered.He already had his career worked out and refused to vote on issues that would have a negative impact later in his future political career.Much like Palin is doing now.

Obviously you did not because you convinced yourself that he voted "present" over 1000 times when it was just 129 times, less than 3 percent of his votes while a State Senator.  

Voting "present" is a great political tactic to force cloture and is great to voice opposition to the contents of a bill.  It is also a great position to take politically if you like some of the bill, but disagree with parts of it so that it can be reworked as it will cause the bill to fail and thus be reworked.  I am sure that is too difficult for you to understand.

[240 is Back]

guys,

I'm sure BILLY will be proving his point shortly.  Just give him time to do the research.  I'm sure he won't toss out some insane accusation of "value of vote ignored" then simply vote PRESENT as the debate commences

[a_joker10]

LOL. 

1) TA just provided some great documentation.  I'd LOVE to see your analysis of which votes were "more important" than others.  Sounds like you're just limpingo ut with a vague excuse after TA just proved you wrong.

2) Obama took heat for missing valuable votes, but he did stand up against iraq- the biggest issue of the last 10 years.  Palin, when facing her biggest issue (the stim package) is hiding.

Obama didn't do anything against Iraq. He couldn't vote for or against it since he wasn't a US senator.
It is easy to complain when you don't have to vote.

http://www.govtrack.us/congress/person.xpd?id=400629
Voting Record   Barack Obama missed 314 (24%) of 1300 votes between Jan 6, 2005. and Oct 1, 2008. The graph to the left shows the number of missed votes over time. Click for a larger chart and a list of recent votes.
Add in the 129 votes that Adonis listed and
Obama didn't vote or abstained on 443 votes out of 1300 votes. Which is 34% of the votes.

But I don't need to use big font to prove this.

[240 is Back]

Obama didn't do anything against Iraq. He couldn't vote for or against it since he wasn't a US senator.
It is easy to complain when you don't have to vote.

No.

He took a VERY unpopular position on the topic, and while he had no senate vote, he sure was on the record with a scathing list of what would go wrong.  and he was right.

The only reason he beats a more seasoned and connected Clinton is the anti-war stance he took.

If you don't think it made a difference with the millions of ppl who were against the war come primary time, i don't know what to tell you.  Obama barely won over hilary.  One state early goes her way, and she wins the nomination.  The anti-war stance he bragged about all along would have been used against him had the war gone smoothly.

[The True Adonis]

Obama didn't do anything against Iraq. He couldn't vote for or against it since he wasn't a US senator.
It is easy to complain when you don't have to vote.

http://www.govtrack.us/congress/person.xpd?id=400629
Voting Record   Barack Obama missed 314 (24%) of 1300 votes between Jan 6, 2005. and Oct 1, 2008. The graph to the left shows the number of missed votes over time. Click for a larger chart and a list of recent votes.
Add in the 129 votes that Adonis listed and
Obama didn't vote or abstained on 443 votes out of 1300 votes. Which is 34% of the votes.

But I don't need to use big font to prove this.

Let`s examine the last Republican Presidential Candidates missed vote Percentage since 2006, Shall we?
JOHN MCCAIN Missed Votes-middle Column, Missed Vote Percentage-Percentage Column
                      Missed Vote Percentage
2006-Q1   83   5   6%
2006-Q2   107   10   9.3%
2006-Q3   73   3   4.1%
2006-Q4   16   8   50%
2007-Q1   126   42   33.3%
2007-Q2   112   81   72.3%
2007-Q3   119   59   49.6%
2007-Q4   85   65   76.5%
2008-Q1   85   50   58.8%
2008-Q2   77   76   98.7%
2008-Q3   47   47   100%

[The True Adonis]

JOHN MCCAIN`S Absentee Rate.



The absentee rate is in red. The two black dotted lines provide a context for understanding the significance of the absentee rate. The lower dotted line shows the median value for all Members of Congress in that time period. The upper dotted line shows the 90th percentile. A Member who approaches the upper dotted line is in the worst 10 percent of Congress.

[The True Adonis]

A Joker,

What you do have to realize is that whenever a Senator, be it John Mccain(note year 2000 for McCain) or Barack Obama is running for President, they will rack up missed votes everytime.


There is no way to avoid this and should be a non-issue to either party.

Hope this helps.

[a_joker10]

I am not arguing over weather or not McCain missed more votes then Obama.
He has and he has been largely absent on many occasions.


The topic was about Obama and missing votes.
You posted something that was in fact full of errors.
I was making sure that people reading this thread understood how Obama voted.

I have bigger issues with Obama than missing votes.
My opion was the Hillary Clinton was the better Candidate and I couldn't stand his association with Rev. Wright
I finally truly had it when he threw his grandmother, who helped raise him under the bus, by calling her a bigot.

No.

He took a VERY unpopular position on the topic, and while he had no senate vote, he sure was on the record with a scathing list of what would go wrong.  and he was right.

The only reason he beats a more seasoned and connected Clinton is the anti-war stance he took.

If you don't think it made a difference with the millions of ppl who were against the war come primary time, i don't know what to tell you.  Obama barely won over hilary.  One state early goes her way, and she wins the nomination.  The anti-war stance he bragged about all along would have been used against him had the war gone smoothly.

Obama's stance about the war was popular with the left wing of the party.

It did help him get elected.

But he wasn't a senator at the time, which makes his stance in my mind meaningless.

People like Hillary Clinton or even his running mate Joe Biden had to make a much more tough decision. Because they would be accountable for their vote.
By the way 22 of 48 democratic senators voted against the war.
That hardly maked it unpopular with democrats
Akaka (D-HI)
Bingaman (D-NM)
Boxer (D-CA)
Byrd (D-WV)
Chafee (R-RI)
Conrad (D-ND)
Corzine (D-NJ)
Dayton (D-MN)
   Durbin (D-IL)
Feingold (D-WI)
Graham (D-FL)
Inouye (D-HI)
Jeffords (I-VT)
Kennedy (D-MA)
Leahy (D-VT)
Levin (D-MI)
   Mikulski (D-MD)
Murray (D-WA)
Reed (D-RI)
Sarbanes (D-MD)
Stabenow (D-MI)
Wellstone (D-MN)
Wyden (D-OR)

[The True Adonis]

I am not arguing over weather or not McCain missed more votes then Obama.
He has and he has been largely absent on many occasions.


The topic was about Obama and missing votes.
You posted something that was in fact full of errors.
I was making sure that people reading this thread understood how Obama voted.

I have bigger issues with Obama than missing votes.
My opion was the Hillary Clinton was the better Candidate and I couldn't stand his association with Rev. Wright
I finally truly had it when he threw his grandmother, who helped raise him under the bus, by calling her a bigot.
Obama's stance about the war was popular with the left wing of the party.

It did help him get elected.

But he wasn't a senator at the time, which makes his stance in my mind meaningless.

People like Hillary Clinton or even his running mate Joe Biden had to make a much more tough decision. Because they would be accountable for their vote.
By the way 22 of 48 democratic senators voted against the war.
That hardly maked it unpopular with democrats
Akaka (D-HI)
Bingaman (D-NM)
Boxer (D-CA)
Byrd (D-WV)
Chafee (R-RI)
Conrad (D-ND)
Corzine (D-NJ)
Dayton (D-MN)
   Durbin (D-IL)
Feingold (D-WI)
Graham (D-FL)
Inouye (D-HI)
Jeffords (I-VT)
Kennedy (D-MA)
Leahy (D-VT)
Levin (D-MI)
   Mikulski (D-MD)
Murray (D-WA)
Reed (D-RI)
Sarbanes (D-MD)
Stabenow (D-MI)
Wellstone (D-MN)
Wyden (D-OR)

What errors?

[a_joker10]

What errors?

ERR my bad.
I thought you were talking about the US senate not the state senate.

[240 is Back]

obama only beat hilary because he was very vocal in being against the war.

He took a stand when he coudl have kept his mouth shut.

Palin has that same chance, but she's slinking away to IN to speak to anti-aboriton people instead of dealing with her own state's stim money.  That's a cowardice move.  Obama had courage to step up and speak against the war when it was a very unpopular position to take.

Like him or hate him, Obama showed corage.
love her or hate her, Palin is dodging making a stand either way on the issue.

[BM OUT]

guys,

I'm sure BILLY will be proving his point shortly.  Just give him time to do the research.  I'm sure he won't toss out some insane accusation of "value of vote ignored" then simply vote PRESENT as the debate commences

You know whats amusing.You have asked me to prove or link at least 10 different things.Ive proved it EVERYTIME you asked.[this time Im not doing the research,because I dont care].Now,I asked you ONCE to prove your point,link your point,when you said Rush used a teleprompter at his C-PAC speach.You have ignored it everytime,because thats what you do.You attack,then ,when proven wrong,you move to the next attack.It really is a gutless way to debate.Now,I will show the Obama votes when you show me the link proving Rush used a teleprompter at he C-PAC speach.You know what?You cant ,because you were a f'n liar when you said that.

Now,to the "brilliant" Adonis,the king of cutting and pasting without ONE original thought or argument.Its amazing such a "brilliant" mind cant quite understand using exageration to prove a point.Let me explain it to you you so you might understand it.Now,pay attention.When your mom says "havent I told you a million times to stop jerking off to porn" she isnt really saying she said it a million times.She is using exageration to make a point,much like I did when I said Obama voted present 1000 times.Its something people do and have done for years and year.When you look at yourself in the mirror and you say "I look like a million bucks" your really not meaning you look like a pile of money.You see how that works?.I hope this helps.

[Howard]

You mean the way Obama voted present about 1000 times when he was in the state senate?

Thre bottom line is,you knock her but cant give credit when she does something good.Your just pissed that she kills your oinion of her everytime she speaks and Joe Biden confirms my opinion of him everytime he speaks.

I am 100% pro choice , but give her credit for her political savy.
I wouldn't vote for her however, as she is way too far right for me on many social issues.

[BM OUT]

By Raymond Hernandez and Christopher Drew

updated 1:26 a.m. ET, Thurs., Dec . 20, 2007
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.

Sometimes the “present’ votes were in line with instructions from Democratic leaders or because he objected to provisions in bills that he might otherwise support. At other times, Mr. Obama voted present on questions that had overwhelming bipartisan support. In at least a few cases, the issue was politically sensitive.

Story continues below ↓
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The record has become an issue on the presidential campaign trail, as Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York, his chief rival for the Democratic nomination, has seized on the present votes he cast on a series of anti-abortion bills to portray Mr. Obama as a “talker” rather than a “doer.”

Although a present vote is not unusual in Illinois, Mr. Obama’s use of it is being raised as he tries to distinguish himself as a leader who will take on the tough issues, even if it means telling people the “hard truths” they do not want to hear.

Mr. Obama’s aides and some allies dispute the characterization that a present vote is tantamount to ducking an issue. They said Mr. Obama cast 4,000 votes in the Illinois Senate and used the present vote to protest bills that he believed had been drafted unconstitutionally or as part of a broader legislative strategy.

“No politically motivated attacks in the 11th hour of a closely contested campaign can erase a record of leadership and courage,” said Bill Burton, Mr. Obama’s spokesman.

An examination of Illinois records shows at least 36 times when Mr. Obama was either the only state senator to vote present or was part of a group of six or fewer to vote that way.

In more than 50 votes, he seemed to be acting in concert with other Democrats as part of a strategy.

For a juvenile-justice bill, lobbyists and fellow lawmakers say, a political calculus could have been behind Mr. Obama’s present vote. On other measures like the anti-abortion bills, which Republicans proposed, Mr. Obama voted present to help more vulnerable Democrats under pressure to cast “no” votes.

In other cases, Mr. Obama’s present votes stood out among widespread support as he tried to use them to register legal and other objections to parts of the bills.

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In Illinois, political experts say voting present is a relatively common way for lawmakers to express disapproval of a measure. It can at times help avoid running the risks of voting no, they add.

“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.”

The vote on the juvenile-justice bill appears to be a case when Mr. Obama, who represented a racially mixed district on the South Side of Chicago, faced pressure. It also occurred about