Can a Leopard Change It's Spots? "Yes We Can!"
62
"Yes We Can!"
Borrowed "Yes, we can" slogan from Cesar Chavez 1960s UFW. (Aug 2008)
Many including myself have been challenged on the facts regarding President Obama’s record especially while he was in the senate. “Why does it matter now you ask?” Because his current ideas reflect his past history, can a leopard change his spots, I think not. But, you know us crazy conservatives, we just want to spread lies and misinformation. We take our talking points from Glenn Beck and Fox, even Wikipedia says he has plenty experience to qualify him for the position to run a country. Oh Really?
These facts were taken from the official senate records, (oh yeah, I forget they lie), so if anyone is interested in checking them, please do you own homework.
Experience
Obama served three terms in the Illinois Senate from 1997 to 2004. He sponsored a law increasing tax credits for low-income workers, negotiated welfare reform, and promoted increased subsidies for childcare.
Obama was reelected to the Illinois Senate in 1998, and again in 2002. He sponsored and led unanimous, bipartisan passage of legislation to monitor racialprofiling by requiring police to record the race of drivers they detained, and legislation making Illinois the first state to mandate videotaping of homicide interrogations
Those who disagree with the number of days he had experience in the US Senate;
He was sworn in Jan. 4, 2005 as a US Senator, and announced he was running for president Nov, 16, 2008. During his tinier, he missed 314 or 24% of the votes, and voted present 123 times. Illinois Senator Obama missed 71--or nearly 80 percent--of the 89 votes that have taken place in the Senate .
From the time Obama was sworn in as a United State Senator, to the time he announced he was forming a Presidential exploratory committee, he logged 143 days of experience in the Senate. That's how many days the Senate was actually in session and working.
I know that some of you don't like to read long drawn out missives...
so here's the executive summary.........
Congress Military
John McCain 26 Years 22 years
Barrack Obama *143 Days 0
*actually present in the Senate chamber working
Summary Concluded. Frightening what so many Americans think qualifies one to be Commander in Chief and leader of the free world.
Voting Record:
http://projects.washingtonpost.com/congress/members/o000167/votes/
Voted NO on defining unborn child as eligible for SCHIP. (Mar 2008)
Voted NO on notifying parents of minors who get out-of-state abortions. (Jul 2006)
Voted NO on paying down federal debt by rating programs' effectiveness. (Mar 2007)
Voted NO on $40B in reduced federal overall spending. (Dec 2005)
Voted NO on recommending Constitutional ban on flag desecration. (Jun 2006)
Voted NO on constitutional ban of same-sex marriage. (Jun 2006)
Voted YES on disallowing an oil leasing program in Alaska's ANWR. (Nov 2005)
Registered 150,000 new minority voters in Chicago in 1992. (Jul 2007
FactCheck: Yes, Obama cast 130 “present” votes in IL Senate. (Jan 2008)
FactCheck: Yes, Obama endorsed Illinois handgun ban. (Apr 2008)
Voted NO on prohibiting lawsuits against gun manufacturers. (Jul 2005)
Voted NO on declaring English as the official language of the US government. (Jun 2007)
Voted YES on establishing a Guest Worker program. (May 2006)
Voted YES on allowing illegal aliens to participate in Social Security. (May 2006)
Voted NO on raising the Death Tax exemption to $5M from $1M. (Feb 2008)
Voted YES on $47B for military by repealing capital gains tax cut. (Feb 2006)
Voted YES on redeploying US troops out of Iraq by March 2008. (Mar 2007)
Voted NO on redeploying troops out of Iraq by July 2007. (Jun 2006)
Voted YES on investigating contract awards in Iraq & Afghanistan. (Nov 2005)
In 2002, as an Illinois legislator, Obama voted against the Induced Infant Liability Act, which would have protected babies that survived late-term abortions.
While in the US Senate he sponsored 121 Bills, 115 haven’t made it out of committee, 3 were successfully enacted.
Fumbled on Votes:
On March 19, 1997, he announced he had fumbled an election-reform vote the day before, on a measure that passed 51 to 6: "I was trying to vote yes on this, and I was recorded as a no," he said. The next day, he acknowledged voting "present" on a key telecommunications vote.
He stood on March 11, 1999, to take back his vote against legislation to end good-behavior credits for certain felons in county jails. "I pressed the wrong button on that," he said.
Obama was the lone dissenter on Feb 04, 2000, against 57 yeas for a ban on human cloning. "I pressed the wrong button by accident," he said.
Barack Obama angered fellow Democrats in the Illinois Senate when he voted to strip millions of dollars from a child welfare office on Chicago's West Side. But Obama had a ready explanation: He goofed.
"I was not aware that I had voted no," he said that day in June 2002, asking that the record be changed to reflect that he "intended to vote yes."
Lies
I’m sure that I don’t need to go into some of the lies told by Obama, There are many, and for those who haven’t hear them please visit:
http://stop-obama.info/barack_obama_002.htm
In December 2007 Obama told the Chicago Tribune that, in all the years he's known Rezko, "I've never done any favors for him.''
Fact: As a state senator, Barack Obama wrote letters to city and state officials supporting his political patron Tony Rezko's successful bid to get more than $14 million from taxpayers to build apartments for senior citizens. Rezko took the money but didn't do the job.
My uncle helped Liberate Auschwitz.
Fact: He has no uncle. Obama's Mother had NO Brother, she was an only child and the Soviet Army Liberated Auschwitz. The story was then changed to "It was my great-uncle who liberated Ohrduf camp, part of Buchenwald". Obama's great-uncle was in the Navy.
Obama: "I know Bill Ayers because our children go to the same school".
Fact: Bill Ayers children are adults. Another fact: Obama and Ayers worked together for over 9 years.
Obama said he was never in church when Reverend Jeremiah Wright Jr. preached hate of the United States, and hate of whites and jews.
Fact: In a press conference Obama finally admitted he was in church during these sermons. Barack Obama a member of a racist, and anti America church for 20 years.
Editors note
Of course I could go on to educate those who were and still are too lazy to check into facts for themselves, but for now this should be enough to get some thinking. Well at least you would think! Chat rooms, forum post and some blogs are full of misinformation, however most reputable reporters and columnist and official records take information from actual facts.
No employer would hire someone with only 143 days of experience. Imagine if your doctor, lawyer, dentist, financial advisor only had this much experience, wouldn’t it make you queasy? Of course, but this was not so for a man who was put in the highest position in this country. Amazing! I will of course keep vigilant as many others who are concerned citizens.
Please visit:
- Garage Sale and Recall Czars
Childrens Gasoline Burn Prevention Act was enacted to protect children from the poisons in the can, like gasolines and oils. When was the last time you gave a gas can to your child to play with? Come... - Rumors or Reality?
The Sea Mouse Worm usually lies with his head in the sand. Reality! Rumors are just that, something heard with no factual source, but some rumors actually have a verifiable source. The new health plan has... - Current Conspiracy Theories
The average persons opinions or fears, are based on something they feel very strongly about. Some are fact and some are unfounded. Conspiracy theories, like fear and unlike facts, are usually seldom...
PrintShare it! — Rate it: up down flag this hub
Comments
Thank you for visiting.
Good hub. I was aware of most of this and I didn't vote for him. I think people just didn't care. All they could think about was how much they hated Bush.
Jib,
You said it all. WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Pamela99, it's been 9 months in office and still people want to argue about his record and associations. Hope this answers some questions. Thanks for visiting.
Tom, I know it a little long, only because I wanted to add his voting record. Thanks.
And people still think the reason that we don't like him is because of race. Thanks for the facts!
Pageantgirl, yeah, that must be it. Thanks for your comments.
You make a lot of assertions about Obama's time in congress here but you haven't backed them up.
Links please.
Or I can provide them for you:
http://projects.washingtonpost.com/congress/109/se
In the 109th congress, McCain missed 58 votes. He was the 4th worst absentee in that Congress. Obama only missed 11 votes during the same time.
edit: these numbers may not be easy to read here but you can see them for yourself at the links below.
McCain:
period: votes votes missed
2005-Q1 81 2 2.5%
2005-Q2 89 5 5.6%
2005-Q3 76 2 2.6%
2005-Q4 120 23 19.2%
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%
Obama:
2005-Q1 81 0 0%
2005-Q2 89 6 6.7%
2005-Q3 76 1 1.3%
2005-Q4 120 1 0.8%
2006-Q1 83 0 0%
2006-Q2 107 2 1.9%
2006-Q3 73 1 1.4%
2006-Q4 16 0 0%
2007-Q1 126 3 2.4%
2007-Q2 112 20 17.9%
2007-Q3 119 67 56.3%
2007-Q4 85 76 89.4%
2008-Q1 85 31 36.5%
2008-Q2 77 65 84.4%
2008-Q3 47 41 87.2%
numbers from
http://www.govtrack.us/congress/person.xpd?id=4006
and
It wouldn't matter what I wrote. http://projects.washingtonpost.com/congress/member
damn good Hub, jibberish. Obama was a lawyer, and a politician--a dime a dozen in Washington. The only thing that made him stand out is his mouth. But now people are realizing that he's all show, and no substance. No business experience; no economic experience; no management experience; and no military experience--that's who we have for a president now. God help us for the next three years.
Dean
Your link is for 2008 votes. I imagine McCain's record is similarly spotty for the same period - in fact looking at the numbers I posted above I see that McCain missed every single vote in the 3rd quarter of 2008.
Here's a link of the same time period for McCain:
Dean his lack of experience is shinning throught, thanks for you visit.
It's a little harder to pin down the facts about how many days Obama worked in the Senate, but this link is worth reading:
William if you would have actually read my Hub you would know what I said, and PS McCain is not the president.
Dean it's not hard to pin down, visit fact check. org.
Very nice, Jiberish. Don't argue with the Libs. Just present your facts and move on. The Conservatives already know it; the Independents are getting it--so that leaves a small minority who will always believe government knows best, no matter what.
Good job!
I agree that the 2008 election was a strong backlash against Bush. Who also had no military experience and the rest of his experience prior to becoming president was also questionable. But that's not the point.
I feel the Republicans made a mistake in putting McCain up as their candidate and he made a colossal mistake in picking Palin as his running mate.
Now, ideologies aside (and I know that being a good Conservative it wouldn't really matter which Dem was in office), is your main concern with Obama's voting record and general fitness for the office?
I'll go out on a limb here (respectfully) and state that I was a Hillary supporter and would have felt much more comfortable with her as president and Obama (if she felt so inclined) in the Veep role. Oh well.
Days the senate was in session, 109th congress, first session - 120 legislative days:
http://thomas.loc.gov/home/ds/s1091.html
second session - 101 legislative days:
http://thomas.loc.gov/home/ds/h1092.html
That adds up to 221 days that the Senate was in session during those two years.
I did read what you wrote, here it is:
"He was sworn in Jan. 4, 2005 as a US Senator, and announced he was running for president Nov, 16, 2008. During his tinier, he missed 314 or 24% of the votes, and voted present 123 times. Illinois Senator Obama missed 71--or nearly 80 percent--of the 89 votes that have taken place in the Senate .
From the time Obama was sworn in as a United State Senator, to the time he announced he was forming a Presidential exploratory committee, he logged 143 days of experience in the Senate. That's how many days the Senate was actually in session and working."
I have provided figures and links to show that between January 2005 and January 2007, the times you refer to, Obama worked for 221 days and only missed 11 votes.
During 2007 and 2008, McCain and Obama's stats are comparable - because they were both running for President.
Dean I'm banging my head against the wall.
nice hub jib.
Funny how libs can get away from the same arguments about McCain and Bush. When will they realize that McCain and Bush don't matter any more. It is the the Obama, Reid and Pelosi three ring circus now. All of the other clowns are not important now. Worry about these three.
Keep on hubbing!
MightyMom, thank you. In all honesty I did not agree with a lot of Bush's second term, and did not think McCain was a good candidate. The previous administration had plenty of people writing about the things they did not like, now it's a new time new president, new problems. Everything that Obama does and his previous record, shows me that he is not qualified to lead a great country. We've made mistakes in the past, we may again, but these issues are reguarding the current person in charge. Thanks for your comments.
Eovery, thanks again, yes, until 2010 we have to live with them. :)
Don't Jiberish. You have the best ally anyone could have...time. Thanks to you and millions of others, every day that goes by people are realizing Obama is nothing but a left-wing activist. Just look at his poll numbers and the fact that no matter how many times he goes on tv, the people just aren't buying it.
So don't bang you head against the wall. Just keep coming up with these wonderful hubs, watch in fascination as the people come around, and smile, smile, smile. :)
Dean, I have pretty hard skin, and try to be patient, but it doesn't matter what anyone writes or says, there will always be those who just don't want to accept it. :)
That's what I thought. Just wanted to clarify. So we need to focus on the job Obama is doing now, today, as our POTUS.
I'm not here to defend or attack. I will say he walked into oone helluva mess. I'm not blaming that mess on Bush or anyone else. The economy is so bloody awful I can't really imagine anyone fixing it overnight or even within 2 years. And he's only been in offfice less than 10 months.
I do feel like he has made some good inroads in his foreign policy.
Don't think the war in Afghanistan is winnable. Hope it doesn't turn out to be another Iraq.
Overall, it's a sucky job. I don't know why anyone would want to do it! Have you noticed how presidents go into office looking hale and hearty and leave haggard and gray???
Thanks for a good hub. Most politicians lie, I think that is a fact and until some law is passed that will cut-off their tongues for lying they will continue to do so. I mean that literally. For the most part they are scums, sucking the masses dry (they give themselves raises while minimum wage pay stays the same).
Now, on the things he voted, except for a few instances I would agree with him but that does not matter much since I am not American. On the question of experience though, we do not have to look far back to see what type of people get a hold of the oval office. Mr. Bush did not know his right hand from his left (on a serious note he did not even know the basic principles of conservatism).
Presidents are puppets and they are picked just for their charisma. Look at Bush he did not even know how to speak properly but it did not matter because he presented himself and appeared to be the kind of "regular" Joe with whom you can sit down for a beer with. People trusted that he would understand them and be of benefit for them. All lies, just like now. "Hope" ... you know the story with the horse and the carrot on a stick? That's "hope" ... the horse hopes to get the bloody carrot but it never will. Nonetheless it will keep walking and hoping. Hope has nothing to do with reality.
LOL MightyMom. They do get put through the ringer. Here is a simple FACT, I wished Obama would have been upfront with the American people, I wished that He would become more of a president and less the Hollywood star, and I wished that I didn't know as much as I do, then I may see Him as the Meshia so many see him as.
Mr. Happy I would love to get an outsiders view of America. We must seem like lunatics to most. Thank you for that anecdote.
Remember during the campaign, when Obama promised to post all pending legislation online ten days before it was to be voted on? Then remember how he and the Dems tried to rush through their health care bill before the August recess? This is just one example of why people are figuring out that Obama is nothing but a slick-talking socialists. See, all it takes is time.
Transparent? Not so much! I forget which congress woman asked today "what's the rush, what are we doing two weeks from now that this can't wait?"
It was Susan Collins from Main. The weakest Republican we got, but she did a fair job today. I know why they're rushing yet another bill through. It's because they want to to hurry it thru before the CBO comes out with the report of how much it will cost. These democrats are disgusting!
That's right, thanks Dean. I was impressed when she made that comment, and yes, you are correct, if that report comes out the bill is dead.
Thanks for bringing the truth out.
Dear jiberish,
Great Hub, as usual. We must be on the same page today, because my hub touches on some of the same things. When it comes to trying to change the hearts and minds of the people with the facts, most times it's a lost cause. The truth falls on deaf ears. Frankly, if the majority of people who voted for Obama paid any attention whatsoever to the "facts" about his associations and belief system, he never would have been nominated,
oops, I made a mistake. That was Olympia Snow who insisted everyone slow down the other day, not Susan Collins. Both are weak Republicans, though.
Obamas colour is not important. What really is, are the colours of his lies. Some black and some white. Good hub jiberish ! cheers !
Jibberish
I am an unfortunate citizen of the Peoples Republic of Illinois and remember exactly how he (Obama) stole the senate race from Jack Ryan. This should have given most Americans a glimpse into just how low this Chicago gutter rat would go to win. He orchestrated the release of personal records that both parties in a divorce begged to have remained sealed for the well being of their small child, in order to embarrass his opponent, who was leading in the race at the time!
Obama’s opponent, Jack Ryan married actress Jeri Ryan in 1991; together they have a son, Alex Ryan. They divorced in 1999 in California, and the records of the divorce were sealed at their mutual request. Five years later, when Ryan's Senate campaign began, the Chicago Tribune newspaper and WLS-TV, the local ABC affiliate, (both of which had endorsed Obama) sought to have the records released.
On March 3, 2004, several of Ryan's GOP primary opponents urged release of the records.Both Ryan and his wife agreed to make their divorce records public, but not make the custody records public, claiming that the custody records could be harmful to their son if released.
Barack Obama's backers emailed reporters about the divorce controversy, but refrained from on-the-record commentary about the divorce files. On March 29, 2004, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Robert Schnider ruled that several of the Ryans' divorce records should be opened to the public, and ruled that a court-appointed referee would later decide which custody files should remain sealed to protect the interests of Ryan's young child.
On June 22, 2004, after receiving the report from the court-appointed referee, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Robert Schnider released the files that were deemed consistent with the interests of Ryan's young child. The decision to release these files generated much controversy because it went against both parents' direct request, and because it reversed the earlier decision to seal the papers in the best interest of the child. Jim Oberweis, Ryan's defeated GOP opponent, commented that "these are allegations made in a divorce hearing, and we all know people tend to say things that aren't necessarily true in divorce proceedings when there is money involved and custody of children involved."
Ryan's campaign ended less than a week after the custody records were opened, and Ryan officially filed the documentation to withdraw on July 29, 2004. Subsequent to his withdrawal from the U.S. Senate race in Illinois, Jack Ryan has characterized what happened to him as a "new low for politics in America". According to Ryan, it was unprecedented in American politics for a newspaper to sue for access to sealed custody documents. Ryan opposed unsealing the divorce records of Senator John Kerry during Kerry's race against George W. Bush in 2004, and Kerry's divorce records remained sealed. Ryan has made this request: "let me be the only person this has happened to. Don’t ask for Ted Kennedy’s. Don’t ask for John McCain’s. Don’t ask for Joe Lieberman’s. Just stop. This is not a good precedent for American society if you really want the best and brightest to run."
Jacob, thank you for stopping in.
POP, I was just headed over for breakfast. :)
Dean, yes thank you I just saw that clip this morning.
Tantrum, we keep trying to say just that, but few want to listen. Thank you for your comments.
Patriot, why doesn't this surprise me? Chicago is known for crony politics, the whole election was wrigged, everything about this administration is questionable. Thank you for your input.
Partisan: there are some logical flaws in your account of the Ryan scandal.
1. Did Ryan lose because of the divorce papers, or for some other reason?
2. The papers were ordered sought by the media and ordered released by a judge, then examined by a committee to be sure they were appropriate. Do you claim that the Obama campaign somehow manipulated all of these parties to have the records released? If so, where is your proof?
Obama has lied about so many things, It's just unbelievable that he even got elected.(oh yea, Acorn) He boasts and brag's about himself, his strong ethics and dedication to America, BS I say, he won't even hold his hand over his heart for the national Anthem. Anyways jiberish, you have a well writen hub here, with a lot of good link's for those who are willing to seek and find the real truth.
Jib, I am so disappointed in you... how dare you publish FACTS and expect the media and the left to stop and pay attention!!
I am sure some one will call you a racist for showing these past records, after all, we should forgive the President his past..... After all, no one is perfect...
Keep up the research. One day someone will have to say "I heard that from Jib"!!
jberish,
Great HUB! The facts were there before the election. Experience did not matter to those voters supporting Obama. A September 2008 Gallup Poll showed that the most popular reasons for supporting Obama was "CHANGE/FRESH APPROACH" (37%). Not very descriptive I know. Experience came in dead last in the top ten reasons voters supported Obama.
In my opinion the Democratic Party could have ran anyone of the candidates, with the exception of Hillary against the GOP and won. There was Bush fatigue as well as War fatigue. Obama promised to get us out. Thats the change people wanted...I think.. You know what else wasn't a big issue for Obama supporters? Health care! However so far it looks like no one, whether you voted for him or not is getting what they said they wanted. This guy is going to go down in history as another Carter if he's not carefull.
I understand that it is actually law that you have to hold your hand over your heart. I looked it up last year. I can't find it now. So is BO breaking the law? Actually I agree the law is stupid and should be done away with. And I will defend anyone's right to not do this. But the President should. He should!
Keep on hubbing!
Wow jib - you really did it this time! Facts can be so pesky. I think the real reason Obama got in is because so many people responded to the programing "hate Bush". Which is kinda scary, to think there are so many who would rather run with the pack rather than think for themselves. And then they turn around and hate conservatives for their thinking! Great hub - you never cease to amaze me :)
Wiliam, yes that is exactly what he's saying and the proof is out there.
Army, that's the problem, even when there are links in Obama's own words, some will still say that we are making things up. Thank you for your comments.
Dan Z, I try to keep up, but there is so much to cover I'm not sure what's priority these days. Thank you, keep hubbing!
CJ, I understand what happened in the last election, tired of the Bush era was one, but my question was, where were those people before, was this the first time they cared about their country? Was it just that Obama was a black man? Did those millions of people care about any issues in the past? Sad.
Eovery, I'm not sure it's a law, however the person holding the highest office in our country should be a role model if nothing else. Instead of making kids chant Obama in schools we should respect the flag. I was at the hospital last week and saw a man take down the flag, and he threw it on the ground, then just rolled it up like a piece of old newspaper. I wanted so badly to confront him, it was disgraceful. Thanks for visiting.
MadamX, they elected him, and now refuse to keep him in check. Somehow the left think that all these changes won't effect them too. Even if someone voted for him, if they really studied let's just say the Health issues, they should be asking themselves how it will this change things for me. I don't think they are asking these question.
Okay the only source you provide in your entire questionable post is a website that still asserts the faked kenyan birth certificate proves Obama is not American, and you expect anyone with half a brain to take your assertions seriously?
I'm beginning to think that facts don't matter, only personal opinion.
Someone above mentioned the CBO report on health care? Turns out the health care bill will SAVE MONEY!
Things, are you kidding me?
William, everything in this hub are facts. I didn't make this stuff up. Let me ask you a question, why do you think they don't want to post the health plan for everyone to read before they pass is???? Could it be that they're lying about the cost or the cuts in benefits?....Why not the transperancy?.....
Great hub - How did Obama win any election he ran in - one word ACORN
J, you can read HR 3200 and the Senate's version of the bill on any number of websites.
Look, I recognize that you posted some indisputable facts in this hub. Obama did vote for some of these bills. I don't have a problem with that, so did many other Senators. I'm not disputing that, and you have your own opinions about his votes.
What I do have a problem with are unverified assertions. Such as, Obama only had 143 days in the Senate before running for President, or Obama missed so many votes etc. Compare Obama to Senator McCain during the same period, when they were both running for president, and Obama actually voted more than McCain.
Or the unverified assertions that Obama somehow had a hand in Ryan's GOP rivals pushing for his divorce records to come out, and he also had a hand in the media pushing for the records, and he also had a hand in the Judge ruling that they should be made public and he also had a hand in the committee that was appointed to decide which records should be released. That's just conspiracy theories, wild accusations based on rumors.
It's just like the conspiracy theory that Obama somehow won a tremendous popular vote because of ACORN and voter fraud. If you would take some time to look at the facts, you'd see that it would be nearly impossible.
Remember Florida 2000?
Your talking points are largely misleading, however. Take the uncle liberating auschwitz thingie, he simply mis-spoke and issued a correction immediately, but you don't bother to present that very relevant part of the fact. In your defense, I doubt that your biased sources did either.
It was Obama's great-uncle who served and helped liberate some concentration camp, I forget the name of it. Being raised largely by his grandparents, it would be an easy mistake for anyone to mis-speak in this way. In a family situation people don't often say things like 'great-uncle joe' they just say 'uncle joe'.
Furthermore, the attempt of the false talking point is to try and claim Obama was attempting to assume his lacking military experience by borrowing that of his family's, when in fact during the speech in which he delivered the remark he was very humbly and honestly admitting to veterans or current armed service personnel - I forget which it was- that he cannot ever claim to know the depth of the sacrifice they and their families have made.
Additionally the point in his speech wasn't 'i didn't serve but my uncle did' it was about how that specific uncle suffered ptsd after that and how there were no resources for him back then to obtain the help he needed working through that. And how there is still a stigma attached, and how America needs to ensure that we provide for our veterans in these and other ways.
But your post only throws out one side of the story on this and other points, and is therefore misleading.
I can understand that you may have a differing opinion than I, but I do feel that it's only right to present all of the information available to you and not just throw out what suits a particular viewpoint. That would be too much like Glenn Beck, catering to a certain viewpoint in the name of ratings.
BloodPen, thank you for visitin.
William, I did not make up the 143 days, it came directly from the senate website. As far a Ryan, another hubber wrote a great hub about that, I will post a link to his site.
Things, what I posted was in his own words. I will present the facts, as i find them, either quoted from his own words or presented with verifyable links. I don't have to compare Obama to Bush or McCain or anyone else. These are the facts about Obama, I dont take my talking points from Beck, I'm not catering to anyone for ratings, I just write it as I see it. If you have questions about my sources I will gladly post links, or better yet you can google, or read books and articles or find the information yourself. According to the official senate records from the clerk of the senate from Jan 2005 to Nov 2008 the Senate was in active sessions for 496 days. According to the roll call, it looks like Obama was present 143 times, I think this is where the 143 days comes from. If someone can do better, go for it!
Now that you know all the bad and no good about Obama, what do you think we should do? Are you still compaigning for the last election or in anticipation? oh! i see! the revelation implies that he should be removed. Or a better idea: loaded guns should be used to protest the unforgivable absence. Or an unidentified shooter might become the Hero. Please show a little love to a fellow human.
J, that fact check link directly contradicts what you say in your post and supports what I've said. Read it. I'll post the entire thing here:
Q. How long have Obama and McCain been in Congress?
Could you address this e-mail?
(email begins) I know that some of you don't like to read long drawn out missives...
so here's the executive summary.........
Congress Military
John McCain 26 Years 22 years
Barrack Obama *143 Days 0
*actually present in the Senate chamber working
Summary Concluded. Frightening what so many Americans think qualifies one to be Commander in Chief and leader of the free world. (email ends)
A: Obama has been in the U.S. Senate since January 2005. McCain joined the House in Jan. 1983 and the Senate four years later. A chain e-mail that purports to show their time in Congress give a bogus comparison.
Sen. John McCain clearly has served longer as a public servant than Sen. Barack Obama. No one would dispute that. But even a quick look at this e-mail reveals how misleading it is. The comparison gives the number of years McCain has been a congressman and claims to present the number of days Obama has been physically present in the Senate chamber. McCain certainly hasn't been physically present in the Congress every day for 26 years. (Technically, he's been a member of Congress for more than 25 years, not quite 26 yet.)
Also, the count given for Obama's working days is wrong. It doesn't count any days for Obama since he announced a presidential exploratory committee, and it's unclear whether the count is correct for any measure. One conservative blogger told us she got the number from "some young guy in the Senate."
We'll Count This, But Not That
This e-mail fails to include any time in the U.S. Senate since Obama announced he would form an exploratory committee to seek the presidency. It does include, however, the time McCain spent seeking the presidency, both in 2000 and in this election. It also overlooks the time Obama spent in the Illinois state Senate. (And the e-mail misspells Obama's first name.)
The earliest, dated authored reference containing the "143 days" number is a May 2008 post by Cheri Jacobus of the right-leaning blog The Loft. The post reads:
Jacobus: From the time Barack Obama was sworn in as a United State Senator, to the time he announced he was forming a Presidential exploratory committee, he logged 143 days of experience in the Senate. That's how many days the Senate was actually in session and working.
Wrong. That's not the number of days the Senate was in session. From the time Obama was sworn in on Jan. 3, 2005, until the day he announced his exploratory committee on Jan. 16, 2007, the Senate was in session 304 days, according to the Secretary of the Senate's official count.
When we called to ask Jacobus how she arrived at her count, she called back and left a message saying the number was provided by "some young guy in the Senate" who gave her an "advanced calendar," and that he was looking at the number of days the Senate was "actually voting." Jacobus also said that she is "not a journalist" and that it has "been quite a while" since she wrote the post. We called and left a message with Jacobus in an attempt to follow-up for more details, but we have yet to hear back.
Senators do indeed work on days that they may not actually vote. For example, Obama's trip to Afghanistan and Iraq earlier this year was made in his capacity as a senator. The press was forced to settle for Department of Defense footage and photos, since they weren't allowed to join him during his congressional delegation trip.
It's also worth noting that Obama has been in the Senate and has voted since January of last year, but the e-mail leaves out that information in its bogus comparison.
What About John McCain?
It's true that John McCain has 22 years of military service under his belt, compared with Obama's zero. And McCain was sworn in on Jan. 3, 1983, as a member of the House and on Jan. 3, 1987, as a member of the Senate, where he has been ever since. In total McCain has been in Congress (House and Senate) for nearly 26 years.
Even if the e-mail measured Obama's and McCain's time in Congress using the same metric, McCain's tenure is far longer.
James, he will remain in office for his term, what we hateful Americans are doing with all the Obama Bashing is trying to keep the next few years honest, and this administration on it's toes. As long as we complain, they may take heed that we are vigilantly watching, and will not just quietly sit back and let him 'Change' this country into something we don't want.
I gotta give you this William, you have a good debate. Here's a challenge, why don't you write a Hub contradicting everything in mine.
Since you last post I did go back to the senate records and found that the senate was in session 496 days, I was going to go day by day to count the roll call, but decided against it cause I have others things to do, and leave that up to someone who actually cares about his roll call. You pick one item to dispute, if you want to go and count his votes they add up to 143, again I say....
J, I don't have time or energy to counter everything you wrote. And I don't dispute all of it. Obviously he did vote for the bills you list. I haven't even begun to look at the list of his suppposed lies - as Things said, any website that furthers the debunked birther conspiracy is not credible.
I might post a hub about Obama's work in the senate, though.
Thanks for engaging with me. You have been nothing but polite, and that can be a rarity nowadays.
William I would love to see a Hub about Obama's accomplishments, or a forum or something. It would be nice for his supporters to start actually supporting him. :) Good debating with you William.
I see you have ignited a firestorm here. Good for you. It's nice to see Americans engaged. Nice article. As you know, I agree with you!
James, I always smile when you visit. Your writings are so inspirational and indepth, I am always honored to see you take the time to visit and comment. Thank you.
jiberish,
I wouldn't say that it was the first time these people ever cared. Its simply that here was a man, a black man, who actually had a shot at the presidency. People jumped on the wagon. Its a great story(media wise). The race issue played a role here. It was in some peoples minds a form of restitution, if not out right absolution for past social failings . This past election was about identity politics. The Clinton's were great at this. Create political policies based on fact or fiction, that meet the needs or wants of a particular populous. One issue voters are GOLD to the new Democratic Party. Thats why they are allways preaching tolerance. Accept everyone and everyone is your constituent. This ideology wont work for the Republican party. The social concervatives will NEVER bend in their principals. The fiscal concervatives will, but then they become Democrats!
The previous two elections were based on fear. We were afraid of the bad guys and so we wanted a cowboy. We got ourselves one. Bush was the ABSOLUTE best(available) guy for that job. Unfortunately that won't be realized anytime soon, unless we suffer another large scale terror attack.
You said that dreaded word 'Bush', them's some fighting words for the Libs. They cannot and will not accept anything he has done as good. Obama is stiring the pot around the world, it's just a matter of time until something happens, and then maybe some will realize that we were safe then. Thanks for your comments.
Glenn Beck
|
Arguing with Idiots: How to Stop Small Minds and Big Government
Price: $2.00
List Price: $29.99 |
|
Glenn Beck's Common Sense: The Case Against an Out-of-Control Government, Inspired by Thomas Paine
Price: $2.00
List Price: $11.99 |
|
The Christmas Sweater
Price: $8.95
List Price: $19.99 |
|
The Christmas Sweater: A Picture Book
Price: $2.00
List Price: $17.99 |
june688 says:
2 months ago
Thanks for your sharing