Illinois Senate Candidate Barack Obama has come under recent fire for voting "present" on certain votes important to pro-Choice supporters. Senate primary opponents Blair Hull and Maria Pappas have both suggested that Obama's votes were cowardly.
"Not so" say Obama supporters, including Planned Parenthood Lobbyists. (FYI, Planned Parenthood of Illinois endorsed Obama)
Eric Zorn of the Chicago Tribune sets things straight:
Pappas and Hull have attcked Obama on the issue:
"You want to talk about ducking issues Mr. Obama? Where were you in Springfield when there were six pro-choice votes called? You were present or not present, but you weren't there to vote. So let's not talk about who ducked issues here."
--Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas, at the Feb. 23 Democratic debate
"Seven times, Barack Obama ducked [the issue of abortion]. ... Each time he ducked by voting `present' instead of taking a stand."
But that's only half of the story:
"Anyone who says that a `present' vote necessarily reflects that someone is ducking an issue doesn't understand the first thing about legislative strategy," said Pam Sutherland, Planned Parenthood's chief lobbyist in Springfield. "People who work down here and know how things get done are hearing these accusations and saying, `huh?'"
A lesson in legislative strategy:
In practical terms, a "present" vote is as good as a "no" vote because the law requires a bill to win the votes of a majority of the lawmakers in either body, not simply a majority of those voting.
A cop out?
If "present" sounds wimpy, that's because it sometimes is. In many cases, according to Paul Green, head of Roosevelt University's School of Public Policy and a longtime student of Illinois' byzantine legislative process, lawmakers who anticipate a tough re-election challenge will vote "present" on a controversial bill they oppose so as not to give their prospective opponents a good club to bash them with.
Obama, however, was in a safe district and never faced a serious challenge for his legislative seat. He had no need to shy from hard-line stands on gun control and abortion rights. He actually took such stands frequently and is now highly praised by advocates for both causes.
Obama's justification?
Why would he then vote "present" instead of a resounding "no" on certain bills advanced by lawmakers opposed to abortion rights?
"To provide cover for other Democrats who were shaky on the issue in an effort to convince them not to vote `yes,'" Sutherland said. "The idea is to recruit a group to vote `present' that includes legislators who are clearly right with the issue."
Sutherland said this tactic makes the "present" vote look less like a hedge or a cop-out and more like a constitutional concern or other high-minded qualm.
She pointed to the Parental Notice of Abortion Act of 2001, a bill requiring that an adult family member be notified 48 hours in advance when a minor seeks an abortion.
Obama's "present" vote on that bill is one Hull is attacking him for in a flier decorated with rubber duckies.
But isn't this "justification" just that? Don't pro-Choice advocates see through that?
Sutherland just laughs. "We also had [Democratic Senate leader] Emil Jones, [current Atty. Gen.] Lisa Madigan, Miguel del Valle, Rickey Hendon and other very strong pro-choice legislators voting `present' on that one," she said. "It was all done to pull `present' votes off the fence."
Obama confirmed Sutherland's account of the legislative strategy and said, "No one was more active to beat back those bills than I was."
"Criticizing Obama on the basis of `present' votes indicates you don't have a great understanding of the process," said Thom Mannard, director of the Illinois Council Against Handgun Violence.
Or you are willing to pretend you don't to score cheap political points.
There's dirt here all right. It's all over the hands of those pointing the finger.
Much has been made about these votes as Obama has been rising in the polls. I hope that folks who get this smear literature can see through it.
In my opinion, just like the charges about Hull being a wife beater (I don't believe that for a second) these charges seem to be pure smear.
[disclsoure: Obama supporter, Illinois voter]