Just saw a "Let Freedom Ring" ad about Obama's "present" votes while an Illinois state senator, calling these "chicken" votes.
I don't know how much voters care about this issue, but the charge has bothered me the whole campaign -- from the time Hillary brought it up to its repeated use by Republicans ever since. For anyone who hears worries about this from undecided voters, here's a recent Huffington Post article by a former Chicago Sun-Times journalist who debunks the "votes present, so must be a chicken" myth.
"Let Freedom Ring" is running a snarky ad comparing Obama to a chicken for voting "present" (pushing the "chicken button," the ad claims) rather than "yes" or "no" on a little more than 100 votes while in the Illinois Senate.
The ad does not mention that Obama cast thousands of votes during his eight years as an Illinois state senator. The "present" votes were a mere fraction -- around 3 percent -- of his total votes.
Nor does the ad tell us that Illinois is one of a handful of states to allow this "present" vote, and that under the state's system, a "present" vote is actually a qualified NO. Usually politicians do it to show mild support for a bill, but concern over its language or some other aspect of it. Given Obama's cautious, lawyerly approach, it's not surprising that sometimes he took this course to express disapproval over a bill's wording.
Obama is also not the only Illinois legislator to avail himself of "present" votes, another point the ad conveniently forgets to mention. It's a common practice among legislators of both parties.
As Lynn Voedisch reports in her Huffington Post piece, "'Present' votes more than simple, 'Gosh, don't know'":
Senator Barack Obama has ducked an onslaught of political attacks, but none is more unfair than the slam that he lacks leadership because he voted "present" 129 times in the Illinois General Assembly.
Voedisch quotes both Republican and Democratic officials in Illinois to explain how and why this type of vote is used. Check it out, and forward to anybody who throws the "present" issue up as a reason not to vote for Obama.