This week I've been doing / will be doing a series of diaries entitled Obama: The Only Thing You Need to Know (Yes, the irony is apparent).
Part 1 - Constitutional Law Senior Lecturer
Part 2 - Civil Rights Lawyer
Part 3 - Running Project Vote! in Chicago
Part 4 - Community Organizer
Part 5 - Michelle Obama, First Lady
What makes Obama different from other progressive politicians is that he doesn't just want to create and support progressive programs; he wants to mobilize the people to create their own. He wants to stand politics on its head, empowering citizens by bringing together the churches and businesses and banks, scornful grandmothers and angry young.
What if a politician were to see his job as an organizer, as part teacher and part advocate, one who does not sell voters short but who educates them about the real choices before them?"
Chicago Reader, 1995
Here's my question: What if a President was one who does not sell voters short but who educates them about the real choices before them? Imagine that? That, my friends, could truly be amazing.
Obama, running to be the Democratic candidate for the 13th District on the south side, was also told--even by fellow progressives--that he might be too independent, that he should strike a few deals to assure his election. Another well-meaning adviser suggested never posing for photos with a glass in his hand--even if he wasn't drinking alcohol.
"Now all of this may be good political advice," Obama said, "but it's all so superficial. I am surprised at how many elected officials--even the good ones--spend so much time talking about the mechanics of politics and not matters of substance. They have this poker chip mentality, this overriding interest in retaining their seats or in moving their careers forward, and the business and game of politics, the political horse race, is all they talk about. Even those who are on the same page as me on the issues never seem to want to talk about them. Politics is regarded as little more than a career."
Chicago Reader, 1995
I think this speaks to Obama's disdain for the politics of making a statement and his focus on hard results. If anyone ever wonders why Obama doesn't show up to votes where his vote won't be anything more than symbolic when he could be on the campaign trail, this is probably why.
So, what has Obama actually gotten done in the State Senate?
With the assistance of Senator Jones, Mr. Obama helped deliver what is said to have been the first significant campaign finance reform law in Illinois in 25 years. He brought law enforcement groups around to back legislation requiring that homicide interrogations be taped and helped bring about passage of the state’s first racial-profiling law. He was a chief sponsor of a law enhancing tax credits for the working poor, played a central role in negotiations over welfare reform and successfully pushed for increasing child care subsidies.
NY Times
Sounds like an impressive record to me. These, of course, are the high points to his State Senate career. They're also bills that he sponsored. A more complete record can be found here. Some other high points in his voting record include raising the minimum wage, ending $300 million dollars in tax breaks for corporations, shielding workers from having overtime pay taken away, funding stem cell research, sponsoring a study of ways to implement universal healthcare, reducing the cost of prescription drugs, and unsuccessfully co-sponsoring a ban on discrimination based on sexual orientation (The measure became law after Obama was elected to the U.S. Senate). DAMN impressive.
Abner Mikva told me, "Barack is the most unique political talent I’ve run into in more than fifty years. I haven’t been this excited about a candidate since Adlai Stevenson first got me into politics." As an illustration of Obama’s gifts, Mikva said, "I’ve seen him speak on Israel in front of a Jewish audience—a very, very tough crowd. And he was incredibly thoughtful, saying, basically, ‘There are a lot of people in that area, with lots of different interests and points of view, and they all have to be taken into consideration, and we can’t just rally around Sharon,’ and so on. And the crowd was just wowed. I’ve fluffed that question so many times myself—and I’m Jewish. Kerry fluffed it on ‘Meet the Press’ the other day. But Barack managed to make those people who disagreed with him feel comfortable with the disagreement."
This is a regular theme with Obama: supporters who disagree with him. The two big Chicago daily papers both endorsed him enthusiastically in the primary, even though they disagreed with him on major issues—his opposition to the war in Iraq and, in the case of the Tribune, his opposition to the North American Free Trade Agreement.
The New Yorker, 2004
Yaknow how Obama always says he tells people things they don't want to hear? Well, he was telling people things they didn't want to hear in 2004, too. And some of his supporters, as we've all learned through this campaign, don't always share his views. I know this doesn't exactly have to do with his state senate record, but it's from that time and I think it shows, as many of these diaries have, that Obama has been incredibly consistent in his message and his policies throughout his political career. Unlike some people. But hey, this is a positive diary, so we won't name names. Or even link to them. By the way, Abner Mikva. Just sayin'.
But don't let the above quote make you think Obama wasn't pro-labor. In fact:
Kim Clarke Maisch, the director of the Illinois chapter of the National Federation of Independent Business, remarked that, "When it's a labor versus business issue, [Obama's] not going to be on the side of the small business."
Businesses have shown that they do not care too much for Obama's voting record on increasing business taxes and raising the minimum wage to $6.50. The Illinois Manufacturers Association only gave Barack Obama a 12 percent rating last year. He supports denying tax benefits to former American companies that take their businesses "offshore" to avoid paying taxes, and backs the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Law that allows workers to have an advanced warning if their employer is about to institute a big layoff or close the plant. His "REAL USA" Corporations Plan (Responsible, Accountable, Loyal USA Corporations) will even reward American companies that create jobs in the U.S.
Just have to note, something tells me Kim Clarke Maisch has a different definition of small business than we do...
Oh, and to the haters that like to complain about the present votes:
"The present votes Obama took at that time, along with many other pro-choice legislators, were 'no' votes to bad bills being used for political gain. We asked Senator Obama and other strong supporters of choice to vote present to encourage Senators facing tough re-elections to make the right choice by voting present, instead of caving to political pressure and voting for these bad bills. In the Illinois State Senate, Obama showed leadership, compassion and a true commitment to reproductive health care. The Republican Senate President at the time constantly used anti-abortion bills to pigeon-hole Democrats so that he could target them with misleading mailers during campaign season. It was a tactic that was about politics, not policy - and Obama didn't let them get away with it." Pam Sutherland, President & CEO of Illinois Planned Parenthood Council
"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?'"
...
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.
Chicago Tribune Blog
OK, is that good and done yet? Have I avoided an endless tirade of negative comments about how he voted present? Yeah? Good. Let's hope that's the end of the ridiculous "it's proof he's a calculating politician" claim. Next time someone tries to spread that lie, you can link them right here.
Somebody dug up an advertisement for Barack Obama's Senate race in Illinois. I hadn't seen it yet, so I'm really glad I went looking for videos about his time in the State Senate. If you haven't seen it yet, you should watch it now:
Send Barack some money if you enjoy these diaries and want to help him change the world.
NOTE: If you're an Obama supporter, please join Kossacks for Obama over at barackobama.com. I just joined two days ago, and have found it a pleasant community with some thoughtful people to bounce ideas off of.
UPDATE: From Adam B, in the comments:
In the Illinois State Senate, Barack Obama introduced and passed one of the most comprehensive sets of employment law protections for domestic and sexual violence victims in the nation. The Victims’ Economic Security and Safety Act (VESSA) ensures that victims of domestic violence can seek treatment without losing their jobs.