Does Obama's Record Back His Rhetoric?

CBSNews.com Reports: Democratic Frontrunner Promises To Bring Unity, But Work In Senate Limited Mostly To "Midrange Issues"

(CBS)  This story was written by CBSNews.com political reporter Brian Montopoli.

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As Barack Obama has emerged as the frontrunner for the Democratic presidential nomination, voters have been offered a preview of how Republicans will likely characterize the Illinois senator in a general election match up.

One recurring theme has been where Obama falls on the ideological spectrum.

In early February, Republican National Committee spokesman Alex Conant called Obama the Senate's "most liberal" member. Presumptive GOP nominee John McCain, Newt Gingrich and others have echoed the charge.

Their evidence? A January 31st finding by National Journal that put Obama at the top of the list of most liberal senators in 2007.

Obama's critics don't always mention the fine print: Obama was found to be the 10th most liberal senator the previous year and the 16th most liberal the year before that, and other studies don't echo National Journal's findings.

Nonetheless, the "most liberal" charge is likely to be heard early and often should Obama emerge as the Democratic nominee, particularly as it appears at odds with his insistence that he will reach across the aisle and shift the political calculus away from the bitter antagonism of recent years.

"There's a lot of uncertainty about how he would govern and how he would put into practice what we think of as bipartisanship given what we know about his Senate record," said Sarah Binder, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and an expert on Congress.

Binder notes that Obama has spent his time in the Senate on "midrange issues," such as ethics reform and nuclear proliferation, where he could more easily find a Republican senator that would be open to working with him.

"He wasn't working on issues where you have hard Democratic vs. Republican divides," she said. "He seems to have very carefully chosen out areas where there were prospects of success and where he could find like-minded people across the aisle."

"He's been cautious, overall, as a senator," said David Epstein, a professor of political science at Columbia University. "He hasn't been a firebrand in terms of liberal causes, but he's staked out a leftist policy position. His record doesn't provide a lot of basis for the claim that once he's president he's going to win over Republicans and sort of bring everyone together."

Democratic Illinois State Senator Denny Jacobs, who played poker with Obama when they were both state legislators, disagrees.

"He brought some ethics reform to Illinois, and that's no easy thing," said Jacobs. "He worked with both sides of the aisle to get that done. I think he's pragmatic. Illinois is the wild west of campaign finance, and Barack came in here and created some rules."

"I think that what he's proven is that he does believe in something, he does have a core, but he's also someone who can move people from both sides to a resolution," Jacobs added.

Republican Illinois State Senator Bill Brady, who also worked with Obama, said Obama was "probably the most liberal member of the Illinois State Senate" - in part because he "represented the most liberal area in the state." (Epstein, using roll call vote and bill co-sponsorship data, found Obama to be the 6th most liberal in the State Senate.)

"I think he's a believer," said Brady. "He's a bleeding heart liberal, but he's smart enough not to put it in people's face right now."

In a debate with Hillary Clinton last Thursday, Obama was asked to respond after his rival brought up an uncomfortable cable-television exchange in which an Obama supporter was unable to identify any of the senator's accomplishments. Obama cited his work on health care, providing tax breaks to families, reforming the criminal justice system, and passing "the toughest ethics reform legislation since Watergate."

"I don't perceive him as one of the chamber's liberal members," said Jennifer Duffy, a veteran analyst with the Cook Political Report. "I don't perceive him as one of the guys who goes down on the floor and rails about his pet cause."

Obama has been criticized for not taking a stand early in his career on some hot-button issues, including abortion: He voted "present" on abortion questions seven out of 14 times in the state Senate, including once when the issue was a statewide ban on so-called partial-birth abortion.

Binder said Obama's time in the Senate suggests that he seems "comfortable working across the aisle on some of these smaller type of issues." But she suggested there are few clues as to how effective President Obama would be in dealing with larger, more divisive issues such as the war, health care, and entitlement reform.

"Those are all issues where there could be bipartisan solutions, but it's a big challenge," she said.

[kailumego1]

What Obama brings to the table is to depolarize white and black Americans, and bridge the gap between the United States and international communities.

We need a leader that is believable, able to negotiate, and likeable by other political leaders,Bush, McCain, and Hilary certainly isn''t.

I think Obama will change the paradigm of American ideology to one of tolerance, cohesiveness, and Republicanism, the true sense of the word "Republicanism".

He comes from a multicultural background, which he will cater to neither black or white specifically, but to a nation as a whole.

We do need change, a dramatic change from the old-paradigm of American polity to a new pluralistic synthesis, of which Obama is the one to accomplish this and not McCain nor Clinton.

[pilgrimsway-2009]

In America today we have this knight in shinny armor coming towards us promising us deliverance! He never fought a battle, He was present when the other knights fought the battles, and keeps His armor very shinny. When He is with the other knights He speaks as one who fought battles, remember now He never did He was only present, that He can conquer lions and dragons and bring this land America to tranquility. The other knights ask Him of His experience and He just points to the fact that He has shinny armor. These other knights see His shinny armor and wonder why this so called knight calls Himself a knight. This knight in shinny armor states %u201CI can bring CHANGE%u201D. The people without experience in fighting real battles on issues are transfix on His shinny armor that they do not bother with the issue that He has no experience. The people see this knight as their hope. They point to the other knight who is in charge for now and say this is the reason why we need a knight with shinny armor (with no experience) the knight who is there now had no experience either and we want another one like Him!!!!!!!!!!!

[trace-sc]

Does anybody really think Obama is ready to be considered a World class leader?

You''ve got to be kidding!

After electing George Bush, America has lowered its standards to unbelievable limits!

[libra127]

His first year in the U.S. Senate, he authored 152 bills and co-sponsored another 427.Posted by Buddhabman at 02:12 AM : Feb 27, 2008

These numbers are not correct. See www.govtrack.us/data/us/110/repstats/enacted/xml

[libra127]

Take Hillary for instance. Do you think she didn''t divorce Bill because she would not be able to run for president? I feel bad for her to be in a situation where she has to stay in a relationship to benefit her career. What else will she do to benefit herself"
Posted by pepie3 at 09:09 AM : Feb 27, 20

OF COURSE she could have run for President without being married to Bill. The truth of the matter is that being married to Bill has HURT her campaign, not helped it. She has a long and distinguished record of her own. She stayed married for love.

[kmccliment]

The media keeps calling Barry an African American. The media knows this is untrue however this is an example of the media heavily supporting Barry and no one else. Barry is only 6.25% Negro. This does not make the US standards for the name of African American. He is in fact Arab American. Americans get a clue who this fake is.

[future_watch]

Radarama, I don''t think you are making up the story about Repubs crossing over to vote for the least threatening candidate. It has worked for politicians in the past. It really isn''t a far-fetched idea. And I''ll better that...there is a Bill Moyers special or two devoted to uncovering the links between news media and their big business owners and how that impacts what is reported. Sounds like a big conspiracy theory, but fact is stranger than fiction.

[donnawinney]

If you honestly think someone so cowardly they can''t even vote "Yes" or "No" is going to be brave enough to lead the free world, you are in an Obama-induced dreamworld. Real leaders lead; they don''t vote ''present''

John McCain will eat Obama''s lunch. McCain was brave enough to survive the Hanoi Hilton. Obama can''t even man-up in the comfort of a Senate chamber.

Bill Clinton had it right when he called the Obama campaign a fairy tale.

[jowand]

RowdyTexan2 Thank you for stating a few facts. Just keep in mind that bigots don''''t want facts, they prefer half truths and lies.They''''ll still be debating Obama''''s middle name while he''''s being sworn in. Bigots are some of the dumbest critters on the planet. I almost feel sorry for them because most of them came from stupid parents who filled they minds with trash from the start.
Posted by vmcneal2 at 08:33 AM : Feb 27, 2008

Spoken like a true 24 karat BIGOT

[jowand]

THEY know he could never win the presidency, even if Dubbya could run again. THEY know that Hillary is the real threat to the White House, so THEY are doing their level best, behind the scene skullduggery to get the Democratic nomination for Obama. This country would not put that man in office, and I don''''''''t care how many fanatics out there disagree with me. I''''''''m not saying it''''''''s right, but I''''''''m saying it''''''''s so. Want to know where all the Obama support is coming from???? Look to the Grand Old Party. And the worst part is, their scam is working. We are such a gullible country.
Posted by radarama11 at 05:58 AM : Feb 27, 2008

You are making all of this up it''s a lie, your delisional enough to believe it, because you want the power back and you''ll do anything to get it

[jowand]

Remember way back, when Karl Rove actually indicated, to paraphrase, that he was going to go after Clinton, because he didn''''t think a Republican could beat her, but he thought there was a good possibility one could beat Obama due to his lack of experience and empty rhetoric.
Posted by memerider at 07:52 AM : Feb 27, 2008

For the record. As a state legislator Obama voted "Present", didn''t really vote, 134 times to avoid going on the record on controversial issues. Just another politician.

[pepie3]

I am a Republican, but I will vote for Obama because I know our country needs a real change. I don''t see that happening with Clinton or McCain. With them I see same ol'' same ol'', just in a few different words. It''s sad when people don''t use the internet to it''s fullest to gain more knowledge about the people who want to run our country. They listen to the debates and speeches, but don''t do the study on where these people come from and how they got there. Take Hillary for instance. Do you think she didn''t divorce Bill because she would not be able to run for president? I feel bad for her to be in a situation where she has to stay in a relationship to benefit her career. What else will she do to benefit herself. The Clinton''s pay $10,000 per month for the home they use in NY to show their residency so Hillary could become the Senator. Due to Bill''s ex-presidency, they still have secret service protection. The housing the secret service use is paid by the government to the Clinton''s. How much? $10,000. Ever heard of cattle futures? Look it up and see how much the Clinton''s made on that one. If you check the people out running for office, well, you decide who''s really who.

[vmcneal2]

RowdyTexan2 Thank you for stating a few facts. Just keep in mind that bigots don''t want facts, they prefer half truths and lies.They''ll still be debating Obama''s middle name while he''s being sworn in. Bigots are some of the dumbest critters on the planet. I almost feel sorry for them because most of them came from stupid parents who filled they minds with trash from the start.

[memerider]

Remember way back, when Karl Rove actually indicated, to paraphrase, that he was going to go after Clinton, because he didn''t think a Republican could beat her, but he thought there was a good possibility one could beat Obama due to his lack of experience and empty rhetoric.

[oleander8]

You can bet the Republicans are loving Obama''s ascendancy - they will chew him up and spit him out if he is nominated. They will go after him and his record and his lack of qualifications - something the media has totally ignored. Clinton is the one the Republicans have always been afraid of - she is the real threat to their way of doing business. Open your arms, Republicans - the Democrats are going to hand you the presidency once again.

[rowdytexan2]

Posted by radarama11 at 05:58 AM : Feb 27, 2008

Well said!

[radarama11]

Am I the only person who can see the trap that Republicans are setting in the US? They have raped us repeatedly over the past 8 years, and now they want the chance to do it some more. THEY are the ones who are supporting Obama because THEY know he could never win the presidency, even if Dubbya could run again. THEY know that Hillary is the real threat to the White House, so THEY are doing their level best, behind the scene skullduggery to get the Democratic nomination for Obama. This country would not put that man in office, and I don''''t care how many fanatics out there disagree with me. I''''m not saying it''''s right, but I''''m saying it''''s so. Want to know where all the Obama support is coming from???? Look to the Grand Old Party. And the worst part is, their scam is working. We are such a gullible country.

[valentin73]

who is Barack Obama?
He is a dazzler who knows how to talk.
He tells the people what they want to hear, nevermind experience.
Legislative experience DOES NOT corrolate to WHITE HOUSE ADMINISTRATION.
He seems to be "all talk," "all academics," "all legislative experience," but what about POLITICAL ACTION.

NO ONE KNOWS HOW GOOD HE WILL DO OR HOW BAD HE WILL DO IN OFFICE, UNTIL HE REACHES OFFICE (AND PRESENTS FOUR SOLID YEARS OF "CHANGE"-FOR-THE-BETTER)...AND THEN SOME...

IF, HE REACHES OFFICE...THAT REMAINS TO BE SEEN.

WE, THE PEOPLE, WANT RESULTS-NOT TALK!!!

[rowdytexan2]

"During the first eight months of his Illinois Senate he sponsored over 820 bills. His first year in the U.S. Senate, he authored 152 bills and co-sponsored another 427. These included the following:..."

He sponsored 820 bills in eight months? How''d he do that when they only meet January thru May? Every other year? And when it takes weeks to get a bill on the floor even? I''d find that hard to believe that he sponsored 820 bills even in eight years.

He authored 152 bills personally? In one legislative session?

Sorry, can''t imagine who cooked the books on his legislative experience.

[caliengineer]

Obama is a globalist. He is as tied in to the unseen interests as George Bush.

The only candidates worth listening to are Ron Paul and Mike Huckabee.

Huckabee will eliminate the IRS and the Federal Reserve. He does not have oil buddies with big shares in Haliburton. He gaves speeches and writes books to pay his mortgage. This is an American''s American! Huckabee!