Obama Supporter Can't Name Any Legislative Accomplishments

[TexanBob]

If you haven't seen this one (and you probably didn't since MSDNC's ratings are circling the drain), Austin's own former mayor and current state senator was absolutely punked by Chris Mathews' very simple question:

"Can you name one legislative accomplishment of Barack Obama?"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RmLfE30-kZw

Yes, we Austinites elect liberal airheads, that's what we do around here. Like the ones who passed a resolution cutting off any city business with the state of Colorado after they passed Prop. 2 years ago - and then went on their retreat to Aspen.

Or the time they supported a "Buy Greater Austin" campaign by hiring a Dallasfirm to print placards Austin businesses could tape up in their windows. Yes, as long as you have a "D" next to your name, you can have the IQ of a protozoa and Austin will elect you.

But, anyway, back to Obama's legislative accomplishments. The correct answer is probably "zero" but that doesn't matter as long as Oprahma
says he's for hope and change.

Although nobody seems to come back with the follow-up question. Can you name any legislative accomplishments of Hillary Clinton? I don't recall her name attached to any major pieces of legislation that actually made it into law. Can you?

Now, John McCain, he's a totally different story. He's on McCain-Feingold to squelch political free speech. And McCain-Lieberman to saddle American businesses with environemtnal standards based on the man-made global warming hoax. And then he tried to pass McCain-Kennedy to give illegal aliens an (almost) free path to citizenship. Of course, it's easier to get your name on legislation if you are selling out your party's core beliefs in the process but, let's face it, if your standard for presidential timber is having their name on legislation, McCain has got to be your man.

[cutthemdown]

I didn't realize he hasn't written anything in the senate?

[Hogan11]

Originally Posted by TexanBob

Now, John McCain, he's a totally different story. He's on McCain-Feingold to squelch political free speech. And McCain-Lieberman to saddle American businesses with environemtnal standards based on the man-made global warming hoax. And then he tried to pass McCain-Kennedy to give illegal aliens an (almost) free path to citizenship. Of course, it's easier to get your name on legislation if you are selling out your party's core beliefs in the process but, let's face it, if your standard for presidential timber is having their name on legislation, McCain has got to be your man.

John McCain: Like Hope....but different.

[Maximus]

Here are some passages from an Oct. 8, 2004 article by Chicago Tribune reporter David Mendell who covered Obama's Senate race and later wrote a book about the senator.

In the last two years, he has sponsored more than 780 bills, of which Gov. Rod Blagojevich has signed more than 280 into law. Often, those bills gained Obama considerable attention or won favor with key Democratic constituencies, such as organized labor, that he would call upon in his campaign for federal office.

In the spring, for example, Obama sponsored legislation blocking overtime restrictions instituted by the Bush administration, a move that buffeted the wages of union workers in Illinois. He also sponsored a law that extended the reach of the Earned Income Tax Credit to the working poor…

Especially during his U.S. Senate campaign, Obama has shown a willingness to soften controversial legislation in the face of fierce criticism. He sponsored an ambitious act that called for the state to study ways to provide universal health care to all residents.

When GOP critics accused Obama of trying to implement a single-payer health care system run by state government, he rewrote the legislation to call only for expanding existing programs. ..

"I think if you look at my eight years in the Senate, my reputation in the Senate consistently has been that I work both sides of the aisle," Obama said. "If you look at my signature legislation, whether it was helping craft welfare reform, helping to shape the state Earned Income Tax Credit, death penalty reform, expanding KidCare, all those pieces of legislation are the bills that I am most proud of."

Here's a lengthy passage from a recent Washinton Post op-ed piece in which Charles Peters, founding editor of the Washington Monthly, seeks to bring attention to what he believes is Obama's overlooked Illinois legislative record.

Consider a bill into which Obama clearly put his heart and soul. The problem he wanted to address was that too many confessions, rather than being voluntary, were coerced -- by beating the daylights out of the accused.

Obama proposed requiring that interrogations and confessions be videotaped.

This seemed likely to stop the beatings, but the bill itself aroused immediate opposition. There were Republicans who were automatically tough on crime and Democrats who feared being thought soft on crime. There were death penalty abolitionists, some of whom worried that Obama's bill, by preventing the execution of innocents, would deprive them of their best argument. Vigorous opposition came from the police, too many of whom had become accustomed to using muscle to "solve" crimes. And the incoming governor, Rod Blagojevich, announced that he was against it.

Obama had his work cut out for him.

He responded with an all-out campaign of cajolery. It had not been easy for a Harvard man to become a regular guy to his colleagues. Obama had managed to do so by playing basketball and poker with them and, most of all, by listening to their concerns. Even Republicans came to respect him. One Republican state senator, Kirk Dillard, has said that "Barack had a way both intellectually and in demeanor that defused skeptics."

The police proved to be Obama's toughest opponent. Legislators tend to quail when cops say things like, "This means we won't be able to protect your children." The police tried to limit the videotaping to confessions, but Obama, knowing that the beatings were most likely to occur during questioning, fought -- successfully -- to keep interrogations included in the required videotaping.

By showing officers that he shared many of their concerns, even going so far as to help pass other legislation they wanted, he was able to quiet the fears of many.

Obama proved persuasive enough that the bill passed both houses of the legislature, the Senate by an incredible 35 to 0. Then he talked Blagojevich into signing the bill, making Illinois the first state to require such videotaping.

[Maximus]

"My job was to work and learn the institution," Obama said. "I'm somebody who generally thinks that listening and learning before you start talking is a pretty good strategy. It's like any other social setting -- a new job, a new school, a new town. People appreciate it if you spend a little time getting to know them before you announce that you are looking for attention."

One colleague who took note was the powerful then-chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, Sen. Richard Lugar of Indiana, who later invited Obama on a trip through the former Soviet Union, inspecting projects to decommission Cold War-era weapons. The two ultimately worked together to pass legislation to control the spread of weapons.

"I like him, and I appreciate working with him," Lugar said. "It seems to me that he was adept in finding partners and coalitions and actually was able to achieve results."

In addition to a legislative accomplishment teaming with Lugar, the partnership gave Obama the added credibility he sought in an association across party lines. A former presidential candidate who has seen many fellow senators launch White House bids during his 30-year Senate career, Lugar offers unusually strong praise for Obama.

"He does have a sense of idealism and principled leadership, a vision of the future," Lugar said. "At certain points in history, certain people are the ones that are most likely to have the vision or imagination or be able to identify talent and to manage other people's ideas. And I think he does this well."

Within his own party, Obama gained the confidence of the leadership and soon took on a role as the Democrats' spokesman on ethics reform. A package that included many of the provisions he championed ultimately passed the Senate.

[Maximus]

Sorry I don't have working links for my last 2 posts

[TexanBob]

No problem. At least he can show a legislative record while in state government. Can Hillary say the same?

[L.A. BRONCOS FAN]

Wow!

Maximus punks Matthews and MSGOP.

Nice work, guy.

[frerottenextelway]

Poor guy, he'll never live that down. Obama does have a pretty decent legislative record, but how many legislative accomplishments can most people name for anyone.

[cutthemdown]

Originally Posted by frerottenextelway

Poor guy, he'll never live that down. Obama does have a pretty decent legislative record, but how many legislative accomplishments can most people name for anyone.

If I was going on a talk show you can bet I would do some research. That dude got punked and looked totally stupid. Mathews made him look like an idiot for supporting Obama and not knowing one thing he has done in senate.

[frerottenextelway]

Originally Posted by cutthemdown

If I was going on a talk show you can bet I would do some research. That dude got punked and looked totally stupid. Mathews made him look like an idiot for supporting Obama and not knowing one thing he has done in senate.

Of course he looked like an idiot.

http://www.kirkwatson.com/media/what.../msnbc-and-me/

At least he seems to be taking his pwnage well.

[Traveler]

Originally Posted by Maximus

Here are some passages from an Oct. 8, 2004 article by Chicago Tribune reporter David Mendell who covered Obama's Senate race and later wrote a book about the senator.

In the last two years, he has sponsored more than 780 bills, of which Gov. Rod Blagojevich has signed more than 280 into law. Often, those bills gained Obama considerable attention or won favor with key Democratic constituencies, such as organized labor, that he would call upon in his campaign for federal office.

In the spring, for example, Obama sponsored legislation blocking overtime restrictions instituted by the Bush administration, a move that buffeted the wages of union workers in Illinois. He also sponsored a law that extended the reach of the Earned Income Tax Credit to the working poor…

Especially during his U.S. Senate campaign, Obama has shown a willingness to soften controversial legislation in the face of fierce criticism. He sponsored an ambitious act that called for the state to study ways to provide universal health care to all residents.

When GOP critics accused Obama of trying to implement a single-payer health care system run by state government, he rewrote the legislation to call only for expanding existing programs. ..

"I think if you look at my eight years in the Senate, my reputation in the Senate consistently has been that I work both sides of the aisle," Obama said. "If you look at my signature legislation, whether it was helping craft welfare reform, helping to shape the state Earned Income Tax Credit, death penalty reform, expanding KidCare, all those pieces of legislation are the bills that I am most proud of."

Here's a lengthy passage from a recent Washinton Post op-ed piece in which Charles Peters, founding editor of the Washington Monthly, seeks to bring attention to what he believes is Obama's overlooked Illinois legislative record.

Consider a bill into which Obama clearly put his heart and soul. The problem he wanted to address was that too many confessions, rather than being voluntary, were coerced -- by beating the daylights out of the accused.

Obama proposed requiring that interrogations and confessions be videotaped.

This seemed likely to stop the beatings, but the bill itself aroused immediate opposition. There were Republicans who were automatically tough on crime and Democrats who feared being thought soft on crime. There were death penalty abolitionists, some of whom worried that Obama's bill, by preventing the execution of innocents, would deprive them of their best argument. Vigorous opposition came from the police, too many of whom had become accustomed to using muscle to "solve" crimes. And the incoming governor, Rod Blagojevich, announced that he was against it.

Obama had his work cut out for him.

He responded with an all-out campaign of cajolery. It had not been easy for a Harvard man to become a regular guy to his colleagues. Obama had managed to do so by playing basketball and poker with them and, most of all, by listening to their concerns. Even Republicans came to respect him. One Republican state senator, Kirk Dillard, has said that "Barack had a way both intellectually and in demeanor that defused skeptics."

The police proved to be Obama's toughest opponent. Legislators tend to quail when cops say things like, "This means we won't be able to protect your children." The police tried to limit the videotaping to confessions, but Obama, knowing that the beatings were most likely to occur during questioning, fought -- successfully -- to keep interrogations included in the required videotaping.

By showing officers that he shared many of their concerns, even going so far as to help pass other legislation they wanted, he was able to quiet the fears of many.

Obama proved persuasive enough that the bill passed both houses of the legislature, the Senate by an incredible 35 to 0. Then he talked Blagojevich into signing the bill, making Illinois the first state to require such videotaping.

Excellent find! REP!

[ScottXray]

Matthews came off as a jerk, and showed his bias. He never asked the Clinton surrogate the same questions, and didn't allow the Texas state senator any time to formualte any real answer. I watched the bit live when it occurred and although the Obama surrogate was unprepared for the question and made to look stupid, Matthews was also called on it by his co-anchor saying "this isn't Hard Ball, this is election coverage".

[Denver Crush]

Matthews is a ****ing douche. If you saw the Daily Show episode with him pushing his sick ideas and getting called on it, you know what I am talking about.

[yavoon]

Originally Posted by Denver Crush

Matthews is a ****ing douche. If you saw the Daily Show episode with him pushing his sick ideas and getting called on it, you know what I am talking about.

I love the daily show, but just because a comedian rapes you in an interview doesn't mean you are a horrible human being.

[tsiguy96]

Originally Posted by yavoon

I love the daily show, but just because a comedian rapes you in an interview doesn't mean you are a horrible human being.

yes, yes it does.

and maybe its good obama doesnt have the "experience"
look what it has gotten us so far, a bunch of clintons and bushes in office that have done jack **** for this country.

[yavoon]

Originally Posted by tsiguy96

yes, yes it does.

and maybe its good obama doesnt have the "experience"
look what it has gotten us so far, a bunch of clintons and bushes in office that have done jack **** for this country.

I've watched the daily show since before john stewart. being interviewed by a comedian if the comedian doesn't like you is hilarious, but not indicative of anything.

[TexanBob]

The most disturbing thing I've learned about Oprahma is that he went to Harvard. If anything has ****ed up this country it is all these ****ing Yalies and Crimsons of BOTH political parties. They think they are so smart that they wind up proposing totally moronic solutions for everything.

If I were running for president, part of my platform would be to purge Ivy Leaguers from all cabinet-level positions.

[L.A. BRONCOS FAN]

Originally Posted by Denver Crush

Matthews is a ****ing douche.

Tweety has never been anything more than a right-wing shill.

[TexanBob]

Originally Posted by L.A. BRONCOS FAN

Tweety has never been anything more than a right-wing shill.

Yeah, that's our Chrissy, "the right-wing shill" from Tip O'Neill's congressional staff.

[L.A. BRONCOS FAN]

Matthews has been a good little foot soldier for Bush and his corporate benefactors.