Obama's liberal bent likely to draw attention as campaign heats up
By John Patterson
Daily Herald State Government Editor
Posted Monday, February 19, 2007
SPRINGFIELD — When Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama talks about healing the nation’s deep political divide, his words conjure up the image of a mainstream moderate, but his voting record often tells a different story.
During his eight-year stint in the Illinois Senate, Obama carried the reputation of a liberal Democrat, a standing gleaned from his votes on abortion, guns and other key or controversial issues.
He repeatedly opposed abortion restrictions and supported gun control plans. On taxes, he supported then-Gov. George Ryan’s push for higher alcohol taxes and vehicle fees and did the same for Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s call for higher business taxes and fees. At the same time, Obama championed tax policies benefiting the poor.
All in all it’s a record largely expected from a Democrat representing an urban Chicago district.
But now that Obama is officially running for president, the question becomes whether he can avoid being dubbed disingenuous for talking about mending political fences while carrying what in many ways is a decidedly partisan voting record.
(Associated Press)
Obama spokesman Robert Gibbs argues people easily get hung up on a few specific votes and miss Obama’s work on bigger issues — such as overhauling Illinois’ much-maligned death penalty system — that demonstrate his goals for the country.
“Look, there are votes that can be looked at from one viewpoint or another. You could put two or three together and create a line. But I think his record is one of bringing people together around common issues,” said Gibbs.
“I mean obviously he’s pro-choice. Obviously there are certainly votes that demonstrate that. But I think if you look at the individual experiences of some of the biggest legislative issues that Springfield’s had to deal with in his tenure — like death penalty reform — you see that in a bill that nobody thought would pass, and that had no real natural constituency, that everybody hated in the interest groups, the bill ultimately passes unanimously. And it doesn’t pass that way on its own. It passes because he and others worked hard to make this bill work for everybody and solve a problem.”
The votes themselves are unlikely to cause any political concern short term. After all, Obama seeks the Democratic nomination for president. It’s not as if rivals Hillary Clinton or John Edwards are going to appeal to abortion opponents.
In fact, given his thin record in Washington, political observers say Obama’s state Senate past is likely to be an asset with key Democratic supporters and voters, potentially giving him the political credentials needed to assuage critics’ assertion that he lacks experience.
“The question is, can he come back and cuddle toward the middle in a general election?” said John S. Jackson III, longtime presidential primary observer and scholar at Southern Illinois University’s Public Policy Institute. “Certainly his rhetoric is more moderate than his voting record.”
Obama’s record was essentially a non-issue during his 2004 U.S. Senate race. The contest turned into a laugher after Republicans put up Maryland conservative Alan Keyes, who promptly deemed homosexuals “selfish hedonists” and declared “Christ would not vote for Barack Obama” because of his abortion views.
Obama won in record-setting fashion, never having to seriously defend his record. However, he didn’t win everywhere. A 10-county clot downstate backed Keyes largely because of Obama’s views on abortion.
So far the only time Obama’s voting record has been a liability came during his unsuccessful 2000 congressional bid. In December 1999, a series of anti-crime laws was struck down because of a legal glitch, and then-Gov. Ryan ordered lawmakers back to Springfield to quickly re-enact the provisions. But a law making illegal possession and transportation of a gun a felony became a sticking point as the Senate’s Republican leader butted heads with Ryan.
When the plan fell just a few votes short, Obama was among those blamed because he’d chosen to stay in Hawaii where his daughter had fallen ill while visiting his family. His congressional opponent, U.S. Rep. Bobby Rush, a Chicago Democrat, was quick to criticize Obama’s absence and many of the media outlets that now lavish him with praise savaged his decision to stay in Hawaii.
Rush easily defeated Obama in the primary and Obama went back to the Illinois Senate, only to launch the U.S. Senate bid a few years later that would ultimately propel him into the national political spotlight where he even has some Republicans swooning.
The key test, experts and observers say, is how long this lasts, and how Obama reacts when it ends.
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