Re: [Dems2008] Re: Does Barack Obama Suck?

Senator Obama cosponsored the Secure America and Orderly Immigration Act, S-2611, sponsored by John McCain.  It passed the Senate on May 25, 2006, by a vote of 62-36.  Republicans largely opposed the bill, Democrats largely supported the bill.  (Curiously, George W Bush, having been governor of a border state, has a fairly sophisticated understanding of this issue.)  Under this bill, undocumented persons (my phrasing) who have been in the country five or more years would be allowed to stay and apply for citizenship, provided they pay back taxes, learn English and have no serious criminal records.  Undocumented persons who have been in the United States between 2-5 years would eventually have to return to a point of entry in Mexico or Canada and apply for a green card, which could allow their immediate return.  The roughly 2 million undocumented persons who have been in the United States for less than two years would be ordered home.

Senator Obama opposed S-256, the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 2005.  The title of the bill is misleading.  The most significant change in bankruptcy law in 25 years, it would require many people filing for bankruptcy to repay a portion of their debt under Chapter 13 of the bankruptcy code rather than allowing them to erase it almost entirely under the more commonly used Chapter 7.  Those opposing the bill said the bill didn't take into account dire situations faced by those who face divorce, disease, job loss, and other crises.  Curiously, Hillary Clinton did not vote on this historic bill.  (I would just note that many of the creditors and banks who benefit from this bill have strong ties to New York.) 

 

Senator Obama also voted "yes" on:  stem cell research (H R 810); modified Patriot Act (H R 3199); curtailing ability of plaintiffs to file class action lawsuits against corporations (Hillary Clinton voted no on this bill).

 

When Democrats finally achieved a majority in the state senate, Senator Obama was elevated to Chairman of the Senate Health and Human Services Committee; 2003-2004 were the only two years Barack Obama has ever been in a political majority in either Illinois or (until recently) Washington, D.C.  During those two years, he sponsored 780 bills, and 280 of those were signed into law.



pappy2126 <pappy8125@yahoo.com> wrote:

Can you list any of Obama's accomplishments?