Last week at the Republican National Convention, Republican leaders mentioned over and over and over again that Senator Barack Obama had voted “present” on several occasions. The inference of the statement by the Republican leadership was that Senator Obama had voted “present” in order to avoid taking a stand on an issue.
Did Senator Obama actually vote “present” on several occasions? Absolutely.
Let’s just take a moment to learn what voting present really means. The “present” vote, while not counted as a “no” vote, is in effect a “no” vote that sends a message. The “present” vote is used by lawmakers in situations where they agree with a bill in spirit, however the current version of the bill is not good enough to vote “yes;” either it is too expensive, it is inadequately planned or funded, it will not stand constitutionally, or it has riders or earmarks attached that are entirely inappropriate.
A “present” vote is taking a stand. In fact the “present” vote says more than if the Senator had just voted “no.”
Did the leaders of the Republican Party understand this? Of course they did. This is what they do and part of their every day job. What the Republican leadership was counting on, was that you would not understand the meaning of the “present” vote.
Now you do.
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Update: it became clear to me in conversations stemming from this post that some people do not know the difference between abstaining from a vote and voting present. Abstaining from a vote is choosing not to vote. Voting Present is a vote that counts against the bill passing. Bills pass by the percentage of yes votes to the total number of all votes (yes, no, and present). _________________________________________
Seattle has no shortage of lovely spaces near the water, but Golden Gardens near Ballard is one of our favorite spots.
This particular sport was entirely new to me. I don’t believe I’ve seen anything like it. They were not surfing (no waves), but they were paddling the boards while standing up.
Cruise ships making their way out of Seattle; most likely on their way to Alaska.
Four years ago today, The Husband and I said “I do.”
I’m a lucky, lucky girl.
We didn’t actually get to eat much at the wedding, so on the way to the hotel, we stopped at McDonalds and got Happy Meals. We’ve gone out for Happy Meals every year since, and that’s where we’ll be dining tonight. Such a fun anniversary tradition.
For a couple of hours this weekend a few democratic blogs spewed the same kind of toxic speculations, assumptions, assertions, and lies that Fox “News” reports as news every single day of the year.
Knock it off. We don’t need to stoop to their level to reclaim America and our freedom and a viable future from the Republicans.
We need to draw some ground rules – what is appropriate? What goes to far?
McCain has repeatedly mentioned that he wants to address the issue of earmarks in Congress. He has also called Palin a “Cost Cutter.” In that light, a close look at Palin’s excessive use of Federal earmarks, both as a Mayor and Governor is appropriate.
Palin has been praised for going after corruption in the Republican Party. I think that is just excellent, but it doesn’t mean she should get a pass on her own abuses of power both as a Mayor and as the Governor of Alaska.
I’m not going to go on and list everything about Palin that concerns me and why they need to be addressed. There are too many, and that’s not the point of this post.
The point is this: there is a line we must not cross.
Sarah Palin’s stand on Abstinence Only reproductive information (even for married couples) has been proven to be not only ineffective in reducing teen pregnancies, but actually places young people at a higher risk for acquiring Sexually Transmitted Diseases. This fact does not give us the right to tear apart her 17 year old daughter. I don’t care whether she’s pregnant or not. She is a minor. She didn’t ask for this attention. She is not running for office. She is none of our business.
Several months before my Dad passed away, my parents moved from their giant 6 bedroom house with no view to a tiny 2 bedroom apartment with this view.
Last August we had a family reunion in this little apartment with Mom, Dad, 5 siblings, 2 spouses and a herd of grandkids. We repeated the reunion in October for Dad’s funeral. Both occasions I marveled at this view.
At times I was frustrated that the old giant house was sitting empty waiting for a buyer while we were packed like sardines in this tiny apartment. But mostly I was thankful. I was so thankful that my parents were able to find this little apartment close to the hospital and Dad’s work. I was thankful that my parents no longer had to worry about taking care of the old house and that they were not knocking around alone in that big empty space. I was thankful my brothers and I get along well enough we were able to enjoy hanging out in the apartment together. Mostly I was thankful that we even had the opportunity to spend this time together.
Looking at that view reminds me of a time in my life where I was acutely aware of enjoying this moment right now. Not looking forward to something in the future, not happily remembering something from the past. Now.
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