Originally posted by: OrByte
Originally posted by: Budmantom
Originally posted by: OrByte
Originally posted by: JD50
Originally posted by: OrByte
good god man please spare us this "100 present votes" bullshit I think you've spammed 3 different threads with it. 100 cumulative "present" votes doesn't mean a damn thing.
Its one vote at a time that we would have to evaluate. Because that is how each vote is cast.
It's a pretty valid question. Your job as an elected representitive is to represent the people. To me, that means a yes or no vote, not merely saying "present".
Edit - The only reason that he's spammed 3 different threads with the question is because no one will answer it.
No its not a valid question. Asking about a specific vote of "Present" is a valid question. And here is why:
if he voted on the issue of abortion rights 100 times and voted "Present" instead of yes or no then you MIGHT be able to deduce that he voted "Present" in order to avoid voting no.
Do you agree with that?
But since he voted "Present" over a multitude of items and a with respect to a multitude of issues you cannot draw any particular conclusion over the fact that he voted "Present" over 100 times.Thats why his question regarding the 100 present votes is bullshit.
To add...
Voting "Present" can sometimes be used as a strategy to rework whatever it is that is being voted on...so its not necessarily a vote against an issue that the person wants to support, but that in its current form or revision, the item up for vote needs work...from that persons perspective.
Your right I have asked this question and you are the first to answer it. Does it bother you that he voted that way so many times?
Does anyone in the Senate vote present more often?
you will have to forgive other posters because it gets rather tiresome answering every tangent question/gripe that people have come up with lately to bash BHO.
The trick to that is: Ask about a specific issue.
Example: FISA Vote
Obama screwed the pooch on that vote...he should have voted against the FISA update.
I don't agree with him on that vote. And many other posters on this board feel the same way I do.
Now back to your question:
No it doesn't bother me.
As a tactic I can imagine alot of public representatives can use the "Present" vote to continue working on bills that are up for vote, to avoid taking a stance on an issue (I'm willing to concede that for some of those 100 votes THIS maybe the case) or to abstain on taking a position for whatever other strategy a representative might be employing...ie participating in politics and the political process.
Ask me about a specific "Present" vote and I might be able to judge/gauge Obama's position on the vote and therefore on the issue..
Fortunately (Or unfortunately for some people) that is how this type of analysis works.