I thought this was interesting. This is what is being passed around the African American community in Pittsburgh. Obviously it is written with Obama supporters in mind. I have absolutely no idea whether the information put forth in this email communication is factual or not. I thought is was interesting because this is the kind of thing that passes under the radar of the traditional media. I would be fascinated to see what is being circulated by Clinton supporters as well.
A friend of mine passed the following on to me today. She had received it from another friend in Texas. He wrote:
Read the full communication after the jump.
This was not my usual water cooler chat, but in the wake of Senator Obama’s very eloquent speech this morning I was ready and willing to hear something good about him and his ability to lead the country in a positive direction. Even taken with a grain of salt, this is a story about someone who has spent time working on real issues vs someone who has put a lot of energy into making it look like she has spent time working on real issues. As a woman I would love to see a woman in the Oval Office but I’m sorry Hillary, I hope it will be someone else making history in that way.
“Let’s take a closer look at who’s really qualified and or who’s really working for the good of all of us in the Senate, Obama or Clinton.
“Records of these two candidates should be scrutinized in order to make an informed decision.
“Senator Clinton, who has served only one full term–6 years–and another year campaigning, has managed to author and pass into law 20–twenty pieces of legislation in her first six years.
“These bills can be found on the website of the Library of Congress, but to save you trouble, I’ll post them here for you.
1. Establish the Kate Mullany National Historic Site.
2. Support the goals and ideals of Better Hearing and Speech Month.
3. Recognized the Ellis Island Medal of Honor.
4. Name courthouse after Thurgood Marshall.
5. Name courthouse after James L. Watson.
6. Name post office after Jonn A. O’Shea.
7. Designate Aug. 7, 2003, as National Purple Heart Recognition Day.
8. Support the goals and ideals of National Purple Heart Recognition Day.
9. Honor the life and legacy of Alexander Hamilton on the bicentennial of his death.
10. Congratulate the Syracuse Univ. Orange Men’s Lacrosse Team on winning the championship.
11. Congratulate the Le Moyne College Dolphins Men’s Lacrosse Team on winning the championship.
12. Establish the 225th Anniversary of the American Revolution Commemorative Program.
13. Name post office after Sergeant Riayan A. Tejeda.
14. Honor Shirley Chisholm for her service to the nation and express condolences on her death.
15. Honor John J. Downing, Brian Fahey, and Harry Ford, firefighters who lost their lives on duty. Only five of Clinton’s bills are more substantive:
16. Extend period of unemployment assistance to victims of 9/11.
17. Pay for city projects in response to 9/11.
18. Assist landmine victims in other countries.
19. Assist family caregivers in accessing affordable respite care.
20. Designate part of the National Forest System in Puerto Rico as protected in the wilderness preservation system.
“There you have it, the facts straight from the Senate Record.
“Now, I would post those of Obama’s but the list is too substantive, so I’ll mainly categorize.
During the first 8–eight years of his elected service he sponsored over 820 bills. He introduced:
233 regarding healthcare reform,
125 on poverty and public assistance,
112 crime fighting bills,
97 economic bills,
60 human rights and anti-discrimination bills,
21 ethics reform bills,
15 gun control,
6 veterans affairs and many others.
“His first year in the U.S. Senate, he authored 152 bills and co-sponsored another 427. These included “the Coburn-Obama Government Transparency Act of 2006″–became law, “The Lugar-Obama Nuclear Non-proliferation and Conventional Weapons Threat Reduction Act”–became law, “the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act”–passed the Senate, “the 2007 Government Ethics Bill”–became law, “the Protection Against Excessive Executive Compensation Bill”–in committee, and many more.
“In all, since entering the U.S. Senate, Senator Obama has written 890 bills and co-sponsored another 1096.
An impressive record for someone who supposedly has no record according to some who would prefer that this comparison not be made public.
He’s not just a talker.
He’s a doer.
“Pass it on….It’s impressive.”
Tanya – I am truly trying to make an informed, heartfelt decision between these candidates. Your post needs clarification to someone like me, who goes to the website you offer, but cannot produce the information you have extolled for Obama. What I found and read were 120 sponsored bills within the past year by Obama and 159 by Clinton. I tried everything to come up with the information you provide but could not. Please tell me how to reach the numbers you did without finding the same types of numbers for Clinton, because I cannot find what you have stated and I want to. This is not meant to be argumentative, but I believe there is a lot of power in the written word and I, too, like to research fact versus opinion. Thanks.
Thanks for your feedback. I have edited the post to try and clarify the fact that I did not come up with this information but am posting something which is being circulated in the community. As such I find it very interesting. Please note that I have put anything not my own in quotation marks.
Duly noted. I thought I had read that you had checked it out. I was mistaken. If you ever have a chance to communicate with the friend of your friend, I still want to know where on the website to find these facts, for one or both. I will say, however, that the 279 bills I did find, sponsored collectively by the candidates, was an interesting read.