Hillary Clinton has once again resurrected her campaign from the ash heap of defeat and proven the pundits wrong. The Democrats are now amidst the turmoil of a heated primary pitting old party affiliates against the new surge of idealistic techno types, men against women, black against Hispanic and, poor against wealthy whites. After having clinched the Republican Party's delegate count, John McCain will have to search for new and innovative ways to get any sort of media coverage between now and the Democratic Party's convention in August.
Change has been the mantra during this primary season. Senators' Clinton and Obama have both been vying for this distinction even though there is barely a thread of distinction between their respective policy stances. Senator McCain's views on change are a bit more subtle. He believes that our country's direction only requires some minor tweaks. More than likely, his view is more realistic. Anyone who has ever been in a canoe knows that in order to avoid getting wet, you don't make any drastic weight transfers while on the water and this same principle applies to our nation's political reality. If one were to ask the average citizen what change was needed, more than likely they would be greeted by a shrug of the shoulders and a response such as, "I don't know, but we need to change something." Are things wrong with our country? Sure, health care costs are exorbitant and fuel costs continue to skyrocket however; the prescriptions for solving these issues have yet to be written. Where should change come from, the government or the individual?
During my travels around the country I have not noticed any great desire by the American public to conserve petroleum resources. Just this past week while traveling the length of California on I-5, I was regularly passed by cars towing dirt bikes, ATVs, boats and RVs. The highway sprawl of Los Angeles per usual, was chocked full of vehicles with a sole occupant. Gas prices have climbed over $4.00 a gallon in this region. Somewhat comically, I noticed huge billboards along SR-99 reminding kids to avoid obesity by getting outside to play for one hour a day. Hell, when I was a kid you spent more hours outside than in your own house. Sure health care and rising fuel costs are an issue but on an individual level, why not conserve fuel, exercise, eat right and not buy into the proposition that every TV advertisement from a pharmaceutical company offers you something that you really need?
The Democrats have controlled Congress since 2006 and what have they accomplished? If change is today's buzzword then, where have Speaker Pelosi and Majority Leader Reid been? If health care and fuel costs are putting a stranglehold on our economy then, where are the congressional committees? That's right, they are too busy investigating baseball for steroids use and looking for an opening to blemish the Bush Administration. According to Gallup, this Congress had an approval rating of just 18% between 13-16 August 2007. Are Reid and Pelosi merely treading water until they hopefully gain the White House next January? Of course, the truth is that they are scared. The electorate is evenly split and they are fearful of angering either side. For our part, if we truly want change then we need to set aside our political ideologies just long enough to find some common ground. Change in Washington begins with us and not some new shiny face in the White House.
The three remaining candidates all proclaim to be the agent of some type of change but lets look at their records. A quick study of www.govtrack.us/ provides us with an accurate and impartial record of their careers in the Senate.
Senator Barack Obama has served in the Senate since 2005. He sits on the Senate Committees for Foreign Relations; Health, Education, Labor and Pension; Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs; and Veteran's Affairs. Relative to his peers, his voting history is exceedingly poor. Since January 6, 2005, he has missed 201 of 1,121 votes for a rating of 18%. Since January 4, 2005 he has sponsored 129 bills. Of these, 120 never left committee and 1 was enacted. He has cosponsored 551 bills during this same period. A quick purview of his most recent bills have no Independent or Republican cosponsors and yet he claims fame for change? His congressional record states otherwise.
Senator Hillary Clinton has served in the Senate since 2001. She sits on the Senate Committees for Armed Services; Environment and Public Works; Health, Education, Labor and Pensions; and the Special Committee on Aging. Relative to her peers, her voting history is poor. Since January 23, 2001 she has missed 175 of 2429 votes for a rating of 7%. She has sponsored 354 bills during her tenure of which, 307 never left committee and 2 were enacted. Unlike Senator Obama, she has crossed the aisle and cosponsored bills with the opposing party. Her pledged ability to provide change is somewhat hobbled by her proven ineffectiveness at getting her legislation passed while in the Senate.
Senator John McCain has served in Congress since 1987. As a Senator, he sits as the ranking member on the Senate Committee for the Armed Services. He is a member of the Committee for Commerce, Science and Transportation and; the Committee for Indian Affairs. Relative to his peers, his voting record is extremely poor. Since January 22, 1997, he has missed 604 of 3,743 votes for a record of 16%. He has sponsored 403 bills since January 21, 1997. Of these, 263 never left committee and 12 were enacted. During this same period, he has cosponsored 876 bills. A quick glance at his cosponsorship record clearly demonstrates his ability to cross the aisle in order to try to get things done.
In the final analysis, what are we, the electorate to do? Never before has a voter been able to acquire unambiguous data in an independent manner. Don't rely solely on ABC, NBC, CBS, MSNBC, FOX News or CNN for your research. Get involved; the candidates records are open to all. My early research clearly shows that Senators Clinton and Obamas' claim to change are more hype than reality. On the other hand, John McCain seems to be able to work with others. Why do you think that the ultra conservative wing of the Republican Party distrust him? Maybe his record of cosponsored legislation worries them. Even though I might disagree with some of his positions; as a registered Independent, I admire his courage at attempting to deal with issues such as campaign finance reform, immigration and, climate change. Senators' Feingold, Lieberman and Kennedy are not names regularly cited amongst conservative voters however; if we truly want Washington D.C. to function effectively, John McCain just might be what the doctor ordered to remedy what ails our country.
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