Matt Gonzalez on Change we should avoid: Obama's voting record

A progressive's closer look at Obama's voting record.   Matt Gonzalez is a former president of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors and will be the running mate for Ralph Nader's quixotic quest for quadrennial attention but has some values common to a lot of us.  

" He reminds us again and again that he had the foresight to oppose the war in Iraq. And he seems to have a genuine interest in lifting up the poor.

But his record suggests that he is incapable of ushering in any kind of change I’d like to see. It is one of accommodation and concession to the very political powers that we need to reign in and oppose if we are to make truly lasting advances."

When Hillary Clinton voted against the CAFA (Class Action Fairness Act - fairness to businesses against class action suits), Obama joined Republicans in voting FOR it.  Democrats against this particular loss of protection for consumers included Clinton, Kennedy, Biden, Feingold, and Kerry.  This is the kind of Change we can expect to see more of.

When Clinton voted FOR capping of consumer credit interest rates at 30%, Obama voted AGAINST it.  As a result, Mike Williams of the Bond Market Association, which represents Wall Street firms, said that "Some assumed he would just go along with consumer advocates, but he voted with us on several points.  He understood the issue.  He wasn’t closed-minded.  A lot of people found that very refreshing."

His 'flexibility' was similar to what we saw with Exelon, in which he gave Exelon and the Republicans everything they demanded and left a skeleton of the remaining, revised "bill," which failed but was re-introduced Oct 2007 in its revised, useless version.  Nevertheless he told an Iowan audience he had passed a regulatory bill... "I did that just this past year."  If he believes what he told them, it's worrisome, and if he doesn't believe it, it's troubling.

If you'd like others to read this, click here to 'Stumble it' .  Thanks!