Senator Barack Obama has talked about "Change" for the better part of his campaign. He paints himself as a political outsider who's going to make things better in Washington.
So, one of the biggest issues in this race is the economy. So, how do the candidates stack up with their voting record in this area? Let's take a look.
Hillary Clinton:
Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton helped secure more than $340 million worth of home-state projects in last year's spending bills, placing her among the top 10 Senate recipients of what are commonly known as earmarks, according to a new study by a nonpartisan budget watchdog group. Her $1 million request for a museum devoted to the Woodstock music festival, is laughable at best, and idiotic at worst.
Barack Obama:
Sen. Barack Obama (Ill.), whose $91 million total placed him in the bottom quarter of senators who seek earmarks, the study showed. Obama has been criticized for using a 2006 earmark to secure money for the University of Chicago hospital where his wife worked until last year.
That doesn't sound like "change" to me. That sounds like "less like Washington, but still similar".
So, who has the track record for the economy? Surprising, it's John
McCain: Sen. John McCain (Ariz.), the likely GOP presidential nominee, was one of five senators to reject earmarks entirely, part of his long-standing view that such measures prompt needless spending.
On the campaign trail, Obama has specifically mentioned his ability to work across the aisle "on opening up and creating more transparency in government," so that all government spending is "posted on a searchable database."
Bill Burton, his campaign spokesman, said Obama's level of disclosure exceeds Clinton's. "We began running for president in 2007 and, unlike our opponent, we thought it was appropriate to release our earmarks," he said.
I don't care if you're "open" about your spending, I care that you CUT your spending. There is a huge difference between open and cutting. Don't be so quick to fall for pretty speeches when a candidates voting record speaks volumes. Remember, talk is cheap.
Travis
No comments:
Post a Comment