When he was running for the U.S. Senate in 2003, Obama filled out a questionnaire for the Illinois chapter of the National Organization for Women in which he stated his opposition to the presidents Patriot Act. "Yes, I would vote to repeal the U.S. Patriot Act," he wrote. "I would consider replacing that shoddy and dangerous law with a new, carefully crafted proposal that addressed in a much more limited fashion the legitimate needs of law enforcement in combating terrorism." In a speech to the American Library Association, he called for the Senate to rewrite the law to keep "Big Brother" from "peering over our shoulder." Yet when the Patriot Act came up for renewal in 2005, Obama compromised and voted alongside 88 other senators to reauthorize the law, even though the new version had only "modest" changes. "The compromise is far from perfect," he said. But it was good enough."
o Voted No on prohibiting law suits against gun manufacturers.In 2005, Senator Obama voted against a bill (which ultimately passed) to "prohibit civil liability actions from being brought or continued against manufacturers, distributors, dealers, or importers of firearms or ammunition for damages."
o Supports universal health-care.
One of Senator Obama's stated campaign positions is to "make available a new national health plan to all Americans, including the self-employed and small businesses, to buy affordable health coverage that is similar to the plan available to members of Congress."
o Voted yes on providing habeas corpus for Guantanamo detainees.
Senator Obama opposed and voted against the Military Commissions Act of 2006 (MCA), which (among other provisions) eliminated federal courts' jurisdiction to hear habeas applications from detainees being held as enemy combatants by the U.S. government at Guantanamo Bay. In June 2008, the U.S. Supreme Court found in favor of the detainees and ruled that portion of the MCA unconstitutional.
o Supports granting driver's licenses to illegal immigrants.
Senator Obama said during the primary campaign in 2007 that he supported giving driver's licenses to illegal aliens.
o Voted yes on comprehensive immigration reform.
Senator Obama voted "yes" on the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2006. He did not vote either "yes" or "no" on the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2007, because (although it was discussed in the Senate, and many amendments to it were proposed and voted upon) that bill was never brought to a vote in Congress.
o Voted yes on allowing illegal aliens to participate in Social Security.
This statement is a mischaracterization of an amendment to the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2006 which is discussed in a separate article on this site.
o Wants to make the minimum wage a 'living wage'.
One of Senator Obama's stated campaign positions regarding the economy is to "raise the minimum wage, index it to inflation and increase the Earned Income Tax Credit to make sure that full-time workers earn a living wage that allows them to raise their families and pay for basic needs."
o Voted with Democratic Party 96 percent of 251 votes.
A high degree of correlation with the voting patterns of fellow party members is a hallmark of virtually every member of Congress.
o Is a big believer in the separation of church and state.
Senator Obama has said that "the separation of church and state is critical and has caused our democracy and religious practices to thrive," and also that "doing the Lord's work is a thread that's run through our politics since the very beginning, and it puts the lie to the notion that the separation of church and state in America means faith should have no role in public life."
o Opposed to any efforts to Privatize Social Security and instead supports increasing the amount of tax paid.
Senator Obama has not favored the idea of privatizing the Social Security system, but saying that he "instead supports increasing the amount of tax paid" is a mischaracterization of his stated position. His expressed plan for Social Security is to eventually "ask those making over $250,000 to pay in the range of 2 to 4 percent more in total (combined employer and employee)" while "eliminating all income taxation of seniors making less than $50,000 per year."
o He voted No on repealing the Alternative Minimum Tax.
Senator Obama voted against amendments regarding exemptions to the Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT) in 2007 and 2008 because Democrats felt exemptions to the AMT would results in large federal revenue shortfalls without offsetting budget cuts.
o He voted No on repealing the 'Death' Tax.
Senator Obama did not vote against "repealing the death tax"; in 2006 and 2008 he voted against raising the death tax exemption amount to $5 million.
o He wants to raise the Capital Gains Tax.
The Tax Plan Fact Sheet posted on Obama's web site proposes to "create a new top capital gains rate of 20 percent" while leaving the current capital gains tax rate intact for families with income under $250,000 and eliminating "all capital gains taxes on investments in small and start-up" businesses.
o Has repeatedly said the surge in Iraq has not succeeded.
Senator Obama expressed opposition to the "surge" in Iraq, but he has not always said that it has not succeeded. During a 21 February 2008 Democratic debate, for example, he provided the following answer when asked whether his opposition to the surge was wrong:
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