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About Nancy Salvato
Nancy Salvato is the President and Director of Education and the
Constitutional Literacy Program for
BasicsProject.org, a
non-profit, non-partisan 501(c)(3) research and educational
project whose mission is to re-introduce the American public to
the basic elements of our constitutional heritage while
providing non-partisan, fact-based information on relevant
socio-political issues important to our country, specifically
the threats of aggressive Islamofascism and the American Fifth
Column. She serves as a Senior Editor for The New Media Journal.
She received her BA in history from Loyola University and her
M.Ed. in Early Childhood Education from National-Louis
University. She is certified to teach in grades K-9 and 6-12
and as a teacher has worked with students in preschool, 1st,
5th, 6th, 7th, 8th,
9th, 11th, and 12th grades. She
has also worked as an adjunct instructor at the graduate school
level. She continues to augment her education and areas of
expertise by taking college courses and participating in a
variety of workshops.
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Nancy Salvato, Senior Editor
Let the Records Speak for Themselves
October 10, 2008
It’s been about two years now that
the mainstream media has been reporting on the campaigns to win the 2008
presidential election. Sen. John McCain formed his exploratory committee
in November 2006 and Sen. Obama announced his plans for an exploratory
committee in January 2007. Both senators announced their candidacies for
president in February 2007.
The US Senate, where both candidates work, is in session every month of
the year except for August. Sen. John McCain has served as a member of
the senate since 1987 and Sen. Barack Obama since 2005. Some people
might find it relevant that during his entire senate career—which began
Jan 6, 2005-- Obama has missed 24% of his votes. On the other hand,
during his Senate career --
with stats beginning from Feb 4, l993 -- McCain has
missed 18% of his votes. For their performance, (as of 2006, unless he
or she is a Senate Leader) our elected senators earn $165,200 per annum
--a figure that Sen. Obama considers a middle class income, a salary
that would warrant a tax cut if he is elected the next president of the
United States.
In light of the above statistics, a case might be argued that when a
presidential candidate is running a campaign, he or she cannot possibly
devote enough energy to continue representing their constituents in an
elected capacity. The question begs to be asked, how has their
attendance (or lack, thereof) affected their ability to perform in their
role as senators? The answer, it would seem, in Sen. McCain’s case, is
not negative. On the other hand, for the Junior Senator from Illinois,
this absence has most definitely hindered his influence in the Senate.
Since 1993, Senator McCain has brought 30 bills to the floor—all of
which have been enacted. This indisputable fact lends credence to his
reputation for bipartisan cooperation, necessary to compromise and
passing legislation. This might explain why he found it necessary to go
back to Washington and take part in the conversations around the bailout
bill –which passed. It’s important to note that the ability to listen to
each other and make concessions is essential to getting the job done in
Washington. While Barack Obama claims he has the ability to listen to
all sides of an issue, John McCain has demonstrated that he has the
skill necessary to work with all members of the Senate, to negotiate
with people of all different opinions and to find the area where
everyone can agree. This is what all of our legislators are elected to
do --all of the time.
Out of the 115 bills sponsored by Sen. Obama, the number enacted is
zero. This fact alone would lead many to conclude he isn’t very good at
representing the voters in Illinois. What’s more, instead of working
with everyone in the Senate, he only votes along party lines. Many could
argue that if he is representing Illinois, he should take into
consideration all of the voters in Illinois, not just the Democrats.
James Madison believed that the ability to compromise and take into
consideration many different points of view would prevent extremism and
factionalism in the federal government. Sen. Obama brings with him an
extreme ideology which affects his ability to moderate his vote in a
manner that considers all of his constituents.
To cement this conclusion, one need only consider the Senator’s
"associations” with socialists and black liberation theologists, that he
is known for voting "present” when he served in Springfield and that as
a US Senator, he voted 94 times to raise taxes (or at least not to lower
them). Though this number has been disputed, it captures his modus
operandi. He wants to redistribute wealth. He doesn’t understand that
our founding documents were intended to provide people the equal right
"to pursue” life, liberty, and happiness. He doesn’t fundamentally
believe in Capitalism. He was a member of the Socialist Party.
Maybe the constituents of Illinois should be relieved that when Barack
Obama was representing them in Springfield, he only voted present. Maybe
we should be glad that he has been at best ineffective during his tenure
in Washington. How does the old expression go, "Fool me once, shame on
you, fool me twice, shame on me?” Sadly, in the two years that the
mainstream media had to provide the voters with all they need to know
about the candidates, they have been extremely slanted and negligent in
their responsibility to provide the facts necessary to make an informed
decision. "I’ll get on my knees and pray we don’t get fooled again.”
Sources:
Editorial: The Next Campaign
http://www.populist.com/11.96.Edit.html
Govtrack.us a civic project to track Congress
http://www.govtrack.us/about.xpd
How to Become the US President: A Step-by-Step Guide
http://2008election.procon.org/viewresource.asp?resourceID=1566
McCain and the Fact-Checking Fallacy
http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=MDgxMGU1ZTNlY2Q4MmVkYWM2MGMyYTdhNTg2N2U1NzM=
New Party Update
http://www.chicagodsa.org/ngarchive/ng47.html
Senate Calendar
http://www.senate.gov/legislative/resources/pdf/2007_calendar.pdf
Senate Salaries
http://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/history/common/briefing/senate_salaries.htm
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