In reading a discussion of Barack Obama’s recent commencement address at Knox College, I became aware that there are some widespread false beliefs about Obama’s voting record. The most common misconception seems to be that he voted for the bankruptcy bill. That is not true, and I don’t understand where it’s coming from. Perhaps it mutated out of recent criticisms of Obama by David Sirota, which mentioned his opposition to an amendment capping credit card interest rates. Obama’s vote (along with 18 other Democrats) against that amendment is understandable when you consider that it would have legitimized 30 percent as a reasonable rate and, worse, prevented individual states from setting lower rate caps of their own.
Even more incomprehensible is that some people believe that Obama voted for the confirmation of torture supporter Alberto Gonzales as attorney general. That also is untrue. In fact, Obama was perhaps the most effective and outspoken opponent of the Gonzales nomination.
I’m beginning to wonder whether someone’s intentionally seeding misinformation somewhere.
Barack Obama has faults, like anyone. But if you want to criticize him, criticize him for things he’s actually said or done — for example, being too quick to distance himself from Howard Dean’s supposedly outrageous statements — not for actions that exist only in the fevered imaginations of blog commenters. Get your facts straight, and if you see someone spreading these smears, correct them.
For those of you who haven’t yet noticed, there’s an election this year in Virginia, and we’d like the governor to remain a Democrat. Tim Kaine is the Democratic candidate, and there’s an affordable fundraiser (starting level $35) for him tomorrow with a special guest: new Senate superstar Barack Obama! I’m afraid you will have to venture outside the District, but it’s on the Orange Line:
