We know that while in the Illinois State Senate, Barack Obama voted a noncommittal "present" seven times on bills that would have limited women's access to abortion. A New York Times article today -- gleefully cited by the Clinton campaign in a morning press release -- cites a total of 130 times Obama voted "present" in Illinois. Thirty-six of of these times, he was among six or fewer state senators to vote that way. In 1999, for example, he was "present" on a bill that would have allowed more teenagers to be tried as adults, a move multiple Illinois political observers interpreted as one meant to maintain political cover on an issue on which black and white constituents often disagreed. He was the lone senator to vote "present" on a bill that would give victims of sex crimes the right to ask courts to seal records of their trials. Obama believed that legislation, which passed with bipartisan support, violated the First Amendment. But in about 50 of the votes, Obama was among a large group of Democrats who voted "present" as a tactical move in budget disputes with Republicans. The choice votes in particular have been the cause of controversy, with Illinois NOW, which supports Clinton, condemning Obama's record. But the state's Planned Parenthood has long told a more nuanced story. Here's how the Times reports it:Pam Sutherland, president of Illinois Planned Parenthood Council, said Mr. Obama was one of the senators with a strong stand for abortion rights whom the organization approached about using the strategy. Ms. Sutherland said the Republicans were trying to force Democrats from conservative districts to register politically controversial no votes.Ms. Sutherland said Mr. Obama had initially resisted the strategy because he wanted to vote against the anti-abortion measures.“He said, ‘I’m opposed to this,’” she recalled.But the organization argued that a present vote would be difficult for Republicans to use in campaign literature against Democrats from moderate and conservative districts who favored abortion rights.I'm inclined to trust Planned Parenthood's recollection of these events. But the Clinton campaign's aggressive focus on the "present" votes illustrates a growing dynamic in the race, one that I alluded to in my earlier post today -- Clinton is attacking Obama from the left on domestic policy, even as he attacks her from the left on foreign policy. --Dana Goldstein
