More (Weak) Inconsistency Claims Thrown Obama’s Way

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obama-flag.jpg A little more oppo research on Obama has hit the press. A few days back, a rival campaign gave Politico a 1993 survey that Obama filled out on which Obama indicated positions on the death penalty and on gun control that are slightly different from the ones he holds now.

Now someone has given a similar survey, this time from 2003, to ABC News. Again, Obama’s answers are ever-so-slightly different than his current positions. Follow me, after the jump.

Patriot Act:

In that 2003 questionnaire Obama vowed to vote to repeal the USA PATRIOT Act, though he said he “would consider replacing that shoddy and dangerous law with a new, carefully drafted proposal …”

Two years later, Obama voted in favor of re-authorizing the PATRIOT Act.

“This compromise does modestly improve the PATRIOT Act by strengthening civil liberties protections without sacrificing the tools that law enforcement needs to keep us safe,” Obama said as he voted to re-authorize the bill.

Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell:

Asked by NOW in 2003 if he would support “legislation that eliminates all discrimination in the military based on sexual orientation,” Obama then hedged a bit. Though in many of his answers he simply affirmed “Yes,” in this one he did not.

“I would have to examine specific legislation,” he wrote, “but I would oppose policies that fail to advance equal rights in the military.”

Obama today as a presidential candidate -– giving an answer that many gay and lesbian voters no doubt approve of — has directly called for “Don’t Ask/Don’t Tell” to be repealed.

Defense of Marriage Act:

Asked in 2003 if he would support repealing the Defense of Marriage Act (erroneously called the “Protection of Marriage Act” in the questionnaire), Obama wrote, “I support laws recognizing domestic partnerships and providing benefits to domestic partners. However, I do not support legislation to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act.”

Obama changed his mind on that issue in 2004 and now supports repealing DOMA. Per Obama spokesman Bill Burton: “Obama has opposed DOMA. He felt it was a poorly conceived law and, in 2004, after hearing from gay friends who relayed to Obama how hurtful it was for the bill to be law, he supported its repeal.”

So… he hoped to repeal the Patriot Act, but then accepted an altered version; his position on Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell is basically the same; and he reversed himself completely on the Defense of Marriage Act “after hearing from gay friends” about “how hurtful it was.” DOMA, an awful bill, was passed under the Clinton administration. Hillary Clinton has also flip-flopped on it.

Not much pop here, folks…

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WHO DOESN’T LOVE A POSITIVE STORY—OR TWO?

“Great journalism really does make a difference in this world: it can even save kids.”

That’s what a civil rights lawyer wrote to Julia Lurie, the day after her major investigation into a psychiatric hospital chain that uses foster children as “cash cows” published, letting her know he was using her findings that same day in a hearing to keep a child out of one of the facilities we investigated.

That’s awesome. As is the fact that Julia, who spent a full year reporting this challenging story, promptly heard from a Senate committee that will use her work in their own investigation of Universal Health Services. There’s no doubt her revelations will continue to have a big impact in the months and years to come.

Like another story about Mother Jones’ real-world impact.

This one, a multiyear investigation, published in 2021, exposed conditions in sugar work camps in the Dominican Republic owned by Central Romana—the conglomerate behind brands like C&H and Domino, whose product ends up in our Hershey bars and other sweets. A year ago, the Biden administration banned sugar imports from Central Romana. And just recently, we learned of a previously undisclosed investigation from the Department of Homeland Security, looking into working conditions at Central Romana. How big of a deal is this?

“This could be the first time a corporation would be held criminally liable for forced labor in their own supply chains,” according to a retired special agent we talked to.

Wow.

And it is only because Mother Jones is funded primarily by donations from readers that we can mount ambitious, yearlong—or more—investigations like these two stories that are making waves.

About that: It’s unfathomably hard in the news business right now, and we came up about $28,000 short during our recent fall fundraising campaign. We simply have to make that up soon to avoid falling further behind than can be made up for, or needing to somehow trim $1 million from our budget, like happened last year.

If you can, please support the reporting you get from Mother Jones—that exists to make a difference, not a profit—with a donation of any amount today. We need more donations than normal to come in from this specific blurb to help close our funding gap before it gets any bigger.

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