reply to post by mhc_70
Here is a short list of issues he has voted for and against. His accomplishments are being present, knowing the issue and voting based on the issues
that his constituents voted in for. He has not been in the senate for very long so writing legislation is usually reseved for senior senators, so its
hard to accomplish anything aside from voting on bills and joining committees, which again requires being in the senate for a number of years. You
cant just decide to join every committee, there has to be an opening and usually you are asked to join(by request)
Date Vote Position GOP opinion DEM opinion
8/3/07 Vote 309: S 1927: This amendment to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 passed 60-28 on August 3. The bill gives U.S. spy
agencies expanded power to eavesdrop on foreign suspects without a court order. The bill gives the Director of National Intelligence and the Attorney
General authorization for periods up to one year, to information concerning suspected terrorists outside the United States. The existing Foreign
Intelligence Surveillance Act contained a 30-year-old statute requiring a warrant to monitor calls intercepted in the United States, regardless of
their origin. The new Protect America Act amends this stipulation, allowing U.S. intelligence officials to monitor suspicious communication
originating inside the U.S. The Bush administration argued that it needs the expanded power to confront terrorist threats. Civil liberties and privacy
advocates argue the bill jeopardizes the Fourth Amendment privacy rights and allows for the warrantless monitoring of virtually any form of
communication originating in the United States. Democrats managed a minor victory requiring a sunset clause effective 180 days after the bill is
signed. In place of a court's approval, the National Security Agency plans to institute a system of internal bureaucratic controls. The bill passed
in the House 227-183, and was sent to the White House soon after to be signed into law. No Yes No
8/2/07 Vote 307: H R 976: In this 68 to 31 vote the Senate passed an expansion of the State Children's Health Insurance Program. The bill also passed
the House by a vote of 265 to 159. The bill increases total funding for the program to $60 billion over the next five years and provides health
insurance for 9 million currently uninsured American children. The $7 billion yearly expansions were a major sticking point for the White House and
ultimately lead to the fourth presidential veto from the Bush administration. The measure is a key agenda item for the Democratic majority in
Congress, and Democratic leaders have vowed to push for a veto override, which would require a two-thirds vote. White House press secretary Dana
Perino criticized Democrats for sending the president a bill she said they knew would be dead on arrival. “They made their political point,”
Perino said. The White House contended that the 61-cent increase in the federal tobacco tax would not be able to recoup the required funds needed to
fund the bill. White House officials also argued the measure would push millions of children already covered by private health insurance into publicly
financed health care program Yes No Yes
7/26/07 Vote 284: H R 1: This amendment to the Homeland Security Act of 2002 was made in order to implement the recommendations made by the 9/11
commission. Different versions of the bill were passed in the House on Jan. 9 and in the Senate on July 9. A modified version of the bill, with
conference report changes, was revisited on July 27 and passed by a vote of 85-8. The bill requires the inspection of all cargo traveling on passenger
aircrafts and establishes the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board. This panel, suggested by the 9/11 commission, is responsible for advising
the president and senior White House officials maintaining respect for privacy laws and civil liberties. Other provisions of the bill include grants
to states, urban areas, regions, or directly eligible tribes to be used to improve the ability for first responders to react to and prevent terrorist
attacks, according to the Congressional Research Service. The bill also outlined details regarding the detention and treatment of captured terrorists.
The bill was signed into law by President Bush on August 3. Not Voting Yes Yes
6/11/07 Vote 207: On the Cloture Motion: With this vote Democrats and some Republicans in the Senate sought to move forward on a measure that would
have registered the Senate's official opposition to Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, whose tenure was plagued by controversy. The Washington Post
reported that “Democrats fell seven votes short of the 60 needed to invoke cloture and begin the debate on a resolution condemning Gonzales.”
Seven Republicans distanced themselves from the Bush administration and refused to support the attorney general who had been a target of sharp
criticism for five months. Gonzales came under fire for his involvement in administration policies such as harsh interrogation policies, secret
overseas prisons, and a domestic surveillance program. But his most controversial action was the firings of nine U.S. attorneys last year. The
attorney general's critics claimed he fired the prosecutors for political reasons. If passed, the resolution would have done nothing more than send a
public rebuke to Bush and Gonzales. But enough Republicans were able oppose "cloture," effectively killing the measure. As the Post reported,
“Democrats were aware that victory on the vote was unlikely, but they claimed a symbolic triumph in getting more than a handful of Republicans to
join the effort to publicly shame the attorney general.” Gonzales, who initially claimed he would not step down amid the controversies, announced
his resignation on August 27. Not Voting No Yes
Now its your turn to provide me with the list of national accomplisments by Palin.