The Curious Myth of Hillary Clinton's Senate Effectiveness

Frankly, I'm tired of listening to Senator Clinton portray herself as being in the solutions business -- as boasting a nice, fat resume of accomplishments -- while mocking Barack Obama for being a rhetorical empty suit.

Is she truly a beacon of experience? Because I couldn't think of a single piece of legislation that has her name stuck proudly on the front of it, no equivalent of McCain-Feingold, for example, I headed straight for her campaign website to see what glorious aspects of her vaunted experience I was missing.

Actually, I was missing nothing. There is not one single example of any legislation with her name appended to it. In fact, the page devoted to her Senate biography is a mush-mash, a laundry list of good intentions. When she talks about "sponsoring" and "introducing" and "fighting for" legislation that obviously hasn't passed, that's a smokescreen for failure. By introducing all that legislation that never makes it out of committee, she's guilty of what she accuses Senator Obama of: confusing "hoping" with doing.

Consider these examples:

• "...{she} worked with her colleagues to secure the funds New York needed to recover and rebuild."

• "...she fought to provide compensation to the families of the victims."

• "She is an original sponsor of legislation that expanded health benefit to members of the National Guard and Reserves."

• "Some of Hillary' proudest achievements have been her work to ensure the safety of prescription drugs for children, with legislation now included in the Best Pharmaceuticals for Children Act." (What in God's name does that mumbo-jumbo mean?)

Yes, it's true that for many years, she was in the minority. But if she is the effective legislator she claims to be, she'd be able find co-sponsors across the aisle who share her commitment to specific issues, in the same way that John McCain found his doppelganger, Russ Feingold.

But an inability to get legislation passed is just the beginning of Senator Clinton's shallow record. For many of the bills she introduced, she couldn't even get a cosponsor in her own party!

Below are some perfectly fine, liberal, progressive bills that she introduced, but was unable to attract a cosponsor of any party, according to the Library of Congress.

Note that while her website proclaims that "She is an original sponsor of legislation that expanded health benefit to member of the National Guard and Reserves", she wasn't able to rustle up a single cosponsor for legislation that would have extended military retirement credit for National Guard Members called up after 9/11.

So Senator Clinton is right when she claims to be the experienced candidate, although it's not the experience she would like us to believe. It's a track record of legislative failure and futility.

89. S.4065 : A bill to direct the Attorney General to conduct a study on the feasibility of collecting crime data relating to the occurrence of school-related crime in elementary schools and secondary schools.
Sponsor: Sen Clinton, Hillary Rodham [NY] (introduced 11/16/2006) Cosponsors (None)

88. S.4029 : A bill to increase the number of well-educated nurses, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Sen Clinton, Hillary Rodham [NY] (introduced 9/29/2006) Cosponsors (None)

90. S.4103 : A bill to prevent nuclear terrorism, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Sen Clinton, Hillary Rodham [NY] (introduced 12/7/2006) Cosponsors (None)

77. S.3909 : A bill to amend the foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to provide assistance for developing countries to promote quality basic education and to establish the achievement of universal basic education in all developing countries as an objective of United States foreign assistance policy, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Sen Clinton, Hillary Rodham [NY] (introduced 9/18/2006) Cosponsors (None)

59. S.2993 : A bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to impose a temporary oil profit fee and to use the proceeds of the fee collected to provide a Strategic Energy Fund and expand certain energy tax incentives, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Sen Clinton, Hillary Rodham [NY] (introduced 5/23/2006) Cosponsors (None)

26. S.1144 : A bill to provide military retirement credit for certain service by National Guard members performed while in a State duty status immediately after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.
Sponsor: Sen Clinton, Hillary Rodham [NY] (introduced 5/26/2005) Cosponsors (None)

50. S.2260 : A bill to amend titles XVIII and XIX of the Social Security Act to make improvements to payments to Medicare Advantage plans and to reinstate protections in the Medicaid program for working families, their children, and the disabled against excessive out-of-pocket costs, inadequate benefits, and health care coverage loss.
Sponsor: Sen Clinton, Hillary Rodham [NY] (introduced 2/8/2006) Cosponsors (None)

Comments

[nynick]

It pains me to see the Obama supporters use tactics that mirror the Republicans in both tone and content. With regard to the Clintons, it's exactly what one would expect to read on redstate.org or powerline. It's not Mr. Obama per se but his supporter who are making it increasingly impossible for me to vote for him.
I suspect there are more people like me out there who find this whole "destroy Hillary" mentality disturbing. Once you break it, how do you plan to put it back together again? I am sure we will hear and read lots of very nice things about the Clintons here on HuffPo once Hillary concedes. It won't fool anyone. Arriana and her team have destroyed the village in order to save it.

[ranchomerced]

We are hearing the same thing from the Obama camp about intoduced this bill or that bill...I agree; both side are full of usefull idiots.

[tandys]

This Obama supporter is jumping in to say that often, those most instrumental and effective in making something happen are not the ones to get their names on things.

I applaud you for looking into the facts behind the spin, but those of us who've never served in the US Senate aren't in a position to know what this information means.

It's quite possible that the way things get "done" involves offering up first drafts of bills that eventually become something passable under someone else's rubric.

Should HRC magically get the nomination, I'll work hard for her; we must beat the Republicans and take our country back from the brink.
While Obama is the leader this country needs, I believe Democrats in the Senate who say that HRC has been very resourceful and effective.

We just need a whole new thing now.
OBAMA 2008.

[Macready]

thank you so much Adam . . . we know bills that passed that she backed the invasion of Iraq; kyl/lieberman and ones she didn't vote for too: the Levin amendment; a bill to ban landmines and cluster bombs . . . and she skipped the vote on granting telecoms immunity . . . too busy campaigning . . . hypocrisy is writ large in hillary's dossier . ..

[57andfemale]

Let's take a look at another bill that was co-sponsored across the aisle: the Lugar-Obama proliferation and threat reduction initiative, signed into law 1/11/07. From http://obama.senate.gov/press/070111-lugar-obama_non/ : "Authored by U.S. Sens. Dick Lugar (R-IN) and Barack Obama (D-IL). An immensely important national security piece of legislation that the two senators not only got through committee, but passed and signed by Bush. When the Republicans had done absolutely nothing about the loose nukes and other weapons lying around the world, Lugar and Obama, as a freshman senator, made it happen.

So, there's national security understanding and experience; effectiveness working across the aisle to get something good, instead of working across the aisle to give us such lofty things as bans on flag burning.

Then there's what Hillary voted for: Kyl/Lieberman, the Iraq vote, voting against a ban on cluster bombs, not showing up to vote against the telecom immunity amendment. Hillary can whine that Obama isn't vetted enough. I wish there were more articles like this, actually vetting her performance in the Senate. Thanks.

[poppaculture]

So true, Adam. Thank you! You've nailed the hypocrisy. --
And for idiots still going on about "present" votes in the Illinois State Legislature, you DON'T UNDERSTAND how Illinois works, and how a "present" vote is the correct procedural thing to do at times. -- Read http://virginiadem.wordpress.com/2008/02/16/standard-operating-procedure-in-the-illinois-legislature/

[ChiGuy]

Much like she accuses Obama, her "35 years of experience" claim never comes with any substantive facts to back it up.

Her campaign has been all about inevitability from "day one", including thinking that she wouldn't have to back her words, as though they would be taken at face value.

Gradually over the past few months, Americans have wised-up,but Hill keeps pumping out the same junk.

[UrbanInterloper]

Let us not forget Clinton's vote on Iraq. That bill successfully passed.

[Thad]

She co-sponsored a flag-burning bill. That's gotta count for something, right?

[JTyroler]

Thanks for the reminder! The ACLU probably thanks her for that - they probably got a few new members after that.

[Brettster]

Yeah it counts for me writing her off as exactly the kind of politician we don't need more of.

[Lisette]

Great Post!!

I already knew this though, she is a big zero!
All that education and she is a flop!
If she wasn't married to Bill she would be on Welfare.

[casimpso]

More likely she would be making high-six or seven figures at a law firm.

Now where's Obama's list? Anyone have a 2" X 2" sticky note?

[karmafriend]

hillary isn't the shining example of senate greatness that she claims to be?

i'm shocked!

[katdaddy]

Speaking of effectiveness. How is Obama going to explain his voting 'Present' 129 times in the Illinois state senate when the republicans say he can't make a decision especially a command decision? I believe the 'Present' issue was mentioned in one of the democratic debates but I expect the republicans to hammer him on this. This issue will matter to ordinary citizens and I mean those who don't come to this website.

[LAcarlito]

Great idea! Let's educate 75 million voters nationally on the archaic rules of voting in the Illinois Legislature. Good luck!

I am sure that Hillary will lay out a good road map for the Rethug-licans over the next couple of weeks, but Obama has done a good job of transparency of his record. Can Hillary claim the same?

Where are her tax returns? Where are the donor records to the Clinton Library? Hillary Clinton is hardly vetted, nor ready to serve on day one. She can't even run a campaign past Feb 5. She can't serve on Feb 6.

[Eoin45]

"This issue will matter to ordinary citizens and I mean those who don't come to this website" So, you aren't an ordinary citizen?

[NABNYC]

A fair look at Hillary Clinton's record in the Senate shows that she has done little, and only speaks out on issues that are safe. Not too controversial. Doesn't want to upset her corporate owners and her Republican sponsors.

She supports a law to make flag-burning illegal. She supports a law to investigate violence in video games.

She's also lied and claimed credit for other people's work. She repeatedly said that the poor children in New Hampshire got health insurance because of her law. Problem is that law was passed in 1997, long before Hillary was a Senator, and it was sponsored by Ted Kennedy and Orin Hatch. Not Hillary Clinton.

She has sat in the Senate with one goal only: to position herself for a run for President.

Even disregarding what laws she sponsored, let's look at the big picture. Telecom immunity: she couldn't be bothered to show up (or maybe she didn't want to) and her supposed VP choice Evan Bayh voted to grant immunity. Think he did that without her approval? I don't.

Torture? Not a peep. Kidnapping, murder? Didn't make it to Hillary's short list. War? She loves it, wants more. Government trouncing the constitution, illegal spying on citizens, elimination of constitutional rights to counsel, to be advised of charges, to have a trial? Hillary apparently doesn't care. Nafta, Cafta, Whatever-ta: if it sends jobs out of the U.S., she's for it.

Hillary Clinton has desperately tried to make friends with the Republicans because she thought that way she could become president. She was wrong. I guess she didn't learn that lesson about hanging out with the bad crowd. Now she's destined to be a failure with a bad reputation.

[ndolomar]

after reading this blog, i feel incredibly blessed to have a link to post for all those people who swear on their lives that obama is all talk and no action:

http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery

here's the list for all the chris matthews' and various "journalists" and bloggers who prefer blinders as eyewear.

[RogerHWerner]

Unfortunately the link gives a 505 server error.

[mshawn]

Go to http://thomas.loc.gov/ and select Barack Obama from the drop-down list.

[JimR]

http://thomas.loc.gov/

[Not Blind]

I'm still a non-committed independent, but feel an article such as this should portray legislation of both candidates. There's a gap in mentioning what legislation Obama put forth, found co-sponsors for, and was eventually passed.
Frankly, I'm tired of lop-sided reporting. When using a measure of experience, success, or whatever gague to evaluate one candidate, all of them should be scrutinized by the same standard and evaluated so the picture is clearer and more even-handed.
I wish the MSM would do its job and report the facts about all the candidates, so as to give the voters an across-the-board comparison on issues, records, finances, ethics and whatever else.

[mark77]

Obama worked with Lugar and other senators to pass the Lugar-Obama Nuclear Non-Proliferation and Conventional Weapons Threat Reduction Act.

Obama worked with Coburn and other senators to pass the Coburn-Obama Government Transparency and Accountability Act.

[LuluDoll]

For one example of legislation Obama co-sponsored, passed and was signed into law google Lugar-Obama regarding nuclear proliferation. It's a pretty important initiative and Obama was able to work with a Republican to get a very important national security bill passed.

[lboucher]

Hillary says please name for me any Obama accomplishments!

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/politics/2008/02/20/sot.clinton.new.york.cnn

[cmfrey]

Here's one of the 3 bills Obama introduced that actually passed the Senate:

S.Res. 268: A resolution designating July 12, 2007, as "National Summer Learning Day".

Yay Summer learning!

This cut and paste game is fun - like kindergarten but using a computer and the Library of Congress.

[newyorknewyork]

see the breakdown here, from obama and hillary:

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/2/20/201332/807/36/458633