Yes, this is a response diary.  But it will be long enough to stand on its own.  Every on Daily Kos is going crazy for a diary entitled I Refuse to By Into the Obama Hype.  It purports to compare Hillary’s Senate record to Obama’s and concludes Obama’s is superior.  Why? Two reasons. First, in the diarist’s opinion his bills are better.  Second his bills have more sponsors than hers, and that demonstrates “leadership.”   Excuse me, but, well bullshit.  ”Leadership” doesn’t come from getting people to join you.  ”Leadership” comes from getting people to FOLLOW you, to DO things.  As in, pass laws.  Can we look at what they both actually achieved?  

Neither Senator, to date, sponsored legislation that passed into law in the 110th Congress.  However, Clinton sponsored the only legislation between the two that passed both houses, and is awaiting signature.  That is Senate Bill 694, passed in the House as H.R. 1216, and is a bill to regulate safety of children around cars.  There have been a couple of heartfelt diaries about this one, and it was GREAT work.  The score for the 110th Congress? Clinton 1, Obama 0.

Okay, on the 109th Congress.  

Clinton bills passed as law:

S.272 : A bill to designate certain National Forest System land in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico as a component of the National Wilderness Preservation System.

Personally, I have no opinion on that one, knowing nothing about the Puerto Rican national forest.

S.1283 : A bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to establish a program to assist family caregivers in accessing affordable and high-quality respite care, and for other purposes.

This is a good bill.  It authorizes grants and other funds to people with adults or children in need of respite care.  This includes hospice care, chronically ill, mentally retarded, and developmentally disabled children and adults, and allows people to be cared for in their homes, instead of in other facilities.

Okay, Obama’s turn.

S.2125 : A bill to promote relief, security, and democracy in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

It’s a good bill.  It authorized money to the Republic of Congo, and authorizes withholding of funds in certain circumstances, both from Congo and from nations around it.

That’s it for the 109th Congress. Excluding ceremonial statutes, the score seems to be 2-1 for Hillary, a fairly inconsequential difference.  Obama’s is international, which would seem to cut against the claim that is where he is weakest.  Hillary’s is domestic, assisting in one of the difficult and tragic times a family can face.  Score it however you want.

Now for the 108th Congress.  From here out we can only look at Hillary, because Obama wasn’t there yet.  

S.1425 : A bill to amend the Safe Drinking Water Act to reauthorize the New York City Watershed Protection Program.

The title of this one seems pretty self-explanatory, and this bill is a good thing.

That’s it for 108.  As the previous diarist noted, it’s actually pretty darned hard to get legislation through both Houses.

107th Congress

S.1422 : A bill to provide for the expedited payment of certain benefits for a public safety officer who was killed or suffered a catastrophic injury as a direct and proximate result of a personal injury sustained in the line of duty in connection with the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.

Again, self-explanatory, and this was a Senator truly taking care of the heroes and their families in her State.

S.1622 : A bill to extend the period of availability of unemployment assistance under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act in the case of victims of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.

This is another bill to help New Yorkers after 9/11.  

S.2496 : A bill to provide for the establishment of investigative teams to assess building performance and emergency response and evacuation procedures in the wake of any building failure that has resulted in substantial loss of life or that posed significant potential of substantial loss of life, and for other purposes.

Again, Clinton showed REAL leadership after 9/11, not just play-acting standing on rubble leadership.

What is the conclusion from this?  Well, I’m not really sure. Hillary has certainly been in the Senate longer.  There can be little doubt she showed REAL leadership after 9/11, something often talked about but rarely seen.  It is also pretty clear that Obama really does have some chops in foreign affairs, at least in Africa, and that Hillary really does have serious chops when it comes to our most vulnerable, children and disabled or dying adults.  Beyond that, though, any attempt to compare their legislative record based upon co-sponsors or the words of an act becomes an exercise in partisanship.  You might think one bill is better because it seems broader, but its broadness to me shows naivete and an inability to focus legislation sufficiently to get it passed.  You might think more sponsors shows “leadership,” while I might think it shows weakness and the need for others.  Alternatively, I might think it shows a strength, a refusal to back down from principles to make the necessary compromises to get people to join you.  STOP!  I know you are chomping at the bit to refute that last sentence.  If you are, you are missing the point, which is, quite simply, that any such comparisons are, BY DEFINITION, partisan and not, as so many seem to believe, unbiased.

As for bills sponsored but not passed, they both have hundreds, including ceremonial bills. BOTH have ceremonial bills.  The diarist in the other diary chose certain bills to compare.  I could choose others, and the comparison would go the other way.  At least in part, I would question the propriety of using the 110th Congress, rather than the 109th, since both were in full campaign-mode the whole time.  But again, that leaks partisanship into the conversation and I am truly trying to avoid that.

Just for fun, here is one such comparison. Do with it what you will.  I use it because the previous diarist claimed to be far more impressed with Obama’s health care legislation than Clinton’s.

Obama sponsored A bill to make grants to carry out activities to prevent the incidence of unintended pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections among teens in racial or ethnic minority or immigrant communities, and for other purposes.  I got two co-sponsors, and provided grants, but just addressed to black and latino teens.  Hillary sponsored A bill to expand access to preventive health care services that help reduce unintended pregnancy, reduce the number of abortions, and improve access to women’s health care.  It, too, had two co-sponsors. It was, quite simply, better legislation.  It not only addressed pregnancy among ALL teens, it also addressed availability of birth control, assistance in rape emergencies, accuracy in contraceptive information, and equality for women in insurance for prescriptions.  Using the same standard as the previous diarist, comprehensiveness of the bill, Clinton’s is far superior.  Does it matter?  Well, no.  Neither passed.  Maybe Obama’s was better, because it was more likely to pass, being better focused.  Maybe Clinton’s was better because of its breadth.  Ultimately, neither one passed, hence neither was demonstrated actual SUCCESS in legislation or leadership.  To claim otherwise is to participate in an exercise is partisanship, not an exploration of honesty.

Both Senators have sponsored bills.  Both Senators have passed bills.  I post this not to attack Obama (and I sincerely hope I have not), but to attempt to inject just a bit of reality into the celebration of Obama that Daily Kos’ front page and Recommended Diaries section has become.

And now, watch it scroll away.

I have been watching the primaries with great interest and am writing this letter in hopes that it might help your campaign. To introduce myself, I am a Canadian physician who has no voting ability when it comes to American elections. I have absolutely nothing to gain by testifying about your natural ability to lead the U.S. out of darkness.

I met you at Ground Zero on September 12th, 2001. In fact, my medical team of five Canadians literally bumped into you in our haste to make it to Stuyvesant High School where the casualties of the WTC terrorist attacks were accumulating.

When I caught my balance amidst the crowd of people, I realized that it was you standing in front of me. I will never forget that moment. You were very composed with only a single secret service agent beside you, completely camouflaged as an ordinary citizen. When my group realized who you were, we stood still. I was speechless and already overwhelmed by the chaos around us. The only words that I could manage to form were: We are Canadians. We came from Canada to help.

You shook each of our hands and thanked us. The momentum and courage that your simple gesture gave us was very much appreciated.

When I reflect on that week, a flood of memories returns to me. First, unlike any other of your political colleagues at the time, you were walking about, without any lights or cameras, reassuring the people that you represent that you were there to help. You were vulnerable, ready and willing to have anyone approach you in person _ unlike President Bush.

In fact, because the current president is so afraid of getting assassinated _ that is what the police told us on September 15th, 2001 - the medical triage had to shut down for _security reasons in preparation for his arrival on Friday, and might I add three whole days after the attacks. At the time, our triage was taking care of between 50 to 70 patients an hour. We had over 200 medical volunteers working around the clock to help. As far as we know, all of our patients were injured volunteers. We would patch up whomever we could and help them get back to the fevered search for potential life.

The stories of injured fire fighters and other rescue workers obsessed about getting stitched up, or having their eyes flushed from the acidic smoke, as quickly as possible in order to continue looking for a loved one, are too numerous to recount. However, when President Bush came to Ground Zero, the Triage was closed down and we all were forced home.

Six years later, you helped me again - though this time not in person. Somehow, I still remain ashamed that I ever got sick after helping. My lungs have never been the same as when I crossed the finish line at the Ironman Canada ultra distance triathlon on August 26, 2001.

Because of you, Senator Clinton, thousands of WTC volunteers have free medical care for their rescue-related illnesses. I was absolutely astonished when American volunteers that I still keep in touch with told me that I could also get help despite being a Canadian. To be honest, I refused any assistance for several years. For one, I am not bitter and choose not to define my life by September 11th. Even if I knew that I would get as sick as I have, I would help again. My quality of life compared to many of the great people that I met during that dark week six years ago is actually pretty awesome. I remain grateful for what I have and not bitter about what I do not.

Regardless, from the moment that I met you in person, and from the many moments I have been grateful for your continuing to stand up for the thousands who later became sick and injured from Ground Zero, I have thought of you as a true hero.

California may have the “Terminator”, America has you.

In closing, although the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan make me sick with despair, after what you saw first hand on September 11th, 2001, I don’t blame you for taking the greatest measure available at the time to keep America safe. You did the best you could, with what you had, at the time.

Senator Obama, or any of your rivals for that matter, were never at Ground Zero. How can they truly second-guess your decision?

I look forward to cheering for you all the way to the finish line - when you are sworn in officially as President of the United States.