NOW sent out a misleading e-mail advertisement slamming Senator Obama on abortion rights:
The e-mail from Rosemary J. Dempsey, president of the Connecticut National Organization for Women, told members that Obama's record during his time in the Illinois Senate included several instances in which he voted "present" instead of yes or no on abortion-related legislation.
I've received a few e-mails about the present votes, so here's the explanation... The infamous present votes were intended as a way to escape from anti-choice Republican traps.
In this case, Planned Parenthood of Illinois requested that Senator Obama and other pro-choice Democrats from moderate districts vote 'present' as part of a very specific strategy. If Obama voted an outright 'no' on the late-term abortion ban, he would've been vulnerable to defeat against a far-right opponent who most definitely would've supported the ban and many other anti-choice, anti-woman laws.
I know how heated this election has become, but I'd like to think that the Clinton campaign and NOW wouldn't have preferred then-State Senator Obama, with his 100% pro-choice rating from Planned Parenthood, to have lost his next campaign to a far-right anti-choice, anti-woman zealot.
Bottom line: In the Illinois state legislature, 'present' votes are considered de facto 'no' votes without the potential of Republican TV ad exploitation. Unfortunately, they're being exploited now.