Obama’s budget vote could come back to bite him

Republicans yesterday forced Sen. Barack Obama to vote against what they labeled his own $1.4 trillion spending plan, cobbled together from his presidential campaign promises — one of a series of budget votes that will provide political fodder for the rest of the election year.

Mr. Obama and Sens. John McCain and Hillary Rodham Clinton jetted back to Washington yesterday to vote during the annual budget free-for-all that compresses votes on a host of contentious issues into a single day.

That meant taking positions on border security, energy independence, President Bush’s tax cuts and Democrats’ spending plans, each of which might come back to haunt the three major-party candidates still vying for the chief executive’s slot, and could be used in this year’s Senate elections as well.

The Arizona senator voted for every one of the Bush tax cuts offered yesterday, while Mrs. Clinton and Mr. Obama only voted to extend those for low-income workers and families with children.

All three teamed up late last night to take on the congressional sacred cow of pork-barrel spending, but failed spectacularly, losing 71-29 in their effort to enact a one-year ban on so-called earmarks.

“We found out tonight that there’s only one place in America that doesn’t get it,” Mr. McCain said after the vote.

He did better gaining support among his fellow Republicans — 22 more of whom voted for the ban — than did his Democratic opponents, who were only able to muster three other Democrats. They were all joined by Sen. Joe Lieberman, Connecticut independent.

With all of the candidates in town, it also was a chance for planning and problem-solving.

Mr. Obama and Mrs. Clinton had some face-to-face sit-down time alone with each other, and each had extended talks with the Democratic senators from Florida and Michigan. Both of those states are in danger of losing their delegates’ representation at this year’s Democratic nominating convention because they voted too early, violating party rules.

Sen. Bill Nelson, Florida Democrat, told the candidates they must find a solution, since, according to one poll, 22 percent of independent voters say the mess makes them less likely to vote Democratic in November.

“The fact that we’re able to look eyeball-to-eyeball, they see the intensity of the issue,” Mr. Nelson told reporters later.

He floated his own solution yesterday, which would seat half of Florida’s delegation, giving Mrs. Clinton extra delegates but not the margin the New York senator would have if the entire delegation were seated.

Meanwhile, the Clinton and Obama campaigns announced the candidates will debate in Philadelphia next month, before Pennsylvania’s primary.

The House passed its own budget yesterday, but with no presidential hopefuls and stricter rules there was far less of what Mr. Obama, departing the Senate after Republicans voted on his spending plans, told a colleague amounted to a lot of “sound and fury.”

Republicans’ “Obama spend-o-rama” amendment epitomized the day.

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