Posted on 11/21/2005 6:14:43 AM PST by southernnorthcarolina
Sen. Richard Burr of North Carolina is emerging as one of the upper chamber's most conservative members.
The latest evidence: His three recent votes -- all to the right of fellow Republican Sen. Elizabeth Dole -- on issues such as Iraq and spending.
In each case, Burr of Winston-Salem joined a small band of the Senate's more conservative members, while Dole of Salisbury voted with the majority -- including the chamber's GOP leaders.
Consider:
• Last Tuesday, the Senate voted 79-19 to require that President Bush identify a strategy for withdrawing U.S. troops from Iraq.
Burr voted no. Dole voted yes.
The resolution, drafted by Senate GOP leaders, did not call for a timetable. But it did require that the Bush administration file quarterly reports with Congress on its progress in stabilizing Iraq and training Iraqi troops. The measure also said that 2006 should be "a period of significant transition to Iraqi sovereignty," with Iraqi troops taking the lead in providing security.
The vote was widely interpreted as the Republican-dominated Senate's first direct challenge of the GOP president on Iraq.
Both N.C. senators voted against a separate resolution that would have required Bush to submit a timetable for withdrawal.
• On Nov. 10, the Senate demanded -- on an 82-9 vote -- that the Bush administration give Congress details on allegations that the CIA flew terrorism suspects to a series of secret prisons in other parts of the world.
Burr voted no. Dole voted yes.
The vote came after The Washington Post reported that the CIA had clandestine prisons for terror detainees in eight countries, including some in formerly communist Eastern Europe.
• On Oct. 20, the Senate rejected -- by a vote of 15-82 -- an amendment that would have shifted money to Hurricane Katrina recovery by taking it away from two bridge projects in Alaska and a museum parking lot in Nebraska.
Burr voted yes. Dole voted no.
The amendment was offered by freshman Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., who argued that too many pork-barrel projects were getting federal money. His amendment would have rerouted $230 million slated to fund an Alaska bridge -- dubbed "the bridge to nowhere" by spending hawks because it would lead to an island that's home to only 50 people.
Veteran Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, angrily told his colleagues that he'd resign his seat if the bridge funding was dropped. Coburn's amendment failed, but GOP leaders announced last week that the money would no longer be earmarked for the bridge. Alaska will still get the money, but can spend it on other projects.
Who is more conservative among South Carolina's two Republican senators? That's a closer call.
Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C., of Greenville, voted the same way Burr did on Iraq, the secret prisons and Coburn's pork amendment.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., of Seneca, voted with DeMint and Burr on Iraq and the Coburn amendment. But he voted with Dole to compel Bush to explain the CIA's secret prisons.
NC ping?
Dole has the nerve to mail me, begging for campaign donations.
I don't like Dole. She didn't live in our state for fifty years before running. A carpet bagger plain and simple. Burr is a good man however.
BTTT
I wrote to Dole last week pointing out the big difference between her (our Senoir Senator) and our great Junior Senator and told her I certainly hope that Burr becomes our Senoir Senator by the next election.
I'm not sure how the first two votes could be qualified as more "conservative." We seem to like playing fast and loose with that term these days. Supporting Bush does not necessarily make one a conservative. Supporting our activities in Iraq does not make someone a conservative either, it just means they are a hawk. There are plenty of liberal hawks.
However, the October 20 vote is classic Richard Burr. He is a strong fiscal conservative, even if he may not necessarily push a fractious or contentious agenda. To say that he is more conservative than liberal Liddy is a no-brainer.
Now that he has his footing in the Senate and has begun to differentiate himself from Dole, we'll probably see more openly conservative actions from Richard.
"Alaska will still get the money, but can spend it on other projects."
So what was gained here??
Heh.
If I recall, Sen. Burr is actually a descendant of one of Aaron's brothers.
How does she compare with the other women in the U.S. Senate?
Cool.
When I saw the headline, I was thinking, "I know Bob Dole is OLD . . . but I didn't know he was THAT old!"
And unfortunately, Dole is in charge of the Senatorial campaign committee, and is doing a pretty sucky job recruiting good candidates to oust these worthless democrats.
Aaron Burr had no brothers. Cousins yes, brothers no.
Burr voted no. Dole voted yes.
NC is quickly transforming itself into a socialist empire like Northeastern states. The corruption as evidenced by the lottery scandel rivals anything in old Eastern Europe. Our socialists just have more wealth to transfer.
And Dole long ago was transformed into a "Liberal" because of too much big government solutions koolaid.
I'm sure you're right. I just remember that is ancestor was a pretty close relation.
Well, she's older than most of them. But seriously...
Whenever someone asks my opinion of Senator Dole, I end up "damning her with faint praise." She's... OK. For sure, she's no Jesse Helms, and it's difficult to follow a legend. Ask Bill Guthridge, who succeeded Dean Smith as UNC basketball coach. Dole will be like Guthridge: an adequate placeholder until the real thing comes along.
She has a tinge of RINOism for sure. But she looks mighty good compared to the Maine duo, Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins, who are real RINOs.
If you like to go by the ratings (and they should be taken with a large grain of salt), Liddy's ACU numbers are 86 lifetime, 92 for 2004.
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