Posted on 11/13/2006 12:44:33 PM PST by Dane
ACU Releases 2005 Congressional Ratings
ALEXANDRIA, VA— The American Conservative Union, the nation’s oldest and largest grassroots conservative lobbying organization, today released its 2005 “Rating of Congress,” the definitive conservative assessment of the federal legislative branch.
ACU has rated every member of the House and Senate since 1971, making the latest guide its 35th edition. The purpose of the “Rating” is to inform the public, in as unbiased a method as possible, exactly where individual senators and congressmen stand on the ideological spectrum.
“In the House, 38 Republicans scored a perfect 100% conservative rating in 2005, including newly elected House Majority Leader John Boehner (OH), Republican Study Committee Chairman Mike Pence (IN), and Speaker Dennis Hastert (IL),” said ACU Chairman David A. Keene. “This is down from 48 members scoring a perfect 100% rating in 2004, indicating the greater difficulty of holding the ideological line given the pressures to unify around the previous GOP leadership. Yet, both years represented more conservatism than in 2003, when only two Congressmen received perfect scores.”
Keene continued, “In the Senate, 12 GOP Senators received a perfect 100% conservative rating in 2005, compared to eight in 2004, and none in 2003.”
The “Rating” encompasses three categories: economic and budget matters; social and cultural issues, and defense and foreign policy. Within these categories, ACU selects 25 votes based on the following question: does the vote reflect a clear ideological principle?
Ratings from 1971 through 2005 are available at www.acuratings.org.
Senate Best of the Best (100%) George Allen (R-VA) Sam Brownback (R-KS) Conrad Burns (R-MT) Tom Coburn (R-OK) Mike Crapo (R-ID) John Ensign (R-NV)
James Inhofe (R-OK) Johnny Isakson (R-GA) Jon Kyl (R-AZ) Mel Martinez (R-FL) Mitch McConnell (R-KY) Jeff Sessions (R-AL)
Didn't know that. I agree with you. Actions speak louder than polls or words. Martinez further sinks the RNC opening the door to a RAT WH in '08.
So according to your "logic", tom tancredo who also has a 100% ACU rating, would be no better.
I can only assume (and hope) that the PTB have something much better in mind for Steele.
loud mouth hispanic haters on FR
Sorry, We never knew you were Hispanic! LOL!
--The problem is Martinez is he's dull, and not terribly telegenic. We need someone who can represent us well on all those TV shows.--
The contrast with the exciting and telegenic Dr. Demento Dean will represent the GOP well enough.
I will say it again, Steele would have made a 100 percent better choice to run the RNC. Are we purposely trying to shoot ourselves in the foot?
Why put someone out there that a lot of Republicans have an issue with? Man oh man, the hits keep coming, this just makes it a lot harder now to bring the party together for 2008. What an idiotic move.
Regards, Ivan
--House Best of the Best (100% ACU Ratings)--
By my calculations, only 3 of the GOP's top 38 House members, and 2 of the Senate top 10 (Allen and Burns) lost their seats.
In the House, one loss followed retirement (Beauprez), another race is still under review (J.D.) and the third was the quirky Hostettler (who apparently refused outside funds for his campaign).
Those who say that this midterm was a huge defeat for conservatism are in for a colossal surprise in 2008 (Shhhh, let them dream and overreach as they usually do).
The ACU rating is based on the year's voting record, isn't it? If so, a generally conservative legislator can have a perfect record one year and not the next. The overall rating is a little better general indicator, although nothing can beat knowing the actual voting record.
--My problem with this is that Martinez is a sitting Senator. Surely that's a full time job already? --
He could step down, and allow Jeb (or Crist) to appoint Katherine Harris for the rest of his term!
Regards, Ivan
Yeah but lets not let facts get in the way of good whining and sniffling
I actually considered him a likable Dem, BEFORE this election. He was shameless. Said God was helping in his campaign...
Isakson Amendment Exposes Election Year Politics
Yesterday [May 16th, 2006] afternoon Senator Isakson (R-GA) offered his “secure the borders first” amendment to the immigration legislation to prohibit the granting of legal status, or adjustment of current status, to any individual who enters or entered the United States in violation of federal law, unless the border security measures the bill authorizes are fully completed and fully operational.
The amendment failed (40 yeas, 55 nays, five abstentions). Its defeat is being hailed as a victory for the president’s position and foreshadows the margin by which the overall bill will pass in the senate.
On this particular vote, the Democrats carried the day for the president. 37 Dems (including Jeffords) voted against the amendment, seven voted for it, and Senator Rockefeller (D-WV) abstained. By contrast, only 18 Republicans voted against the amendment, and a majority of them (33) voted for it, with four abstaining.
Of the seven Democrats who voted affirmatively, four face re-election in November:
Byrd (D-WV)*
Conrad (D-ND)*
Nelson (D-NE)*
Stabenow (D-MI)*
* indicates re-election in November 2006
(It’s tempting to argue that the three Dems who voted affirmatively but are not up for re-election this year—Dorgan (D-ND), Landrieu (D-LA) and Wyden (D-OR)—reliably vote against anything the president is for.)
Of the five senators who abstained, four were Republicans:
Cochran (R-MS)
Gregg (R-NH)
Lott (R-MS)*
McCain (R-AZ)
Of the 18 Republicans who voted against the amendment, four face re-election in November: Chafee (R-RI); DeWine (R-OH); Lugar (R-IN) and Snowe (R-ME).
The Republicans voting negatively were:
Bennett (R-UT)
Brownback (R-KS)
Chafee (R-RI) *
Coleman (R-MN)
Collins (R-ME)
Craig (R-ID)
DeWine (R-OH)*
Graham (R-SC)
Hagel (R-NE)
Lugar (R-IN)*
Martinez (R-FL)
Murkowski (R-AK)
Shelby (R-AL)
Snowe (R-ME)*
Specter (R-PA)
Stevens (R-AK)
Voinovich (R-OH)
Warner (R-VA)
A majority of Republicans voted against the immigration bill as it came out of the Judiciary Committee. It appears that the bill now being debated on the floor may pass with a majority of Republicans again voting against it.
http://grades.betterimmigration.com/testgrades.php3?District=FL&VIPID=1156
THIS is why I am anxious to vote him out of office.
susie
Dr. Vincent Peale was for amnesty for lawbreakers??
susie
You are aware, that one needs to look at details and not just base their votes on some rating by a group? I certainly hope MOST Republicans are putting more thought into their votes than that.
susie
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