Posted by
Gotham Resistance on Thursday, December 10, 2009 3:01:25 PM
What do centrist Democrats have in common with the Sasquatch?
That’s an easy one; they’re both mythical creatures that don’t exist in reality.
During the recent congressional debates about Healthcare and Cap and Trade, we’ve heard from both Liberal and Conservative pundits about the importance of centrist or moderate democrats in passing these controversial pieces of legislation. The Liberal pundits most likely know that there’s no such thing as centrist Democrats. The Conservatives are either ignorant of reality or suffer from wishful thinking.
The names most mentioned during these fantasies are: Ben Nelson of Nebraska, Mary Landrieu of Louisiana, Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas, Evan Bayh of Indiana, and Joe Lieberman of Connecticut.
The
American Conservative Union is a conservative organization (of course) which is known for rating members of congress on their voting records. Since it’s a conservative organization, their ratings reflect how conservative a particular member of congress is. The highest rating one can receive is 100 – the lowest is 0. For example; South Carolina Senator Jim DeMint received a perfect 100 rating for 2008. His lifetime rating during his 10 years of service is 98.4, which is also the highest lifetime rating of any senator.
Some other notables are James Inhofe and Tom Coburn both from Oklahoma and both with lifetime ratings of 97.5 and 97.8 respectively.
Now let’s take a look at the ACU ratings of the mythical centrist Democrats that we’ve all heard so much about. Note: the latest year complied by the ACU is 2008.
Ben Nelson (Nebraska) 2008 - 16 Lifetime - 47.26
Mary Landrieu (Louisiana) 2008 - 32 Lifetime - 23.2
Blanche Lincoln (Arkansas) 2008 - 8 Lifetime - 18.7
Evan Bayh (Indiana) 2008 - 29 Lifetime – 20.7
Joe Lieberman (Connecticut) 2008 - 8 Lifetime – 15.96
The only number that comes close to portraying a "centrist" is Ben Nelson’s 47.26 lifetime rating. However, the number to look at is his 16 for 2008. His numbers for 2007 aren’t available, but it’s telling that in the last year that Republicans controlled the Senate (2006) his rating is 64. This tells you that Nelson is an opportunist whose votes shift depending on which party holds the majority at a given time.
Notice Joe Lieberman’s pathetic ratings. This is the guy that many conservative talk show hosts and cable networks like to portray as a "conservative" or "moderate" Democrat simply because he supported Bush in regards to the war in Iraq.
By definition, a true centrist would have a rating near 50 plus or minus a couple of points. Using this definition, Nebraska’s Ben Nelson is the only Democrat Senator who comes close with a 47.26 lifetime rating. The next closest senate Democrat to that center 50 mark is Florida’s Bill Nelson with a 37.28 lifetime rating.
On the Republican side, everyone can agree that the centrists/moderates are Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins of Maine, and Arlen Specter who switched parties earlier this year, but has a record as a Republican for 28 years. Specter has a lifetime rating of 44.47, while Snowe has a lifetime rating of 47.88 and Collins a 49.55.
It makes perfect sense to refer to Snowe, Collins, and Specter as centrists, (I like to refer to them as other things) but you really can’t find any on the Democrat side.
So how do these so-called Democrat centrists (including the blue dogs in the house) get away with it? That’s easy; it’s called double-talk and voter ignorance. Liberals like Barbara Boxer, Chuck Schumer, and Nancy Pelosi are actually more sincere than the phony centrists. They say the same things whether they’re in Washington or in their home states and districts. The Democrat centrists play a game where they speak and act like moderates or even conservatives when they’re on their home turf, then go to Washington and vote with the hard left.
Whether it’s Cap and Trade, Healthcare, or Amnesty for Illegal Immigrants, Landrieu, Lincoln, Bayh, and Lieberman will probably be solid votes for the left-wing Democrats. As far as Ben Nelson, it depends on polling data and which party has majority at the time the votes come up. A real principled fellow – that Ben Nelson.
Does this mean that we don’t have a chance at beating back Obamacare or Cap and trade? As far as Obamacare, I believe that some form of it will likely pass. Whatever it is, you can rest assured that it’ll be bad. Cap and Trade and Amnesty will depend largely on polling numbers and when the legislation comes up. At this particular time, with this particular political climate, I don’t believe that Democrats will bring those issues up in an election year (2010). It also depends on conservatives, libertarians, and concerned independents keeping the heat on the Obama administration and the congress.
If we snooze – we lose.