A couple of months ago, I posted regarding Congressman Brad Miller's voting record. I found that, according to the Americans for Democratic Action (ADA) and American Conservative Union (ACU) scorecards, his voting record was as far to the left as measurement would permit. His 2005 record scored 100% according to the liberal ADA criteria; and 0% according to the conservative ACU criteria. He placed to the left of Bernie Sanders of Vermont, an avowed socialist.
I have examined further the ACU and ADA scorecards. Based on at least one of these methodologies, I have found that Brad Miller votes to the left of the following well-known liberals in the House:
1. Cynthia McKinney
2. Maxine Waters
3. Nancy Pelosi
4. Ed Markey
5. John Conyers
6. John Dingell
7. Patrick Kennedy
In addition, Brad Miller's voting record is to left of the following liberals in the US Senate:
1. Hillary Clinton
2. Chuck Schumer
3. Diane Feinstein
4. Barbara Boxer
5. Christopher Dodd
6. Tom Harkin
7. Barbara Mikulski
8. John Kerry
9. Jay Rockefeller
10. Maria Cantwell
11. Patty Murray
The question is whether the residents of the 13th Congressional District in North Carolina should feel good about their congressman voting to the left of the above individuals.
Addendum: The ACU ratings and individual votes can be found here. The ADA ratings and individual votes can be found here.
i feel great! thanks for asking, joe.
Posted by: sean coon | October 03, 2006 at 05:12 PM
even better, brad miller flirts with women his own age -- heck, his wife, even!
Posted by: sean coon | October 03, 2006 at 05:14 PM
The tempest du jour will erode with time, but voting records are forever.
Posted by: Joe Guarino | October 03, 2006 at 06:54 PM
Wow - thanks for the great plug for Brad, Joe! I was starting to worry that he was a little too middle of the road for me.
Posted by: Laurie | October 03, 2006 at 08:52 PM
Any concerns you may have had on that score, Laurie, were unwarranted.
Posted by: Joe Guarino | October 03, 2006 at 10:20 PM
Can you post his actual votes and tell us which ones you feel are wrong? Do you agree 100% with every position and claim Vernon makes? Is he 100% representative of the republican party? What if anything do you disagree with?
Posted by: JP | October 04, 2006 at 12:51 AM
JP, thanks for asking. I added to my original post links to the ADA and ACU scorecards. These organizations base their ratings on numerous individual votes, and the votes are listed.
I agree with the vast majority of Vernon Robinson's positions. If I were the candidate, I would probably tone things down at least a notch or two. But the main issue is substance, not style. The voting record of the incumbent reflects the ideological principle he espouses, and certainly reflects substance-- which is far more important than style.
I really do not want to initiate discussions of individual votes or positions here, because that is not the purpose of my post. But you are certainly free to do so. The purpose of my post is to demonstrate where on the ideological spectrum Brad Miller resides, and the type of ideological company he keeps.
Posted by: Joe Guarino | October 04, 2006 at 09:15 AM
barbara boxer, tom harkin and jay rockefeller -- they're such rebel rousers!
fox news and the rhino times truly are your informational bookends, huh?
Posted by: sean coon | October 04, 2006 at 11:55 AM
"fox news and the rhino times truly are your informational bookends, huh?"
And what are YOUR informational bookends? The appendages on either side of your head?
Posted by: Bubba | October 04, 2006 at 12:31 PM
Sean, if you consult the voting records, you will see that the three senators you mention are way over on the left also-- but just to the right of Miller.
Posted by: Joe Guarino | October 04, 2006 at 03:20 PM
"The tempest du jour will erode with time, but voting records are forever."
Well said. And perhaps a little daunting, if you're a politician. ;)
Posted by: Cara Michele | October 04, 2006 at 05:13 PM
The one vote that puts Miller "to the left" of Pelosi is "4.HR 1815. FY 2006 Defense
Authorization/U.S. Withdrawal From Iraq Woolsey (D-CA) amendment expressing the
sense of Congress that the President should develop a plan for withdrawing U.S. military forces from Iraq and submit it to the appropriate Congressional committees.
Rejected 128-300. May 25, 2005. A yes vote is a +."
Other NC representatives voting yes: Walter Jones (r), Howard Coble (r), Mel Watt (d), & D. Price (d). So your criticism boils down to when Miller voted with Coble.
Posted by: Jim Caserta | October 05, 2006 at 08:10 AM
Jim, many of us believe that Coble erred on that vote. And you appear to be correct that this particular vote placed Miller to the left of Pelosi.
Posted by: Joe Guarino | October 05, 2006 at 08:27 AM
I didnt realize how liberal Brad was. Left of Pelosi. Who would have thunk it? Thanks for posting up Joe.
Posted by: jc | October 05, 2006 at 02:09 PM
JC, the illusion of the southern moderate or conservative Democrat cannot be maintained in the case of Congressman Miller. Thanks for your comments.
Posted by: Joe Guarino | October 05, 2006 at 03:14 PM
Joe,
Awesome observation from Jim. I'm going to hope that Vernon would have joined Jones and Coble on bucking the President on Iraq.
So then, would the critical issue of the War and conflict in the Middle East be the area where the 13th district candidates are closest in agreement?
Posted by: capo | October 07, 2006 at 10:17 AM
Jim, it appears than Vernon is in favor of staying the course in Iraq. Good to see you yesterday.
Posted by: Joe Guarino | October 08, 2006 at 06:25 PM