The Political Axis
Shifts
This is the
twelfth year I have constructed the Index and,
this year, there has been a dramatic shift of
the political axis back toward a Left - Right,
Liberal - Conservative orientation. Republicans
remain much better than Democrats in the matter
of economic liberties. But, it cannot be said
that Republicans are any better than Democrats
in the matter of personal liberties. While
Republicans continue to support certain rights,
such as the free exercise of religion, freedom
of association, and the right to keep and bear
arms, Democratic sensitivities to privacy and to
protecting the rights of the accused are very
important for countervailing against the siege
mentality attendant to the on-going war on
terror.
Top
Scorers
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Jeff
Flake |
In the House,
the top scorer, for the second year in a row,
was Congressman Jeff Flake of Arizona,
closely followed, also for the second year in a
row, by Congress-
man Ron Paul of Texas. Because of the shift away
from libertarianism and toward conservatism by
the Republicans, the number of Congressmen
identified as libertarians fell to only six.
These were Congressmen Neugebauer (TX),
Rohrabacker (CA), Smith (MI), and Toomey (PA),
in addition to Flake and Paul. In the Senate,
the top scorer was Senator Wayne Allard of
Colorado. Many other Senators scored well, most
notably Brownback (KS), Ensign (NV), Enzi (WY),
Sessions (AL), and Sununu (NH).
Rating Compromises
As in past
years, construction of the index involved
identifying eighty roll call votes, twenty from
each chamber of Congress in each of economic and
personal liberties. As in past years, there was
no problem identifying a good list of roll call
votes in the area of economic liberties. This
year's list of economics votes included votes on
taxes, spending, economic regulations, free
trade, and energy policy. Also as in past years,
problems were encountered identifying a good
list of roll call votes in the area of personal
liberties. Specifically, this year, in the
Senate, I included votes on four judicial
nominees when I would have preferred to include
only two such votes, for want of more useful
choices. In addition to these votes, this year's
list of personal liberties votes included votes
on equal rights, government financing of speech,
arts and humanities, choice in education, the
war on drugs, and internet-based gambling and
pornography. See the Rollcall
List or use the button at the left of each
year's Overview screen.
Senate Tie Breakers
In the
Senate, the economic liberties votes included
two in which Vice President Dick Cheney cast
tie-breaking votes. On roll call vote #134,
Cheney proved to be the difference in adopting
the Conference Report on the Budget Resolution.
To be sure, there was a lot wrong with the 2003
Budget Resolution. I would have preferred the
Budget Resolution proposed by the conservative
caucus in the House of Representatives. But,
given the voting rules of Congress, it was much
better to have a Budget Resolution than to
proceed to the various appropriation bills
without one.
The other time
it came down to Vice President Cheney's ballot
was roll call vote #196, the Tax Reduction Bill.
This measure accelerated many of the tax cuts
that were to be phased-in by the year 2010 and,
in addition, greatly ameliorated the
double-taxation of corporate profits by cutting
taxes on dividends.
Highest Senate
Scores
Thirteen U.S.
Senators registered 100's on the economic
liberties component of the index, including Kay
Bailey Hutchinson of Texas. Senator Hutchinson
joins Congressman Sue Myrick of North Carolina
as the only female members of Congress with such
an achievement.
Highest House
Scores
In the House of
Representatives, the list of economics votes was
more able to distinguish among Republicans as
well as between Republicans and Democrats. Only
one Congressman got a 100, Jeff Flake of
Arizona. Seven others got dinged on one vote,
Cannon (UT), DeLay (TX), Franks (AZ), J. Miller
(FL), Musgrave (CO), Royce (CA), and Shadegg
(AZ). For six of these seven Congressmen, the
one blemish on their voting record was roll call
vote #98, to increase deposit insurance from
$100,000 to $130,000. For the seventh, the one
blemish was roll call vote #79, the conservative
Budget Resolution.
Three Democrats
in the Senate and another 37 Democrats in the
House scored perfectly awful zeros on the
economics component of the index. In a couple
cases, this may have been affected by their
being AWOL from Congress while they were running
for President of the United States. The best way
to describe the Democrats' economic philosophy
is: if it moves, tax it, and, if it doesn't
move, subsidize it. If it moves too much,
regulate it, and, if it doesn't move at all,
conserve it. And, finally, if it moves and has
deep pockets, sue it.
War, Security and
Patriotism
Turning to
personal liberties, in the House of
Representatives, the political axis has clearly
shifted to a more left - right, liberal -
conservative orientation. The obvious reason is
the War on Terrorism and the associated Patriot
Act mentality. I'll illustrate this point with a
few of the roll call votes included in the 2003
Roll.
Vote #106
involved an amendment to the War Supplemental
Appropriation Bill to decrease funding for
counter-drug activities in Columbia by $61
million. This amendment was rejected 209 to 216.
Only 18 Republicans voted for this amendment,
whereas only 10 Democrats voted against it.
Vote #206
involved an amendment to the Defense
Authorization Bill to authorize the use of U.S.
military to assist the Department of Homeland
Security patrol the border. This amendment was
adopted 250 to 179. Only 19 Republicans voted
against, whereas only 42 Democrats voted for it.
Vote #408
involved an amendment to the Commerce-Justice-
State Appropriation Bill to bar funds from being
used to use "sneak and peek" searches.
These are searches on which it is okay to delay
giving notice. This amendment was adopted 309 to
118. Republicans split almost 50-50 on this
amendment, whereas only 4 Democrats voted
against it.
Finally, vote
#409 involved an to the Commerce-Justice-State
Appropriations Bill to bar funds to any state or
local entity that restricts its officials from
transmitting information regarding a person's
citizen status or immigration status to the
Department of Homeland Security. It was rejected
122 - 305. Republicans split almost 50-50 on
this amendment, whereas only 2 Democrats voted
for it.
On these and
other motions, Democrats showed increased
sensitivity to privacy and to protecting the
rights of the accused. Republicans, on the other
hand, appeared increasingly disposed to destroy
our freedoms in order to protect them. Hey,
guys, there has to be a better way!
Clifford
F. Thies e-mail
Past Chairman, Republican Liberty Caucus
Professor of Economics and Finance
at Shenandoah University
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