We here in Missouri have a freshman Senator, Claire McCaskill, who charts her own way. While still a Democrat, Senator McCaskill has voted several times to buck the Democratic majority, most notably on pork spending and immigration "reform." Considering she isn't up for re-election until 2012, that's a good sign for the independence she promised on the campaign trail.
We can proudly say that she votes her conscience, as that seems to be the only logical explanation for her voting against the wishes of the Senate leadership. That isn't how it works for most politicians.
This is an issue because Missouri is a conservative state. The Far-Left liberals that dominate on the coasts (and in the Democratic leadership) couldn't get elected in our state. It's also a conservative country, and the far-left Democrats often find themselves carefully selecting their choice of words to avoid being easy targets in general elections. Thus, the freshman class of Democrats in the 2006 elections, many of who were elected in purple or red districts, have to vote against the Democratic majority or else the Republicans will be able to use their votes against them in the 2008 elections.
This is an old game, but there's a new twist from the 2006 Democrats. One of the ways in which we determine independence is to catalogue the number of times a House representative votes against their party. If a member votes 100% of the time with his or her party, it's clear they are mere pawns of the majority. A member thus has to have some votes against their party to avoid being accused of marching in lock-step.
So what do the freshmen Democrats in vulnerable districts do? They vote against the notes of the last day.
Half a dozen freshman Democrats took to the House floor one late-October morning to cast their lot with Republicans.
Their actions went unpunished by the Democratic leadership that day, as they have on many other occasions in recent weeks. The symbolic gesture -- casting nay votes on approving the House Journal, essentially the minutes of the previous day -- would have no bearing on the leadership's agenda.
The purpose of the votes is clear. The freshman Democrats know their views and their votes are not consistent with the values of the voters who put them in office. In order to trick the voters of their district, who these Democrats believe are too stupid to see through the ruse, they vote against the House Journal in a show of "independence."
The House members, and their fake percentages: Jason Altmire (Pa.) = 94.4%; Joe Donnelly (Ind.) = 83.3%; Chris Carney (Pa.) = 66.7%; Brad Ellsworth (Ind.) = 66.7%; Heath Shuler (N.C.) = 61.1%; Harry Mitchell (Ariz.) = 61.1%
Brad Ellsworth and Heath Shuler, the darlings of the netroots, are in this bunch.
hat tip: PowerlineBlog.
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