My brother once made a comment by former senator Rudy Boschwitz (R-MN).
He called him a dishonest SOB who pretended to be a moderate by voting that way whenever the vote wasn't close.
When I look at a lot of the so-called moderate Republicans out there (McCain is not a moderate, he's a Neanderthal maverick), this seems to fit the description.
When the vote is not in question (more than about 55-45 in the senate, more than about 261-174 in the house) they will have a moderate voting record, but when it gets closer, and the vote is whipped, they fall into lock step.
Basically, they vote moderate only when their vote doesn't matter.
I have two questions:
- Is this an accurate perception, or am I just talking through my hat?
- Is there any rating system of voting records that takes into account the difference between close and lopsided votes and how senators and representatives voted?
I think that this might be a useful tool when campaigning against the so-called moderates.