By Frank Kane
ROLL CALL REPORT SYNDICATE
http://www.azstarnet.com/star/today/20825nrollcallspecial.html
WASHINGT0N
- Rep. Ed Pastor, a Democrat, last year compiled the most liberal voting record
in the Arizona delegation to the U.S. House, according to the Americans for
Democratic Action. Rep. J.D. Hayworth, a Republican, was ranked highest in conservative
voting by the American Conservative Union.
The ADA, founded in 1947, is the nation's oldest liberal political organization of nationwide scope, and the ACU, established in 1964, is the oldest conservative lobbying organization. Their authoritative annual scorecards, which show the ideology of individual members, are based on votes cast on a wide range of domestic and foreign policy issues.
According to the ADA, Pastor voted the liberal position 100 percent of the time on the 20 key issues that formed the basis of the group's rating, followed by Republican Reps. Jim Kolbe, (20 percent); Jeff Flake, (5 percent); John Shadegg, (5 percent); Hayworth (5 percent) and Bob Stump (0 percent).
In the ACU's tally of conservative voting on 25 key issues, Hayworth scored 100 percent and Stump and Shadegg 96 percent each, followed by Flake (92 percent), Kolbe (60 percent) and Pastor (8 percent).
Democratic Action scored Sen. John McCain, a Republican, at 40 percent and Republican Sen. Jon Kyl, also a Republican, at 5 percent. The ACU gave Kyl a 100 percent score and McCain 68 percent.
Both groups based their evaluations on many of the same issues, while disagreeing on what constituted a "right" and a "wrong" vote on each one.
The issues common to both ratings concerned using federal funds for school vouchers, banning soft money from federal campaigns, repealing Clinton administration ergonomics rules, approving President Bush's tax cuts, banning drilling in the Alaskan National Wildlife Reserve, defining a fetus as a human being when the pregnant mother is a crime victim, allowing D.C. government workers to receive "domestic partner" benefits, approving fast-track trade authority for presidents and amending the Constitution to outlaw flag desecration.
Additionally, the conservative group rated members on issues such as banning publicly funded abortions for women in federal prisons, establishing full trade with Cuba, setting stricter mileage standards for SUVs, cooperating with the new International Criminal Court and funding the National Endowment for the Arts.
The ADA also rated lawmakers on Bush's faith-based initiative, opening full trade with China, allowing women in the military to receive privately financed abortions at bases overseas, capping insurers' liability in patients' rights legislation and allowing more deductions for medical and child-care expenses in determining a debtor's eligibility for bankruptcy.
The ADA and ACU are among 10 interest groups whose voting report cards for 2001 are shown in the accompanying table. Here is information on the organizations, including phone numbers and Internet addresses for obtaining their scorecards in full detail:
On the left
* 1. Americans for Democratic Action (ADA) is the oldest liberal political organization of national scope. (202) 785-5980. www.adaction.org.
* 2. The League of Conservation Voters (LCV) is a political arm of the environmental movement. (202) 785-8683. www.lcv.org.
* 3. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) uses lawsuits and other means to preserve constitutional rights, often embracing unpopular causes. (202) 544-1681. www.aclu.org.
* 4. The AFL-CIO is the umbrella organization for organized labor, representing 13 million union members. (202) 637-5000. www.afl-cio.org.
* 5. The National Abortion Rights Action League (NARAL) is the leading pro-choice lobby. (202) 973-3000. www.naral.org.
On the right
* 6. The National Right To Life Committee (NRLC) is the leading anti-abortion lobby. (202) 626-8800. www.nrlc.org.
* 7. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is one of the top business associations and lobbying organizations. 1-800-638-6582. www.uschamber.org.
* 8. The National Taxpayers Union (NTU) is a business-oriented fiscal watchdog. (703) 683-5700. www.ntu.org.
* 9. The Business-Industry PAC (BIPAC) helps blue chip corporations fund and elect pro-business candidates. (202) 833-1880. www.bipac.org.
* 10. The American Conservative Union (ACU) is the oldest conservative lobbying group. (703) 836-8602. www.conservative.org.
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