The Dirty Dozen (True RINOs), and the last respectable Democrats (sadly, DINOs is an apt name)

American Conservative Union, Dangus' analysis ^ | 6/19/06 | Dangus / ACU

[dangus]

The following is a list of Republicans that the party would truly be better off without. They are listed from liberal to moderate. Their rankings are largely based on recent American Conservative Union scores, slightly modified to reduce the effect of outlying data and to recognize regional voters' demands.

The Dirty Dozen:

CT Christopher Shays
IA James Leach
NY Sherwood Boehlert
CO Scott McInnis
VA Tom Davis
IL Mark Kirk
CT Nancy Johnson
MD Wayne Gilchrest
CT Robert Simmons
MI Carol Schwarz
NH Charles Bass
NH Bradley

The "Good" Democrats:

MS Gene Taylor
OK Daniel Boren
TN Linc Davis
LA Charlie Melancon
MN Collin Peterson
AR Marion Berry
AR Mike Ross
TX Henry Cuellar
TN John Tanner
NC Mike McIntyre
GA Jim Marshall
GA Sanford Bishop

Three Republicans are worse than Democrats: Christopher Shays voted conservative only 20% of the time; Jim Leach, from solid red territory, voted conservative only 33% of the time. Tom Davis voted conservative more often, but was also from a Republican stronghold. Amazingly, Bush broke arms to make this liberal in charge of passing out campaign money in his first term.

Henry Cuellar is particularly heroic; The National Democratic Party actually opposed him, yet he stayed moderate-to-conservative. A few other black Democrats just missed the cutoff, largely from Dixie.

Contrary to stereotype, 3 of the 12 most moderate or conservative Democrats are minorities, Marshall, Bishop, and Cuellar.

Pennsylvania had none of the most moderate/conservative Democrats, but the Democratic Party of Pennsylvania is actually quite moderate. Even Joe Murtha voted conservative 40% of the time.

[PhillyRepublican]

I am starting to agree with test pilot Chuck Yeager's father's opinion regarding Democrats. When Yeager was invited to the White House to receive an award from President Truman for breaking the sound barrier, Chuck's father refused to shake hands with Truman.
Yeager said that in his father's opinion, "The first good Democrat had yet to be born."

[staytrue]

jim leach is very knowledgeable on banking issues and for that reason is a huge asset to the nation, rino or not.

If memory is correct, he was one of the first to start yelling about the s and l crises.

[dangus]

The good news: Sherwood Boehlert, who I was surprised has taken to going by a woman's name (Sherry) since I left the state, is retiring. McInnis is already gone (I'm not sure why the ACU listed him as current). The Connecticut traitors are in deep doo-doo, but this isn't truly good news: the Democrats will be certain to be radical leftists.

MISTAKE: It's JOE Schwarz from MI. I was thinking of an Ohio person when I read Schwartz.

[WestVirginiaRebel]

I honestly think that the only reason these people ran as Republicans was so that they could beat their opponents by putting an "R" after their name.

The fact that Cueller was opposed by his party says a lot about what the DNC thinks about black members who refuse to "Know their place."

[dangus]

>> jim leach is very knowledgeable on banking issues and for that reason is a huge asset to the nation, rino or not. <<

So, he's not only a liberal, he's an EFFECTIVE liberal... even worse.

>> he was one of the first to start yelling about the s and l crises. <<

Yes, but if I recall, he was also covering his butt... the first Big S+L collapse was in his district.

[alvindsv]

Whew! I'm glad my rep at least made the good democrat list - Dan Boren from Oklahoma. He is the only Dem from Oklahoma the rest of the Reps and Senators are Republican. Oh well, can't always be perfect.

Funny thing is he has made some of the locals around here mad because he votes along with the Republicans just a little too often. Of course the fact the idea he is voting on may be good is beside the point. They would rather him vote against a good idea then vote with Republicans. Idiots!

[dangus]

>> The fact that Cueller was opposed by his party says a lot about what the DNC thinks about black members who refuse to "Know their place." <<

Well, Cuellar is Hispanic, but your point is made. Remember Denise Majeris (IIRC), the black moderate who was kicked out of office so Cynthia McKinney (sp?) could run? NYC even had some decent minority representatives, long, long ago.

[dangus]

... but now most of the Northeastern blacks obey their massas and don't step out of line...

[NormsRevenge]

fwiw.. Mitt is no longer listed in the gUb section on the current page of the Main Street Republicans members list.

Republican Main Street Partnership
Congressional Members
109^th  Congress

Sen. Lincoln Chafee, Rhode Island
Sen. Norm Coleman, Minnesota
Sen. Susan Collins, Maine
Sen. Johnny Isakson, Georgia
Sen. John McCain, Arizona
Sen. Gordon Smith, Oregon
Sen. Olympia Snowe, Maine
Sen. Arlen Specter, Pennsylvania

Rep. Charles Bass, New Hampshire Rep. Judy Biggert, Illinois Rep. Sherwood Boehlert, New York Rep. Mary Bono, California Rep. Jeb Bradley, New Hampshire Rep. Ginny Brown-Waite, Florida Rep. Ken Calvert, California Rep. Dave Camp, Michigan Rep. Shelley Moore Capito, West Virginia Rep. Michael Castle, Delaware Rep. Thomas Davis, III, Virginia Rep. Charlie Dent, Pennsylvania Rep. David Dreier, California Rep. Vernon Ehlers, Michigan Rep. Mark Foley, Florida Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen, New Jersey Rep. Jim Gerlach, Pennsylvania Rep. Wayne Gilchrest, Maryland Rep. Paul Gillmor, Ohio Rep. Kay Granger, Texas Rep. David Hobson, Ohio Rep. Nancy Johnson, Connecticut Rep. Timothy Johnson, Illinois Rep. Sue Kelly, New York

Rep. John R. Kuhl, New York Rep. Mark Kirk, Illinois Rep. Jim Kolbe, Arizona Rep. Ray LaHood, Illinois Rep. Steven LaTourette, Ohio Rep. Jim Leach, Iowa Rep. Jerry Lewis, California Rep. Frank LoBiondo, New Jersey Rep. Jim McCrery, Louisiana Rep. Thomas Petri, Wisconsin Rep. Todd Platts, Pennsylvania Rep. Jon Porter, Nevada Rep. Deborah Pryce, Ohio Rep. Jim Ramstad, Minnesota Rep. Ralph Regula, Ohio Rep. Joe Schwarz, Michigan Rep. Christopher Shays, Connecticut Rep. Robert Simmons, Connecticut Rep. Michael Turner, Ohio Rep. Fred Upton, Michigan Rep. Greg Walden, Oregon Rep. James Walsh, New York Rep. Curt Weldon, Pennsylvania Rep. Jerry Weller, Illinois Rep. Heather Wilson, New Mexico

 

Gov. Robert Ehrlich, Maryland
Gov. Linda Lingle, Hawaii
Gov. George Pataki, New York
Gov. Mitt Romney, Massachusetts
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, California

[dangus]

I don't get it. What's so "Main Street" about being pro-homo?

[dangus]

FWIW, several of the Main Street Republicans *vote* pretty well: Virginia Brown-Waite, Todd Platts, Debbie Pryce, Curt Weldon,...

But the list does include most of the Mexicophiles, homophiles, and RINOs.

[iowamark]

Yes, but if I recall, he was also covering his butt... the first Big S+L collapse was in his district.

What S&L was that??

[CSM43]

Am I missing something? McInnis from CO not only was a solid conservative (to the best of my knowledge), but he left Congress in 2004. His successor is a Dem, so maybe they're counting his votes against McInnis. This could be some shoddy work by the ACU.

[dangus]

I don't know... Maybe I shouldn't have said something like that just from a vague recollection. I meant it honestly, but I shouldn't say anything which could be taken as an accusation, unless I'm more sure of what I'm saying. Sometimes I forget myself and respond as if these were personal conversations, and not part of what becomes a public record.

[AuH2ORepublican]

What were your criteria? I have a few comments:

"The Dirty Dozen:

"CT Christopher Shays"

---

As much as I hate Shays, his record isn't *that* bad for someone for a district that gave Bush 43% in 2000 and 46% in 2004.

"CO Scott McInnis"

---

He's been out of office for a couple of years now, and he was actually quite conservative.

"MI Carol Schwarz"

---

It's Joe Schwarz, first elected in 2004; hopefully this will be remedied this year when Tim Walberg beats him in the MI-07 primary.

"NH Bradley"

---

Jeb Bradley had a very liberal reputation in the state legislature, but his voting record hasn't been as terrible as I feared.


"The "Good" Democrats:

MS Gene Taylor
OK Daniel Boren
TN Linc Davis
LA Charlie Melancon
MN Collin Peterson
AR Marion Berry
AR Mike Ross
TX Henry Cuellar
TN John Tanner
NC Mike McIntyre
GA Jim Marshall
GA Sanford Bishop"

---

Tanner, Ross, Marshall and Bishop aren't quite as conservative of the others, but I wouldn't mind if all 12 of them switched to the GOP. I would have ranked a couple Tim Holden of PA and maybe Bud Cramer of AL higher than them, but I guess you ranked them lower because they represent conservative districts. BTW, all 12 of your guys represent districts carried by Bush in 2004, so they could pull off a party switch. My favorites there are McIntyre (who's consistently conservative in a district where he could afford not to be), Cuellar (the only Democrat to whom I have ever donated money) and Bishop (who is a black Democrat from a 45% black district carried by Bush and who, if he tweaked his voting a bit, would make a fine conservative Republican).

"Three Republicans are worse than Democrats: Christopher Shays voted conservative only 20% of the time; Jim Leach, from solid red territory, voted conservative only 33% of the time. Tom Davis voted conservative more often, but was also from a Republican stronghold."

---

None of these guys are as liberal as 95% of Democrats in Congress, although I would support primary opponents for all three. Jim Leach's district is by no means "solid red"; it only gave President Bush 44% in 2004, the lowest Bush vote for any district held by a Republican.

"Henry Cuellar is particularly heroic; The National Democratic Party actually opposed him, yet he stayed moderate-to-conservative."

---

Amen.


"A few other black Democrats just missed the cutoff, largely from Dixie."

---

I think your formula must be flawed. Other than Sanford Bishop, all black Democrats have liberal voting records. Some, such as Ford of TN, Davis of AL and Jefferson of LA cast some conservative votes, but they are nowhere near the level of a "good Democrat"; I guess the fact that they represent districts in which Bush got below 35% made them do well in your formula.

"Contrary to stereotype, 3 of the 12 most moderate or conservative Democrats are minorities, Marshall, Bishop, and Cuellar."

---

Marshall is a non-Hispanic white, but yes, Bishop is black and Cuellar is Hispanic.


"Pennsylvania had none of the most moderate/conservative Democrats, but the Democratic Party of Pennsylvania is actually quite moderate. Even Joe Murtha voted conservative 40% of the time."

---

4 of Pennsylvania's 7 Democrat Congressmen are pro-life: Holden, Murtha, Doyle and Kanjorski. Murtha used to have a more conservative voting record, but not anymore, which is part of the reason why I think that Diana Irey has a chance of beating him this November.

[AuH2ORepublican]

Oh, and it's *Jack* Murtha (not Joe).

[RedStateRocker]

I think I was 9 or 10 before I realized that God###ed Democrat" was not a single word:-) But then Barry Goldwater was the only person in the last 100 years worthy of being President (maybe Robert Taft, and I like Reagan, just never forgave him for gun control in CA)

[hlmencken3]

Jim Leach, from solid red territory

Huh?

Iowa went for Bush in 2004 by a mere 10K votes, after going for Gore, Clinton twice, and Dukakis!

[upchuck]

Your list is incomplete.

No mention of McLame and his fav buttboy Pandsey "One Termer" Graham.