When is a Democrat not a Democrat?

Thursday, October 13, 2005

When Is A Democrat Not A Democrat?
In monitoring the roll call votes in the United States Senate and scrutinizing the decisions of some Democrats, who routinely vote with George W. Bush and the Republican majority, I began debating when it's time to toss an incumbent Democrat in the hopes of getting a candidate whose behavior is more, well, Democratic.

While it's gratifying when it happens, I don't think we expect every Senator to vote precisely the way we would like on every issue. As the Republicans took great joy in pointing out in the last presidential election, John Kerry has one of the most liberal records in the Senate and yet even he has disappointed us on occasion.

But in looking at the most important Senate votes in 2005, Democrats like Ben Nelson of Nebraska and Mark Pryor of Arkansas vote so often with the conservative side of the aisle that one wonders how much good they do by continuing the charade of being Democrats – and, yes, I have concrete examples.

Here's a comprehensive list of the times Nelson has voted with Republicans this year on major issues....