After figuring out what a DW
nominating score is, I found that Senator Landrieu was ranked number 53 on the list.[2]
The extreme on the liberal side is Senator Feingold from Wisconsin with a -0.597 and the most conservative is Senator Coburn from Oklahoma with a 0.791. Landrieu scored a -0.212
placing her left leaning, but still moderate. Most consider Landrieu to be a “blue-dog”
democrat saying she falls into a more moderate category. Her various stances on
issues tend to be more moderate with her voting along party lines in regards to
major issues, but following her constituents’ conservative preference on
subsequent matters.[3]
In looking at the recent bills Landrieu has sponsored, it
does seem that she seeks to have bipartisan co-sponsorship. This case rings
true in her two most recent sponsored bills:
Both pieces of legislation contained an even 50/50 split of
Republican and Democrat sponsorship. However, GovTrack ranked both pieces of
legislation having a 1% chance of getting past committee and a 0% chance
of becoming law.[5]
Mary Landrieu has continued her bipartisan efforts into an
area that she considers herself a champion, small business. Landrieu
co-sponsored a Market Place
Fairness Act that would require Internet purchases to face the same sales
taxes as their brick and mortar counterparts.[6]
Landrieu has teamed up in this bipartisan effort to ensure that one of her major
interests, small business, is given a fair shake when dancing in the national
marketplace.
Outside of bill sponsorship, Landrieu still receives relatively positive ratings from liberal interest groups. Landrieu scored an 85% with the ADA in
2011 putting her below Representative
Richmond, the Democrat House of Representative member from Louisiana who
scored a 90 percent. Senator Landrieu’s score although appearing rather high, falls
below many of the Democrat senators in the chamber who scored in the 90th
percentile. Her relatively low score comes as a result of her yes vote on
Senate bill 593; an act that would prohibit the EPA from regulating greenhouse
gases. Her no vote on Senate bill 940, a
bill that repeals various tax cuts for oil companies that have gross annual
receipts of over $1 billion. As well as, her yes vote on House Resolution
3080, a bill establishing a South Korean trade agreement.[7]
When looking at party votes as a whole, Landrieu scored the
same as her ADA rating. In 2012, Senator Landrieu voted with the Democrat Party
85.2% of the time.[8] In the most
recent gun
legislation brought before the Senate, Landrieu voted in favor of the bill falling
in line with the majority of Democrats on the vote. This vote may prove detrimental
to Landrieu in her next Louisiana election, a state that touts its gun rights.[9]
Landrieu’s counter part Senator David
Vitter, a Republican, voted against the legislation claiming that he was a
supporter of 2nd amendment rights, as well as, his belief that the
measure would only affect law abiding citizens with no effects on
criminals. Landrieu responded to these remarks with “shockingly” another
pro-business response claiming that the legislation would level the playing
field for licensed gun dealers by eliminating the unfair advantage of
unlicensed and online dealers. Personally, I think this vote will lead to
negative reactions from her Louisiana gun happy constituents. I think they care
more about their personal liberties then leveling the business playing field
for weapons dealers.
Overall, when looking at Landrieu’s voting and bill
sponsorship history it appears that she attempts to appease both her party, in
order to not lose her chairmanships, and her
constituents in order to retain her job. The moderate rankings in the various
surveys and studies are a result of this behavior. It would be interesting to
see how her voting would change if she stopped seeking re-election. I have a
hunch that we would see her scores turn from being moderate to a stronger
liberal leaning on the spectrum.
[1] http://www.landrieu.senate.gov/
[2] http://voteview.com/sen111.htm
[3] http://voteview.com/blog/?p=567
[4] http://www.senate.gov/
[6] http://www.nola.com/politics/index.ssf/2013/02/mary_landrieu_part_of_bipartis.html
[7] http://www.adaction.org/pages/publications/voting-records.php
[8] http://www.thepoliticalguide.com/Profiles/Senate/Louisiana/Mary_Landrieu/VotingStatistics/
[9] http://www.nola.com/politics/index.ssf/2013/04/landrieu_voted_for_extended_ba.html
