A
Anonymous
Guest
Is Barack Obama a liberal?
The National Journal said so based on one metric and the Republicans have been using this in their talking points every since. But there are many ways to measure a senators's voting record. Our measurements, based on what liberal groups like ACLU and NARAL think of him, rank him as 42nd.
http://www.electoral-vote.com/evp2008/Senate/lib_senator_ratings-2007.html
And what do conservative groups think of him? They don't like him, but there are 30 senators who are even worse, that is, who vote the "wrong way" even more often than Obama.
http://www.electoral-vote.com/evp2008/Senate/con_senator_ratings-2007.html
How a senator comes out in the ratings depends on lot of who is doing the rating and what their hobby horses are. Our ratings are based on a wide spectrum of issues so if senator is pro-life that does not necessarily mean he isn't liberal. He might be fantastic on labor issues, gay rights, etc. Ditto for conservatives. A senator who is pro-choice could also be a fanatic tax cutter and fan of small government. Take a look at our ratings but also check out CQ Politics' story on ratings today.
http://www.cqpolitics.com/wmspage.cfm?docid=news-000002900172
http://www.electoral-vote.com/evp2008/Pres/Maps/Jun19.html