With which Congressperson are you most closely politically aligned?

[Democratic Hawk]

http://nationaljournal.com/voteratings/index.htm?q=gilchrest#search

I agree with Wayne Gilchrest's votes about 95% of the time.

Here's the recent National Journal list for reference:
http://nationaljournal.com/voteratings/

I can see Gilchrest's ratings, but how did you ascertain that you agree with him 95% of the time?

Dave

[Democratic Hawk]

http://nationaljournal.com/voteratings/index.htm?q=gilchrest#search

I agree with Wayne Gilchrest's votes about 95% of the time.

Here's the recent National Journal list for reference:
http://nationaljournal.com/voteratings/

I can see Gilchrest's ratings, but how did you ascertain that you agree with him 95% of the time?

Dave

Washington Post has a vote by vote breakdown. I found that I would've been 52.5% Liberal/ 47.5% Conservative using the National Journal's key votes.

So basically to find mine, I'd need to decide whether I'd have voted for or against on each key vote to get my score, then type those scores into search to see who comes up?

Dave

[Democratic Hawk]

Here's the list of votes: http://nationaljournal.com/voteratings/house.htm

I compiled my positions on the votes when the list first came out. I decided to post this thread because Wayne Gilchrest is in the news.

So what I do? Start at 0 and count up or start at 100 and count down or do I only count if I vote in the affirmative?

Dave

[Democratic Hawk]

Here's the list of votes: http://nationaljournal.com/voteratings/house.htm

I compiled my positions on the votes when the list first came out. I decided to post this thread because Wayne Gilchrest is in the news.

So what I do? Start at 0 and count up or start at 100 and count down or do I only count if I vote in the affirmative?

Dave

I used their system of weighing the averages of the votes. I really should have found an easier to use website.

I'm still no further forward as to how to calculate who I'd be closest to

Dave

[Democratic Hawk]

I'll start at 50, which is the center, adding for every Conservative vote in the affirmative and subtracting for every Liberal vote in the affirmative and see if I can make any sense of it

Dave

[Democratic Hawk]

Well, I did both 2006 Senate and House and came up with some pretty scary results, which shocked me to my core

Senate

I found that my weighted scores were as follows:

Economics: Liberal 60 (66%); Conservative 31 (34%) - on this measure I'm closest to Robert Byrd (D-West Virginia)

Social: Conservative 41 (52%); Liberal 38 (48%) - on this measure I'm closest to Chuck Hagel (R-Nebraska)

Foreign: Conservative 29 (76%); Liberal 9 (24%) - on this measure I'm closest to Trent Lott (R-Mississippi), "Kit" Bond (R-Missouri), Conrad Burns* (R-Montana), Chuck Hagel (R-Nebraska), Tom Coburn (R-Oklahoma) & Michael Enzi (R-Wyoming)

However, put it all together and I have the following composite score:

Liberal 107 (51.4%) / Conservative 101 (48.6%) , on which my closest Senate match is Mike DeWine* (R-Ohio) , who scores:

- Economic (Liberal 52% / Conservative 47%)
- Social (Liberal 51% / Conservative 47%)
- Foreign (Conservative 50% / Liberal 47%)

House

I found that my weighted scores were as follows:

Economics: Liberal 63 (64%); Conservative 35 (36%) - on this measure I'm closest to Bobby Rush (D, Illinois-03) & Ted Strickland* (D, Ohio-06)

Social: Conservative 63 (69%); Liberal 28 (31%) - on this measure I'm closest to Katherine Harris* (R, Florida-13)

Foreign: Liberal 22 (55%); Conservative 18 (45%) - on this measure I'm closest to Allen Boyd (D, Florida-02)

However, put it all together and I have the following composite score:

Conservative 116 (50.7%) / Liberal 113 (49.3%) , on which my closest House match is Dan Boren (D, Oklahoma-02) , who scores:

- Economic (Conservative 52% / Liberal 48%)
- Social (Conservative 50% / Liberal 49%)
- Foreign (Liberal 50% / Conservative 50%)

* denotes no longer in the Senate or the House

Although, overall, both a Senate and House centrist, I'd only be close to being socially centrist in the Senate, which is possibly a truer reflection, and a foreign policy centrist in the House (my liberal score down to the fact I'd take a more liberal line on foreign aid); while I'd be the most robustly 'hawkish' Democratic senator (I don't doubt that) and, apparently, the most socially conservative Democrat in the House (though I'm skeptical as regards that)

It will be interesting to see what 2007 brings, if nothing else. Perhaps a leftward shift on House social votes, now that Democrats are setting the agenda

Dave

[Democratic Hawk]

Looking at the three sections individually, however, it seems to me that the most similar Congressman to myself is Neil Abercrombie (D-HI)

I'd have great difficulty on that one considering there is not one House Republican who is more economically liberal, and not one Democrat who is more socially conservative, than me. I'm still in a state of disbelief that of all Reps, my closest match on social votes is Katherine Harris

As Democrats go, I'd be a in class of my own

Assuming my composite Senate and House scores would have been the same in 2005, which is unlikely since it depends on the issues, my closest matches, overall, would have been  Olympia Snowe , who scored a composite Liberal score of 52.7, and Wayne Gilchrest , who scored a composite Conservative score of 50.5

Dave

[Democratic Hawk]

There are obviously no economically liberal Republicans. As crazy as your social views may be, I'm shocked that Dan Boren in particular, and also Taylor and those useless GA reps are to the  left of you. Dan Boren is basically a far right-winger on social issues.

You're shocked ! Believe me discovering I'd have had the same rating as Katherine Harris sent me reeling

My Senate score (Conservative 52%) is probably a truer reflection than my House score (Conservative 69%) of where I stand on social issues as a whole. I'm only fairly right-wing on defense and national security

Dave