2005-01-11-league of conservation voters ratings~jewish officeholders

2005-01-11-League of Conservation Voters ratings

Harrison Weblog

2005 blog

Keeping up on Jewish officeholders

Jews in Senate average 83, in House 88
in League of Conservation Voters ratings

jewishsightseeing.com, Jan. 11, 2005

The 11 Jewish members of the U.S. Senate had an average score of 83.36 percent and 24 returning Jewish members of the House of Representatives averaged 88.29 percent on a scorecard for the last half of 2004 issued by the League of Conservation Voters.

Scores ranged in the Senate from a 0 given to Republican Norm Coleman of Minnesota to 100's awarded to nine Democrats: Barbara Boxer of California, Russ Feingold of Wisconsin, Dianne Feinstein of California, Herb Kohl of Wisconsin, Frank Lautenberg of New Jersey, Carl Levin of Michigan, Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut, Charles Schumer of New York and Ron Wyden of Oregon. The other Jewish Republican in the Senate, Arlen Specter, was given a score of 17.

Issues on which the senators were rated included the rejection of the nomination of William Myers III for the 9th Circuit Court Judge, various funding bills including those for nuclear waste cleanup and the superfund for toxic wastes, and on whether to invoke cloture on the debate over President George W. Bush's energy plan.

In the House, 18 Democrats sided with the League of Conservation Voters 100 percent of the time. They included Gary Ackerman of New York, Shelley Berkley of Nevada, Ben Cardin of Maryland, Susan Davis of California, Rahm Emanuel of Illinois, Eliot Engel of New York, Barney Frank of Massachusetts, Steve Israel of New York, Tom Lantos of Californa, Sander Levin of Michigan, Nita Lowey of New York, Jerrold Nadler of New York, Jan Schakowsky of Illinois, Adam Schiff of California, Brad Sherman of California, Henry Waxman of California, Anthony Weiner of New York and Robert Wexler of Florida.

The lone Jewish Republican in the House, Eric Cantor of Virginia, received a score of zero, while the Socialist-Independent from Vermont, Bernie Sanders, received a score of 91. Other 91s were tallied by Jane Harmon of California and Steve Rothman of New Jersey. Two Californians were given scores of 73-Howard Berman and Bob Filner.

House votes ranged from funding issues to opposing more snowmobiles in Yellowstone National Park, opposing reduction of clean air restrictions on the oil industry and forbidding the use of federal funds for logging roads the Tongass National Park of Alaska. —Donald H. Harrison