How good, or bad are YOUR representatives? The "Online Freedom Index" spells it out

Source

Want to know if your senators and congressmen/congresswomen vote in line with the U.S. Constitution, or if they side against it? Don't want to have to sift through the Congressional Record looking it all up?

Check out the "Freedom Index"...

The Freedom Index: A Congressional Scorecard Based on the U.S. Constitution rates congressmen based on their adherence to constitutional principles of limited government, fiscal responsibility, national sovereignty, and a traditional foreign policy of avoiding foreign entanglements. The percentages below are cumulative scores are based on key votes from 1999 through 2013. Click on a senator's or representative's name to get a detailed breakdown of his or her voting record.

For an example, let's have a look at my home state: West Virginia

West Virginia
Sen. John Rockefeller - 14%
Sen. Joe Manchin - 40%
Dist.1: David McKinley - 66%
Dist.2: Shelley Capito - 46%
Dist.3: Nick Rahall - 33%

No big surprises there... I can't imagine a Rockefeller being for the Constitution, 14% actually seems rather high for him...

Now, let's have a look at a "blue state"... I will pick on Hawaii, because they want to ship their homeless problem stateside... (earlier post on that topic from Vasa Croe Out of sight, out of mind...)

Hawaii Sen. Brian Schatz - 10%
Sen. Mazie Hirono - 13%
Dist.1: Colleen Hanabusa - 16%
Dist.2: Tulsi Gabbard - 30%

That seems about right in line with the progressive agendas...

Now, let's look at a decidedly "red state"... I will pick on Wyoming for the sake of brevity:

Wyoming Sen. Michael Enzi - 70%
Sen. John Barrasso - 80%
Dist.: Cynthia Lummis - 82%

Not surprising that they are polar opposites...

Have a look... see how well your elected representatives protect the Constitution... or how often they vote against the Constitution... and remember, they ALL took an oath to "protect and defend" that very same document... just seems like a lot of them forgot that on their first day behind the desk...

Indiana Sen. Daniel Coats - 70% Sen. Joe Donnelly - 25% Dist.1: Peter Visclosky - 28% Dist.2: Jackie Walorski - 70% Dist.3: Marlin Stutzman - 82% Dist.4: Todd Rokita - 72% Dist.5: Susan Brooks - 70% Dist.6: Luke Messer - 70% Dist.7: André Carson - 12% Dist.8: Larry Bucshon - 69% Dist.9: Todd Young - 64%

'

They aren't that bad.

Kick Donnelly, and Districts 1 and 7 to the curb

Let's take it one step further, and look at the ones that make the most political noise...

AZ
Sen. John McCain - 64%
Dist.4: Paul Gosar - 77%

NV
Sen. Harry Reid - 17%

CA
Sen. Barbara Boxer - 14%
Sen. Dianne Feinstein - 13%

NY
Sen. Charles Schumer - 14%

OH
Dist.8: John Boehner - 54%

SC
Sen. Lindsey Graham - 63%

TX
Sen. Ted Cruz - 90%

KY
Sen. Rand Paul - 93%

MN
Sen. Al Franken - 8% (should have stayed on SNL)

Yes, I picked on Franken because of SNL, but he seems much better qualified at comedy than politics...

I think this is quite telling about the leadership of this country...

Wow, they really have an interesting measure. Sen. Ron Wyden, who has been one of the most vocal against surveillance even before Snowden's disclosures ranks at a 14% but reps like Ander Crenshaw, who voted against the Amash Amendment and accepted a whole lot of donations from defense contractors for his campaign, ranks 53%?

Methinks that there is bias there.

Originally posted by WhiteAlice
Wow, they really have an interesting measure. Sen. Ron Wyden, who has been one of the most vocal against surveillance even before Snowden's disclosures ranks at a 14% but reps like Ander Crenshaw, who voted against the Amash Amendment and accepted a whole lot of donations from defense contractors for his campaign, ranks 53%?

Methinks that there is bias there.

The source is the JBS, and they look at things with a very keen Constitutional eye... including staying out of foreign entanglements.

Yes, the results are somewhat biased if you view the Constitution as "etched in jello", as so many of them do...

reply to post by WhiteAlice


He voted for the various gun-control bill recently and seems to have a history voting for regulations over various industries.

Freedom, or lack thereof, isnt just about the bipartisan supported police state.

I'm curious to see how this scale scored those abortion regulating politicians. Should be counted as a score against freedom.

I dont have time to sift through the bunch right now. If somebody finds one I'd be glad to see how it's scored.

Oh, there's one from Wyden:

On the Motion to Table S.Amdt. 2962 to S.Amdt. 2786 to H.R. 3590 (Service Members Home Ownership Tax Act of 2009): To prohibit the use of Federal funds for abortions.
Vote Date: December 8, 2009 Vote: AYE Bad Vote.
Abortion. During consideration of healthcare "reform" legislation (H.R. 3590), Sen. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.) offered an amendment to prohibit the use of any funding authorized by the bill to pay for abortions or for health plans that cover abortions, except in cases of rape or incest or when the life of the mother is endangered.

The Senate voted to table (kill) the pro-life Nelson amendment on December 8, 2009 by a vote of 54-45 (Roll Call 369). We have assigned pluses to the nays because government should not subsidize the killing of innocent human life.

He voted to prohibit federal funds for abortions and was scored anti-freedom. If I'm reading it right. Gotta run though.

I find it curious that so many "progriberals" claim to love their country, yet consistently vote against the Constitution... they claim to serve their constituents, yet eagerly legislate away their freedoms...

I also wonder where the flamers are hiding... unless this just has too much "truthyness" for them to digest...

reply to post by thisguyrighthere


Think you're looking at the wrong guy. Sen. Ron Wyden actually voted in support of federal funding for abortion His record, according to the watchdog on pro-choice issues in politics, has been 100% on the subject for a very long time.

www.prochoiceamerica.org...

On gun control, it's a mixed bag but the one that I see get cited a whole lot is the UN restrictions on guns if receiving aid. This one:

Amendment SA 2774 to H.R. 2764, the Department of State's International Aid bill: To prohibit the use of funds by international organizations, agencies, and entities (including the United Nations) that require the registration of, or taxes guns owned by citizens of the United States.

Wyden supported that amendment while voting to ban things such as large magazine clips and the like. Have to remember that the shooting at the mall around Christmas That incident happened in his district.

Versus Ander Crenshaw:

www.ontheissues.org...

Pro-life, against same sex marriage, support anti-flag desecration amendment (that's protected by the 1st Amendment, btw). The one amendment that he respects from the Constitution is the 2nd Amendment. And he gets ranked higher for not even supporting the First, 9th or 14th amendment???