What difference does it make if the Democrats have a majority in Congress?
Here are voting records compiled by the AFL-CIO and the ACLU on issues such as eliminating overtime pay, the Medicare "deform" law, tax cuts for the rich, privatization, school vouchers, worker health and safety, judicial nominations, retirement issues, extension of unemployment benefits, free trade, reproductive rights, expansion of unconstitutional government surveillance powers and publicizing information about prisoners at Guantanamo Bay. The percentage listed indicates the number of times the legislator voted for worker rights or civil rights and liberties in the 108th Congress.
What difference would it make? You decide…
(Percentages shown below reflect the number of times the elected official voted with the labor movement and civil libertarians on certain issues, respectively. For example, Dennis Hastert never voted with labor on working people's issues or for civil liberties in the last two years, whereas Nancy Pelosi voted 87% of the time with labor on working people's issues and 80% of the time for civil liberties.)
Legislator
working people's issues
civil rights and liberties
US House of Representatives
Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert (R-IL)
0%
0%
Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA)
87%
80%
Judiciary Committee
James Sensenbrenner (R-WI)
0%
0%
John Conyers (D-MI)
100%
100%
Armed Services Committee
Duncan Hunter (R-CA)
20%
0%
Ike Skelton (D-MO)
80%
40%
Energy and Commerce Committee
Joe Barton (R-TX)
7%
0%
John Dingell (D-MI)
100%
60%
Appropriations Committee
C.W. Bill Young (R-FL)
7%
0%
David Obey (D-WI)
100%
60%
Transportation and Infrastructure
Don Young (R-AK)
21%
0%
James Oberstar (D-MN)
100%
80%
Ways and Means
Bill Thomas (R-CA)
7%
0%
Charles Rangel (D-NY)
83%
75%
Education and Workforce
John Boehner (R-OH)
7%
0%
George Miller (D-CA)
100%
80%
Legislator
working people's issues
civil rights and liberties
US Senate
Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-TN)
8%
0%
Minority Leader Tom Daschle (D-SD)
85%
25%
Appropriations Committee
Ted Stevens (R-AK)
15%
0%
Robert Byrd (D-WV)
100%
50%
Armed Services
John Warner (R-VA)
0%
0%
Carl Levin (D-MI)
85%
50%
Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs
Richard Shelby (R-AL)
15%
0%
Paul Sarbanes (D-MD)
100%
50%
Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
Judd Gregg (R-NH)
0%
0%
Edward Kennedy (D-MA)
100%
67%
Judiciary
Orrin Hatch (R-UT)
0%
0%
Patrick Leahy (D-VT)
85%
25%
Budget
Don Nickles (R-OK)
0%
0%
Kent Conrad (D-ND)
100%
25%
Environment and Public Works
James Inhofe (R-OK)
0%
0%
James Jeffords (I-VT)
92%
50%
Republicans consistently oppose and block legislation that protects the rights and liberties of working people. So it does matter which party controls Congress.
