The following is a comparison of the voting records of some of the top members of Congress from the major parties. The percentages given represent the number of times a representative sided with working people on the issues.
The first number indicates how often over their career that representative supported working people on the right to organize unions, minimum wage increases, health and safety protections on the job, affirmative action, ending job discrimination and Social Security privatization.
The second number reflects how the representative has voted in this session of Congress on issues related to protecting civil rights, such as provision of education funding, sound immigration policy, confirmation of ultra right judges, anti-poverty programs, and Social Security privatization. For example, you might read Rep. Dennis Hastert’s record as siding with working people on labor issues 7 percent of the time and on civil rights issues 0 percent of the time.
Legislator
working people's issues
civil rights
US House of Representatives
Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert (R-IL)
7%
0%
House Majority Leader John Boehner (R-OH)
4%
0%
Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA)
95%
100%
Indicted member of the House Rep. Tom DeLay (R-TX)
3%
0%
Convicted member of the House Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham (R-CA)
8%
0%
Judiciary Committee
James Sensenbrenner (R-WI)
10%
0%
John Conyers (D-MI)
94%
100%
Armed Services Committee
Duncan Hunter (R-CA)
19%
0%
Ike Skelton (D-MO)
71%
78%
Energy and Commerce Committee
Joe Barton (R-TX)
7%
0%
John Dingell (D-MI)
93%
100%
Appropriations Committee
Jerry Lewis (R-CA)
13%
0%
David Obey (D-WI)
90%
100%
Budget
Jim Nussle (R-IA)
13%
0%
John Spratt (D-SC)
77%
100%
Ways and Means
Bill Thomas (R-CA)
11%
22%
Charles Rangel (D-NY)
95%
100%
Education and Workforce
Howard McKeon (R-CA)
6%
0%
George Miller (D-CA)
93%
100%
Legislator
working people's issues
civil rights
US Senate
Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-TN)
7%
0%
Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV)
91%
88%
Appropriations Committee
Thad Cochran (R-MS)
14%
0%
Robert Byrd (D-WV)
78%
76%
Veterans’ Affairs
Larry Craig (R-ID)
10%
6%
Daniel Akaka (D-HI)
94%
100%
Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs
Richard Shelby (R-AL)
42%
0%
Paul Sarbanes (D-MD)
96%
100%
Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
Mike Enzi (R-WY)
8%
0%
Edward Kennedy (D-MA)
93%
100%
Judiciary
Arlen Specter (R-PA)
62%
24%
Patrick Leahy (D-VT)
87%
88%
Budget
Judd Gregg (R-NH)
3%
0%
Kent Conrad (D-ND)
84%
65%
Foreign Relations
Richard Lugar (R-IN)
9%
12%
Joseph R. Biden, Jr. (D-DE)
84%
82%
Obviously, Democratic control of Congress would bring about a dramatic shift in the legislative agenda. Republicans are clearly opposed to the interests of working people and dislike civil rights protections. If the real interests of the majority, working people, are to be advanced, we are going to have go to the polls on November 7 and reject Republican domination of Congress and our lives.
