In this midterm election of discontent, many Democrats in competitive House districts are finding that the middle of the road is a good place to be.
They can cite their votes against President Obama and Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.) as proof that they are independent thinkers, backed up by two nonpartisan studies of important 2009 roll calls.
Five Democratic representatives in Pennsylvania and one in New Jersey – all facing tough reelection challenges – had much higher rates of dissent from the party line than their colleagues, according to the National Journal and the Congressional Quarterly.
A president’s party almost always suffers some losses in midterm congressional elections, and political analysts say that 2010 could be a bloodbath for Democrats because of voter frustration with high unemployment and deficit spending.
Rep. John Adler, the Democrat representing New Jersey’s Third District, has to hope that his moderate voting record will help him survive.
“I’m happy to vote for either party when it’s the right thing to do,” Adler said in an interview. “I need to vote my conscience.”
He was just two places away from dead center among House Democrats on the National Journal ideological rating scale issued Friday, covering votes in the first 11 months of Obama’s presidency. Adler voted the liberal position 50.5 percent of the time and took a conservative stance 49.5 percent of the time.
Congressional Quarterly, in its January report, noted that Adler voted against the president 26.1 percent of the time in 2009. That was more than Rep. Parker Griffith of Alabama, who changed his party affiliation from Democrat to Republican in December.
Read the full Inquirer article here
Tags: Blue Dogs, Chris Carney, Kath Dahlkemper, Mike Fitzpatrick, Patrick Murphy, Tim Holden
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