Purple People Vote

From Commentary Magazine’s article Obama’s Leftism points out that Senator Obama’s record is not at all centrist, but very leftward leaning.

Last year, for example, the average Senator voted with his own party 84 percent of the time; Obama voted with his party 96 percent of the time. In the prior two years, his number was 95 percent, making him the fourth most partisan member of the Senate. And not just partisan, but also highly ideological. In 2007, according to the National Journal, Obama’s voting record made him “the most liberal Senator.” Throughout his Senate career, according to Americans for Democratic Action (ADA), the dean of liberal advocacy groups, Obama voted “right” 90 percent of the time. Actually this is misleading, since ADA counts an absence as if it were a vote on the “wrong” side. If we discount his absences, Obama voted to ADA’s approval more than 98 percent of the time.

With Democrats likely to stay in control of th House and Senate an Obama presidency would likely result in a sharp lurch to the left. He has little history of working in a bipartisan manner, and wouldn’t need to work across the isle if the executive and legislative branches were controlled by the Democrats. By contrast Senator McCain has a clear record of bipartisanship, which is not always appreciated by his own party. Split power often provides a stronger government as checks and balances are allowed to work, and both parties are forced to prioritize their goals. Conversely, absolute power has a tendency to corrupt.