Four Area U.S. Lawmakers Show Independent Voting Records
By Andy Sher Washington Bureau
Chattanooga Times-Free Press
December 21, 2003

Four lawmakers from Tennessee, Georgia and Alabama were among the most independent members of Congress during 2003, according to an analysis of voting records.

U.S. Sen. Zell Miller, D-Ga., ranked No. 1 among the 48 Senate Democrats in supporting President Bush's agenda. He agreed with the president's position in areas ranging from controversial judicial nominees to tax cuts, according to records from VoteTracker.com.

The company, a nonpartisan congressional vote-tracking service, matched lawmakers' votes to positions taken by the president or administration officials.

In the House, records show U.S. Rep. John Duncan, R-Tenn., parted ways with the administration on one of every four votes on which the White House publicly expressed a position. As a result, Rep. Duncan ranked fourth among 228 House Repub- licans in opposing administration positions.

Many of the conservative Knoxville lawmaker's votes stemmed from Rep. Duncan's opposition to higher spending and liberalized trade agreements.

U.S. Rep. Lincoln Davis, DTenn., likewise displayed a rebellious streak, ranking No. 13 among 205 Democrats in terms of voting in favor of the president's positions.

Among other things, Rep. Davis voted for a Medicare prescription drug package supported by the president.

U.S. Rep. Bud Cramer, D-Ala., meanwhile, was the second staunchest supporter of President Bush among House Democrats. He voted for the president's position 81.16 percent of the time.
The lawmakers said their votes reflect constituents' views or their own consciences.

"I cannot believe that one party has all the right answers and the other party doesn't have a single right answer," Sen. Miller said in a statement. "So when I think it's good for this state and this nation, I'm going to work with members of the opposite party."

Sen. Miller, who has made no secret of his disdain for national Democrats and their positions, voted with the president's position 92 times and disagreed on only four occasions, according to Vo te Tracker.

As a result, Sen. Miller ranked No. 38 overall in presidential support in the 100-member Senate, even exceeding several Republicans with his 95.83 percent backing of the president.

Among the handful of issues on which he disagreed with the president was the Singapore Free Trade Agreement. Sen. Miller voted against it.

University of Tennessee at Chattanooga political scientist Robert Swansbrough said Sen. Miller's voting pattern is not surprising, given that he and another conservative Democratic senator, John Breaux of Louisiana, "have been the defectors, if you will," in the Senate.

"He (Miller) has been there all the time, and obviously his new book is very critical of the Democratic Party," Dr. Swansbrough said. The book is "A National Party No More: The Conscience of a Conservative Democrat."

One of the findings that most surprised Dr. Swansbrough was that U.S. Rep. Harold Ford Jr., DTenn., backed President Bush's positions half the time. Rep. Ford, who is black, represents an urban district that tends to be more Democratic, Dr. Swansbrough said.

"I think what's coming into play there is that much like Zach (Wamp), he's eyeing a future Senate bid," Dr. Swansbrough said.

Regarding Rep. Duncan's votes, the congressman's spokesman, Rob Haralson, said the Knoxville lawmaker "definitely considers himself a very conservative Republican, and I guess in some ways, even more conservative than the president."

According to Vo te Tracker, Rep. Duncan disagreed with the president on 20 of the 75 votes in which the administration took a public position. Put another way, Rep. Duncan supported the president 73.33 percent of the time.

On 10 of the votes on which he differed with the administration, Rep. Duncan took issue with efforts to boost spending, liberalize trade and provide a $20 billion grant for Iraqi reconstruction. Rep. Duncan voted last year against the congressional resolution authorizing the use of force against Iraq.

"It's a true traditional conservative view to not be the world's policeman," Mr. Haralson said. "It's a traditional conservative view to not spend in these huge deficits."

Rep. Duncan last year had a 92 percent rating from the American Conservative Union.
Dr. Swansbrough said, "I think what those votes represent more than anything is that he's a fiscal conservative."

From Rep. Davis' perspective, his votes reflect his district's wishes.
"Every time I vote, it's not with a caucus or it's not with the White House, it's for the people I represent or to express their views," Rep. Davis said.

According to Vo te Tracker, Rep. Davis sided with the White House's publicly stated positions 63 percent of the time, or 46 out of 73 votes.

Many other area lawmakers voted more closely to party positions.

U.S. Rep. Zach Wamp, R-Tenn., sided with the administration on 68 votes and voted against it seven times for a 90.67 percent support rate, according to Vote-Tracker figures.

While backing the president on tax cuts and trade agreements, he took three positions contrary to the administration's when it came to prescription drugs, according to the VoteTracker analysis.

Rep. Wamp voted earlier this year for a conservative Democratic plan and most recently against the final Bush-backed Medicare measure. He also supported the ability of U.S. citizens to buy cheaper prescription drugs from other industrialized nations.

"If the record shows I voted with the president 91 percent of the time, then it's good for me to know that the president was only wrong 9 percent of the time," Rep. Wamp joked.

Speaking more seriously, the Chattanooga lawmaker said, "I think you have to vote your conscience, and you have to vote your district. And certainly we want to support our president any chance we have to do so."

Dr. Swansbrough said Rep. Wamp appears to pick his "battles very carefully," noting the congressman intended to vote to make half of the Iraqi grant a loan until President Bush personally intervened and asked him not to do so.

At the same time, Dr. Swansbrough noted, Rep. Wamp's adherence to many Bush positions could serve him well in a possible 2006 U.S. Senate bid.

Other VoterTracker data shows U.S. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., and U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., tied for first place among all senators in backing the president.

The lawmakers voted 119 times for the president's positions and only once against them, according to VoteTracker.

And while Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., publicly disagreed with the president on issues such as control over the Head Start program and air pollution cleanup, he largely has backed the president on bills coming to the Senate floor, according to Vo te Tracker.

Sen. Alexander ranked No. 21, voting with the president 113 times, or 97.41 percent of the time. He voted against the administration only three times.

U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss, RGa., ranked No. 24, voting with the president 96.69 percent of the time (117-4).

U.S. Rep. Max Burns, R-Ga., was the staunchest House supporter of President Bush in the Tri-State area, voting with his positions 98.68 percent of the time (75-1).