Beto O'Rourke frequently voted for Republican legislation, analysis reveals

[babylonsister]

This won't be popular and it's from December. The more we know.

Beto O’Rourke frequently voted for Republican legislation, analysis reveals
Review of his six-year record in Congress shows Democrat frequently opposed own party, and supported bills that boosted the fossil fuel industry and Trump’s immigration policy
David Sirota@davidsirota
Thu 20 Dec 2018 06.00 EST
Last modified on Thu 20 Dec 2018 10.55 EST



Beto O’Rourke’s spirited run for the US Senate in Texas last month has prompted powerful voices in the Democratic party establishment to tout the outgoing Texas congressman as a 2020 presidential candidate who, as the party’s standard-bearer, would offer a vision of America contrasting against that of Republicans.
Beto O'Rourke poses growing threat to fellow Democrats with 2020 hopes

However, a new analysis of congressional votes from the non-profit news organisation Capital & Main shows that even as O’Rourke represented one of the most solidly Democratic congressional districts in the United States, he has frequently voted against the majority of House Democrats in support of Republican bills and Trump administration priorities.

Capital & Main reviewed the 167 votes O’Rourke has cast in the House in opposition to the majority of his own party during his six-year tenure in Congress. Many of those votes were not progressive dissents alongside other left-leaning lawmakers, but instead votes to help pass Republican-sponsored legislation.
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O’Rourke has voted for GOP bills that his fellow Democratic lawmakers said reinforced Republicans’ anti-tax ideology, chipped away at the Affordable Care Act (ACA), weakened Wall Street regulations, boosted the fossil fuel industry and bolstered Donald Trump’s immigration policy.

Consumer, environmental, public health and civil rights organizations have cast legislation backed by O’Rourke as aiding big banks, undermining the fight against climate change and supporting Trump’s anti-immigrant agenda. During the previous administration, Barack Obama’s White House issued statements slamming two GOP bills backed by the 46-year-old Democratic legislator.

more...

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/dec/20/beto-orourke-congressional-votes-analysis-capital-and-main?CMP=share_btn_fb&fbclid=IwAR2vMOvHyswbTRmQMiDxKvpsguzgYbhW_RCrQ4KhR7mnyKrVFSdbhMF8Pn8

[bearsfootball516]

1. It's no secret that he's more of a left-center politician than much of the field.

And working in Texas, I’d be surprised if he hadn’t supported some conservative legislation. It would probably be hard to make it down there as a Harris or Bernie.

[still_one]

4. Your analysis is right. Also keep in mind that Sirota is part of the Sanders campaign

[R B Garr]

34. That's pretty much all you need to know.

Beto is obviously a threat to Sanders.

[sheshe2]

92. Yep.

That is a fact, R B.

[lapucelle]

109. It's helpful to know this as well.

I wonder if poor David needs a donut.

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

36. Riiiighht, THAT splains BO's voting record.

Bernie & Elizabeth 2020!!!
Welcome to the revolution!!!

[Cha]

106. This captapults Sirota's claim right out of the water..

https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1287&pid=23198

David Sirota's Attempt To Smear Beto O'Rourke Goes Horribly Wrong

In a series of tweets, Sirota implied that O'Rourke was the second-biggest recipient of oil and gas industry donations during the 2018 election cycle:

However, Sirota's claims simply don't add up when subjected to the most basic levels of scrutiny. During his campaign, O'Rourke pledged not to take any money from PACs, and for the most part, he stayed true to his word, eschewing big corporate donors like the ones he was accused of accepting. O'Rourke's commitment to taking small donations from his supporters made him the best-funded Senate candidate in 2018. According to independent, Texas-based journalist Leah McElrath, the numbers Sirota cites come from individual donors - not corporations.

More..
https://thedailybanter.com/2018/12/04/david-sirota-unfairly-smears-beto/

[still_one]

2. David Sirota is part of the Sanders campaign. He is NOT an unbiased source. No wonder some are

coming out of the woodwork because Beto is a real threat to the Sanders campaign and they know it

[dsc]

11. Whatever you think of Sirota, and I am no fan, he links the original material

which comes from Propublica who I do think a great deal of. https://projects.propublica.org/represent/members/O000170/votes-against-party/114

[still_one]

14. It will be interesting how someone can win in Texas by trashing the fossil fuel industry

[dsc]

27. I don't recall anyone thinking that defense of Clinton was OK

in regards to Wall Street and New York.

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

37. Yup yup.

Bernie & Elizabeth 2020!!!
Welcome to the revolution!!!

[still_one]

43. This isn't about Hillary. This is about 2020, and who will be the best Democratic nominee in the

general election, whoever that is, and that means a candidate that can win some red and purple states that is the reality of the electoral college.

We lost two SC court nominations because some self-identified progressives refused to vote for the Democratic nominee in 2016.

Hillary lost in those critical swing states by less than 1%. Jill Stein received 1% of the vote. It didn't take much for that to happen either, and people like Sirota did their part to dissuade people from voting for the Democrat nominee, even though he begrudgingly said he voted for her in the general election

[dsc]

46. funny how when a good looking young male does something it is OK

let a middle aged woman do the same thing and it is horrible.

[still_one]

72. Oh, Sirota was even worse with Hillary. Also, I am not a Beto supporter,

but find it interesting how the same cast of characters such as Sirota, are following the same game plan he did in 2016

[dsc]

75. Oh I have no truck for Sirota but the difference in reception to Beto and to Hillary

is striking.

[still_one]

82. no doubt

[George II]

105. Excellent point.

[TwilightZone]

33. The 167 figure is misleading.

Looking at the actual data, there are multiple votes for amendments on the same resolutions. If he's counting all of those votes individually, he can make the data say pretty much whatever he wants.

There's no doubt that Beto is more moderate than many of the other candidates. There also seems to be little doubt that Sirota is picking and choosing what to highlight to make the differences seem more substantial than they are.

This is the same guy who falsely claimed that the oil/gas industry was funding Beto by conflating individual and corporate/industry donations.

[dsc]

47. The number is inflated

but the votes are the votes. And I suspect if say Harris had this record no one here would be saying she was a great candidate.

[TwilightZone]

54. Harris doesn't live in Texas.

And the votes are open to interpretation. For example, here's another DUer's view of some of the key votes (some good, some not-so-good):

https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1287&pid=22145

And his ratings and endorsements, which generally look better than Sirota is intimating.

https://votesmart.org/candidate/evaluations/78533/beto-orourke

[dsc]

56. Harris could be Senator from Mars and her supporters would fit in a phone booth if she had his

record. If she had voted for an anti choice Congressman over Speaker Pelosi to name just one thing he did, she couldn't run for dog catcher in the Democratic primary.

[TwilightZone]

65. That's irrelevant to my overall point.

Sirota is part of the Sanders campaign. He is an unreliable narrator. He is quite recently on-record fabricating data about donations to attack Beto and has made similarly-sketchy claims about other candidates not named Sanders.

His take on *anything* campaign-related is questionable, at best.

[dsc]

67. He linked the original source material

we can look at them at our leisure. I am no fan of Sirota's but the facts are there for us to look at. If he weren't a good looking white male who raised a ton of money no one would be giving him the time of day here.

[TwilightZone]

77. I'm not questioning the facts.

I'm questioning the interpretation, which comes from a source that is known to fabricate data and has a clear, known bias.

It is not a stretch to imagine that he's picking and choosing only those things that support his argument. In fact, that's clearly what he's doing. As a result, it's not surprising that his assertions do not match those of many of the organizations that have endorsed Beto in the past and present.

"good looking white male who raised a ton of money "

Right, that's what we should be looking at to decide who is a good candidate and who is not. I rank it up there with this:

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100211722251

[dsc]

81. I am not saying he shouldn't be voted for because he is a good looking white male

but he shouldn't be treated better than other candidates because he is. His record is clearly more conservative than other candidates and I have no problem with people supporting that if that is what they usually support. But I have a huge problem, having been a supporter of Clinton, seeing him praised for a record significantly more conservative than the one she was excoriated for on this site in 2016.

[lapucelle]

94. This original source material?

https://projects.propublica.org/represent/members/115/house
https://projects.propublica.org/represent/members/116/senate

[lapucelle]

74. I like Pro Publica too.

https://projects.propublica.org/represent/members/115/house

https://projects.propublica.org/represent/members/116/senate

[Cha]

104. FYI..

https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1287&pid=23198

And, this is what I think of Sirota..

David Sirota's Attempt To Smear Beto O'Rourke Goes Horribly Wrong

In a series of tweets, Sirota implied that O'Rourke was the second-biggest recipient of oil and gas industry donations during the 2018 election cycle:

However, Sirota's claims simply don't add up when subjected to the most basic levels of scrutiny. During his campaign, O'Rourke pledged not to take any money from PACs, and for the most part, he stayed true to his word, eschewing big corporate donors like the ones he was accused of accepting. O'Rourke's commitment to taking small donations from his supporters made him the best-funded Senate candidate in 2018. According to independent, Texas-based journalist Leah McElrath, the numbers Sirota cites come from individual donors - not corporations.

More..
https://thedailybanter.com/2018/12/04/david-sirota-unfairly-smears-beto/

[TwilightZone]

3. David Sirota, the Sanders supporter who falsely claimed that Beto took donations from oil/gas

by conflating individual donations with corporate ones?

That David Sirota?

Edit: for reference:

Link to tweet

?lang=en

[forklift]

21. David Sirota is Bernie's Roger Stone nt

[dalton99a]

79. +1. Perfect description!

[emulatorloo]

31. That 'performance' by Sirota was despicable. He's now a proven liar

He’s got zero credibility after that. Not that he had much before.

[George II]

145. Sadly a guy pumping gas at the local service station...

... is categorized as the "oil/gas industry" if he contributed $50 to O'Rourke's campaign.

[Sherman A1]

5. If he is the nominee

he will get my vote, up to then my support will be elsewhere.

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

38. Seriously... I prefer Bernie, who votes consistently with his fellow Democrats.

Bernie & Elizabeth 2020!!!
Welcome to the revolution!!!

[Sherman A1]

44. I do as well

He is my second choice at present.

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

48. The more I read about Yang, the more I like... wish him (and you) luck.

Bernie & Elizabeth 2020!!!
Welcome to the revolution!!!

[CentralMass]

64. Same here.

[Amimnoch]

6. Another dedicated to BS.

Must be some SERIOUS fear of Beto.

Recommending checking out David Sirota’s twitter feed.

Fake attacks on Biden and Kamilla while totally promoting BS.

At least with his Biden hit piece, he posted some of the SB numbers associated with his references. Here he doesn’t give a single HB reference, but just expects his readers to trust it at word?

Give me a HB or go away David Sirota.

Wonder if any of these are Actual bill votes, or just more wasn’t a co-sponsor bullcrap.

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

50. What's to fear about BO? He's certainly no threat to Bernie...

whose voting record is more in line with the democratic base.


Bernie & Elizabeth 2020!!!
Welcome to the revolution!!!

[Amimnoch]

51. LOL. Okay. -nt.

[sheshe2]

102. Yes.

He is. That is a fact.

[Eliot Rosewater]

83. Hey, as long as they can BASH one of our DEMOCRATIC candidates, right!

So fucking tired of this shit.

[Gothmog]

7. I love the fact that both fox news and the sanders supporters are terrified of Beto

The sanders supporters attempted to attack Beto a couple of months ago and those efforts flopped. Now Fox News may have found Beto's weakness

Link to tweet

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

57. Terrified of BO? Hardly... Bernie has him on most issues the Democratic base cares about...

BO's voting record does not measure up to Bernie's. Now THAT may terrify some, yes... but, it is what it is and should be fully vetted.

[Gothmog]

89. LOL

The actions of the sanders supporters show that sanders supporters are terrified of Beto. This will be fun. Beto is clearly electable and to me it is very clear that Sanders is not electable

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

113. Keep dreaming.

Bernie & Elizabeth 2020!!!
Welcome to the revolution!!!

[sheshe2]

108. TBH

You should be addressing Beto as BO'R. However BO works for me just fine.

[Gothmog]

123. Beto's initials are RFO'B

Beto’s parents gave him a middle name

[George II]

160. Ah, BO......brings back memories of Barack Obama!

[sheshe2]

161. Yes it does, George.

[lapucelle]

168. Beto reminds a lot of people of Obama. Charismatic with a positive message. N/T

[Gothmog]

126. Here is our secret weapon against fox news

Link to tweet

[George II]

155. See post #49 for an accurate presentation of the two voting records.

[lapucelle]

163. Beto's 92% in "votes with the majority of Democrats" is much better than BS's 79.6%.

https://projects.propublica.org/represent/members/115/senate

[Eliot Rosewater]

84. And Beto is a DEMOCRAT

[CentralMass]

91. That is not how I think about elections. I'm not a sycophant .

I"ve learned something about a candidates voting and understand that he is a Democrat in a red state.

Having said that i lived my first 54 years in New England and I now find myself in the Pacific Northwest. I have my preferences and biases. I am very familiar with Bernie Sanders and I voted for Senator Warren. I like them both. They both fight for the middle and poor classes, admittedly with different philosophies. They both are renegades and their policy ideas, focus. and passion speak to me. In light of the sabotage that tRump and company have done to this government Joe Biden is also in my upper tier of candidates. His experience would be a great asset and i think that he would be able to build a great administration


I have nothing against Beto O'Rourke but he has no great appeal to me. He is young and doesn't have a great deal of experience and his voting record doesn't score any points with me, but good luck to him.

[Gothmog]

93. Beto is electable which is why sanders supporters are terrified of Beto

[CentralMass]

107. Pardon my opinion but I don't think anyone is terrified of him.

I don't think he is the right candidate to lead this country in 2020 and his electability remsins to be seen. But again, good luck to him and those of you who support him. I will be voting for our nominee whoever he or she maybe.

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

115. Yes, I wish him luck.

Bernie & Elizabeth 2020!!!
Welcome to the revolution!!!

[Gothmog]

129. Really???

A month or so ago, sanders supporters tried to attack Beto and these attacks flopped
https://www.democraticunderground.com/100211571412
https://www.democraticunderground.com/100211583806
https://www.democraticunderground.com/100211585863
Please keep on with these attacks. I love the fact that sanders supporters are so terrified of Beto

[CentralMass]

132. I really don't care about your candidate and don't subsubcribe to going negative.

There are far more negative articles about Sanders here then any other candidate.

So again, good luck.

[vsrazdem]

127. I am hardly terrified of Beto. But Kamala would be my second choice and Beto

would be farther down on my list.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

8. I don't care. I care about whether he can beat Trump.

Trump is an existential threat and he has to be gotten rid of or we're screwed. Quibbling over whether a candidate checks all the proper progressive boxes is nothing but narcissistic ideological navel-gazing right now, and it will be useless if not downright destructive. I will support the candidate who can pants Trump, steal his lunch money and stuff him in his locker. If that's Beto, great. If it's Harris or Warren or Biden or Sanders or Booker or... or... that's great, too. Fuck ideology. We can worry about that after we reclaim the White House.

[still_one]

30. Excellent point. The stakes are too damned high this time. Actually they were too high in 2016,

but fortunately the 2018 midterms bought us some breathing room, but 2020 is very uncertain.

We need a candidate, whoever that is, that can win the general election, and that means some red and purple states, because the electoral college is not going away.

We have one particularly courageous SC justice who has held up through a lot of adversity, and done a lot for the country, and if given the opportunity, I suspect might want to retire. I sure would like to give her that option if she wants it, and the insuring that we choose the best Democratic candidate who has the best chance to win the general election is the way to do that.

[happybird]

85. +1 million

[TexasTowelie]

9. More attacks from the Sanders supporters.

They seek to undermine any candidate that might present a challenge to Bernie. We've seen the attacks against Harris, Biden, Klobuchar, Warren and O'Rourke.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

10. I supported Bernie in the 2016 primaries but he, or at least some of his supporters,

are starting to get on my last nerve. Seems to me there's some ratf*cking of other Democrats going on and I don't like it. I remain undecided for now but Bernie is falling farther and farther down toward the bottom of my list.

[RandySF]

13. It's certainly starting earlier

[TexasTowelie]

20. I wasn't a member on DU during the contested primary of 2008.

When 2016 rolled around I looked upon our differences as honest differences in opinion. However, nearly every discussion this time around is that candidate X is not nearly as progressive as Bernie.

Bernie's politics might work well in Vermont, but I think it would be a disaster for Democrats throughout the rest of the country if he lead the ticket.

I'm supporting Beto because I think that he will appeal to voters in all areas of the country. We have already seen the coattails that he has in Texas after the 2018 Senate campaign. Having Bernie at the top of the ticket means that Texas will be gerrymandered for another 10 years after the upcoming census. I suspect that may be true in other states which is the reason Bernie is at the bottom of my list. If Bernie is the nominee then Democrats might as well concede the South until 2032 and we will lose the momentum we gained in 2018 with candidates such as O'Rourke, Abrams and Gillum.

[forklift]

17. It almost seems like it is coordinated off-DU

JPR or a site like that perhaps

[TexasTowelie]

25. There was a learning curve.

[Kentonio]

138. You've been a member here since Feb 20th 2019

Yet you're talking about JPR and coordinated attacks? Interesting..

[forklift]

139. Yes ... there was a thread here about JPR a couple of days ago

I went and checked it out. Then burned my clothes and took a shower.

[vsrazdem]

128. LOL

[forklift]

15. Meh ... weak sauce, Beto rocks!!!!! nt

[workinclasszero]

16. Wow the vetting of Beto is getting interesting

[George II]

22. Vetting is one thing, but posting things like this is another:

The two graphics are presented as lists of Representatives' "votes", when in fact they're lists of "co-sponsors". As pointed out elsewhere, many legislators don't co-sponsor bills that they support and ultimately vote for. However, in both instances these never even came to a vote, so calling them "votes" is clearly incorrect.

https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1287&pid=22101

[sheshe2]

112. Bingo!

And my guess will be...

[George II]

124. It's been mighty quiet so far for more than 15 hours. A "drive by" attack on O'Rourke.

[sheshe2]

125. 15 hours?

24 will make a day. Perhaps they will returned when they have rested.

Gotta wonder what is going on. Or perhaps not.

[TexasTowelie]

23. LOL.

I'm amused considering the OP you posted today which was vetted and found to be false.

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

53. It sure is!! Apparently, we're not allowed to look too closely at BO's voting record...

Wonder why?!


Bernie & Elizabeth 2020!!!
Welcome to the revolution!!!

[TexasTowelie]

134. I don't have an issue with anyone examining Beto's voting record.

His voting record has been summarized pretty well, particularly during the 2018 Senate campaign. Aoparently his voting record was strong enough that he served three terms in the House and it was also strong enough to beat two competitors in the Senate primary last year including the DSA candidate, Sema Hernandez.

However, I do have an issue when someone posts a thread saying that it represents Beto's voting record when it was about bill sponsorships instead. Then when the error is pointed out the OP is not corrected or deleted.

Then another poster told me today that Beto apologized to Ted Cruz for calling him a liar in the 2018 Senate debate. Beto did not apologize to Ted Cruz, but he did regret saying "Lyin' Ted" because he did not want to go negative. The reincarnation of that troll was banned by MIRT a few hours later.

I don't have any inclination to support a candidate when the supporters of the candidate use deceit and misrepresentation.

[George II]

169. Neither do I, as long as it's examined objectively and not misrepresented or lied about.

[George II]

18. I don't know where it was, but this was debunked this afternoon here on DU. If I come across it....

...I'll provide the link.

[helpisontheway]

19. Red state Democrat..Why are people surprised? I bet he is nothing

like that toad Manchin.

[Hassler]

24. Anyone aiming at Dems rather than the fat, lying, treasonous rapist and racist, is not a Dem.

[True Blue American]

153. Thank you!

[McCamy Taylor]

28. Yeah, yeah. And Obama voted to protect telecoms from liability in warrant-less wiretap.

Obama was still a great president and Beto is gonna be a great president.

[George II]

29. Here's where I saw a clarification of O'Rourke's votes, demonstrating....

....that they're not as "negative" or pro-trump as they're being portrayed:

https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1287&pid=22145

https://votesmart.org/candidate/key-votes/78533/beto-orourke/?p=1#.XIrpWShKhGN

https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/congress-trump-score/house/

Lots of good information in those links.

[RandySF]

32. I would be uncomfortable using a foreign publication to bash an American candidate of our own party.

[TwilightZone]

35. Sirota is an American.

His byline is at the bottom. The Guardian is just reprinting it.

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

39. Are you comfortable with using the candidate's voting record??

Or, is that a problem??


Bernie & Elizabeth 2020!!!
Welcome to the revolution!!!

[RandySF]

42. For starters, I think it's a conflict of interest on the part of the author because

1. Worked in Bernie Sanders's office.
2. Has a spouse who ran for office with Bernie's backing.

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

61. What does any of that have to do with BO's voting record?

Sorry, I don't get it... it stands on its own for all to see and consider, just like Bernie's voting record, which is more in line with his fellow Democrats.


Bernie & Elizabeth 2020!!!
Welcome to the revolution!!!

[sheshe2]

116. Russian Sanctions.

[lapucelle]

55. BS voted against the party majority 18.6% of the time compared to Beto's 8.0%.

https://projects.propublica.org/represent/members/115/house

https://projects.propublica.org/represent/members/116/senate

[OBrien]

40. Not this crap from Sirota

Bull crap

[JCMach1]

41. from the Sanders Central Committee...

I mean Sirota

[RandySF]

45. About author Dave Sirota

Later he moved to Washington, D.C. and worked in the political department of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC).[6] His next job was as press aide and then spokesperson for Bernie Sanders, the then independent at-large U.S. Representative from Vermont.[1][5][7]

Sirota worked as spokesperson for the House Appropriations Committee.[8][9][10] While a fellow at the Center for American Progress, a liberal research and advocacy group,[11][12] he created its Progress Report.[13]...

In March 2017, Sirota joined The Young Turks online broadcast network as a contributor, providing periodic investigative reports.[27][28] In early 2018, after four years of reporting for the International Business Times as senior editor of investigations,[29] Sirota left that publication.[30]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Sirota

[lapucelle]

49. For context, from Pro Publica...

https://projects.propublica.org/represent/members/115/house

https://projects.propublica.org/represent/members/116/senate

[TexasTowelie]

135. How could have Sanders voted against the party so frequently

when he is a party of one?

[NurseJackie]

141. I had no idea that BS voted against the party so frequently. Looks like Beto has a BETTER record.

[MrsCoffee]

147. Good post.

Thanks.

[George II]

152. Ooops. A little dose of reality doesn't hurt, but can be embarrassing, eh?

[True Blue American]

154. Oops!

[NastyRiffraff]

166. Facts

Often are so inconvenient to some. However, they're still facts.

[workinclasszero]

52. So Bernie who votes with the democrats 99% of time gets slammed as "not a democrat"

And Beto who frequently voted for Republican legislation, gets a pass???

Okay, wow.

[Cha]

58. Beto doesn't go around saying things like this about

my Democratic Party.

Bernie: ‘My Opponents’ Want Black, White, Gay, Latino or Women Candidates ‘Regardless of What They Stand For’

After the 2016 election, Sanders hit a similar theme when he told a crowd of supporters “It’s not good enough for somebody to say ‘hey I’m a Latina vote for me’ that is not good enough,” and went on to add “It is not good enough for somebody to say, ‘I’m a woman, vote for me.'”

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100211722251

He was out there on cnn right after trump was Rigged in.. calling My Democratic Party "elite" and how he was "humiliated" making it all about himself.

https://www.cnn.com/2016/11/14/politics/bernie-sanders-humiliated-democrats-loss-working-class-voters/index.html




https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1287&pid=23198

[TwilightZone]

59. Sanders has voted against party 18% of the time this term.

https://projects.propublica.org/represent/members/116/senate

Similar to some of the other candidates.

Beto voted against party 8% of the time.

https://projects.propublica.org/represent/members/115/house

You were saying?

[lapucelle]

117. BS voted against the party 20.4% of the time in the previous session of Congress.

For the 115th Congress, the comparison looks like this:






https://projects.propublica.org/represent/members/115/senate

[jcgoldie]

146. I've noticed the people initiating these threads don't seem to respond to facts

...Nor do they amend their false and misleading thread titles when they are proven wrong repeatedly. They seem to be all supporting the same candidate.

[sheshe2]

164. +1

[lapucelle]

62. BS voted with Democrats 81.4% of the time according to Pro Publica.

Beto's percentage is 92.0%.

Oh wow indeed.

https://projects.propublica.org/represent/members/115/house

https://projects.propublica.org/represent/members/116/senate

[Cha]

66. Absolutely Freaking Amazing, lapucelle!

Thank You so much! I just ETA that in my post, too.. with a to you! Shine the Light!

[lapucelle]

69. I wonder if David Sirota knows...

[Cha]

71. Or cares?

Link to tweet

https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1287&pid=23241

[betsuni]

130. That you so much for all the information, lapucelle!

Bookmarking.

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

63. IKR! How strange is that? Apparently, when it comes to BO, we can't inspect his voting record.

Bernie & Elizabeth 2020!!!
Welcome to the revolution!!!

[workinclasszero]

70. Yep

You have to tiptoe around that subject with care around here.

[George II]

100. No you don't have to "tiptoe" around that subject, just present his VOTING record, not....

....a misrepresentation of his voting record, like this:

https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1287&pid=22101

Which was a list of CO-SPONSORS of bills that never even came up for a vote, claiming that they were voting records:

"Beto voted against Medicare for all and a 15 dollar an hour minimum wage"

Why won't you address this? Again, these were CO-SPONSORS, not votes, yet you claimed that Beto "voted against" them!

[George II]

99. No one objects to O'Rourke's voting record being inspected, all anyone asks for is....

....that it be based objectively on his voting record.

BTW, using "BO" initials give the impression that you're talking about Barack Obama.

[George II]

76. Sorry, Sanders doesn't vote with the Democrats (CAPITAL D) 99% of the time. Nor did O'Rourke....

.....frequently vote for republican legislation.

That stuff about O'Rourke's votes has been bunked and debunked more than once today.

https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1287&pid=22145

[NurseJackie]

142. So the boast that "BS-Votes-With-Democrats-99%" IS A MYTH... I figured as much.

[George II]

143. As much of a myth as one candidate leading in the polls of all 50 States.

[NurseJackie]

144. I've bookmarked this thread and the source info. I'm sure someone will repeat the 99% MYTH again...

I've bookmarked this thread and the source info. I'm sure someone will repeat the 99% MYTH again in the very near future, and it will be good to be able to set the record straight.

As much of a myth as one candidate leading in the polls of all 50 States.

I know! That one cracks me up every time.

[George II]

110. See post #49.

[babylonsister]

121. Right?

I think everyone needs to calm the fuck down and let this play out.

[lapucelle]

167. BS votes with the Democrats 81.4% of the time, Beto 92% according to Pro Publica.

https://projects.propublica.org/represent/members/116/senate

[RandySF]

60. Author Dave Sirota fired from campaign for involvement with racist attack against Latino candidate.

Philadelphia mayoral candidate Dwight Evans yesterday accepted the resignation of his campaign manager and fired the deputy manager after learning that the deputy was linked to a bogus Web site apparently intended to hurt a rival candidate.

Evans, a state representative from West Oak Lane, denounced the phony Web page as an example of "dirty tricks," said he knew nothing about it until after it appeared, and said he had apologized to the target of the ruse, John White Jr., a rival for the Democratic
nomination for mayor.

"I do not want this race to be about race," Evans said during a news conference in City Hall courtyard.

The Web page, which purported to be the official site of White's campaign, highlighted a remark made by White in an interview with Al Dia, a Spanish-language weekly in Philadelphia. The quote reads: "The black and the brown, if we unite, we're going to control this city."

White has said that the quote, drawn from a lengthy interview published Feb. 3, was substantially accurate but did not convey his meaning, which was that blacks and Latinos could wield more political clout if they worked together. The fake site made the statement appear to be the credo of White's campaign. It appeared on numerous pages within the site, in large letters. E-mail messages were sent to journalists, alerting them to the site. Several rival candidates said the ruse appeared designed to hurt White by making him appear threatening to white voters.

White called attention to the subterfuge Thursday, after the Daily News published an article that quoted White's comment to Al Dia and described the page as the candidate's official site. Evans and White's other rivals all disavowed any role in the prank.

Evans said yesterday he had learned that his deputy campaign manager, David J. Sirota, of Huntingdon Valley, was "associated" with the person who registered the site with Internet service companies -- Robert J. Richman, 23, of Cambridge, Mass. The two are friends who were classmates at Northwestern University and who share an affinity for Web design. Sirota, owner of a Web design company, bills himself on his own page as a political consultant and Web guru. He has designed sites for U.S. Sen. Bob Graham (D., Fla.), U.S. Rep. Joe Hoeffel and other politicians.

Evans said he had fired Sirota for "overzealous behavior." He said he believed that Sirota had not created the bogus page but had discussed it with Richman.



http://crab.rutgers.edu/~goertzel/bogusweb.htm

[George II]

103. Awkward.

[Awsi Dooger]

68. Meanwhile, 46% said Gillum was too liberal and 41% that Abrams was too liberal

That is what we face if we nominate from the far left: No margin for error at all, and completely rejected in certain states that would consider a different Democrat.

Somebody posted in this thread that we would be in jeopardy of losing everything that Gillum and Abrams provided. I would argue they didn't provide anything. Maybe some false hope. It was an incredibly favorable national environment for Democrats yet we lost major governorships against two pathetic Republicans. Abrams not only had 41% saying she was too liberal but her approval rating was under water at 48-49 in the Georgia exit poll.

Beto survived a min-presidential environment yet ended up with a 52-42 favorable rating in a state more conservative than either Florida or Georgia.

So we can flail our arms about voting records or we can nominate someone who more voters will consider. Such a tough choice. I really wish I had tapes of those debate watching parties I hosted, so others could get a feel at how easy it is for candidates to be quickly dismissed as too liberal.

[dsc]

78. Abrams did better than anyone had for 20 years

running for governor. And Beto ran in the very same environment. I agree about Gillum, his lying about the tickets sunk him.

[SFnomad]

73. If the BS'ers are that terrified of Beto and continue using his initials, shouldn't it be BO'R?

Kinda sounds Klingon, eh?

[TwilightZone]

80. Qapla' !!

Sorry, that's the only Klingon I know.

I do like BO'R. I might have to start using that.

[Renew Deal]

86. BS is in big trouble in 2020

Warren, Harris, and Sanders will duke it out for the same people. Beto will get the young people. And someone electable will win.

[Eliot Rosewater]

87. I just wish a certain NON Democrat and his supporters would stop

BASHING
BASHING
BASHING

most if not all democratic candidates. the ones they havent bashed yet, stay tuned

I wish this was new, isnt.

[Autumn]

88. Beto's a charismatic guy, but once Biden gets in he will fade away I think.

Beto would do better running for the Senate in TX.

[Gothmog]

90. I think that it will be sanders who fades away

[Autumn]

95. Who knows. nt

[babylonsister]

96. I don't know about Biden, or Beto.

I love Mayor Pete Buttigieg. So far.

[Autumn]

97. God, so do I. He is so amazing and such a brilliant man.

He and Inslee are just what we need.

[George II]

111. He'll be a great candidate, one of the front runners once the polls include him.

[Autumn]

114. He was great campaigning in Texas. My niece there was a big supporter. nt

[AlexSFCA]

98. I love Beto, considering switching from Harris to Beto

He reminds me of Obama when he speaks - inspiring and positive. He is great in debates, perhaps even better than Obama. He has enormous star power and is fascinating to watch. He is very progressive but also pragmatic like Obama. He is the one who can change attitudes and people’s views on things. We still don’t know if Biden runs but I think Beto can beat him in primary.
Sanders, Warren and Harris have ZERO chance winning Texas in general election. Beto actually might.

[Cha]

101. David Sirota's Attempt To Smear Beto O'Rourke Goes Horribly Wrong

In a series of tweets, Sirota implied that O'Rourke was the second-biggest recipient of oil and gas industry donations during the 2018 election cycle:

However, Sirota's claims simply don't add up when subjected to the most basic levels of scrutiny. During his campaign, O'Rourke pledged not to take any money from PACs, and for the most part, he stayed true to his word, eschewing big corporate donors like the ones he was accused of accepting. O'Rourke's commitment to taking small donations from his supporters made him the best-funded Senate candidate in 2018. According to independent, Texas-based journalist Leah McElrath, the numbers Sirota cites come from individual donors - not corporations.

More..
https://thedailybanter.com/2018/12/04/david-sirota-unfairly-smears-beto/

[shanny]

118. Oh noes! "Extreme" vetting! nt

eta: I think he is an excellent progressive...for Texas senator...and an overreach/not a good fit for pres. eom

[Me.]

119. Oh Him Again

Mr. Sirota...

[Jake Stern]

120. Like it or not he votes his district

The region's economy is heavily dependent on energy and the military so votes for the fossil fuel industry and defense spending should come as no surprise.

Plus with the number of retirees in the area who tend to be anti-tax it's not really a shock that he votes that way.

[SFnomad]

122. It's something that "real progressives" can't seem to understand

If we could run an AOC clone in every district in the country, we'd have fewer elected Democrats than we have now, because she just wouldn't win everywhere.

Over the next couple of months, it will be interesting to see how Beto evolves and what his position papers start to look like. But the attacks on him that were seeing already is nothing short of 2016 redux.

[lapucelle]

136. AOC's percentage in voting against the party is the same as Beto's.

https://projects.propublica.org/represent/members/116/senate
https://projects.propublica.org/represent/members/115/house

[betsuni]

137. Thank you!

[sheshe2]

165. Thank you. lapucelle!

[George II]

156. Your premise was proven last summer when she and Sanders barnstormed the midwest....

....campaigning for their candidates vs. other Democrats in the primaries (and against some INCUMBENT Democrats!). Virtually all of them lost and the dreaded "more moderate" or "centrist" candidate won, and most of them went on to win in November.

That's real time confirmation that we'd have fewer elected Democrats.

[forklift]

131. Beto is making us have a meltdown thread #19

[Cha]

133. #Seriously.

[lapucelle]

140. I wonder how this talking point is working out for "true progressives" like David Sirota.

Is he aware that BS's percentage for "voting against the party" is closer to Joe Manchin's than Beto O'Rourkes?

[emulatorloo]

149. Since Sirota is intellectually dishonest (aka a liar) he's probably aware of BS's percentage

Just as I’m sure he knows the difference between individual donations vs corporate donations.

Pretending individual donations were “corporate” was despicable. He claims to be a journalist but that performance shows he’s just a lying propagandist. He’s got zero credibility.

[Demsrule86]

148. Another smear by a a guy who supports a certain candidate.

[NurseJackie]

150. And the obvious lies and smears reflect poorly on both...

And the obvious lies and smears reflect poorly on both the supporter and the candidate.

All I'm saying is that it really serves no good purpose for anyone to engage in these types of smears and denigration tactics... especially when the accusations can be so easily disproved. This type of thing goes far beyond the normal acceptable criticism, or contrast-and-compare.

It's disappointing, of course... but hardly surprising. I had just hoped that at this juncture, and considering all that's at stake, things would be different and ALL candidates could do a better job.

[Demsrule86]

159. I agree. Those who do this hurt their candidate's credibility...and when I read such posts I

don't believe a word of it.

[RelativelyJones]

151. Classic Sirota. Full disclosure for thee but not for me.

[lancelyons]

157. This seems to be propaganda on DU - This is an anti Democrat approach

I cant realistically say this person is NOT a GOP under disguise.

[True Blue American]

158. Trolls among us?

[MineralMan]

162. So, another battle breaks out. Another hit dog yelps.

Beto O'Rourke, along with Kamala Harris, are likely picks for the VP nomination, if Joe Biden announces his candidacy. Both have very strong appeal for younger voters, which is a very good thing.

On the other hand, which Bernie Sanders is using to gesture during his speeches, Beto O'Rourke represents a threat to his own primary votes, i think. and Bernie is running for President, not VP. This is the point that is not being recognized, I think.

While, I doubt that Beto or Kamala can win enough votes to gain the presidential nomination after Biden announces, they can certainly take away some of Sanders' primary votes. Youthful voters are notoriously fickle. While they might seem to have issues at the top of their priority list, they often vote, as we all do, for emotional reasons.

So, the hit dog yelps, or gets its pack members to yelp. Either way, the attacks on our two popular, younger primary candidates coming from one location are interesting, in terms of how this primary race sorts itself out, once Biden is in it.

Just remember, we're talking about a VP nominee, not the presidential nominee, and there are basically only two likely presidential nominee choices so far. One has announced. The other has not announced yet, but almost certainly will.

Let's see which dog yelps once that announcement happens.