Thanks to CQPolitics you can easily compare Fred Thompson’s Senate record to John McCain’s - if you haven’t made up your mind in that contest already:
Earlier this year, when Thompson made it clear he was contemplating a 2008 White House bid, CQPolitics.com published a chart and analysis of Thompson’s positions on key votes. The chart, which can be accessed here, compares Thompson’s votes with those of three GOP senators who served with Thompson and who are running for president or weighing a bid — Sam Brownback of Kansas and John McCain of Arizona, who are announced candidates, and Chuck Hagel (news, bio, voting record) of Nebraska, who is still considering a presidential bid, possibly as an independent.
The CQPolitics.com analysis found that Thompson and McCain voted the same way on 83 of 102 CQ-defined “key votes” (81.4 percent) during the eight years the two men served together. Thompson agreed with Brownback on 57 of 70 votes (81.4 percent) and with Hagel on 57 of 71 votes (80.3 percent).
Thompson amassed an average score of 86 percent (out of a maximum 100) from the American Conservative Union (ACU), with scores ranging from 83 percent in 1995 to 92 percent in 2000. His average score is lower than that of Brownback (94 percent) and slightly higher than that of Hagel (85 percent) and McCain (82 percent).
Thompson sided with conservative groups and with most Republican senators in voting to cut taxes and spending; remove barriers among banking, securities and insurance companies; drill for oil in Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge; protect gun owners’ rights; and oppose abortion.
My main problem (and I’m not alone here) is his support of McCain-Feingold. It’s an issue he’s addressed recently:
Many on the right remain angry Mr. Thompson supported the campaign finance law sponsored by his friend, John McCain. “There are problems with people giving politicians large sums of money and then asking them to pass legislation,” Mr. Thompson says. Still, he notes he proposed the amendment to raise the $1,000 per person “hard money” federal contribution limit. Conceding that McCain-Feingold hasn’t worked as intended, and is being riddled with new loopholes, he throws his hands open in exasperation. “I’m not prepared to go there yet, but I wonder if we shouldn’t just take off the limits and have full disclosure with harsh penalties for not reporting everything on the Internet immediately.”
I’ve started compiling links for even more voting record fun.
Related Content by Sphere
More Blogs of War:
Video: Fred Thompson’s Late Show Announcement
Senator Fred Thompson’s Watershed Moment
Dick Morris on Barack Obama: The Record Doesn’t Really Matter
Mark Levin Interviews Fred Thompson
Fred Thompson Running for President - Sorta
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