Landrieu lies cannot cover up liberal voting record

Yes, the Sen. Mary Landrieu spin machine continues to work overtime to fool Louisiana into thinking she represents a majority of its citizens a majority of the time, and it’s even got some people who should know better thinking that.

The biggest lie perpetrated by she and her operatives is that she is a “moderate” or “conservative Democrat.” They know foisting this image onto the public is the only way they can con some gullible, inattentive voters into supporting her. But a quick check of voting records, whether from conservative or liberal organizations that keep track of these things, shows that she cannot be seriously considered anything other than liberal in her political orientation:

On the conservative American Conservative Union’s scorecard where 100 means perfect conservatism in votes, lifetime Landrieu scores a 20. In 2005, she scored a 44.

On the liberal Americans for Democratic Action’s scorecard where 100 means perfect liberalism in votes, lifetime Landrieu scores an 81. In 2005, she scored a 95.

In no way can this be considered a “moderate” record of any kind, even as Landrieu perjures herself with the claim, “My opponents and eternal critics continue to use 'liberal' as my middle name, but my record doesn't reflect that.” Loyola’s Ed Renwick summed it up most accurately by noting Landrieu cherrypicks certain issues and votes to try to make her appear moderate, but, unlike Landrieu herself on this subject, her overall record does not lie.

We can expect more mendacity from Landrieu as a challenging 2008 election approaches on her record, plus a few strategic votes here and there to try to provide bare substance to her “moderate” claim. But just as painting stripes on a horse does not make it a zebra, a sufficiently informed Louisiana voting public will see through this charade. The more clarity that can be provided in this matter, the more seriously jeopardized her reelection chances will be.