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Charles Boustany and Don Cravins have been playing the "Hide the Liberal" game from the moment Junior threw his name into the race. Of course, Charlie had to give a comeback when Junior claimed to be more of a conservative than Charlie was. This has been a tit-for-tat or a tag-you're-it phenomenon till even now. I guess it all really depends on what someone means by "Conservative."
Let's look at Charlie's historical conservative and freedom ratings to find out what he really stands for:
Taxpayers for Common Sense gave Charlie a 0% in 2005. This is particularly interesting when you consider that Barack Obama, Dianne Feinstein, and John Kerry got a 40% rating. But, Charlie got a ZERO!
Conservative The Club for Growth also gave Charlie a 50% in 2006 and a ZERO in 2007!
Conservative Americans for Prosperity also gave Charlie a ZERO in 2006!
Americans for Prosperity also gave Charlie a Zero in 2006.
Conservative Republican organization, GOPUSA gave Charlie a 15% in 2007.
The John Birch Society Conservative Index gave Charlie a 34% in 2007.
in 2005, The Republican Liberty Caucus gave Charlie a 42% on Personal Liberties and a 56% on conservative issues.
In 2005, Gun Owners of America gave Charlie a 50% in 2005.
Traditional Values Coalition gave Charlie a grade of 50 in 2007.
The National Taxpayer's Union gave Charlie a 56% in 2005, a 53% in 2006 and a "C+" in 2007.
The Computer & Communications Industry Association gave Charlie a 50% in 2007 and a 50% in 2005-2006.
Conservative FreedomWorks gave Charlie a 65% in 2005 and a 58% rating in 2000.
Finally, what do our veterans think of the job Charlie has been doing?
The Disabled American Veterans gave Charlie a ZERO in 2005 and a 66% in 2006.
Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America gave Representative Charlie a grade of "D" in 2006.
The Retired Enlisted Association were supported only 50% of the time in 2006 by Charlie.
Now, what about Junior's record:
Unfortunately, since Junior hasn't remained in any office for very long, it's difficult to accurately determine his voting propensities, but there is a little out there.
For 2006-2007 the National Federation of Independent Business gave Junior a rating of 56% in 2006-2007
Louisiana Family Forum gave Junior a 67% in 2008 along with a 71% in 2005.
Not much out there about Junior, however what you can find, while leading one to believe that may be more "conservative" than Charlie, his issues pagecertainly leaves in question his definition on "conservative". When he talks about his conservatism, you may wish to ponder his notion that citizens of Lafayette should be giving up their property to "Katrina Evacuees, SB-811. He didn't just support SB-811, he authored the bill.
Reviewing the above record on both Charlie Boustany and Junior Cravins, the question shouldn't be "Who's the most Conservative," but, "Who should be more ashamed of themselves." I believe it's a toss up. Charlie and Junior should both be ashamed of themselves, trying to foist themselves to the voters as Conservatives. Charlie and Junior, you should both be ashamed of yourselves. If you're going to be a liberal, then be honest about it.