Monday, February 22, 1999

DeWine votes reflect Clinton

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51 percent support down from last year

BY PAUL BARTON
Enquirer Washington Bureau

        WASHINGTON — For the second year in a row, Sen. Mike DeWine's voting record is rated as far more supportive of President Clinton than most other Cincinnati-area Republicans.

        Congressional Quarterly's analysis of 1998 votes lists Mr. DeWine as one of the 15 most supportive of the president among 55 Senate Republicans.

        Mr. DeWine agreed with the president's position 51 percent of the time on votes taken on the Senate floor last year, Congressional Quarterly said.

        While the score makes Mr. DeWine look more moderate than most other Senate Republicans, it is down from his 62 percent support of the president on 1997 votes.

        Mr. DeWine's office contends his scores reflect the president agreeing with the senator.

        They also note Mr. DeWine has worked with the White House on numerous bills that became law last year: revising job training programs, disclosing more war records from the Nazi era, targeting more drug war money for interdiction and boosting crime-fighting technology for local police.

        A spokesman said the senator's staff kidded Mr. DeWine last year that he was at the White House for bill signings so often he should have gotten a parking space.

        Sen. Richard Lugar, R-Ind., also ranks among those 15 Republicans, supporting the president's position at least 54 percent of the time.

        About the only other sign of moderation among Tristate members came from a House Democrat.

        Rep. Ted Strickland, D-Lucasville, supported the president's positions 66 percent of the time, far less than many other Democrats.

        Kentucky's Sen. Wendell Ford, before he retired, was a leading source of Democratic opposition to the president, voting against him on 17 percent of votes.

        Only five others registered more opposition to the White House.

        For the most part, though, partisan voting was on the rise in 1998, Congressional Quarterly said, and votes by most Cincinnati-area members tend to reflect that.

        Then-Sen. John Glenn, D-Ohio, tied Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., for the strongest support of the president among Democrats, agreeing with him on 96 percent of votes.

        In contrast, Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., opposed the president 61 percent of the time and then-Sen. Dan Coats, R-Ind., 56 percent. Meanwhile, Mr. Glenn's involvement in a space shuttle mission last year caused his voting attendance rating to drop from its usual level of near 100 percent to 76 percent.

How rest fared
        Other voting scores included:

        • Rep. John Boehner, R-West Chester, sided with fellow Republicans 95 percent of the time and opposed the president 74 percent of the time. Mr. Boehner was a member of the GOP leadership last year as chairman of the House Republican Conference.

        • Rep. Steve Chabot, R-Cincinnati, supported the GOP positions 91 percent of the time and opposed Mr. Clinton on 73 percent of votes.

        • Rep. Rob Portman, R-Cincinnati, supported GOP positions 91 percent of the time and opposed the president on 71 percent of votes.

        • Sen. Jim Bunning, R-Ky., was a House member last year and sided with fellow Republicans 90 percent of the time and opposed Mr. Clinton on 77 percent of votes.

        Members say they don't worry how their votes will be evaluated. Rather, they voiced concern about their constituents.

        Mr. Chabot said: “I pay very little attention to what the party's position is going to be or what the president's position is or what some group is going to score. I look at what I think is right on each issue.”

       

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