Cheney- One Rightwing Heartbeat Away from the Presidency

Nathan Newman nathan.newman at yale.edu
Wed Jul 26 14:27:26 PDT 2000


Admittedly, Cheney's heart is more likely to stop than Dubya's, but this guy does prove that all the compassionate conservatism is out the window- this guy's voting record is a rightwing nightmare. Gives a good idea of the kind of Supreme Court and other types W is likely to appoint.

Check out www.bush-cheney.net for more, but here are some highlights plus a bit more on his anti-worker votes:

SENIORS: One of Only 12 House Members to Oppose Older Americans Act Amendments in 1984.

One of Only 39 House Members to Back Capping Social Security COLAs in 1985.

One of Only 8 House Members to Oppose Renewing the Older Americans Act Providing Nutrition and Support Services for Elderly People in 1987.

One of Only 7 House Members to Oppose Renewing the Conference Report on the Older Americans Act in 1987.

EDUCATION / CHILDREN: One of Only 33 House Members to Vote Against Reauthorization of Head Start Plan in 1986.

One of Only 27 House Members to Oppose Funding for Head Start in 1986.

One of Only 25 House Members to Vote Against a Bill to Reauthorize College Student Aid in 1986.

One of Only 8 Members to Vote Against Reauthorizing Both the National Health Service Corps and the Federal Immunization Program in 1987.

CRIME & GUNS:

One of Only 4 House Members to Vote Against Banning Terrorist Guns (plastic guns) in 1988.

One of Only 16 House Members to Oppose 1983 Crime Bill Designed to Help States Fight Crime.

One of Only 31 House Members to Oppose Family Violence Prevention Program in 1984.

One of Only 21 House Members to Oppose Ban on Armor Piercing Bullets in 1985.

ENVIRONMENT: One of Only 18 House Members to Oppose Reauthorizing "Federal Water Pollution Act" in 1981.

One of Only 9 House Members to Oppose EPA Research and Development in 1984.

One of Only 33 House Members to Oppose Reauthorization of "Superfund" in 1985.

One of Only 27 House Members to Oppose Reauthorization of Superfund in 1986.

One of Only 21 House Members to Oppose Refunding "Safe Drinking Water Act" in 1986.

One of Only 8 House Members to Oppose Reauthorization of Clean Water Act in 1987.

One of Only 26 House Members to Support Reagan's Veto of Reauthorization of Clean Water Act in 1987.

One of Only 16 House Members to Oppose Reauthorization of Endangered Species Act in 1987.

LABOR & WORKING FAMILIES: One of Only 33 House Members to Oppose Guaranteeing Death Benefits for Firefighters and Cop Widows in 1983.

One of Only 9 Members to Vote Against Allowing Federal Employees to Take Time Off for Sick Family Members in 1988.

CIVIL RIGHTS: One of Only 29 House Members to Oppose Collection of Hate Crime Data in 1988.

FAMILY ASSISTANCE: One of Only 16 House Members to Vote Against Support for Nutrition Programs in 1983.

One of Only 39 House Members to Vote Against Hunger Relief Plan in 1984.

SOUTH AFRICA: 1985-88: Cheney Repeatedly Opposed Sanctions on South Africa. In 1985, 1986 and 1988, Cheney repeatedly opposed economic sanctions on South Africa.

1986: Cheney Voted Against Resolution Calling for Nelson Mandela's Freedom. In 1986, Cheney voted against a resolution expressing the sense of the House that the President should urge the South African government to, among other things, grant immediate and unconditional release to Nelson Mandela and other political prisoners.

DICK CHENEY'S RECORD ON LABOR & WORKING FAMILIES

1983: Cheney Voted Against Giving States Funds to Provide Health Insurance to Unemployed. In 1983, Cheney voted against a bill to give states $1.8 billion in block grants to provide health insurance to the unemployed.

1983, 1984: Cheney Repeatedly Voted Against Assistance for Workers Displaced by Foreign Import Competition. In 1983 and 1984, Cheney voted against assistance for workers displaced by foreign import competition.

1985: Cheney Voted Against Requiring Plant Layoff Notification. In 1985 Cheney opposed requiring plant notification to employees before a plant closes and backed eliminating the requirement that plant owners consult with plant employees before closing the plant.

1986: Cheney Voted to Allow Construction Companies to Circumvent Labor Laws. In 1986, Cheney opposed an amendment that barred construction companies from circumventing labor laws to hire non-union workers for construction projects.

1988: Cheney Was One of Only Nine Members to Vote Against Allowing Federal Employees to Take Time Off for Sick Family Members. In 1988, Cheney was one of only nine members of the House who opposed the "Federal Employees Leave Act of 1988," legislation which permited voluntary transfers of leave by Federal employees where needed because of a medical or other emergency situation.

CHENEY OPPOSED THE DAVIS-BACON ACT Cheney Repeatedly Voted Against the Davis-Bacon Act. Cheney repeatedly voted against the Davis-Bacon wage requirements act. These votes included: exempting the Defense Department from Davis-Bacon; raising the limit over which military construction projects must abide by Davis-Bacon; applying Davis-Bacon only to "initial" highway construction and exempting non-profit organizations and housing from Davis-Bacon. [1988 CQ Almanac, vote #94, p. 35-H; 1986 CQ Almanac, #325, p. 93; 1982 CQ Almanac, vote #392, p. 117-H; 1979 CQ Almanac, vote #171, p. 54-H]

1983: Cheney Opposed Extending Unemployment Benefits. In 1983, Cheney opposed extending for 45 days the program providing federal supplemental unemployment benefits to jobless workers that had exhausted all other federal and state unemployment benefits. [1983 CQ Almanac, p. 104-H, vote #345]

1987: Cheney Voted Against Bill Banning Anti-Labor "Double-Breasting" Measure. In 1987, Cheney voted against a labor-backed measure that banned the practice of "double-breasting," in which unionized companies establish non-union subsidiaries that do the same work. Cheney voted against the Construction Labor Law Amendments, which passed 227-197. [1987 CQ Almanac, vote #191, p. 61-H]

1982: Cheney Voted Against Extending Aid to Low-Income Homebuyers. In 1982, Cheney was one of only 54 House members to vote against extending through FY 1982 the Section 235 program of mortgage assistance for low-income home buyers. [1982 CQ Almanac, vote #37]

1982: Cheney Was One of Only 55 Members to Vote Against Program to Increase Single Family Housing. In 1982, Cheney was one of 55 House members to vote against providing supplemental authorization to stimulate sales and production of single-family housing. [1982 CQ Almanac, vote #63]

1988: Cheney Was One of Only 9 Members to Vote Against "Federal Employees [Medical] Leave Act of 1988." In 1988, Cheney was one of only 9 members of the House who opposed the "Federal Employees Leave Act of 1988," legislation which permited voluntary transfers of leave by Federal employees where needed because of a medical or other emergency situation. [1988 CQ Almanac, vote #38]

1988: Cheney Opposed Protecting Families With Children From Housing Discrimination. In 1988, Cheney backed an amendment to eliminate provisions in the "Fair Housing Act" of 1988 that protected families with children under the age of 18 from housing discrimination. [1988 CQ Almanac, p. 66-H, vote #201]



More information about the lbo-talk mailing list