Heritage Action for America Goes Duckworth Hunting

By Edward McClelland

| Tuesday, Oct 16, 2012 | Updated 4:23 PM CDT

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Heritage Action for America Goes Duckworth Hunting

Editor's Note*: An earlier version of this story incorrectly referred to the think tank who published this list as The Heritage Foundation. Heritage Action for America is not affiliated with The Heritage Foundation.

Rep. Joe Walsh, Tea Party-Ill., is a favorite of Heritage Action for America, a conservative think tank based in Washington, D.C. Earlier this year, Walsh received a 93 percent rating on the foundation’s scorecard, one of the highest in Congress -- far higher than any other member of the Illinois delegation. Walsh won the organization’s approval by voting to repeal Obamacare, to block loans to green energy companies, and to disapprove of the administration’s waiver of welfare-to-work requirements.

Heritage Action for America has paid Walsh back for his commitment to conservative principles by opening a Victory Center in the 8th District, and with a new website, “5 Facts About Tammy Duckworth.” If you’re a conservative, you’ll probably disagree with the Duckworth stances highlighted on the site. If you’re a liberal, you’ll probably agree with her more.

Here are the Heritage's accusations:

Duckworth opposes repealing the Affordable Care Act, better known as Obamacare.
Duckworth is in favor of the “Buffett Rule” -- named after billionaire investor Warren Buffett -- which would require Americans earning over $1 million to pay a minimum of 30 percent of their income in taxes.
Duckworth opposes a plan by Mitt Romney’s running mate, Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., that would create Medicare vouchers beginning in 2023.
Duckworth supports a second stimulus plan, similar to the Obama Administration’s American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.
The top priority of Duckworth’s energy policy is reducing use of fossil fuels.

If the Heritage is trying to slam Duckworth as a party-line Democrat, it’s hard to argue. She has shown little independence from her party or its leadership. As the foundation’s scorecard and support indicate, Walsh’s devotion to conservative ideology trumps his devotion to the Republican Party. He’s more his own politician, but he’s also further to the right than Duckworth is to the left.

This month, Ward Room blogger Edward McClelland’s Young Mr. Obama: Chicago and the Making of a Black President will be available on Kindle for $9.99. Tracing Obama’s career in Chicago from his arrival as a community organizer to his election to the U.S. Senate, Young Mr. Obama tells the story of how a callow, presumptuous young man became a master politician, and of why only Chicago could have produced our first black president.