I was finally able to determine the Senate criterion for Americans for Constitutional Action scores from 1955 to 1959. The book of the first release of that group’s scores is massive…the library I found it in had it in the oversized book section. The ratings of the Senate from 1955 to 1959 consist of 77 votes, and are broken down as follows:

1955 – 5 votes

1956 – 13 votes

1957 – 9 votes

1958 – 20 votes

1959 – 30 votes

I also have determined the Senate ACA-Index for 1960, which consists of 13 votes.

The Standout: John J. Williams of Delaware

The outstanding individual in the Senate by ACA standards for Eisenhower’s second term was Republican John J. Williams of Delaware. Although Arizona’s Barry Goldwater technically has a higher score by 1960, he pairs contrary to ACA’s position on three occasions – once in 1957 on cutting military aid, again in 1958 on Senator Douglas’s (D-Ill.) tax reduction amendment, and once again in 1959 on cutting military aid. Williams only does wrong twice by ACA standards in the Eisenhower era: voting against cutting military aid in 1957 and voting to approve a compulsory settlement international agreement in 1960.

Democratic Hero of Conservatism: Harry Byrd of Virginia

Of all the Democrats, Virginia’s Harry Byrd scores the highest. He had turned against the New Deal by 1935 and was a consistent vote and voice for fiscal conservatism. Many Republicans were big fans of Byrd for his conservatism, and Byrd’s record justifies it, at least among conservative Republicans.

The Big Zeroes: Hart and McNamara

Senators Phil Hart (D-Mich.) and Pat McNamara (D-Mich.) vote zero times with ACA’s position during Eisenhower’s second term. A major political force in the state in this time was Walter Reuther of United Auto Workers, who effectively advocated for unions to lobby for liberalism overall rather than just pro-union policies. His efforts also helped turn Michigan away from its historic Republicanism. McNamara only voted for the ACA position twice in his entire career!

“Tail Gunner Joe” Doesn’t Make the Cut

I have read the take that Senator Joseph McCarthy was not a hardline right-winger, rather a moderate Republican, and this perspective is bolstered by how he voted on the votes counted by ACA on his last years in office. However, something to bear in mind is that for 1956, four votes involve agriculture, and McCarthy takes the liberal position each time. His positions against ACA actually outnumber his ones for!

LBJ and JFK: Decidedly Liberal

Future presidents LBJ and JFK both vote a liberal line per ACA. This is despite liberals regarding LBJ as something of a conservative. The number of government programs, foreign aid, etc. that LBJ votes for, however, qualifies him as a liberal, even if there is the occasional time he frustrates liberal objectives as majority leader. John F. Kennedy’s voting in the 84th Congress qualifies him as only a moderate liberal, but his voting after that Congress gives him his celebrated liberal reputation. He only sides with the ACA on two votes after 1956: reducing appropriations for rivers and harbors projects in 1957, and voting against drydock subsidies in 1959.

Eisenhower: Moderately Conservative

President Eisenhower’s “score”, as he doesn’t cast votes rather has positions on votes, is a 72%, as he stands for the conservative position on 41 of 57 Senate roll calls in which he is recorded as having a position. The biggest complaints for conservatives on him are his stances in favor of foreign aid and his occasional support of a liberal domestic measure. His strong points are on fiscal conservatism on domestic issues; his vetoes are quite cost-conscious.

Mistakes

I found out that I, to my regret, made two mistakes in my counting of the House for Eisenhower’s second term in a previous post. In 1958, I included the Anti-Preemption bill, when the vote ACA actually counted was Rep. Kenneth Keating’s (R-N.Y.) motion to recommit. In 1959, also with the Anti-Preemption bill, ACA counted Rep. John Lindsay’s (R-N.Y.) motion to recommit instead of passage, which I thought was the vote counted. I will correct these errors soon.

The ACA-Index Basis for 84th to 86th Congresses:

I have tabulated scores on individual years: