This post is my follow up to Liberty Lobby’s scores for the House in the 87th Congress. I have briefly gone over what this organization was about there and have covered it much more extensively in the past. The criterion for the Senate in the 87th Congress proves even stricter than for the House. This results in many Republicans getting scores under 50%. Senator John J. Williams (R-Del.), who scored a 0% by the liberal Americans for Democratic Action and a 93% by the conservative Americans for Constitutional Action in this session gets a 50%. Minority Leader Everett Dirksen (R-Ill.), who sides with the conservative Americans for Constitutional Action 24% of the time in this Congress and 18% with the liberal Americans for Democratic Action gets only a 30% by Liberty Lobby. The focus is even harder on Willis Carto’s nationalistic viewpoint than in the House. Indeed, six issues connect to foreign relations in some way. His staunch protectionism is reflected in the inclusion of the final vote on the Trade Expansion Act, which gets a 78-8 vote in the Senate. I will say that is a bit of a way to provide strong contrast between “old guard” and Eisenhower “modern” Republicans.
It turns out the perfect scorers are a bit more than Strom Thurmond and John Tower. John McClellan (D-Ark.) gets nothing wrong and nor do Andrew Schoeppel (R-Kan.) and Joe Bottum (R-S.D.), but the latter two are only in office for a portion of the session. Had Willis Carto not counted the vote on the Constitutional amendment banning the poll tax, Senators Goldwater (R-Ariz.), Curtis (R-Neb.), and Mundt (R-S.D.) would have also scored 100%. No Republicans score zero, but Clifford Case (R-N.J.), Jacob Javits (R-N.Y.) and Kenneth Keating (R-N.Y.) get a 10%. A majority of Republicans only voted for 3 of the 10 positions, which are the three that involve domestic issues are are not civil rights, while a majority of Democrats voted Liberty Lobby’s position on none of the ten. 26 Democrats score zeroes. Furthermore, only 15 senators who voted at least three times are at 80% or higher. Below are the ten votes as well as a scoresheet with scores based on agreement rates with Liberty Lobby.
The votes are:
1. Create the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development
Ratification of the treaty creating the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development for the purposes of furthering economic growth and world trade.
Ratified 72-18: D 48-11; R 24-7, 3/16/61.
Yea = -, Nay = +
2. Watered-Down Anti-Communist Amendment
Senator Prescott Bush (R-Conn.) amendment barring aid to any communist-controlled country unless the president had determined that the nation was not being dominated or controlled by the international communist movement, a weaker substitute for Senator Dodd’s (D-Conn.) amendment, which required a funding cut off for any nation in the Sino-Soviet bloc unless the president had determined that the nation had withdrawn or was in the process of withdrawing from the Sino-Soviet bloc.
Adopted 61-34: D 38-23; R 23-11, 8/17/61.
Yea = -, Nay = +
3. Establishment of Arms Control and Disarmament Agency
Passage of the bill establishing the Arms Control and Disarmament Agency within the State Department.
Passed 73-14: D 48-8; R 25-6, 9/8/61.
Yea = -, Nay = +
4. Discharge Acceptance of Urban Affairs Department
Motion to discharge resolution approving of President Kennedy’s executive order creating the Department of Urban Affairs. Conservatives in the Republican Party objected to the growth of government but there was an additional incentive for Southern Democrats to vote against as the proposed cabinet head would be Robert Weaver, who was black.
Defeated 42-58: D 38-26; R 4-32, 2/20/62.
Yea = -, Nay = +
5. Poll Tax Ban
Adoption of the Constitutional amendment banning the poll tax as a requirement to vote in federal elections.
Adopted 77-16: D 47-15; R 30-1, 3/27/62.
Yea = -, Nay = +
6. UN Bond Bill
Passage of the bill authorizing up to $100 million in loans to the United Nations.
Passed 70-22: D 48-11; R 22-11, 4/5/62.
Yea = -, Nay = +
7. Foreign Aid Authorization
Passage of the bill basically granting President Kennedy’s request for foreign aid funds for fiscal year 1963.
Passed 61-23: D 38-13; R 23-10; 6/7/62.
Yea = -, Nay = +
8. Kill Medicare Proposal
Sen. Robert Kerr (D-Okla.) motion to table the Anderson (D-N.M.) Medicare amendment to the Social Security bill, providing for health insurance for persons 65 and older, to be funded with an increase in the Social Security tax.
Passed 52-48: D 21-43 ; R 31-5, 7/17/62.
Yea = +, Nay = –
9. Food and Agriculture Act
Passage of the second effort at a food and agriculture bill to reduce farm surpluses after the first one for supply-management controls had been defeated in the House.
Passed 47-37: D 43-9; R 4-28, 8/22/62.
Yea = -, Nay = +
10. Trade Expansion Act
Passage of the bill granting the president expanded authority to negotiate trade agreements and provides for adjustment assistance to employers and workers harmed by trade agreements.
Passed 78-8: D 56-1; R 22-7, 9/19/62.
Yea = -, Nay = +
Liberty Lobby 87th Senate:
References
ADA World Congressional Supplement. (1961, September). Americans for Democratic Action.
Retrieved from
https://adaction.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/1961.pdf
ADA World Congressional Supplement. (1962, October). Americans for Democratic Action.
Retrieved from
