Conservative DC group rates Massachusetts lawmakers

Jun. 25--A Washington, D.C.-based conservative organization has accused lawmakers in Massachusetts of being too liberal.

"I think it's a little laughable," said state Sen. Michael Moore, a Democrat whose 2nd Worcester District covers eight communities, including Shrewsbury and Upton. "I've never heard of this organization before. I think their ranking shows how out of touch with the average person they are."

The American Conservative Union rates federal and state elected representatives every year. In its 22-page report on Massachusetts released last week, the organization categorized more than half of the state's lawmakers as part of the "Coalition of the Radical Left."

The Union did not return a Daily News request for comment.

"I see nothing radical about my votes to fight the gun violence epidemic, support working families, curb teen tobacco use, promote renewable energy, and protect the right of individuals to make their own health care decisions," state Rep. Jack Lewis, D-Framingham, wrote in an email. "I am proud of my 0% rating."

The group's report looks at how legislators voted on 11 bills last session, renamed with inflammatory language, to rank their level of conservativeness with a percentage.

* Here's how the American Conservative Union rated your state senators

"This stuff is why we have problems in politics, because everyone's trying to create dissension," said state Rep. Michael Soter, a Republican whose district covers Blackstone, Millville, Uxbridge, and Bellingham. "On both sides. People are just trying to divide instead of sitting down and trying to figure things out."

In some cases, the 11 bills in the report are repeated under a different name, making it appear as though the report uses 15 bills to judge the Senate and 20 bills to judge the House.

"It's certainly a very slanted ... piece," said state Rep. Jeff Roy, a Democrat whose 10th Norfolk District consists of Franklin and Medway, "and the fact that they cherry-pick some 10 votes out of over 800 that we take is really telling."

* Here's how the American Conservative Union rated your state representatives

Bills were renamed with titles like "Increasing funding for crony, partisan projects of lawmakers," "Increasing unnecessary spending to interfere within the medical industry" or "Seizing firearms without due process."

"Some of these are pretty common-sense, middle-of-the-road pieces of legislation," Moore said. "They range from economic development, to supporting our cultural councils, which is also an investment in tourism, our local economy, protecting youth from exposure to tobacco products.

"I think it's a total distortion of what the legislation actually does."

"Seizing firearms without due process," for example, refers to a widely-supported piece of legislation better known as the "Red Flag" law, and does include due process for the gun owners in question, lawmakers pointed out. That law allows a judge to suspend someone's gun license at the request of a family or household member through an extreme risk protection order. Hearings for petitions must be held within 10 days, and there is a hefty fine for people who file orders falsely.

"These 'ratings' are nothing more than highly partisan and subjective distortions of the actual bills that were voted on," state Rep. Brian Murray, a Democrat who represents Hopedale, Mendon, Milford and Medway, wrote in an email. "It is this type of inflated rhetoric that gives rise to the confrontational style of politics that we see in Washington, which makes it extremely difficult to accomplish anything of substance that can make a positive difference in people's lives."

Some of the bills are bipartisan compromises, such as last year's "grand bargain." The law raised minimum wage and increased paid leave, but it also cemented a sales tax holiday and phased out requirements for time-and-a-half pay on Sundays and holidays.

"I came into this job to work for the people who put me here, and not for special interests and outside groups," Soter said, noting that voting records can be taken out of context. "That just doesn't fly with me."

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Roy said the organization's opposition to a bill that renewed a bond investing in life sciences -- renamed "Indebting taxpayers to subsidize select companies and industries" in the report, jumped out at him.

"Anybody who has watched what happened to the Massachusetts economy should be applauding that," Roy said. "(The initial bond) created jobs, and it's made us a niche in the world for this type of industry."

He also defended his support of bills funding the arts and raising the age at which residents can buy tobacco products.

"I'm not going to sit back and take criticism for promoting the arts," he said. "An entity that would take issue with that I don't have much time for."

A press release coupled with the report insinuates lawmakers in Massachusetts are not voting the way their constituents want.

"These blatant abuses of power reflect a larger pattern of the General Court as an instrument for lawmakers' personal gain instead of a protector of the inalienable rights of citizens," the press release reads, quoting organization Chairman Matt Schlapp. "We encourage residents of Massachusetts to scrutinize the actions of lawmakers and ask: whose interests do they really have in mind?"

Legislators this week called that accusation surprising.

"Organizations have scorecards to support their agendas on both sides of the aisle. That's their prerogative," Sen. Ryan Fattman said in an email. A Republican, Fattman's district includes several Milford-area towns. "I 'rank' myself according to how the people who elected me want me to vote and on what I think is right for the district I proudly represent. How my constituents rank me is what matters most."

Several lawmakers pointed to the organization's out-of-state headquarters, and said they focus on what their constituents want, not where on a political scale they fall.

"The American Conservative Union is an out-of-state organization that does not represent the values of our community, or of most Massachusetts residents," Lewis wrote in his email, "and the great majority of my constituents support the votes I have taken over the last two years."

Though Massachusetts voters have backed a few moderate Republican governors, the state as a whole is often categorized as deep blue and unapologetically liberal. Voters haven't sent a Republican to Washington since Scott Brown was elected senator in 2010 to finish out the term of the late long-time Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Massachusetts, and even then, he rode in with a crowd of 10 Democratic representatives.

* INTERACTIVE MAPS: Where in Massachusetts do Republicans win?

The current makeup of the Statehouse holds four times as many Democrats in the House of Representatives as Republicans, and just six Republicans in the 40-member Senate. It's a ratio that hasn't changed much over the years.

When issues are put directly to voters through statewide ballot questions, Massachusetts residents have green-lighted progressive initiatives from legalizing marijuana to protecting transgender rights.

"The American Conservative Union Foundation is a radically conservative, out-of-state organization that is out of touch with the principals and ideals of Massachusetts voters," wrote state Rep. David Linsky, D-Natick, in an email, adding that he cares about views from his district of Natick, Sherborn and Millis. "I am incredibly proud of my voting record on issues such as health care, education, environmental issues, civil rights, LGBTQ rights, gun violence prevention, gender equality and reproductive rights, and many other issues that make the Commonwealth a welcoming place to work and reside in."

* Last year's ranking for Massachusetts' state senators

* Last year's ranking for Massachusetts' state representatives

This report used information from State House News Service.

Alison Bosma covers government issues and can be reached at 508-634-7582 or [email protected]. Find her on Twitter at @AlisonBosma.

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