Marcia Fudge Begins As A Mild Progressive
As a new member of the House of Representatives, Marcia Fudge isn’t expected to be a leader in crafting legislation and creating coalitions to pass bold new laws. However, we can get a good sense of Representative Fudge’s political identity by taking a look at the votes she has cast and the cosponsorships of legislation she has made so far. After all, it’s not difficult even for a freshman member of Congress to cast a vote or sign on to someone else’s bill as a cosponsor.
The picture that emerges from an examination of Marcia Fudge’s record so far is that of a mild progressive. Fudge’s legislative score, which ranges from a potential -100 of perfectly right wing action to +100 of perfectly progressive action, Fudge has earned a score of +36.
Representative Fudge has voted to help prevent torture by requiring the videotaping of interrogations, but she has also voted for congressional recognition of an organization that discriminates against gays and against non-Christian Americans. Fudge has cosponsored a bill to prevent the dumping of coal mining waste in mountain streams, but has also failed to cosponsor a bill that would create a commission to investigate the crimes and unconstitutional activities that took place under the authority of President George W. Bush.
It looks as if America will be able to count on Marcia Fudge to act progressively on some issues, but act contrary to progressive principles on others.
