The American Conservative Union, Careening Left Onto K Street
By James Lampe
The American Conservative Union recently released their first conservative ratings on the Florida Legislature, and listed Senator Jack Latvala as…a Conservative!
Not only did they put him in the conservative category they rated him as a Defender of Liberty; which is for politicians who score 100 percent on the ACU 2011 ratings! This article presents news reports that paint a completely different picture of Senator Latvala.
Paradoxically, while the ACU gave Senator Latvala their highest rating as a Defender of Liberty, the ACLU gave him their highest rating, as a Defender of Freedom! Can both organizations be right? You the voter are the ultimate arbiter; is Senator Latvala a conservative, moderate, or a progressive Dark Star as one blogger suggested?
James Lampe
The “ACU represents the views of Americans who are concerned with economic growth through lower taxes and reduced government spending and the issues of liberty, personal responsibility, traditional values and national security.” As you review the data presented below, ask yourself how closely Senator Latvala’s policies come to matching the ACU’s stated 100% conservative rating.
Senator Latvala’s advocacy of progressive legislation and record of impeding conservative policies has been documented in articles such as:
“State Sen. Jack Latvala leveraged his vote to slow down conservative march,” May 2011
“Jack Latvala: The dark star of the Florida Senate,” May 2011
“Left-Coast-Lovable Jack Latvala Anything But Republican
St. Petersburg senator spent the session sabotaging conservative leadership, May 2011”
“A message to the Tea Partiers looking to take out Sen. Jack Latvala: Bring. It. On.” May 2011
“ACLU of Florida names Sen. Jack Latvala Defender of Freedom,” April 2011
How could the ACU miss all this? In announcing their ratings of the Florida Legislature the ACU stated: “This inaugural expansion of our Conservative Ratings program is part of Chairman Al Cardenas’ vision for building on successful ACU initiatives and taking the fight for conservative principles to the state and local levels.”
It is also interesting that in 1999, ACU Chairman Al Cardenas was the Chairman of the Republican Party of Florida while Senator Jack Latvala was the Senate Republican leader.
It seems that the conservative veneer of the ACU has worn thin, and at least in regards to Florida, the ACU is in danger of becoming just another mouthpiece for old guard Republicans, determined to retain their power at all costs.
The ACU Florida Legislative ratings just don’t pass the smell test, and I call upon the ACU to retract these ratings, resolve the problems in their algorithms, and recalculate the ratings. Otherwise, they might as well just move to K Street.
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Another good “wake-up” note for Republicans – - RINOs are now a big problem and they need to be recogniized for what they are! Good thing guys like Lampe are reporting these incongruencies.