Posted: 10/25/06
ECM EDITORIAL BOARD: Ramstad is a voice of moderation in Congress
In a U.S. Congress that is awash with partisanship and extremism, both on the left and right, U.S. Rep. Jim Ramstad is a voice of moderation as he has been since he was first elected to represent Minnesotaís 3rd Congressional District in 1990, succeeding Bill Frenzel, another moderate Republican.
Moderate Republicans are hard to find these days in the U.S. House, which is one reason why the GOP is in serious danger of losing its majority in the House at the Nov. 7 election.
According to the 2005 vote ratings of U.S. House members in the National Journal, a publication that is part of the Washington, D.C.-based National Journal Group Inc., which describes itself as committed to providing publications and services that are nonpartisan, reliable and of the highest quality, Ramstad had a composite score of 51.2.
House members with the composite score closest to 50 are at the exact center of each chamber, the National Journal states. Ramstadís score makes him the fifth most centrist of 435 House members.
And Ramstadís list of endorsements for re-election to his ninth term in the House also point to his moderate views and votes. Not only is Ramstad endorsed by such typical Republican backers as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the National Federation of Independent Business, he has also received the endorsement of organizations that generally support DFL candidates - the National Education Association, American Federation of Teachers, Sierra Club, the League of Conservation Voters, the Service Employees International Union and the United Transportation Union.
Ramstadís DFL challenger Wendy Wilde, an articulate, passionate candidate, is running for elective office for the first time. But she has honed her political skills as a radio show host, first on WCCO AM and most recently on Air America, and is a viable candidate who should be listened to.
Wilde does not think Ramstad is as moderate as he would have people think, arguing that when he votes against the Republican leadership it is when a majority is assured.
Even if that is true that does not detract from Ramstad voting his conscience, rather than the party line, because it is something he has done since he first arrived in Congress.
For example, he was one of the few no votes when President George W. Bushís No Child Left Behind legislation passed Congress at the beginning of Bushís first term in office and more recently, he voted against the 2005 Budget Reconciliation Act because of its cuts to education and child protection programs.
Nor has the fact that he is sometimes in a minority in his party in the House stopped Ramstad from repeatedly spearheading legislation to try and force the federal government to live up to its commitment to fund 40 percent of special education made when the legislation was passed in the 1970 but never adhered to; itís presently about 18 percent right now.
Thatís not so say that Ramstad does not vote with the Republican majority on many occasions; he does.
But he offers a common sense, pragmatic approach to dealing with the nationís problems that is sadly lacking in Washington, D.C. and is a good fit for his suburban district, which includes almost all of the city of Coon Rapids.
-- An opinion from the ECM Editorial Board. ECM Publishers,Inc. publishes 20 community weekly newspapers.
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