Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/86182
("Cutting Through the Campaign Noise" cont. from page 28) a fiscally conservative, antitax, decentral- ist GOP faction. Many of these were among the 87 freshman Republicans ushered into Congress with a commit- ment to fundamentally change how the government conducts its business. Avowed enemies of the federal deficit, big government, and any tax increase, tea partiers scrutinized every piece of legislation with federal funding; there would be no such thing as good spend- ing. They came to Washington to shake things up and wanted to accomplish that by cutting federal government programs. While the Tea Party faction didn't make up the majority of the GOP caucus, they proved to be a stubborn and nearly insurmountable block for the more established members and party leadership. The far-right positions held by many made it impossible to meet the Democrats half-way on virtually any realm of policy, dampening the spirit of compromise that has long been the cornerstone of successful legislation. Consequently, the 112th Congress will go down as one of the least productive legislative sessions to date. Those who watched the battle to reauthorize the federal highway program, a case study in Congress' historic political dysfunction, saw this play out in unprecedented fashion. Democrats fought over frivolous environmental and labor provisions, while many Republicans questioned the federal government's very role in a national transportation system. Though there were various reasons for Congress' colossal inaction, the callous and extreme partisanship of the last two years cannot be overstated. The saving grace for statesmanship in the 112th Congress, and the members who had the best voting records on AED issues, proved to be the "moder- ates" in both parties. In the House, those with a 100 percent AED voting record are often some of the more established Republicans with a long history of reaching across the aisle to do what's right for the country. They were joined by two Democrats, Reps. Jim Matheson (D-Utah) and Mike McIntyre (D-N.C.), a few of the remaining Blue Dogs. Likewise, the best rated senators were centrists like Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Scott Brown (R-Mass.). Conversely, Tea Party heroes Sens. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) and Rand Paul (R-Ky.) came in at just 40 percent, while some of the most left-leaning members of the House, such as Reps. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio) and Pete Stark (D-Calif.), scored less than 25 percent. How We Picked 'Em Most of the key votes selected by AED revolve around surface transportation reauthorization. AED was an ardent supporter of the reauthorization effort, leading the charge to restore certainty to the federal highway program. As such, we vehemently opposed efforts to weaken or kill the Highway Trust Fund (HTF), the lifeblood of the federal surface transportation programs. AED fought efforts that would add uncertainty to the regulatory burden or raise your costs of doing business. Thus, the association supported measures to overturn the Affordable Care Act and bills that would reform the way govern- ment agencies regulate how business is done in the U.S. AED also supported legislation that would position Congress to begin a seri- ous debate regarding a comprehensive tax overhaul. Anticipating significant action on tax reform during the lame duck session following the 2012 election and in the 113th Congress, AED urged Congress to do everything necessary to bring about the critical changes to restore certainty, fairness, and simplicity to our complex tax code. As you examine the charts, you will notice a slight difference between the two chambers. This relates to differ- ences in legislative rules and processes within the bodies. The House rules and the Republicans' substantial majority made it much easier to pass legislation than in the Senate. So, for example, while the House passed the Clean Water Cooperative Federalism Act, the Senate never even considered it. An Informed Decision The vote charts are an objective measure of how lawmakers voted on issues important to the equipment 30 | www.cedmag.com | Construction Equipment Distribution | October 2012 industry and are a small fraction of a member's voting record. The charts do not include intrinsic factors you should consider when casting your ballot in the upcoming election, such as a candi- date's character, professional qualifica- tions, or positions on other issues that matter to you personally. Furthermore, a candidate's AED voting record should neither be read as an endorsement of any candidate, nor as a statement of opposition to a lawmaker's re-election. As you analyze this information, it is important to remember that legislation is rarely ever simple or straightforward. While a bill may contain important provisions for the equipment industry, it can contain many unrelated issues that cause a member to vote no. For example, the MAP-21 conference report kept money flowing to federal highway and transit construction programs at current levels through the end of FY 2014 and provided important program improvements to speed up highway project delivery. However, your representative may have voted against it because provisions in the original MAP-21 legislation, such as expedited approval of the Keystone XL pipeline and a lift on the private activity bonds cap, were dropped from the bill. Pressure from leadership, particularly for junior members, can also be an impor- tant factor in how a member votes. Finally, remember that not all members served the entirety of the 112th Congress. In these circumstances, their vote totals may be skewed because they cast fewer votes than their colleagues. These charts provide a quick refer- ence to allow you to see where your elected officials stood on issues that affect your markets and cost of doing business. When you encounter candi- dates on the campaign trail, use this information as a starting point for a conversation with incumbents about why they voted as they did and to inquire of challengers how they would have voted had they been in office. n JOSH PUDNOS is AED's manager of Government Affairs. He can be reached at josh.pudnos@aednet.org.