At Drinking Liberally (San Francisco) a couple weeks ago, I was talking with some Democratic activists when the subject of John Edwards' voting record came up. It's true that Edwards' Senate voting record doesn't differ substantially from Hillary Clinton's. But comparing the voting records of New York Senators and North Carolina Senators is like comparing the work of ordinary heart surgeons with ones who have been forced to operate while riding a unicycle. Here are presidential election results from 2000 and 2004:
For reference, Ben Nelson's Nebraska went Republican by 29% in 2000 and 33% in 2004. North Carolina votes more like Nebraska than like New York or even Illinois. Against that background, Edwards' 100% NARAL rating and his solidly Democratic voting record is a major accomplishment.
