Smith: Votes vs. Quotes

Arctic National Wildlife Refuge

Smith Flip-Flopped on Drilling in the Arctic, Voting to Allow it After Pledging Opposition in 2002. During his 2002 campaign, Smith sided with environmentalists and opposed drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and, since then, he has occasionally voted against drilling in the refuge. But in 2005 and 2006, Smith voted for Republican budget packages that contained provisions to allow drilling. [Oregonian, 8/22/06; Vote 303, 11/3/05; Los Angeles Times, 11/4/05; New York Times, 11/4/05; Vote 74, 3/16/06; Washington Post, 3/18/06; Anchorage Daily News, 3/17/06; Los Angeles Times, 3/17/06]

Medicare Prescription Drugs

Smith Flip-Flopped on Medicare Price Negotiation, Opposing it Twice in 2005. Before voting in April to allow the Department of Health and Human Services to negotiate with drug companies for prices under the Medicare prescription drug program, Smith had twice voted against allowing such negotiation. [Vote 132, 4/18/07; Vote 60, 3/17/05; Vote 302, 11/3/05; AP, 4/13/07]

Minimum Wage

Smith Voted Against Minimum Wage Six Times Before Finally Voting For It As The Election Nears. Smith has voted against raising the minimum wage six times, despite the fact that the minimum wage has not increased since 2000. Because of the lack of action by a Republican Congress, the real value of the minimum wage has fallen to a 51-year low. A minimum wage hike would help over 15 million working Americans. [Vote 179, 6/21/06; Vote 26, 3/7/05; Vote 257, 10/19/05; Vote 76, 4/7/00; Vote 356, 11/9/99; Vote 278, 9/22/98] Smith finally voted to increase the minimum wage in January of 2007, as he faces a tough re-election battle. [Vote 23, 1/24/07]

Iraq

Smith May Say He Is Against The War...

"I for one am at the end of my rope when it comes to supporting a policy that has our soldiers patrolling the same streets in the same way, being blown up by the same bombs day after day. That is absurd. It may even be criminal. I cannot support that anymore. ... So either we clear and hold and build, or let's go home." [ABC News, "This Week", 12/7/06]

"The best way to get the Iraqis to stand up is for us to begin standing down." [AP, 5/22/07]

"I don't want to be caught in the quicksand of this ancient civil war, because we can't fix that." [The Oregonian, 3/3/07]

But He Voted More Than 20 Times In
Support of Bush

Smith Voted More Than 20 Times To Support Bush's War in Iraq. Smith has consistently voted to support the Bush Administration's War in Iraq for the last five years. Since the initial authorization, the Republicans could count on Smith to maintain U.S. troop levels in Iraq and continue funding the war and Iraqi reconstruction. [Vote #181, 5/24/07; Vote #103, 5/2/06; Vote #130, 6/17/04; Vote #399, 10/17/03; Vote #394, 10/17/03; Vote #392, 10/17/03; Vote #391, 10/17/03; Vote #389, 10/16/03; Vote #380, 10/14/03; Vote #379, 10/14/03; Vote #371, 10/1/03; Vote #167, 5/16/07; Vote #243, 9/13/06; Vote #182, 6/22/06; Vote #181, 6/22/06; Vote #322, 11/15/05; Vote #44, 2/5/07; Vote #236, 10/10/02; Vote #235, 10/10/02; Vote #232, 10/10/02]

Most Recently, Smith Voted for Final 2007 War Spending Bill With Benchmarks But No Withdrawal Language. In May 2007, Smith joined his colleagues in voting 80-14 for the final FY07 supplemental spending bill, which set benchmarks that the Iraqi government must meet to continue to receive aid. The final package did not include earlier withdrawal language that had been vetoed by President Bush. [Vote #181, 5/24/07; UPI, 5/25/07]

Posted on July 5, 2007
Smith vs. Smith