Hi,

One thing I am looking at is the rating from United Electrical (www.ranknfile-ue.org), which gave Lautenberg a 52% rating from 1996-2000. That is compared to 92% for Russ Feingold and 95% for Paul Wellstone, and it is equal to the 52% rating that the anti-labor Dianne Feinstein of California got.

I would give more weight to the UE ratings than the AFL-CIO, which is more forgiving on labor issues than UE is.

His 66% from Peace Action compares to 100% for Wellstone and Feingold.

Lautenberg is very progressive on environmental and consumer issues. Elsewhere I don't think he is all that good. Not bad, just not somebody I'd rank up there with Paul Wellstone.
- Robert

Actually, the AFL-CIO cited most of the issues that UE did-- it's just that UE rates politicians on fewer issues with a massive emphasis on trade issues. These are critical to a manufacturing union like UE but I think there overemphasis on them is a bit unfair to someone like Lautenberg whose one major blind spot on workers issues is trade.

Lautenberg voted for the increase in the H1-B program.
This has imported almost a million foreign workers, most still here in the midst of a deep tech recession.
This is nothing but corporate welfare. Let's not forget Lautenberg is worth at least 30 Million from ADP (conflict of interest anyone?)
I'm from NJ, I don't recall him doing anything for us that great with the exception of helping us get rid of the dreaded HOV lanes on rt. 80 (they caused massive traffic jams).