Mitch McConnell's Match: Clinton, Edwards, or Obama?

[CorpGovActivist]

Which Senator - Clinton, Edwards, or Obama - has the distinction of sharing the most overlapping votes with Mitch McConnell (pro-corporate, Big Tobacco apologist)?

- Dave

P.S. On edit, this Page A01 Washington Post article from last year seems to suggest that comparing actual votes is a worthy intellectual exercise: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/31/AR2006123101004_pf.html">Clinton-Obama Differences Clear In Senate Votes: Records Can Be Baggage In Bids for White House.

[The Magistrate]

1. No One Asks Such A Question Without An Answer In Mind, Sir

Why not just put up the numbers, and the percentages of votes in agreement, and perhaps the Bills involved as well?

[CorpGovActivist]

2. I Have in Mind to Learn If Other DUers Have Knowledge of Comparison Tools...

... of which I am not aware.

I Googled: "compare senators' votes" and came up with some interesting returns, but no tool that satisfied my curiosity.

- Dave

[The Magistrate]

3. Then Put Up The Numbers, Sir

No need to impersonate a strip-tease artiste when there is something real to be said: we all know what the end result will look like....

[CorpGovActivist]

4. Magistrate: With All Due Respect...

... I'm merely asking to see if others know of tools that make accuarate comparisons of senators' votes.

If you don't know of such a tool, but are willing to help look for it, that help would be appreciated.

- Dave

[The Magistrate]

5. It Is Immaterial To Me, Sir

Doubtless the Senate votes are matters of public record, and there would be need to search back about fourteen years.

[CorpGovActivist]

6. Well, the Existence of Such a Tool...

... would obviate the need to recreate the wheel, and has the potential to help many other DUers make comparisons on issues about which they care, too.

Is asking for help from other DUers to discover such a tool violative of a rule?

- Dave

[CorpGovActivist]

8. The Earliest Overlap Was January 1999...

... when Edwards took office as Senator from NC (Clinton took office as Senator in 2001; Obama in 2005). So only about 9 years of delving is required, and many newly-launched tools will retroactively grab at least a decade of data.

So, I continue to have high hopes that such a tool exists.

- Dave

[CorpGovActivist]

7. The Library of Congress's New Thomas BETA Tool...

... is located http://thomas.loc.gov/beta/">here. Although it doesn't appear to have the functionality of comparing overlapping Senators' votes (yet), it does have a feedback function, where http://thomas.loc.gov/beta/about/comment.php">new features can be suggested.

- Dave