Kerry is still a liberal.

• Author: Partridge, Ernest
• Position: Letter to the Editor

In her article, "When Kerry Was Liberal" (May issue), Ruth Conniff joins the throng of "progressives" apparently determined to cripple the candidacy of Bush's opponent. She writes: "The liberal group Americans for Democratic Action put Kerry at number twenty-five among Senate liberals in 2003. (Ted Kennedy ranked number five.) Nor does Kerry make the ADA's lifetime top-ten list of Senate liberals, headed by the late Paul Wellstone at number one."

On the contrary, a closer examination of the ADA scores discloses an outstanding liberal voting record.

Conniff is correct about Kerry's ranking in 2003. His score of eighty-five is twenty-fifth among Senate Democrats. But take a closer look. The ADA score is based upon votes on twenty key bills. In addition, the ADA scores an absence as a minus--the same as an ADA "wrong" vote. As we all know, Kerry spent much of 2003 away from the Senate and on the campaign trail. Now here is Kerry's tally on those twenty votes: seventeen "ADA correct," and three absent. If the ADA had instead based its tally on votes cast, Kerry would have scored 100. Moreover...