Last month a Smart Politics analysis of the most conservative members of the U.S. House (as determined by National Journal’s annual rankings) found Representative Michele Bachmann to have received the smallest margin of victory of the 44 most conservative Republicans who won reelection in 2008. That blog explained how none of these nearly four-dozen conservative House Republicans represents a more vulnerable seat than Bachmann’s, few represent a more moderate congressional district, and thus few put as much political capital at risk when carving out such a conservative stance as the Congresswoman.

In short, Bachmann’s policy positions are, politically, quite bold for her district.

New House voting data, provided this time by Congressional Quarterly, bolsters the notion that Michele Bachmann indeed has the boldest voting record on the Republican side of the aisle.

Bachmann’s voting record through the first half of 2009 is tied for the second least supportive of President Barack Obama’s stated policy and legislative preferences. At just 10 percent agreement, Bachmann’s adversarial voting record with the President is only eclipsed by Representative Jeff Flake (AZ-06) among the 178-member Republican caucus.

Bachmann even voted against the President’s stated preferences more than House Minority Leader John Boehner (OH-08). Boehner voted with the President 15 percent of the time.

Bachmann, of course, has been a very outspoken critic of Obama and many of his policies, particularly on federal stimulus spending and cap-and-trade energy legislation. The Congresswoman appeared on Fox TV’s Hannity Wednesday night to criticize Barack Obama’s fiscal policy and Democratic plans to spend TARP money as opposed to return it to the taxpayers.

What makes Bachmann unique among her colleagues in her staunch opposition to the President, however, is the different partisan makeup between her 6th Congressional District and those other House Republicans who have voted against the president by a similarly large percentage.

For example, John McCain carried Bachmann’s district by just 9 points in the 2008 election. Meanwhile, Georgia Congressman Nathan Deal (GA-09) and South Carolina Representative J. Gresham Barrett (SC-03), who, like Bachmann also only supported the president’s policy in 10 percent of their votes cast in the House, represent districts carried by McCain by 52 and 29 points respectively. Representative Flake’s district voted for McCain by 23 points.

And of the 40 House Republicans who voted with Obama 20 percent of the time or less so far this year, only 6 represent districts in which McCain did not win by double digits. Two of these are from Minnesota: Bachmann (9 points) and John Kline (MN-02, 2 points). (The others are Mike Pence (IN-09), Pete Sessions (TX-32), Ed Royce (CA-40), and Bob Latta (OH-05)).

Top House Republicans Voting Against Barack Obama’s Policies, January-June 2009

Rank
Seat
Representative
Pres Support
McCain MoV
1
AZ-06
Jeff Flake
5
23
2
MN-06
Michele Bachmann
10
9
2
GA-09
Nathan Deal
10
52
2
SC-03
J. Gresham Barrett
10
29
5
AZ-02
Trent Franks
12
23
5
AZ-03
John Shadegg
12
14
5
IN-06
Mike Pence
12
6
5
TN-07
Marhsa Blackburn
12
31
5
TX-05
Jeb Hersarling
12
27
5
TX-19
Randy Neugebauer
12
45
11
TX-32
Pete Sessions
13
7
11
UT-01
Rob Bishop
13
31
13
CA-40
Ed Royce
15
5
13
CO-05
Doug Lamborn
15
19
13
FL-01
Jeff Miller
15
35
13
GA-07
John Linder
15
21
13
NC-05
Virginia Foxx
15
23
13
NC-10
Patrick McHenry
15
27
13
NJ-05
Scott Garrett
15
11
13
OH-08
John Boehner
15
23
13
TX-03
Sam Johnson
15
15
13
TX-11
K. Michael Conaway
15
51
13
TX-13
William Thornberry
15
53
13
TX-14
Ron Paul
15
33
13
UT-03
Jason Chaffetz
15
38
26
FL-14
Connie Mack
16
15
26
GA-06
Tom Price
16
28
26
GA-10
Paul Broun
16
25
26
TX-22
Pete Olson
16
17
26
TX-26
Michael Burgess
16
17
31
GA-03
Lynn Westmoreland
17
29
32
CA-04
Tom McClintock
19
10
32
IA-05
Steve King
19
11
32
NE-03
Adrian Smith
19
39
32
OH-04
Jim Jordan
19
22
32
OH-05
Bob Latta
19
8
32
TX-08
Kevin Brady
19
48
32
WI-05
Jim Sensenbrenner
19
17
39
MN-02
John Kline
20
2
39
WY-AL
Cynthia Lummis
20
32

Note: Congressional Quarterly data compiled by Smart Politics.

Bachmann ended her segment on Hannity Wednesday by stating the American public has “buyer’s remorse” from electing Obama and the Democrats who have controlled Congress since 2007.

Bachmann also predicted Republicans have a “very good chance to win the majority in the House” in 2010.

Hannity affectionately referred to Bachmann on his program as the “second most hated Republican woman after Sarah Palin.” Representative Bachmann called that “high praise.”

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5 Comments

  1. MNCheryl on July 10, 2009 at 9:46 am

    You go Michele.

    This country needs every politician to stand up for America, it’s values and it’s people. Someone has to say No to what the president is shoving down our throats.

    Everyone I talk to in Minnesota is fed up with what is happening. Over and over I hear people saying we need more people in office like Michele Bachman.

  2. Sean on July 10, 2009 at 1:37 pm

    Um, I am from Minnesota and I am definitely NOT hearing that. Michele Bachmann is the embarrassment of Minnesota politics. She is losing respect for her entire district with her inability to think before she speaks.

  3. Aubrey Immelman on July 11, 2009 at 12:59 am

    Sure, I’ve heard some folks say we need more people like Michele Bachmann in office, but I’ve heard a whole lot more describe her in terms befitting our state bird.

    Heaven alone knows why anyone would think we need more politicians in Washington with a penchant for extremist rhetoric, incendiary demagoguery, and misrepresentation of facts.

    Here’s a concise summary, with links to comprehensive documentation, of key moments in Rep. Michele Bachmann’s Quixotic saga since her reelection to Congress in 2008:

    http://www.immelman.us/news/bachmanns-march-of-folly/

  4. pirra on August 16, 2009 at 7:59 pm

    Ever heard of the constitution? Maybe if the jackass obama wanted to uphold his oath to it she’d be more supportive of him

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