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Grass-roots Group Gives Tauscher Highest Rating
Angela Woodall
The Oakland Tribune
July 14, 2005 Washington DC -- A grass-roots
advocacy group gave Rep. Ellen Tauscher, D-Walnut Creek, its highest rating last
week for her progressive stance on issues from HIV/AIDS to stemming the spread
of nuclear weapons.
In its annual report card that measures legislators' stance on international
issues, Citizens for Global Solutions praised Tauscher for recognizing the
genocide in Darfur, urging U.S. support for the International Criminal Court and
funding for international peacekeeping forces.
Last year, Tauscher took a "principled stance in support of a cooperative and
engaged U.S. foreign policy," said Don Kraus, executive vice president of
Citizens for Global Solutions, in an e-mail. "For this, Citizens for Global
Solutions gave her an A+."
The Washington, D.C.-based organization also praised her for speaking out about
the treatment of detainees held by the U.S. military in Iraq and Guantanamo Bay,
Cuba, which she visited in June.
Also on their list of key issues was her stance on stemming the spread of
nuclear weapons — an issue Tauscher is particularly active in because two
nuclear research facilities, Lawrence Livermore and Sandia National labs, are
located in her district and because of her seat on the committee that oversees
military operations.
In response, Tauscher said in an e-mail, "I believe my positions on social,
national security, and economic issues accurately reflect the views of my East
Bay constituents."
Although she is not always on the winning side in Congress, Tauscher's
combination of socially progressive positions with fiscal conservatism has
earned the tag "Tauscherism."
The anti-death penalty, pro-choice legislator opposed the recent energy bill
that opened up drilling in the Alaska Wildlife Refuge and provided
$8 billion in tax breaks to the energy industry.
In contrast, she supported recent bankruptcy law reforms, making it harder for
people to file for bankruptcy protection.
In the past, the Democrat was named one of the 50 most powerful people in
politics by George magazine.
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