Adam Searing, Progressive Pulse

Senator Elizabeth Dole is obviously worried about the widespread criticism of her vote last year against more affordable health insurance for children (SCHIP). Is she reconsidering joining the bipartisan effort to lower health costs for kids in NC families? Of course not. She’s introducing a child health bill that actually rolls back coverage in NC, will never draw the bipartisan support needed for passage, and is simply for her to be able to mention on the campaign trail in what is clearly going to be a tough election year. Dole may argue that her bill requires poor children to be funded first. However, she voted against child health coverage twice – and the second time against a compromise bill that clearly concentrated most of the new money coming to states on lower-income children.

Here’s what’s wrong with Dole’s actions:

Opposes legislation to modernize air travel

North Carolina Senator and former Secretary of Transportation Elizabeth Dole today voted against the Aviation Investment and Modernization Act which would modernize air travel by improving air safety and enhancing passengers’ rights. Dole’s vote comes despite hundreds of flights cancelled last month due to safety problems and reports of passengers trapped on planes for hours with overflowing toilets and no food.

Opposes Ledbetter Fair Pay Act to protect victims of discrimination

Elizabeth Dole today voted against the Ledbetter Fair Pay Act which would ensure that victims of pay discrimination can hold their employers accountable under existing anti-discrimination laws. Dole’s vote comes one day after Equal Pay Day, which highlights the disparity in wages between women and men – currently at 78 cents to the dollar in North Carolina.

“The last thing hardworking North Carolina families need is a paycheck further slashed by discrimination, but Elizabeth Dole passed on guaranteeing equal pay for equal work today,” DSCC spokesman Matthew Miller said. “With Elizabeth Dole’s record, it’s no wonder she voted against holding people accountable today, but that’s exactly what the voters are going to do to her in November.”

Elizabeth Dole has voted with the Republicans 92% of the time during her Senate career. 35 times she voted against bipartisan measures. In 2002 Dole voted with Bush 49 out of every 50 votes.

Elizabeth Dole has voted:

• No on SCHIP, the Children's Health Insurance Program
• No on implementing recommendations of the 9/11 Commission
• No on improved health care for returning veterans
• No on withdrawing troops from Iraq
• No on stem cell research
• No to the Webb Amendment, which would have mandated more time between deployments for our troops
• No to Habeas Corpus
• No to Clean Energy
• Yes on shifting the tax burden to working class Americans
• Yes on Samuel Alito
• Yes to cutting $40 billion from social, child support and student lending programs.
• Yes to a free trade zone between the United States, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua
• Yes to making it harder to declare bankruptcy
• Yes to higher taxes on farmers who produce wind energy
• Yes to Michael B. Mukasey's nomination to be Attorney General