Congressman Dan Boren (D) Says Obama is Too Liberal.
U.S. Representative Dan Boren has declined to endorse Barack Obama, calling him the United States’ most liberal Senator and a polarizing nominee.
Rep. Dan Boren
It should be no surprise that a member of Congress is calling Barack Obama liberal. These are partisan times in which the election season brings out the heat. However in this case it really is unusual. Congressman Dan Boren is a Democrat.
“Our nominee is not my first choice. Unfortunately, his record does not reflect working in a bipartisan fashion.” Obama is “the most liberal senator in the U.S. Senate.”
Dan Boren’s statements about Barack Obama undoubtedly reflect his constituency as well as his own views. Describing himself as a centrist Democrat, Boren represents a mostly rural district in Oklahoma. Hillary Clinton won two-thirds of the vote in his 2ndn congressional district. As one of the youngest members of Congress at age 34, he may also be interested in long-term self-preservation if he has further political ambitions in the state.
He is the only Democrat in Oklahoma’s House delegation in Congress, a conservative on many issues including his continued support for President Bush on the Iraq War. He is a lifetime member of the NRA and out of favor with environmental groups. His official biography is here.
Boren was born August 2nd, 1973. He graduated from Texas Christian University in 1997 and obtained an MBA from Oklahoma University in 2000. He is married to Andrea Heupel and has an infant daughter.
He may not be the only Democrat in Congress who is uncomfortable with Obama. Republicans will use the “most liberal Senator” mantra against Obama, courtesy of the National Journal ranking system which analyzes votes. There are a few other Democrats in conservative districts who may also suffer the association.
Still Boren will vote for Obama when push comes to shove, albeit not willingly.
You can see him in action on the House floor below during the debate about a troop surge.
Dan Boren Video
June 10th, 2008 at 3:45 pm
Boren is playing both sides of the fence. He is from an extremely conservative state so he wants the people of OK to know that he identifies with them even while he fufills his duty and votes for Obama.
My entire problem with Barack Obama is his stance on the issues; defense, tax and trade. I frankly don’t care any more about which church he attended and if he is a Muslim or not. BTW - I believe that he is not. He is a good human, just wrong on the issues, imo.
June 10th, 2008 at 7:03 pm
Mdefl, you are a disgrace to the GOP and all that Karl Rove stands for.
FWIW, I always laugh when I see “most liberal” ratings, Obama is far to the right of George W. Bush in terms of foreign policy, fiscal policy, and the power of the presidency, yet because people define Conservatism as “all that George W. Bush stands for” and have forgotten the likes of Barry Goldwater and William Buckley, we end up with claims that Obama is the most liberal Senator ever.
June 11th, 2008 at 3:25 am
One fears that this represents the tip of the iceberg. The Democratic leadership (starting with a Speaker who apparently “persuaded” many young Congresspeople in swing districts to support Obama) might ultimately pay a heavy price, even removal, for tilting the nomination to Obama. Boren’s statements relect centrist Democrats’ distaste for media bias and activist bias favoring far left candidates. One can already see swift boat ads raising the possibility of William Ayers as Secretary of Education.
June 11th, 2008 at 9:09 am
Bob, the ranking is based on Senate votes, not speeches and hope. So while you want to claim that Obama is fiscally conservative, his voting record of running up huge deficits makes him the most liberal Senator in the country. This is a case where facts easily cut through the fog.
August 17th, 2009 at 8:49 am
Dan Boren’s voting record
percentage of times voting with Dems.
2007 2008
79% 91%
Conservative Blue Dog? I don’t think so!
August 27th, 2009 at 7:35 am
Cool point of view you have there, did you know that this nearly doesnt happen in some countries at all, although they do similar things but not exactly the same. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YiT_TMFHvCQ
September 15th, 2009 at 6:50 pm
Please take a strong look at the health bill. Why can we not explore what Oklahomae is offering to the lower income people? Insure Oklahoma and Sooner care for children. Yes it costs money, much less than regular group health. Make each state is responsible, leave the big government out.