Why hasn't Jeff Smith done the same in the Senate? And why has he not cosponsored Bray's bill to ban the death penalty. He looks like he is trying to triangulate after the left elected him. What a disappointment.

Yeah, why isn't Sen. Smith busying himself with issues that will go nowhere?

How is he triangulating?

Do you understand the concept of triangulation? You take positions that isolate people at the ends of the ideological spectrum and then exploit the difference to pass legislation inbetween them.

Not sponsoring or co-sponsoring a bill doesn't do that. Sponsoring a bill or proposal does that. By not acting on two specific bills he's not trying to take a middle ground, he's just not sponsoring or cosponsoring that legislation.

The list of bills sponsored and co-sponsored are all left of center with the possible exception of charter schools. Perhaps if you could find something from that list that isn't liberal, you might have an anecdote to at least base the claim.

During both campaigns he and his people proclaimed that he was the only true liberal. Even though Russ was experienced and liberal, Jeff was supposed to me more liberal. He was going to fight for our causes. In 06 we were supposed to support him over the two experienced, liberal Af-Am women, because he was the true liberal. He hasn’t done a thing. We were hoodwinked - duped. Charter schools - I can't believe he talks about them given how poorly Confluence is doing at education. The only thing they seem to do well is raising money to expand and at siphoning campaign money through their employees to candidates like Jeff.
What a phony this guy is.

Let's see,
Sponsored Bills
SB 443 Creates the "Teach for Missouri Act" Liberal
SB 506 Grants the Commissioner greater latitude in sanctioning those in violation of Missouri securities law Liberal
SB 564 - Modifies which entities may sponsor a charter school
SB 565 - Adopts an agreement to elect the President by national popular vote Liberal
SB 607 - Creates a collective bargaining process for public employees Liberal
SB 608 - Creates an earned income tax credit Liberal
SB 629 - Exempts landlords from liability to personal property when executing an order for possession of premises
SB 649 - Creates requirements and provides incentives for environmentally sustainable building design and construction Liberal
SB 689 - Creates the "Missouri Public Charter School State Board"
SB 690 - Creates the "Metropolitan School District Improvement Act"

So where is the conservative position? Seriously, you accused him of triangulating--what is the position above that is an attempt at triangulation?

SB 12 - Creates an educational grant for children and spouses of veterans who are killed in combat Liberal
SB 49 - Modifies the state do-not-call list and requires political phone calls to include a "paid for by" statement Liberal
SB 71 - Modifies provisions on child care subsidies Liberal
SB 72 - Enacts provisions relating to the duty of a ph*rmacy to fill pr*scriptions Liberal
SB 75 - Provides for a tuition limitation for certain combat veterans Liberal
SB 185 - Establishes the "Drunk Driving Memorial Sign Program"
SB 243 - Increases the compulsory school attendance age for all children in Missouri to seventeen years of age Liberal
SB 254 - Creates the "Missouri Legacy Fund" to provide college financial assistance Liberal
SB 260 - Modifies provisions on child care subsidies Liberal
SB 266 - Prohibits discrimination based upon a person's sexual orientation Liberal
SB 267 - Allows small employers to obtain medical coverage through the Missouri Consolidated Health Care Plan Liberal
SB 336 - Requires equal pay for the same work regardless of gender and establishes a commission to study wage disparities Liberal
SB 337 - Requires any business that sells firearms or ammunition to use video surveillance cameras Liberal
SB 362 - Modifies provisions regarding the Missouri Higher Education Loan Authority and funding of higher education Liberal
SB 368 - Modifies requirements for corporate filings
SB 392 - Requires state employee salaries to be annually adjusted by the Consumer Price Index Liberal
SB 439 - Creates a commission to study the death penalty in Missouri and prohibits use of the death penalty for a time period Liberal
SB 546 - Modifies laws relating to the Prevention First Act
SB 581 - Modifies provisions relating to the state medical assistance program
SB 641 - Creates a collective bargaining process for public employees Liberal
SB 695 - Provides a tax credit for disability home modification Liberal
SB 697 - Modifes several provisions regarding the rights and duties of foster parents Liberal
SB 702 - Requires buildings constructed by or for the state to meet the minimum certification level offered by the U.S. Green Building Council Liberal
SCR 6 - Urges Congress to address the nation's immigration problems
SCR 7 - Relating to the ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment to the United States Constitution Liberal
SCR 23 - Urges the United States Congress to enact the United States Health Insurance Act sponsored by U.S. Representative John Conyers Liberal

So let's see the bills he has Sponsored/CoSponsored that are progressive

EITC
Death Penalty Reform Bill (one that might actually pass and has other cosponsors)
Teach for Missouri
Collective Bargaining and decent wages for state workers
Environmental Sustainability Standards in Buildings
Increase Child Care Subsidies
Equal Rights for LGBT citizens
Equal Rights for Women
Expanding access to health care.
Access to contraception

For me the above should be the essential priorities of Missouri Democrats. Which is it that is triangulation?

Arch Pundit, you are fixating on the word “triangulation”. It probably doesn’t denote the phenomenon I am trying to describe. It is where a Democratic candidate portrays himself as more liberal or where a Republican candidate portrays himself as more conservative in the primary and then moves to the center during the general or after being elected. Being more extreme helps you in the primary but hurts you in the general so you have to move.
The issue is that Smith said he would act one way during the campaign and now that he is elected he is now acting another way. I was at a thing where he was asked about a moratorium on the death penalty while it was studied. He insisted that was not enough and we need to move for an outright band. Now a study of the death penalty is enough. He talked a lot about the war and how there needed to be opposition on every front. Now he is not willing to use his position to fight it.
Instead he spends time on Charter School proposals and bills to protect landlords from suits by evicted tenants. (SB629) That is not liberal; it is not a little bit liberal. That is working for The Man. He comes from wealth and he is looking out for wealth.
I shouldn’t take it so personally b/c what is happening here is not uncommon. Candidates get elected and they want to stay elected. They know with a record they have to move to the center. It just bugs me that I got taken on this one.

Why impeach a President in his last year? Maybe in 2004 but this is 2007. Bush isn't going to get anything done anyway. His legacy as probably the worst President is already secured. Both parties are concerned about 2008, not working with a very unpopular lame duck President.