The Nation - News from Jan. 24, 1989

The House of Representatives was more liberal than ever in 1988, signaling good prospects this year for improving long-neglected social programs, Americans for Democratic Action said. While the Senate became more conservative in President Ronald Reagan’s final year in office, liberal voting records were not a handicap for senators seeking reelection, and a high-ranking liberal, Sen. George J. Mitchell (D-Me.), was chosen to be majority leader, the independent political organization said. The ADA score card on 20 key issues showed that the House had a record-high “liberal quotient” of 52% last year, up by a single percentage point from 1987, while the Senate’s rating dropped from 53% in 1987 to 48% in 1988. “A new Congress and a new President have the responsibility to restore the social and economic balance that was so severely shredded during the Reagan years,” Pearl said at a Washington news conference.