Branlin 'Proud' To Make "Most Liberal" List

Wilkonshire senator 'not ashamed to be a liberal'



NEW DUNSLEE, WILKONSHIRE--Nationalist Senator Terry Branlin has a new title: fourth most liberal senator in the Grassadellian Senate.

And it's a title she is proud to hold.

"I'm proud to be the fourth most liberal," the sophomore senator told GNN. "It's a badge I wear with honor."

The top spot goes to Kalnier Senator Paul LeBouse, according to the Grassadellian Conservative Union (GCU), which compiled the list. Right behind LeBouse are Trinton's Grace Kemp, followed by Aaron Tobias Griffith of Veroche, then Branlin. Rounding out the top five is Debbie Madronas of Damoign.

The rankings were determined by each member's voting record, and endorsements from liberal advocacy groups. LeBouse received a 96.5 rating, out of 100, meaning he voted the liberal position 96.5% of the time. Kemp received a close 95.7, Griffith a 95.4, and Branlin a 94.1. Madronas earned a 93.1.

"These five senators, by our measurement, are the most liberal in the Grassadellian Senate," GCU President George Zarelli says. "These five are leading the way in the Senate to destroying our liberties."

But being labeled "liberal" doesn't bother Branlin, who has been called a "socialist" and "anti-Grassadellian" after she voted in favor of the stimulus package and the bailout.

"I am a liberal. I'm proud to say that," the senator told GNN. "I'm not going to apologize for being who I am and for standing up for the Grassadellian people."

Those are bold comments from a senator who is facing re-election this December, but Branlin's not afraid.

"The people of Wilkonshire sent me to Mavocke to stand up for them, and that's what I'm doing. Every day, when I walk in those [Senate] doors, I am standing up for the people of Wilkonshire."

GCU President Zarelli not only has a problem with Branlin's liberalism, but also what he describes as her "smug attitude."

"It's bad enough that she's voting liberal almost 100 per cent of the time. But then she and others like her, they're just so arrogant about it, and they're actually proud of voting against the will of the people and marching our country down a path to socialism. That's just shocking," Zarelli said.

Branlin's new distinction is certain to give her 2010 Conservative opponent, retired Army colonel Lee Fisher, some new material, as he fights an uphill battle to take out the senator, who was first elected in 2007.

Wilkonshire votes reliably Nationalist, with a few exceptions, such as Christon Mayor Tara Hadley, Senator Newton Jeffs, and former Governor John R. Agnew, who lost a 2008 bid for the Senate to NAT John Warner-Patterson, and is currently challenging incumbent Sen. Sylvea Stone (NAT). With 2010 shaping up to be a bad a year for the Conservative Party, it's unlikely Fischer, who lacks money and name recognition, will be able to take out one of the nation's most popular Nationalists.

Still, Conservatives will make an effort.

"Terry Branlin will not get a free pass in the 2010 election," said Chris Howard, of the Conservative Senate Campaign Committee (CSCC). "She will have to prove to voters she deserves to be sent back to Mavocke."