According to National Journal magazine (as forwarded by the RNC), Senator Barack Obama is ranked as the Senate’s most liberal member. Yes, that means he is considered more liberal than liberal Senators Kennedy, Kerry, Schumer, and Sanders. And, of course Hillary Clinton, who is ranked 16th. In his first two years in the U.S. Senate, Obama was ranked 16th and 10th, moving left in the run up to the race for the Democratic nomination.

This from the candidate who often touts his appeal to Republicans and Independents, saying he can bridge the divide between “Red States and Blue States. ” He also has been known to say that Democrats don’t have a “monopoly on wisdom,” and so would consider Republicans for Cabinet positions. This broad appeal, his ability to connect with Republicans, is something Obama hopes can help him in the general election, should he win the nomination.

Spokesman Bill Burton responded to the National Journal’s assessment, saying: “On 65 of the 99 votes that both Obama and Clinton voted on, they voted exactly the same way on all but two – with Obama voting to strengthen the ethics bill by creating an Office of Public Integrity and Clinton voting against it. Only in Washington can you get falsely attacked for being like Reagan one week and labeled the most liberal the next.  The tendency of Washington to apply a misleading label to every person and idea is just one of the many things we need to change about how things operate inside the beltway.”

If you want to read how National Journal came to their assessment - click here.