Popularity Contest 2009

We’ve done our homework, made our list, checked it twice. These are the congressmen and women who rank highest and lowest among their esteemed colleagues on either side of the aisle.

Newsmax Magazine
By John Mercurio
December 9, 2009

Congress, it’s been said, is like high school for old people.

Both have their parties (political and otherwise), their cliques (or caucuses), and their teachers (leaders). The “rich” kids chair powerful committees and possess fancy leadership titles, while the “poor” members toil in obscurity.

And for some reason, they all seem to wait until the very last minute to finish their work, pulling all-nighters before their big tests (or votes).

Just as in high school, some lawmakers are popular — and some are not. It’s not necessarily the highest achievers (or top vote getters) who make the grade.

Of course, just as in high school, popularity doesn’t guarantee success. A few years ago, a new senator developed a reputation for being cold and aloof. His name? Barack Obama.

We surveyed a wide spectrum of congressional staffers, lobbyists, and even former members of Congress in order to come up with our list of who, among those immersed in the daily grind of the legislative process, is the most loved and who is the most hated.

Here they are, with one caveat: Being hated doesn’t mean you’re ineffective.

MOST LOVED

Rep. Peter King
R-N.Y.

King, 65, speaks plainly — for proof, just watch the YouTube video in which he called Michael Jackson a “pervert” and a “pedophile” just one day after the King of Pop died. To be sure, the trait can get him into a fair amount of trouble. But in an institution known mostly for hot air, his colleagues find such candor refreshing. He’s a moderate from the New York suburbs who somehow has built strong ties with both conservatives and Democrats.

For the entire list click here.