Power Rankings from Congress.org - GRRRRRR

[_dynamicdems]

If this isn't enough to make you want to scream....

http://www.congress.org/congressorg/power_rankings/overall.tt

The fact that this is probably the reason why Congress is so screwed up and why it is so difficult to get anything progressive passed.

Senate: Jump to House Results
Name Rank in Senate Score

Sen. Frist (R-TN 1 96.75
Sen. Specter (R-PA) 2 82.31
<b>Sen. McCain (R-AZ) 3 80.94 </b>
Sen. Grassley (R-IA) 4 78.50
Sen. Reid (D-NV) 5 71.06
Sen. Domenici (R-NM) 6 69.25
Sen. McConnell (R-KY) 7 64.56
Sen. Stevens (R-AK) 8 61.56
Sen. Hatch (R-UT) 9 56.75
Sen. Cochran (R-MS) 10 54.57
Sen. Feinstein (D-CA) 11 54.54
<b>Sen. Santorum (R-PA) 12 54.44</b>
Sen. Leahy (D-VT) 13 51.69
Sen. Lugar (R-IN) 14 48.50
Sen. Byrd (D-WV) 15 48.31
Sen. Kennedy (D-MA) 16 48.31
Sen. Kyl (R-AZ) 17 47.75
Sen. Schumer (D-NY) 18 47.56
Sen. Levin (D-MI) 19 47.25
Sen. Graham (R-SC) 20 47.19
Sen. Warner (R-VA) 21 45.94
Sen. Durbin (D-IL) 22 45.75
Sen. Hutchison (R-TX) 23 43.95
Sen. Roberts (R-KS) 24 43.56
Sen. Inhofe (R-OK) 25 43.52
Sen. DeWine (R-OH) 26 41.37
Sen. Lott (R-MS) 27 41.00
Sen. Biden (D-DE) 28 40.88
Sen. Dorgan (D-ND) 29 40.64
Sen. Bond (R-MO) 30 40.25
Sen. Cornyn (R-TX) 31 39.56
Sen. Dodd (D-CT) 32 39.25
Sen. Inouye (D-HI) 33 39.00
Sen. Shelby (R-AL) 34 38.75
Sen. Harkin (D-IA) 35 37.94
Sen. Smith (R-OR) 36 37.31
Sen. Brownback (R-KS) 37 35.77
Sen. Baucus (D-MT) 38 35.77
Sen. Craig (R-ID) 39 35.69
Sen. Gregg (R-NH) 40 35.56
Sen. Clinton (D-NY) 41 35.06
Sen. Allen (R-VA) 42 34.81
Sen. Hagel (R-NE) 43 34.62
Sen. Bingaman (D-NM) 44 33.56
Sen. Bennett (R-UT) 45 33.50
Sen. Murray (D-WA) 46 33.37
Sen. Burns (R-MT) 47 33.00
Sen. Sessions (R-AL) 48 32.62
Sen. Ensign (R-NV) 49 32.62
Sen. Snowe (R-ME) 50 32.50
Sen. Allard (R-CO) 51 31.75
Sen. Collins (R-ME) 52 31.44
Sen. Thomas (R-WY) 53 31.31
Sen. Kohl (D-WI) 54 31.25
<b>Sen. Lieberman (D-CT) 55 30.94 </b>
Sen. Dole (R-NC) 56 30.31
Sen. Rockefeller (D-WV) 57 29.24
Sen. Boxer (D-CA) 58 28.87
Sen. Crapo (R-ID) 59 28.50
Sen. Landrieu (D-LA) 60 28.31
<b>Sen. Kerry (D-MA) 61 28.19</b>
Sen. Bunning (R-KY) 62 27.00
Sen. Conrad (D-ND) 63 26.56
Sen. Chambliss (R-GA) 64 26.37
Sen. Enzi (R-WY) 65 26.12
Sen. Sununu (R-NH) 66 26.06
Sen. Mikulski (D-MD) 67 25.75
Sen. Obama (D-IL) 68 25.68
Sen. Nelson (D-FL) 69 25.50
Sen. Voinovich (R-OH) 70 25.12
Sen. Akaka (D-HI) 71 24.67
Sen. Talent (R-MO) 72 24.65
Sen. Sarbanes (D-MD) 73 24.50
Sen. Coleman (R-MN) 74 23.81
Sen. Jeffords (I-VT) 75 23.50
Sen. Johnson (D-SD) 76 23.50
Sen. Coburn (R-OK) 77 22.81
Sen. Vitter (R-LA) 78 22.31
Sen. Wyden (D-OR) 79 22.16
Sen. Thune (R-SD) 80 22.00
Sen. Alexander (R-TN) 81 21.44
Sen. Feingold (D-WI) 82 21.06
Sen. Reed (D-RI) 83 19.75
Sen. Isakson (R-GA) 84 19.50
Sen. Martinez (R-FL) 84 19.50
Sen. Chafee (R-RI) 86 18.67
Sen. Murkowski (R-AK) 87 18.57
Sen. Nelson (D-NE) 88 18.06
Sen. Bayh (D-IN) 89 16.37
Sen. Salazar (D-CO) 90 16.31
Sen. Dayton (D-MN) 91 15.75
Sen. Lincoln (D-AR) 92 14.50
Sen. Cantwell (D-WA) 93 14.25
Sen. Burr (R-NC) 94 14.00
Sen. Stabenow (D-MI) 95 12.50
Sen. Carper (D-DE) 96 12.50
Sen. Lautenberg (D-NJ) 97 11.50
Sen. Pryor (D-AR) 98 11.50
Sen. DeMint (R-SC) 99 11.00


This is a little difficult see without the table formatting, but the number right next to the name is the rank and the power and effectiveness score.

The results are also posted for the House.

[TayTay]

1. These are about right

Except for Sen. Clinton who is ranked too high for a first term Senator.

The Democrats are not in the majority and do not have the subpeona power that goes with that. Sen. Kerry has a Ranking Dem position on the Small Business Committee, but he doesn't have a Ranking designation on any other full committees. (He will move up next year because Sen. Sarbanes is retiring. He becomes 3rd ranking Demon SFRC, after Sens Biden and Dodd.)

This is not a popularity contest, it's just committee rankings.

[_dynamicdems]

3. EXACTLY! This illustrates why it has been so difficult to get anything

progressive passed. Everyone wants to rag on the Democrats for not doing enough, but this clearly shows who has the power in the Senate. What really disgusts me is that McCain and Santorum are doing so well? That is just wrong.

[ginnyinWI]

2. Kohl more than Kerry? No way.

I mean, Kohl is practically invisible, even to Wisconsinites. Humph.

[_dynamicdems]

5. Invisible but I'll bet he capitulates like hell. ::sigh:: n/t

[ProSense]

4. This is such BS!

First the AP article:

The famous not always the powerful in Washington
McCain ranks 3rd among senators; Sen. Clinton 41st

Tuesday, May 16, 2006; Posted: 3:01 p.m. EDT (19:01 GMT)

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The best known members of Congress aren't necessarily the most powerful.

The Democrats' last presidential candidate, Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry, for example, is ranked 61st in terms of clout among the Senate's 100 members, according to a new analysis.

A much junior colleague and likely competitor for the party's White House nomination in 2008, New York Sen. and former first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton, ranks 41st.

Both are well behind lesser known Republican Reps. Jerry Lewis of California and Don Young of Alaska, respectively chairmen of the House Appropriations and Transportation committees and listed as the third and fourth most powerful House members.

The survey, which ranks every member of Congress based on very Washington wonk criteria -- committee and leadership positions, political influence and legislative activity -- puts Republican John McCain of Arizona as the third most powerful senator.

more...

http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/05/16/congress.thepowerful.ap/index.html?section=cnn_latest

Does it matter that the Democrats are not the majority (mentioned nowhere in the story). If they were, where would the GOP members be? All the committees would be chaired by Democrats.
Power Rankings Background

Power Rankings Criteria

Our project team identified 15 characteristics of power. These characteristics were then measured and weighted to determine the relative power demonstrated by Members of Congress in 2005. We grouped those characteristics into three broad categories.

1) Position: How much power could the legislator wield through his/her position in the Congress by virtue of tenure, committee assignments or leadership position? This Power Category included weightings for all committees, subcommittees, and leadership positions, taking into consideration majority or minority party status of the member.

2) Influence: How much power did the legislator demonstrate to influence the congressional agenda or outcome of votes through the media, congressional caucuses or money contributed to other Members of Congress by his or her campaign committees or leadership PACs?

3) Legislative Activity: How much power did the legislator demonstrate through the passage of legislation or shaping legislation through amendments? The team eliminated from that data items which did not substantially change the bill or existing law. These included amendments dealing with technical changes or bills of a ceremonial or commemorative nature such as naming of post offices or other public buildings, or non-binding resolutions that expressed the "sense of the Congress."

http://www.congress.org/congressorg/power_rankings/backgrounder.tt

Power (check out the caveat on Kerry's): General Factors Affecting This Member's Score:
• Long tenure or years in office in Congress can provide clout
• Ranking member of a committee or subcommittee
• Contributes significant campaign funds to colleagues, translating into influence
• Successfully amended one or more bills on the floor of the House or Senate
• Member lost power points due to he/she running for higher office, which usually translates into reduced resources and ability to exercise power in the legislative process (In 2005?)

http://www.congress.org/congressorg/power_rankings/power_card.tt?id=298


Influence: Biden (36, the same as Clinton) has a higher score here than Kerry (8). And Kerry has a higher position ranking than each of them.

On legislation Kerry and Clinton are 54 and 55

[_dynamicdems]

6. You hit the nail on the head!

>>Does it matter that the Democrats are not the majority (mentioned nowhere in the story). If they were, where would the GOP members be? All the committees would be chaired by Democrats.

They have a stranglehold on Congress being the majority party in both the House, the Senate and the Administration!

They control everything. That has to be a huge factor.

[ProSense]

7. Also on the legislative side,

if the measure is bills passed, then most Democrats are voting against the GOP bills and the GOP is voting down amendments by Democrats. So the higher up on the list you are in 2005 more likely (not always) means a vote with the GOP.