National Journal has ranked all the members of Congress on a conservative-to-liberal scale. They aren’t releasing their full results until tomorrow, but they have presented, as a teaser, a list of the 15 most conservative senators in the second session of the 112th Congress (2011-2012). Surprisingly, Idaho Senator Jim Risch tops their list (you can see their methodology here). But what’s also interesting is how non-enduring this group seems to be.
Jim DeMint of South Carolina (3rd most conservative) and Jon Kyl of Arizona (tied for 15th) have already retired, while Saxby Chambliss of Georgia (11th) recently announced his retirement at the end of this Congress. Then there is a group of freshmen who seem very vulnerable. Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania (4th) is totally out of step with his home state, and I think you can say much the same about Ron Johnson of Wisconsin (5th). Will either of these blue-staters be able to survive in 2016, a presidential election year? Rand Paul of Kentucky (6th) might actually benefit from 2016 being an election year, but he will probably be distracted by his own presidential campaign. He’s a divisive figure even in his own party, and his reelection is no certainty.
Then we get to the older generation. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky (tied for 15th) will face the electorate in 2014, as the least popular senator in the country. By election day, he will have served nearly 30 years in the upper chamber. Even if he wins, it will almost definitely be his last term.
Aaron Blake reported in the Washington Post yesterday that Mike Enzi of Wyoming (8th) and Jim Inhofe of Oklahoma (14th) are among the most likely senators to retire rather than seek reelection. Don’t celebrate Enzi’s departure, however, because his likely replacement is Liz Cheney (God help us).
Mr. Blake might have added Orrin Hatch of Utah (10th) and Tom Coburn of Oklahoma (12th) to the list. Senator Hatch is about to turn 79 and he will be 84 by the time he has to face the voters again. He entered the Senate in 1977. He is, in fact, the only surprise on this list. His colleague Bob Bennett was defeated in a Republican convention (not a primary) and it evidently scared Hatch enough about a challenge to his own reelection last year that he turned himself into the Second Coming of Attila the Hun.
Meanwhile, Senator Coburn recently said that he has an attitude problem and that he no longer even wants to go to work. He’s in his second term after having promised to only serve one, and in 2010 he told Fox News Sunday that “no way, no how” would he seek reelection in 2016.
Mike Crapo of Idaho (9th) and David Vitter of Louisiana (13th) have both endured serious scandals. Sen. Vitter, we learned, likes to dress up in diapers when he visits prostitutes. Somehow, he survived that. Maybe he will be around for a while, but some sources say that he will “definitely” run for governor in 2015. Considering that he and the outgoing governor (who will probably be running for president) can barely stand each other, things should get interesting in the Bayou State.
Senator Crapo was recently disgraced by a DWI arrest, made more significant because Crapo is a leader in the Mormon Church. He may be challenged or simply go away quietly.
Number two on this list is John Cornyn of Texas. He just turned 61 and he probably will be in the Senate until the demographics of his state overwhelm him in the latter part of the next decade.
From the list, that leaves only Mike Lee of Utah (7th, and also a Mormon) as someone who will almost definitely be annoying us in the Senate for years to come. He’s in his first term; he’s only 41 years old, and he comes from a state that probably won’t consider electing a Democrat any time soon.
When these folks leave office, their replacements may be even worse, but let’s try to hold out hope that we’ll make some progress.
Jeebus, what an appalling catalogue of clowns and jesters.
Other than Orrin (who used to pretend to be an actual senator) what has ANY of these “conservative” imbeciles ever accomplished after (often decades) in the senate? Perhaps they snuck some amendment allowing guns in national parks into a farm appropriations bill. Posterboy of these faceless do-nothings is Addison M. McConnell, who in 30 years has done what? He voted for some imperial oil wars, I suppose, some financial deregulation schemes of others, gotta grant him that….
But basically, these pompous DC dunderheads have sat in fucking sinecures granted to them by their home state boobs. No results required. No problems alleviated. I guess the idea is that Traditional American “conservatives” are happy with “senators” who do nothing but blather braindead BS. “Saddam’s Weapons of Mass Destruction!”, “Tax cuts raise revenues!”, “Greatest Hoax Evah!”, “The Gub’mint’s the problem!”, etc, etc., ad nauseum…
Our Noble Conservatives, an absolute blight upon the nation.
Hatxch’s main legacy may turn out to be that he recommended Ruth Bader Ginsburg to Clinton as a nominee the Republicans could support to the Supreme Court. I always wondered why his wingnut opponent didn’t use that during the primary.
One of the nasty effects of polarization, people will vote in whatever piece of crap is not the dreaded “other”… happened with dixie democrats too…
It just hit me that “Jeebus” is actually the same as what we used to spell “Jeepers”. As in “Jeepers creepers, where’d ya get those peepers?” (Translation:
“Jeebus creebus, where’d ya get those peebus?”)
Add in the fact that power in the Senate still depends heavily on seniority, and the future looks even more bleak for conservative Republicans.
Yes and no.
The fifteen least conservative Republican senators are still pretty damn conservative. Tomorrow, we’ll learn who is on NJ’s list, but after the first three or so, they’re very conservative.
And consider that Bob Corker, who was elected only six years ago, is already the Ranking Member on Foreign Relations.
Rubio, in trying to make a name for himself really did miss a turning point opportunity. This weekend, instead of calling the President’s immigration reform ideas DOA, he could have given himself more creds by simply saying, ‘it’s about time you came on board with our plan Mr. President’. Now Rubio, the up and comer, finds himself denying elements of his own plan and the better elements belong to Obama.
So as the torch of missed opportunities passes, the new generation is poised to miss yet again.
Senator Hatch is about to turn 79 and he will be 84 by the time he has to face the voters again. He entered the Senate in 1977.
Running on a platform of accusing his opponent of having been in the Senate too long. Some of us still remember “18 years is long enough,” Mr. Hatch.
They don’t make Republican senators like Pete Domenici anymore.
You mean the kind that knock-up the daughters of colleagues?
Then ignores the kid for 30 years to save his gawd-damned political career?
Not really OT, this is one of the most important stories I’ve seen in a long time:
http://www.politico.com/story/2013/02/koch-world-reboots-87834_Page2.html
I read “robots” instead of “reboots” and was expecting a completely different kind of story!
My youngest is doing a science and math camp and has been coming home every day talking about the lego robots they are building so I must have robots on my mind.
The actual story was interesting too and I am greatly relieved that the Koch brothers are not developing AI robot overlords. I would have had to really expand my daily workout routine to prepare for that!
I don’t think even robots would help at this time. They are trying to figure out a better way to sell something to America that America doesn’t want. Seocnd, they are now ona head-on collision course with their one-time buddy KArl Rove, who represents “the establishment”. Their solution is to be sneakier about it all. But they’ve already been plenty sneaky (for example, ALEC) and we’re on to them. So good luck with those robots, guys.
Ahhh … the wingnut teatard vs wall street corporate owned GOper collision continues.