Announcing the 62 Project
I am El Somnambulo, and I’m a listaholic.
Today I announce The 62 Project, which will ultimately yield my rankings of legislators from 1 to 62.
However, I intend for it to be much more than just a list. I will write a selective bio, some brief, some lengthy, on each state legislator. I want to give people who don’t really know the legislators that well the opportunity to know them better. For better or worse.
I also don’t want this to be just a snarkfest, although, to put it mildly, THERE WILL BE SNARK. Lots of it. Hey, can’t help myself.
So, how have I ranked the legislators? It’s based on several factors, the first among equals being effective legislating on behalf of the progressive cause. I look at their bill sponsorship, but focus on their priorities. Dutiful sponsorship of administration bills falls below effectively pushing for reforms on their own. I look at their voting records and public statements. I look at how effectively they’ve influenced progressive priorities. I look at how they’ve evolved or devolved as legislators. And I’ll write about all that.
I have rated legislators based on their entire careers, with more weight being given to their most recent performance. This means that new legislators are more likely to be clustered near the middle of the pack, although there are a few exceptions on both sides of the equation.
Once we’ve ranked the legislators, we can change the rankings as circumstances require. For example, had I done this a year ago, the rankings would have been different. Issues like gay marriage, gun control, minimum wage, and charter schools, among others, have, and will, continue to impact the rankings.
In order to build suspense and, of course, outrage, I will start in the middle of the pack and move to the highs and lows.
This is not a scientific methodology. But I’m trying to make this as objective as possible, recognizing my extreme subjectivity.
I’ve ordered the legislators in groups right now. There are only eight out of 62 that I currently rank as ones, the top. There are quite a few 4’s, but only three are currently vying for #62.
The order is not set in stone yet, although several of the bios have been written. Now’s your chance to try and influence my rankings. I’ll start the rankings next week at the latest, and will probably do 2-3 a day. My goal is to finish before the General Assembly resumes in January.
You have been warned. Let me know who you think belongs near the top or bottom of my list.
Tags: Delaware General Assembly, El Somnambulo, Featured, Steve Tanzer Delaware
I would hope that Baumbach and Townsend rank high in the middle of the pack as new legislators. I would also hope that you rank Rep. Bennett based on her performance as a legislator, and not based on her personal life.
Well that sounds like a public service. Thank you for the research and work behind this. It sounds like from my perspective 62 is best and 1 is worst. 🙂 I look forward to this product.
Well of course it would be. In fact 62 may actually be much too moderate for you, but there are only 62 of them, so it’s a closed set. As for my perspective, I’ll would take the mid 30’s but I’ll server judgment until I see the criteria, weighting, and decision technique (pair wise, et al) that is used to derive the list.
One more criteria I forgot to mention. Is the senator/rep ahead of, or behind, the progressive curve in their district? In other words, someone representing a progressive district who is not at least even with the district’s perspective may be graded lower than a legislator from a more conservative district, but who is more progressive than the district itself.
It’s tricky stuff, and there’s no way I get it completely right. But at least I’ll explain my reasoning, and then we can take it from there.
I will say this. My initial list surprises me in a number of ways. I’ll surely go back over everything several times until I feel totally comfortable with it.
Senator Bushweller should be high on the list, he truly is a champion for his district!
I don’t know if I would say champion, but I will say Senator Bushweller is a very good man. I have a great deal of respect for him. I wish that I could win him over. He is smart, hardworking and dilligent. As far as progressives go, he is okay. His voting record is not to my taste, but should be to yours so I would be shocked if he wasn’t rated very highly. People like Brian Bushweller are what politics should be about. Integrity, public service, working for the people as you best understand it are not just buzzwords for him. Politics should be about the clash of ideas not about stuff like your NCC races.
If being publicly identified as “more progressive than their district” is one of the criteria, some legislators may hope to score poorly.
Will you update these before the 2014 elections? Based on 2014 votes and legislation?
Anyone who voted against or abstained voting on any or all of the following items should drop to the bottom of the list:
gay and lesbian marriage, payday lending reform, Senate Bill 16 (notify law enforcement if a firearm was lost or stolen), Mental health gun bill
I am sure the readers could add to the list
Anon: Once the initial list is posted, yes, we’ll change it as events unfold. Keeping in mind, however, that the list reflects one’s career. Meaning that there’s likely to be more volatility with newer legislators since we don’t have as much to go on.
Paul: Clearly votes for progressive issues during the 2013 session is at the top of the list. However, when one considers a legislator’s entire career, they may not necessarily take precedence over what has come before.
As to who belongs at the bottom of the list, I feel REAL good about those choices…think most of you will as well.
It’s the ones in the middle that I’m still moving around.
FWIW, I haven’t yet specifically checked roll calls on all the bills that you listed, but I will revisit those and others before the list is finalized.
El S wrote:
Not that I would expect any claims to be unbiased here — the site is called the Delaware Liberal, after all — but shouldn’t a conservative legislator representing a conservative district, being in tune with the people he represents, be ranked higher than a liberal legislator representing a more conservative district?
Dana,
The sort of rating you’re seeking would more likely be found on the Delaware Reactionary website.
Asked: Dana.
Answered: Mediawatch.
I’m a progressive. Our blog generally supports progressive principles.
‘Nuff said.
So, El S, what you are saying is that a legislator who does not represent the views of his constituents would be ranked as a better legislator than one who does, as long as the first legislator is a “progressive?”
Do conservative voters not have any rights as far as you are concerned?
They have the right to vote for those troglodytes.
I, as a progressive, have a right to rate them where I think they belong.
Dana says: “Do conservative voters not have any rights as far as you are concerned?”
Hello? Delaware Liberal!
(This really isn’t complicated.)
Oh El, I just LOVE when you do these things 🙂 !!!
Dana says: “Do conservative voters not have any rights as far as you are concerned?”
My God, you people really do enjoy your victim complex, don’t you? And at the same time, you think you are entitled to everything. Even on a liberal website, that goes by the name Delaware Liberal, you demand that your extreme and radical conservative ideology be given priority.
And to answer your question, conservative voters have rights. And those rights are not infringed by anything we do here. Grow up, you petulant baby.
Bushweller and Bennett and Hall Long all surprised me this term, or at least stood up on principle in difficult (for them) votes. That should be recognized.
Townsend and Baumbach are both Co-Rookies of the Year. And very nearly both Co-MVPs of the Year. Yes, they both should rank very high. Top 5.
I agree with Del Dem, they both stood up to the false promises of fake charter reform which took courage given the spineless D caucus.
Del Dem, without giving anything away, remember that this list is career-based. And I agree with you re Townsend and Baumbach (and one more rookie who is being overlooked).
Meaning, the annual Top 10 Contributors to the Liberal Cause list, that might be a little different than this one…
Having said that, you’ll just have to wait. I may drop hints along the way, though, just for fun.
Bushweller? Progressive? Are you kidding me? The insurers own him. I couldn’t figure out if he had a really crappy memory (early Alzheimer’s???) or was so in the health insurance pocket, that he introduced bills that he agreed to hold, was antagonistic to constituents, and only passed bills that Highmark gave the nod in hearings.