States With the Best/Worst Senate/House Delegations

[Q]

Which state do you think has the best Senate delegation?  The worst?  The best House delegation?  The worst?

I think some of these might have been asked before, but here they are all in one place.  Feel free to list more than one for each category.

I thought this would be a better index than merely the best and worst Senators and Representatives.

My vote:

Best Senate
1. Oregon
2. North Dakota
3. Maine
4. Rhode Island

Worst Senate
1. Oklahoma
2. Kentucky
3. Alaska
Chambliss and DeMint make Georgia and South Carolina candidates, but Isakson and Graham help to redeem them.

Best House
1. Delaware
2. New Hampshire
3. the Dakotas
4. California
I guess small states have an advantage - they don't generally elect any extremists (Vermont obviously excluded).  California has a lot of good people on both sides of the aisle (and with 53 of them, there are easliy enough good ones to outweigh such unsavory types as Pelosi, Dreier, and Duke).

Worst House
1. Texas (nuts from the left and the right - a rare distinction)
2. New Jersey (obviously)
3. Wyoming (the sole Representative needs to actually do some representing)

[Emsworth]

I guess small states have an advantage - they don't generally elect any extremists (Vermont obviously excluded).  California has a lot of good people on both sides of the aisle (and with 53 of them, there are easliy enough good ones to outweigh such unsavory types as Pelosi, Dreier, and Duke).

One can't really outweigh Maxine Waters, Pete Stark, Duke Cunningham, Nancy Pelosi, and the like.

[A18]

Best Senate - New Hampshire
Best House - California

Worst Senate - Massachusetts
Worst House - Massachusetts

[Sarnstrom]

Best Senate:
1. Wisconsin
2. Massachusetts
3. Illinois

Worst Senate:
1. Mississippi
2. Oklahoma
3. Kentucky

Best House:
1. Massachusetts
2. Maryland
3. Hawaii

Worst House:
1. Florida
2. Wyoming
3. Michigan

[nini2287]

Best Senate (no particular order):
Maine
Rhode Island
Oregon
North Dakota
Nebraska
Indiana

Worst Senate (no particular order):
Massachusetts
Oklahoma
Kentucky
New Jersey

Best House:
Delaware
Connecticut
New Mexico

Worst House:
Texas
Ohio
Florida

[TheresNoMoney]

Best Senate:
Illinois
Wisconsin
California
New York
Maine

Worst Senate:
Oklahoma
Georgia
Alabama
Texas
Kentucky

[Emsworth]

Best Senate: Maine, New Hampshire
Worst Senate: California, Kentucky

Best House: Delaware, New Hampshire
Worst House: New Jersey, Texas

[TheresNoMoney]

The New Hampshire Senators and Congressmen suck.

Gregg and Sununu are tools of the extreme right-wing. Jeb Bradley is a Tom Delay rubber stamp. Charlie Bass is the only halfway mediocre one of the four, and he is even pretty awful.

[Q]

I guess small states have an advantage - they don't generally elect any extremists (Vermont obviously excluded).  California has a lot of good people on both sides of the aisle (and with 53 of them, there are easliy enough good ones to outweigh such unsavory types as Pelosi, Dreier, and Duke).

One can't really outweigh Maxine Waters, Pete Stark, Duke Cunningham, Nancy Pelosi, and the like.

Haha, perhaps .  I forgot about Waters (and by "Duke," I meant Cunningham - maybe I was thinking of David Duke or something), but with 45+ decent or mostly-decent Reps, the ratio of good to bad is still much higher than most states.

[TheresNoMoney]

I guess small states have an advantage - they don't generally elect any extremists (Vermont obviously excluded). 

Bernie Sanders is beloved by the people of Vermont because he represents their best economic and social interests. He is truly a champion of the people. He will win Jeffords' Senate seat in 2006 by a very large margin because the people trust him and know he is on their side.

I wish he was my representative.

[AuH2O]

Best overall delegation: Oklahoma.

Worse: Mass.

[socaldem]

I guess small states have an advantage - they don't generally elect any extremists (Vermont obviously excluded).  California has a lot of good people on both sides of the aisle (and with 53 of them, there are easliy enough good ones to outweigh such unsavory types as Pelosi, Dreier, and Duke).

One can't really outweigh Maxine Waters, Pete Stark, Duke Cunningham, Nancy Pelosi, and the like.

Haha, perhaps .  I forgot about Waters (and by "Duke," I meant Cunningham - maybe I was thinking of David Duke or something), but with 45+ decent or mostly-decent Reps, the ratio of good to bad is still much higher than most states.

I'd like to know who from the CA delegation you have in mind as the outstanidng members.... I like quite a few of them, but then I'm probably well to the left of you...

Why does everyone hate NJ so?   Sure, Ferguson sucks, as does Garrett, but the rest of the Republicans aren't bad at all as far as Republicans go...  On the Dem side, there's Rush Holt who I like a lot, and Rothman, who strikes me as a pretty unoffensive guy.  Are Andrews, Pallone, Menendez, and Payne that bad?  And I think Corzine's a good guy...

I also don't get the criticism of Texas as a bunch of extremists...perhaps that is true today, but before 2004, Texas had a wealth of solid Dem representation and they still have ol' Chet Edwards and a bunch of relatively moderate South Texan hispanic representation...

[tarheel-leftist85]

Best:  Arkansas
Worst:  Ohio (cry-baby Republicans who care only about abolishing the "Death Tax")

[jokerman]

Best in House and Senate: Arkansas.  I'm not biased, but we have some great Senators and Representatives.

Worst: hmm, maybe New Hampshire

[WalterMitty]

Best in House and Senate: Arkansas.  I'm not biased, but we have some great Senators and Representatives.

Worst: hmm, maybe New Hampshire

but remember, senator lincoln wont reurn your father's phone calls.

best senate:
maine
nc
nh

worst senate:
wv
mi

best house
theyre all pretty bad

worst house:
wv
mass

[Q]

I'd like to know who from the CA delegation you have in mind as the outstanidng members.... I like quite a few of them, but then I'm probably well to the left of you...
Why does everyone hate NJ so?   Sure, Ferguson sucks, as does Garrett, but the rest of the Republicans aren't bad at all as far as Republicans go...  On the Dem side, there's Rush Holt who I like a lot, and Rothman, who strikes me as a pretty unoffensive guy.  Are Andrews, Pallone, Menendez, and Payne that bad?  And I think Corzine's a good guy...
I also don't get the criticism of Texas as a bunch of extremists...perhaps that is true today, but before 2004, Texas had a wealth of solid Dem representation and they still have ol' Chet Edwards and a bunch of relatively moderate South Texan hispanic representation...

When I refer to best and worst politicians, I think of that as a combination both of policy positions as well as the general feeling that person gives me.  Someone with great policy positions who is rabidly partisan and a propagandist cannot win my favor; likewise someone with whom I disagree on many issues but who is a wise statesman(or woman) of both humility and leadership qualities is someone I will respect.

A few months ago, in an act borne out of extreme boredom, I looked at the websites of almost every member of the current Congress.  I just remember being impressed with Western members of Congress so much more than their Southern counterparts.  They seem a lot more consensus-driven, rather than those who focus on the divisive social issues that I think the government has no business in anyway.  I guess the Californians and other Westerners just seem less ideological and more practical.

New Jersey politicians just seem dirty to me.  I suppose it's somewhat irrational.  But nonetheless, no New Jerseyian in Congress strikes me as a model of conviction.

And on Texas, I think of Delay and Jackson-Lee on their respective sides.  People like Lloyd Doggett and Chet Edwards are great, but then there's that slew of something like 7 new Republican Reps, most of whom were only elected due to the letter after their name.  Unsavory.

[nclib]

Best Senate (in no order):

Mass.
Vt.
Ill.
N.Y.

Worst Senate (in no order)

Okla.
Idaho
Wyo.
Kans.

Best House

Mass
Vt.
N.Y.
Md.

Worst House

Texas
Okla.
Ky.
Wyo.

[Q]

I guess small states have an advantage - they don't generally elect any extremists (Vermont obviously excluded). 

Bernie Sanders is beloved by the people of Vermont because he represents their best economic and social interests. He is truly a champion of the people. He will win Jeffords' Senate seat in 2006 by a very large margin because the people trust him and know he is on their side.

I wish he was my representative.

Oh, I don't doubt that at all.  Sanders seems to be right-on for Vermont, but still, he's an extremist, no matter how you look at it.  He'll be a good Senator for VT even still.

[Ben Meyers]

Best Senate: Nebraska
Worst Senate: Mass.

Best House: Florida
Worst House: Wyoming

[TeePee4Prez]

Best Senate: Illinois, Vermont
Worst Senate: South Carolina, Oklahoma

Best House: Massachusetts, California
Worst House: Ohio (minus Sherrod Brown, Marcy Kaptur, and Tim Ryan), Idaho

[socaldem]

Best Senate: Illinois, Vermont
Worst Senate: South Carolina, Oklahoma

Best House: Massachusetts, California
Worst House: Ohio (minus Sherrod Brown, Marcy Kaptur, and Tim Ryan), Idaho

What about Ted Strickland? 

[TeePee4Prez]

Best Senate: Illinois, Vermont
Worst Senate: South Carolina, Oklahoma

Best House: Massachusetts, California
Worst House: Ohio (minus Sherrod Brown, Marcy Kaptur, and Tim Ryan), Idaho

What about Ted Strickland? 

Forgot about him.  I may also add Maryland to the best House.

[socaldem]

I'd like to know who from the CA delegation you have in mind as the outstanidng members.... I like quite a few of them, but then I'm probably well to the left of you...
Why does everyone hate NJ so?   Sure, Ferguson sucks, as does Garrett, but the rest of the Republicans aren't bad at all as far as Republicans go...  On the Dem side, there's Rush Holt who I like a lot, and Rothman, who strikes me as a pretty unoffensive guy.  Are Andrews, Pallone, Menendez, and Payne that bad?  And I think Corzine's a good guy...
I also don't get the criticism of Texas as a bunch of extremists...perhaps that is true today, but before 2004, Texas had a wealth of solid Dem representation and they still have ol' Chet Edwards and a bunch of relatively moderate South Texan hispanic representation...

When I refer to best and worst politicians, I think of that as a combination both of policy positions as well as the general feeling that person gives me.  Someone with great policy positions who is rabidly partisan and a propagandist cannot win my favor; likewise someone with whom I disagree on many issues but who is a wise statesman(or woman) of both humility and leadership qualities is someone I will respect.

A few months ago, in an act borne out of extreme boredom, I looked at the websites of almost every member of the current Congress.  I just remember being impressed with Western members of Congress so much more than their Southern counterparts.  They seem a lot more consensus-driven, rather than those who focus on the divisive social issues that I think the government has no business in anyway.  I guess the Californians and other Westerners just seem less ideological and more practical.

New Jersey politicians just seem dirty to me.  I suppose it's somewhat irrational.  But nonetheless, no New Jerseyian in Congress strikes me as a model of conviction.

And on Texas, I think of Delay and Jackson-Lee on their respective sides.  People like Lloyd Doggett and Chet Edwards are great, but then there's that slew of something like 7 new Republican Reps, most of whom were only elected due to the letter after their name.  Unsavory.

Well, I suppose I'll have to agree with you on Texas... I still think Rush Holt of NJ is a good guy...

I do think California has some good representation in the House.... Los Angeles' Dem Reps. Waxman, Berman, Watson, Becerra, Harman, Schiff, Napolitano, and Roybal-Allard are all pretty good...  I like Loretta Sanchez, though others find her controversial, but I don't know about her sister.   Waters, though, is something else, and Millender-McDonald is kinda do-nothing.  Dreier is definitely effective, though I don't like him because he's rules chairman which means I hold him responsible for a lot of the crap going on in the congress.  Bakersfield's Bill Thomas is also definitely a good congressman, though grouchy, who I'd like to see, nevertheless, playing for the opposite team as a ranking minority member of important committees.  I can do without some of Orange county Republicans.  

Other stand-ups include Lois Capps, Tom Lantos, Ellen Tauscher, Matsui (both Bob and the new congresswoman), Eshoo, and Susan Davis...  and I kinda like Pelosi, though not as a party leader...

We could, however, do without Berkeley's Representative, ol' Duke Cunningham, Richard Pombo, and Pete Stark...

[No One]

Best Senate: LA, GA, ID, TX, MO
Best House: PA (even better without Schwartz and Fattah), OH, LA, GA, SC

Worst Senate: NY, NJ, MA, VT, CA
Worse House: SD, MD, WA, HI, MA

[TeePee4Prez]

Best Senate: LA, GA, ID, TX, MO
Best House: PA (even better without Schwartz and Fattah), OH, LA, GA, SC

Worst Senate: NY, NJ, MA, VT, CA
Worse House: SD, MD, WA, HI, MA

PA isn't quite my worst, but close to it even with Schwartz and Fattah.  SD maybe one of my best.  Stephanie Herseth is SOOOOOO HOT!