WASHINGTON -- And the most conservative senator is ... Jim Bunning? Guess again.
It's Mitch McConnell, according to National Journal, a weekly publication based in Washington.
Actually, McConnell shares the title with three of his fellow Republicans -- Jon Kyl of Arizona, Don Nickles of Oklahoma and Craig Thomas of Wyoming. The four tied for most conservative senator in the latest congressional rankings published by National Journal.
Bunning, who ranked third last year and was thought by some to be the frontrunner for the top spot this year, fell out of the top 10 and tumbled all the way down to No. 25.
Bunning's staff laughed off his free-fall in the rankings, saying the Southgate Republican is just as conservative now as he has always been.
"He never claimed to be No. 1 on the most conservative list," said Bunning spokesman Mike Reynard. "When he sits down to vote, he votes on the issues that are most important to Kentucky. I don't think he sits down and reads National Journal and tries to figure out whether he's going to be on top of the list or not."
National Journal, which has been evaluating the conservative and liberal records of Congress members since 1981, compiled the list by analyzing congressional voting records for 2002.
The publication looked at 55 Senate votes that related to economic, social and foreign policy. The votes then were put through a statistical analysis to determine each senator's score.
The most liberal senator was the late Paul Wellstone of Minnesota, a Democrat who was killed just before the November general election.
Ohio's two Republican senators -- Mike DeWine of Cedarville and George Voinovich of Cleveland -- were listed among those near the ideological center of the political spectrum.
J. Michael Thomson, an associate professor of political science at Northern Kentucky University, said the ratings reflect a snapshot of how Bunning voted last year rather than a shift in his political values.
"A series of votes on two or three issues could turn these rankings," Thomson said.
"Jim might have voted time and time again as a fiscal conservative.
"But if you put a measure out there that is going to help Kentucky tobacco farmers, maybe he's going to be more pro-federal government aid because that is an issue important for Kentucky."
Btw, I live right next to Corrine Brown's district. Since she is a registered member of the democratic socialists, you can see why I am willing to accept Aner Crenshaw as my rep. in congress. My senators are journaling Bob Graham and Space Cadet Nelson- oohh if he could only be washed up on a desert isle with Barbara Eden for a few years...
