Maine Representatives Have Little Power, Ranking Says
Congress.org
Bangor Daily News
Lauren Smith
Boston University Washington News Service
11/1/06
WASHINGTON, Nov 1 – A ranking of the most powerful and effective members of Congress has placed Maine Democratic Reps. Michael Michaud and Thomas Allen in the bottom 10 percent of the House.
Allen placed 397th and Michaud 414th, out of 437, according to Congress.org, a non-partisan service of Capitol Advantage, a company that specializes in facilitating civic participation. The rankings, announced Monday, were based on 20 criteria that demonstrated power and the ability to be effective in Congress, according to the Web site of Congress.org.
But the Maine lawmakers’ low rankings could change next week if the Democrats gain the 15 seats they need to take control the House.
If that happens, Michaud would be bumped up 101 places and Allen would skyrocket 215 places, reported Congress.org.
“The primary consideration has to be whether you’re in the majority or not, so after Nov. 7, I expect to be in the majority, and that would be a big leap,” Allen said.
The Maine representatives’ weak rankings are a result of a number of factors. The number of years in Congress drives assignment to key committees and eventually status as chairperson or senior minority member. Michaud, although the senior Democrat on the Health subcommittee of the Veterans’ Affairs Committee, is only in his second term.
Both representatives also have low rankings because of their party’s minority status.
“Rep. Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.), Rep. John Boehner (R-Ohio) and Rep. Thomas Reynolds (R-NY) {who rank at the top of the House list] are very powerful people,” Allen said. “But what they’ve done with that power is to help the pharmaceutical industry, the insurance industry, the oil industry, and the coal industry take in billions of dollars. They haven’t served the interests of middle-income Americans.”
The rankings were created by a team of academic experts and congressional staff that sifted through thousands of media articles and amendments and hundreds of bills and campaign contributions, according to the Web site of Congress.org.
The team created a “Sizzle/Fizzle” factor that accounts for variables that are harder to measure, such as a legislator’s unique background (Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz.), newfound popularity (Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill.) or diminished power due to scandal (Rep. Bob Ney, R-Ohio).
The ranking did not take into account members’ ability to steer federal funds to their states through the appropriations process (also known as earmarking), their effectiveness in assisting constituents in their states and districts, or their visibility in their home states. While these variables are crucial to members’ reelection and important to their constituents, they are hard to measure and rarely contribute to power in the House or Senate, according to Congress.org.
“If they ignore helping your constituents and getting money for the state, it’s clearly lopped off a significant part of the job of being a congressman,” Allen said.
Michaud was traveling and unavailable for comment, but his press secretary, Monica Castellanos, agreed with Allen, pointing to the transportation reauthorization bill that provided $48 million for Maine’s 2nd.
In the 100-member Senate, Maine’s Sen. Susan Collins ranked 42nd, while senior Sen. Olympia J. Snowe was positioned 14 places behind her in 56th.
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