AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid speaks to reporters on Capitol Hill in Washington, July 15, 2014. Reid said Monday, Aug. 18, that he won’t be spending time — or money — assisting the campaign of Nevada Democratic gubernatorial candidate Bob Goodman.
Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2014 | 1:06 p.m.
Congress can be a lot like high school.
There are the popular kids (often the lawmakers in front of TV cameras), the hanger-oners (often the lobbyists trying to befriend said lawmakers) the nerds (often the policy-wonk staffers) and the misfits (often the journalists trying to keep up with it all).
So it's no surprise that Washington, D.C., is obsessed with rankings beyond poll numbers and money raised. There's the 50 Most Beautiful in Congress list produced every year by Capitol Hill newspaper, The Hill. Another Capitol Hill newspaper, CQ Roll Call, also annually ranks the 50 richest members of Congress.
And, of course, there are superlatives. Every two years since 1986, Washingtonian Magazine has surveyed Capitol Hill staffers for the best and worst lawmakers at a variety of verbs: dressing, talking, working, looking good, getting on TV.
Nevada Democrat Harry Reid tops the charts for some of the most unflattering superlatives. In the 2014 ranking that came out today, staffers ranked the Senate majority leader as "one of the two meanest senators," "worst speaker" and "most partisan" in the Senate.
While harsh, the titles come as no surprise to many on the Hill.
As all reporters who strain to hear him speak in press conferences know, Reid is a mumbler with a soft voice. He's often self-deprecating about it; he once openly wished on the Senate floor he had the deep baritone of Senate Chaplain Barry Black.
As for the other two superlatives, Washingtonian Magazine staff point out that being partisan and caustic is probably part of Reid's job running the Senate legislative calendar.
"Herding 100 nearly evenly split, millionaire egomaniacs isn't patty-cake, after all," the magazine writes.
No other member of Nevada's six-member congressional delegation made the list. But one of Reid's staffers, 23-year-old Las Vegas native Devron Brown, did make the Hill's 50 Most Beautiful this year.
See? Just like high school.
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