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Friday, Dec 11, 2009 5:38 PM UTC

Insiders want to “mute” Lieberman, Bachmann, Kucinich

A poll of members of Congress and strategists reveals who some want to shut up

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Topics: Dennis Kucinich, D-Ohio, War Room, Joe Lieberman, Michele Bachmann, R-Minn.,

Every so often, the National Journal conducts a poll of “insiders,” taking their temperature on various issues and on various personalities within their own party. Some outlets might not do this well — “insider” is a pretty subjective term, after all, one subject to abuse the way “consultant” has been — but the magazine always has a pretty good roster, generally filled with various members of Congress and other people who really do have influence in and knowledge about the Washington scene.

So it’s interesting to see one result from the latest poll, when the “insiders” were asked about who in their party they’d like to “mute.”

On the Democratic side, there were a couple of clear winners: 22 percent of those surveyed said they’d like to see Sen. Joe Lieberman, I-Conn., go quiet, while two liberals — Reps. Dennis Kucinich and Sheila Jackson Lee — were in the No. 2 and 3 spots, with 19 percent and 13 percent respectively.

On the Republican side, though, the top spot went to “no one,” with 16 percent. Below that was a collection of conservatives, all tied at 11 percent: Reps. Michele Bachmann, Steve King and Tom Price, former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, and Glenn Beck. That’s an interesting contrast with the Democrats, where the people who insiders want muted are from both ends of the ideological spectrum.

Alex Koppelman is a staff writer for Salon. More Alex Koppelman.

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