Monday, October 23, 2006

Fantasy Congress

Apropos of nothing debt related here's a great NY Times story about a fantasy sports inspired game called Fantasy Congress. You pick legislators and get points for their "legislative efficacy," i.e. passing a bill or moving it through the process. It's a funny idea but I pass it along because the person described, Ellen Montgomery, is a friend and colleague of mine from Chicago.

The potentially fatal flaw here is that whereas sports statistics suggest the caliber of a player, bills passed (much like press clips) are a poor indicator of political efficacy or legislative power. For instance, Tom Delay ranks very low in their rankings, but probably was the most influential House member for the last several years.

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