Top 10 Centrists in Election Jeopardy?

My apologies to those having difficulty clicking through to the complete rankings list on IE8. Chrome and Firefox are doing better, especially if you right-click and open as a new tab or window.

For now, here are the top 10:

Kratovil - 92
Adler - 87
Kissell - 82
Boccieri - 80
Markey (B., Col-4) - 80
Teague - 80
Giffords - 78
Gordon - 78
Herseth Sandlin - 78
Childers - 77

A reader notes that both top-scoring Kratovil and Lance, the highest-rated Republican in the list, are in tougher re-election fights than they expected.  In Maryland, Kratovil has been forced to characterize his own vote for better TARP oversight (as a condition of releasing TARP funds) as an anti-TARP vote.  This, even though GOP.gov states:

While the legislation does include many conditions on TARP spending, and transparency improvements that Republicans may support, many Members may be concerned that H.R. 384 is designed to grease the wheels for a release of the final $350 billion tranche of taxpayer money...

G-d forbid a member should require "conditions" and "transparency improvements" as the price for "support" of the final tranche of a system-saving, 8.2%-returning program!

In Pennsylvania, 2nd-rated centrist Rep. Adler is in a "wire close" race, due in part to the backfiring of a bone-headed strategy by Democrats to split the Republican vote by introducing a tea party candidate.  In Arizona, Rep. Giffords is still looking at a Cook Report "tossup" in a district that went for Bush and McCain (though boasting nearly 30% independent registration).

Meanwhile in North Carolina, 3rd-rated centrist Rep. Kissell is hedging on his principled vote against Obamacare -- presumably to help maintain turnout among the liberal Democrat contingent in a C.D. the Almanac of American Politics calls "split personality."  And in South Dakota, Herseth Sandlin was highlighted as a vulnerable Blue Dog in a WSJ article yesterday (as I retweeted from OpenCongress.org).

If only two extremes averaged out to one center.  But without actual voices populating the middle, we will have no compromise solutions from the mainstream -- and no tie-breaking votes for them.  Policymaking will be a lopsided mix of conservative and liberal wins.

Maybe it will even out after all.  After a parent croaks, you can take advantage of the complete repeal of the estate tax...to pay for your state-mandated health plan and your neighbor's subsidized Corolla and haphazardly refinanced house.  It will be dizzying.