LI Dems rated in party's mainstream

You can't get more mainstream in the Democratic Party than Long Island's four House Democrats, but the lone Republican is more liberal than others in the GOP, according to a new National Journal ranking of last year's congressional voting records. The median composite liberal score for House Democrats stood at 73. Rep. Carolyn McCarthy of Mineola was a tad more conservative, scoring 69. Others were almost dead-on: Gary Ackerman of Roslyn Heights, 73.2; Tim Bishop of Southampton, 72.8; and Steve Israel of Huntington, 72.

Rep. Peter King of Seaford may draw fire from the left for provocative statements, but is actually more liberal than most House Republicans, the rankings show. The median House GOP conservative score was 80.4. King's was 65.5.

- Thomas Brune in Washington, D.C.