Xavier Becerra (left), Patty Murray and James Clyburn help comprise a diverse Democratic group. | AP Photos A rich man, poor man cast

Talk about typecasting.

Before the first cry of “class warfare” goes up from the new House-Senate joint committee on deficits, the two parties have drawn a sharp contrast already in picking their representatives.


All six Republican choices are white males, several with considerable wealth and all but one, Senate Minority Whip Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.), ranked in the top half of the House or Senate in their net worth, according to annual tables kept by the Center for Responsive Politics.

To be sure, Democrats have a northeast multimillionaire, Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts, but also the only woman, black and Latino among the 12 and with the exception of Kerry, all the Democrats chosen rank near or in the bottom half of the House and Senate in their net worth.

The task ahead is to come up with at least $1.2 trillion in deficit-reduction savings, chiefly from government benefit and subsidy programs, many of which are income sensitive. Not to be ruled out is a larger income tax reform initiative that could be ordered by the panel in its report though not part of the initial deficit down payment.

Using the Center’s latest listings, covering personal finance forms filed in 2010, Kerry ranks highest in the Senate but Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), who will co-chair the panel for the Senate, ranks 69th in net worth and Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus 90th.

Among the Democrats named in the House, Rep. Xavier Becerra (D-Calif.) ranks 211st, Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.), the assistant minority leader, is 278th, and Rep. Chris Van Hollen is 301st on the list.

In comparison, among the House Republican appointees, Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton ranks 25th in his net worth and his fellow Michigan colleague, House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Dave Camp (R-Mich.), has sufficient assets to rank 46th. Rep. Jeb Hensarling (R-Texas), a member of the party leadership and the House co-chair, is 141st.

Among the Republican choices on the Senate side, Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) ranks 23rd with Sen. Patrick Toomey (R-Pa.) 46th and Kyl 76th.