I like Joe for much the same reason I like a lot of the other maverick senators.
There is too much group think in both parties.
All my favorite senators are open to new ideas even if they are not the official party position.
Here is a list of Senators even remotely open to new ideas. (some more remotely than others) The rest are pretty much groupthink animals.
Alexander, Lamar - (R - TN)
Allen, George - (R - VA)
Bayh, Evan - (D - IN)
Chafee, Lincoln - (D - RI)
Coleman, Norm - (R - MN)
Collins, Susan - (R - ME)
Conrad, Kent - (D - ND)
Dayton, Mark - (D - MN)
DeMint, Jim - (R - SC)
DeWine, Mike - (R - OH)
Graham, Lindsey - (R - SC)
Gregg, Judd - (R - NH)
Hagel, Chuck - (R - NE)
Hutchison, Kay - (R - TX)
Johnson, Tim - (D - SD)
Kyl, Jon - (R - AZ)
Lieberman, Joseph - (D - CT)
Santorum, Rick - (R - PA)
Shelby, Richard - (R - AL)
Smith, Gordon - (R - OR)
Snowe, Olympia - (D - ME)
Sununu, John - (R - NH)
Talent, James - (R - MO)
Thune, John - (R - SD)
Wyden, Ron - (D - OR)
I see you've assigned the "correct" party lables to the senators you grudgingly respect, ex. Susan Collins (R-ME) vs Olympia Snowe (D-ME). It's even better that John McCain isn't on your list at all.
Friendly suggestions: replace Hagel (McCain-NE) with Domenici (R-NM); Conrad with Ben Nelson (D-NE); Dayton with Salazar (D-CO), and your list will be perfect.
