Shhh: Rich Democrats Are Getting Richer

Seemingly forever we've heard Democrats play the class warfare card about the "rich getting richer" while simultaneously trying to gouge more tax money out of the evil rich. Well, as it turns out it's those same liberal Democrats who are getting richer, even during this down economy. Making matters worse, two of them never even earned the money in the first place: One married the money while the other inherited it, yet they're two of the biggest demagogues in Washington.

Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) tops the list for the second year in a row. His minimum net worth was $188.6 million at the end of 2009, up by more than $20 million from 2008, according to his financial disclosure form.

While the economy struggled through a recession during much of 2009 and the nation’s unemployment rate soared to 10 percent, the stock market rebounded, helping lawmakers with large investments.

No wonder Kerry was able to afford a $7 million yacht that he was trying to avoid paying taxes on.

Meanwhile, the soon-to-be retired Patches Kennedy is also living large.

There were a few other new faces in the Top 50, including Rep. Patrick Kennedy (D-R.I.), who received an inheritance after his late father, Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.), died in 2009.

Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Rep. Tom Petri (R-Wis.) also made the list.

Twenty-seven Democrats along with 23 Republicans make up the 50 richest in Congress; 30 House members and 20 senators are on the list.

The bulk of Kerry’s wealth is credited to his spouse, Teresa Heinz Kerry, who inherited hundreds of millions of dollars after her late husband, the ketchup heir Sen. John Heinz (R-Pa.), died in a plane crash in 1991.

Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), with a net worth of $160.1 million, is the second-richest member of Congress under The Hill’s formula, even though his wealth declined by more than $4 million in 2009.

He is followed by Rep. Jane Harman (D-Calif.), who saw her net wealth leap to $152.3 million, a jump of more than $40 million from a year ago.

The rest of the top 10 are Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.), McCaul, Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.), Rep. Jared Polis (D-Colo.), Rep. Vern Buchanan (R-Fla.), Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.) and Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.).

But don't forget the GOP is the "party of the rich" according to the Democrats and their media enablers.

A slideshow of all the fatcats is here. Be sure to note Darrell Issa is on the list, but he actually earned his money.