Un-popularity polls

The headline says, "Donald Sterling is the most hated man in America." According to a poll.

Seriously? After all, he is in his 80's, has apparently been a jerk for a long time and has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's. Not all there, as evidenced by hanging out with V. Whassername.

His comments on Magic Johnson are not exactly factual (Johnson has amassed a net worth of hundreds of millions, the story goes), but Magic was not really a model of good citizenship when he had sex with multiple partners all over the US. Wonder how many of those partners contracted HIV from him? Owning a bunch of theaters and assembling an ownership group to buy the Dodgers plus working as a commentator for sporting events is not a ticket to sainthood.

It would seem to me that there ought to be greater evil afoot in America than a rich, bigoted Jewish man with a girlfriend who also makes racist comments.

Wanna see who else made the list?

Donald Sterling, 92 percent
Bernard Madoff, 90 percent
O.J. Simpson, 88 percent
Conrad Murray, 88 percent
Justin Bieber, 86 percent
Phil Spector, 83 percent
Aaron Hernandez, 81 percent
Michael Lohan, 76 percent
Eliot Spitzer, 73 percent
Jon Gosselin, 71 percent

A number of these would fall into my "pathetic-beyond-belief" category, but deserving of hate? Phil Spector? Yes, he was convicted of second-degree murder, but deserving of hatred? We have really "lost that lovin' feeling."

Conrad Murray? Michael Jackson's death may or may not have been the direct result of his actions, but I don't know if he deserves the tag of "hated," either.

In the pathetic category, we have a number of others--Justin Bieber, Michael Lohan (blamed for his goofy daughter? and for being accused of not paying either $3,800 (the court) or $20,000 (the wife) in child support), Eliot Spitzer (come on, man, that's piling on) and Jon Gosselin.

Methinks we might not want to believe everything we see in a poll.

OK, I'm not really into "hating," but let's see if I can come up with a few who I think ought to be removed from the limelight because of poor character:

1.    Kwame Kilpatrick

2. and 3.    Tie, and I agree: Justin Bieber, O. J. Simpson with a dishonorable mention to Bernie

4.    Rod Blagojevic (a major deduct for style points due to unpronounceable name)

5.    Most of the rest of the governors of Illinois and mayors of Detroit (except Dave Bing)

6.    John Phillips? I'm not sure whether to knight him for writing and producing some of those great songs (Kokomo comes to mind for the Beach Boys), or despise him for drugs and (unsubstantiated) a sexual relationship with his daughter.

7.    Speaking of wife-daughters, Woody Allen?

Taking recommendations since I am down to politicians off the top of my head.