There are black lists, grocery lists, sh..t lists and graduation lists. Then there’s Capitol Weekly’s 100 List, which is a little bit of all of them, and more.

We’re the first ones to complain about lists – Forbes immediately comes to mind – but we make a shameless exception for ours, which at least gives a partial snapshot of the Capitol’s political players.

There are lots of people who aren’t on this list, and should be, and there may be some who are here and don’t belong. But in the end, we’re pretty happy with our little lineup and we hope you are, too.

There are a couple people in the list who are there just because we like them; see if you can spot them. We don’t apologize, though: We need friends, too.

This week, we offer 1 through 50, and the difference from last year is dramatic. The Brownies, exiled from the Capitol for so many years, are back – in spades.

See you next year….

50. Garry South
In any election cycle when the conversation turns to Democratic political consultants, Garry South’s name invariably pops up. He’s handled major campaigns over the years, including the classic 2002 race for governor when his intervention in the GOP primary paved the way for the improbable victory of Gray Davis. When he’s not handling candidates, his advice is sought by state and national campaigns, and he reportedly is helping Obama’s 2012 effort in California. He had a misfire last year when he got in a public dispute with former client Gavin Newsom, but we doubt it will slow him down in the long run.