Burgold Posted November 27, 2007 Share Posted November 27, 2007 I need a distraction from sadness. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/11/26/AR2007112602235.html?nav=hcmoduletmv GOP Comeback Climb Is Increasingly Steep Vacancies Appear in Competitive Areas By Chris Cillizza washingtonpost.com Staff Writer Tuesday, November 27, 2007; Page A04 Senate Minority Whip Trent Lott's resignation announcement on Monday was the latest in a wave of retirements to hit congressional Republicans, making an already difficult 2008 electoral landscape even more complicated for the minority party. Party officials insist that the retirements -- 17 members of the House and six senators -- are simply the result of individual decisions and not indicative of a broader negative sentiment within the party. "I don't hear a drumbeat that 'We're not effective and I don't like it here anymore,' " said National Republican Congressional Committee Chairman Tom Cole (Okla.). But with so many lawmakers -- including a large number from competitive states and districts -- heading for the exits, it's hard not to point to the GOP's newfound minority status in Washington, the turnover in party leadership and the perilous political environment heading into 2008 to explain the exodus. Another surprise yesterday came from Rep. J. Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.), who was toppled from the speaker's chair by Republican losses in 2006 and had said in August that he would not run for reelection. Hastert revealed that he is leaving Capitol Hill immediately, allowing Illinois to hold a special primary election for his seat Feb. 5. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twa Posted November 28, 2007 Share Posted November 28, 2007 Good, many have been there too long anyway...we need new blood. That includes Hutchinson (my senator)who just moved up in seniority. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burgold Posted November 28, 2007 Author Share Posted November 28, 2007 I agree. I think what Congress needs is fresh ideas, fresh blood, and fresh political courage. All three have been missing recently. The repubs have been irresponsible and corrupt. The Dems do have some new blood, but they are either playing games because they see the potential for power consolidation or they are wimps. In either case, I think that they need a good slap as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarge Posted November 28, 2007 Share Posted November 28, 2007 Good. THe people that are leaving are part of the problem, not part of the solutions Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Predicto Posted November 28, 2007 Share Posted November 28, 2007 I have nothing to base this on except intuition, but I suspect that there is some bombshell about to become public about Hastert, and the GOP powers that be told him to get out of Washington so that there wouldn't be a huge sh*tstorm on Capitol Hill during an election year. Like I said, I am basing this on nothing, but I can't imagine, with all the corruption of the last Congress, that Hastert's hands were not in the muck up to the elbows. Certainly his name has been mentioned in several potential scandals in the past few years - he was heavily involved with Jack Abramoff, he was mentioned in the Brent Wilkes prostitution scandal, he received a huge and questionable donation from the government of Turkey to stop a genocide resolution in the House, he personally benefitted from the "Prairie Parkway", he killed several corruption investigations, he knew about Mark Foley and the page boys, etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry Posted November 28, 2007 Share Posted November 28, 2007 Oh, there are lots of potential reasons, and not all of them are dishonest. (Although, granted, whenever anybody in Congress does anything, I tend to start looking for a dishonest agenda.) The conspiracy-theory part of me suspects that it's a dirty, back-door agenda to try to de-sleaze the GOP before The Voters Strike Back, by putting fresh faces in front of the same back-door machine, and claiming "See! I'm completely clean of all those things that have been happening, so keep voting for the same Party that did all those things you don't like, and this time, something different will happen." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burgold Posted November 28, 2007 Author Share Posted November 28, 2007 There's a lot of speculation (and some evidence) that Lott was offered a lobbying job that he just could not refuse and if he resigned now, then he only has to wait one fiscal year before he's allowed to start pitching his buddies in Congress. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kilmer17 Posted November 28, 2007 Share Posted November 28, 2007 Does anyone really think Mississippi will elect a Democrat? C'mon now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burgold Posted November 28, 2007 Author Share Posted November 28, 2007 No, but hopefully a few of the 17 retirements will be sensibly replaced :halo: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kilmer17 Posted November 28, 2007 Share Posted November 28, 2007 No, but hopefully a few of the 17 retirements will be sensibly replaced :halo: There are no statesmen anymore. The new boss will be the same as the old boss. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burgold Posted November 28, 2007 Author Share Posted November 28, 2007 There's always hope. Every so often we do something right, if only purely by accident. Unfortunately, the good guys are usually underfunded and people just fall for the glitz and polish of the liars. They appeal to our greed, our sense of entitlement or anger and most just line up, hoping this time that they will actually have bought the Brooklyn Bridge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_cavalierman Posted November 28, 2007 Share Posted November 28, 2007 The pendulum is swinging back to the left after way too many years to the right. The republican corruption trail is what happens when one party owns the majority too long and gets drunk with power. The liberals need to be smart enough not to swing to far to the left but most of the liberal newbies are conservative leaning liberals. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
headexplode Posted November 28, 2007 Share Posted November 28, 2007 There need to be term limits in Congress. I would suggest a two-term limit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burgold Posted November 28, 2007 Author Share Posted November 28, 2007 Two for the Senate. Two for the House seems a little light. The good news is that according to this article a lot of rats are fleeing the sinking ship. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twa Posted November 28, 2007 Share Posted November 28, 2007 The pendulum is swinging back to the left after way too many years to the right. The republican corruption trail is what happens when one party owns the majority too long and gets drunk with power. The liberals need to be smart enough not to swing to far to the left but most of the liberal newbies are conservative leaning liberals. Not too sure that it is moving to the Left. Many of the Dems elected are leaning to the right to get and keep the position. Which is a good thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
isle-hawg Posted November 28, 2007 Share Posted November 28, 2007 The pendulum is swinging back to the left after way too many years to the right. There has not been a more fiscal left wing administration than our current one. Same can be said for border security and amnesty for the illegals. We can only hope our next administration whether it be a D or R is more to the right on these issues. Unless that is any look forward to the country going bankrupt sooner rather than later. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_cavalierman Posted November 30, 2007 Share Posted November 30, 2007 There need to be term limits in Congress. I would suggest a two-term limit. I am a huge fan of that idea.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_cavalierman Posted November 30, 2007 Share Posted November 30, 2007 There has not been a more fiscal left wing administration than our current one. Same can be said for border security and amnesty for the illegals. We can only hope our next administration whether it be a D or R is more to the right on these issues. Unless that is any look forward to the country going bankrupt sooner rather than later. The next POTUS has to to live in the center of the political pyramid in order to get things done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zguy28 Posted November 30, 2007 Share Posted November 30, 2007 Two for the Senate. Two for the House seems a little light.The good news is that according to this article a lot of rats are fleeing the sinking ship. Two for Senate, four for the House is good for me. Fresh blood but not all rookies either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burgold Posted December 1, 2007 Author Share Posted December 1, 2007 Sorry wrong thread. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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