Fat Cats and Pork - a ES Government Legislative Branch Saga

[@DCGoldPants]

With the news of another career politician not seeking reelection in Barney Frank. I thought maybe it would be nice to have a place for general "discussion" about our elected officials who "work" at the U.S. Capitol. There was a thread about Joe Walsh and his jerkyness already, Still, there are plenty of folks on the Hill that probably don't deserve their own thread, but the collective group of do-nothing con-men and women definitely do.

Barney Frank not seeking re-election in 2012

Washington (CNN) -- U.S. Rep. Barney Frank, a prominent 16-term liberal Democrat from Massachusetts and arch-enemy of political conservatives nationwide, will announce Monday he does not intend to seek re-election in 2012, according to a statement from his office.

Frank, 71, will hold a news conference in his district to discuss the decision at 1 p.m. ET.

The reasons for Frank's largely unexpected decision to retire from Congress were not immediately clear, though some analysts speculated they may be tied to changed boundaries for his 4th Congressional District after Massachusetts' recent redistricting process.

"It is clear that Congressman Frank was not looking forward to another hard fought campaign after losing his gerrymandered district and spending nearly every penny he had in 2010," Massachusetts Republican Party Executive Director Nate Little said in a written statement.

"Republicans were already gearing up for a strong race and Frank's sudden retirement injects added optimism and excitement into the election."

Frank, first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1980, is the top Democrat on the powerful House Financial Services Committee. Among other things, he co-authored the 2010 Dodd-Frank financial regulatory reform bill. The measure, designed to rein in Wall Street excesses after the 2008 financial collapse, passed the House without any GOP support.

1980? Yeah....your time is more than up. Take Nancy, Harry, McConnell, Boehner and Cantor with you. More after the jump.