I remember him:
Posted on 12/14/2009 7:57:22 AM PST by LdSentinal
Democratic retirements are beginning to mount, after the announcement Monday that Rep. Bart Gordon (D-Tenn.) will not seek reelection next year.
Gordon said in a statement that, after a quarter-century in Congress, it’s time to retire.
“Every decision I have made in Congress has been with their best interests in mind,” he said. “I hope the people here at home feel that I have served them as well as their good advice and views have served me.
“When I was elected, I was the youngest member of the Tennessee congressional delegation; now, I’m one of the oldest. In fact, I have members of my staff who weren’t even born when I took office. That tells me it’s time for a new chapter.”
Gordon joins Reps. Dennis Moore (D-Kan.), John Tanner (D-Tenn.) and Brian Baird (D-Wash.) in announcing his retirement in recent weeks. Also, Rep. Neil Abercrombie (D-Hawaii) announced Friday that he will resign early to run for governor.
Gordon became a leading GOP target as the year progressed. State Sen. Jim Tracy (R) recently began looking at a campaign against him.
These guys are being promised big-time, big-money jobs in exchange for votes on health care. They are selling out their constituents with this crap sandwich of a health care bill for their own goodies. I sure as hell hope the Dems don’t get away with this and retain these seats with new ‘Blue Dog’ moderates running for these open seats.
Yay! My congress critter!!!
Dropping like flies. The Dems are clearly scared and running for the hills.
mine too. I’m not so excited though. Now that he doesnt have to work for reelection, he doesnt have to care about what we think. He can vote for crap and tax, healthcare destruction, whatever he can be bought on.
They aren’t running for the hills, they are headed towards their payoff for supporting the bamster.
With 1/2 trillion dollars to spend how many blue dogs can you buy?
The answer is all of them.
Do you know anything about the lady that is sending the mailings out about running for this office?
I remember him:
Another TN RAT retires. Could Lincoln Davis be next?
Actually, IIRC, Bart voted against Obamacare, saying it would cost Tennesseans too much. I don’t know much about Lou Ann Zelenik, but she sounds like a good lady on the radio. “We need a congressman who represents us, not Nancy Pelosi,” she says. Fine with me. See link: http://www.votelouann.com/
Was this expected? At what point do these become fallout from the health care/cap and trade/stimulus votes that were “surprises?”
By the way, this district is full of Republicans and conservative Democrats who have no use for Barry or Nancy and would very much like to send a conservative to Washington in 2010. This district will almost certainly flip to the other side of the aisle.
In this case, we have a Dem in a conservative district who could see the handwriting on the wall. Whoever the GOP put up against him this time, he was in for his toughest race in years. It would not have been the usual token.
No surprise that BART is an F at Gradegov.com. Also no surprise that, given the apathy and ignorance in the electorate, the voters in his district apparently never noticed or cared.
Looks like old Bart has been out of touch for a long time.
Again proving that, where Washington is concerned, no foul deed goes unrewarded, old Bart will shuffle off stage left with a taxpayer retirement package the rest of us can only dream about.
That’s gotta stop!
No surprise that BART is an F at Gradegov.com. Also no surprise that, given the apathy and ignorance in the electorate, the voters in his district apparently never noticed or cared.
Looks like old Bart has been out of touch for a long time.
Again proving that, where Washington is concerned, no foul deed goes unrewarded, old Bart will shuffle off stage left with a taxpayer retirement package the rest of us can only dream about.
That’s gotta stop!
when i called his office to plead for a vote against obamacare, the lady i spoke with sounded like she was trying to win me over. the letter i received was neutral; no support either way. Sounds like there are a lot of folks running for his seat. There is a guy who spoke at the putnam cty tax day event, Dave something or other, who is also running. He is an older man, retired military (entered as a Private, retired a General...)who said the right things when I questioned him (i.e. not supporting the party line, but do whats right even if it gets you no party support). We’ll see...
Gordon has had many lucky breaks since the ‘90s of drawing desultory opponents with next to no money or name recognition (his last serious opponent was in ‘94 & ‘96), but he has seen since elected in 1984 (he’s the Dean of the TN Congressional delegation) the district he represents move from old-school rural Democrat to heavily suburban Republican (with the rural areas moving that direction). The fact he has lasted this long as the district has dramatically changed (2/3rds GOP for President) is pretty surprising. He knows even if he were to survive 2010 (were his opponent Zelenik, who has not much money), he is dead in 2012 when the GOP will likely be merciless with redistricting.
I said if State Sen. Jim Tracy were to get in, Gordon would flee the race like a scared rabbit, and it appears Tracy has enough feelers in the water that this likely is why Gordon is getting out. Apparently there may also be some interest amongst two other GOP lady State Senators for the seat, too, now that it is open, Mae Beavers (who is leaving the Senate to run for Wilson County Mayor/Executive) and Diane Black. Lou Ann Zelenik might be better off withdrawing if Tracy gets in, and if Tracy wins the nomination, a special election will be held for his State Senate seat and she could then run for it.
As for Lincoln Davis, he has rapidly gone from dreams of the Governorship in ‘10 (which he shockingly abandoned) to now being a “bitter clinger” to a seat that (although drawn specifically for him) is way too Republican and Conservative for him to be occupying, especially since his move to the left. Even if he holds it next year, he’s in the same position as Bart would’ve been in ‘12, likely to face a dramatically reconfigured seat, and the 4th is a grotesque creation (with only the 7th being worse).
that district cries out for an ambitious rural field organizer. Of the Reaganite variety.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.