Posted on 04/09/2010 5:41:37 AM PDT by PJ-Comix
Michigan Rep. Bart Stupak, the congressman who led anti-abortion rights Democrats in the House during health care negotiations, will retire this year, CBS News has learned. He is expected to announce his plans later this morning.
Had Stupak sought re-election, he would have faced challengers from both the left and the right backed by interest groups angered by Stupak's health care vote.
Stupak negotiated with Democratic leaders down to the eleventh hour for stricter abortion language in the health care bill, but he ultimately voted for it after President Obama agreed to sign an executive order assuring the new laws will keep taxpayer dollars from funding abortions.
That prompted the conservative Tea Party Express to launch a $250,000 ad campaign against Stupak this week. The group also scheduled a handful of stops on its bus tour in Stupak's district.
On the left, the abortion rights group NARAL Pro-Choice America has been working to defeat Stupak and instead elect his Democratic primary challenger Connie Saltonstall.
Like many other congressmen, Stupak received violent threats from citizens after his health care vote. However, the Michigan Democrat came under particularly intense scrutiny because of his role in the abortion debate.
kaputS!
I think Dan Benishek has a shot, if he gets his campaign in gear and more than simply "the health care bill sucks." I think Tom Casperson is our best bet.
The best case scenario is Casperson against Stupak's troll primary challenger, Connie Saltonstall. That district will never vote for someone from Charlevoix or Petoskey.
But, he has made the people of northern MI most unhappy. They really believed in him.
But the people of MI kept him there for quite a while and would do so again out of habit if nothing else.
I agree that Casperson could be our best bet, assuming that he’s interested in running again—he’s a lifelong Yooper who represented a portion of the UP in the state house for 8 years. The one downside is that he got trounced by Stupak in 2008, losing by 2:1.
It’s a shame.
Damn baby killer.
I actually think Stupak would win re-election if he ran again. It would be closer than usual, but "Bart's a good guy and does his best" as they say up there. Everyone u there seems to call Stupak by his first name, much as I refer to Tim Walberg here by his first name. That explains his strength.
It's starting to move to the right, but reflexively voted democrat up until 1996 because Joe Mack and Dominic Jacobetti brought home the pork in Lansing, much like Robert Byrd does.
>> Title: Bart Stupak to Retire
Of course, once out of office, he’ll have no say about the ineffectiveness, or dismissal, of the EO.
Doesn't even matter. It was worded with so many qualifiers it would have leaked like a seive.
Thanks for the ping; post. Some should be allowed to resign and go back to their families. The POS stabbing-babies-in-the-back Stupak is not one of them. Others should be tried for treason.
The Stupak experience shows, without a doubt, that if someone says they are pro-life and a Democrat simultaneously, they are lying to you.
OUTSTANDING post in a great thread! (You've been around a long time glennaro and I don't recall seeing your name before...sheesh...not speaking often, but nailing a post when you do...I need to take lessons...:)). Thanks.
He knew his goose was cooked anyway.
Old Bart's probably lucky he's not wearing cement sneakers.
He brought immense disgrace upon himself and now he's bowing-out of politics.
18 years in politics down the drain.......and OH the karma; the karma; the karma. A tragic story. For an early 15 minutes of fame (before the vote) he was heroic.
One would think that people living up there would be independent thinking, independent living, and independent minded. I guess they love their government money too much to vote for freedom.
This was a hit by the Chicago mob.
Exactly. No doubt many were threatened with extinction to secure their vote. People are just starting to realize that the Obama Administration is the “axis of evil”.
This pick-up is not a slam dunk. Dr Benishek, despite all of his attributes, thus far stinks on TV and must get to candidate school asap.
If Jim Barcia, former House member, jumps into this race, as I expect, we could have real trouble.
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