Posted on 06/02/2013 7:35:45 AM PDT by equaviator
Is 57 years too long?
Rep. John Dingell (D-Mich.) entered the House in December 1955.
Out of the current 434 House members, 211 - nearly half - weren't born when Rep. John Dingell took office in December 1955. The Michigan Democrat is about to become the longest-serving member of Congress in U.S. history.
Roll Call reports that congressional leaders plan to honor Dingell, 86, for the longevity record. The celebration is set to take place June 13 in the Capitol's Statuary Hall. On June 7, Dingell will have served for 57 years, five months and 26 days, surpassing the service record of the late Sen. Robert C. Byrd (D-W.Va.).
Speaker John A. Boehner (R-Ohio), Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), announced the plans to celebrate Dingell and noted more details would be made available closer to the event's date.
Dingell came to Congress during President Dwight Eisenhower's first term after winning a special election to succeed his father, John Dingell, Sr., who had served since 1933. The younger Rep. John Dingell still uses his father's office furniture and every session continues to introduce legislation to provide national health insurance.
Then-House Speaker Pelosi borrowed Dingell's gavel when the House passed the Democrats' health care bill in March 2010 - Obamacare - the same gavel Dingell used when he presided over the passage of Medicare in 1965.
For 16 years Dingell was chairman of the powerful Energy and Commerce Committee, from 1981 to 1995 and from 2007 to 2009. He grew his jurisdiction to the point that his committee handled up to 40 percent of all House bills.
Over his more than half-century on Capitol Hill Dingell's voting record has generally been that of a liberal Democrat. Throughout his career he has been a leading congressional supporter of organized labor, social welfare measures and traditional progressive policies. But Dingell's not easy to pigeon-hole ideologically. On some issues he reflects the conservative values of his largely Catholic and working-class suburban district, which stretches from Detroit's western suburbs to Ann Arbor. Dingell supported the Vietnam War until 1971.
And though he backed the Johnson Administration's civil rights bills, he opposed expanding school desegregation to Detroit suburbs via mandatory busing. He takes a fairly moderate position on abortion. He has worked to balance clean air legislation with the need to protect manufacturing jobs.
I don’t think our forefathers ever meant for people to go to Congress for the rest of their lives. I am a firm believer in Term Limits.
Let’s remember that Dingell was a member of the Board of Directors of the NRA.
He resigned that position to vote FOR Clinton’s AW ban.
NEVER forget that!
The Michigan Democrat is about to become the longest-self-serving member of Congress in U.S. history.
There. Fixed it.
This is EXACTLY what is wrong with our GOPe! Instead of lauding an enemy, a real life honest to God enemy of morality, freedom and liberty for having had the evil duplicity to remain in his position of unworthy power, they should be eschewing anything to do with him. Where were all the Democrats for Strom Thurmond. They, the GOPe, don't realize we are at war, real war although no arms have been broken out(yet). To play honorifics with them is exactly the same thing Peace in Our Time Chamberlain did - we all know how that turned out - at least those of us that are from the way-way-before times of public indoctrination we used to call school.
If there was ever a better person to play the lead in a remake of Weekend at Bernies I don’t know who it would be.
We are almost a totally DemocRAT run state.
The only positive aspect of term limits is it minimizes the number of leeches who receive obscene "retirement" packages when they do finally step down.
ZING!
Yes; they do. They don't care, as they won't be affected in the slightest...
Well, I guess at the bottom of my black heart, I believe you’re right - they do not care. I guess I was just wishing the people that voted for them, keeps voting for them, would actually care.
He’s long overdue for his dirt nap.
His wife is a big time Dem. Lobbyist and she really calls his shots. Look for her to run for his seat when he decides to go to the big Donkey tent in the Sky.
John Dingell would sooner gouge their eyes out than care what they think of him.
Throughout his career he has been a leading congressional supporter of organized labor, social welfare measures and traditional progressive policies.
Detroit Dingell fails.
Sadly; I see no sign of that.
I don't think the big Donkey tent is 'in the sky'... :-)
...”when they do finally step down.”
Down? They step DOWN? Down from what? I say they should step aside.
Right on! This old bag of manure is barely lucid. He was barely well enough to be wheeled in at midnight on Thanksgiving eve in ‘09 to vote on destroying our health when the Great Pelosi forced the Bill we have to pass to find out what’s in it. What a disgrace.
What about Dingell-Norwood?
Fair point. They just step into another office.
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