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Well lookie here. Rumor is, two retiring Tennessee Democrats who suddenly will vote for ObamaCARE are getting cushy government jobs after they retire from the House. According to Human Events, Rep. Bart Gordon (D-Tenn.) has been promised the job of NASA administrator in exchange for his vote, and Rep. John Tanner (D-Tenn.), another retiring Democrat, has been promised an appointment as U.S. Ambassador to NATO in exchange for his vote! Buying the Blue Dog Democrats? Both voted against passage of the House bill back in November.

The Obama space policy that would cancel the Constellation space exploration program and commercialize space flight has run into trouble in Congress and with the public. But now it looks like Obamaspace has a new threat to it. The threat may be President Barack Obama himself. There are at least two stories in the media that suggest that President Obama would be willing to trade away all or part of Obamaspace in return for votes on health care reform

I just got called by the American Cancer Society urging me to send a message to congressman Bart Gordon, (6th district TN), in support of the health care bill. The caller started out by saying that the A.C.S. is a non partisan organization and is only interested in the health of cancer victims. After telling him I was opposed to the bill, he thanked me and hung up. If the A.C.S. is truly non-partisan, then what are they doing campaigning for Obama care? And as far as being interested in the welfare of cancer victims, I guess they don't think...

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 you heard Abercrombie is resigning?” veteran political consultant Nathan Wuertzel e-mailed me late Friday afternoon, just as the word came down that veteran Rep. Neil Abercrombie would resign from Congress to campaign full-term for the Democratic nomination for governor of Hawaii in 2010. Wuertzel had good reason to sound breathless. Just a month ago, he had brought me to lunch with City Councilman Charles Djou, the stronger-than-usual Republican candidate for Abercrombie’s Honolulu-based 1st District. Now Djou was thrust into a special election likely to be scheduled for early 2010 and sure to be watched by the national press. But...

Now the fourth Democrat to announce his retirement in four weeks, Rep. Bart Gordon (D-Tenn.) said this morning in a released statement that he will not run for re-election next year. Gordon, a moderate Democrat from a Republican-leaning district, follows three other Democratic congressmen in similar political situations -- Brian Baird (WA-3), John Tanner (TN-8), and Dennis Moore (KS-3). President Obama won Moore and Baird's districts in 2008, but both were also won by President Bush in 2004. "Turning 60 has led me to re-evaluate what's next," Gordon said in a statement. "I have an 8-year-old daughter and a wonderful...

After more than a quarter-century of public service to his home state of Tennessee, U.S. Rep. Bart Gordon announced his plans to retire from Congress when his current term ends in 2010. “I feel honored that the people of Middle Tennessee have allowed me to serve them for the past 25 years,” said Gordon. “Every decision I have made in Congress has been with their best interests in mind. 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...

Health Bill Hinges On Blue Dogs' Vote But Few Bite So Far By DAVID HOGBERG AND SEAN HIGGINS August 14, 2009 Blue Dog Democrats are being chased by both sides in the health care debate. But the opposition may have the inside track, based on an IBD survey of these moderate-to-conservative House lawmakers. There are 256 Democrats in the House, 52 of whom are Blue Dogs. Rep. Artur Davis of Alabama, who's not a member of the pack, has said he won't support HR 3200 in its present form. That means Democrats need the support of at least 15 Blue...

Here they are, boys and girls. The four "moderate-conservative" House Dems on Henry Waxman's Energy and Commerce Committee who had their choker chains pulled by Nancy Pelosi and the rest of the lefty leadership in the lower chamber and ended up voting to approve a version of Obamacare that promises higher costs, lower quality and restricted access: Mike Ross (Arkansas), 4th District (202) 454-5262 Baron Hill (Indiana), 9th District (202) 285-0966 Zack Space (Ohio), 18th District (202) 347-3042 Bart Gordon (Tennessee), 6th District 1-800-444-BART I did some checking, and one of the reasons why a few of the above probably...

Congress: In exchange for a vague promise of cuts in the cost of health care "reform," a few fiscally conservative Democrats agree to release the bill to a September floor vote. Have the pit bulls become Chihuahuas?Apparently even a Blue Dog Democrat will stop growling if you toss him a big enough bone. Four of the seven who helped keep the House bill bottled up in the Energy and Commerce Committee — Mike Ross of Arkansas, Baron Hill of Indiana, Zack Space of Ohio and Bart Gordon of Tennessee — agreed to vote the bill out of committee in exchange...

In taking back control of the House, Democrats also are restoring the old names used for committees when they last headed them in 1994.Republicans swept into power in that year's midterm elections had created their own monikers for several committees. As part of the rules changes adopted this week, Democrats reclaimed the old names for several committee and created a new name for one other panel: • The Committee on Education and the Workforce was changed back to its pre-1995 name, Education and Labor. Tom Kiley, a spokesman for incoming chairman George Miller, D-Calif., said Miller "believed that the name...