Omnibus 'congresscritters retiring next year' announcements

[Landslide Lyndon]

Well, that frees up money for other states that need it.

And to those attacking Nelson, don't whine about his successor or if the Republicans take the Senate, you gave up your right to whine by being purists.

I don't think people have a problem with Nelson's conservatism per se (you don't see them grumbling about Pryor or Landrieu) but rather his eagerness to screw his party at every chance he got. And his retirement is another one of them.
If he really cared about the Democrats retaining the Senate then the least he could do would be to dissuade them from spending 1 million dollars in ads propping him up while he was considering retirement.

[Landslide Lyndon]

I don't think people have a problem with Nelson's conservatism per se (you don't see them grumbling about Pryor or Landrieu) but rather his eagerness to screw his party at every chance he got. And his retirement is another one of them.

Nonsense. Nelson can run again and lose, but DSCC would have to waste money on this race that can be used by other Democrats that actually need it. Whatever his motives are, Nelson did actually a good thing for the party by retiring.

Evan Bayh was the one fitting this description.

The DSCC didn't spend a million dollars on Bayh.
But I won't disagree with you that Bayh was a bigger jerk than Nelson.

[Landslide Lyndon]

http://www.redding.com/news/2012/jan/09/herger-announce-retirement-lamalfa-run-his-seat/

After a quarter century representing the north state, U.S. Rep. Wally Herger will announce today he is planning to retire at the end of his current term and state Sen. Doug LaMalfa will be running for his seat.

“Senator LaMalfa is running for Congress, and will do so with the endorsement of Congressman Herger,” GOP consultant Dave Gilliard told Jon Fleischman of Flash Report, an influential California political blog.

Sources told the Record Searchlight late Monday LaMalfa is first expected to announce his entrance to the Congressional race to his staff in Sacramento before going public later in the morning. A similar meeting is to be held in Washington among Herger’s staff members, sources said.

[Landslide Lyndon]

IN-5: Dan Burton bows out.

http://nationaljournal.com/congress/facing-tough-primary-veteran-rep-burton-bows-out-20120131

R+1!!!

[Landslide Lyndon]

It wasn't his conservative voting record that made Shuler so unlikable among liberals. As Ed Kilgore puts it:

Personally, I’ve never been a big fan of intra-party litmus tests or the various “framing” theories that suggest Democrats would win a decisive majority if we spoke without a single discordant voice. The only unimpeachable authorities on who is a “true Democrat” in the 11th congressional district of North Carolina—or anywhere else—are the Democratic voters of that area. And no, I don’t think it can be confidently assumed, these days at least, that a Republican replacement could not do worse.

But Shuler, like Joe Lieberman in the Senate (though for somewhat different reasons) is probably the exception who proves the rule. With the sole exception of his vote for Obama’s climate change legislation, Shuler broke with his party and its president on just about everything that mattered since 2008. He even voted for the abominable “Cut, Cap and Balance” resolution that if implemented would inevitably lead to the destruction of every progressive accomplishment since the 1930s. While that’s still not grounds for being expelled from the Caucus, it sure would justify, if I were in charge, denying him any perks and privileges associated with Caucus membership, up to and including men’s room keys in the Cannon Building. If that sounds petty, too bad; after all, a guy like Shuler would probably use these insults to burnish his reputation as someone who’ll stand up to the godless liberals.

[Landslide Lyndon]

Gary Ackerman retires.

http://www.cityandstateny.com/ackerman-seek-re-election-either/