A true loss IMO: Barney Frank not seeking re-election in 2012

[Mira]

Breaking News on CNBC

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

1. His voice will be missed

Not only has he been a great champion of the left but he's been a great interview. His dry wit always makes you anxious to get his take on an issue.

[aquart]

2. This news makes me unhappy. Is he well?

[CTyankee]

8. That is one of my fears...the other one is a financial scandal...

I was going to speculate on both of those with a DU thread asking if it could be either. But if it were a health problem or a financial scandal he would probably be abruptly resigning, Wiener-style.

Maybe he's just tired of it all...

[Faux pas]

3. Sad news but I can't say I blame him. It's hard to be the

voice of reason and truth when battling greed and corruption.

[Obamanaut]

4. Odd, how one day one can read how we need term limits to keep politicians from

making a career in DC (never mind that we the people keep rreelecting them rather than voting in someone new), and on another day we express sorrow that a 30 year (+/-) incumbent is retiring.

We won't vote them out (incumbents who seek reelection have about a 90% success rate), they certainly won't pass legislation to limit their own terms, some of us think terms should be limited (but we won't do it for them), and we're disappointed a member is limiting himself to only 30 yeaar.

What fun!

[FarCenter]

7. Are the current Representatives the best person out of roughly 700,000 in their district?

The notion that there aren't at least hundreds of equally qualified people per district seems implausible.

[libinnyandia]

9. I saw Charles Rangel standind behind him and thought: what a

contrast! I guess rangel will stay in Congress until his last day alive.

[progressoid]

5. Well damn.

[FarCenter]

6. Too many Fannie and Freddie issues for him to run again?