GOP Congressmen Swimming Fast from the Sinking Ship

[Omaha Steve]

http://blog.aflcio.org/2008/02/04/gop-congressmen-swimming-fast-from-the-sinking-ship/

by Seth Michaels, Feb 4, 2008

Distracted by the race for the White House, we sometimes forget the election for president is only one of many taking place this fall.

In fact, voters this year will see new names on the ballot in dozens of U.S. House and Senate elections—primarily because Republicans are leaping off the sinking ship steered by the Bush administration. Twenty-eight Republican representatives to date, and still counting. That’s more than any Republican retirements in one session, ever. According to The New York Times, the next closest number for end-of-session Republican retirements is 27 in 1952. Five Senate Republicans also are joining the exodus.



With much of the public counting the days until Bush is out of office, thanks to mismanagement of the economy, health care and more, many retiring Republicans in Congress suspect—correctly—they may not be able to win another term. Longtime Republicans members like Rep. Deborah Pryce (R-Ohio), who won in 2006 by a razor-thin 1,055-vote margin, are leaving voluntarily before the voters throw them out.

Plus, it turns out being in the minority party is not much fun. After 12 years in power, Republican representatives had gotten used to having their way, untroubled by a Democratic process that involves compromising with the other side.

The floodgate of retirements hasn’t closed. In fact, five Republican representatives announced their retirement just last week. Among them, Rep. Ron Lewis (R-Ky.), who didn’t make any announcements—he just quietly declined to file papers for re-election. His retirement came as a surprise to most observers in Kentucky and Washington—but not to everyone: Rep. Lewis’ chief of staff, Daniel London, was in on the secret and filed to run at the last minute. Why did Lewis decide not to run again? Maybe he looked at the election results from 2007, when AFL-CIO-endorsed Steve Beshear won the race for governor by a wide margin.

Also last week, Rep. Tom Davis (R-Va.) announced that he, too, won’t be running for re-election. He represents a swing district that in the 2007 elections, sent two Democrats to the Virginia state Senate from formerly Republican seats.

Several links in full story.

[SalmonChantedEvening]

1. Take the money and run n/t

[Happyhippychick]

2. The Republican Titanic is sinking. Buh bye!

[scarletwoman]

3. Important post -- k&r

I just can't bring myself to much give a shit about the Clinton/Obama American Idol contest. I think it's FAR more important to get involved in the Congressional contests.

No matter who ends up in the White House, getting a larger Dem majority in Congress -- and most importantly, getting more PROGRESSIVES elected to Congress -- is really our best hope for establishing a better direction for our country.

We're either going to end up with a corporatist, AIPAC-ridden Dem in the White House, or another Republican neanderthal. Our BEST hope of pushing a progressive agenda forward lies with Congress. THIS is what we ought to be paying attention to.

sw

[muntrv]

4. No one wants sink with the SS Chimpy.

[TheDoorbellRang]

5. I wonder how many are going into a lucrative lobbying career

Don't they have to jump ship now before the new lobbyist laws go into effect?

[DCKit]

10. Who will hire Republican ex-Congresscritters to lobby?

Most of the big lobbying firms saw the writing on the wall in 2005 and began hiring more Democrats in order to put a friendlier face on their representation. Though Republicans with House and Senate credentials may displace some of the current foot soldiers, there will be little demand for additional Republican lobbyists in a shrinking market.

While it is known that several are already in line to join existing firms or create their own, these pigeons will be fighting for scraps against vultures with far more experience, deep political ties, an existing, established business model and a solid track record with their corporate clients. In short, the existing lobbying firms have both a brand and the franchise.

Additionally, how many long-term, newly freed ex-Congresscritters have a clue what it means to WORK for a paycheck instead of just collecting one? Without a staff of dozens to organize their schedules, spoon-feed them information, handle their calls and do the heavy lifting, most of them will be lost and bewildered in the big, bad working world.

[Winterblues]

11. It isn't near as easy to Lobby a Democrat as it is a Republican for those folks.

I somehow doubt mmany will get much work in the Lobby field as long as Democrats control the committees.

[kineneb]

6. oh please, oh please let there be hungry sharks in the water...

pretty please.

:evilgrin:

[SoCalDem]

7. Run little lemmings, run ...

[Omaha Steve]

9. Love the photos

I've got to check that site out.

[nadinbrzezinski]

8. Historical note

when the Dems lost the house, the same thing happened