[lateStarter]

Any ideas/suspicions wrt to the large number of announcements of Congressmen/Senators/etc announcing that they will not be seeking re-election next term? Really? Who would step away from the gravy train to 'spend more time with the family'? I smell rats abandoning a sinking ship!

Who wants to be holding the bag when blame time comes around? Probably a very pragmatic decision.

[lateStarter]

Working backwards... For example, today we get:

AP LITTLE ROCK, Ark. -- Democratic US Rep. Vic Snyder of Arkansas says he won't seek re-election to an eighth term. The 62-year-old says he wants to spend more time with his wife and four young children, including a set of year-old triplets.

I'll try to catch the announcements for the last month before they disappear...

[lateStarter]

And the next one:

UPI.com - ‎Jan 14, 2010‎
Representing the people of Arizona was "one of the greatest privileges of my life," Shadegg said, and not seeking re-election was particularly hard now.

Right! Abandon ship. Get out while the getting is good. Maybe everyone will forget about you before TSHTF. The next eager and willing twit will take the fall (hopefully)...

[lateStarter]

I'm on a roll..

By Associated Press 7:13 PM CST, January 15, 2010:
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Alabama Sen. Kim Benefield has announced she is retiring from her District 13 seat after serving one term.

Benefield said in a statement Friday that she has been struggling with the decision about running for re-election for the past several months. She said she decided to retire in order to be able to spend more time with her daughter, who lives in Georgia with her family.

Why now?

[lateStarter]

And another. I promise I won't go back before January and I will try to keep it to the US Senate and Congress.

By Chris Cillizza, Washington Post Staff Writer , Wed, 6 Jan 2010; 11:42 AM:
Sen. Byron L. Dorgan (D-N.D.) will not run for reelection this year, he said Tuesday, providing Republicans with a major opportunity to pick up a Senate seat in the November midterm elections.

"After a lot of thought, I have made the very difficult decision that I will not be seeking reelection in 2010," the three-term senator said in a statement. "This decision is not a reflection of any dissatisfaction with my work in the Senate, nor is it connected to a potential election contest next fall (frankly, I believe if I were to run for another term I would be reelected)."

Dorgan came to Washington in 1980 as the state's lone congressional representative. He has handily won every election since, drawing less than 60 percent only in his first Senate race in 1992.

Why now? We need you experience now more than ever!

[lateStarter]

And one of the biggies:

Senator Christopher Dodd of Connecticut, a long-time leader of the party, announced this month that he will not run for re-election in November. His reasoning sounded ominous for Democrats: Dodd was in "the toughest political shape of my career.

Feel free to add anything from your own state or district. Of course there are more than enough ready and willing douche-bags to take their place - and why not? The pension. The health care. (Not available to me or you though). Have a nice day.

[Ferretlover]

Any ideas/suspicions wrt to the large number of announcements of Congressmen/Senators/etc announcing that they will not be seeking re-election next term? Really? Who would step away from the gravy train to 'spend more time with the family'? I smell rats abandoning a sinking ship!
Who wants to be holding the bag when blame time comes around? Probably a very pragmatic decision.

I noticed the exact same thing happening about 16-18 months before Bush left office (I think it's in the Bush Admin pt 1 thread). But, we're probably mistaken about their reasons--they're probably just wanting more time to prep!!

[lateStarter]

I'll try to keep a running tally, but this is harder than I thought! A lot of the buggers are bailing out. I have no idea why? Last one for today:

South Carolina Rep. Henry Brown, a five-term Republican who faced a primary challenge, announced his retirement today, becoming the 14th GOP member -- and the second from South Carolina -- to not seek re-election in November's election.

In a statement just released by his office, Brown said:

"It is time for me to leave and spend more time with my wife of 54 years, Billye, my children and my grandchildren. I chose to make the announcement at this time so that Republicans who have not considered running for Congress out of friendship or respect for my incumbency can consider their options to file and have adequate time to campaign."

Thanks for all your service to the general public! Who knows what the next batch of carpet-baggers will look like...

[lateStarter]

I noticed the exact same thing happening about 16-18 months before Bush left office (I think it's in the Bush Admin pt 1 thread). But, we're probably mistaken about their reasons--they're probably just wanting more time to prep!!

Just curious. Was it both Republicans and Democrats? This round seems to be across the board. And the prep thing sounds appropriate, all jokes aside. They have the money. They have local connections back home. And maybe, they really do care about their family. I'd do the same thing if I was in their situation and I was cognizant of where things were heading...

[Ferretlover]

I seem to think it was almost all Republicans. More than a dozen of 'em. I think that the number included staffers from the DOJ.

[lateStarter]

I seem to think it was almost all Republicans. More than a dozen of 'em. I think that the number included staffers from the DOJ.

That seems par for the course. Maybe I am reading more into it, but it seems like this time, everyone is getting out while the getting is still good. Why face the angry mob when the blame game begins? The public seems to have a short term memory, so it may work to their advantage.

I will be keeping a close eye on this as it develops. Everyone else is invited to contribute.

[vtsnowedin]

I seem to think it was almost all Republicans. More than a dozen of 'em. I think that the number included staffers from the DOJ.

I don't have an exact count and it's changing week by week but it is my impression that it is a close split with the majority being Democrats for now at least. Cris Dodd being the most notable to date. The results next Tuesday in Massachusetts will set the stage for the upcoming mid term election.

[vtsnowedin]

Looking around I find a story from Jan. 6th that had it 14R to 10D in the house and 6R to 4D in the senate. And this from Jan. 12. link :
.
Not all retirements are created equal. While Democrats are touting the fact that more Republicans have announced they’re not running for reelection in both the House and the Senate, the reality is that the Democratic retirements in the House have come from districts that are tougher to defend.

Of the 10 House Democrats to announce they’re not running for reelection, The Cook Political Report has rated eight of the races as competitive — with two seats already rated as likely to flip to Republicans. Of the 13 House Republicans leaving office, just two of their races are rated as competitive — with one seat likely to flip to Democrats.

Indeed, the shifting political winds even prompted one Republican to withdraw his retirement. Rep. Jim Gerlach, who represents a Democratic-friendly suburban Philadelphia seat, last week dropped out of the Republican gubernatorial primary and announced that he’d stand for reelection.

“The quality of these retirements is more important than the quantity. The more important question than who has more retirements is who has more problematic retirements,” said Wasserman.

The impact of retirement on the Senate political picture is mixed: Republicans faced their own retirement wave last year and are defending five seats in battleground states — Ohio, Kentucky, New Hampshire, Missouri and Florida — giving Democrats an opportunity to stem losses.

Dodd’s retirement also gives his party a boost since highly popular Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal quickly took his place on the Democratic ballot. Still, one senior Democratic operative said there wouldn’t have been as much urgency for Dodd to step down if the national political environment for Democrats weren’t as bad as it currently is.

In contrast, Dorgan’s retirement in North Dakota gives Republicans a strong chance to pick up his seat, with Hoeven as the expected GOP nominee. “It’s a symptom of where we are right now — it’s a tough time for us,” said one senior Democratic operative. “Nobody’s having any fun up there on the Hill.”

Pages

Read more: link

[Ludi]

“It’s a symptom of where we are right now — it’s a tough time for us,” said one senior Democratic operative. “Nobody’s having any fun up there on the Hill.”

It's a tough time because they keep sucking up to big business and letting down their constituents. What a pack of losers, I tell ya!

[lateStarter]

And today from the Huffington Post we have:

The truth is, politicians on both sides of the aisle appear to be fed up with the ever-increasingly contentious, highly partisan climate in Washington. That they're throwing in the towel and looking forward to calmer pastures is of no surprise. And maybe all this excitement about retiring politicians could stoke serious discussion of term-limits. Perhaps it's not such a bad thing that worn out old codgers like Dodd, Dorgan and Voinovich move aside to allow some fresh blood to flow through the Beltway.

More likely, it will just be more of the same blood as you have to be rich (part of the club) to have a shot.

[dinopello]

For every one not running for re-election there are thousands that never ran for election in the first place.

[Jotapay]

Most likely, the wheels are about to completely come off the bus here in regards to this country's finances in the next 2-3 years. They are getting out while they can.

[lateStarter]

Another one throws in the towel:

LITTLE ROCK - Arkansas Democratic Rep. Marion Berry plans to announce Monday that he won't seek re-election this fall, people who have spoken to Berry told The Associated Press.

No official explanantion yet. I'm sure that there were probably a few of these folks that thought they could make a difference (a very small number) and are so nauseated by the whole thing the only thing they can do is trhow up their hands and walk away. Life probably made more sense back on the farm.

[Update]

The Democrat from east Arkansas says he can no longer serve the district "with the vitality I once possessed."

I guess that could be interpreted in many different ways!

[lateStarter]

They just keep coming:

This past week, additional members of Congress from both major U.S. political parties announced that they will not seek re-election. The latest to announce include a conservative Republican and strong supporter of democracy in Cuba, a liberal Democrat skeptical of the U.S. military strategy in Afghanistan, and the son of the late Senator Edward Kennedy.

"My father instilled in me a deep commitment to public service, whether through elected office like he and his brothers or non-profit advocacy like my Aunt Eunice's work with Special Olympics. Now having spent two decades in politics, my life is taking a new direction and I will not be a candidate for re-election this year," said Congressman Patrick Kennedy from Rhode Island State

Full article from VOA: http://www1.voanews.com/english/news/usa/More-Congressional-Retirements-On-Road-to-2010-Mid-Term-Elections-84298697.html

I especially like this comment:

After Republican Scott Brown won his father's Massachusetts Senate seat, Congressman Patrick Kennedy called it a sign Americans would be out for "blood" and that voters were seeking someone to blame for jobs and homes lost in the recession.

Gee, ya think?