Rep. Bart Gordon (D-Tenn) has announced his retirement. Gordon is the Chairman of the House Science and Technology Committee. Gordon represents a district that went to McCain 62%-37% last year.
While he is the first full committee chairman to call it quits prior to the 2010 bi-election, Gordon is the fourth Blue-dog Democrat since Thanksgiving to announce they are leaving. The others include Reps. John Tanner (D-Tenn), Dennis Moore (D-Kansas), and Brian Baird (D-Wash).
An obvious reason to leave is the not-so-friendly atmosphere developing nationally for the Democrats. Why go through the effort of a hard campaign when you are unsure of the results?
But could there also be another reason? I think there is.
Can you imagine the atmosphere for these Blue-dogs in the Democratic caucus? Just picture in your minds the pressure Nancy Pelosi and her crowd have been placing on them. It can’t be a very pleasant experience. Now they get to look forward to a hard fought 2010 campaign where they get to defend policies with which they don’t agree. And after that, they get to have the privilege of coming back to be browbeaten by Pelosi for another two years.
I can well imagine more than one of them saying, “Thanks, but no thanks. I think I’ll pass.” Can you?
December 14th, 2009 at 2:15 pm
When is the fat lady going to sing on this iteration of congress? I hear the music is building.
December 14th, 2009 at 2:50 pm
I still want us a vote short of a majority to seal Obama’s fate in 2012.
December 14th, 2009 at 5:57 pm
I suspect this trickle will turn into a steady stream the next few months. These Blue Dogs either get the wrath of the voters, or the wrath of Pelosi.
December 14th, 2009 at 6:30 pm
Something of a pity really. I don’t like that increasingly, the Congress is divided by geographical lines.
It’s good to have Democrats in the South, and Republicans in the North. I wish it was a NY or PA swing district instead.
And besides, Southern Democrats are on our side 50% of the time anyways.
December 14th, 2009 at 7:39 pm
The question with a lame duck is which way he will go, now that he’s lame. He can vote his conscience, but what does his conscience tell him?
It’s possible he is a fundamentally conservative person who only voted with the Dem caucus when forced to do so — so now he will vote conservative. Or perhaps he is fundamentally liberal, but sometimes voted with the Republicans because he needed to placate his district — so now he will vote liberal.
I suppose the answer is different for each of these Blue Dogs.