Thread: And another one bites the dust

Snowe announces she won’t seek re-election
Posted on February 28, 2012 by Cowboy Byte




Citing too much partisanship in Washington, Maine Sen. Olympia Snowe will not run for re-election, she announced Tuesday.

Snowe, a moderate Republican who was often a key swing vote on partisan issues, was first elected to the U.S. Senate in 1994. She previously represented Maine’s 2nd Congressional District in the U.S. House for 16 years.

“After 33 years in the Congress this was not an easy decision. My husband and I are in good health. We have laid an exceptionally strong foundation for the campaign, and I have no doubt I would have won re-election,” she said in a statement.

Snowe announces she won’t seek re-election | CowboyByte



And another democ-rat in action quits.... of course she is a repug-nat in name only but who is counting..."huh I am"

Rules Chairman Dreier announces retirement after 16 House terms
By Pete Kasperowicz - 02/29/12 10:13 AM ET

House Rules Committee Chairman David Dreier (R-Calif.) on Wednesday morning announced from the House floor that he would not seek reelection this year.

"We all know that this institution has an abysmally low approval rating, and the American people are asking for change in Congress, and so I'm announcing today that I will leave the Congress at the end of this year," the 16-term member joked.

Dreier is the eighth House Republican to announce his retirement this year, and the fourth Republican from California. Seven other House Republicans have decided to run for higher office.

Dreier was known to be considering leaving office after redistricting in California left him in a majority-Democratic district. Democrats will have a very good chance of picking up Dreier's seat.

The Republican had flirted with leaving office three years ago, but said he decided to continue to serve in the hopes that Republicans would win the majority and advance the goals of a freer economy, limited government, strong defense and personal freedom.

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Rep. Dreier: Congress 'as great as it has ever been'

He also said he was glad to see Congress reduce discretionary spending, approve the long-stalled free trade deals with Colombia, Panama and South Korea, and make the legislative process more transparent.

"I'm looking forward to following the Madisonian directive, that members of Congress, after serving here, should go out and live with the laws that have passed," he said. "And I will say that as passionately as we've been pursing a pro-growth, job-creating agenda, I look forward to doing that myself as I move into the private sector next year."

Dreier said he decided to announce his retirement on the floor because he is a "proud institutionalist."

"I believe that this institution is as great as it has ever been," he said. "And I announce it here because … this is where the people of California sent me to represent them."

Rules Chairman Dreier announces retirement after 16 House terms - The Hill's Floor Action

Top Dem on House Approps committee announces retirement
By Russell Berman - 03/02/12 11:25 AM ET

Rep. Norm Dicks (D-Wash.), the top Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee, will retire at the end of 2012, he announced Friday.

Dicks, who was in line to chair the powerful Appropriations panel if Democrats were to win control of the House in November, joins a growing list of senior members of Congress to call it quits this year.

In a statement, the 18-term congressman said he wanted to “change gears and enjoy life at a different pace.”

“The privilege of serving in the House of Representatives, with the endorsement of the voters every two years, is indeed an honor unlike no other profession in our country and I have truly enjoyed every day here and have cherished all of the friendships we have made with many of the finest public servants in the nation,” Dicks said. “I am proud that many of these friendships have crossed the ideological and party lines that tend to separate us, and I have always believed that we can achieve greater results if we leave politics aside when the election season and the floor debates are over.”

The decision came as a surprise to Dicks's colleagues, a Democratic aide said. The lawmaker didn't inform members of the Washington state delegation until Friday morning, shortly before he made his public announcement.

Next in line to succeed Dicks as Appropriations ranking member — or chairman, if Democrats re-take the House — is Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-Ohio), who is facing a primary battle with Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio) in a consolidated district. Their primary election is Tuesday. If Kaptur loses, next in line would be Rep. Pete Visclosky (D-Ind.).

With Dicks' retirement, Boeing loses perhaps its most vocal advocate in Congress. Dicks touted his work with the aerospace giant in his retirement announcement, noting he was instrumental in ensuring a $100 billion Air Force refueling tanker contract for the company.

Dicks received praise from both sides of the aisle for his work in the House.

The senior senator from his home state, Sen. Patty Murray (D), called him “a true Washington state institution.”

“He is our state’s quarterback here in Congress, and I can’t imagine our delegation without him,” Murray said in a statement. “To me, more than anything, Norm is the guy who loves Washington state more than life, who would do anything to defend it, and who works everyone to the bone to make sure the families he represents are taken care of. And he doesn’t just fight hard — he wins. I will miss his voice here in our nation’s capital. And we will all miss his ability to make sure federal policy works for Washington state families.”

Dicks was also praised by his frequent sparring partner, House Appropriations Committee Chairman Hal Rogers (R-Ky.).

"Norm Dicks and I have been friends and colleagues for many years, and I have rarely had the chance to work with someone of his decency, strong work ethic, jovial character, and honesty," Rogers said in a statement. "Despite our ideological differences, Norm has never hesitated to work together to maintain the comity and spirit of bipartisanship that is the hallmark of the Appropriations Committee."

Dicks, 71, was first elected in 1976.

The 18-term lawmaker was appointed to the Appropriations committee in his first term, and he briefly served as chairman of the panel’s key Defense subcommittee in 2010 following the death of Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.).

One Democratic aide said the House's recent ban on earmarks had likely played a role in Dicks's decision to retire. "Being on the Appropriations Committee isn't what it used to be," said the Democrat.

Dicks's Tacoma-based seat will most likely remain in Democratic hands — the old district was won by both President Obama in 2008 and Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) in 2004, and became a bit more Democratic in redistricting.

He is the 21st House Democrat to announce that he will not seek reelection and the 13th to retire outright rather than seek a higher office.

Across the aisle, 15 House Republicans are forgoing reelection.

— Erik Wasson and Cameron Joseph contributed.

This story was last updated at 11:59 a.m.


Top Dem on House Approps committee announces retirement - The Hill's Ballot Box