Senator Dorgan (D) to retire

[jimmy olsen]

Chalk this up as a GOP win come November

http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/01/05/senator-dorgan-of-north-dakota-to-retire/

January 5, 2010, 6:29 pm
Senator Dorgan of North Dakota to Retire
By DAVID M. HERSZENHORN

Senator Byron L. Dorgan, Democrat of North Dakota, announced abruptly on Tuesday that he would not seek re-election this year – a clear sign of the difficulties Democrats will face in defending their large Congressional majorities in the upcoming mid-term elections.
Senator Byron DorganDoug Mills/The New York Times Senator Byron Dorgan last year.

Mr. Dorgan, who is completing his third term, has been regarded for months as one of the most vulnerable Democratic incumbents. North Dakota Gov. John Hoeven, a popular Republican, has been weighing a run for Senate, and polls indicated he would easily defeat Mr. Dorgan.

"Although I still have a passion for public service and enjoy my work in the Senate, I have other interests and I have other things I would like to pursue outside of public life," Mr. Dorgan said in a statement released Tuesday evening. "I have written two books and have an invitation from a publisher to write two more books. I would like to do some teaching and would also like to work on energy policy in the private sector."

Mr. Hoeven has yet to announce his plans, but Mr. Dorgan's decision not to run both increases the likelihood that the governor will pursue the open Senate seat and that Democrats will lose it.

Democrats nominally control 60 seats in the Senate which is the precise number needed to overcome Republican filibusters. The major health care legislation, for instance, is advancing only because all 60 members of the Democratic caucus, including two independents, have united in support of it.

The Democrats picked up seats in the Senate in both 2006, when they regained the majority, and in 2008, in large part because Senator Charles E. Schumer, Democrat of New York and former chairman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, worked hard to prevent any retirements.

Republicans are also facing the prospect of retirements, including Senators George V. Voinovich of Ohio and Christopher S. Bond of Missouri.

Mr. Dorgan, who is chairman of the Democratic Policy Committee, has been increasingly unhappy in the Senate, aides and colleagues have said. While other Democrats wanted to pursue major health care legislation, Mr. Dorgan though the party should be focused more on jobs and the economy.

Here's his entire statement:

    January 5, 2010

    "Representing North Dakota in the U.S. Congress for nearly 30 years has been one of the great privileges of my life.

    "The work I have been able to do to expand our economy, create new opportunities in energy and water development, invent the Red River Research Corridor with cutting-edge world class research, build a stronger safety net for family farmers and much more has been a labor of love for me.

    "In recent years, becoming Chairman of key Senate Committees on Energy and Water, Indian Affairs, Aviation and more has given me much greater opportunity to help our state and country.

    "For the past year, I have been making plans to seek another six-year Senate term in next year's election. Those plans included raising campaign funds and doing the organizing necessary to wage a successful campaign.

    "Even as I have done that, in recent months I began to wrestle with the question of whether making a commitment to serve in the Senate seven more years (next year plus a new six-year term) was the right thing to do.

    "I have been serving as an elected official in our state for many years. Beginning at age 26, I served ten years as State Tax Commissioner followed by thirty years in the U.S. Congress by the end of 2010. It has been a long and wonderful career made possible by the people of North Dakota. And I am forever grateful to them for the opportunity.

    "Although I still have a passion for public service and enjoy my work in the Senate, I have other interests and I have other things I would like to pursue outside of public life. I have written two books and have an invitation from a publisher to write two more books. I would like to do some teaching and would also like to work on energy policy in the private sector.

    "So, over this holiday season, I have come to the conclusion, with the support of my family, that I will not be seeking another term in the U.S. Senate in 2010. It is a hard decision to make after thirty years in the Congress, but I believe it is the right time for me to pursue these other interests.

    "Let me be clear that this decision does not relate to any dissatisfaction that I have about serving in the Senate. Yes, I wish there was less rancor and more bipartisanship in the U.S. Senate these days. But still, it is a great privilege to serve and I have the utmost respect for all of the men and women with whom I serve.

    "It has been a special privilege to serve with Senator Conrad and Congressman Pomeroy, who do an outstanding job for our state. And although he inherited an economy in serious trouble, I remain confident that President Obama is making the right decisions to put our country back on track.

    Further, my decision has no relationship to the prospect of a difficult election contest this year. Frankly, I think if I had decided to run for another term in the Senate I would be reelected.

    "But I feel that after serving 30 years, I want to make time for some other priorities. And making a commitment to serve in the Senate for the next seven years does not seem like the right decision for me.

    "So, 2010 will be my last year in the Senate. I will continue to work hard for the best interests of our state and country during this coming year. We need to get the economic engine restarted and put people back to work. We need to reform our financial system to make sure that which happened to cause this deep recession will not happen again. And we need to get our fiscal and budget policies under control. The federal budget deficits are not sustainable.

    "But even as we face all of these difficult issues, I am convinced that our country will rise to the challenge.

    "We are a great nation. And I have a deep sense of optimism about the future of our country."

[CountDeMoney]

Double posting douche.

[Vince]

Eh that filibuster proof majority doesn't seem all it's cracked up to be anyways...