apawllo

Republican Senators are dropping like flies lately. It seems that some of them are displeased with the Bush Administration, the GOP, and the state of our government in general. Here are the facts....

First it was Larry Craig. Everyone knows the story about this guy, but one thing that isn't discussed much is this...
Soon after the Larry Craig incident, on September 2nd, John Warner announced that he plans not to defend his Senate seat in 2008. He is 80 years old and probably more than ready to retire, but he has also been one the GOP's biggest anti-Bush/anti-war Senators over the past 7 years.

Most recently, as of September 10th, Chuck Hagel is expected to announce that he will not seek re-election. Hagel is another Senator that has been against Bush's Iraq War policy for a long while.

Has this all been a coincidence, or has it been planned? Should we expect more of the remaining 18 Republican Senators seeking re-election to retreat? Either way, it seems that many Republican Senators are growing tired of what is going on within the Bush Administration and the party in general.

superdude17*

how the f*** are they "dropping like flies?" both senators, if resign, will be replaced w/ republican senators...

What's wrong with change? the republican party is always adapting its core principles to meet the needs of society, while at the same time not forgetting who they are and where they come from.

the d-rats have the tendency to follow no principle, no precedence and really stand for nothing, other than going against what the republicans do.

patriotsblade

Which republican talking points memo did you copy and paste that from?

apawllo

Well in the last 2 weeks all three have said they will resign, at least in private. Then you can add Wayne Allard on to that list from way back in January and there are 4 Republican Senators not seeking re-election.

Aside from Larry Craig, don't be so sure about their seats automatically being filled by Republicans. Virginia's and Nebraska's Junior Senators are both Democrats indicating that those seats could go either way - especially since the candidates have not been chosen. As for Colorado, many think it seems promising for the Democrats to pick up that seat. Allard had a very low approval rating, and once again he is serving with a Democrat.

apawllo

Bump for Domenici....that makes 5!

Worth discussing yet?

micfranklin

They want change so bad, why not start by changing some of their tactics in Congress now?

apawllo

While I think it's fantastic that Republican Senators are resigning, I don't think that they're doing it as a change of tactic. As Larry Craig begins to undergo increased amounts of peer pressure to resign from office we'll be able to tell if my theory is unfounded or not. If he withstands the pressure until the end of his term and resigns as planned, forcing an election, I think we can all agree that is only going to hurt the Republican party. As we know, over 90% of US Senators win re-election and if Larry Craig were to resign now he would be replaced by an appointed Senator by the Governor of Idaho (who is a Republican), thereby becoming the incumbent a year later. Things like this, as well as the timing of all of these resignations, and the fact that some of the Senators who resigned were extremely anti-war make me question whether or not there was some malicious intent here.

Concerning Chuck Hagel, there have been rumors circulating that he may run as VP on an independent ticket with Michael Bloomberg as the Presidential candidate. That may be the reason for his resignation. However, I would still contend that he is displeased with the Republican Party....he's running on an independent ticket.

It's been said that Bush has told people behind closed doors that he doesn't care what happens to the Republican Party as long as his own personal agenda is fulfilled. Maybe these Senators are giving him a taste of his own medicine.