Roll Call: R-NY Boehlert will announce retirement....

[Laura PourMeADrink]

Boehlert to Join List of Retirees
Friday, March 17

Rep. Sherwood Boehlert (R-N.Y.) will announce this afternoon that he will not seek a 13th term, Republican leadership sources said.

[Tiggeroshii]

1. They just keep piling up!

Very good stuff. that's at about 17 now? Or 18?

[Lochloosa]

2. As of the 17th there were 16. Now 17.

[Tiggeroshii]

13. That fellow in CA24 announced his retirement and is reconsidering

...doing a nother term from pressure from Republicans? I think if he rejects his party's nomination, it'll be at 18; if he follows through with not retiring, it's 17 yeah? I think the latter's more likely

[gratuitous]

3. Another one bites the dust

I seem to recall that Boehlert was one of the spineless House Republicans who voted to impeach Bill Clinton. Right after the vote, Boehlert and three of his GOP colleagues issued a statement that although they voted to impeach Clinton, no one should interpret their votes as meaning that they thought he should be removed from office.

It was a particularly striking example of GOP hypocrisy and churlishness.

[Nordmadr]

4. I just watched him give the beginning of his speech in person

at the Boehlert Center Train Station in Utica, New York.

"It's time" he stated, referencing the answer Powell gave him to him when he left the Administration.

Olafr

See my post here:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x2519414


Olafr

[Greeby]

5. Boehlert's opponent led the infamous Lancet study into Iraqi casualties

http://www.lesroberts2006.com/

http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/030206D.shtml

[Lexingtonian]

6. District gave Bush (correction) 48%

and with a 1%/year or greater trend to Democrats nationally, this one's looking like a relatively easy pickup for our team- and a keeper.

[Nordmadr]

8. Unfortunatetly, this district is heavily Republican dominated still.

(At least on the local politician level). The word on the street here is that they will be pushing to get Ray Meier (R - State Senate - 47th District)to go after his seat.

http://www.raymeier.com/

Olafr

[Lexingtonian]

10. on the bright side

that means Democrats get a better shot at a state Senate seat as well, and taking the state Senate over is almost as important in your state as getting Democratic majorities in Congress.

[Nordmadr]

12. We can pencil in Spitzer as Governor too!! N/T

[shain from kane]

7. I hope they investigate his finances just like they did

Cunningham.
These guys don't give up anything willingly.
Most of them die in office at an old age.
They don't think they can be replaced.

[Nordmadr]

9. Boehlert is reported to be in poor health. N/T

[shain from kane]

11. So are the rest of us. Sickened by this administration.

He's not going to get any sympathy from me.

[Teaser]

14. pickup opportunity.

nt

[EarlG]

15. Keep an eye on Republican retirements

Could a wave of retirements bode badly for Republicans this year?

Back in November of 2005, Charlie Cook of the Cook Political Report was asked about this very subject. He said:

In and of themselves, the number of retirements that a party has is not a particularly good leading indicator of seat changes. But, a large number of retirements from incumbents in vulnerable seats can result in a large number of seat changes. With over 95 percent of incumbents in a typical year getting re-elected (though for a party in a bad year it can drop as low as 80 percent), open seats in vulnerable districts increases the volatility in the House and the exposure to losses.

(snip)

Obviously, the current bleak political environment and the prospect of a bruising campaign may force some entrenched Republican incumbents to reconsider another term. But, where those retirements come from is still not clear. Of the ten House chairmen who must step down at the end of the current Congress because of term limits, two -- Jim Nussle and Mike Oxley -- have already announced they were leaving the House at the end of their current term. Of the remaining eight Chairmen, the only other particularly troubling retirement for Republicans would be House Science Committee Chairman Sherwood Boehlert. His upstate New York district has a very similar political profile to that of Kolbe's.

http://politicalwire.com/archives/2005/11/29/one_question_for_charlie_cook.html

Congressional Quarterly reported on March 7 that we may not see a lot more of these, but with the news today of Boehlert's retirement it will be interesting to see if more Republicans jump ship in the coming months.

[Rose Siding]

16. He announced: "Moderate Republican to Call It Quits in Congress"

Republican Rep. Sherwood Boehlert, chairman of the House Science Committee, announced plans to retire after nearly 24 years in Congress.

"It is time," Boehlert told hundreds of friends, colleagues and family members at Utica's historic train station.

Boehlert, 69, leads a small moderate GOP faction in Congress that has clashed with President Bush over such issues as global warming and spending for social programs. Boehlert has also defended scientists when their professional opinions have drawn heat from administration policy-makers.

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-briefs18.3mar18,1,5704163.story?coll=la-headlines-nation