Byron Dorgan will not seek re-election

[onehandle]

Source: Valley News

North Dakota Senator Byron Dorgan says he will not seek re-election to the United States Senate in 2010. In a statement late this afternoon, Dorgan says he's leaving to pursue other interests. He says he'd like to do some teaching and work on energy policy in the private sector.

Read his statement at http://dorgan.senate.gov/newsroom/record.cfm?id=321298

Read more: http://www.valleynewslive.tv/artman2/publish/facebook/15687.shtml

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Well, that seat's gone.

[AndrewP]

1. Perhaps not

http://www.valleynewslive.tv/artman2/publish/facebook/15687.shtml

I think Earl Polmeroy would have a shot of winning the seat if he decides to run. He is the ND Congressman currently. But I admit that will be an uphill battle if ND Governor John Hoeven decides to run. He is popular here.

[FBaggins]

8. Polmeroy won't get into the race if Hoeven is running

We would end up losing BOTH the Senate and House seats.

I'm having trouble coming up with anyone who can give him a run... since Conrad can't hold both seats at the same time.

[AndrewP]

9. Yeah, the more I thought about it the more I agree with you

It would be better to hold the House and conceed the Senate than to lose both.

They are going to need a repeat of 1986 when Conrad "came out of nowhere" to upset Mark Andrews. What I mean is someone high in the party infrastructure but not widely known yet.

Ugh...this is bad news. I was hoping to stave off these asshole Repukelicans in ND from the 3 national seats. :(

[FBaggins]

11. It's been amazing to me

that we've held five of the six national statewide offices in the Dakotas.

Can't expect that to continue forever I suppose.


And yeah... it's always been my contention that everyone will agree with me if they think about things long enough. :-)

[madrchsod]

2. illinois is also up in the air

the democratic party in illinois (outside of chicago) is in trouble.

[FBaggins]

4. It isn't just IL

A number of races that looked safe a year ago are in real trouble now.

Dorgan's retirement now means that it's at least theoretically possible that we could lose the Senate... though it would mean losing every single election that's even marginally competitive. 4-6 seats is still more likely, but this is starting to look bad.

[Tesha]

17. A year ago, I would have asssured you of a pickup in New Hampshire.

Here, Paul Hodes, the current 2nd CD Congressman, is leaving
his seat to run for the open Senatorial seat being vacated
by Judd "the Dudd" Gregg.

A year ago, this would have been a reasonably sure bet for
Hodes, but right now, I think he'll have a very up-hill
battle and the Republicans will probably win his vacated
seat in Congress as well.

The Democrats have thoroughly blown it. :(

Tesha

[wisteria]

36. Why do you say that. What have the done that was not good for America? n/t

[FBaggins]

42. If you think that what they've done (sic) is "good for America"...

...then surely it would also be goof for them to remain in power?

So whatever they're doing that's causing them to endanger that control is also "bad for America", no?

[Tesha]

43. Let me see...

War? Still ongoing.

Economy: Still in the toilet around here.

Terra: Status Quo with our government still having panic attacks over nothing much.

Banks: Still unregulated.

Taxes: Unchanged. The rich are still skating by, even on the Estate Tax.

Homeowners: Still being foreclosed upon.

Health Care Reform: The expected industry give-away is well underway.

White House Security: Now a three-person joke instead of a two-person joke.

Shall I go on?

All this is why Paul Hodes will have a very up-hill battle to November when he
should have had a cake-walk.

Tesha

[Alcibiades]

21. We had a perfect storm in 2008

In the Senate races--we won all the close ones to get to 60. I'd hate to see the Republicans pull off something similar. Hopefully, we can get liberal voters energized again somehow.

[FBaggins]

3. I don't know about "gone"... but it's sure no better than a tossup

And that was a seat we were almost sure to keep.

[Odin2005]

5. Fuck.

[mascarax]

12. +1

Not good.

[L. Coyote]

26. Republicans are defending six open seats, in Ohio, Florida, Missouri, New Hampshire, Kentucky and KS

[FBaggins]

28. Not KS... LA

There's little chance of picking off Grassley this year (unless there's a new scandal I haven't seen?).

And yes... at least four of those races are tossups right now.

BUT if you had looked at the handicapping a year ago, there were 8-9 R seats that were considered competitive and only two of ours. Now there are 9-10 competitive seats that we have to defend.

[Demeter]

6. I See Opportunities To Send REAL Progressives To DC

Count the possibilities and line up the grassroots candidates...

[FBaggins]

7. Then I see that you're smoking something entertaining

if you see an opportunity to send someone more progressive than Dorgan from ND.

[AndrewP]

10. I love your idea....but....

I've been in this state for 30 years. I geniunely don't think you can be anything left of moderate and win in this state.

If I am proven wrong, I will be thrilled. But I don't think I'm wrong. :(

[bkozumplik]

13. agreed

unless you get a stealth candidate to act republican and switch to dem once elected.

like the blue dogs in reverse.

We should call them.. red dogs. Problem is you have to hang out with republicans. I dont think we will have any volunteers.

Otherwise there's no chance.

[sabrina 1]

14. I wonder if his leaving had anything to do with

the removal of his amendment to the HC Reform bill? He had a bi-partisan amendment that would have allowed the re-importation of drugs and I think it was voted on and approved by the Senate. He was pretty upset when it was removed, and basically claimed that the WH had been behind its removal because of their deal with Big Pharma.

As posted in another thread about Dorgan, he was one of the good guys, imo. Right about Glass Steagal, had the gust to stand up to his party and refuse to vote fir the repeal of that bill, predicting ominously at the time, how it would eventually spell disaster for the economic system.

Also, he was part of the Indian Affairs Committee that looked into Abramoff's dealings with the tribes, and helped uncover, with McCain, what eventually resulted in the revelations of the Abramoff Affairs.

He was good on the environment also and although he was fairly reserved, I think he accomplished a lot and could have done more, had he had the support of his party, such as the Drug Amendment and Glass Steagal. Maybe he's just tired of the politics and money that prevent him from getting things done for the people who elected him.

[wisteria]

35. I am surre he is use to disapointments. He has served for 30 years. He just wants a change

and perhaps feels this is the right time to do this as we have both chambers of Congress and are doing well.

[sabrina 1]

39. How are we doing well with both chambers? He had his excellent

Amendment killed, as did Kucinich, amendments that were for the people. It looks like Obama's secret deal with Big Pharma to protect them from Congress doing anything to create competition, made it necessary to stop Dorgan's bill which would have done so much for the American people. Who does Obama represent? Dorgan was representing the people. The people lost, big Pharma won, with the help of the WH.

As for 'having both chambers', all I've heard is that we 'don't have a big enough majority to get anything we want done so we have to compromise' and compromise over and over again until there is nothing left to compromise with. How is that 'doing well'. I'm speaking for the people, not any politician who is not my concern. But you said 'we' and I assume you mean the people. I feel like we are not doing well at all, because that is what the Dem. leadership is telling us. They can't do anything we need to have done because apparently we DON'T have both chambers, according to them. I thought we did, btw.

[blue97keet]

44. Dorgan was one of the few good guys

I have both of his books, "Take this job and ship it" and "Reckless"
(how debt, deregulation, and dark money nearly bankrupted America).

[harvey007]

15. This is terrible news

Sen. Dorgan is a real champion of working people and has been a bright light in the U.S. Senate.

He also helped to bring attention to Fargo radio personality Ed Schultz.

I understand the political realities he is facing in North Dakota, but Dorgan will be missed.

I am still hoping his amendment to allow the importation of Rx drugs from Canada gets included in the health care reform bill.

[pmorlan1]

16. Too bad.

Sorry to hear this. Dorgan was one of the better Senators in Washington. I'd love to know the real reason for leaving.

[sabrina 1]

20. I'd like to know also. I always liked him.

It could be he is tired of not getting things done in DC. I remember another politician, forget who now, left Congress because he said he believed he could do more good if he was acting on his own, and he did do a lot of great work, airc.

I haven't followed up on what happened to his amendment, but I know he was very disappointed when it was removed from the HC Bill. That was an excellent amendment and would have saved the American people over $100 billion. Somehow it got removed, as I guess Big Pharma didn't like it.

[rasputin1952]

18. Sad to see...

:(

[brentspeak]

19. So we're losing one of the few progressives in the Senate

and will probably get a Republican as a replacement. ):

[KoKo]

23. More interesting though is WHY is he leaving? See post below which is cynical...

sadly...

[KoKo]

22. Does this mean Money & Fame as a Lobbyist awaits him?

Wouldn't be the first time. And, why is he leaving now? What does he see in the future for Dems if he's getting out while the getting is good?

:shrug:

[clixtox]

24. Can we dare hope that this announcement is a ploy...

to wake up the Democratic Party?

If Byron Dorgan actually does "retire" for such nebulous reasons it will be a huge tragedy for all of the Dems!

Somewhere in the darker recesses of my mind I am wondering if Senator Dorgan felt vulnerable and threatened or has been the recipient of threats or intimidation.

It must be a bit lonely not playing along, according to the corporate game book/plan, who's watching your back? Certainly not the Democrat Party, unfortunately.

That's for sure!


Of course there are differences between the Democratic Party and the Republican Party.

Otherwise they couldn't fool anybody!

Resonates for me...

[L. Coyote]

25. How can someone from ND take Wash. DC for that long is the real mystery

Panorama of idyllic Regent, North Dakota, 58650, home of the Enchanted Highway.


Prairie Vista is the former home of Sen. Byron L. Dorgan


Maybe he is just retiring from a thankless job!

[notesdev]

27. He sees the writing on the wall

The Democratic Party has failed on basically everything it was elected to achieve, and instead presided over an acceleration of the looting and pillaging of this country by the moneyed elite.

Dorgan knows what to expect in 2010, an environment that isn't even safe for a longtime Senate incumbent to retain his seat.

[Iowa]

41. You nailed it.

[704wipes]

29. Take the (hcr) money and run

nt

[udbcrzy2]

30. The prescription amendment vote pissed him off

I know he was pretty pissed off when his prescription amendment did not pass. He looked like
he could not believe it. I could not believe it either. So, I don't blame him for retiring.
It's getting to the point that I'm embarrassed to even be a democrat when they vote the good
stuff down. I'm very upset over the corporate congress people taking over and there is nothing
I can do about it.

[harvey007]

31. Senator Mark Udall voted against the Dorgan amendment.

That's what pissed me off.
:grr:

[defendandprotect]

32. This is really sad . . .

[Psephos]

33. Only the good die young.... n/t

[wisteria]

34. It is a shame he has decided to do this now, but why the doom and gloom.

What exactly do the Repubs have to run on except being the party of no and going negative on Democrat everytime we tried to do something positive for this country. Democrats put politics aside to do what was right for the country. No taxes were raised, no new wars started, the economy is getting better and heathcare will not be the boggy man the Repubs have made it out to be.

[robcon]

37. Doom and gloom because ND went 53-46 to McCain, and 63-36 to Bush

Unlikely to get a Dem elected there unless someone with the popularity of Dorgan ran.

[wisteria]

38. If we all continue to moan that we are going to lose- we will.

What have the Dems done wrong? We have not raised taxes, the economy is getting better, healthcare is a good thing, we will be tackling global warming issues. What have the Republicans done right? Nothing, and they have done nothing right for years now. All they are are the party of No. I will take a party of do over a party of no anyday.

[robcon]

40. Dems have done nothing wrong; just not popular in ND.

You do know, wisteria, that we have to field a Democratic candidate that gets more votes than a Republican candidate, don't you?

I think that is unlikely in ND.