Dorgan was going to face a tough re-election

[ProSense]

Just look at his comment on the health care bill:

“I told citizens of North Dakota that I would not support a government take-over of health care. This legislation is not a government takeover. I have said that I would not support public funding for abortion. This legislation does not provide public funding for abortion. I have promised that I would not support legislation that provides health care for illegal immigrants. This legislation does not.

He's in ND Blue Cross country with Kent Conrad.

[Selatius]

1. Might explain why he isn't running for re-election. The door is open wide now.

Perhaps if they ran a populist in the vein of old school Democrats from the FDR-era, they might put somebody in there who is more favor of standing up for working class interests.

[still_one]

3. Not that easy in North Dakota /nt

[still_one]

2. That only exemplifies why healthcare reform is a long process /nt

[depakid]

10. No- it exempliefies what happens when party leadership doesn't have the back key members

who stand up and fight for its traditional values.

Such a party looks weak- ineffective and, quite frankly- pathetic.

As do those who abide by such behavior- and play the helplessness card.

[still_one]

11. What is "traditional" in one state, is NOT the same "traditional" in another state /nt

[depakid]

12. More excuse making

Seems to be what partisans and Republicrat apologists are best at- because they sure aren't much good at enacting- or supporting effective public policy.

Fact is that Republicans stand for all sorts of unpopular polices- in all sorts of states- and they've managed quite well over the past 2 decades- with only a few short years out of power.

That's because they're perceived as standing up and fighting for "what they believe in" -and they're damn near always backed up by their Leadership- whereas Dems end up looking weak, ineffectual- and in Dorgan's case- backstabbed by the supposed "leadership."

Big difference to American voters' psyche.

[rwheeler31]

4. What a relief it must be to make this decision.

These guys are getting older they are so tired of the travel and the fighting and the stupid media, and the threats. I wish them a good long rest.

[Arkana]

5. Dorgan said his decision had nothing to do with a potentially difficult

reelection battle.

[ProSense]

6. True, but it doesn't change the fact that he was facing a tough re-election.n/t

[PVnRT]

9. They always say that

[Mass]

7. True, but is there a point to your post? It is not as if reasonably progressive Democrats were

growing at every corner of North Dakota. Dorgan is a loss for us (he was only going to have a difficult campaign if the governor was running, and he had not declared).

[Hippo_Tron]

8. Only if Joe Hoeven ran

[Fire1]

13. Tough re-election plus the man is 67 years old. I suspect

he really didn't want to commit himself to seven more years of public service (as implied on msnbc)and wanted to do other things before he bit the dust. Makes plenty of sense, to me.

[burning rain]

14. I wonder if his retirement is connected to the defeat of his drug reimportation amendment.

It was a signature issue for Dorgan. His anger at the administration for moving to kill it, including the accusation that they pressured the FDA to come out against it, was quite unusual--Dorgan's a team player and a member of the Senate leadership, besides having endorsed Obama in the primaries. So it could be heartbreak at what he sees as a betrayal, a strong sense that having his legs cut out from under him on a key issue could kill his reelection chances, or a combination of the two. At any rate his departure is unfortunate and makes a GOP pickup very likely.

[quiller4]

15. I think his own polling and the Rasmussen poll that came out mid-December

convinced him that he was very likely to lose and that wasn't the way he wanted to cap his career. Word is that he has an appointment coming in the Obama administration and that he was approached about that in November

[burning rain]

16. Well, having your legs cut out from under you on a signature issue...

can only make you look like someone who can't deliver, and hurt your reelection prospects. It will be interesting to see what if any job this administration gives him, as Dorgan has a lot of progressive scruples and could prove problematic.

[freddie mertz]

17. Dorgan says, at the link "“This is not a perfect piece of legislation for sure."

Gotta agree with him there.

For sure.

http://www.detritus.org/spam/skit.htm