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Report: GOP Leaders Pressuring Rep. Doolittle To Retire
Muck-encrusted Rep. John Doolittle (R-CA) is in so much political trouble that GOP leaders are convinced he has no chance of winning reelection next year and are privately urging him to retire, according to Roll Call (sub. reqd.).
Doolittle, whose home was raided earlier this year by the Feds, barely survived reelection against Dem challenger Charlie Brown, who is targeting Doolittle again for 2008. Brown is trouncing Doolittle in polls and has more money stockpiled for the 2008 race than the embattled incumbent does.
According to the paper, House GOP leaders held off on urging Doolittle to drop his reelection plans, hoping that he'd voluntarily decide to retire over the summer. But when Doolittle pressed ahead with reelection efforts, GOP leaders -- worried about losing an otherwise safe seat -- privately sat down with him and told him the game's over. No word on what Doolittle will do yet.
CA-04 is ranked lean Democratic for now... But that will change overnight if Doolittle announces he is not running.
October 16, 2007 10:21 AM | Reply | Permalink
Craig, Doolittle, Stevens, the dominos are starting to fall!
But Craig is right. He should stay. They should elect him minority leader. Clearly he is best suited to represent the Republican party. We need more Republicans like him.
October 16, 2007 11:30 AM | Reply | Permalink
Whether you're a Democrat or Republican, you should call on Craig, Doolittle and Stevens to retire. It's simply the right thing to do. I for one am very happy that people like Renzi, Hastert, Hagel and other scandal-plagued or back-stabbing Republicans are stepping down because it's the right thing to do.
If the GOP had followed this policy and dumped that fruitcake Mark Foley when they knew about his sin, 2006 would probably have turned out quite differently.
October 16, 2007 11:54 AM | Reply | Permalink
If I were the Congressional Democrats, I wouldn't really worry about 2008, all signs show either a hold or a pick up on seats, like Doolittle's seat. I would worry about 2010. If the political current changes, many of these suburban districts that went to the Dems in 2006 can be highly vulnerable. Especially if the Dems go down the same route as they did in 1994.
Even if the Dems pick up Doolittle's seat in 2008, there are going to have a tough time defending it two years down the line
October 16, 2007 12:00 PM | Reply | Permalink
"Especially if the Dems go down the same route as they did in 1994.
Even if the Dems pick up Doolittle's seat in 2008, there are going to have a tough time defending it two years down the line"
what dems need to do is get 60 in the senate, POTUS and 10 more in the house. Then they enact single payer. At that point, a large number of people will vote Democratic for a long time.
This country is FUNDAMENTALLY LIBERAL. They just don't know that.
Obviously you are another confused REpukeliscum. The point of being in congress is not to run for being in congress. The point is to enact legislation that gets you re-elected and is good for the country. SINGLE-PAYER.
October 16, 2007 12:41 PM | Reply | Permalink
There are too many powerful interests that can defeat single payer. Having 60 Dems in the Senate won't be all lockstop and discipline. Besides, it is better right now for lowball estimates of Dem Senate pick ups, from 3-4 seats to maybe if all goes right for the dems up to 7-8 seats. Health Care has to go down, whether it is single payer or other ideas like putting price controls on prescription drugs, adjusting social security and medicare. Whether single payer or not, we are heading toward rationed health care, because costs are so exorbiant...
Iraq is the 800lb gorilla on the political scene at this moment. How 2008 campaign unfolds depends alot on Iraq.
October 16, 2007 3:18 PM | Reply | Permalink
"Obviously you are another confused REpukeliscum. The point of being in congress is not to run for being in congress. The point is to enact legislation that gets you re-elected"
How can I be a Republican, when I am commenting on the political scene and even stating that the Dems will pick up seats in 2008? Where am I bashing Democratic Party?
Any one who needs to cap lock their comments is a looney.
October 16, 2007 3:21 PM | Reply | Permalink
Steve wrote:"I for one am very happy that people like Renzi, Hastert, Hagel and other scandal-plagued or back-stabbing Republicans are stepping down because it's the right thing to do."
Hagel? Chuck Hagel? All the others I can see but Hagel is one of the most honorable politicans in the game. And one should add, one of the most consistently conservative...as in real conservative not like the perversions which have been running the show for the last 15 years or so. We need more people like Hagel from both sides of the aisle in public life, not less.
October 16, 2007 4:19 PM | Reply | Permalink
answer to anon's query
:"How can I be a Republican, when I am commenting on the political scene and even stating that the Dems will pick up seats in 2008? Where am I bashing Democratic Party?"
how could you be a repuglican and still be able to recognize reality ???
I don't really know. Repuglicans usually have their heads so far up their assholes that reality never intrudes
maybe you just came out for some air or something
your analysis of what happened in 1994 is totally fucked up. So you ain't really got that good of grip on reality
The repuglican migration off the cliff began in 1994. the repuglican revolution began in 1994, and by 2012 there ain't gonna be anymore repuglican party
so tell me who really fucked up in 1994
I'm pretty sure 60 Democrats in the Senate is a given at this point, and I'm already looking at how we get to 67 Democratic Senators in 2008
if we don't get 67 in 2008, we'll get to 67 in 2010
Kay Bee Hutchins just handed us her Senate seat for Texas in 2010 (and I'll bet she loses the governorship to a Democrat too)
the repuglican party has committed suicide
so how could you be a repuglican if you're posting on a "liberal" blog ???
rats jump off of sinking ships, don't cha know
so that's how you could be a repuglican
jus sayin, is all
how ya like me now ???
October 16, 2007 5:22 PM | Reply | Permalink
"your analysis of what happened in 1994 is totally fucked up. So you ain't really got that good of grip on reality"
My analysis of 1994 election was fucked up? I actually admire what the Clinton Administration did, bozo. However they took very risky political moves, given that there was info from 1992, that the Republicans could take over the House of Representatives. The Dems lost something like 70 seats in 1994, with a combination of the tax increase, the health care battle and the crime bill. The Dems lost the independent voters in 1994. The same group that gave the Dems the House of Representatives in 2006. The same group that can make or break elections or either political party.
Anyway, bozo, because I don't 100% agree with you, doesn't make me a fascist bully boy, that you want to dream about. You don't have 100% control of labels who is a Democrat. Also I trying to give an objective view of one Congressional race, (Doolittle's seat) which has much more registered Republicans than Democrats.
The Republican Party is going to get spanked in 2008, however it won't be out for the count, nor will the Dems even get near 67 votes. 60 votes, maybe if everything goes their way.
Ciao, Bozo
October 16, 2007 6:49 PM | Reply | Permalink
I predict Doolittle will emulate Larry Craig and dig his heels in and stay. The GOP has been playing by junkyard dog rules so long they've forgotten party unity. It is definitely every dog for himself -- that's what happens when you let Dick Cheney and Karl Rove dictate your strategy.
October 17, 2007 4:35 AM | Reply | Permalink
Doo is just another self-absorbed human being who thinks only HIS poop tastes like ice cream.
His ilk are SO deluded by their own self image that they feel like G-d and look upon others as less-than.
They come back to earth HARD and LONELY.
Doo, you can be RIGHT and you can be ALONE.
October 17, 2007 2:30 PM | Reply | Permalink