Bart Gordon Retiring! One Down; Many To Go

[E4 No More]

Rep. Bart Gordon Retiring After Term Ends - Politics News Story - WSMV Nashville

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. -- U.S. Rep. Bart Gordon said he will retire from Congress when his current term ends in 2010, a press release from his office said on Monday.

"I feel honored that the people of Middle Tennessee have allowed me to serve them for the past 25 years," said Gordon. "Every decision I have made in Congress has been with their best interests in mind. I hope the people here at home feel that I have served them as well as their good advice and views have served me."

The Democratic congressman has represented Tennessee's 6th Congressional district since 1985.

"Turning 60 has led me to re-evaluate what's next. I have an 8-year-old daughter and a wonderful wife who has a very demanding job. I am the only child of my 83-year-old mother, Margaret. They have made sacrifices to allow me to do what I love by serving in Congress, and now it’s my turn," said Gordon in a press release.

Gordon won 13 elections during his career as a U.S. representative. He is the chairman of the House Committee on Science and Technology.

He graduated from Middle Tennessee State University in 1971 and later received his law degree from the University of Tennessee.

Copyright 2009 by WSMV.com. The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved.

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

[tntnixon]

Hell Yeah!!!!!!!!!! Ding Dong the bastard's Gone.

[Steelharp]

Wonder if the letter I sent him telling him I wouldn't even vote for him for dogcatcher had anything to do with it...

[tntnixon]

Wonder if the letter I sent him telling him I wouldn't even vote for him for dogcatcher had anything to do with it...

Your's and everyone else's. He definitely saw the writing on the wall and it wasn't scribbled by his eight-year-old in crayon.

[E4 No More]

I think that the Dummycrats are secretly kicking him out for being a Blues Dog Dummycrat.

[LagerHead]

Wonder if the letter I sent him telling him I wouldn't even vote for him for dogcatcher had anything to do with it...

Yea, that was probably it.

Too bad his retirement will just create a vacuum to be filled by another oxygen thief.

[Guest jackdm3]

60 with an 8yo kid? That's some family planning for you.

[Guest Drewsett]

Hopefully the Dem party in M'boro won't have anyone good to run to try to replace him.

[mcurrier]

Hopefully the Dem party in M'boro won't have anyone good to run to try to replace him.

That's the problem. They didn't have anyone good when he himself ran to replace whomever. And so on. And so on.

It's a vicious cycle of suck-@$$ dem candidates.

[Guest jackdm3]

It's an evil cycle in a two-party system period. Alexander? Corker?

[tntnixon]

Looks like the Tennessee delegation to Congress will be all Republican after 2010 except for two (Cohen and Cooper). The two retiring representatives are from very conservative districts and I doubt they'll elect a freshman Democrat.

[Guest Drewsett]

That's the problem. They didn't have anyone good when he himself ran to replace whomever. And so on. And so on.

It's a vicious cycle of suck-@$$ dem candidates.

The two retiring representatives are from very conservative districts and I doubt they'll elect a freshman Democrat.

That was what I was saying when I said hopefully the dems don't run anyone good...and good is relative. I meant good as in likely to get elected.

I do agree about the whole two party system problem. A viable third party (or fourth, fifth, etc.) would make things alot more interesting...and actually force people to work together. Check out the Libertarian Party sometime!

[tntnixon]

That was what I was saying when I said hopefully the dems don't run anyone good...and good is relative. I meant good as in likely to get elected.

I do agree about the whole two party system problem. A viable third party (or fourth, fifth, etc.) would make things alot more interesting...and actually force people to work together. Check out the Libertarian Party sometime!

I'm actually more Libertarian than anything. However, I almost always vote Republican to keep from causing the Ross Perot effect (pulling off enough conservatives to assure a liberal victory).

[Guest jackdm3]

I'm actually more Libertarian than anything. However, I almost always vote Republican to keep from causing the Ross Perot effect (pulling off enough conservatives to assure a liberal victory).

Vote your conscience. I voted for Ron Paul knowing it wouldn't help anybody, really. All the votes going to Paul couldn't have swung the election in either direction. But I felt good about it.

[Sidewinder]

A "connected" friend told me he ran a poll that showed he "WOULD" be beat by a qualified republican, so he's trying to get out acting like it's his choice. I just hope Obama doesn't appoint him as some freeking Czar position, where he's only accountable to Obama! Maybe we had better hold up on that car wash a little while longer to see how this is going to shake out. I hope it's good... but in politics, like playing with snakes, we could end up getting bitten! Just my 2 cents worth.

Why do they call it common sense, when it's so uncommon? TN Sen. Fred Thompson

[seez52]

The republicans need to take about as much heat in the 6th district as Bart, they haven't run anyone against him in the last two election cycles!! They just ***kin' gave up. I don't know why they didn't see the writing on the wall way back. Four years ago an independent candidate got nearly 25% of the vote.

At least this time we'll have some decent candidates for what appears to be an open seat. And at least one of the candidates running is a true constitutional conservative.

The only down side is that with Bart's announcement and a wide open seat, other Republicans may now slither out of the woodwork, and because of their party buds, may stand a better chance of getting elected than the real conservatives we need and who are fighting the fight right now.

I only hope it doesn't lead to a Corker/Alexander-esk stuffed shirt going to DC. That's the last thing we need.

[Guest The Driller]

i am happy to see him go.he is just a crook like all the rest.

[Guest earthworm]

While I'll shed no tears when Bart leaves the House I wonder who'll replace him. Mary Lou forgot-her-last-name talks conservative but so did Bart.

Attn.TN. Rep. Party!! Don't think just because the candidate has an 'R' behind their name they're a shoo-in:'R' can mean RINO as well as Republican!

I'll give Corker another term but it's time for Alexander to be retired.

[tnroadrunner]

Rep. John Tanner is also retireing

[seez52]

While I'll shed no tears when Bart leaves the House I wonder who'll replace him. Mary Lou forgot-her-last-name talks conservative but so did Bart.

Attn.TN. Rep. Party!! Don't think just because the candidate has an 'R' behind their name they're a shoo-in:'R' can mean RINO as well as Republican!

I'll give Corker another term but it's time for Alexander to be retired.

I think that's Lou Ann Zelnick you're thinking of. And yes she talks a conservative line just as many of them do, and I believe her. And you're right, they all talk a good game, but I've met Zelnick and believe she is the real deal.

They are coming out of the woodwork just as I suspected. Two more throw their hats into the ring on the heels of Bart's revelation. They wouldn't jump in on a hard fight, but are great spoilers.

http://blogs.knoxnews.com/humphrey/2009/12/tracy-announces-for-congress.html

[Warbird]

I think that's Lou Ann Zelnick you're thinking of. And yes she talks a conservative line just as many of them do, and I believe her. And you're right, they all talk a good game, but I've met Zelnick and believe she is the real deal.

They are coming out of the woodwork just as I suspected. Two more throw their hats into the ring on the heels of Bart's revelation. They wouldn't jump in on a hard fight, but are great spoilers.

Tracy Announces for Congress | Humphrey on the Hill | knoxnews.com

I don't know that I would say Tracy was coming out of the woodwork. He had as much as said he was running weeks ago and he had stated numerous times over the last year that he probably would run. Just because Zelnick put her name in the ring months ago doesn't mean she is the front runner and all the others are spoilers.

In fact of course she put her name in to run, what did she have to lose? She ran for a state rep seat and was trounced in a primary with Joe Carr, who went on to win the general. Zelnick has the money, but Tracy certainly has the name recognition. He has a good conservative record overall, though I vehemently disagreed with him on supporting all the smoking bans.

As to why the repubs gave up on his seats the last 2 elections, it's real simple. No repub was going to run w/o the backing of the party financially. Nothing indicated there was a snowball chance at beating Gordon and they weren't going to waste their money when they put it places where they could win. Gordon has not faced any serious opposition since 94. In fact he was far more susceptible then than he was was this time even. He barely won, less than 1%. He then beat that same opponent, Steve Gill, handily 2 years later. They redistricted him at the state legislature and took Williamson County out of his district and moved it to Ed Bryant's district to protect Gordon. He hasn't been challenged seriously since. I think maybe a couple of people could have beaten him this time, but not just anyone.

Gordon has talked for several years about getting out. I think he thought he could win this time, but would be redistricted out next time. And even if they didn't redistrict him, his district has changed in the last few years. After so many easy elections, I imagine he just didn't want the fight. It does get tiring running every two years if you actually have tight elections each time.

I can't say I will miss Bart's politics overall. He wasn't the most liberal Tennessee delegation member up there and in fact was at times more conservative than some of the east Tennessee liberal repub delegation. But, he was sure no conservative either.

Edited December 15, 2009 by Warbird

[Guest Drewsett]

Now we just need another Marsha Blackburn to replace him...

[Tim Nunan]

Of course since neither Tanner or Gordon will be looking for votes that means they can vote for extreme issues and not have to worry about the consequences.

[DavidD]

... I just hope Obama doesn't appoint him as some freeking Czar position, where he's only accountable to Obama! Maybe we had better hold up on that car wash a little while longer to see how this is going to shake out. I hope it's good... but in politics, like playing with snakes, we could end up getting bitten! Just my 2 cents worth.

I kind of figure the same thing. For the next year he will be Obama's puppet in exchange for some type of position in the administration, all at the expence of Americans.....

[jaysouth]

I sure wish we could get rid of jim cooper. Talk about an out-of-touch arrogant elitist.

But why should us peasants complain. After all, pooper went to Harvard and is smarter than the rest of us. Just ask any staffer at vanderbilt, or anybody on welfare in the hood. "Coop" be da man.