GOP CONGRESSIONAL CAUCUS BREAKS THRU THE TWO DOZEN MARK AS FLORIDA'S REACTIONARY DAVE WELDON ANNOUNCES RETIREMENT

Florida wingnut, Dave Weldon, plays bass on "Another one Bites the Dust"

A few days ago as the GOP hit the 2 dozen mark with congressional retirements and resignations after an announcement from New York's James Walsh, we were speculating who the next Republican would be to cut and run. This morning we got the answer: Florida rubber stamp kook, Dave Weldon is blasting off into the sunset. Weldon, from Amityville moved to Florida after college. Like myself he went to SUNY, Stony Brook. He was elected from the 15th CD (Cape Canaveral south through Melbourne and Cocoa Beach) in 1994 and has been a dependable rubber stamp back bencher ever since. He has a typically repulsive reactionary voting record, supporting, for example, every single Bush-Cheney initiative in Iraq. He voted on Iraq legislation 62 times and all 62 votes were the Cheney position. He announced his retirement immediately after his daughter was arrested in a local bar brawl. He said he needs to spend more time with his family. Republicans usually say that when they get caught stealing or in public toilets making that special kind of GOP-love, but in Weldon's case, it appears to be true.

No 8th term for Weldon in this Republican-leaning district that has had a solid influx of non-Republican voters from Puerto Rico of late. His departure will open up another seat on the Appropriations Committee for Republican crooks to fight over. There is a terrific and progressive Democrat in the race already, Steve Blythe and, with Weldon's announcement, the more conservative, corporate-friendly Insider Democrats are sure to rush some shill into the race and get their media allies to call him or her the front-runner.

Rumors are circulating in upstate New York that Randy Kuhl has about had it, senses defeat at the hands of Eric Massa, and is probably going to retire as well. He nearly did in 2006 and came very close to being beaten. After voting against the extremely popular S-CHIP legislation again, he was put into a corner and agreed to debate Massa on that topic. He doesn't want to and may well announce his retirement before the debate takes place. When questioned by the press, he refused to say whether he would run or not. This is certainly shaping up to be a good year for Democrats. Here's the full list of the Republicans who will no longer be troubling the House of Representatives with their reactionary politics and obstructionist tactics (the ones in bold are facing, or are likely to be facing, criminal charges in the future):

(CA-52) Duncan Hunter      
(IL-18) Ray LaHood            
(MS-03) Chip Pickering                 
(OH-15) Deborah Pryce                 
(IL-14) Dennis Hastert                   
(AZ-01) Rick Renzi                         
(MN-03) Jim Ramstad                   
(IL-11) Jerry Weller                         
(AL-02) Terry Everett                     
(NM-01) Heather Wilson                  
(OH-16) Ralph Regula                   
(OH-07) David Hobson                   
(NM-02) Steve Pearce                   
(LA-01) Bobby Jindal                   
(CO-06) Tom Tancredo                  
(NJ-03) Jim Saxton                        
(WY-AL) Barbara Cubin                 
(NJ-07) Michael Ferguson              
(LA-04) Jim McCrery                     
(MS-01) Roger Wicker                 
(PA-05) John Peterson                  
(CA-04) John Doolittle                     
(LA-06) Richard Baker
(NY-25) Jim Walsh                       
(FL-15) Dave Weldon                    

Steve Blythe, the progressive candidate running for Congress in what was Weldon's district, talking about his common sense and inspiring vision for America: