Damn! Stuck With The Execrable Heath Shuler

"It's all about Meeeeeeeeee"

Everyone I know in North Carolina politics was certain the state's most reactionary Democrat was going to give up his House seat and challenge Republican obstructionist Richard Burr, one of the most vulnerable Senate incumbents up for re-election in 2010. Although I'd love to see Burr lose-- and I knew bumbling ex-quarterback and even worse congressman wasn't the man who could pull that off-- I was pretty excited about seeing Shuler's retirement from politics. Congress would be a far better place without Rahm Emanuel's greatest hit.

But last night his district's papers all reported that Heath is one Blue Dog who knows when he better just stay.

“I was flattered to have been asked by so many people across North Carolina to run for the U.S. Senate in 2010,” Shuler said in a statement released Monday night. “However, with our nation facing the most difficult economic times in generations, I feel my efforts are better utilized focusing on solutions to these challenges rather than campaigning across the state. My focus is and will remain on representing the people of the 11th Congressional District of North Carolina.”

On Jan. 26, Shuler had a fundraiser in Raleigh hosted by former President Bill Clinton, adding to the conjecture that he may pursue a statewide office, and he has a massive financial war chest on hand. A former University of Tennessee and National Football League quarterback, Shuler has millions in personal wealth and finished 2008 with almost $950,000 in cash on hand in his official campaign fund.

Shuler is one of the only Democrats in Congress not co-sponsoring the Employee Free Choice Act. This is very much in line with his tendency to support special interests over working families. He's consistently in a group of the half dozen Democrats most likely to vote Republican on key issues. along with Travis Childers (MS), Joe Donnelly (IN), Brad Ellsworth (IN), Jason Altmire (PA) and Chris Carney (PA). All 6 are extreme right Blue Dogs. In Shuler's case, progressives in his own district are now sorry they ever supported him and are suffering severe buyers' remorse.

Meanwhile, the Democrat who won the most votes statewide in 2008 was Attorney General Roy Cooper and polling shows that he would be a far stronger candidate against Burr than Shuler would be, beating him 39-34%. State Rep. Grier Martin (Raleigh) is a rising star and is generally thought of as someone who would also give Burr a real run for his money.