Sen. George Voinovich (R-OH) To Announce Retirement
By Nicole Belle Monday Jan 12, 2009 5:30am
In the last week, speculation ran rampant over whether Ohio Republican George Voinovich would announce a re-election bid or a retirement. It was reported that he would be having a big conference call today, Sunday, with major donors to inform them of his 2010 plans. So what's the decision? Politico has the scoop:
Voinovich to announce retirement
Ohio Republican George Voinovich is expected to announce Monday that he won't seek reelection to the Senate in 2010. ...[..]
We'll know for sure tomorrow, but it looks likely that we can add Voinovich to a list of Senate Republican retirees that already features Florida's Mel Martinez, Kansas' Sam Brownback, and Missouri's Kit Bond. Further, Texas' Kay Bailey Hutchison may resign before 2010 to focus on her gubernatorial campaign. And we're less than two weeks into 2009. (Iowa's Chuck Grassley, Pennsylvania's Arlen Specter, Kentucky's Jim Bunning, and Oklahoma's Tom Coburn are still all potential retirees.) New NRSC Chair John Cornyn must be losing it.
Former Congressmen Rob Portman and John Kasich are the two Republicans most frequently mentioned as stand-ins should Voinovich retire, but both are flawed. Portman served in George W. Bush's administration as both U.S. Trade Representative and Director of the Office of Management and Budget. Think it'll be hard to tie Portman to Bush's economic record? And how do Ohioans feel about the trade agreements that Bush supported? As for Kasich, his political career peaked a decade ago as House Budget Chairman considering a Presidential run. Since leaving the House in 2001, Kasich spent time as managing director of Lehman Brothers' Columbus division, wingnutted it up on Fox News, and demurred from an '06 gubernatorial run.
On the Democratic side, the top choice appears to be Congressman Tim Ryan, though Ryan would be sacrificing his seat on House Appropriations if he ran. Other Ohio Democrats on the fairly strong bench are Lieutenant Governor Lee Fisher, Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner, and Congresspeople Betty Sutton and Zack Space.
I'm not convinced that the Republican Party should count their Ohio chickens just yet, although much depends on the success of how the Democratic majority negotiates through this tough economic situation. It should be said that Voinovich did show occasional glimpses of party independence, though sadly, not enough when it counted.
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About eight years to late!
I'm a FL resident! Oh, announcement happened when I was in CA and internet-free. Never mind.
How about this guy for Senate?
He's from Ohio.
http://www.semsagt.net/myndir/021107.jpg
This weekend I saw a tape on c-span of a republican debate regarding who would be their next leader. Jesus, they have a pathetic group to pick from. If that's the best they have to lead the republican party forward, were I a republican pol, I would head for the woods too.
Who was it that said Dem's are in for a sound thrashing next election?
Who was it? hmmmmmmmmmm? lets see.
At least the dem's aren't running away from this difficult time.
We have just finished eight years of unrelenting campaigning and armchair analysis for the presidency, can’t we just for a moment return our pieces, reset the clock, and take our eyes off the board to look at something other than American politics. Our politicians shouldn’t be the center of attention, even on a political website because it gives us tunnel vision about everything that the politicians are supposed to be dealing with. We need to breath for a while, stretch our minds, shake out the dander of the propagandists, spin doctors, and the professional double talkers. Find your intellectual footing by reflecting on what you feel, think, believe, want and need without the distraction of the political white noise at least until the muck and slime of the campaigns has a chance to wash off. If nothing else remember that as Americans we have only one time when we have any control over political process and that is when we vote, so give yourself a political enema and take a breath until something actually happens and don’t wait in anticipation of something, anything, happening that needs your attention because chances are it won’t need attention at all.
Walk away from the game so you can see it with refreshed eyes.
That's pretty much what I've been doing since Nov 4, 2008. I do keep an eye on what's going on, but I refuse to let the negative talk eat me up inside. I'm just sort of sitting back and paying more attention to my home and what some might call my blessings.
....Repugs retiring, 2010 might be shaping up as a good year for a third or fourth political party to really get rolling and bring some real change into our system. It's way past time....!
Although the Republican caucus in the Senate has had stunning loyalty, with very few votes against the party line. These retirements thin the already weak Republican-moderate ranks. Voinovich, Specter, Martinez, and even Hutchinson are more liberal than the Repube leadership.
I wouldn't be surprised to see Joe the Plumber make a run.
.
joe the plumber IS the runs.
Maybe this time the Democrats will support people like him and Ned Lamont, instead of traitors like Joe Lieberman etc.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Hackett
Ohio-where to begin? How's about with voter fraud investigations of the 2000 and 2004 elections? Involving Ken Blackwe,, and Govtech. Remember them-Gov.Tech-the GOP IT company run by Mike Connell. The fella who crashed his plane around Christmas, just before a subpoenaed appearance to tell it all to the Feds about elelction rigging?Voinovich was a client, as were MANY other GOP clients in tight races. Check out these links._____________________________________
The Golden Touch - Government Technology There is leadership in Congress today, senators Voinovich and Thompson and others who are interested, but there still is a tendency to ...
www.govtech.com/gt/8031?id=8031&full=1&story_... - 59k - Cached - Similar pages
More results from www.govtech.com »
another also that mysteriously wound up dead.
Mike Gibbons of Sugarland TX was supposed to test the Sequoia machines in New York last year, we found out that he previously was an insider at Suntron Corp., manufacturers of the Hart Intercivic machines and opened a front company under the name Kwaidan Consulting to do the testing.
Suntron was bought out by the MIC and went private in late 2007 after some scrutiny.
There's more but you'll get the drift with that.
A lot of fishyness.
Sugarland,Texas is Tom Delay's home.The Abramoff investigation is netting NEW indictmets and guilty pleas,with lawsuits going to trial this month. The nooses are tightening and the shoes are dropping--not being hurled...yet!
Daily Kos: The Abramoff Scandal is Expanding: More GOP woes for ... The Abramoff Scandal is Expanding: More GOP woes for 2009... by dengre. Thu Jan 01, 2009 at 09:29:18 PM PST. For many the Jack Abramoff scandal is old news, ...
www.dailykos.com/story/2009/1/2/0828/92837/28... - 407k - Cached - Similar pages
along with Abraham Jackoff the name that keeps on giving is Maurice Greenberg, of Jacks old lawfirm Greenberg Traurig & AIG, they were into the Florida 2000 elections up to their necks and as recently as the Fl 13 race with Jennings in '06. Every voting machine manufacturer, tester & supplier has Greenbergs moneyprints on it.
Will anyone investigate this part of it? I don't know. Hoping it will come up in this mess
THE GOP is (FINALLY) kaput, never should have had a seating in Ohio, land of the working man. Thankfully, Ohioans woke up on election day, crawled out of the rack and voted for a change, so to speak. Forever known as the party of the rich, that is, stole it rich - forever on the run we hope, and not for public office either..go to Alaska; you guys have all the cash; you stole it, you know it...go hang with little Sarah in the icebox... you can afford it.
Step up, Mr. Kucinich. Please?
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