Longest Serving House Rep. John Dingell To Retire

[DonViejo]

Source: TPM

DANIEL STRAUSS – FEBRUARY 24, 2014, 9:32 AM EST

Rep. John Dingell (D-MI), the longest serving member of the House of Representatives, is retiring.

Dingell will formally announce his plans to not seek re-election on Monday, according to both the Detroit Free Press and the Detroit News. Dingell had served in Congress for 58 years. He will be 88 in July.

In an interview with the News, Dingell said he was in good health but added that he's "not certain I would have been able to serve out the two-year term."

Dingell also expressed a type of exhaustion with his chamber.

Read more: http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/john-dingell-retire

[Mass]

1. He has earned his retirement.

I just hope there is a replacement that can win.

[Demeter]

2. Leaving 5 months for a successor to get organized for the primary

What a frigging asshole! All I can say is good riddance. This is the kind of consideration for anyone else and the People's business that has characterized the Dingell era.

[jsr]

3. No kidding.

[Earth_First]

6. See:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1014736930

[Demeter]

10. An obvious explanation; I should have known

[littlewolf]

4. how likely will we be able to keep the seat? nt

[dixiegrrrrl]

5. His wife is running for it...

Debbie Dingell, a Democratic power broker and chairwoman of the Wayne State University Board of Governors, is expected to run for Michigan’s 12th Congressional District, now that her husband, U.S. Rep. John Dingell, announced his retirement Monday, political experts said.

Debbie Dingell, 60, one of Michigan’s longtime representatives on the Democratic National Committee and a former president of the General Motors Foundation, decided in April not to run for the U.S. Senate to replace the retiring Carl Levin, D-Detroit, saying she wanted to avoid a costly primary with U.S. Rep. Gary Peters of Bloomfield Township. The move effectively cleared the field for Peters, who is running against Republican Terri Lynn Land.

http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20140224/POLITICS02/302240054#ixzz2uFcH5GTP

[brooklynite]

9. D+15 Solid Democratic seat

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

13. He was gerrymandered into a pure blue district.

It'll be a primary battle, not a general election battle.

[OKNancy]

7. kick

[bkanderson76]

8. Can You Recall What You Were Doing Back in December 1955?...

In December 1955- The Russians were 2 years away from launching Earth's first satellite, Sputnik.
In December 1955- President Eisenhower had only just launched the Interstate Highway System.
In December 1955- World War ll had ended just 10 years prior.
Call me silly, but my eyebrow is a twitchin. Any legislator which can be seated in office for a tenure such as this is why we need to get serious and demand action regarding Term Limits for all our elected legislators.

[Demeter]

11. I was 8 months old

[Drunken Irishman]

12. I was decades and decades away from being born.

[1gobluedem]

14. John Dingell has done a world of good for this country and our state

I am personally grateful for him co-authoring the Public Broadcasting Act.

I know Debbie Dingell and, while I understand the uneasiness about one seat being in the same family for generations, she would do a great job.

John and Debbie are both down to earth, tirelessly hard workers. They attend countless community events and meetings and act as though it's the most important place in the world for them to be.

I am the GM at a public radio station. Last year I hosted my first State of the Station breakfast for key stakeholders. To my amazement, not only was John Dingell the first to RSVP yes, he asked if he could speak. He made an excellent speech about the importance of public broadcasting and really impressed our attendees by being there, by doing his homework on our station, and then hanging around and talking with all of them. It was a miserable, snowy, windy morning and he and Debbie were the first ones there.

She would live up to his legacy and create one of her own.