U.S. Sen. James Jeffords will not seek re-election

[kskiska]

MONTPELIER, Vt. -- Vermont Sen. Jim Jeffords, an independent who triggered one of the most dramatic upheavals in Senate history when he quit the GOP four years ago, intends to retire at the end of his term next year, officials in his home state and Washington said Wednesday.

Jeffords will make the announcement Wednesday afternoon in Burlington, three separate sources close to the senator told The Associated Press on Wednesday.

No calls to Jeffords' press secretary or staff were returned Wednesday morning.

Jeffords, 70, has been adamant in saying he will seek re-election, but there have been increasing concerns voiced about his health in recent weeks.

more…
http://www.boston.com/news/local/vermont/articles/2005/04/20/ap_exclusive_us_sen_james_jeffords_will_not_seek_re_election/

[Renew Deal]

1. Wow, which Democrats can run for that seat?

[Itsthetruth]

6. Bernie Sanders - Independent

Possibly Bernie Sanders, the indepedent member of the House. He would win easily running as an independent.

[Renew Deal]

7. Why does it have to be an independent?

What about Democrats?

[Freddie Stubbs]

11. Bernie is more liberal than most Democrats and

usually votes with the Democrats on procedural issues.

[paineinthearse]

12. Bernie caucuses with Democrats

Why would you reject an independent?

[Renew Deal]

16. If he caucuses with the Dems

Then he's OK with me. I'd be even happier if he would somehow take Democratic money or the party somehow accepts him.

[UCLA Dem]

15. From what I've read, Vermonters seem to like the idea of an Independent.

[Mondon]

43. They'll smear him as a pinko socialist (since he is a Socialist)

[silvermachine]

46. Hasn't worked so far...

Why do I feel that you will give it a try though????

...4 term mayor of Burlington, Vermont (largest city in Vermont)
...member of the House of Representatives since 1991

<<Sanders has held his seat for six successive terms, defeating both Democratic and Republican candidates, and becoming the longest-serving independent member of the House. In 1992 he took 57.8% of the vote to his Republican and Democratic opponents' respective 30.9% and 7.9% of the vote. In 1994, the year of a resounding mid-term Republican victory, he took 49.9% to his Republican opponent's 46.6%. In 1996 he took 55.2% to his Republican and Democratic opponents' respective 32.6% and 9.3%. In 1998, he trounced his Republican opponent 63.4% to 32.9%. In 2000, he took 69.2% to his Republican and Democratic opponents' respective 18.3% and 5.3%. In 2002, he took 64.3% to his Republican opponent's 32.3%. Most recently, in 2004, Sanders took 68.8% to his Republican opponent's 24.6% and Democratic opponent's 7.3%.>>

[Mondon]

51. Good point--

I forgot that the Vt. house seat is statewide, so those who elected him to the house will elect him to the Senate. I'm from PA, and there's no way the state would elect, for example, Chakka Fattah to the Senate. VT is different, obviously.

Why do you feel that I "will give it a try"? I don't know you well enough to divine your feelings, but I surmise that you suspect I'm a red-baiter. I don't think that there is a reasonable basis for your suspicion, but given the incidence of disrupters on the site it's understandable and I don't take offense.

[silvermachine]

53. Welcome to DU

If I am off-base about you, then my sincerest apology. It's just that 99% of the time, low posts (not that mine are sky high mind you) coupled with a seemingly reflexive response to what could be a plus for progressives (usually along the lines of "we don't want to be seen as extremists", "Isn't this going to make us look bad?" "shouldn't we move to the center on this?", etc.) set off my alarm bells. I've seen it a thousand times before and I'm sure I'll see it another thousand times.

[Mondon]

54. Thanks

No need at all to apologize--I've seen enough while lurking over the past 14 months. Like I said, no offense taken.

[Comicstripper]

52. I love Bernie Sanders. And I think it's time we had a socialist senator!

[Jamastiene]

58. I got no problem with him or

Senator Jeffords. They both speak their minds and are honest about their views. That's something all politicians should do. Well, I can dream about that anyhow. I guess.

[kaitykaity]

2. We owe Jeffords a debt for having a spine.

That said, Dr. Dean should be able to put a Democrat
in that seat next year.

[w4rma]

3. Dean, himself, could take this seat. (nt)

[LynneSin]

4. he could but Dean has committed himself to the DNC

However, I would suspect any democrat running for US Senate in Vermont would surely be doing it in proxy for Dean himself.

[freedom_to_read]

5. naw he's better where he is

I don't think there will be too much of a problem finding a good Dem to run for that seat.

[demnan]

8. Yippie!

Let's hope the rest of the moderate Repubs and Independents retire soon. All those blue states should have blue reps.

[Freddie Stubbs]

9. He was pretty blue

That's why he left the Republicans. This is a bad thing because he was a pretty sure bet to be reelected. Many Republicans were supporting him. Now who knows what is going to happen.

[Yupster]

34. I can't think of a Republican

who could win that seat.

This one's not one to worry about.

[mapatriot]

39. Yipes!!

The No. 1 repub for that seat will be rightwingnut multimillionaire and IDX founder Rich Tarrant. He's said ready to spend $5 - $10 million of his own $ to 1.embarrass Bernie and, 2.win a senate seat. Don't take this guy lightly.

[DrZeeLit]

42. Take this guy really lightly. We have spending limits in VT,

at least we do for governor and it is taken VERY seriously. Vermonters hate this kind of guy. And we are suspicious of spending, period.

Wingnuts do not go over here at all. We have a Repub governor but a Dem legislature. People here are very, very political, and very fair-minded about their politics. It's a very civil state.

Bernie may not run for it. But Bernie is an institution -- loved here.

Dean could win in a wink.

[DrZeeLit]

30. Hold it! Speak for yourself. I'm a Vermonter and I admire Jeffords.

His work ethic is tireless and he's a "regular" guy -- genuine and available to his constituents. In fact, if he's in town and you want to talk with him, grab a bite at the diner in Cuttingsville some morning.

Vermonters will not do well with others telling us for whom to vote.
I would have voted for Jeffords. His courage, to stand up to *, long before it was popular, will always make me smile.

(and...I'm hoping Howard Dean might think Senate)

[paineinthearse]

10. SENATOR BERNIE SANDERS

Bernie Rocks! :yourock:

Doesn't that have a nice ring to it?

[ozone_man]

20. Yes it does.

I think it would be a good time to run also, as the emerging issues will play into his strengths.

[Cha]

28. Hi Ozoneman!

I know ya'll will get a really good Senator to replace the Honorable Jim Jeffords!

[ozone_man]

56. Hi zidzi.

We don't take the party labels too literally up here. Jeffords was an old fashioned liberal Republican. He couldn't take the neocons though and split.

Bernie is an Independent/socialist, but votes mostly with the Democrats. I think they'll support him or at least not run a strong Dem against him. I don't see how a Dem could win in a three way race. Why risk a Republican win?

I think Bush's chickens will be coming home to roost by then, and the Repubs will be washed away. }(

[UCLA Dem]

13. Cool. Lets snag that seat and put a real dem there!!

[forgethell]

14. I wonder if

this has anything to do with the fact that he has been completely marginalized? The Republicans wouldn't take him back when they regained the Senate. He betrayed them; he tried to betray us, but nobody wanted what he was selling anymore.

I was glad enough to get him, but I lost all respect for him when he tried to rejoin the Repukes. Makes his motives suspect.

[More Than A Feeling]

17. When did he try to rejoin the Republicans?

This is news to me.

[forgethell]

18. It was right after

they regained control. He approached the Senate leaders, who laughed at him. And why not?

Sorry, I don't have a link, but I remember reading an article about it.

[Cha]

27. Sorry, I don't believe that..

Not the way Jeffords has been voting.

There's so much bullshit going around..mostly spread by repukes and our fascist media that one has to be very careful on what they assimilate as real news.

[forgethell]

29. Well, I read it.

I don't care what you believe. Whether it's true or not, I couldn't say. But, hey, if you marry a man who cheated on his wife to be with you, why wouldn't he cheat on you to be with somebody else?

Nobody loves a traitor.

[DrZeeLit]

31. You read it, so it's true, but you don't care if it's true, you repeat it?

Great ethics.
Your logic on the marrying line is false.

And as for "traitor"? Who the heck are you to say?
Jim Jeffords is my senator, and would have won re-election in this state, if not for anything but his courage.

Courage to say "no" when the rest of the ostrich crowd had their heads way up *'s ass.

And no, he did NOT try to join the party again. And yes, you should read his voting record before you reveal your ignorance.

[Cha]

36. Righty on Dr ZeeLit!

Go Vermonters! Love you guys up there!

[forgethell]

37. Right then.

I don't think so. A traitor is a traitor. The Brits didn't like Benedict Arnold, for instance. I never really liked JJ, although, of course, I was glad for his defection, I couldn't really respect him.

I'm just not quite sure what his voting record has to do with anything that we were discussing. I didn't deny that he is fairly progressive.

As for whether he tried to rejoin the R party, do you have facts, or is this an opinion?

And why the hell are you so angry, anyway?

[DrZeeLit]

40. Because you didn't check the truth and didn't care and he's my Senator.

Don't ask me if I have the facts. You're the one who didn't care if it was true or not. You just 'read it somewhere.'

He's my Senator.
And he's not a traitor.
He's a man with conviction.
He left the party as a matter of conscience.
He's written a book about it.
I've read it. Have you?

I suppose if someone quit the Nazi Party when he or she couldn't go along with the Holocaust, that person would be a traitor?
Nah.

Angry? Yeah, I hate ignorance.
And I love my state. And I'm very proud of our 3 representatives, who work hard, and are 3 of the finest in the Congress.

[forgethell]

45. Certainly

he betrayed the Republican party, who are not the Nazis.

I really don't care about JJ, one way or the other, but I said not one word about the state of Vermont, or your other Senator, or your Representative.

No I didn't read the book, nor am I going to. As I said, I don't care about him one way, or the other.

Ignorance? We'll all ignorant about something. I learn about the things that interest me, and this man isn't really one of them except in the most tangential way.

You need to calm down. Take some Prozac. Get a life. I threw out something I had read, something I found believable, although I admitted I don't know the truth of it. Why the anger? Just give me the correct information and let it go. It's good for your heart, in all senses.

[MaineDem]

41. Sorry, you're repeating something that could be a total fabrication.

Notice I didn't say it was a fabrication.

If you feel so strongly that Jeffords is a "traitor" I think you owe it to yourself to investigate the claim he tried to rejoin the GOP. You might learn something you didn't know.

[forgethell]

47. Yes, I might,

and it fact, I am doing so. I just have to figure the correct combination of keywords to bring the article back up. Or maybe I'll ask my son to use his Nexis/Lexis account at school to find it for me.

Still, I know I read it, but I don't know how I will substantiate that it is true or not when I find it again. Any ideas?

[flaminbats]

55. how can a sellout be betrayed?

Republicans are all traitors, sellouts, and backstabbers! Made in China means nothing to Republicans, they are even traitors to supply-side economics. Let China produce our weapons' technology, while Iraq and Saudi Arabia provide our energy..American college graduates can always flip hamburgers!

If Republicans no longer believe in freedom for all, American made technology, or even democracy..what do they believe in?

[wuushew]

44. The Moonie Times perhaps?

---A spokeswoman for Vermont Sen. Jim Jeffords flatly denied a report in Wednesday's Washington Times that alleges the senator's office "put out feelers" to rejoin the Republican Party in the wake of the 2002 election.

Jeffords left the GOP in 2001 and became an independent who caucuses with the Democrats, giving them control of the Senate by a single vote. The GOP, of course, will be retaking control of the Senate soon and with it, control of committee chairmanships – including Jeffords' Environmental and Public Works Committee.


The allegation, which appeared in the lead editorial in Wednesday's Washington Times, said a "senior Senate leadership source" told them that Jeffords' office said he'd be willing to caucus with the GOP if he retained his committee chairmanship. "Republican leaders rightly rolled their eyes," the conservative paper said.

http://www.brothersjudd.com/blog/archives/002913.html

[forgethell]

48. thanks for the link. n/t

[MaineDem]

32. ",,, he tried to rejoin the Repukes" ???

I echo the question above: when did he do this? You sure?

[forgethell]

50. See post

#44 above. I don't know that this is where I read it, but it could be. Sure? No. I only know what I read. Whether it is true or not, that I don't know.

[4_Legs_Good]

19. Noooooooooo!!!

Gawd, it was nice to have an independent in the Senate, and Jeffords ranks in my book as one of the most courageous members.

We'll miss you!

david

[Itsthetruth]

21. Sentor Jeffords Won't Seek Re-Election, Sanders Said He Will Run

Sen. Jeffords Won't Seek Re-Election
Wednesday April 20, 2005 5:01 PM
By CHRISTOPHER GRAFF
Associated Press Writer

MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) -

Vermont Sen. Jim Jeffords, an independent who triggered one of the most dramatic upheavals in Senate history when he quit the GOP four years ago, intends to retire at the end of his term next year, The Associated Press learned Wednesday.

Jeffords' surprise decision will unleash a host of candidates to replace him. U.S. Rep. Bernie Sanders, the state's only congressman and the only independent in the House, has said he would run if Jeffords did not. Like Jeffords, he votes with the Democrats.

Republicans Richard Tarrant, a business executive, and Gov. James Douglas are also possible contenders.

Former Gov. Howard Dean, now the chair of the Democratic National Committee, had long been rumored as a possible candidate. But Karen Finney, a top aide to Dean, said the former Vermont governor and 2004 presidential hopeful will not be running for the Senate because he's committed to his new duties at the DNC.


http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-4951056,00.html

[Junkdrawer]

22. Jeffords has called the Emperor Naked - so he's out...

"I think it was all done to get oil," Jeffords said of invading Iraq. "And the loss of life that we had, and the cost of it, was to me just a re-election move, and they're going to try to live off it. Probably start another war, wouldn't be surprised, next year. Probably in Iran."
"Do you think that's likely?" VPR host Bob Kinzel asked.

"I probably shouldn't even talk on it, I just feel so bitter about the thinking that's gone on behind them, and the reasons they go to war and went to war," Jeffords replied. "But I feel very strongly that they are looking ahead, and that there will be an opportunity to go into Iran and try to get their son elected president. I don't know, but you do it each time they (are) going to have a new president. I'm very, very (Jeffords chuckles). Oh, well, I better be quiet"

http://garfield.dailykos.com/story/2005/4/8/131236/4499

Just about the same thing happened to Bob Graham of Florida - speak the truth and grab your coat.

[NNguyenMD]

23. what he did after Bush's election in 2000 was incredibly brave

and his record since then (voted against war) has also been progressive.

I'll feel sad that he's leaving. He served progressives and liberals proud. Maybe he could run for governor of Vt.

[MollyStark]

24. This is very bad news

There must be something in the water in VT, or some powerful Yankee truth serum in the air, because like Dean, Jeffords is a truth teller.

If he is not running because he thinks he can't win, I hope someone tells him how many of us have his back.

[ps1074]

25. This is GREAT news

Rep. Sanders will easily win this seat.

[ps1074]

26. I think Sanders is socialist

I remember reading somewhere in the past about him describing himself as socialist.

Freepers will go mental...

senator Bernie Sanders (S-VT)

[silvermachine]

49. I hope they do go mental...

...who cares anyway?? They are all mental as it is already.

<<Sanders has held his seat for six successive terms, defeating both Democratic and Republican candidates, and becoming the longest-serving independent member of the House. In 1992 he took 57.8% of the vote to his Republican and Democratic opponents' respective 30.9% and 7.9% of the vote. In 1994, the year of a resounding mid-term Republican victory, he took 49.9% to his Republican opponent's 46.6%. In 1996 he took 55.2% to his Republican and Democratic opponents' respective 32.6% and 9.3%. In 1998, he trounced his Republican opponent 63.4% to 32.9%. In 2000, he took 69.2% to his Republican and Democratic opponents' respective 18.3% and 5.3%. In 2002, he took 64.3% to his Republican opponent's 32.3%. Most recently, in 2004, Sanders took 68.8% to his Republican opponent's 24.6% and Democratic opponent's 7.3%.>>

[BadNews]

33. So, Sanders VS Who???

Who do you think will get the other nomination. Are there neocons in VT?

[OnBackground]

35. Douglas, Dubie, Clavelle

from Roll Call

Rep. Bernie Sanders (I) has made clear that he is ready to jump immediately into any open Senate race in the Green Mountain State.

Democrats could give Sanders, who often votes with them, a pass while Republicans are expected to turn to either Vermont Gov. Jim Douglas or Lt. Gov. Brian Dubie for the Senate race.

Another Democrat to watch is Burlington Mayor Peter Clavelle.

[Adenoid_Hynkel]

38. go bernie

you folks in vermont have one of the best guys in the congress

i met him at an outfoxed viewing and he was great

[gauguin57]

57. CNN reported Jeffords went to the wrong house of congress, twice ...

... the reporter said he's been told by sources connected to Congress that Jeffords went to the House and thought he was in the Senate ... he had to be told where he was, and helped into the correct house of Congress.

Doesn't sound good.