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Breaking: Heath Shuler (D, NC) cuts and runs.

By: Moe Lane (Diary)  |  February 2nd, 2012 at 04:30 PM  | 

RESIZE: AAA

And it sounds like it’s not to run for Governor of North Carolina, either.  The relevant text:

This was not an easy decision. However, I am confident that it is the right decision. It is a decision I have weighed heavily over the past few months. I have always said family comes first, and I never intended to be a career politician. I am ready to refocus my priorities and spend more time at home with my wife Nikol and two young children.

Translation: redistricting had doomed Heath Shuler, anyway, and it’s a bad year to be a Democrat in North Carolina.  Just ask Bev Perdue.

Moe Lane (crosspost)

PS: Man, Charlotte’s going to be all kinds of fun during the Democrats’ convention this year, huh?  Whose idea was that, anyway?  Joe Biden’s?  It kind of feels like a Joe Biden kind of decision.

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COMMENTS

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  • snowshooze

    We been a bit short on that lately…

  • Viet71

    What did he do and with whom?

  • freemanja1991

    this race will not even be competitive now, they are handing us our next majority with stuff like this

  • carolina

    Bowles won’t run for gov
    NC House minority leader (dem) Hackney is not running for re-election
    And, of course, Shuler
    ALL of this announced today.

  • darkstar58

    and it kinda sucks actually

    I mean, dont get me wrong, I would rather have a Republican in his seat (in most cases) and all.

    But he was also one of the few BlueDogs remaining, and the one who openly went after the progressive stranglehold in the Democrat party. Had he succeeded in removing Pelosi from Minority Leader it would have been a gigantic benefit to all.

    Losing Heath means its going to be even harder for real Democrats to remove the Progressive virus they are inflicted with. And that aspect of it is the part that sucks…

  • carolina

    Remember him – the guy who had the ugly interview that was all over the media.
    I think he will be a joy to vote AGAINST. :-)
    I guess he is the best sacrificial lamb the dems could come up with. Mayor Foxx and Shuler declined…..

  • carolina

    Remember him – the guy who had the ugly interview that was all over the media.
    I think he will be a joy to vote AGAINST. :-)
    I guess he is the best sacrificial lamb the dems could come up with. Mayor Foxx and Shuler declined…..

  • darkstar58

    http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/676eaf6416/congressman-fail

    …how can one forget? :)

  • Stan

    No Brad Miller, no Heath Schuler, and no Bev Perdue!!!!!! Looks like the weasels are abandoning ship as quickly as possible – they make the captain of the Costa Concordia look brave by comparison…

  • Jack_Savage

    He sided with Hillary during the primary, voted against Obamacare, tried to remove Pelosi. He can sleep as well as any elected Democrat can. I am still not able to forgive him for his stint with the ‘Skins, though….

    The “Blue Dog” is as extinct as the wooly mammoth.

  • Jack_Savage

    Do you know anything about how David Price’s district looks now?

  • Locked and Loaded

    We must clean up our mess as an example to be respected and followed.

  • lineholder

    but the ones who were being heavily challenged this year are McIntyre, Kissell, and Shuler.

    He’s a website page that has a listing of candidates in each district:

    http://www.politics1.com/nc.htm

    I’m in Watts district (D-12). Where are you?

  • lineholder

    Not sure exactly how he is pulling that one off. One is for governor. The second is back in D-2 against Renee Elmers.

    Brad Miller, who has already announced his “retirement” from D-13, is tentatively listed as candidate for Governor, too.

  • Green_Lantern

    The drunk in the video harassing the two young guys. Couldn’t stay off the public dole. Actually, he’s been on it ever since he lost, doling out the Porkulus money for Perdue. She’s hearing footsteps, too.

    I hope this jackoff runs and is defeated, really badly. I *promise* I will be doing some heckling. YouTube quality, hopefully.

    Heck, I might even wear a Guy Fawkes mask.

  • Green_Lantern

    Did Brad Miller give up? That’s my rep, how did I miss that?

  • freemanja1991

    If all that are left are crazy progressives it allows for a clear distinction in elections and easier for us to win.

  • carolina

    says Etheridge announced for gov tonight. (better perks than just being a rep) Cides, he has been working for Perdue ever since he was sent packing, and the NC dems can’t find anyone else who is willing.

  • lineholder

    And he’s one of the Ds listed as potential candidate for NC Gov to replace Perdue!!!

  • flagg

    I live in Shuler’s district and I get where you are coming from. Obviously for a ton of reasons it’s better to have a Republican in there, but Shuler really was pretty much a DINO. If there was a website called “Bluestate” the commenters over there would always be talking about primary-ing him.

    And thus my concern. This is the district where Asheville sits. Shuler was able to win, was famous as a football hero, and was good-looking, so all the Asheville liberals who think Berkeley is a little too far to the right had to put up with him because he was such a great candidate. They won’t run someone like Shuler again I suspect.

    So we’ll just have to beat the new one.

  • 6eorge Jetson

    Another one bites the dust!

  • Adjoran

    Blue Dog In Name Only

    Whenever it counted, he voted with Pelosi. Not once did he oppose he on anything serious when his vote was needed. A few times when she had the votes secure she let him vote against her to please the hillbillies back home.

    Funny about Shuler: he spent his football career in Washington mainly on his butt, and his political career mostly on his knees.

    Good riddance to bad rubbish.

  • lizzie

    glad at least two RedStaters understand that Heath Shuler’s decision to retire from the House is the extinction of any pretense to fiscal responsibility by the liberal rump of Obama-Pelosi’s Democratic Party.

    No one should use the term “Reagan Democrats” in 2012.

    The GOP with Romney has zero appeal for any of us who have lost all hope that the two party extremism will ever function.

    Regardless of the impact of re-districting, I assume Shuler could not face having his name on the same ballot line as Obama or Romney.

    Gene Taylor (former bd, Mississippi) and Jim Webb (retiring bd, VA) probably called, and urged Shuler to retain his dignity.

    Y’all should be uneasy about what this means for the litmus-test rump of what remains of the GOP because there really are more than 50% of voters who want what the Duopoly has not offered for eleven years.

    The American experiment since 1776, in government with the Consent of the Governed, has failed.

  • dave2131

    If I had to have a Dem he wasn’t a bad one to have. However, with the redistricting, he would most likely lose. Of course, if the GOP puts up another Jeff Miller this year, that set may stay blue. Many of the indies could not stand Jeff. I’m all in for Dr. Dan Eichenbaum.

    I believe Cecil Bothwell is running now for the Dem side…Hopefully the people of WNC will not vote him in!

  • flagg

    But I also think the whole “Dr.” thing is obnoxious and reeks of elitism.

    As nice as it would be for Bothwell to be on the other side of the ballot, I expect the Dems to offer up someone a little more palatble to the general public!

  • skorrent1

    In the primary to oppose Shuler. Let’s pull for the leftist Bothwell to win the primary. He’d be a lot easier to beat than another Blue Dog.

  • skorrent1

    On the 2d A. A Dem sponsor for the interstate concealed carry law. In WNC he couldn’t be anti-gun. I’m so glad I won’t have to watch the NRA pro-Shuler ads that blanketed WNC in ’10.

  • darkstar58

    I’m not sure you could be any more wrong…

    Heath:

    voted against the Stimulus

    voted against Obamacare

    Co-Sponsored the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act (and never placed a pro-choice vote over his time)

    voted for Cut, Cap, and Balance

    voted for National Labor Relations Board Prohibitions (Prohibits the National Labor Relations Board from Requiring Employers to Relocate Jobs)

    signed the letter saying No Bush-TaxCut extension unless full Bush-TaxCut extension

    Voted against Prohibiting the Use of Federal Funds for NASCAR Sponsorships (the Army/Navy car issue)

    Voted for Limiting the Use of Funds in Support of NATO Operations in Libya

    Voted for the Balance Budget act

    Voted for the Offshore Leasing Act

    Voted to repeal CLASS Act

    Voted against raising the debt ceiling the last few times

    and on and on…

    Heath Shuler was nearly as much Republican as Democrat, and a perfect example of a Blue Dog

    And I would just remind all; removing friends in the enemies ranks is not the way you go about winning any wars,

  • Repair_Man_Jack

    HT: NRO.

    http://www.nationalreview.com/campaign-spot/290016/heath-shuler-retire-congress

  • Jack_Savage

    I may as well be in Detroit.

  • Melody Warbington (rwm52)

    even though he was a decent QB during his time in Knoxville.

  • Repair_Man_Jack

    And all they got was a Quarterback.

  • Melody Warbington (rwm52)

    .
    .

  • Stan

    He did an interview where he bemoaned the fact that redistricting is causing his decision. But he never mentioned the fact that he PERSONALLY drew NC-13 himself after the 2000 census…. an utterly delicious case of “what goes around comes around”… :-)