Yay! Another of the worst of the Republican senators has announced his retirement! No more Phil Gramm after 2002! YAY!
So is this proof of the theory of evolution? The dinosaurs are dying off. Or do we need to see what replaces them before making a determination?
Oh, cut Phil some slack. I understand that he is more conservative than you and most folks on this board, but c’mon. He was no Strom, and he was certainly no Jesse.
Beyond being generally for lower taxes and a stronger military, he was mostly interested in geeky stuff like banking policy and stuff like that.
And legal immigrants never had a better friend than Gramm (admittedly, he had a real thing about illegal immigrants).
Don’t let that goofy accent of his fool you.
When did Strom announce his retirement?
Esprix
I’m pretty sure that Strom has said that he won’t run for reelection.
Strom decided he would retire after he won in '96, so it’s pretty old news. I got this from today’s Houston Chronicle.
Robin
No, I don’t think I’ll be cutting him any slack. He isn’t as much of a jackass as the two biggest jackasses in the Senate, and that’s a point in his favor how exactly?
Not that I voted for him (live in Texas and as I have mentioned a few times, I am a knee jerk bleeding heart fat cat liberal), but I do respect the man for always pushing fiscal responsibility and a balanced budget on the country. He was a trained economist, IIRC.
Not only that, but when Gramm changed parties, he resigned his seat and re-ran.
Otto, suit yourself of course. But I rather think that lumping folks together who don’t really belong reflects more on the lumper than the lumpees.
And I think that making statements about lumpers and lumpees says more about the stater than the statee. Whatever.
Look, I’m not saying that Phil’s as much of a prick as Strom or Jesse. I am saying that I think he’s a political dinosaur who, regardless of whether he was fiscally responsible, is on the wrong side of most or all of the issues that I care about. So yes, he is legitimately lumped in with Strom and Jesse.
Moderator’s Notes: Otto, I’m not sure yet what your game is with this thread. Would you prefer I move it to the Pit so you may engage in the rant against these three guys that it appears you are fighting yourself to keep contained?
Actually, you probably won’t have to wait until January 2002 for Phil to leave the Senate. He’s PROBABLY going to resign in the very near future, so his fellow Texas Aggie , Governor Rick Perry, can appoint Congresman Bonilla to fill the seat now.
Bonilla is ALMOST as conservative as Gramm, and a Mexican-American incumbent would be virtually unbeatable in the next election.
Oops, I meant January 2003.
The Democrats DO, actually, have some potentially strong candidates for the Texas Senate seat (Dallas mayor Ron Kirk and former state Attorney General Dan Morales come to mind). But none would be likely to beat an incumbent Senator Bonilla.