George Voinovich

The right is going after lawmakers who are not holding townhalls during the recess. I believe there is merit to this charge. We have a representative government and townhalls are a perfect opportunity to make sure that representation is well shared. However the list compiled on Hot Air seems to be rather partisan. They have listed a couple of Republicans, but are missing some big names. I’ll take right here in southern Ohio. My own representative, and the House Minority Leader, John Boehner is not holding any townhalls. Add to that the district directly south of me, OH-02, which is represented by Jean Schmidt (R), and our Republican Senator George Voinovich.

The closest townhall the people of southwest Ohio have had is one held in Columbus last week by Senator Sherrod Brown, however Steve Driehaus (D-OH-01) is also planning an event.

I can fully get behind what the right is doing, but I can’t tolerate partisanship in such an endeavor. To me its amazing, yet not shocking that John Boehner isn’t holding one. Boehner is a pro at ignoring his constituency. A few years back during the Medicare debacle his office flat out refused to talk to seniors, even when there was a large gathering only a couple of miles from Boehner’s house.

I can’t say I am sad to see my one Senator leave office, but I do like how he decided to unleash on the southern Republicans:

The GOP’s biggest problem? “We got too many Jim DeMints (R-S.C.) and Tom Coburns (R-Ok.). It’s the southerners. They get on TV and go 'errrr, errrrr.' People hear them and say, ‘These people, they’re southerners. The party’s being taken over by southerners. What they hell they got to do with Ohio?’ ”

This very thing could be seen in last year’s election when the Republicans lost all New England seats. It’s also the epitome of the shrinking tent syndrome plaguing today’s GOP.

Voinovich that Son of a bitch (as my great grandmother always referred to him as) announced this morning that he is retiring. When rumors started circulating about this the other day, I said it could become a very hopeful pickup for Democrats in 2010. Hopefully someone like Tim Ryan will become the next senator for our state.

Kit Bond announced this week that he would not be running for re-election in 2010, but now there are hints that George Voinovich may also be following suit:

U.S. Sen. George Voinovich of Ohio is leaving open the possibility of not running for re-election in 2010.

Voinovich, 72, is thinking about the challenging economic situation in Ohio, the direction of the country, and the best interests of his family, said spokesman Chris Paulitz.

The senator would let the people of Ohio know quickly if he decides not to seek a third term, Paulitz said.

The Columbus Dispatch, citing sources, reported Friday that Voinovich had shuffled his fundraising team and told his staff he might not run again.

Considering the Democratic trends in Ohio over the past couple of cycles, this could become a good pickup for Democrats in 2010. Incidentally 2010 was supposed to be a defensive year for Democrats, but the way Republicans are quitting, it is becoming much more offensive.

No matter how much Tony Snow and the rest of the White House try to spin it, the fact remains - the news coming out of Iraq is not good. GOP Senators are also seeing this and not buying the typical spin:

Sen. George Voinovich said Tuesday the U.S. should begin pulling troops out of Iraq, joining Richard Lugar as the second Republican lawmaker in as many days to suggest President Bush's war strategy is failing.

He said the Iraqi people must become more involved and "I don't think they'll get it until they know we're leaving."

The Ohio senator's remarks followed similar comments by Lugar, R-Ind., the previous night. The two GOP senators previously had expressed concerns about Bush's decision to send 30,000 extra troops to Iraq in a massive U.S.-led security push in Baghdad and Anbar province. But they had stopped short of saying U.S. troops should leave and declined to back Democratic legislation setting a deadline for troop withdrawals.

"We must not abandon our mission, but we must begin a transition where the Iraqi government and its neighbors play a larger role in stabilizing Iraq," Voinovich wrote in a letter to Bush. (emphasis mine)

The last part is kind of idiotic. Hasn't this been the goal since the surge? This is what is failing right now. Saying that doesn't mean things are going to work. The mission is failed and our troops on the ground ARE NOT to blame. The ones to blame are the warhawks sitting in the White House and Pentagon who suffer such a disconnect from reality that it has lead us to this dark point in our history. Of course Bush won't admit that, because it is admitting fault on his part. His opinion of himself matters more than the lives of our soldiers and security of our nation.