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Subscribe to RSSCongressman Gary Ackerman, a Democrat from Queens, N.Y., announced Thursday he would not seek reelection to the U.S. House of Representatives.
Ackerman, who has spent 30 years in Congress, served on the Financial Services and Foreign Affairs committees for the House. Before a career in politics, he was a public school teacher in New York City.
“During my years in Congress, it has been my pleasure to address the needs of thousands of individual constituents and to influence domestic and global policy,” Ackerman, 69, said.
The New York Times reported that his decision was “somewhat baffling to his colleagues in Congress,” as he had been talking about his reelection campaign.
The Times described Ackerman as a colorful character who drove a white Plymouth Valiant and who wore a white carnation boutonniere on his lapel. He held a popular annual fundraiser in Washington, D.C., where New York deli food, including matzo ball soup, was served.
Ackerman will leave office on Jan. 2, 2013.
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The rats are fleeing the sinking ship of state.
Farewell Mr Ackerman, wish you well in your retirement.
Hah.....ANOTHER "career politican" bites the dust.
Now, for the rest of the corrupt, 9 % approval rating, politicans who can't see the writing on the wall.....RETIRE AFTER you, and 41 Obama White House Staffers and some aides, pay your back IRS taxes:
Vote out all Congressional incumbents!
Another Democrat sees the handwriting on the wall......or maybe he just wants to help the GOP take over so he can afford to buy gas for his Plymouth Valiant!
2 things. 1) he would win reelection handily in his district. I live in NYC and he's quite liked. 2) not to be factual with someone who's clearly just posting to stir the pot, but gas prices fluctuate every summer and have increased in perpetuity under both republican and democratic presidents.
What this president HAS done is increased federal standards for gas mileage and helped car companies produce more fuel efficient vehicles with subsidies on hybrid and electric cars.
Now you can disagree with Obama's policies, but do so in reality or you sound like a twit.
Yes Captain, thereby increasing the price of new automobiles, further limiting the number of middle class people that can afford one. That has had an adverse effect, that and the idiotic Cash For Clunkers mess, on the price of even used cars, again limiting the choices of many in the middle class. Thanks, in no small part, to these policies 250,000 miles is now middle age for many cars!
"What this president HAS done is increased federal standards for gas mileage and helped car companies produce more fuel efficient vehicles with subsidies on hybrid and electric cars."
Yep, Mr. Obama and his administration has helped car companies: (1) Fisker and (2) the electric vehicle company in Finland. Wait a minute, Fisker's $ 100,000 automobile couldn't get off the test track without going into the shop. And the Finland plant was provided with American taxpayer dollars....so, is it "Jobs saved" or "Jobs generated" IN FINLAND ?
Both companies are producing electric vehicles which are WELL within reach of Main Street Americans to purchase. Yep, $ 100,000 each is a drop in the bucket.
Wait another minute. Electric vehicles needs charging from an electrical source where the electricity is more than likely produced by a coal fired generating plant producing that NASTY CO2 (we breathe out every couple of seconds) which the DSHS says is hazardous to our health.
Shucks, wait another minute. Mr. Obama wants to use taxpayer dollars to INSTALL CHARGING STATIONS around the country. This is a promotion to get people to buy those electric vehicles knowing enough charging stations are available every 100 or so miles. And what is the time to re-charge those batteries when going across country ? Oh, these vehicles are primarly for "urban" use.
Back to my meeting with the "Truth Squad".
Gas prices sure have gone down since the GOP/TP took over the south wing of the Capitol, haven't they, spider? Maybe that's what we need, more Republicans in the House. After all, a gallon's only gone up oh, I don't know, a dollar, since Nov. 2010?
See how wonderful it is to equate correlation with causation? :)
@Posters 1, 2, and 2.1: Maybe Congressman Ackerman has had enough. The man is 69 years old for "gawd's sakes.
Perhaps Anthony Weiner has an opening here.
Besides, when Cheneybush said Iraqi Oil would pay for the wars, that was when $100 OIL was born. Yeah, vote GOP.
"Yeah, vote GOP"
I am barry, barry, I am!!!
Me too!
Yep, I am on the GOP bandwagon.
This Democrat will NOT BE VOTING for Mr. Obama.
He must have seen the end coming.
Galt 2012
elliot - Get a grip - he is retiring - what end is coming? - you and your cotillion of clown cars - are really getting tiresome - go read a good book if you know how!
Just the red necks getting excited. They haven't had much to cheer about.
Barbara & Jim.... YOU were "shelacked" in 2010, it will be MUCH Worse for the Dims this November.
NOBAMA2012, the END of an ERROR
NOBAMA, the END of an ERROR. You are so witty, creative and original. After Obama wins reelection the Republicans will be forced to the despicable tactics of trying to impeach Obama like they did Clinton.
Annoy Obama. Think for yourself!
Term Limits would be nice! Late, but needed!
We currently posess a term limiting tool! It's called an election! Adding even more rules, regulations and restrictions to an allready overburdened system will not help, but more likely even bog down the system even further!
New fresh ideas are what we need. Either we have term limits on everyone (which I'm in favor of) or we don't. Currently the President is the only one who has term limits amongst the 3 branches of government. Some Governors, Mayors also have term limits, however, it should be the same for every elected official, even down to the city council members. Congressmen gerrymander their districts to give them a more favor-ability of getting re-elected, which I think should be unconstitutional. Just my opinion.
I think when you have elected officials who hold office for 30 and 40 years tend to lose touch with the reason they were elected and are more interested in power.
Lets get more women to run for these seats
He's 69. He should have retired years ago to allow some fresh blood in. If everybody over 65 in Congress were forced to retire there'd be a wonderful turnover and maybe some progress.
Wouldn't that be awesome....for both sides of the isle!! That and term limits..should be an absolute must!!
We have term limits - they are called "elections."
Yes, but wouldn't it be reasonable to set a maximum term limit of ..... say 18 years. This would allow a Representative 9 elected terms or a Senator 3 elected terms.
It is not a huge change, but it would help eliminate or curb to some degree, the "career politicians" like Charlie Rangel who are there until they die. Pass a law with a grandfather clause exempting those presently in office and voting for it to gather support.
The change would not be immediate, but it would be a step in the right direction. One other thing, you could allow a minor variation when someone is appointed to fill out the remaining term for someone who dies.
As my representative in Congress, I can truly say that Ackerman was a pathetic POS who didn't do a thing for his constituents and has no accomplishments to be proud of.......good riddance to one of the problems in our government....he won't be missed.....
He apparently did enough to be re-elected 14 times.
....yes, he was a Democrat and he was breathing.....the only requirements needed in NYC....
nycguy:
Are you sure they actually have to be breathing? I don't think that is a requirement in California!
Breathing is certainly not a requirement to be a Democratic voter.
But you do have to be a carrot waxer to be a Republican soldier
Anthony Weiner was a NY congressman .... showing his weiner for all the girls to see !
Stop already-If I laugh any harder I'll pull a muscle!
@UAW
and a Democratic suckass to be a union drone.
More good news except that sucking off the public teat will provide another undeserved retirement benefit from taxpayers that didn't have a choice. With luck it'll be short term.
Why would post something like that? It is okay to disagree politically. It is NEVER okay to wish for someone to die because you disagree.
Only Dumb FUX watchers could wet their pants, posting asinine comments believing some how retiring Rep Ackerman is good news for the dysfunctional GOp/TBaggers party...
But I guess a Party that wants too elect a person like Rick Santourm who's wife hates sex with Rick so much she brianwashed little Ricky into believing you should only do so to procreate....
800#, YOU were "shelacked" in 2010, it will be MUCH Worse for the Dims this November.
NOBAMA2012, the END of an ERROR
I know it's difficult for a Progressive to understand, gorllia but some people still do have morals!
Ted: Keep pushing those moral issues and let me know how that works out for the Republicans
.....try some of that " brianwashing" (sic) sometime.....it may help your asinine comment and your spelling....
nycguy, they were "shelacked" in 2010, it will be MUCH Worse for the Dims this November. I only hope your Lib neighbors wise up before NYC starts to resemble Havana.
NOBAMA2012, the END of an ERROR
sssmithlg.........thanks for the sentiment, but I'm afraid it's much too late for any hope in NYC.....the Dims own the voters here lock, stock and barrel and we have the huge operating deficits to prove it......
ssmithlg: The NOBAMA the END of an ERROR line just gets funnier everytime you say it. Similar to a small child who learns his first "Knock, Knock" joke and keeps repeating it.
Yes, my "neuter in November" line was laughed at by liberals back around October, 2010. Then, in November, Obama was, indeed, politically neutered ..... shellacked by his own words !
There could be more than one way to buy a Congressman:
How might the public prevent this, since getting involved is so, so costly, and Super Pac so wealthy? You have not a chance.
Boehner is BAD AT HIS JOB, i wonder how any body can survive under his "leadership". What a orange dummy.
And I thought politicians were dumb. Seems like whether Republican or Democrat, they finally have realized that their reelections aren't going to happen. New blood is needed the long-time Career Politicians have all got to go. Wished more would follow suit.
43 Comments!!! The national average suggests that in 2010 only 20 of you registered and voted, so the rest of you can stop wasting your time boring us with your political insight, look up your congressman's name and e-mail address, stay informed, and for god sakes actually show up at the poles.
RUSH LIMBAUGH IS A RECOVERING DRUG ADDICT ; we call him the ox-cotin king. his radio show came on one day, and he was sooooooo doped up , until you literally could not make his words out. it sounded like slurring of a man who had been drinking all night. when approached with this episode the next following day , he blamed it on bad radio connection. months latter his maid exposed him , for the drug addict he really is. YOU CAN FIND THAT SLURRISH LIMBAUGH RADIO SHOW ON YOU TUBE. JUDGE THAT RADIO PROGRAM , AND GIVE RUSH THE BENEFIT OF THE DOUBT. THEN YOU WILL SEE WHY WE CALL HIM THE OXY-COTIN KING
republicans or just plain greedy
I thought the Democrats were the tolerant ones. With all their talk about diversity - they can't stand anyone with a different opinion than their own. I say "liberals" and not Democrats because I know some Democrats who aren't liberal - they are, however, clueless to the fact that they are VOTING liberal. They're Democrats simply because their family always has been, and they don't look at issues. Pity.
Thank you for your years of service Mr Ackerman.