Georgia On My Mind

Yet another Republican is retiring from the House, this time Georgia's John Linder.

Republican Rep. John Linder of Georgia won't seek re-election in November's midterm election, a National Republican Congressional Committee spokesman said.


Linder made the announcement Saturday during a speech at the Gwinnett County Republican headquarters in his home state, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.

"It has been an honor to serve alongside John and his presence in the House will surely be missed," NRCC Chairman Rep. Pete Sessions, R-Texas, said in a statement.

The DRCC has a point when it responded with this:

Linder and his fellow House Republicans who are not seeking re-election this year, are "not buying the hype from [House Minority Leader] John Boehner and the NRCC that House Republicans will somehow take back the House," DCCC national press secretary Ryan Rudominer said in a statement.

Indeed.  Clearly Linder doesn't think the GOP's getting back the House at all.  If things are looking so wonderful for the GOP, why retire now?  Linder's retirement takes the number up to 20 for the Republicans, with 7 coming in just the first two months of the year.  Republicans looking for Linder's seat?

Well, that may include former Braves hurler John Smoltz.  We'll see.

[UPDATE 10:50 AM] Jon Singer at MYDD points out that Linder is the ranking Republican on the House Ways and Means subcommittee that handles food stamps, federal aid to families, and oh yeah, Social Security.  That means he would end up chairman of that subcommittee if the GOP took back the House.  That would make him a very powerful and key person in the GOP's efforts to "reform" entitlement programs.

But he's retiring instead from a relatively safe Georgia red district.  He's giving that up completely.   There's no reason for Linder to call it quits, if anything he's in line for a powerful chair...if he believes the GOP will take back the House anytime soon.

He's gone instead.