This is a brave man. He chose to retire rather than run for re-election. He has some thoughts on the Democratic Party, which are very interesting. But choosing to give up his seat after 34 years cannot have been an easy choice to make. It seems he just thought it was time. From Raw Story:
Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) will not seek re-election next year, ending his 34-year tenure in Congress. Nadler opted for retirement, citing the need for generational change within his party, The New York Times reported Monday. The 78-year-old was reluctant to step aside amid the party’s opposition to President Donald Trump’s erosion of democratic foundations. “Watching the Biden thing really said something about the necessity for generational change in the party, and I think I want to respect that,” Nadler said. He added that a younger congress member could “maybe do better, can maybe help us more.”
Wow. We’ve been screaming for Democrats to wake up and get their asses in gear. And now we have this. He made a deliberate choice and wants to bring someone younger in because the Democrats need it. We have Jasmine, we have AOC, and it looks like we just might have someone else like that.
Now, of course, there is concern about a Republican winning the seat. There’s always concern. We have to have (hopefully) voting first. Yet I think his endorsement of someone could be a big, big help, considering how many times the people have chosen Rep Nadler to come back in. I don’t know his record because I haven’t looked for it at this time, but the fact that he’s called a powerhouse says a lot. We need to remember that.
While Nadler wouldn’t reveal who he wants to succeed him, one person familiar with his thinking told the Times that Nadler is eyeing Micah Lasher, a loyal former aide who represents parts of the Upper West Side in Manhattan in the state Assembly. Nadler emphasized he’s not calling for overhauling the Democratic Party, however. “I’m not saying we should change over the entire party,” he said. “But I think a certain amount of change is very helpful, especially when we face the challenge of Trump and his incipient fascism.”
He says the quiet part out loud. Time for a change. How many Democrats will take this to heart? How many Democrats will really *listen* to what he says? The whole damn party needs to do this. It’s time for a change. It’s time to wake the hell up, folks. This slap might finally do it. And Chuck Schumer, we love you, but someone else needs to take over.
The announcement comes after Nadler in December withdrew his name from consideration as the ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee, opening the door for Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) to take his place. “As our country faces the return of Donald Trump, and the renewed threats to our democracy and our way of life that he represents, I am very confident that Jamie would ably lead the Judiciary Committee as we confront this growing danger,” Nadler wrote at the time.
Well said, sir. I hope you kick almost all of the Democrats in Congress in the ass and get them to wake up and change with the times. Remember Senator Cory Booker’s marathon speech. We can’t do things the same way anymore. We need to take what’s happening *now* into consideration. We need an upgrade in the worst way. Please let this work.
Friends, I know everybody begs you for money. I promise you that of all of the outlets bugging you for spare change, we are the smallest and the hardest working. We’re a bunch of old, disabled people, except one writer in his mid-50s. But the rest of us are in our sixties and seventies, and this is a labor of love. All we’re asking for is the ability to continue our quest to tell the truth about Trump and ensure democracy survives. If you can help, please do. Thanks. Ursula
Jasmine Crockett was Eddie Bernice Johnson’s hand-picked replacement. I hope Jerry Nadler chooses just as well.
Ooooo, oh, really? If you read the rest of the article, there’s more information about his choice. It’s still in the planning process, of course.
I think he will. He’s been in Congress for 34 years, so he knows what is needed and how to get someone who can work with all the nonsense, as well as the *ACTUAL* job. From what I recall, he’s been a good guy.
I heart Jasmine. A lot. Trying to save to get a t-shirt with the MTG clapback on it.
I worry about ageism. Too many people are talking as if, and I don’t doubt even more are thinking as ig age and progressiviam were correlated. They are not.
The quote which has been attributed to WinstonChurchill that “anyone who is not a liberal at 20 has no heart. Anyone who is not a conservative at 40 has no head” is true in a white patriarchy only for straight white men (and not even for all of them.) If you are anyone else – a woman – a person of color -a person who who is not both cis and straight – then the older you get, the more clear it is that progressivism benefits everyone – and especially you.
I am 80 and I am old. I have arthritis and osteoporosis. Regardless whether it’s the age or the pain, I do forget stuff and I cannot concentrate as well as I once could. But the seventies and even the eighties are not “old” for everyone. Thankfully, I am not hearing anyone saying Bernie Sanders should retire. If I did, you might just hear me scream, wherever you are. Dick van Dyke will be a hundred before this Christmas, and he sounds pretty young to me.
I don’t know how old 78 feels for Nadler, but I do admire his intelligence, and if this is his choice, then it is. But he needs to be replaced by someone as progressive as he is at least. And that’s the criterion, not years, which should be used.
Elon Musk’s teeny-bopper “Dogeys” are very young, and they are not in the least progressive.
Like Underwriter, I’m 80, but my arthritis led to knee replacements ten years ago, and my not havig broken any bones given how many falls I’ve had in the past year is hopefully a sign of good bone density. Turning 80 has seen me reflecting on living longer than I thought I would when I was half my age. The point of this digressing is that age affects each of us differently, and I have to believe that Rep. Nadler is acting in the best interests of the party and the country (not necessarily in that order) by retiring after next election. Too many in Washington overstayed their effectiveness, ignoring the cues from their minds and bodies (See second term Ronald Reagan, Diane Feinstein). Rep. Nadler’s record speaks for itself, and if he’s had enough of the crap show going on around him, “it is what it is” — so.be it, his decision, not ours.