Retiring Rep. Charlie Dent (R-PA) said one reason he’s not seeking reelection is because of the shift he’s seen in the balance of power between moderate and conservative members of his party.
“I’ll tell you what, the battle prior to Donald Trump was this: We had the purists versus the pragmatists — and the pragmatists were largely the governing wing of the party, of which I was a part,” he said on MSNBC’s “Hardball” Monday evening. “That was the battle, that was the litmus test. Now since Donald Trump has become President, the litmus test is more Trump loyalty — are you loyal enough?”
While Dent said Trump played a role in his retirement from Congress, it’s something he has been thinking about since September 2013, when right-wing members of his party shut down the government over a budget impasse.
He said he wants to leave the job “at the top of my game, some people hang on too long.”
“We were having challenges prior to Donald Trump. I mean the simple basic task of governance — just funding the government through a continuing resolution or preventing a default. These shouldn’t be very difficult things to do. But they became excruciatingly hard,” he said. “We have some responsibilities. And we just can’t get them done. And if you can’t take care of the basics, the fundamentals, then how can you advance big policy initiatives like tax reform, health care reform, infrastructure. That’s I guess the frustration for me.”
Dent, a moderate Republican, announced last week that he would not seek reelection when his term is up in 2018, The Washington Post first reported.
Dent is one of four Republicans from competitive districts that have announced they’ll retire when their term is up. Reps. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), Dave Reichert (R-WA) and Dave Trott (R-MI) have all announced this year that they’re done with Congress.
Ein Volk, Ein Reich, Ein Fuhrer
Moving there, one step at a time.
So, what you’re saying is you’re giving up, Congressman. You’re not willing to stand up for what you believe.
We told you it would be like this. You still supported him in your cynical desire to “win”.
Every Dictator demands LOYALTY above all else.
Trump has made it abundantly clear via his Cabinet Picks that the ONLY THING he values in “subordinates” is Abject Loyalty. Nothing else matters.
Interesting conversation between Gail Collins and Bret Stephens about the internal split in the two parties. Stephens, the Republican, thinks if the GOP goes with the Trump gang, which is certainly more popular, then they are doomed. He says that years ago, when it was the Dems, Truman-Johnson versus Thurmond (can’t remember the other Southerner), the former won, that is, the people with more moral clarity. In today’s case, both factions suck, but the moderates that belong to the establishment - the GOP’s only hope, in other words - are losing.
Here’s a link. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/12/opinion/best-worst-news-summer.html?action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=opinion-c-col-left-region®ion=opinion-c-col-left-region&WT.nav=opinion-c-col-left-region
But Dent was just fine with the litmus tests that came before - Norquist’s tax “oath”, unquestioning devotion to the NRA, and the rock solid opposition to women’s reproductive rights, among others.
Glad to see Dent finally found something he considers a bridge too far but it’s too little, too late. Good riddance.