Blue Dog Dem John Tanner to Retire

Via Instapundit, HotLine On Call reports there’s trouble in blue dog land. What does the retirement of Rep. John Tanner (D-TN) mean for the democrats?

Indeed, Hotline‘s Amy Walter wrote last week that, of all potential Dem retirements, a Tanner announcement would send the biggest shockwave through the party. After all, the thinking goes, if a longtime leader of the Blue Dogs decides now is the time to hang it up, what does that say for others in his position (like MO’s Ike Skelton, AR’s Marion Berry or WV’s Alan Mollohan)? They’ve all skated to re-election in recent cycles, yet all saw their CDs go quite strongly to McCain.

NRCC Comm. Dir. Ken Spain echoed that sentiment in a statement issued tonight. “When a longtime incumbent such as Tanner – who hasn’t faced a credible challenge in over decade – chooses to retire, it speaks to the deteriorating political environment that Democrats have left in their wake after eleven short months,” he said. …

Tanner isn’t the only Blue Dog retiring. So is Dennis Moore (D-KS).

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