Quote from: Holly on April 22, 2012, 11:34:28 AM
I'll bet this made Orin Hatch so dog-gone mad!
Why don't some of these older guys give it up and retire?  Thirty-six years is long enough to make policy in Washington.

Seniority in committees, and the self-importance which goes with it. Absolute power may corrupt absolutely, but in Orrin Hatch's case it's at least a hard-baked crust.

True, Hatch is just one of the old bull elephants who will cling to power as long as he can find a sucker to back him. (The Whigs complained when it was their turn.) This stuff goes in cycles, like populism.

Rampant greed from the Steal Mill in Washington? That goes on forever.

As I understand it Hatch wanted to avoid having to run in a primary, as he isn't that popular among the actual rank and file of the party. If he had gotten 60% of the delegates at the nominating convention he could have avoided a run off.So he concentrated on working the nominating machinery, as opposed to attempting to win over the public - and it may come back to bite him in the ass.

You know, if I had a time machine, I'd really like to travel into the past and tell the delegates at the Constitutional Convention to put term limits in.

Quote from: mdgiles on April 23, 2012, 10:45:37 AM
You know, if I had a time machine, I'd really like to travel into the past and tell the delegates at the Constitutional Convention to put term limits in.

Imagine all the problems that would solve themselves if they could have foreseen these lifelong corrupt, mummified crooks holding on to their positions, with no interest in anything except how it would personally benefit them.
It should also apply to the United State Supreme Court.