(RINO) Rep. Boehlert talks with Bush about possible retirement

Newsday ^ | March 14, 2006 | DEVLIN BARRETT

[Clintonfatigued]

Rep. Sherwood Boehlert, the longest-serving New York Republican in Congress and the outgoing chairman of the House Science Committee, had a private chat about his future with President Bush Tuesday.

Boehlert said he would announce within days whether he will retire.

[Clintonfatigued]

I hope Boehlert retires.

[zbigreddogz]

Only if you wanna lose the seat.

This is NOT the year we need to get moderates to retire. It's just bad timing.

[Clintonfatigued]

The local GOP has a popular potential successor, conservative state Senator Ray Meier, waiting in the wings.

[fieldmarshaldj]

That's a heavily (by NY standards) GOP seat. We're not going to lose it. Sherry needs to go.

[Galactic Overlord-In-Chief]

Bush carried it, and given that the NY GOP is stronger upstate than the national one is, we should have a good chance to keep it.

[fieldmarshaldj]

Sherry has always been too embarrassingly liberal for that seat.

[AuH2ORepublican]

A district in NY that gave President Bush 53% in 2004 is *not* going to elect a Democrat. There is no need to be alarmist.

[zbigreddogz]

You think 53% of the vote is safe?

That's rediculous. If it were 63% you might have a point, but 53% is about the definition of a swing district.

[AuH2ORepublican]

"If it were 63% you might have a point, but 53% is about the definition of a swing district."

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It's a district that voted 53% for Bush *in Upstate New York*. Much different from 53% for Bush in, say, Alabama, where it would certainly be a swing district. Similarly, if a district gave Kerry 53% in Upstate New York (or in New England), it would be no means be a Democrat lock for the House, but a 53% Kerry district in the Deep South is a safely Democrat district in House races.

If you look at New York, New Jersey and New England, no Democrat holds a House seat in which President Bush got 50% or higher in 2004.