Armed Polite Society
Main Forums => Politics => Topic started by: Ben on April 19, 2017, 11:17:10 AM
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I just saw Chaffetz has decided not to run for re-election in 2018. I actually respect his reasoning of setting a "term limit" for himself even when they aren't (but should be) a thing.
Does anyone (Marnoot? Neemi?) know how good the chances will be of holding his seat as R? I suspect good, but am not familiar with the politics of the district.
http://twitchy.com/dougp-3137/2017/04/19/gop-rep-jason-chaffetz-will-not-be-a-candidate-for-any-office-in-2018/
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Very, very little chance even a "conservative" Democrat could take the 3rd District, as it covers the most populated portions of the ultra-conservative Utah County area. I'm seeing some speculation he'll try to run for Hatch's senate seat. While I'd love to see Hatch out, I'd hate to see Chaffetz self-limiting his term in the House just to step up to the Senate. Politics seems to corrupt the vast majority of politicians within a few terms, better to get them out entirely than just shuffle them around. I'm hoping he's stepping out for good reasons, based on what he said, and not to just run for the Senate.
Edit: Just re-read and realized Hatch is up for re-election in 2018, and Chaffetz specifically said he's not running in 2018 for anything, so there we go, hopefully. I do hope someone uproots Hatch in the primaries...
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“For those that would speculate otherwise, let me be clear that I have no ulterior motives. I am healthy. I am confident I would continue to be re-elected by large margins. I have the full support of Speaker Ryan to continue as Chairman of the Oversight and Government Reform Committee. That said, I have made a personal decision to return to the private sector,”
Maybe I'm too cynical but I don't believe this for a second.
A tech savvy GOP aide just pointed out to me that when you type http://jasonforgovernor.com it goes to Chaffetz’s congressional campaign page...
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A tech savvy GOP aide just pointed out to me that when you type http://jasonforgovernor.com it goes to Chaffetz’s congressional campaign page...
Maybe, but why not stay in the House while running for governor? The next gubernatorial election is 4 years away. Also, that domain has been registered since 2009 (https://whois.icann.org/en/lookup?name=jasonforgovernor.com), so it certainly doesn't directly reflect any "new" plans.
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Eh, on more reflection he may very well be eyeing a run for Governor. I was thinking it's 4 years away, but he's not actually out of Congress until the end of next year, which would only be a little under 2 years before elections for Governor. Guess time will tell.
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Eh, on more reflection he may very well be eyeing a run for Governor. I was thinking it's 4 years away, but he's not actually out of Congress until the end of next year, which would only be a little under 2 years before elections for Governor. Guess time will tell.
Honestly, leaving his previous position before running for another (and taking the requisite time away from that position) is still an honorable choice.
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Honestly, leaving his previous position before running for another (and taking the requisite time away from that position) is still an honorable choice.
I don't disagree with that. I'm just of the opinion that career politicians tend toward corruption, with the bulk being largely beholden to corporate and/or special interests within a couple terms. Thus my preference for politicians to get in, do some good work, then get out. I'm sure there are exceptions to the corruption, hopefully Mr. Chaffetz will be one.
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Does he have some health issues? I notice he shakes a lot when writing. I wonder if that could be part of his decision to return to the Real World?
Brad
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You might be on to something. He's now saying he may step down before his term ends: http://www.ksl.com/?sid=43937212&nid=148&title=chaffetz-confirms-he-may-step-down-before-his-term-ends
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Does he have some health issues? I notice he shakes a lot when writing. I wonder if that could be part of his decision to return to the Real World?
Brad
It it's while he's actually writing it might just be "essential tremor" which is not an especially big deal for most people. Shaking while at rest is another matter.
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One term as a governor then a Presidential run?
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One term as a governor then a Presidential run?
That is what I just read, but a two term Governor. http://fusion.net/jason-chaffetz-is-maybe-considering-running-for-preside-1794463292 (http://fusion.net/jason-chaffetz-is-maybe-considering-running-for-preside-1794463292)
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He's an idiot then if he does end his term early and plans to run for Governor. If he didn't complete his term in his last office, why should I believe he'll do it in the next? I'd be likely to vote against him in the primary if that were the case, and you can bet it will be first point of attack for opponents.
If he ends his congressional term early it's going to be a circus. The procedures for a special election for a US representative are not exactly spelled-out well in UT law.
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If he wanted to fuel more speculation, taking an emergency leave of absence seems like a good way to do so.
http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/jason-chaffetz-takes-emergency-leave-of-absence-from-congress/article/2621412
I must say, his foot does look pretty messed up though. That's a lot of screws!
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And now apparently he's done
Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) is expected to announce Thursday that he is resigning before the end of this congressional term, according to three sources familiar with his plans.
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Done is exactly what he is. Dude just got re-elected in November and he's quitting 6 months into the term. As I said before, if he has any aspirations for any other elected offices he's an idiot.
People (hopefully) won't vote for someone that quit their previous office on what sure appears to be a whim. Now the local circus will begin.
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I dunno. I guess for now I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt that there is possibly a personal backstory here that he doesn't want all over the news. Otherwise that story, this soon after reelection, is kinda lame.
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He said in an interview yesterday he's quitting because he doesn't want to spend another several hundred more days away from his family. If only there were some way he could have foreseen that being a US Representative would require this before he ran for re-election . . .
I don't like being away from my family either, this is why I chose a job that doesn't require frequent travel.
He also claims he didn't talk to Fox News about a job until after this decision was made. I'm skeptical, but I hope he's at least being honest about that.
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Mystery solved...
http://insider.foxnews.com/2017/06/28/jason-chaffetz-join-fox-news-channel-contributor-role-press-release
Brad
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Mystery solved...
http://insider.foxnews.com/2017/06/28/jason-chaffetz-join-fox-news-channel-contributor-role-press-release
Brad
I wonder if Fox has agreed to pay him a $2500/month housing allowance ...
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Instead of an extra $2500.00 a month, how about converting one or more of the vacant buildings owned by the .fedgov in DC and turning it into a barracks for congress critters? Compulsory to live there and an in house cafeteria for chow.