Who is John Dennis?

He's a Goldwater style Republican in Nancy Pelosi's house district, and he's running against Nancy.

John was on the sideline politically until the Ron Paul campaign, which inspired him to run against Pelosi.

John wants to end the drug war. He wants to have a military focused on defense instead of perpetual war. He wants to radically reduce the size and scope of government. He wants to end the fed. He wants to restore habeas corpus and end the Patriot Act. He thinks it's none of the government's business if gays marry, and he even campaigned in San Francisco's gay bar district about that.

Pelosi won't even debate him ... and I can see why. Her and her party's hypocrisy would be quickly called out. But that didn't stop John from making a pretty good commercial about that. I like the "obligatory McCain-Feingold-incumbent-protection-mandated message" at the end.

Oh -- and how is this for a woah moment in that race:

Quote:To: Nancy Pelosi
From Cindy Sheehan

Hey Nan,

How's that "liberal agenda" going for you these days?

You have had quite a run as the first female Speaker of the House, haven't you?

In that almost four years now, you have fully funded the wars; rammed through the bankster bailouts and the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Modernization Act; refused to hold the criminals of the Bush administration accountable; supported the torture policies of George Bush and wanted even stricter measures against suspected terrorists; obediently supported and defended the murderous Israeli oppression of Palestine; presided over the worst jobs' hemorrhage since the Great Depression (can you see all the jobless and homeless from your mansion on the hill in Pac Heights?) and the only "victory" that you can claim is a feeble health care "reform" bill that you admit you had no idea what it contained, when in reality, it was just a massive welfare program for your corporate buddies in the industry.

http://www.opednews.com/articles/Open-Me...3-602.html

I wonder how much of that Cindy Sheehan wrote herself, and how much was written by the little elves that surrounded her since her son died...

HA! He raised more money than Pelosi!

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1010/43693.html

Like this one too

(10-18-2010 09:37 AM)georgia_tech_swagger Wrote:  HA! He raised more money than Pelosi!

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1010/43693.html

Pelosi is giving the money she raises to other Democrats who are in close battles, instead of keeping it in her own district which is like 80/20 Democrat.

I wonder if she'll retire if she loses her Speaker position? As for Sheehan, well, I'll be kind to the mother of a slain soldier and keep my mouth shut....she should, too.

(10-18-2010 09:31 PM)smn1256 Wrote:  I wonder if she'll retire if she loses her Speaker position?

I think she would resign, yes.

Recent Speakers of the House:
Rayburn of Texas - died in office (1961).
McCormack of Massachusetts - voluntarily retired as Speaker and from Congress (1970).
Albert of Oklahoma - voluntarily retired as Speaker and from Congress (1976).
O'Neill of Massachusetts - voluntarily retired as Speaker and from Congress (1986).
Wright of Texas - resigned as Speaker (internal pressure from his own party) and from Congress at once (1989).
Foley of Washington - defeated for re-election (1994).
Gingrich of Georgia - resigned as Speaker (internal pressure from his own party) and from Congress at once (1998).
Hastert of Illinois - resigned from Congress shortly after his party lost the Majority (2006).
Pelosi of California - incumbent.

So, at least in the past 50 years, no "former Speakers" have continued to serve in the House except for Hastert, who hung around a brief time. I think in today's political culture, the people who reach that rung of the ladder are so ego-inflated, that the idea of becoming just another back-bencher is intolerable to them, so they'd rather quit and move on.