Barton to retire after nude selfie fallout
Source: Politico
He had announced plans to run for reelection less than a month ago.
By KYLE CHENEY 11/30/2017 12:56 PM EST
Rep. Joe Barton (R-Texas) announced Thursday that he wont run for reelection in 2018, following a string of stories about him sending lewd texts and nude photos and videos to women.
Barton, the ninth most-senior member of the House, told the Dallas Morning news in an interview, There are enough people who lost faith in me that its time to step aside. Local GOP leaders had begun calling for Barton to step down in recent days.
Barton decision to retire comes after fallout in Texas over an anonymous Twitter users move to post a nude selfie Barton sent to a former paramour. His announcement also came a day after the Fort Worth Star-Telegram posted racy text messages Barton sent to an Arlington GOP activist while he was still married.
He had announced plans to run for reelection less than a month ago.
Read more: https://www.politico.com/story/2017/11/30/joe-barton-to-retire-after-nude-selfie-fallout-271366
alp227
(32,052 posts)It stretches all the way from Arlington to Corsicana. What's so hard about drawing districts that are more simply shaped?
marble falls
(57,204 posts)marble falls
(57,204 posts)BumRushDaShow
(129,447 posts)(I have a sister living in there )
marble falls
(57,204 posts)BumRushDaShow
(129,447 posts)stretches at least 70 miles, goes through 5 counties, and parts are no wider than 800 feet. It is on all sorts of lists including this as one of the worst.
The GOP here manufactured GOP districts by concentrating large parts of urban areas into their own seats and then taking the rest of the urban areas and merging them with blue rim areas and red rural areas to eek out a bare minimum GOP advantage. You see it in PA 6, 7, 9, 10,11, 12, 13, 15, 16, 17, & 18 It's a fucking disgrace!!!!
VMA131Marine
(4,149 posts)My parents live just off Rte 183 north of Reading Airport so they are not quite in this district. But htere is just a huge difference between Oley and those western 'burbs of Philly.
BumRushDaShow
(129,447 posts)- they drew it so that it went AROUND places like Reading (59% Hispanic), Coatesville (47% black), and Chester, PA (75% black) - all having large minority populations, and took those municipalities and diluted their votes in other districts with more gerrymandering.
Lochloosa
(16,068 posts)wolfie001
(2,265 posts)unblock
(52,317 posts)that district is a bit odd, but most of the state looks pretty reasonable just by eyeballing it.
i'll bet that changes after the 2020 census and texas becomes more in play.
republicans will step up the self-preservation anti-democratic tactics.
marble falls
(57,204 posts)unblock
(52,317 posts)i'm not saying there's no gerrymandering in texas, of course there is.
and austin is an obvious target, liberal city in (still) republican state.
just saying that there are states like maryland, north carolina, and pennsylvania that are more obvious and worse.
IronLionZion
(45,528 posts)Districts should be as close to a normal shape as possible (rectangle, circle, etc.) and less like a salamander snaking it's way around certain neighborhoods.
Thor_MN
(11,843 posts)Barton's district isn't as bad as some, but to say it isn't gerrymandered is ridiculous.
It's not a contest - any amount of gerrymandering is wrong.
efhmc
(14,732 posts)which are separated by about 100 miles. I think the idea was to include as many white folks as they could to dilute or negate the Hispanic vote. Tx US District 25. It contains parts of 10 different counties and goes from almost Ft. Worth to Austin. They redistricted the area three times and finally got enough repug votes to take out a Dem. Horrible Roger Williams is in office now. He was up before the ethics committee last year and of course walked. https://www.politico.com/story/2016/08/roger-williams-house-ethics-conflict-226924
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texas%27s_25th_congressional_district
I so wish I had someone to represent me.
Yavin4
(35,445 posts)unblock
(52,317 posts)video of him masturbating.
assault conviction, no.
child molestation, no.
p*ssy grabbing, no.
overt bigotry, no.
treason, no.
legislating to kill cancer patients, no.
embezzlement, no.
but masturbation video, yes.
ok, it's a start....
TexasBushwhacker
(20,214 posts)Granted, he was stupid to do it and hypocritical given his party's whole Christian family values platform. But it was between consenting adults.
RussBLib
(9,035 posts)Unless the rep was a woman, and they had video of her licking pussy.
Who knows these days?
magicarpet
(14,167 posts)He would make a marvelous belly and/or striptease dancer in Las Vegas, since he likes to show off so much skin.
Paladin
(28,272 posts)He might as well stick with something with which he's experienced.
Midnight Writer
(21,795 posts)NCDem47
(2,250 posts)No wall-to-wall coverage in media
No apology tour.
No "introspection"
No "learning moment" or calls by Republicans to underscore how this is inappropriate
Republican mindset: JUST MAKE IT GO AWAY AND NEVER DISCUSS IT AGAIN!
Gothmog
(145,554 posts)onetexan
(13,058 posts)there are 4 Democratic candidates running for his seat, 2 of them are good ones to support: Ruby Faye Woolridge (a former educator) & John Duncan (a healthcare advocate with law school training).
lagomorph777
(30,613 posts)Screwing the American public, as he has, IS a reason to resign.
IronLionZion
(45,528 posts)oh well, good riddance to bad rubbish. By Joe, don't let the door hit you where the good Lord split you
Dopers_Greed
(2,640 posts)But not because of this nude picture thing
MontanaMama
(23,337 posts)And, it is good policy to avoid taking pics and texting pictures of your junk. It never ends well.
Sneederbunk
(14,300 posts)Ninga
(8,277 posts)procon
(15,805 posts)Mendocino
(7,505 posts)that claimed windpower could slow the wind down.
tammywammy
(26,582 posts)dembotoz
(16,832 posts)He seems to have the ego for it.