Democrat John Conyers to run for 25th term in Congress

[Freddie Stubbs]

Source: USA Today

Democratic Rep. John Conyers, the longest-serving African American in Congress, says he'll run for a 25th term.

The Michigan lawmaker told The Detroit News that he'll run again. "I'm not the retiring type," said Conyers, 81. "If I wanted to retire, I could do that, too. I actually love my work."

Conyers, the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, was first elected in 1964.

He hasn't had a tough re-election bid in years. But members of Conyers' family have drawn headlines: His wife, Monica, is in prison on corruption charges and the congressman recently reimbursed the U.S. Treasury for the time his son, John Conyers III, drove his government-leased Cadillac Escalade.

Read more: http://content.usatoday.com/communities/onpolitics/post/2011/01/democrat-john-conyers-2012-congress-elections-/1?csp=34news&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TP-OnPolitics+%28News+-+On+Politics%29&utm_content=Twitter

[Demeter]

1. I wish he would retire

Why should anyone aspire to office if one has to wait for the fossils to die?

I don't hold with term limits, but there ought to be a way to move out people who have too many friends with money...and not enough power to do what needs to be done.

[PassingFair]

2. Me too. Enough is enough...

his seat is as safe a seat as the dems have.
Time to let someone younger take up the
banner.

[harmonicon]

11. Something?

We have elections for that! You want Conyers to retire because he's old, or because he's been committed to his job for a long time? Both? I think we need more like him.

[Romulox]

3. Well, his district *has* flourished under his leadership. nt

[beyurslf]

4. The House needs term limits.

[SomeGuyInEagan]

5. Disagree with term limits, but do believe public financing at the primary level and up are needed.

I don't like term limits out of hand, simply because we stand to loose very good people. What makes more sense to me is to take private money out of the process entirely and make the primaries and general elections entirely publicly financed. That would go a long way toward cleaning up the problem.

[Freddie Stubbs]

6. Over 1/5 of House members are freshmen this year

[Romulox]

7. That seems like exceedingly low turnover for an institution held in such disregard

:shrug:

[Recursion]

8. The Soviet Central Committee had a higher turnover rate than the US Congress

That should bother us right there.

[NYC Liberal]

9. Consecutive term limits. nt

[harmonicon]

12. because.... ? nt

[OnyxCollie]

10. 25 years of strongly-worded letters.

Yippie.