Rep. Lamar Smith Announces Retirement

[Jose Garcia]

Source: Roll Call

House Science, Space and Technology Chairman Lamar Smith announced his retirement Thursday.

“For several reasons, this seems like a good time to pass on the privilege of representing the 21st District to someone else. At the end of this Congress, I will have completed my six-year term as Chairman of the Science, Space, and Technology Committee. I have one new grandchild and a second arriving soon!! And I hope to find other ways to stay involved in politics,” the Texas Republican said in a statement.

Smith is the former chairman of the powerful House Judiciary Committee.

Read more: http://www.rollcall.com/news/politics/rep-lamar-smith-announces-retirement?utm_content=buffer5cda8&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer

[ck4829]

1. Thank God. What a joke.

He singlehandedly removed legitimacy from the science committee.

[Liberalagogo]

2. The rat are really bailing

n/t

[Matthew28]

3. Hopefully

Some tea party and anti-government republicans bail by the handful. Maybe it will allow for the democrats to take over next year.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

4. Lamar Smith retiring from Congress

Breaking: Lamar Smith is retiring from Congress, according to two sources close to the congressman.

Link to tweet

Lamar Smith retiring from Congress

U.S. Rep. Lamar Smith, R-San Antonio, is retiring from Congress, two sources close to the congressman told The Texas Tribune on Thursday.

BY ABBY LIVINGSTON NOV. 2, 2017 UPDATED: 2:50 PM

From February: How a minor committee became a 'weapon' of the climate wars

Retweeted by David Fahrenthold: https://twitter.com/Fahrenthold

Here’s how @LamarSmithTX21, a warrior against climate science, transformed his sleepy committee into potent weapon:

Link to tweet

POLITICS

How a minor committee became a 'weapon' of the climate wars

Scott Waldman, E&E News reporter
Climatewire: Monday, February 13, 2017

A House panel overseeing science has transformed over the past two years from a sleepy backwater committee into a subpoena-wielding, headline-generating political actor feared by actual scientists.

Under the tenure of Chairman Lamar Smith (R-Texas), the House Science, Space and Technology Committee has taken on an unprecedented aggressiveness, serving federal researchers with subpoenas and accusing entire federal agencies of engaging in massive scientific fraud. The committee's shift under Smith, who took over in 2013, has stunned longtime congressional observers, Democrats and Republicans alike. Many said they are concerned that the panel's focus on politics will cause irreparable harm to government science.

But Smith also has his fans, including conservative media outlets and lawmakers delighted to see a comeuppance for federal agencies they believe are politicized. Smith's supporters cheer his vow to rid agencies of what he calls "politically correct" science and say the committee under his rule will usher in overdue reforms — especially, they say, if the voices of industry scientists can be amplified in setting federal policy.

In the last few weeks alone, the committee has generated global headlines as it prepares a wave of legislation designed — depending on one's perspective — to reform or impede federal science in a manner unprecedented in recent memory. In the last few weeks, the committee has been compared to the Spanish Inquisition by left-leaning Mother Jones magazine, and Smith has been hailed as an "unlikely warrior against dubious science" by the conservative National Review.

[flakey_foont]

5. Isn't he that anti-science wanker?

Buh bye

[Bernardo de La Paz]

12. Yes. . . . nt

[alp227]

6. How gerrymandered this district is

[Scalded Nun]

9. Yeah, He used to be my POS.

When they gerrymandered I wound up in a Dem district. At least my vote actually counts now.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

13. Dont be so sure. Point of gerrymandering is pile D votes in a few districts so they count LESS.

That's how Republicons dominate states with more State and Federal Representatives than the actual percentage of their votes warrant.

The USA is progressive, liberal, and Democratic. Gerrymandering and voter suppression mask that.

[Lithos]

16. Yea

That area of Austin is very blue and includes my district.

Glad to see his sorry ass go, wonder what the gop will dredge up to replace him. There are a lot of loonies out west in his district

[lagomorph777]

7. Another one bites the dust.

Trump has destroyed his own party. Party-pooper.

[Bleacher Creature]

8. Retirements are usually pretty good bellwethers of a coming wave.

Even if Smith's seat isn't like to go blue, it could still force Republicans to put some additional time and money into the race to make sure things don't get screwed up, particularly at the primary stage.

Also, the retirement also could signal Smith's fear that he may wind up in the minority party after winning re-election.

[bluestarone]

10. could this be there grand plan?

fuck everybody then retire?

[diva77]

11. That is a tactic used by some county elections officials in California when computerized

voting machines were rolled out after HAVA was passed. They would buy the machines, deplete funding, and suddenly retire early to properties that were suspiciously exhorbitant for the kind of salaries they had been earning.

[Paladin]

14. Glad to see the last of this ignorant old fucker.

He'll probably be replaced by another Republican, but maybe his replacement won't be as willfully stupid.

[yallerdawg]

15. It's hardest to beat an incumbent!

Regardless of how "red" the district or state, every one of these retiring incumbents IS making it just a bit easier for a Democrat to steal one!

[Yupster]

17. Republicans have term limits for committee chairs of six years

When they took the House in 2010 these guys became committee chairs. Now that they have to give up their chairmanships a lot of them just quit the House. It's kind of a Republican term limit.

I'd like to see us put in term limits for committee chairs too, rather than have chairmen by seniority who stay forever.

[Blue_Tires]

18. good... now go to hell...