This morning the Norwalk Hour is reporting that despite earlier claims of a temper tantrum, US Rep. Christopher Shays (CT-4) will not step down if he does not receive his coveted committee chair.
REGION — Despite reports that he would leave Congress if passed over for top committee positions, U.S. Rep. Christopher Shays has no intention of resigning, a campaign official said Tuesday.
Though Shays, R-4, told The Hartford Courant he would not continue to serve as a Congressman if he was not named top Republican or chairman of the Government Oversight Committee, his Chief of Staff Betsy Hawkings said this does not indicate a lack of commitment to the district.
"He's not planning to retire, he's not threatening to retire, he's just being honest with leaders with what he can do," Hawkings said, adding that Shays is next in line for a top spot on the committee with which he has logged 20 years of service.
If that's not the most ridiculous case of double-speak, backtracking I've heard all week I don't know what is.
Let's take another look at that quote from Hawkings:
"He's not planning to retire, he's not threatening to retire [...]"
Ok...
he's just being honest with leaders with what he can do
And what is the honest-to-goodness scenario that Shays is presenting to GOP leaders?
If they do not give him significant backing "I'm absolutely not going to run," said Shays, who said he is giving no one any deadlines.
Even if he runs and wins, and somehow gets denied the top Republican spot anyway in 2009, "I will resign," Shays said
So, he's not threatening them, but let's face it folks, he very well could be threatening them if he wanted to!
Anyway, back to todays news. Why then, if good ole Mr. Shays has no intention of retiring or blackmailing the GOP into a committee head, would he come out and make these statements to the Hartford Courant last week?
His statement, Hawkings said, was "twisted" in some newspaper articles, and Shays meant that he needs to focus primarily on the "difficult" race against Democratic challenger Jim Himes, and not worry about earning a party position for which he is "next in line."
"He just feels in Congress' last cycle (some members) lost because they had to focus both on the leadership spots and focus on the tough races," Hawkings said.
[...]
It is up to the voters to interpret the meaning of Shays' statement, which Gary Rose, chairman of the Government and Politics Department and Politics Department at Sacred Heart University, said would add "a little fuel" to Himes' fire.
Ah, of course, that goddam liberal media. Classic Republican counter-attack. It's an oldie, but a goodie.
So what about out man in this race,
Jim Himes? What does he think about all this whining from Shays?
Himes said he thought it was "bizarre" that Shays would send that message to voters, and essentially tell them that his representation was "conditional."
"It's further evidence of something we're seeing a lot of lately, which is that Chris Shays is losing focus," he said. "We saw that with this statement. We saw that with his confusion on the war. We saw that with his refusing to even talk to a blogger. He's losing focus that his job is really to represent all of us in Washington."
Right on the money Mr. Himes, right on the money.
While it still remains to be seen whether or not Crybaby Shays decides to stick it out and run for reelection in 2008, this should be a real wake up call to all district voters. Chris Shays does not care about his constituents. The events of the past week show an egotistical, self-centered moron who is down in DC for his own self-advancement.
Go Jim Himes!