What are some other ways of saying goodbye? Add them in the comments. I would say aurvoir for French but I don't know how to spell it correctly and I feel it may betray my Italian and Irish roots.
So while watching the evening news in the Bay Area and sipping a Guinness the newscaster started with a little teaser. "A Bay Area member of Congress chosen for new leadership position." Who could it be because so many members of the Bay Area delegation are in leadership roles? We have Speaker Pelosi, Black Caucus Chair Barbara Lee, Progressive Caucus co-chair Lynn Woolsey, Select Intellegence Committee Member Anna Eshoo (FYI she only got on it because she is buddies with Pelosi), and big G-Money himself Chair of the House Labor and Education Committee Geeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeorggggggge Miilllllllllllllllllllllller. The broadcaster kept the anticipation up saying this member had accepted a undersecretary position at the State Department. What cracked out loser would want that over being a member of the House?
For the sake of suspense below the fold is your answer...although the title kinda gives it away
I became absolutely giddy when I heard the name and no it wasn't the Guinness bringing on the giddyness.
Ellen Tauscher
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To give you the full story I will let Mike Taugher of the Contra Costa Times give you the story. God forbid I let a local paper do it and not the Washington Times or we write the story before the event Associated Press:
Rep. Ellen Tauscher, of Alamo, is the Obama adminstration's pick for a key State Department post for arms control issues. Tauscher is regarded as one of the most knowledgeable members of Congress on the nation's nuclear arsenal and a moderate who walks a fine line to balance support for nuclear weapons research at the Lawrence Livermore Laboratory, which is in her district, and the demands of peace activists.
"There is some skepticism among the nuclear control and disarmament community," said Christopher Paine, nuclear program director for the environmental group Natural Resources Defense Council. Paine nonetheless called the pick a good one. "Certainly, she has the potential to do a terrific job," Paine said.
Tauscher has not been vetted for the job, a process that can take weeks or months. The position also requires Senate confirmation. If Tauscher is appointed, a special election would be held to replace her for the rest of her two-year term ending January 2011.
The choice of Tauscher was first reported by The Associated Press. Congressional sources confirmed the AP's story for MediaNews.
If confirmed as undersecretary of state for arms control and international security, Tauscher would serve as a senior adviser on arms control, nonproliferation and disarmament issues to the president and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, whom Tauscher supported in last year's Democratic presidential primaries...
...Tauscher, 57, was first elected to Congress in 1996 after an upset of two-term Republican incumbent Bill Baker. Tauscher, a wealthy former investment banker, spent $1.7 million of her own money on the election.
The chairman of a coalition of centrist congressional Democrats, Tauscher has remained moderate on political issues, occasionally angering more liberal members of her party. Tauscher chairs the strategic forces subcommittee, which oversees the nation's nuclear weapons.
"She knows the U.S. nuclear arsenal better than probably any other member of Congress at this point," said Stephen Young, a senior analyst at the Union of Concerned Scientists. "She doesn't have as much background on arms control as other candidates, but I expect her to be a quick study."
Some activists remain unsatisfied with Tauscher's stances on issues ranging from the war in Iraq to bankruptcy reform and have called in recent years for someone to challenge her in a Democratic primary election.
She was challenged in last year's general election by Republican Nicholas Gerber of Moraga, who got 31.1 percent of the vote.
The 10th District includes much of eastern and central Contra Costa County as well as Livermore in Alameda County; Dixon, Fairfield, Suisun City and Elmira in Solano County; and Isleton and Walnut Grove in Sacramento County. The most recent voter-registration reports show the district is about 47 percent Democrat, 29 percent Republican and 20 percent decline-to-state.
I have something to confess... I applied to work in her district office as a caseworker. This was before I realized that Hill work is what I am cut out to do (year anniversary of my internship ending this past Sunday where I interned for a very progressive member of the House). I remember doing some research about her and talking about how I admired her leadership as chairwoman of the New Dems and that is why I wanted to work for her in my Cover Letter. So Mea Culpa Kossacks it was July, I just graduated from Santa Cruz, and I saw the writing on the wall about the economy. After I sent it in I guess my feelings can be summed up by Bart Simpson after meeting "The Critic" in the film festival episode.
I all of a sudden feel so dirty
So I am certainly glad to see her go at least she is going to an area where she has an expertise and it isn’t a situation where Obama will have to say "heckuva job Brownie" or "Tauchsie". Knock on Wood. Although I would like to see the end of nuclear weapons and nuclear technologies as my parents were arrested protesting outside the Lawrence Livermore Labs in the 1980s. The labs are situated in her district.
So here we are she is gone (obviously pending Senate confirmation, but that shouldn't be a problem) and it feels good that the ranks of the New Republi-- sorry New Democrat Coalition are beginning to be thinned out. I know us Kossacks have wanted to take her out for a while and it is nice that we now have the opportunity to elect a progressive to office in this strong Democrat district. The vice chair of the Cal Repubs was on the news, he is a resident of the district, he thought the Repubs had a good shot at it. All I have to say and I have been wanted to dust off this chestnut, but mainly in my fantasy debates with Karl Rove and the Republican Leadership
Delusion is a Sweet Liquor when Taken in Heavy Doses
So lets get this seat in the hands of a progressive my friends. I don't know too much about state reps as I am in the bay side of the East Bay and she represents mostly the East Bay over the hills, but I like Tom Torlakson he has been an advocate for education and has served East Contra Costa County for almost thirty years as a Antioch City Councilman, Contra Costa County Supervisor, State Assemblyman, State Senator, and now he is back in the Assembly waiting to run for State Superintendent in 2010. I don’t know about the reps in the Moraga, Orinda, Lafayette, and Walnut Creek Area. Since I just threw out a bunch of cities and places most of you probably don't know here is the Wikipedia page for the 10th District of California
You can see how weird and gerryrigged it is. It even has that little sliver out my way in El Cerrito. Let's get someone elected in the 10th district who represents the people and not just Wall Street.
Cheers to adding another Progressive Member of the House!