https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/poli...084809001/
Lots of speculation on why 57 Congressmen from both parties aren't running for re-election (but as typical in these lazy media days, no comparison to prior years to see if this is particularly atypical).
“...Washington’s not a very pleasant place for anybody,” said former Rep. Tom Davis, a Virginia Republican who retired in 2008 after 14 years in the House. “The polarization and all the gamesmanship” can be grinding, Davis said, and the rewards aren’t very sweet these days.
“The public hates you,” he said. “It doesn’t mean you don’t get re-elected, but you’re not getting great outcomes....”
In the House, Republicans operate under rules that limit committee chairman to six years no matter how long they serve in Congress. Wasserman and others agree that dynamic is playing a role in driving even powerful and safely ensconced lawmakers out.
“Many members spend years in Congress climbing up the ranks to become a committee chair but if you’re termed out after a couple cycles, you can suddenly find yourself with less power,” said Wasserman. “Upward mobility is essential to many members.”
Davis said that rule was imposed in the 1990s because committee chairman had become too powerful. But it inadvertently made congressional leaders too powerful, and the legislative process has suffered as a result.
Add the gridlock and partisanship, Davis said, and the job just isn’t appealing anymore.
“You wait, sitting around all day, waiting for the deal and then I vote yes or no. That’s it,” he said. “That’s why I left. You look at this and you say, geez, what am I doing here?"
