Longevity Award, retire with dignity instead of a sad primary fight...please...

And was almost kicked out of Congress because of it?

This guy really needs to learn to keep his mouth shut.

and I did not read all through this stuff. If you Google, it's all over the place. Looks like Lautenberg was NOT involved? Only took the place of Harrison Williams who was involved and resigned? Feel free to correct me!

"In 1982 he received the Democratic nomination for a US Senate seat from New Jersey. The seat had been occupied by Democrat Harrison Williams, who resigned on March 11, 1982 after being implicated in the Abscam scandal.Lautenberg won the election and took office several days before the traditional swearing-in of senators."

http://www.opencongress.org/wiki/Frank_Lautenberg

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"Abscam (sometimes ABSCAM) was a United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) sting operation run from the FBI's Hauppauge, Long Island, office in the late 1970s and early 1980s. The operation initially targeted trafficking in stolen property but was converted to a public corruption investigation.

The investigation ultimately led to the conviction of a United States Senator, five members of the House of Representatives, one member of the New Jersey State Senate, members of the Philadelphia City Council, and an inspector for the Immigration and Naturalization Service."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abscam

I went from memory and got the facts wrong.

It was Williams and Lautenberg replaced him.

that was Harrison Williams.

Lautenberg should be a DU hero. He has been a consistent advocate for the poor ... not justthe middle class. As to pro labor, he explained why he got into politics at a Democratic event in Morris County when someone mentioned they were from Patterson and their parents (grandparents) knew his father.

His father was an immigrant who settled in NJ in Patterson and worked in the Patterson silk factories. He spoke of how is father argued that he need to get an education and NEVER work in those factories. He spoke of his dad describing how you could see the minute particles of silk when you looked toward the light from the window. His dad spoke of how this likely was not healthful -- and it wasn't. His dad died young - I think he said in his 40s.

Lautenberg served in WWII and went to college on a GI bill. He eventually became very successful in business in the best way. He started a company called ADP. He became rich, sold the company and went into politics. He has been one of the most consistent liberals there is. Oh his reason for becoming involved in politics - he wanted to be on the side of people without power - like his dad was.

He was my Senator (until I moved in December) and he is an extraordinarily good person.

I wanted to relate a story I personally heard him tell in 2006 when he was with the Morris county Democrats when he was lobbying for Menendez. Incidentally, my experience was that he spoke to regular (not powerful) Democrats more than the younger Menendez did in Morris County. I assume that this was because Menendez knew the county was pretty Republican.

Booker is interesting - and he very likely will be the next Senator. If Lautenberg were even 10 years younger - I would argue that this would be a loss. Lautenberg is by far the more progressive and liberal - and still feisty. Two things I remember are - that in 2004 - He actually spoke in the Senate explaining with a poster what a chicken hawk was -- and in 2005, when Bush was pushing privatization of SS a group of Senators spoke with selected people using the program. Though the Senators included Kerry, who should have been President and Hillary Clinton who everyone thought would be the next President, the Senator who was most effective was --- Lautenberg in a dialogue with a Brooklyn man of nearly the same age. Between them they made the case for SS - and totally impressed the people with them.

Lautenberg is my senator and he is a good person.

And that's why the new dems want to shit all over him. He's keeping them from having a nice seat from which to pursue centrism.

job for New Jersey. Why the disrespect?

Hadn't read all the relevant posts until now. Have now self-deleted the post you were responding to.

Have a nice weekend.

where, and whom, should he challenge? Should he move to another state?

Democrats shouldn't treat other Democrats like this.

Lautenberg is not entitled to that seat; on the other hand, I see nothing wrong with at least speaking with him, since he does still hold it.

I'm disappointed in Cory Booker. I don't like the way he's going about this whole thing. It makes him seem cold and calculating.

A lot of the time, he's run his city like a "pro-business" center-right independent, and I'm not sure he can be trusted NOT to cross the floor if elected.

it is always the staffers who are greedy, as it is their job they won't have when a new person comes in.

but remember- Lautenberg retired a few years back, and only because no one else could be found did he come out of retirement. He never planned on still being senator.
(it was because another whiner, Bill Bradley disappeared from the face of the earth after dribbling his basketball and leaving the arena like a spoiled little brat after 2000).

Really?

and to wait while the repubs amass a fortune would not do well.

This way Mayor Booker will easily get the nom, and he easily will win.
There is no republican that can run for senate and win.

But if he does, Does Booker plan to run against him?

Not cool............



Forgot to add, if Booker pushes Lautenberg out I refuse to vote for him.

have that happen to him would be very wrong. Why didn't he decide to run against Christie - a good Dem could beat him. But, then I start thinking about all this multi-level chess and whyyyyy perhaps Booker isn't running against Christie, and well, I'll just say, I agree with you!

I'm surprised that he didn't get a spot in the Obama administration back in 2009. Booker knows that Christie is popular in the state. He is taking the easy route, trying to push out Lautenberg due to his age. The party may go along because there are no AA Democratic senators since Obama became president. But, if a good man like Lautenberg is pushed out, I will abstain to vote for Booker.

If he wins again, he'll most likely die in office and Christie will appoint a Republican. If anything, he's the one being selfish, not Booker. Lautenberg has had his time and he needs to go live out his years in retirement and give other Dems a chance.

Rethuglican Christie can appoint his sucessor should he run and win again. I really like Booker but he isn't nearly as solidly liberal as Lautenberg and the senate will be more conservative should Booker be Lautenberg's replacement...

But then I live in Mississippi where my choices are asshole and super-asshole. I should dream of having problems like choosing between these two....

Second, his disregard for his elder statesman leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

Someone on Facebook commented that he seems to be preparing himself for national media attention after I posted the "Booker used to hate gays" story. He is coming across as calculating and self-serving.

We can come up with better candidates than Booker.

But, I don't live in New Jersey anymore, and it's the people of New Jersey who will vote for him. Or not.

Cory Booker, and any one, else can choose to run whether or not Lautenberg wants to retire. It's a democracy and I am so tired of how Senate seats in particular are treated as some sort of noble right. It's not the House of Lords. No one needs permission. You can call me ageist if you'd like but I believe term limits need to be imposed because the ages at which these politicians cling to their positions of power are ridiculous. Is it any wonder that things such as changing procedural rules never happen? The Senate needs a regular infusion of fresh blood, fresh ideas and approaches that defy the status quo. We can't get that with same people hanging around for decades.

but common sense should tell a man not to run for the Senate when he's 90 years old.

I firmly believe that Lautenberg, if health is good, should go ahead and run again, and get Booker to run for Governor instead.

Booker is not ready for national politics yet - he needs to work on leading New Jersey, not just Newark.

and missed much of his later years in the Senate due to health issues.

Thurmond was an empty shell who was wheeled out by his aides to vote.

Neither one was an effective senator.