A big development today in the ongoing cultural struggle over sexual harassment in the halls of celebrity and power–Democratic Rep. John Conyers, one of the nation’s longest-serving representatives and a civil-rights movement icon, will retire under a cloud as The Hill reports:
Rep. John Conyers Jr. (D-Mich.), who for weeks has been the target of sexual misconduct allegations, announced on Tuesday that he will retire from the House.
Conyers, the lower chamber’s current longest-serving member, told a Detroit-area radio station that he is endorsing his son, John Conyers III, for his seat.
He said he was “retiring today.”
“This too shall pass. And I want you to know that my legacy will continue through my children,” John Conyers told host Mildred Gaddis.
He has remained defiant in the face of the accusations and insisted during the radio appearance that his “legacy can’t be compromised or diminished” by the allegations.
It’s tough to summarize the contributions of Rep. Conyers over the course of decades in a single sentence, but we’re sorry to say that how a man treats women he deals with professionally must inevitably affect his legacy. In fact, the only way the lesson can be learned that no one is above accountability…is for no one to be above accountability.
And if there’s any justice, it’s not going to stop with John Conyers.
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Jabba the HuttBlake Farentholdt next?Surely you jest. IOKIYAR.
Such a fat ugly slob.
It's really unfortunate that it takes an issue like this to make a dent in draining the swamp. Conyers, now 88, has been continuously in office since 1965. Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.
Can't think of a better example of why we need term limits for Congress.
Yeah let's give the lobbyists even more influence.
Oh, I don't know. It seems like 10 terms ought to be plenty.
Conyers had 26 terms. That was more than plenty.
Conyers is reportedly in the hospital right now no doubt being treated for Potomac Fever.
Maybe it took a Swampcrustycritter as awful as Donnie TwoScoops to finally galvanize the long-simmering outrage that’s reached beyond the boiling point?
Right now in America, women have been the most vocal, organized. and effective anti-Trumpers. From day one of the Drumpfpocalypse last January, it has been women who have managed to keep the focus and fury on these assholes.
Governance in America has become a “womens’ issue.” I hope and pray they keep the heat turned up.
A-freakin-(wo)men!
Disagree. Term limits restricts the rights of Americans to chose who represents them in congress. If the people of Conyer's district liked the job he was doing, why should they not be afforded the opportunity to continue voting for him?
Hey, maybe it took 26 terms for Conyers to get III ready to take over the family businesss? . . .
http://www.mlive.com/news/detroit/index.ssf/2010/12/the_fabulous_online_life_of_jo.html
. . . oy vey.
With all due respect, to be consistent in your reasoning the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution should be repealed. I was born the year that Amendment went into effect (1951) and I have never heard a single advocacy for its repeal.
A Rasmussen Reports Poll of registered voters taken Oct. 20-23, 2016 reported 74% favoring term limits, 13% opposed, 13% undecided.
So, what you're saying is that a mechanism clearly exists to establish term limits (amending the Constitution), that the people have availed themselves of it when they thought it needed (the 22nd Amendment), and that no limit exists for Congress. I think that says it all. If they wanted term limits, people could get them.
Also, the 22nd was a codification of a tradition of self-imposed term limits, after one president broke the "rule." There is no such tradition (although I think there out to be) for Congress.
There is already a mechanism in place to enact term limits: voting. Of those 74% that support term limits, the vast majority continue voting to reelect their sitting member of congress.
Good start. Now about those others….
This is good politics for Democrats. Probably need to send Franken into retirement too then see if Republicans elect Moore. It will be a big contrast between how the two parties deal with the issue. The message is that Democrats aren't a perfect party but they try to rectify things when they have gone wrong. Republicans offer more Meh but folks like Allyn will try in their twisted ways to blame both parties as being equally indifferent to the plight of the victims.
Announcement from Franken on Thursday, after many calls for his resignation today.
It is kinda scary that Conyers has been in some office my whole life.
Where was he before Congress?
I'm sad about Conyers. He did a great job chairing the "basement hearings" about torture and abuse of power in the Bush administration.
It's that "tragic flaw" thing. He has been a hero and icon for so long, and legitimately so, that he never had to be accountable for his sleazoid, sexist way he dealt with women around him.
cook, before Congress, according to his bio, Conyers was in the military.