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Representative Boehlert Says "It's Time"

Sherwood Boehlert (R-MI), chairman of the House Science Committee, announced that he will not run for re-election. Here is an excerpt from his announcement:

As I see it, my unwritten instructions from the folks back home were basic and clear: go to Washington, listen to all the arguments, pro and con, weigh all the available facts, and then do what you think is best in our interest and that of the nation.

I have followed those instructions, believing as I do that Edmund Burke was right, more than two centuries ago, when he said,

'Your representative owes you, not his industry only, but his judgment, and he betrays instead of serving you if he sacrifices it to your opinion.’

My manner of representation and voting record of more than two decades has earned for me the label of moderate.

I’m proud of that label, fervently believing that the overwhelming majority of thinking people reject the extremes of the left and right.

They find stalemate unacceptable and want us to sort out our differences and find common ground. As I see it, that personifies a moderate.

As events of the past year in Washington have documented, this has been the ‘moderates moment.’ There is an abundance of evidence to suggest that our influence has expanded and our moment has been extended.

A few years ago, Congressional Quarterly, the highly respected, non-partisan magazine, conducted an extensive review and analysis of the records and performance of all 535 of the Representatives and Senators. The magazine then developed a list of 50 of ‘the most effective Members of Congress,’ honoring me among them as a ‘centrist’ who works to build consensus.

The magazine went on to say of the group ‘they exemplify skills and behaviors that help them accomplish their goals.’

That made me proud.

Congrats Rep. Boehlert!