It is no fun being a minority leader in Congress, and after eight years, House Democratic leader Dick Gephardt has had enough. Tuesday's election results dashed his party's hopes of returning to the majority and his own hopes of ever becoming speaker. He is stepping down at the end of this session.
Already, he faced grumbling from his backbenchers that, after a historic midterm loss of four seats, new leadership might be in order. Gephardt survived the Newt Gingrich revolution, and dealing with a triumphant White House and re-energized congressional Republicans surely looked like another ordeal that Gephardt might want to pass on to someone less arm-weary.
Out from under his legislative, fund-raising and party-building chores, Gephardt will be free for other pursuits. One of those pursuits is said to be running for the 2004 Democratic presidential nomination.
Gephardt ran for president in 1988, but his ill-funded campaign which featured the curious issue of whether he was dyeing his eyebrows never caught fire. Now, without a great deal of national name recognition, he will vie for the right to challenge a popular incumbent president who is soaring in the polls. The quest may be quixotic but not impossible. An obscure governor named Bill Clinton did something like it in 1992.
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Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who make comments.
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Don't threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
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Be proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
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