The departure of Congressman Boren can be seen as one part of a broader opportunity for Democrats to distance their party from the Republican-friendly politics of the Blue Dog Coalition, to which Boren belonged.

Jane Harman is finally retiring from Congress, and Democrats in California’s 36th district will have the opportunity to elect someone who represents their liberal values.

Apparently, traditional marriage the way that Representative Souder was practicing it was in the form of the union of one man with two women.

Congressman Obey’s retirement gives Democrats in Wisconsin’s 7th district to elect a more energetic and consistent progressive in his place.

Delahunt voted to extend the worst abuses of the Patriot Act without any reforms at all to the law passed at the height of the Homeland Security scare a decade ago. This vote tarnishes Delahunt’s reputation among progressives near the end of his career, when he is unlikely to have any opportunity to redeem himself with a significant vote on civil liberties.

In the current session of Congress, John Linder has not voted for one single piece of significant progressive legislation. There’s no way that Linder’s retirement can be reinterpreted to support claims of a solidly progressive congressional retreat.

Evan Bayh is out. Tamyra D’Ippolito may be a thorn in the side of Indiana Democratic establishment, though, warning them today, “If you believe you are going to appoint someone that has the same agenda as Evan Bayh with a different face I believe you will be sadly mistaken on election day in Indiana.”

Kennedy introduced 25 pieces of legislation over the last year. Most of them were related to health care issues, dealing with small issues of infrastructure and reform.

Mario relies much more on political action committees for donations: 53 percent of his 2010 election donations so far, as opposed to Lincoln’s 36 percent. If the Republicans of the 21st district accept Mario as successor to Lincoln Diaz-Balart, they’ll be supporting a candidate who represents corporate interests more than was the case under his brother’s terms in office.

In response to Vernon Ehler’s measured conservatism, Michael Van Kleeck has gathered crowds of enthusiastic supporters with sweeping statements of outrage.