With Congressman Dave Weldon’s announcement yesterday that he will not run for reelection in 2008, people in Florida’s Space Coast region are pondering what impact that will have on the space program and their livelihoods. Not surprisingly, people are worried about the loss of Weldon’s seniority and influence in Washington (influence that is somewhat diminished now that Republicans are in the minority in Congress), and whether Florida will thus somehow lose out to other NASA centers in the scramble for funding.
With less than a year to go in Congress, one wonders how strongly he’ll push for his legislation to keep the shuttle flying after 2010 or secure a similar commitment in other legislation. Will he be empowered by working against the clock, or be rendered a lame duck?
Have any of the other people who are saying that they are interested in running taken positive action regarding the space industry in their past?
Benac: you’re assuming that what’s good for Brevard is good for NASA and the rest of the country. Ain’t necessarily so. A candidate who talked about keeping the shuttle going indefinitely, and along with it all the jobs associated with it, would probably do very well in that district. But would that be good national policy?
All of the candidates for replacing Weldon will have a a position on the space industry. That is a requirement for running for the job.
Smith is right that these positions will be designed to be good for the district; and whether they are good for the country is a different issue.
Benac’s question is kind of like asking whether a candidate from rural Iowa will be have a history of taking positive action on Ethanol.
BTW, Weldon had no prior history of taking “positive action” for space — before he first won office. He had been in medical school; and ran on a social conservative issues. He then added the “protect the $$ for Kennedy” to his primary issues.
– Nemo2