Two of Georgia's 13 GOP House members abandon ship

One of the lunatics of the Georgia congressional delegation, John Linder, will retire after 18 years taking up space in Congress. His latest hobbyhorse has been replacing the income tax he helped make more regressive with a ginormous sales tax that will be even more regressive.

The absence of such thinking is an enormous loss to the Republican Caucus.

Meantime, Georgia Republican congressman Nathan Deal is changing the subject by resigning to run for governor:

Deal has been the subject of two inquiries by congressional investigators into a Deal’s role in a business with the state that earned his company $1.5 million from 2004 through 2008. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported in August that Deal and a business partner obtained the lucrative state business without competition and that Deal personally intervened with state officials to fight proposed changes to the operation.

Ben Smith sums up careerism:

Members of Congress don't spend their days thinking of how best to serve their parties' agendas or their legislative leaders; in both of these decisions, career trumps a potentially crucial vote on historic legislation.