A number of members of the House Democratic Caucus have announced that they will not run for re-election this year. Some of these members have served for some time, leading other members to wonder whether the caucus will suffer from a loss of "institutional memory."
If you read through the story you'll note that apart from Barney Frank - who is one of the more liberal members of the House - most of the retirees are members of the Blue Dog Coalition, self described conservative Democrats who have found themselves increasingly marginalized form the party. This is the same thing swe have noted in class that happens among Republicans where liberal members of their party have become practically extinct.
