Moderate Democratic Rep. Dennis Cardoza of California announced his retirement after five terms Thursday, but not before taking a shot at President Barack Obama in his departure statement — a sharp break from standard retiree practice in Congress,
Politico reports.
“Looking back on disappointments, I am dismayed by the administration’s failure to understand and effectively address the current housing foreclosure crisis,” Cardoza said in his statement. “Home foreclosures are destroying communities and crushing our economy, and the administration’s inaction is infuriating.”
 |
| Rep. Cardoza |
The blue dog’s statements were magnified by the fact that he’s not known for extremist rhetoric. “This is beyond odd and clearly a reflection of Democrats’ frustration with this president and administration,” a Democratic strategist told Politico.
Housing was a big issue for Cardoza, because the home price bust hit his Central Valley region hard. He regularly and publicly criticized the White House for failing to truly address the foreclosure crisis. Cardozo publicly offered Obama a tour of his district to observe the problems first hand.
Cardozo, along with fellow California Rep. Jim Costa, broke strongly from Nancy Pelosi early this year, declining to vote for her as House Minority Leader.
“They essentially felt they were getting a lot of lip service,” a former House Democratic aide close to Cardoza told Politico. “They were frustrated with the leadership in the House and in the White House.”
© 2013 Newsmax. All rights reserved.