MICHELE NORRIS, host:
As we've just heard, after serving in Congress for nearly 30 years, first in the House of Representatives and then as a three-term senator, Byron Dorgan has announced his retirement. And Senator Dorgan joins us now from his office to talk about his decision. Welcome to the program, Senator.
Senator BYRON DORGAN (Democrat, North Dakota): Thank you.
NORRIS: A lot of your fellow Democrats were shocked at your decision, even your constituents back in North Dakota. How long have you been mulling this over, or did you have some sort of epiphany over the winter break?
(Soundbite of laughter)
Sen. DORGAN: I didn't have an epiphany. It's been a long wrestling match with me in trying to determine to what I wanted do, but, you know, the fact is I've served in public office for 40 years which is a long, long time. I served ten years in elective office in the state capital and then 30 years here in the United States Congress, 12 in the House and 18 in the Senate. So, the question for me was if I run this year for reelection I think I would have won. But that means if starting now the next seven years would be in the United State Senate.
And then it just seemed to me like that's just too much of a commitment beyond the 30 years I've already served in the Congress. And I mean, there are other things I want to do in life so I made a decision that I was not going to seek reelection.
NORRIS: Now you say that if you ran again you think you would win, but polls show that the governor of North Dakota, Governor John Hoeven is very popular in the state. Recent polls show that if you were to face him in a one-on-one election that it would be very close, in fact that he might beat you. Did that influence the decision?
Sen. DORGAN: No, I don't believe he would have won. There are polls on both sides of this. But the fact is that he is not a candidate at this point - was not a candidate and there was no determination that he would be. He had not made any decision. But that wasn't a part of my calculation. I think North Dakotans understand the benefits and the value of seniority and experience here in the Congress. Had I run for reelection, I'm fairly confident the North Dakota people would have given me the opportunity to continue to serve.
But, you know, I think there is a time to make other decisions and I think sometimes it's very difficult. Someone once described the Congress as like the Hotel California, you know, you can only check in, you can't check out. It is very hard to get here. But it's also very hard to leave. And yet I think in many ways I'd rather, as someone once said, have people wonder why I left so soon rather than stayed so long.
NORRIS: In your statement today you lament the loss of bipartisanship. And before we go on I just want you take a moment to listen to something that you told NPR right before the holiday break.
Sen. DORGAN: You know, I've served here a long time. I've never seen things quite as convoluted and difficult, and, you know, it is - it's a circumstance where the agenda and the year, this was kind of a lost year in many ways.
NORRIS: Senator, what am I hearing there in your voice?
Sen. DORGAN: It sounds like I was looking for words�
NORRIS: You sound very frustrated.
Sen. DORGAN: Well, this has been a long and difficult year and there is no question that things need to be better, more bipartisanship, less rancor. They just need to be better. But again, that is not the basis for my decision. I'm an eternal optimist about this country. We've been through tough times and good times. And this has been a particularly difficult period with a very deep recession, the deepest since the Great Depression. And I mean, we're going to come out of this. I'm very optimistic. But this decision for me was just about do I wish to commit another seven years beyond the 30 years I've served in the Congress.
NORRIS: You know, sometimes when you make a difficult decision you're able to, in the exhale, able to see things more clearly. Is there a candid assessment that you would be willing to share of where the breakdown happens in the Senate? I mean so many people are so frustrated at the logjam that seems to be consistent in both the Senate and the House. Where's the breakdown? Why is so little getting done?
Sen. DORGAN: I'm going to serve this entire year in the Senate so I'm not going to name names, but let me say to you that I still have hope that we'll be able to find ways to come together and fix things together here in the Senate, because I do think most look at the Senate and say, you know, what it's not working the way it should work or it used to work. But, you know, the remedy for that, I think, lies within each of us and I would hope very much that all of us would reach across the partisan aisles and decide that there are things we can work together on.
NORRIS: Thank you very much for taking time to talk to us today.
Sen. DORGAN: Thanks a lot.
NORRIS: All the best to you. That was Senator Byron Dorgan of North Dakota.