Murtha Calls Ethics Bill ‘Total Crap’

[MarkTwain]

Murtha Calls Ethics Bill ‘Total Crap’
By John Bresnahan
Roll Call Staff
Wednesday, Nov. 15; 1:18 pm

Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.) told a group of Democratic moderates on Tuesday that an ethics and lobbying reform bill being pushed by party leaders was “total crap,” but said that he would work to enact the legislation because Speaker-to-be Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) supports it.

http://www.rollcall.com/issues/1_1/breakingnews/16030-1.html


Further attribution:

Murtha: Dem Ethics Reform Is "Total Crap"
By Justin Rood - November 15, 2006, 1:36 PM
Roll Call (sub. req.) reports this breaking news:

Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.) told a group of Democratic moderates on Tuesday that an ethics and lobbying reform bill being pushed by party leaders was “total crap,” but said that he would work to enact the legislation because Speaker-to-be Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) supports it.
Murtha and Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) are locked in a battle for the House Majority Leader post, and both men made presentations for to the Blue Dog Coalition on Tuesday in a bid for their votes.

“Even though I think it’s total crap, I’ll vote for it and pass it because that’s what Nancy wants,” Murtha told the Blue Dogs, according to three sources who were at the meeting. . . .

http://www.tpmmuckraker.com/archives/001995.php

... what's that old saying about enough rope and the art of hanging oneself?

[Donnachaidh]

1. Good for him!

I'd rather have one or two very LOUD Dems voicing their concerns than a group following in lockstep like the Republicans do.

Give em hell Jack!

[meganmonkey]

2. I would much prefer that they not only voice, but also

vote their concerns :shrug:

on edit: seems that the context of his comment is in question. If it is being misinterpreted then my comment may not apply - but in general, I still stand by it :)

[Occulus]

26. EVERYONE PLEASE READ THE WHOLE THREAD AND FOLLOW THE LINKS BEFORE POSTING

Had to shout because not everyone reading this thread will "get it". In fact, there are probably people reading as I post this who are becoming outraged at Murtha.

He didn't call the bill 'crap'.

He called the NEED for the bill 'crap'.

This is another way to swiftboat.

[KittyWampus]

30. Murtha is NOT being 'swiftboated' cause Congress can NOT police itself

It never has and it never will.

Murtha knows this, he just doesn't want anything to cramp his pork procurement style.

[mhatrw]

38. Sure. That's it.

:eyes:

[flamin lib]

3. Murtha's office offered a clarification saying that

the entire context of Murtha's comment was that it's total crap to have to pass an ethics rule and we (the House) should police ourselves without it.

Do I believe it? It's as good as any other "clarification" I've heard form anyone else . . .

[HaggardsMethDealer]

5. haha...

Yeah, because that has obviously been working out great.

[Donnachaidh]

8. Considering how the republicans acted for the last 6 years

They DO need a rock solid ethics bill. Again the Dems are going to have to clean up the mess - and ethics RULES will make the psycho-childen of the republican party responsible (we hope).

[Lorien]

9. That works about as well as it does when corporations are asked to

"voluntarily" put caps on pollution, or create their own health and safety standards.

[lonestarnot]

20. Yes! This is what he said. I heard it from his own mouth on KO

last evening.

[torrentprime]

4. Wow

God, I hope he loses the race.

[sallyseven]

13. God forbid he loses.

Maybe you should spend some time outside of this forum and read what is really being said. Murtha said that it is not right that grown up people should have to be told how to behave. They should know how to do so. Really logical to me. If your getting this from the media you know they are skewing this to make the dems look bad. I heard him on Hardball and it was completely different than what the rest of the media was saying. Deney Hoyer does not like Nancy Pelosi. Wants her job.

[KittyWampus]

31. Right, because everyone in Congress is Oh, so ethical. He's just sorry his pork

might have to follow stricter guidelines.

[rinsd]

6. Murtha continues to do his best to destroy his chances as majortiy leader.

[David Dunham]

7. I think that Murtha is now finished.

[mhatrw]

19. So does the entire Lieberman wing of the Democratic party. n/t

[bemildred]

27. It's more like a "remote annex" isn't it, a "satellite party", a splinter group?

[seafan]

10. Please see this thread:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x2969395

[truthisfreedom]

11. weird.

[louis-t]

12. Can you say "mis-quote"?

I knew you could.

[leesa]

14. Is it crap because he is possibly guilty of ethics violations?

Is this the kind of leadership we want? Sheesh! Sounds as idiotic as the Republicans!

[lonestarnot]

21. He is not! Why are you trashing a dem like Murtha? Show

me where he's guilty of violations of any 'crap' and then talk this 'crap'.

[slackmaster]

24. He dodged a bullet in 1980 by turning down a $50K bribe in an FBI sting

But left the door open to "doing business together" later.

[rcdean]

28. That accusation against him is total crap

If I were an ethical politician and somebody offered me a bribe, I would turn it down, but leave the door open, too. I would then be prepared to contact the FBI if there should be further attempts.

The fact is--the important, key, overriding fact is--that he turned it down. Period.

[slackmaster]

33. I would have told them to pound sand

And called the FBI on the first attempt.

[msmcghee]

15. This is troubling . .

He's caught almost accepting a bribe, not turning the briber over to the FBI - and now he thinks that congress-critters don't need any ethics rules. Well, this voter thinks they do - and he works for me, not the other way around.

Are we going to forget about ethics that fast now that we have control of congress. This makes me very sad.

[lonestarnot]

22. He was exonerated of any guilt whatsoever back in the day and

now you want to retry him 10 elections later! CRAP I SAY! CRAP!

[mhatrw]

35. He was "caught almost accepting a bribe"?

Don't you mean that he not caught because he refused to accept a bribe?

War is Peace. Ignorance is Strength. Refusing a bribe is not ethical.

[stepnw1f]

16. I'm Curious About this Bill Being "Crap" (nt)

[Trajan]

17. I think I am most disturbed ....

by one DUer's obvious vendetta against Rep Murtha ...

How many ANTI-Murtha threads does this make for you ?

The one's I have read have had murky and unsubstantiated assertions that have been shown to be false .... Wassup with that ?

[shanti]

18. why nancy why????

are you supporting this person??

[lonestarnot]

23. Because she is an intelligent woman who knows from experience

this man's unblemished character. Are you a swiftboater wannabe?

[shanti]

34. don't insult me

why are you taking this personally? i just don't think either of her "choices" are good ones. that doesn't make me a swiftboater! :grr:

[MarkTwain]

32. Because she has, in less than a week...

.. proven herself beholden to the same old, same old way of doing business in the Old Boys Club.

Plain and simple: she doesn't want them to pull the rope-stairs up the tree so she is excluded from the clubhouse.

Otherwise, why would she bend over so quickly by supporting a severely challenged and comprimised, both legally and ethically, man for Majority Leader?

[mhatrw]

36. It's the DLC's way or the highway. Right?

[Robbien]

25. The ethics bill isn't total crap. It is so weak and watered down

it is not even strong enough to be labeled crap, it should be labelled pee.

[KittyWampus]

29. Murtha isn't being swiftboated. The chance Congress can control themselves

without rules and regulations and punishments being in place is non-existant.

He knows that. And if he doesn't he's a fool.

[mhatrw]

37. It's just like Kerry and Dean. All this emphasis on a single phrase. n/t