Eye-opening NYTimes article on Rep Murtha. Oh-oh

[TayTay]

Trading Votes for Pork Across the House Aisle
By DAVID D. KIRKPATRICK
Published: October 2, 2006

WASHINGTON, Oct. 1 — For more than a decade, Representative John P. Murtha of Pennsylvania has operated a political trading post in a back corner of the House of Representatives.

A gang of about two dozen Democrats mill around his seat. A procession of others walk back to request pet spending projects, known as earmarks. And Republicans come by, asking him to enlist some of those Democrats to join them on close votes. “Whether they get what they want in the bill or they get the votes they are looking for, nobody ever leaves completely disappointed,” said Representative Paul E. Kanjorski, a Pennsylvania Democrat often found in what is known as the Murtha corner.

Outside Washington, Mr. Murtha, a Vietnam veteran and longtime hawk, may be best known for his break with the president over the Iraq war last fall. But inside the Capitol, he is best known for turning earmarks into power. As the top Democrat on the House military spending subcommittee, he often delivers Democratic votes to Republican leaders in a tacit exchange for earmarks for himself and his allies.

In the last year, Democratic and Republican floor watchers say, Mr. Murtha has helped Republicans round up enough Democratic votes to narrowly block a host of Democratic proposals: to investigate federal contracting fraud in Iraq, to reform lobbying laws, to increase financing for flood control, to add $150 million for veterans’ health care and job training, and to exempt middle-class families from the alternative minimum tax.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/02/washington/02murtha.html?hp&ex=1159848000&en=b4474a9614c4d7bf&ei=5094&partner=homepage

This says two things to me; 1: no wonder the Repubs were so surprised and angry when Murtha came out for a withdrawal, and 2: no wonder some other Dems didn't rush to hug John Murtha on camera. WOW!

[beachmom]

1. I saw that at Starbucks. It was on the front page above the fold.

So do you think it is 100% true? Not just a hit piece? I'm at the point where I want to know the motives and who fed the info to reporters, and whether it did capture the truth.

If it is true, that's really bad.

Studying the Congress, am I being correct that John Kerry is one of the few good ones there. Everyone else seems to always have a corrupt underbelly.

[babylonsister]

2. And why would Murtha want to block Dem proposals?

Is the reasoning because he wanted the war to continue?

[beachmom]

3. Okay, I read the whole thing. Since Murtha basically admits it, I

guess it's true.

I am opposed to him being the majority leader. Why? Because I believe in fiscal discipline, and I want the Dems to be the party that cuts spending on pork and all the rest. It's one of the many reasons why I liked John Kerry -- because he was in favor of pay as you go fiscal discipline from the beginning of his Senate career.

Great that Murtha's telling the truth on Iraq, but this guy will continue the corruption of out of control spending. I think rival Democrats were behind this story.

[Mass]

4. Nothing new here - This is why the fact that he called for a withdrawal

from Iraq was so important. Murtha is not Kucinich, far from it. He is the old time LBJ democrat and is very linked to the military lobby.

Of course, this will come as news to some on GD who have made the guy their hero and called for him to run in 08 without even looking at what he was standing for, but not to anybody who has been following him for a while (I did not know until I looked out, once he called for withdrawal, but there was little chance he was the ranking member of the Defense Appropriation sub-committee and that he was not supporting military spending at the same time).

[Blaukraut]

5. another idol toppled from his pedestal

If our fellow Dems stopped idolizing and idealizing every single Dem official who does one thing right, there'd be so much less disappointment later on.

[MH1]

6. Yes but

When the repukes started smearing his military record, other Dems should have been as fast as John Kerry to defend him on that record.

There's no doubt some of the initiatives Murtha torpedoed were things Kerry wanted. Yet Kerry still stood up for him. I think that says a lot of good about Kerry's character.

We need to get progressive Dems elected every chance we can (like Joe Sestak :-) ), but I'm afraid for now we'll have to live with the entrenched Murthas. I do think he's a decent man, just has an old-fashioned view of how the game of politics is played. Or perhaps a more realistic view than many of us - at least until rapid information transfer came along, meaning these games become a lot more visible.

[TayTay]

7. The 'swiftboating' of Murtha is wrong

aside from anything said in this article. The 'swiftboating' of any Democrat is wrong, on it's face, period.

However, this does bring a different light to why the White House freaked out about Murtha calling for a withdrawal. It's sad to see what John Murtha would trade for power and earmarks, as it was when House members of old from my Congressional delegation did this. (Sigh and boy did they ever. ) I don't want to see Murtha as Speaker, should the Dems take the House. Stuff like what this article highlights is why.

[ProSense]

8. Well,

CREW has four Democrats on their list: two pork lovers (Murtha and Mollohan, D-WV), Jefferson (serious crook) and Waters. Pork is a serious problem and too many in Congress are attached to it. Still, the Repubs on the list are serious crooks:

http://www.citizensforethics.org/activities/campaign.php?view=150


There is no justification for the Swift Liars. They are worse than despicable!