Attacks on Murtha

[sandnsea]

Sure I know he's pretty conservative, but he's done so much to get us to this win. Does anybody have an idea where this attack on him is coming from? It seems pretty orchestrated to me.

[Mass]

1. Hoyer's supporters, I imagine, which would be the DLC.

[wisteria]

2. No doubt. there n/t

[sandnsea]

3. Well I'm making a list

This just ticks me off. If a real progressive was launching a campaign, I could understand some of these smear posts on Murtha, that's politics. But Steny Hoyer?? Give me a break.

[whometense]

4. Check this out:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x2611445

Pelosi backs Murtha for majority leader

By Josephine Hearn

Speaker-in-waiting Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) threw her support behind Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.) for majority leader Sunday, giving a significant boost to Murtha in his race against Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-Md.).

“Your strong voice for national security, the war on terror and Iraq provides genuine leadership for our party, and I count on you to continue to lead on these vital issues,” Pelosi wrote Murtha Sunday in a letter obtained by The Hill. “For this and for all you have done for Democrats in the past and especially this last year, I am pleased to support your candidacy for majority leader for the 110th Congress.”

As the House Democrats’ unchallenged leader, Pelosi has considerable sway over her colleagues. She and Murtha have long been close allies, but until now, she had not interfered in the majority leader race.

Her endorsement has the potential to turn the race,especially if she chooses to campaign on Murtha’s behalf. Pelosi’s decision to back Murtha is the most significant move she has made since Democrats scored a historic victory on Election Day.

Reacting to the letter, Hoyer said her support for Murtha was no surprise.

"Nancy told me some time ago that she would personally support Jack. I respect her decision as the two are very close,” Hoyer said in a statement. "I am grateful for the support I have from my colleagues, and have the majority of the caucus supporting me. I look forward to working with Speaker Pelosi as Majority Leader."

Murtha thanked Pelosi for her support: “I am deeply gratified to receive the support of Speaker Pelosi, a tireless advocate for change and a true leader for our Party and our country.”

In an interview on the C-SPAN program “Newsmakers” earlier this fall, Murtha said that Pelosi would determine who ultimately would become majority leader.

Asked at the time whether the "person who will win this is the person who gets the tap on the shoulder" from Pelosi, Murtha said, "I think that's probably true. ... We have a close relationship but we'll see what happens."

Pelosi’s endorsement signals that she will likely not opt to resolve the majority leader race before Thursday’s scheduled elections. Some had lobbied her to negotiate an outcome in the same way she averted a fractious race between Reps. Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.) and Rahm Emanuel (D-Ill.) for majority whip.

The news may also reignite bitter divisions among House Democrats from the 2001 race for minority whip between Pelosi and Hoyer. Murtha served as Pelosi’s campaign manager in that race.

Pelosi prevailed over Hoyer 118-95, but only after a contentious battle that created fissures still notable today.

The letter came at the end of a day of intense campaigning by both Murtha and Hoyer as returning lawmakers and newly elected members arrived back in Washington for the first time since Nov. 7.

At the Hyatt Regency on Capitol Hill, Reps. George Miller (D-Calif.) and Kendrick Meek (D-Fla.) buttonholed Rep.-Elect Phil Hare (D-Ill.) at the hotel bar to urge him to support Murtha.

Later, Miller, Meek and Rep. John Larson (D-Conn.) descended on Rep.-Elect Tim Mahoney (D-Fla.) with the same purpose.

Miller said Murtha’s campaign was going well.

“We’ve been here before. We’ve seen this race,” he said ominously, but declined to say whether he was likening the majority leader race to the 2001 whip race.

In spite of Miller’s lobbying, Mahoney said he was sticking with Hoyer.

“I’m going with Steny. He recruited me. He never wavered in his support for me,” Mahoney said.

One Democrat supporting Hoyer, who asked to remain anonymous, said the letter signaled desperation in the Murtha camp.

“It appears to me that Murtha had to pull Nancy forward because he was behind in votes,” the Democrat said. “This is not a surprise he was very important to her. it’s a secret ballot and Steny has a lot of diverse support.”

Pelosi’s endorsement letter came in response to a written request from Murtha.

Murtha and Hoyer both held dueling receptions for newly elected members Sunday and sent care packages to their hotel rooms.


LINK: http://www.thehill.com/thehill/export/TheHill/News/Frontpage/110906/pelosi2.html

[ProSense]

5. Murtha is outspoken

the Democrats need that!

[TayTay]

7. Murtha is a good man, but

he is far from Liberal and is a 'pork king.' I wonder if Pelosi wants him because she wants to leverage his Iraq War stance in the house. I also wonder if Hoyer is just a wee bit too ambitious and Pelosi is putting a damper on a possible threat to the throne now.

[ProSense]

8. I know, and that's probably right! n/t

[wisteria]

9. I have heard about his reputation as a "pork king". I am not crazy about

this, but generally, he is honest and dedicated to our troops.

[JI7]

10. yeah, Robert Byrd is the same

loves the pork. but we aren't in a position at this time to get exactly what we want. and at the moment between Murtha and Hoyer i would go with Murtha easily.

[ProSense]

12. This says it all,

from Taylor Marsh:

It's Still About Iraq

[sandnsea]

13. Absolutely

Opposing Iraq as part of the election was all Nancy. I discovered that doing some reading about her. None of the others wanted to take it on, not Rahm, Hoyer or Schumer. I don't know why she hasn't done more with Kerry, maybe part of her plan to avoid all things liberal. But if we lose Murtha, it's going to be a lot harder for her to keep the heat on getting out of Iraq.

http://www.lightupthedarkness.org/blog/

[sandnsea]

11. He turned things around for the party

We'd never be where we are with Steny Hoyer as a spokesperson. He reminds me of the stereotypical union boss who sells environmental projects down the river so he can save jobs in order to steal the pensions. I know Murtha is conservative, but I don't think Pelosi is going to put any socially controversial issues on the floor in the next two years anyway.

[JI7]

6. the bunch that backs Hillary and wants Hoyer as speaker over Pelosi

this is why i was happy and not so surprised to see Pelosi back Murtha.

and Steny Hoyer is not really liberal either. in a way it's worse with him because he comes from a much more liberal area than Murtha. and at least Murtha has become an important voice on the war in Iraq .

[TayTay]

14. TPM Muckrakers on Jack Murtha

Rep. John Murtha (PA): Likely to chair the Defense Appropriations subcommittee. Murtha's been tagged as a shameless earmarker, spending tens of millions on projects nobody wants to benefit his friends and his district. He's already been caught on tape by the FBI explaining how he works scams, so at least if the Feds pick up his trail again, they'll know what to look for. With massive classified budgets and a long history of wasteful spending, this post is ripe for abuse. The FBI probe into its former chairman, Rep. Jerry Lewis (R-CA), attests to that. Murtha's also making a play for Majority Leader.

http://www.tpmmuckraker.com/archives/001981.php

http://www.tpmmuckraker.com/archives/001579.php

Conservative attack on Murtha: http://www.spectator.org/dsp_article.asp?art_id=10427

[TayTay]

15. I am not Anti-Murtha

However, I remember all the reasons that the Democrats lost in 1994. Jack Murtha represents some of them. This is partly why his call to withdraw from Iraq was so stunning, he is part of the military establishment, knows how to play the game and get some of that incredible military money funneled into his district and how to leverage power.

I think we should know who we are climbing into bed with and what the long-term consequences of this are. Murtha is a very 'old school' Dem who will be looking to get the election spoils. So would Steny Hoyer.

[ray of light]

23. I agree.

[wisteria]

16. Some trade off. It is all about Iraq, but I think this appointment or the

appointment of Hoyer will come back to bite us in the a**. The Republicans are not going to let this just pass. They brought some of this stuff up during the election, but it didn't stick. If we are perceived to be as corrupt as the Republicans, we will be out again real soon.
Isn't there someone else?

Also, maybe this is why Senator Kerry keeps a bit of a distance from Murtha.

[TayTay]

17. Yup.

Senator Kerry specifically defended Cong Murtha from charges that his change in stance on what to do in Iraq made him and his prior service as a US Marine somehow less patriotic.

In terms of personal attitudes to what the job of serving in Congress means and what it means in terms of 'bringing home the bacon' the Senator from Mass and the Congressman from PA are far apart.

[ProSense]

18. Will the position

be revisited in 2008? I definitely agree with the concerns, but maybe this Murtha is best for now.

[TayTay]

19. Probably is.

Steny Hoyer is no better.

Los Angeles Times today:

Will the pork stop here?
Reid pledges change, but he pushed funding that may benefit him.
By Chuck Neubauer and Tom Hamburger, Times Staff Writers
November 13, 2006


WASHINGTON — Incoming Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid vows to make reform of congressional earmarks a priority of his tenure, arguing that members need to be more transparent when they load pet projects for their districts into federal spending bills.

But last year's huge $286-billion federal transportation bill included a little-noticed slice of pork pushed by Reid that provided benefits not only for the casino town of Laughlin, Nev., but also, possibly, for the senator himself.

Reid called funding for construction of a bridge over the Colorado River, among other projects, "incredibly good news for Nevada" in a news release after passage of the 2005 transportation bill. He didn't mention, though, that just across the river in Arizona, he owns 160 acres of land several miles from proposed bridge sites and that the bridge could add value to his real estate investment.

Reid denies any personal financial interest in his efforts to secure $18 million for a new span connecting Laughlin with Bullhead City, Ariz.

http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-na-earmarks13nov13,0,6024897.story?coll=la-home-headlines

Ahm, I wonder why the reformers in the incoming Congress are being marginalized?

[karynnj]

20. Wasn't there a Democrat willing to stand behind the line item veto

even when Bush was in power? It is stupid that when corruption is a key issue that they don't make the decision to change. Amazing that so many who voted for it under Clinton flipped their position - just as the Republicans flipped theirs. Throughout all of this, Senator Kerry was very very consistent.

[sandnsea]

22. Earmark reform is on the table

One of the things about earmarks is that when you actually need a specific project, you can guarantee it gets done. All our rivers need dredging, for instance, and I'm pretty sure they end up earmarked because they almost always have to be fought for outside the budget process. Understanding how the system works isn't the same thing as liking the system. I don't know whether that's true of Murtha, but it may be. And let's not pretend Nancy Pelosi doesn't know a little something about how money and politics works either. If she's serious about cleaning it up, then I have to think she knows Murtha is on her side in that and Hoyer isn't. And if she isn't serious, then we've got bigger problems anyway.

[rox63]

21. I'd prefer if there were other candidates

But for taking such a bold position on Iraq, Murtha does deserve recognition.