I think Hoyer may now win Majority Leader....

[kentuck]

Because...

The Democrats do not need the Republicans playing tapes of money in drawers, being offered to the new Majority Leader of the Democratic Party, even though it was 26 years ago. We don't need the distraction, I think is what a lot of Democrats will decide, and, in the end they will vote for Hoyer over Murtha. It's not fair but politics is not always fair. You have to play the hand that is dealt you on any given day. Murtha did not get a good hand dealt to him today. He was "swift-boated" by someone. And most Democrats will not want to deal with the issue, in my opinion.

[John Q. Citizen]

1. If they don't deal with it, they are going to get divided leadership. Not good.

[SharonAnn]

17. I want Nancy to get whoever she wants to work with.

[ThomWV]

22. That is my major concern as well. Whoever she wants is OK with me.

[rwork]

2. Is Hoyer Clean?

I read he is in deep with lobbiest's

[DemocratSinceBirth]

5. I Want A Third Candidate...

eom

[Buttercup McToots]

12. HAVA

HAVA = Robert Gates = Bob Ney = Jack Abramoff = K-street lobbyist buddy Steny Hoyer.

Rumsfeld replacement (Robert Gates) was director of voting company
Bev Harris
Online Journal
Friday, November 10, 2006
Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld will resign, reportedly to be replaced by former CIA director Robert Gates. Did you know that Robert Gates was involved in the voting machine industry?
Gates was on the Board of Directors of VoteHere, a strange little company that was the biggest elections industry lobbyist for the Help America Vote Act (HAVA). VoteHere spent more money than ES&S, Diebold, and Sequoia combined to help ram HAVA through. And HAVA, of course, was a bill sponsored by convicted Abramoff pal Bob Ney and K-street lobbyist buddy Steny Hoyer. HAVA put electronic voting on steroids.

[Kagemusha]

3. By Hoyer you mean.

So let's reward the one doing the swift-boating and make sure he's the Majority Leader of the Democratic Party, because he knows how to snuff out distractions.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

4. And that would be caving in to swiftboating, again.

I think the opposite will happen. The tape, should anyone actually bother to watch it, shows that Murtha did NOT take a bribe and was very clear about keeping everything legal and aboveboard. And Murtha and his supporters (including Pelosi) have known this was out there and the swiftboating would happen, and they are not going to knuckle under for it. I think (hope, at least) that the Dems have figured out that you don't win anything by giving in to that sort of slander.

[BurtWorm]

6. I wish a compromise candidate would arise.

Because Dems don't need a majority leader who everyone knows disrespects the speaker.

[lapfog_1]

7. I might ask why these tapes weren't being played by the repukes

over and over, while mean jean was calling him a coward on the House floor.

Maybe because the tapes don't really show anything.

The swift-boating was done by the DLC and their neocon friends.

[roamer65]

9. Draft Dennis Kucinich!

I'd love to see him as majority leader.:bounce:

...and apology, I meant to make this a general reply.:blush:

[babylonsister]

8. Murtha just explained what happened 26 years ago on Hardball.

It was good enough for me. He was never indicted for anything; I get sick of hearing smears on people for incidents that took place so many years ago, all done for the purpose of ruining reputations. Murtha is fighting it and I think he should. I think he would be the best person to get us out of Iraq; we need his voice, knowledge, and experience.

[Cha]

11. Good! I'm thinking Murtha

is going to be the next Majority Whip.

[babylonsister]

13. FWIW, so does he!

I'm hoping. His sights are set on Iraq and getting the soldiers out; we need him to help fight the fight!

[in_cog_ni_to]

15. He was never indicted and the House Ethics Committee cleared him

of ANY WRONGDOING.

I'm beginning to think this is HOYER'S handy work on Murtha. If you can't beat 'em fairly...SWIFTBOAT 'em. This whole thing SMELLS.

Murtha is a good man.

[babylonsister]

16. Murtha also thinks Hoyer's stoolies orchestrated this. Nice job

of airing their dirty laundry so publicly.:eyes: Hoyer is already not impressing me.

[rinsd]

21. Well unless CREW and TPM are Hoyer's stoolies Murtha should STFU

Because they are the ones who got this ball rolling.

[movonne]

10. Kucinich back Murtha and thats good enough for me...on Huff.post

Murtha claims to have the votes...

[kentuck]

14. This is a good test for them...

We'll see how they stand up under fire. Do they harden like steel or do they melt like lead...

[David Zephyr]

18. I think he always had the votes, Kentuck.

I support Hoyer for this position. However, the orchestrated hit on Murtha was too much for me.

I think, and I am only guessing, that Pelosi knew all along that Hoyer had it in the bag, but this is where she went for her old friend.

I think that this will set up Murtha taking Jane Harmon's position.

[kentuck]

19. Hmmmm...

That would make sense.. :)

[David Zephyr]

24. Well, we will know soon enough.

I am probably reading tea leaves from a coffee can, so don't listen to me on this. I think I am hoping that Murtha could get Harmon's seat.

[williesgirl]

20. I wouldn't trust Hoyer with my pet rock - he's way in w/old establishment, sleazy ways

[RiverStone]

23. Ummm. Put this 26 year ol Murtha flap up against the recent....

...and HUGE raft of rethug corruption. The same HUGE raft of shit that sunk the rethug ship last Tuesday...
There is no comparison! I hope Murtha wins because straw polls here on DU and polls nationwide suggest a majority of DEMS prefer Murtha (more then anything because he had the guts to go anti-war before most).

The People deserve our choice. The rethugs know Murtha can't be pushed around and won't be wishy washy. We deserve to have Murtha IN THEIR FACE!