Pay Back: Support Jack Murtha
Okay, Jack's got a bit of foot-in-mouth disease, what with his unfortunate "racist" and "redneck"" backpedaling, but back there in 2004-2006 he was one of the few sane LOUD voices speaking out against torture and screwed up operations in Iraq, calling for a withdrawal and earning the scorn of fall-in-line Republicans and Blue Dog ("shhhh, not so loud, someone might hear you") Dems. Even called a "coward" by one uppity Jean Schmidt.
So in a year of happy stories (for Dems), Murtha is in for a tough race. Share the wealth if you have it ("socialist redistribution of wealth", for any Republican lurkers) and help out a man who once did much to help us re-find our collective backbone. (Why he was passed over for Steny Hoyer as House leader escapes me).
http://www.actblue.com/page/vvpetersmurtha
So in a year of happy stories (for Dems), Murtha is in for a tough race. Share the wealth if you have it ("socialist redistribution of wealth", for any Republican lurkers) and help out a man who once did much to help us re-find our collective backbone. (Why he was passed over for Steny Hoyer as House leader escapes me).
http://www.actblue.com/page/vvpetersmurtha
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Already have. Thanks, Desidero. Murtha is a good man with an occasional recurrence of hoof in mouth disease.
October 31, 2008 10:28 AM | Reply | Permalink
Thanks for this, desidero. I posted a link to it over at reddit, hoping that will help.
We all owe a debt of gratitude to Murtha. His outspoken criticism of the war was a turning point in the public's understanding of what was really happening in Iraq.
October 31, 2008 12:48 PM | Reply | Permalink
I will be shocked if Murtha doesn't get re-elected.
And I just took a look at the map of the 12th congressional district in PA. Never seen it before. Holy gerrymandering!!!
October 31, 2008 1:21 PM | Reply | Permalink
I think he was passed over because of corruption charges: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/11/13/AR2006111300722.html
You may not believe the charges, but at the moment the Democrats were staking out lack of corruption as part of the party identity, since it was such a sharp contrast to the GOP delegation.
October 31, 2008 3:46 PM | Reply | Permalink
Ah, good point - I'd simply forgotten.
October 31, 2008 6:33 PM | Reply | Permalink
Murtha's comments, while unfortunate, were entirely accurate. I live in western PA, and am surrounded by people who are proud to call themselves rednecks (it seems to be popular to have this on hats, t-shirts and posters around here), and who also have no qualms using the "n"-word whenever they can.
So I guess that the national press considers it a bad thing that Murtha spoke honestly about his constituents. And since so many of them see these titles as a badge of honor, I don't think too many that supported him in the past, will choose to not support him this time around.
Bitter and clinging to their guns, racist and clinging to their religion. Maybe they don't like an outsider pointing it out, but its not like they are taking the "God, Guns and Guts made America Free" or "They can take my gun when they pry it from my cold, dead hands" bumperstickers off of their rusted out trucks any time soon.
November 1, 2008 12:49 AM | Reply | Permalink