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Jack Murtha Targeted by Right-Wing
by Taylor Marsh
Jack Murtha really stepped in it recently with his comments on Pennsylvanians and race. The right-wingers are making the most of it. Now even the swiftboaters are entering the fray, as Veterans for Freedom pile on. It's a full court conservative press to take Murtha down. His challenger, William Russell, is not even from Murtha's district. He's a Washington D.C. Republican.
Russell, who moved here from the Washington, D.C., area to challenge Murtha, finished 90 days of active military duty and began campaigning last week.
What does Russell know about the Pennsylvania district Murtha has served for 34 years? Absolutely nothing. He's simply running against Jack Murtha.
There are also serious questions about William Russell's candidacy. Via National Journal on Monday (subscription required):
Murtha's camp, meanwhile, "said the congressman is taking his reelection seriously." Murtha spokesperson Matthew Mazonkey: "Jack Murtha has a distinguished career of serving his country in the military and in public service, a record of creating jobs and working for Western Pennsylvania. Our opponent is someone who doesn't live in Pennsylvania, wrote himself a paycheck of $185,000 for the last three months, and is under investigation for illegal campaign work while on active duty."
When Hillary Clinton moved into New York she took the work she had to do seriously. She did a listening tour all over the state and earned the trust of the voters of New York.
This guy Russell sounds like he just walked in, sat down, without doing any homework at all, and decided to go after a decorated veteran, the first Vietnam vet to be elected, who has been serving his constituents passionately for years.
During the '04 election cycle I worked for John Kerry's group the Patriot Project. Murtha was targeted then too, but a ditz ran against him who couldn't get any traction, even with the swiftboaters helping the cause. This time there's a different candidate, Ret. Army lieutenant colonel William Russell, who is making the most of the wingnut money.
Murtha, who has served the 12th Congressional District for 34 years and beat his last opponent by 20 points, is still the favorite. But unlike most incumbents, he faces a financial deficit to his challenger, who's campaign has been spurred by national conservative commentators like Michelle Malkin and Sean Hannity.
Jack Murtha is not a progressive. Far from it. Many don't like him because of his earmarks, with other grudges against him as well. But I remember a time when Murtha standing up changed the whole ballgame.
When Murtha spoke out against the Iraq war the whole political ground war changed. When things were bleak and some of us were trying to get traction on the notion that we needed to get out of Iraq, it was Jack Murtha who gave the speech on the House floor that got things moving. He helped turn a lot of heads in the traditional press, making a real difference on the Iraq war argument. I was on the blogger calls he did about the efforts to move more Dems our way, when it got very difficult. His passion for the troops cannot be questioned.
John Murtha is in a political dogfight, with wingnuts pouring in money and resources, supporting a candidate who doesn't even know the district Murtha has represented, and who just moved there to run against Murtha. It's all about Murtha to William Russell, with the voters he says he wants to serve the last thing on his mind.
Follow Taylor Marsh on Twitter: www.twitter.com/taylormarsh
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"His challenger, William Russell, is not even from Murtha's district. He's a Washington D.C. Republican."
Why is it so easy to dismiss Mr. Russel while at the same time you applaud Mrs. Clinton? I am having a difficult time understanding the difference? When a democrat moves into a area it is virtuous. Yet, when a Republican does the same thing the left becomes unhinged!
Thank you. I continue to pray for all of the Democrats.
Taylor,
You claim "This guy Russell sounds like he just walked in, sat down, without doing any homework at all".
Actually, Russell is retired military and decided to enter politics after hearing Murtha’s 2006 accusations that Marines in Haditha “overreacted because of the pressure on them, and they killed innocent civilians in cold blood.”
Murtha pronounced the Marines guilty before they were tried.
We shouldn't support Murtha just because he is a Democrat, we are better than that.
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We shouldn't support Murtha just because he is a Democrat, we are better than that.
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DING!! DING!!! DING!!!!
We have a winner!!!
If you were the rule rather than the exception, then the Democratic Party would be a PHENOMENAL political organization..
But sadly, you are not so they are not...
Michale.....
Jack Murtha deserves to be voted out. He demonstrates his own twisted version of "hate-mongering" even to his own constituents - not to mention our loyal soldiers serving our in Iraq. Get rid of him, Pennsylvania!
HuuuuAaaaaaaaaaaa
Michale.....
Murtha did this to himself. He slandered the Marines over the Haditha lie and never apologized. He then called his own constituents r a c i s t s. Then while trying to backpedal, he called them rednecks. He deserves to lose.
@koyaanisqatsi57
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Then Michale compounds his foolishness by making comparing watermelon/blacks to spaghetti/Italians, fish/Intuit.
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Can't you make your point without being insulting??
But, hay... I'll play along...
How is the comparison "foolish"??
You made the statement, now back it up...
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By the Michale, Star Trek is fiction!
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So is, for the most part, the bible..
What's your point??
There is nothing worth learning that you can't learn from Star Trek...
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"There is dishonor in knowing nothing, but believing anything."
Commander Koyaanisqatsi
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Again with the insults... {sigh}
Michale.....
The little I see of Murtha here in Harrisburg, PA on the news, is usually portraying him as a corrupt political blowhard. Governor Rendall famously said the same thing about racism in PA just before the Democratiic primary. But unfortunately racism isn't limited to just Pennsylvania - although we do have one of the highest populations of hate groups in the country.
Home of the KKK -- Pennsylvania.
That's central PA -- Pennsyltucky.
Western PA is kinder civilized in comparison.
John of the Pork Barrel has some toilet paper trailing on his shoes.....
"Most people outside of Western Pennsylvania may known Rep. John Murtha as the guy who first called for the troops to come home. But the Wall Street Journal presents a withering portrait of the congressman today as "old-fashioned political boss" who, as the powerful chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, has dubiously funneled billions of taxpayer dollars to his hard-luck hometown. "
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/10/30/the_skinny/main3428993.shtml
Isn't the WSJ a division of Fox News?
Good point...I think
Only if they disagree with you... :D
Michale......
I've lived in Western PA since I was seven years old and have been a Democrat since I could speak.
What surprised me most about Jack Murtha's comment is that he felt (or was made to) apologize for it. Western PA is an economic wasteland, sadly. It's beautiful here, but there's very little industry. People look to landing a state job or a teaching position or they lease off their old, beautiful farms for gas drilling or strip mining for a sturdy income. Murtha has worked a lot for this area. Most politicians do not equate themselves with what they are: a public servant. But Jack does, gaffes and all.
The 'redneck' hysteria from the Right over Jack's comment is hilarious. Most of my friends (and family) that live here wear 'redneck' proudly. I've never understood this, but you do that when you love someone. The racist comment is true, I'm afraid. But most people around here wouldn't call themselves racist. Instead, they would say (or think), 'I'm afraid of black people' or 'I don't know any black people' or 'what I've seen of black people on the news is scary.' Ignorance gallops thru Western PA. Most people who live near me don't drive more than 50 minutes from their homes for any reason, ever.
All of us educated, non-racist rednecks from Western PA are mightily looking forward to an Obama presidency and more good work from Jack Murtha.
Well piskie, I live along the Southern Tier (NY/PA border area) of Western NY. We're probably much like you folks in Western PA and are, like you the northern tip of Appalachia. A lot of racism, mostly from people who have never lived near, or interacted with black people. Solidly Republican, and ignorant enough to vote against their own self-interests. We're culturally isolated here. But to call these people rednecks is to give them too much credit. And our economy is probably in far worse shape than the Northern PA region 20 miles from where I live. There seems to be some things going on there (Bradford, Warren, Erie), but we're losing jobs and people in WNY.
Well put, piskie. I too am looking forward to Barack Obama being our president and Jack Murtha continuing to work for us. And, you are SO right...many of our neighbors really need to get out more.
@antaeus
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I'm reaching? Because I point out that the military establishment's refusal to press the cases is somehow the same as the marines being proven not guilty?
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Yes...
It's the civilian equivalent of a Grand Jury failing to indict because of lack of evidence..
If I recall correctly (someone please correct me if I am wrong), the majority of the marines in question were subject to an Article 32 investigation. That's like a Grand Jury except it is more like a trial itself than a civilian grand jury..
In the cases of the marines subject to the Art 32, it was deemed there was insufficient evidence to go to a Courts Martial.
If memory serves, there were 2 or 3 marines that went to a Courts Martial and they were acquitted..
You may cast aspirations on the military all you want, but in this particular instance, justice was served..
And Murtha owes those marines and the entire Corp a big apology. His status as a marine himself makes it an issue of honor.
To date, Murtha's honor has been found wanting...
Michale.....
The voters will sort this out. My interest is in supporting Murtha's assertion, however impolitic, that the cultural attitudes of Western PA are out of touch.
As you say, if that's how Murtha would have said it, I doubt we would be having this discussion.
But he didn't, so we are...
Peace.. :D
Michale.....
True story: In the 1980s at a Murtha-area Marine recruiting office, the African-American staff sergeant was shocked when a local bumpkin recruit brought him a thank-you gift. A watermelon. When the offended sergeant asked what the hell that was supposed to mean, the recruit, who, like most Western Pennsylvanians, wore his stupidity like a halo, replied sincerely, "I thought you people like that." True story.
Don't make fun of the kid! He probably just meant to be nice.
I'm from Central PA myself, but... when the 18 year olds on the bus trip to new york city are pointing out the school bus windows and saying "There's black people here!"... These people are ignorant, in a real and genuine sense of the term.
That was kinda the point I tried to make..
People like to ascribe RACIST to just about everything when, in actuality, ignorance is more to blame than racism.
Which isn't to say there is anything wrong with ignorance, per se...
"There is no dishonor in not knowing everything"
SubCommander T'al, STAR TREK
Michale.......
Is it racist to bring a spaghetti dinner to an Italian??
What about a fish dinner to an Inuit???
Maybe bean sprouts and tofu to a Californian??
Can we get off the Politically Correct bandwagon...
Did it ever occur to you (and apparently the alleged offended SSgt that maybe the recruit was simply trying to be nice.
So he thought that black people liked watermelon. He was wrong. Big deal..
Simply being ignorant of someone else's culture does not a racist make.
One should remember the immortal words of a famous Vulcan.
"There can be no offense where none is taken."
-Sarek Of Vulcan
Crying racism where none exists does a grave disservice to those who truly experience racism and require justice...
Michale.....
Ladies and gentlemen, I rest my case.
As someone who grew up in the heart of Western PA & still has a large extended family there, it embarasses me to admit that Murtha was right on target.
It's not an excuse, but keep in mind that the area has an aging demographic -- I believe PA has the second oldest population after FL -- and it is diffcult to change the mindset of people who grew up in an era when this sort of behavior was not just tolerated, but the norm. In fact, when I visited my 85-year-old grandmother recently, she asked me (in a very concerned tone of voice): "Are there a lot of colored people where you live?" I gritted my teeth and responded: "Yeah Gram, we have people of every skin color and background where I live."
I'm not saying that the residents of this area are burning crosses, or even that they would treat a person of another race in an overtly demeaning or discriminatory way. It might be easier if they would. Instead you have people like my brother (40 years old, college educated, very smart) who goes to the gym with friends where they refer to the African American members as "Canadians" so as not to raise suspicion. I hope and pray that the Obama campaign hasn't underestimated exactly how insidious (and common) this sort of racism is.
I'm in agreement with those who support Obama but think Jack Murtha has been a dottering fool of late & deserves what he's getting.
And it's more than a little hypocritical to criticize outsiders from contributing to his rival while Dems have been asking for/receiving funds to shoot down Prop 8 in CA. I also seem to recall HuffPostians & other outsider pundits launching a massive effort (financial & rhetorical) to unseat Joe Lieberman two years ago.
THAT worked out well...didn't it?
The campaign in support of California's Prop 8 is being funded lavishly by the Michigan Prince family, they of Blackwater infamy, as well as Utah Mormons, they of the magic underwear lunacy.
I know there are outside forces/$$$ coming in on both sides of Prop 8. That doesn't change the fact/hypocricy that each side only decries this practice when the target is one of their own.
I don't mind about the money. I think it's just plain stupid. You see, I been on 711, and I KNOW I saw over a hundred McCain signs. Most of them had Murtha signs beside.
Don't forget all the pork that he has brought back to his district.
Even if he has been in Congress for 34 years, that does not absolve him from having some tact.
He accussed men of cold-blooded murder and when they were exonerated, he had not a word to say.
If the people of his district don't mind being referred to as racist and redneck, they should vote for him.
If the people think he has become a buffoon and an embarassment to the district, they should vote for his opponet.
Democratic Redneck Caucus: Tester Webb McCaskill
And that's not My Term! ;-)
The fact that he called the Haditha marines murderers and when they were acquitted still has not apologized makes him reprehensible...
"Acquitted"? Are dropped charges the same as being found not guilty by a jury? Do we have 100% faith in a military tribunal?
Now yer just reaching...
Michale.....
Dropping charges are better than being found not guilty. It means that there was insufficient evidence to go to trial. Think about the meanings of words before you attack them.
Semper fi
"His passion for the troops cannot be questioned."
I question it. Without waiting for a field investigation, an Article 32 investigation, or the result of courts-martial, this sanctimonious boob took it on himself to brand these Marines murderers, claiming from his pedestal of political ignorance that they panicked. The initial investigation, driven by political pressure, is what caused the initial charges to be filed against the Marines. In the Article 32 investigations (the military equivalent to a Grand Jury) the government provides it's evidence that a crime has been committed by the service member, and the defense is given the opportunity to rebut that evidence. In most cases of the Haditha Marines, there was either insufficient or no evidence of any wrongdoing, and the charges were dropped. In the cases that have gone to trial, the courts-martial have found them not guilty, with one of the military judges expressing his disgust at the fact that the Marine was charged at all.
Yes, I have much more faith in the military's justice system than the civilian courts.
As for Murtha, he has not apologized. He has been confronted by the father of an acquitted Marine and blathered, rather than apologize. His unspeakable hypocrisy of claiming to support the military while demonizing members of what was his own service for political expediency alone, in my mind, disqualifies him from serving as a member of the House of Representatives.
ECS
CPT, Armor
US Army (Ret.)
If I was in Murtha's district I would be happy to be represented by anyone other than him who couldn't possibly have my best interests in mind when he refers to me as a "racist" and then a "redneck". Your article misses the point.
And your post hits the point dead on... Kudos...
Michale.....
meh. We have Senators that say they're proud to be rednecks. Democratic Senators. You'd never find George allen saying that, wouldja?
Redneck is one thing..
Racist is quite another...
One != the other
Michale.....
Redneck may mean racist to you, but to most rednecks it means people who do physical labor for their income. Those Senators who've said it can be proud of it. Murtha's equating racist with redneck is deplorable.
Semper fi
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