Murtha’s Political Machine Continues Unabated
It’s impossible for me to keep a straight face when I’m reminded of Nancy Pelosi’s claim that this would be “the most ethical congress in history.” The latest reminder of that statement’s farcical nature came in an essentially straight party line vote against reprimanding John Murtha:
House Democrats rejected a Republican bid Tuesday to reprimand Rep. John Murtha, a senior lawmaker accused of threatening legislative reprisals against a GOP member who had crossed him.
Before and after the largely party-line vote, which caused some Democrats discomfort, Republicans taunted Democratic leaders about their campaign promises to run a more ethical and open Congress.
The House voted 219-189 to kill the Republicans’ motion to reprimand Murtha, a Pennsylvania Democrat, Iraq war foe and close ally of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.
This reeks of cronyism in the worst way. This is proof that Ms. Pelosi is perfectly willing to turn a blind eye towards her cronies. This vote should eliminate any doubt that Democrats weren’t serious about reigning in institutional corruption from the House.
Here’s an excellent review of what got this started:
- Rep. Mike Rogers, a Michigan Republican, attempts to strike a $23 million earmark for the center. The effort fails.
- A week later, Rogers says, Murtha storms across the House floor and says to him: “I hope you don’t have any earmarks in the defense appropriations bill, because they are gone and you will not get any earmarks now and forever.” (Murtha chairs the powerful defense appropriations subcommittee.)
- Rogers introduces a motion to reprimand Murtha for threatening legislative revenge.
- The House tables the motion, effectively killing it, voting almost strictly along party lines.
In other words, Murtha felt threatened that anyone would even challenge him. He’s long felt like the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee has been his kingdom. He felt threatened because a former FBI special agent said that the NDIC did a lackluster job because it wasn’t built to fight the drug war. We should’ve known that it was really built to further establish John Murtha’s political machine in his hometown of Johnstown.
That’s the definition of cronyism. Welcome to the Democratic Party.
Technorati Tags: John Murtha, Cronyism, National Drug Intelligence Center, Nancy Pelosi, Culture Of Corruption, Democrats, FBI, Mike Rogers, GOP
Cross-posted at LetFreedomRingBlog
May 23rd, 2007 at 11:17 pm
[...] Cross-posted at California Conservative Categories: House of Representatives, Intel, Pelosi, Corruption, John Murtha, FBI | [...]
May 24th, 2007 at 2:47 am
Heck, the donkeys ain’t even concerned ’bout a little $90,000 pack on ice! Why shoud they git uptight ’bout a lout like Murtha? Or Feinstein, whose (community property) hubby has been raking in gazillions with her prior knowledge and pushes.
Why, they’s clean as whistles! Lawdy, why do folk have to bring up nasty campaign promises?
Vipers.
May 25th, 2007 at 6:09 am
Wow, Washington Democrats going back on their word? Who’d a thunk it?
{And for those too dense…that was an example of conservative sarcasm.}
May 25th, 2007 at 7:39 am
Unfortunately living in a (deep) blue state, what does “Washington” have to do with donkeys going back on their word?
Or, any more, Republicans, too.
Spineless lizards.