CREW on Murtha

[SHRED]

I heard on Franken's show today.

WTF?
http://www.citizensforethics.org/press/newsrelease.php?view=178

[tnlefty]

1. I first heard it being discussed on Franken's show a month or so ago,

and again today. www.beyonddelay.org

I just have a feeling the repubs will be circling like sharks in the water and I'd prefer that the new Dem majority appear sqeaky clean.

edit: to fix a stupid typo in link

[On the Road]

2. The Democratic Defense of Murtha

is starting to remind me of the Republican defense of Delay. It's very disconcerting.

Personally, I don't care if some of these practices are technically legal or not. If Murtha actually engaged in them, he should not be given a leadership post.

[SHRED]

3. Why would Nancy endorse him then?

[Mojambo]

4. Does anyone think that maybe she promised it to him when he took his war stance?

And that was part of the reason he took the (at the time) tremendous political risk that such a stance carried with it?

[On the Road]

5. Well, for One

it may be a prior agreement. Murtha supported her for Whip, and she may be returning the favor. Reportedly, they are also close. On Edit: Also, Pelosi's grew up in municipal politics in Baltimore. Although I've seen no indication that she's personally corrupt, she may have a greater level of comfort with corruption among fellow Democrats than the party needs right now.

Things look different when you're dealing with friends. Things look different to an insider. From what I've read of Murtha's background, there were no out-and-out bribes. But he did get a variety of stakeholders to put money and jobs into his district. The returns from that were not direct; I have not heard that any laws were broken. But the earmarks thing resembles some of the practices Democrats have criticized Republicans for.

If you're promoting a clean government and anti-corruption agenda, you have to set a higher bar. Every politician makes deals and votes in accord with major contributors. Not every politician funnels money to his brother's company.

What matters is not whether it's being pushed by Republicans -- certainly it is. What matters is whether the charges are true and how serious they are compared to House rules and normal practices within Congress.

I hope it's wrong, because up until now I supported Murtha. But it's not about one person -- it's about what's best for Democrats and for the country.

[bemildred]

6. I don't care if he raped Bambi.

They are not dragging this trivia out now because of their ethical committment to honesty in government. This is a smear campaign intended to affect the outcome of the House Majority Leader election.

[tnlefty]

7. Today isn't the first time that I've heard Melanie Sloan discuss this on

Franken's show. I've read a lot of what is listed at www.beyonddelay.org, and I don't care if he raped Bambi, but I do care about how the new Dem majority, who was supposed to be against anything that smacked of corruption, or pay to play, blah, blah, blah, appears to the average Joe.

Talking Points Memo had some additional info., too.

[bemildred]

8. I care about who controls the Democratic Party, which is what this is about.

If Murtha does something NOW, then by all means, lets call him to account, but I'm not going to support cutting Pelosi off at the knees before she even gets started over a bunch of speculative slander like this.

[tnlefty]

9. I have no interest in cutting Pelosi off at the knees either. My interest

lies in having little to nothing that the repubs can scream about. I found enough in reading www.beyonddelay.org and the PDF that can be viewed to cause my concern that the repubs will use it to slam the leadership with. They won't stop with just now and none of this has anything to do with ABSCAM or whatever it is that Hannity has been running on his show. Most of it relates to '02 and after.

If Hoyer has skeletons in his closet I'd prefer to know about them now rather than getting beat up with them in the press later. If both of them are anything less than a shiny new leadership my interest would be with putting someone else in a leadership position.

My interest lies in having people in leadership roles who can't be smacked around in the press. Period.

[bemildred]

10. You're out of luck then.

The Republicans are going to scream no matter what, and if they can't find something, they will make something up. And the MSM will back them all the way, too.

[cali]

13. You keep calling it slander

Is it? I don't know and neither do you, so making that charge against CREW is sleazy- particularly as they are not a right wing organization.

[bemildred]

14. Read their stuff, it is full of "could" and "may" and similar

weasel words, it is a smear, there is no attempt to be even-handed.

[cali]

16. That doesn't cut it.

It's amusing to see people making excuses.

[bemildred]

18. It cuts it for me.

You can have your own opinion too, but I won't call it "making excuses".

[TayTay]

17. Murtha is hardly a boy scout on this

He is the pork king and has skirted ehtical rules to get what he wanted. That is what made his coming out so strongly against the war so striking, he was biting that hand that was feeding him.

I do care about what he does. If the Democrats don't stand up against corruption then they will be out on the asses in two years. This is not about protecting power and the powerful, it is about protecting the honest interests of the American people. We need to police our own much more strongly than the Rethugs ever did theirs.

This matters. We don't want to hold power because we like the people at the top. We want to hold power because we want to use it for the benefit of the American people. If Murtha is dirty, then he should not be advanced to a top leadership position. It is bad for the country, bad the for Congress and bad for the long-term interests of the Democratic Party.

(You know there is a reason that the Dems wandered in the electoral desert for 12 years. They were corrupt and they were unable to articulate a position that said that they stood with the people. I, for one, don't want to repeat that cycle in the new Congress. Clean it up or go home.)

[bemildred]

19. What part of "I don't care if he raped Bambi" is confusing?

I'm not defending his morals or ethics, I know he has flaws. The whole Congress, with a few shining exceptions, are corrupt and venal swine. That is how business is done. That is not what this dispute is about. This dispute is about who is going to run the Democratic Party, now that it has power, and it is being fought in the dirtiest and most unethical way possible, in the public press with smears and lies and innuendoes, and THAT is what I oppose and why I support Pelosi and Murtha.

[TayTay]

23. Funny, some of us worked hard for change

because we thought it was about something other than saying that we constantly have to have the lesser of two evils in our choices.

I do care. I think it is sad that so many people will entrust this type of power to someone with a 'all is forgiven' card and not demand oversight and responsibility from these people.

We get the government we deserve. I think Murtha should be the Majority Leader. But I wholeheartedly acknowledge that he is the lesser of two evils. Fighting that is why I have been in the Democratic Party since 1976 and keep coming back and fighting.

I know the difference and I do care.

[Thrill]

11. I don't want to hear this crap. Murtha is a bad ass

and the Repukes don't want him in leadership. So we're going to hear this garbage. But he is the best one for the job.

[WCGreen]

12. That press release is absolutley worthless...

It says nothing about what he has supposedly done, other than oppose legislation they support...

[mucifer]

15. CREW is NOT a right wing group they mostly go after repubs

but, they are for ethics. Why should dems be above the law. How can our country get better if we dont work on ethics? Look at the whole website and what they have done. They have worked hard to fight Abramoff, Delay, Cunningham, Ney, Foley and more:

http://www.citizensforethics.org/activities/index.php

To call Sloan a swiftboater is very ignorant in my opinion.

[Evergreen Emerald]

20. Hey CREW: what about the republicans' ethics?

CREW was not vocal during the republican rein. They are not vocal currently about the republicans. Why are they saving their constant criticism for the democrats?

Is it that they have an agenda? Is the constant criticism of dems in an attempt to thwart any attempt at success (ala Clinton era) starting now?

[mucifer]

22. What are you talking about?!? 90% of their attacks are against repubs

why don't you read their website?:

http://www.citizensforethics.org/activities/index.php

CREW Blasts Pelosi Endorsement of Unethical Murtha for Majority Leader

CREW Asks AG to Investigate Hastert's Blocking of Approps Probe into Wrongdoing Regarding Hill Security Upgrades

CREW Sends DOJ Letter on Obtained Emails Detailing Retaliation Against Those Who Contributed to Opponent

October 20, 2006 | Washington, DC – Earlier today, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) asked the Department of Justice to investigate whether Rep. Curt Weldon (R-PA) violated the law by threatening those who made contributions to his political opponent Joe Sestak with retribution.

CREW Demands DOJ I.G. Investigate FBI Cover-up on Inaction on Foley Emails Sent by CREW

October 5, 2006 | Washington, DC – Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington wrote to the Department of Justice Inspector General’s office today to ask for an investigation into why the Federal Bureau of Investigation has fabricated and disseminated a cover-up story as to why it never investigated the Foley emails sent to it by CREW.

CREW Denounces Rep. John Sweeney’s (R-NY) Olympic Get-Away Ski Trip

July 13, 2006 | Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) denounced Rep. John Sweeney’s (R-NY) Olympic get-away trip to the Olympic Training Center in Lake Placid, New York as a recreational holiday that clearly takes advantage of a loophole in the House ethics rules.

CREW Posts DHS and FEMA Documents Related To Hurricane Katrina

June 7, 2006 | Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) sent three Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and the Department of State, asking for records and communications regarding the federal government’s preparedness and response to hurricane Katrina. When none of the agencies responded in a timely manner, CREW sued, forcing them to open up their files on the Katrina response. CREW is now posting all documents received from DHS and FEMA on its website to allow the public to review the agency response as a part of its commitment to holding government responsible for its actions. CREW will post additional documents from these agencies as they are produced.


the above were a few bites on the website it goes on and on and on about how they attack repbus. Read it please.

[Evergreen Emerald]

24. I responded to this yesterday and it did not post

CREW, before Foley, was unheard of for average Americans. They have not been in the news or on DU. I did not hear the constant compliants from them regarding republicans. Are they more vocal? Or, are they getting more attention, because of course the press loves to go after democrats and are using CREW to that end?

[WinTwins]

21. Is CREW part of "Team Clinton?"

Not to Disparage their research, I thought I heard talk a few weeks back of CREW and Media Matters as being team Clinton functionaries. Anyone else remember reading something similar? Their assessment may very well be on the mark, but do they have a horse in this race?