posted November 16, 2006 12:33 PM            

House Democrats on Thursday chose Maryland Rep. Steny Hoyer to be House majority leader over Rep. John Murtha, the choice of Rep. Nancy Pelosi, in line to become speaker.
Hoyer was elected on a vote of 149-86.

The balloting marked a personal triumph for him, but also a snub to Pelosi, moments after the rank and file selected her unanimously to become speaker when the House convenes in January.

"We made history and now we will make progress for the American people," Pelosi told the party caucus moments after her selection.

She vowed that after 12 years in the minority, "we will not be dazzled by money and special interests."

Pelosi also called for unity in the party, but within moments she put her prestige on the line by nominating Murtha for majority leader.

Murtha is powerful lawmaker on defense matters, and he gained national prominence last year when he called an end to U.S. military involvement in Iraq.

He and Pelosi have long been close, and when Pelosi issued a statement supporting Murtha on Sunday night, it raised the stakes in a leadership election within a party that is taking control of the House in January for the first time in a dozen years.

Pelosi and Hoyer have long had a difficult relationship. The two ran against each other in a leadership race several years ago. Pelosi won, but Hoyer rebounded more than a year later when he was elected the party's whip.

Hoyer, 67, is a veteran of 25 years in Congress.

His margin of victory reflected a pre-election strategy in which he showcased support from moderates, veteran lawmakers in line to become committee chairmen and more than half of the incoming freshman class _ the majority-makers whose victories on Election Day gave the party control of the House.

The intraparty battle had preoccupied Democrats, overshadowing Pelosi's promotion to speaker _ a position that is second in line of succession to the presidency.

Many Democrats were dismayed that the family feud had broken out in the first place and objected to heavy pressure placed on longstanding Hoyer supporters.

posted November 16, 2006 12:56 PM            

And then there's:

quote:

---

Democrats also selected James Clyburn of South Carolina as majority whip, their No. 3 post. Clyburn, who is black, would become the highest-ever ranking member of his race in Congress. Campaign chair Rahm Emanuel of Illinois was rewarded with the caucus chair post, the No. 4 position for Democrats, for his efforts in leading the party back into the majority.

---

posted November 16, 2006 12:59 PM            

Pelosi's first attempt to exercise power in her new position as Speaker of the House and she gets stuffed...by her own party

Of course, it's clear why Pelosi would support Murtha...her little cut and run comrade.

posted November 16, 2006 01:11 PM            

I agree with you. I think we are witnessing first hand what really happened on election day. Having Pelosi as the speaker was a given- I think she would have cast a spell on anyone that didn't vote for her (just kidding) but having a radical leftest like her at the helm had to be counter-balanced with someone that has a reasonable head on his shoulders. Not that I care for Mr. Hoyer, I never liked him when I lived in MD and thought he was a bit of a showboat. He and I attended several of the same functions as a result of the County DNA lab dedication where my ex-husband was the Director of forensics.

posted November 16, 2006 01:49 PM            

Yes, Hoyer is the best qualified to be Speaker...of the various and sundry democrats but California has a huge House delegation and they all voted for leftist Progressive Pelosi when she was running against Hoyer for Minority Leader.

Nancy's first mistake
By Robert D. Novak
Thursday, November 16, 2006

WASHINGTON -- As the new House majority caucus prepared to pick its leadership today, Democrats were trying to make the best of the inevitability of Nancy Pelosi as the party's first speaker in a dozen years. They have put out the word that she was not serious in endorsing Rep. John Murtha for majority leader. How much effort she has exerted for her longtime ally is irrelevant, but she has actively solicited votes this week.

The damage to her was irrevocable when she wrote her colleagues last weekend urging them to pick Murtha over Rep. Steny Hoyer. Close associates of Hoyer say her letter stunned him, and he was not alone. While Pelosi had made clear she would vote for Murtha, the public endorsement was unexpected.

Although Pelosi's apologists had stressed that this was not a public campaign but a pro forma endorsement, she began actively campaigning for Murtha Tuesday. Even before that, the letter itself was taken seriously within the Democratic Caucus, including by Hoyer and his close associates. A speaker's written word cannot be taken lightly.

This is a no-win situation for Pelosi. If Murtha wins today, she will be accused of personal vindictiveness in derailing Hoyer, who is more popular in the caucus and better qualified for leadership. If Murtha loses, as is much more probable, she will be seen as bumbling her first attempt to lead the new Democratic majority. Pelosi could have avoided this dilemma by standing aside as Speaker-presumptive Newt Gingrich did when he voted for his ally Robert Walker as majority whip but did not ask members to oppose Tom DeLay.

Pelosi's mistake confirms longstanding, privately held Democratic apprehension about her abilities. Their concerns do not reflect the Republican indictment of her as a reflexive San Francisco liberal. Some of her most trenchant congressional critics are on the left wing of the party. These colleagues worry that her decision-making may be distorted by personal considerations.

Hoyer is the most accomplished Democratic legislator in the House, widely respected on both sides of the aisle. He, not Pelosi, would be preparing to be speaker had he not lost to her in a 2001 contest for minority whip, thanks to nearly complete support from her huge California delegation. That put Pelosi ahead of Hoyer on the leadership escalator. While Hoyer would win a secret poll of the Democratic caucus as more qualified, Democrats cannot turn aside the first female speaker.

It was assumed that Hoyer be given the second position of leading a Democratic majority -- until Jack Murtha announced his candidacy. Never before during his 32 low-profile years in the House could anyone have imagined Murtha seeking any leadership role. He has been a backroom distributor of federal pork who disdained public exposure, in the headlines only as an unindicted co-conspirator in the 1980 Abscam scandal. Murtha became an unlikely hero of the Left last year when he called for withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq.

With Pelosi and Hoyer working amicably the last two years, the speaker-to-be was expected to keep hands off the majority leader's race. Since the Nov. 7 election, she had exhibited restraint, in public utterances and in quietly handling the ambitions of Rahm Emanuel.

Rep. Emanuel, as chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, was architect of the 2006 victory. He coveted the third-ranking post of majority whip, but that put Emanuel on a collision course with the Congressional Black Caucus's candidate, Rep. James Clyburn. A ruinous competition was averted when Pelosi brokered a deal whereby Emanuel agreed to replace Clyburn as House Democratic Caucus chairman.

But Pelosi's personal pique was evident in opposing her rival diva from California, Rep. Jane Harman, as chairman of the House Intelligence Committee. In line to replace Harman was Rep. Alcee Hastings, who had been impeached as a federal judge on bribery charges.

posted November 16, 2006 02:02 PM            

quote:

---

Murtha, 74, was a problematic candidate because of his penchant for trading votes for pork projects and his ties to the Abscam bribery sting in 1980, the only lawmaker involved who wasn't charged.

The race dredged up Murtha's involvement in the Abscam scandal. FBI agents pretending to represent an Arab sheik wanting to reside in the United States and seeking investment opportunities offered bribes to several lawmakers. When offered $50,000, Murtha was recorded as saying, "I'm not interested ... at this point." A grand jury declined to indict Murtha, and the House ethics committee issued no findings against him. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061116/ap_on_go_co/congress_leaders

From the same article:

In the Democratic race, Murtha came forward for the job despite a record of not always being a leadership loyalist. He often supplied votes to GOP leaders who were struggling to pass bills. The none-too-subtle trade-off: Murtha and his allies would do better when home-state projects were doled out by the Republicans.

Murtha also had been criticized by ethics watchdogs such as Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, who have said he exemplifies a "pay-to-play" culture of Washington.

---

posted November 16, 2006 02:43 PM            

quote:

---

Actually, Jwhop, every article I've seen on Murtha has mentioned the ethics problems....acoustic

---

Really acoustic? I guess that means you didn't see the AP article at the top of this thread....unless your definition of EVERY is different from mine.

Being an unindicted coconspirator in the ABSCAM scandal is not Murtha's only ethics problem. Seems his brother is a lobbyist and Murtha has been funneling Federal money to his brother's corporate clients, a lot of money.

Murtha: Pork And Ethics Issues Surface

It appears that along with being one of the House's larger providers of pork for his district, now-outspoken anti-war Democrat, Rep. John Murtha could be playing a game designed to shield himself from a Congressional investigation for funneling significant amounts of money to companies associated with his brother, Lobbyist Kit Murtha.

From The Hill:

For the past three years, Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.), the ranking member of the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, has been the No. 1 beneficiary of defense campaign donations in the House and has not fallen below No. 3 for Congress as a whole.

"If you want anything done on the committee, you go to Murtha."

This from IBD

He's delivered so much pork to his congressional district, an airport and a major highway are named after Murtha.

Ashdown and his nonpartisan watchdog group criticized Murtha for using the $417 billion fiscal 2005 Pentagon spending bill to give business to his lobbyist brother. The Los Angeles Times in June reported that Murtha funneled nearly $21 million to 10 or more corporate clients of KSA Consulting, where Robert "Kit" Murtha is a senior partner. Carmen Scialabba, a Murtha congressional aide for 27 years, is also a high-ranking official at KSA.

In one case, a small Arkansas manufacturer of military vehicles who was a KSA client was awarded $1.7 million — triple its total sales for 2004. One defense contractor based in Murtha's home state of Pennsylvania even told the Times he hired KSA on the recommendation of a top Murtha aide.

Also, several significant references to Murtha here.

Most of KSA's defense contractor clients hired the firm in hopes of securing funding from Rep. Murtha's subcommittee, according to lobbying records and interviews. And most retained the firm after Kit Murtha became a senior partner in 2002.

Kit Murtha said he saw the congressman infrequently but acknowledged that his brother knew he worked for KSA. **No kidding!

"I don't think that influences him," he said. "I certainly would hope not."

He said he spoke to his brother only once about a client, soon after joining KSA, but said the congressman quickly broke off the conversation.

posted November 16, 2006 04:42 PM            

In any case.... it will be interesting to see what occurs over the next few months ..

posted November 16, 2006 04:49 PM            

House Democrats name Hoyer to No. 2 post
By ANDREW TAYLOR, Associated Press Writer
1 hour, 52 minutes ago

Democrats picked Rep. Steny Hoyer (news, bio, voting record) to be House majority leader on Thursday, spurning Rep. Nancy Pelosi (news, bio, voting record)'s handpicked choice moments after unanimously backing her election as speaker when Congress convenes in January.

A Marylander and 25-year veteran of Congress, Hoyer defeated Rep. John Murtha (news, bio, voting record) of Pennsylvania in a vote of 149-86.

His election to the No. 2 job came just a short time after the Democratic caucus put Pelosi in line to become the first woman to be speaker, a position which is second in line of succession to the presidency. It marked a personal triumph for Hoyer.

Earlier, an ebullient Pelosi declared: "We made history and now we will make progress for the American people."

In remarks after being chosen for speaker, the Californian vowed that after 12 years in the minority, "we will not be dazzled by money and special interests." Pelosi also called for unity in the party, but within moments she put her prestige on the line by nominating Murtha.

Murtha, a Pennsylvanian, is a powerful lawmaker on defense matters, and he gained national prominence last year when he called an end to U.S. military involvement in Iraq.

He and Pelosi have long been close, and when Pelosi issued a statement supporting Murtha on Sunday night, it raised the stakes in a leadership election within a party that is taking control of the House in January for the first time in a dozen years.

"I didn't have enough votes and so I'll go back to my small subcommittee I have on Appropriations," Murtha said after the vote.

Murtha will chair the powerful defense subcommittee with responsibility for the war in Iraq and the Pentagon budget. "Nancy asked me to set a policy for the Democratic Party. Most of the party signed onto it," he said, referring to pulling U.S. troops out of Iraq.

"I was proud to support (Murtha) for majority leader, because I thought that would be the best way to bring an end to the war in Iraq," Pelosi said after the vote.

Pelosi and Hoyer, 67, have long had a difficult relationship. The two ran against each other in a leadership race several years ago. Pelosi won, but Hoyer rebounded more than a year later when he was elected the party's whip.

"Nancy and I have worked together for four years, closely and effectively, and we have created the most unified caucus in the last half century," Hoyer said after Thursday's vote. "It was not that somebody was rejected today, it was that a team that had been successful was asked to continue to do that job."

Hoyer's margin of victory reflected a pre-election strategy in which he showcased support from moderates, veteran lawmakers in line to become committee chairmen and more than half of the incoming freshman class — the majority-makers whose victories on Election Day gave the party control of the House.

"Steny was more where the mainstream of where the party was," said Massachusetts Rep. Barney Frank (news, bio, voting record), who will become chairman of the House Financial Services Committee."

Of Pelosi's endorsement of Murtha, Frank said, "She's a very smart woman who made an error in judgment."

The intraparty battle had preoccupied Democrats, overshadowing Pelosi's promotion to speaker — a position that is second in line of succession to the presidency.

Many Democrats were dismayed that the family feud had broken out in the first place and objected to heavy pressure placed on longstanding Hoyer supporters.

Pelosi officially becomes speaker in January, succeeding Rep. Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., when the House convenes and formally elects her in the next session of Congress.

Pelosi's selection was more history than mystery; that was reserved for the Hoyer-Murtha faceoff.

Murtha, 74, was a problematic candidate because of his penchant for trading votes for pork projects and his ties to the Abscam bribery sting in 1980, the only lawmaker involved who wasn't charged.

The race dredged up Murtha's involvement in the Abscam scandal. FBI agents pretending to represent an Arab sheik wanting to reside in the United States and seeking investment opportunities offered bribes to several lawmakers. When offered $50,000, Murtha was recorded as saying, "I'm not interested ... at this point." A grand jury declined to indict Murtha, and the House ethics committee issued no findings against him.

"I told them I wanted investment in my district," Murtha told MSNBC's "Hardball" on Wednesday. "They put $50,000 on the table and I said, 'I'm not interested.'"

Democrats also selected James Clyburn of South Carolina as majority whip, their No. 3 post. Clyburn is the second black in history to reach as high as a party whip. Former Rep. William Gray of Pennsylvania held the same title 1989-91. Campaign chair Rahm Emanuel of Illinois was rewarded with the caucus chair post, the No. 4 position for Democrats, for his efforts in leading the party back into the majority.

Meanwhile, House Republicans, soon to be in the minority for the first time since 1994, met in private Thursday to hear presentations from candidates for their leadership posts. Their election was scheduled for Friday.

Finding a replacement for Hastert, R-Ill., as the caucus leader turned into a two-man race between Majority Leader John Boehner of Ohio and conservative challenger Rep. Mike Pence (news, bio, voting record) of Indiana after Rep. Joe Barton (news, bio, voting record) of Texas dropped out and endorsed Boehner.

In the Democratic race, Murtha came forward for the job despite a record of not always being a leadership loyalist. He often supplied votes to GOP leaders who were struggling to pass bills. The none-too-subtle trade-off: Murtha and his allies would do better when home-state projects were doled out by the Republicans.

Wisconsin Rep. Dave Obey, who will chair the Appropriations Committee, said the divisions exposed by the race doesn't pose a problem for Pelosi.

"There's such universal respect and affection for Nancy. She's gutsy as hell and she's willing to take a chance..., push the envelope. "It was bitter between the two candidates, I suppose, but it wasn't bitter among the members of the caucus. People get over this stuff."

___

Associated Press Special Correspondent David Espo contributed to this story.

Copyright © 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

posted November 16, 2006 04:58 PM            

Democrats pick Hoyer over Murtha
WASHINGTON, Nov. 16 (UPI) -- U.S. House Speaker-designate Nancy Pelosi lost her first vote Thursday when the Democratic caucus picked Steny Hoyer over John Murtha as majority leader.

Hoyer, who represents Maryland, beat Murtha, from western Pennsylvania, in a 149-86 vote. The vote followed the unanimous choice of Pelosi as the first woman speaker in the United States.

Some Hoyer supporters complained that Pelosi and Murtha used inappropriate pressure to try to get them to switch sides, The Washington Post said.

Pelosi openly endorsed Murtha after pledging to stay neutral. She argued that Murtha's outspoken criticism of U.S. President George Bush's Iraq policy helped the Democrats win control of Congress.

Hoyer, who held the minority whip position, was for many Democrats the logical choice for majority leader. Murtha also has a history of ethical scrapes going back to Abscam.

"It's four days that we haven't talked about our message and built on the euphoria," Rep. Ellen Tauscher, D-Calif., a Hoyer supporter, told The New York Times. "We had such perfect pitch last week."
http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/view.php?StoryID=20061116-021315-2546r

posted November 16, 2006 05:22 PM            

"I'm just avoiding having a problem. I do business like this all the time," Murtha told the FBI agent in explaining his "disinterest" in the $50,000.

Murtha's comments to the "Arab sheik's agent" were: "I'm not interested – at this point. If we do business awhile, maybe I'll be interested, maybe I won't."

"I want to deal with you guys awhile before I make any transactions at all, period," Murtha explained. "After we've done some business, well, then I might change my mind. ... I'm going to tell you this. If anybody can do it – I'm not B.S.-ing you fellows – I can get it done my way. There's no question about it."

Murtha also elaborated on his disinclination to take money during the meeting. "All at once, some dumb [expletive deleted] would go start talking eight years from now about this whole thing and say [expletive deleted], this happened," Murtha said. "Then in order to get immunity so he doesn't go to jail, he starts talking and fingering people. So the [S.O.B.] falls apart."

Murtha continues by telling the undercover officer that "there are a couple of banks that have really done me some favors in the past, and I'd like to put some money in."
http://www.wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=52965

posted November 16, 2006 06:04 PM            

Incidentally, Pelosi is one of the House members who ran like a bat out of hell to change the mandatory reports House members must file whenever they take a trip sponsored by a PAC or lobbyist.

Of course these trips were the very same kind of thing Pelosi had been bashing Tom DeLay about. Not only that but Pelosi has funneled federal money to campaign contributors....giving them business.

Pelosi is a hypocrite in every sense of the word.

posted November 16, 2006 06:33 PM            

It is amazing how the wealthiest Democrats (Kerry, Kennedy..etc..) are also the ones that take advantage of the tax payers and all the benefits. I wonder if any of them ever thought of saying "no" do their salaries and lifetime retirements? Not that it is necessary, but Kerry and Pelosi keep whining about the wealthy one percent and from where I am standing, donating their paychecks to the "poor" wouldn't hurt their bank accounts in the least.

posted November 17, 2006 07:38 PM            

It was the first hint of things to come, and it did not bode well.

President-elect Jimmy Carter, over the objections of everyone from the AFL-CIO to conservative Democratic Senators (think Robert Byrd), had just nominated former JFK speechwriter and noted liberal Theodore Sorensen to be Director of the Central Intelligence Agency. Democrats, flush with their first presidential victory in twelve years were suddenly divided, appalled and decidedly angry -- at each other.

It was December, 1976.

What could the new president possibly be thinking? All of the tons of positive press, the absolute glow that surrounded the Man from Plains, the ex-Naval officer and successful Georgia businessman/farmer who had just defeated incumbent Republican President Gerald Ford, was suddenly being turned upside down. Before Carter had even been sworn in there were worried whispers about his competence, the startling revelation of a decided and previously unnoticed tendency to left wing politics.

Sorensen, famous as JFK's alter ego, had emerged from JFK's shadow in the thirteen year since the President's death. His emergence startled. Sorensen, in the words of one Democratic Senator as quoted in the New York Times, had shown himself to have a "pacifist background." His background as a conscientious objector, ignored when he was simply a speechwriter, was now front page news. Conservative leader Barry Goldwater was outraged at the thought that a pacifist would head the CIA, and in spite of the fact Democrats controlled the Senate he was not alone.

Jimmy Carter would not back down from his choice. "Carter Stands Firm, Supports Sorensen As Director of CIA" proclaimed the supportive front page of the Times. The stand-off went on for weeks. Conservative Democrats went after Carter's choice as the incarnation of "radical chic." The domestically liberal but foreign policy conservative AFL-CIO head Lane Kirkland, who would later play a role as an ally of the Polish anti-Communist union Solidarity during the Reagan era, was appalled. Labor union leaks sprung like a sieve, tying Sorensen to left-wing activist Jane Fonda.

Still, like Pelosi and her support of Murtha, Carter refused to abandon his first choice. The end was an unhappy one for the new president, the end coming after his inaugural. Senate Democrats, including Senators Byrd, Biden and Inouye, forced an end to Sorensen's CIA appointment. Carter moved on to Admiral Stansfield Turner, who was confirmed.

But the episode sent chills down the Democratic Party leadership of the day, and with reason. The Sorensen episode turned out to be an introduction to a presidency that became the historical embodiment of weakness in the presidency. Almost without a pause, Carter kept whirling on as one of the most self-destructive leaders in the history of any modern political party on the planet. His cardigan-sweater television appearance had a President of the United States proclaiming an energy policy that begged a nation of can-do Americans to give up their freedom to heat their own home. Then there was the plaintive bleat about Americans having an "inordinate fear" of Communism. The kiss on Soviet leader Brezhnev's cheek. The shock that after that kiss the Communist leader would -- really!!! -- invade Afghanistan. Towards the end was the infamous "malaise" speech, in which the President blamed America's troubles on -- Americans. That was even too much for a disgusted Ted Kennedy, who promptly challenged Carter for the Democratic nomination. The last straw was the Iranian hostage crisis, Carter's kowtowing to Islamic radicals who called him -- yes, Jimmy Carter! -- the Great Satan. Finally, on the morning of the Wisconsin primary, there was the abysmal failure of the Desert One "rescue" attempt of the hostages.

By November of 1980, shocked Democrats were staring at the precursor of Red America -- a 44 state Reagan win over Carter, the Senate turnover to the GOP after over two decades.

There is a reason for the unsettled reaction of Democrats not only at Pelosi's backing of Murtha, but her apparent imminent support of the once-impeached Florida Congressman Alcee Hastings to be chairman of the House Intelligence Committee. Rank and file Democrats rallied to Pelosi's nemesis, Maryland Congressman Steny Hoyer, over Murtha as Majority Leader. But just as Democrats were unable to stem one Carter disaster after another they now face another dilemma. Will they -- can they -- prevent the promotion to one of the most sensitive positions in the War on Terror to a man earlier Democrats decided was, essentially, a crook worthy of impeachment?

The Carter experience is instructive here. Regardless of what increasingly uncomfortable Democrats did or said as the Carter presidency unrolled -- or unraveled -- they found themselves confronted with a leader who personified a deadly combination. Jimmy Carter proved to be both weak yet unstoppable within the rank and file of Democratic activists. Salivating at the prospect of a supposedly "extremist" Reagan candidacy, Democrats to this day are reeling under the devastating impact of Carter's presidency and his uncanny ability to make one bad personnel and policy choice after another.

As Democrats stagger forth after abruptly overruling their new leader's choice of Jack Murtha, Nancy Pelosi's Ted Sorensen, they are clearly beginning to look at the soon-to-be reality of Speaker Pelosi and shudder at the realization they have are about to have a Carter-like Speakership.

One awaits the mantra of Democratic disaster to emerge from the past of the 2000 election as the Pelosi-sponsored Alcee Hastings gets his moment in the sun, a mantra that no doubt already has Karl Rove chuckling.

posted November 17, 2006 07:51 PM            

Well they both do a lot of screeching about the poor, the homeless, the disadvantaged but in their personal lives they don't put their screeching at others on these issues into personal practice.

Most of the Kennedy fortune is tied up in trusts...some offshore and therefore untouchable for tax purposes.

So, as I said before, these screechers will spend YOUR last dollar on their favorite disadvantaged groups but not their own.