Nancy made me do it!
The following report is from Roll Call. Having just left a meeting in which I discussed the need for vetting out candidates for office this confirms the candidate criteria to be sweaky clean when campaigning or serving in any elected capacity.
If you have any skeletons in your closet they will appear. Its just a matter of time. In some cases the enemy might even create skeletons based simply on rumors. With regard to New York Congressman Eric Massa, who just submitted his resignation, one needs to consider if his action was based on pressure from his own party leaders.
While I cannot address the guilt or innocence of the sexual harassment allegations against the Congressman, politics will always be a contact sport. Would this allegation have made the front pages if he didn’t vote against the health care Bill?
Read the Roll Call story and come to your own conclussion. The story link is provided below.
UPDATE : Massa in his own words: http://www.breitbart.tv/rep-massa-blast-dems-he-was-set-up-hoyer-lied-may-rescind-resignation
Massa Hints He Could Rescind Resignation
March 8, 2010, 7:14 A.M.
By Jennifer Yachnin
Roll Call Staff Rep. Eric Massa (D-N.Y.) suggested on a New York radio station Sunday that he could rescind his resignation — scheduled to take effect at 5 p.m. Monday — after asserting that an ethics investigation into allegations that he sexually harassed one of his aides may have been orchestrated by Democratic leaders to get him out of office before the health care vote.
Responding to a caller to his weekly radio show on WKPQ Power 105 FM, a recording of which was made available via the Web site of local station 13 WHAM-TV, Massa said: “I’m not going to be a Congressman as of 5 o’clock [Monday] afternoon. The only way to stop that is for me to rescind my resignation. That’s the only way to stop it. And the only way that’s going to happen is if this becomes a national story.”
During the hour-and-a-half show, Massa said that Democratic leaders are using the House ethics committee to get him out of office before the vote on health care because he voted against the House health care bill last fall.
“Mine is now the deciding vote on the health care bill, and this administration and this House leadership have said, ‘they will stop at nothing to pass this health care bill, and now they’ve gotten rid of me and it will pass.’ You connect the dots,” Massa said Several times during the broadcast Massa raised the prospect of rescinding his resignation if national news media picked up on his story of being railroaded out of office by Democratic leaders.
In response to a caller’s suggestion that Massa disseminate his allegations by contacting Fox News, Massa stated: “I can’t call Fox News. You guys gotta call Fox News. I can’t do it. … Here’s why. I’m in the center of this storm, so obviously I’m not objective.”
But Massa also repeatedly pointed out that the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct, commonly referred to as the ethics panel, would continue its investigation if he remains in office.
“That’s very kind of you, but understand what that means for me,” Massa said in a response to a caller who suggested he not resign. “It means that a group of lawyers are going to try to rip me and my family limb from limb. And you’ve already seen it in the newspapers. … It’s a piranha feeding frenzy.”
Massa said on the show that the ethics investigation focused on sexually charged comments he made to an aide at a New Year’s Eve celebration, but charged he was unaware of an ethics committee investigation into the incident until after he had announced his retirement last week.
The House ethics committee confirmed Thursday that it is investigating unspecified allegations against Massa.
Massa surprised political observers when he announced on Wednesday that he would not run for re-election in November. He cited a recurrence of cancer as the reason for his decision, but after the ethics investigation was confirmed, Massa announced he would step down immediately.
http://www.rollcall.com/media/43921-1.html
Unfortunate that Pelosi can’t apply the same energy to ridding the Congress of Charlie Rangel.
I met Eric a couple weeks ago, I contributed to his campaign (gotta see if he cashed that check) This was a big shock to me.
He and Kucinich were the only progressive members to vote against the healthcare bill because they didn’t feel it was STRONG enough. Eric in particular feels that the bill will just make the insurance companies even more powerful. He’s a single-payer backer like Weiner and Sanders and Harkin and many others, but disagrees with them that the current bill is progress in that direction.
What he told me is he wanted to introduce numerous more modest bills, starting with applying anti-trust laws to insurance companies (which happened recently thru a Perriello bill) then forbidding pre-existing conditions (to be balanced off by allowing children to stay on their parents’ policies longer) and so on.
Observing him this past week, though, I’m sadly starting to think he’s somewhat unstable. I still have the pocket constitution he gave me though!
Forgot to mention – Eric, and real maverick Arizona Republican Jeff Flake, are the ONLY TWO members of Congress who agreed to forego their own public health insurance until all of America could have what they have.
Vern.
It would be appropriate if every elected official had to sink or swim with the same health care coverage being offered to the rest of us.
ABSOLUTELY on the same page with you there, Juice-Brother.
I think there was also a bill in the Senate, actually an amendment that the Republicans offered mischievously, saying that whatever public option the public got, Senators would get the exact same thing. Al Franken was the first one to take them up on it seriously and say “That’s a good idea and I’ll vote for it!” A few other Dems did as well, and the Republicans, shocked, withdrew the amendment.
But Eric Massa and Jeff Flake put their money where their mouths are.
Vern. Isn’t it comforting when public officials create laws so long as they do not apply to themselves?
Regarding the nuttiness of Eric’s conspiracy theory (which is also the basis of Larry’s post)
Eric announced (ostensibly for health reasons) that he wouldn’t be seeking re-election on MARCH 3.
Two days later, March 5, he announced that he would be resigning.
By his own account, it was AFTER that announcement that he heard there was going to be an investigation into his sexual harassment charges.
And even later that he realized his departure would make it easier to pass health care. Now he talks about “connecting the dots” in retrospect, but this is tinfoil hat stuff. Sorry to have to say that Eric.
Brother Vern. I am only the messenger.
PS: Did you know that I will be driving the bus on the 20th? Are sure sure you want me behind the wheel?
Sorry, almost forgot. Politics of Aspiration presents a schedule conflict. As such I will look forward to your post.
Folks. I have just updated this post with the following audio:
http://www.breitbart.tv/rep-massa-blast-dems-he-was-set-up-hoyer-lied-may-rescind-resignation
#4 Larry,
I’d be happy to have the health care YOU have; medicare!
Anonster. Would you like to meet so that I can show you my Blue Cross card?
Let me know where and when.
From time to time it’s good for the readers to have a face to face with the Juice writers.
Ask Vern. He and I have met several times and it has always been very cordial
Hear hear, Medicare for all of us would be perfect! Even if we have to “buy in” with a reasonable premium. When we say single payer, we don’t mean much more than that.
It’s true Larry is very cordial. Although when he spied me talking to Chuck DeVore he ran up in a panic and said “Chuck! He’s not one of us!”
#11 Larry,
Medicare AND Bluecross, good for you!
Thanks for pointing out that government sponsored health care and private insurance, can and do co-exist. Basic coverage from the government, premium supplemental coverage from private insurers, the way medical coverage SHOULD be for everyone.
Sorry anonster.
You have it reversed. Blue Cross is my primary. Medicare is NOT my primary coverage
#14 Larry,
What do you think your premiums would be if you DIDN’T have Medicare?
I guess it’s easy to be smug when you’re being SUBSIDIZED by the GOVERNMENT.
anonster.
Did you overlook the fact I also collect Social Security? I was not given an option when the government started taking money out of my paycheck every month for more years than you are alive. Oh! And being CEO of a CA corporation we also paid taxes on behalf of others including unemployment.
Perhaps if we had a choice rather than a mandatory program you might make a stronger case.
Larry,
You didn’t ANSWER my question;
“What do you think your premiums would be if you DIDN’T have Medicare?”
Anonster. What’s your point? and I do pay a very high insurance premium for my very healthy wife