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Murtha: If Loving Constituents Is Wrong ... I Don't Wanna Be Right!
Backing down isn't Rep. John Murtha's style.
The cantankerous House power-broker is under fire for his ties to the PMA lobbying firm, which just shut down amid reports of an FBI probe into its campaign contributions to friendly lawmakers, including Murtha, who have steered millions in federal earmarks to PMA clients.
But in an interview with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the Pennsylvania Democrat, was unapologetic:
"If I'm corrupt, it's because I take care of my district. My job as a member of Congress is to make sure that we take care of what we see is necessary. Not the bureaucrats who are unelected over there in whatever White House, whether it's Republican or Democrat. Those bureaucrats would like to control everything. Every president would like to have all the power and not have Congress change anything. But we're closest to the people.
Added Murtha: Without earmarks, "Johnstown would have been like Detroit is today. We would have been a ghost town."
PMA was founded by a former Murtha aide, Paul Magliocchetti. The FBI probe is believed to be focusing on whether Magliocchetti funneled illegal campaign contributions to friendly lawmakers, likely including Murtha. In return, the lawmakers may have steered earmarks to PMA clients.
Murtha argued that the Obama team's recent recovery package was its own form of pork, telling the paper: "The stimulus package is the earmarks of the administration,"
He defended lobbyists, who, he said, "play an important part."
And he said complaints about earmarks are an inside-the-beltway thing. "That's only in Washington. That's not out in the field. Out in the field people appreciate what has happened. They see the advantage to being able to help the district. And every district's the same."
Still, things may be heating up for Murtha in DC. As we noted earlier, An effort by Rep. Jeff Flake (R-AZ) to get a congressional ethics investigation opened into PMA is gaining support in the House.
Josh
Zachary
Murtha is an embarrassment who is about to be discovered by a much larger audience. He "takes care" of his constituency the same way Ted Stevens did; by "helping" them he always manages to help himself first.
March 30, 2009 5:44 PM | Reply | Permalink
714,
not to defend Murtha, but Stevens used his office to enrich himself, no such charges have yet been connected to Murtha.
On another note, I think this "earmarks", "pork"
issues is just nonsense. Its a miniscule part of the budget, 99.9% of those in Congress along with the White House do it, and much of it is perfectly legitimate, especially the science earmarks.
A headline in our paper today: 'Towns (Bucks County, PA) lining up to get their share of the stimulus.' Most of the towns are Republican controlled.
March 30, 2009 5:54 PM | Reply | Permalink
We'll see JohnW. I admit that you are correct that there is no evidence YET that he's making himself comfortable, too.
March 30, 2009 6:45 PM | Reply | Permalink
The System IS the solution. No wait, the System is the Problem.
March 30, 2009 6:31 PM | Reply | Permalink
Earmarks...
The act of voting for more Washington money from taxpayers, then giving some of that same money to folks who will be indebted to you... and support your reelection...
and then making sure you get lots of recognition for having given some of it back.
I myself would find it much more beneficial to be able to choose my OWN local worthy cause... and keep it from the senatorial mobsters...
March 30, 2009 6:42 PM | Reply | Permalink
You want to pick the local projects? Fine...run for congress already...
March 30, 2009 7:09 PM | Reply | Permalink
Earmarks...
The act of voting for more Washington money from taxpayers, then giving some of that same money to folks who will be indebted to you... and support your reelection...
and then making sure you get lots of recognition for having given some of it back.
I myself would find it much more beneficial to be able to choose my OWN local worthy cause... and keep it from the senatorial mobsters...
March 30, 2009 6:48 PM | Reply | Permalink
Earmarks are like a lot in life, some good, some bad. Trying to filter out just the bad ones rarely, if ever, works.
Earmarks are also a great subject for demogoguery for pandering politicians.
March 30, 2009 7:54 PM | Reply | Permalink
Definitely going to come for this asshole's seat come 2010, he needs the boot.
March 30, 2009 8:12 PM | Reply | Permalink
Earmarks are something congressman are supposed to use to get their district taken care of. Why would I want my congressman to commit himself to not taking care of my district? That's why we have representatives in congress, to represent our district. The earmark hating nonsense is a distraction from real problems. All earmarks should be transparent, I'll go along with that for sure. It should be easy to find who got what for who. Saying congressman shouldn't try and steer projects/money to their district is just ludicrous.
March 30, 2009 8:17 PM | Reply | Permalink
"If I'm corrupt, it's because I take care of my district?" Yea, and if I robbed a bank, it was to feed my kids. That was the weakest response I've heard since Jim Trafficant went to jail!
March 30, 2009 8:23 PM | Reply | Permalink
i'll bet murtha really believes his own garbage. most individuals in life, not just politicians, require some kind of network of corrupt logic to rationalize their improper behavior. it's like the painkiller you administer to your conscience, kno-whu'm sayin', homies?
March 30, 2009 9:36 PM | Reply | Permalink
As a former Johnstowner who still visits the district twice a year, I'll say this.
Murtha's 100% right about what would have happened had not he (and, in fairness, his Republican mirror image in the next district over, Bud Shuster) kept his head down and shoveled money into the sinkhole that is post-industrial Western PA. Instead of being half a ghost town (a poltergeist town?), we'd have been the whole thing.
The funny thing is, with the exception of his sudden antiwar blurt a few years back (which scared the hell out of the hometown folks, who thought he'd get frozen out by the then-GOP majority), Murtha's been so singleminded in his pursuit of pork at all costs that he's utterly failed to learn the obvious lesson of the last eight years: that it's no longer considered okay to do the wrong thing for the right reasons, or the wrong thing for the wrong reasons but with the right intentions.
However. Murtha is nobody's idea of a genius, or for that matter a master political strategist, but I'm pretty sure these comments weren't "gaffes" or "slips" or evidence of Bunning-style dementia. I think he's pretty confident he can all but plead guilty in the media and still get re-elected, and if so I wouldn't bet against him.
March 31, 2009 12:43 AM | Reply | Permalink
Murtha has squeaked by for years with the "selfless" it's-all-for-Johnstown attitude. I recollect that may well have taken him off the hook for Abscam (remember that one, boys and girls?). But this present situation does look messy, doesn't it?
March 31, 2009 1:02 AM | Reply | Permalink
Murtha can rot in hell.
A hundred times over.
For all he's done, and I don't feel the need to recapture the history.
Murtha can rot in hell. Along with the rest of them.
Harumph.
March 31, 2009 1:40 AM | Reply | Permalink
seattle papers have been looking to connect rep. norm dicks to this whole mess. talk about earmarks! norm is untouchable for one reason -- he delivers! earmarks, that is...
March 31, 2009 5:24 AM | Reply | Permalink
But we're closest to the people.
That helps explain the tire tracks across my back.
March 31, 2009 10:35 AM | Reply | Permalink
I have it on good authority that Murtha didn't actually say that.
I consulted with Dr. Batzenbrane, my answer-man, and he told me Murtha actually said, "If I'm corrupt, it's because, when you get to congress, they surgically remove that part of your brain that thinks and put in some really nasty goo of their own. See, I have this little scar right here behind my ear....!"
Dr. Batzenbrane was there and told me he saw Murtha's handlers (off camera) toss him some monkey chow kibbles that Murtha caught in his mouth in mid-air.
Later, Dr. Batzenbrane said he later saw Murtha, Pelosi, and Reid, fighting over some dropped kibble and loose change. Their handlers cleaned them up so they could go back in the chamber and debate another 3.7 trillion dollar bailout package for the "New Mafia" who really needs the money.
April 1, 2009 1:04 PM | Reply | Permalink